Abundant Honor Ministries

01/02/2024

One of the darkest and most difficult parts of being a special needs family is personal, cultural, and even spiritual isolation. For the person or family affected by disability it is much easier to…

10/27/2023

Does everyone have a copy of the movie checklist? The fun starts tomorrow!

https://www.hallmarkchannel.com/christmas/movie-guide-countdown-to-christmas-2023?fbclid=IwAR31AJ69LLbTX6sMVKgpftZQpq8yIK_O_lwdswqpU1M07YuUc65V5mTA3jc

10/27/2023

Boathouse Row, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

📸: [instagram.com/justnphotos]

06/06/2023

Summer is fast approaching, hopefully a season of refreshment for some of you, who unlike us "Alaskan expats" seem to enjoy summer more than winter! lol. Yes, I enjoy the sun and vitamin D recharge too, also the chance to work the garden for Jane.

Speaking of gardening, those of you who do so might appreciate this reflection I have been musing on. Even though I come from a farming family on my mother's side I do not by any means consider myself an exceptional gardener. I've made plenty of mistakes and also enjoyed some success along the way. The biggest mistake I've learned is that the unpleasant task of w**ding needs to be constant, not occasional. In past years I'd try and skip that part as often as possible only to find it quickly becomes out of control, deeper roots, more back breaking and gee, at the end of the season, the veggies were a bit smaller than I would have hoped for.

Weeds, whether in the garden or in our souls, need DAILY, NOT OCCASIONAL WEEDING. And by w**ding, I mean repenting. I've heard the quote "the Christian life is a life of repenting". It's not an occasional thing either, it's daily, hourly even. I recently preached at a retirement center and asked the rhetorical question "can any of you get though a single day without sinning?" One old gentleman raised his hand, the rest, I hope understood what I was aiming at. But as I reflect on Jeremiah 17:9 that our hearts are deceitful above all things... seems to say our hearts blind us to our own sins. Wouldn't a loving Gardener who wants to see a full, rich harvest of fruit in our lives want to w**d our hearts daily? If only we'd trust him and even ASK HIM to DO SO, daily. "Show me my sin Jesus, so I might draw closer to you" is a prayer I've had to grow in confidence in His grace and love for me enough to ask. If we are afraid to pray that way, doesn't that expose hearts who's trust or understanding of His character is weak? I think so. Having Him pull w**ds of sin out of us, showing us the w**ds from the good plants IS painful but only in the moment, whereas clinging to our sins, letting the roots grow deeper and deeper is gonna hurt a LOT more when they get pulled. Nevermind the consequences if they remain unpulled. I pray better things for us.

02/14/2023

There’s two of me.

There’s, Typical Mom (hence known as TM), the me I am when I’m with people who have children who can say what they need when they need it. Who have no difficulty getting ready in the morning or taking a shower. Whose kids are in college or applying to college or starting jobs and careers. Kids like my two boys.

I like TM. She laughs in solidarity over messy rooms, teen attitude and boys who would rather freeze in sub zero temperatures than ever wear a coat.

She can talk about the latest show she’s watched, and the latest political news. She’s fun.

Then there’s Special Needs Mom, (SNM.) You might not always know she’s there while you’re drinking coffee together, laughing over the latest thing your husband did, but each time her phone buzzes she looks to see if it’s her daughter’s school.

Not the school her boys go to with the rest of the neighborhood kids, but a school for kids whose issues are too significant to be dealt with in district.

You might not know that she ordered her coffee with two shots of espresso because she had to give her 20-year-old daughter a shower at 2am because her sweet daughter thought it was a good idea to find the shower gel that’s strategically hidden, and covered her body with the whole bottle, requiring her to get up and give her child, the one whose five inches taller than her, a shower because her daughter can’t do it on her own.

Or that she’s a wreck because her daughter has only another year in her current school and then will have to go into an adult program.

SNM doesn’t want to always talk about the fear she has sending her very verbally limited child out into the real world. Heck SNM doesn’t like to admit it to herself.

The funny thing that you might not know about SNM is that because she has these serious, hard things on her mind and in her heart, she’s actually enjoying these all-to-brief moments of “normal”.

Talking about your daughter’s choice of colleges or her latest internship is fun. Sure it might sting a little bit as she plays a faint chorus of the “why me, why my daughter blues,” but SNM is capable of being happy for you at the same time.

Also, she’s learned after so many years of hiding behind her TM face that most people have an alter ego lurking in their shadows too.

Maybe among the women sitting and laughing over coffee there’s a mom who’s going through a painful time in her marriage, or she just found out about a cancer diagnosis, or is struggling with addiction or is caring for a parent with Dementia?

SNM knows that we all might need a break from our other “selves”. She’s learned that this isn’t a competition. Her hard may be different from someone else’s, but that doesn’t mean it’s any more painful, or easier, it’s just different.

