The word for church in ancient Greek literally means “called out” or “the called out ones.”  This is exactly how I am feeling lately.  I feel God has been slowly leading my wife and I to a place where we can minister to other families of special needs children.  I understand “special needs” comes in many shapes and forms.  The families we will be targeting are those with children with moderate to severe cognitive delays.  Also families with moderate to severe physical handicaps.  But to be precise our main thrust will be to minister to families of autistic children.

We know from personal experience how isolated and neglected these families can feel.  Whether it is real or imagined it feels like you have no hope.  You almost feel oppressed by the special needs child.  We want to provide a forum for these parents to talk about their challenges, receive encouragement and admonition with a strong scriptural basis.  I cannot claim to be a biblical scholar but I can lay claim to knowing exactly how these parents feel.  My elders are biblical scholars so they can help me with scripture and provide the oversight I would desire to make sure scripture is properly applied.

There are many support groups out there for “autistic parents” as we call them but none provide comfort from scripture.  This is what we propose to do.  We want these families to know that God does not make mistakes, that every creation by God is deliberate and meaningful and kind and good!

What my wife and I mainly need at this point is your prayer and encouragement.  Pray that we will be given the wisdom and love that we need.

Ummm…. no.  God isn’t “up there somewhere.”  Scripture