And the more she remembers this, the less alone she feels and the more she can enjoy these moments of letting her one identity step back a bit and allow her other self enjoy some well needed time in the sun.

—Kathy Radigan

02/03/2023

There is an old wisdom teaching that states; “there are two wolves within each one of us, one is good the other is bad.” Then the question that follows asks: “which one is stronger?” To which the reply is given “the one you feed”. If this has a familiar, Biblical ring to it, you would be correct.

Romans 7: 21-23 says “So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me.

So, what’s the solution you ask. Easy, kill off the dark-wolf, right? Piece of cake, why wouldn’t I just want it gone after all? Oh, that it were so easy. You see, that black dog in this picture is Pippa. We love Pippa, we get lots of laughs from her, she is so affectionate and playful, yet smart and stubborn and obviously has lots of attitude. See our dilemma? We love our sin-wolf, we are used to her. We let her get away with things just because it’s “cute” or “no big deal”, ignoring the consequences of a disobedient dog. How often to you give your temper permission to shut someone you disagree with or who hurt you down? How many of us have habits of finding faults in others so we can feel just a tad better about ourselves (let’s call that pride and being judgmental). We don’t even need to mention addictions like food, p**n or booze or shopping, right? You get the point.

How then do we “kill off” the bad wolf? We don’t. That’s the whole point of Romans 7-8. Romans 8:2-3 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death. That’s the Good wolf (Rocky pic). For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh. God IS the solution, THE power to say no to our flesh-wolf. Without Jesus, as the Holy Spirit in us, we have no power to say no to our worldly-wolf. But if we follow Colossians 2:6 and walk just as we did when we first believed, we will daily, moment by moment, confess our sin, ask humbly, yet again, for forgiveness and desire to obey so that He can do in us what we cannot do for ourselves. He IS our SANCTIFICATION so says 1 Corinthians 1:30.

01/05/2023

I have been watching The Chosen, season 3. Episode 2 had some extremely helpful thoughts about affliction that doesn't get healed and what God might be doing. Skip to 53:14 and listen to the exchange between Jesus and Little James:
https://www.angel.com/watch/the-chosen/episode/4b8950d5-45df-4c79-af1a-41ac4fe55dd7/season-3/episode-2/two-by-two

Jesus is a problem for the Romans. With pilgrims from everywhere setting up a tent city at the gates of Capernaum to see Jesus, tensions rise. Jesus officially sends the twelve apostles on an exciting but dangerous mission, causing Little James to ask why he hasn’t been healed.

12/15/2022

I have a friend named Carl (not his real name), who is in deep bo***ge to legalism. Over the course of several years, I and a few others have tried repeatedly to point him to the freedom he has in Christ, but to no avail. A recent conversation with Carl left me more burdened than ever to see him get free of his self-imposed prison. Several days have passed since that conversation, yet he's constantly on my mind. I've been reading through Galatians, and I keep thinking that its message is super-applicable to Carl. "Why can't he get it?" I wonder. I've also been reading Gentle and Lowly by Dane Ortlund and in every chapter I think to myself, "Carl needs this book. He needs to see Jesus' heart for him." Everywhere, I find something applicable to him. I'm carrying him around as a constant burden on my heart.
At breakfast this morning, I told Bob about my burden for Carl. He responded, "That's how I am with all my clients. I carry them in my heart all the time and my thoughts are constantly on them." Wow! In one brief exchange with Bob, I got a powerful insight into what it's like for him to be a biblical counselor. He's always thinking about how to get through to his clients. He broods over them with a burning desire for their healing. Their liberation. Their joy in Christ. I came away with a new appreciation and respect for what Bob does. He's involved in nothing less than pursuing healing and liberation for broken, hurting people.
Would you consider making a special end-of-year donation to Abundant Honor Ministries in support of Bob's work? With a new appreciation, I can tell you that what he undertakes to do is both demanding and vital.

04/06/2020

https://www.abundanthonor.org/blog/2020/4/6/masks

COVID-19 is teaching us new perspectives and stretching us way out of our comfort zones, isn’t it? Some of us are stuck at home, perhaps bored out of our minds, getting on each other’s nerves, or maybe stressing over income, investment losses, health concerns etc. Whichever lot is yours, are you...

03/09/2020

Latest insights into the world of disability:

The wolf said, “The groundhog saw his shadow and said 6 more weeks of winter… so I ate him”. I wonder how many of us are feeling wolf-like as we come to the end of winter? In this post, I hope to provide you with a tiny window into the life of families with disabilities as we look at the issue...

02/20/2020

https://www.abundanthonor.org/blog/2020/2/20/2020-vision

Happy New Year my friends! It's hard not to love our year wordplay this year, "2020". It communicates a year of clarity, sharp vision, focus. How important is clear vision? I remember the brown, horizontal, wind-driven rain we encountered in Wyoming on our way to Alaska back it 2005. We

10/28/2018

This was reposted by a former coworker whom I deeply respect. It captures the heart of every wise care giver to those with disability needs. Well worth your time to read...

I don’t remember the exact moment my life was changed by someone with a developmental disability. The memories seem far away, blurry, as if they don’t belong to me. But this is what happens after you’ve been working with adults with developmental disabilities for years. You change.
They don’t tell you that when you’re filling out your application. Instead, they tell you about the hours, the health benefits, the 401(k) plan, the programs and the strategies. But they don’t tell you about the fact if you do it right, you’ll never be the same.
They don’t tell you it will be the most amazing job you’ve ever had. On other days, it can be the worst. They can’t describe on paper the emotional toll it will take on you. They can’t tell you there may come a time where you find you’re more comfortable surrounded by people with developmental disabilities than you are with the general population. They don’t tell you you’ll come to love them, and there will be days when you feel more at home when you’re at work than when you’re at home, sitting on your couch. But it happens.
They don’t tell you about the negative reactions you may face when you’re out in the community with someone with a developmental disability. That there are people on this earth who still think it’s OK to say the R-word. That people stare. Adults will stare. You will want to say something, anything, to these people to make them see. But at the end of the day, your hands will be tied because some things, as you learn quickly, can’t be explained with something as simple as words. They can only be felt. And most of the time, until someone has had their own experience with someone with a developmental disability, they just won’t understand.
They train you in CPR and first aid, but they can’t tell you what it feels like to have to use it. They don’t tell you what it is like to learn someone is sick and nothing can be done. They can’t explain the way it feels when you work with someone for years and then one day they die.
They can’t explain the bond direct service personnel develop with the people they are supporting. I know what it’s like to have a conversation with someone who has been labeled non-verbal or low-functioning. After working with someone for awhile, you develop a bond so strong they can just give you a look and you know exactly what it means, what they want and what they’re feeling. And most of the time, all it boils down to is they want to be heard, listened to and included. Loved.
When you apply for this job, they do tell you you’ll be working to teach life skills. But what they don’t tell you is while you’re teaching someone, they’ll also be teaching you. They have taught me it’s OK to forgive myself when I have a bad day. There’s always tomorrow and a mess-up here and there doesn’t mean it’s the end of the world. They have taught me to slow down, to ponder, to take the time to just look around and take in this beautiful world and all of the simple joys we are blessed to encounter every day.
So when did I change? I realize now there wasn’t one pivotal moment. Instead, it was a million little moments, each important in their own way, that when added together changed me. And I’m grateful for each one.
❤

08/16/2018

Love believes all things, bears all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 1 Cor 13. Do you LOVE like Jesus loved? Can you learn to do this with those with special needs? It's what I need, it's what you need... it's what all of us need. Let's learn how to love by understanding better too..

07/04/2018

Yesterday marked the 10th anniversary (is that the right term to use?) of the incident that would eventually lead us to forming Abundant Honor Ministries. July 2 was the day Jane was struck by a falling rock from Horsetail Falls in the Keystone Canyon just outside of Valdez Alaska. It has led to a bit of reflection for me over the last couple days as to where we have come since that time. I have been looking over old notes from Jane, pre-accident, post accident, notes from others. I am struck just as one who has lost a loved one or has a child born with a disability never forgets that day and feels the world stop yet again as life continues for everyone else as if nothing happened. I am struck as I recollect an email I sent out to our mission prayer partners during that time. Many responses were warm and caring and we received loads of cards and letters and calls in the months following. Then there was responses to my heart ache from those who assumed I had perhaps lost my way in my faith because of the depth of grief I expressed from that letter. Some encouraged me to not give up, others thought I should be shipped off to therapy, as if that would somehow "fix" my/our loss. I have learned over the last decade that most folks, even those who seem to know Scripture have little capacity to absorb deep pain from others dealing with disability and maintain their Biblical worldview. Even though Jesus told us that suffering was to be expected as part of the core of walking with Him in this world, when it happens we scramble to do everything possible to suppress it, ignore it, fix it. What we don't want to do is embrace it. Jesus prayed in the garden, "If possible Lord let this cup pass from me, NEVERTHELESS NOT MY WILL BUT YOURS BE DONE". He embraced the suffering of the cross because He knew what the result would be. Aren't we supposed to see suffering in the same light? If our suffering can draw people to Jesus, to truth, to forgiveness for their sins, to hope for a better world than this one to look forward to, isn't that what we are supposed to be living and following Jesus for? Yes, suffering tears us down, I've studied Job and the Psalms and Lamentations and Jeremiah where people poured out their hearts, broken, bleeding inside from the pain and finding in that brokenness a path leading to the cross and to Jesus Himself. If they put words to their pain and have it recorded for us to see, identify with, cry in agreement with then why should we hide our pain? Perhaps someone might find hope through ours. That is what I want, whatever it takes cuz there is nothing this world has to offer that's better to do than offer hope... but not 'hope' for hopes sake, but Hope (ie Jesus Himself). It's all about Him...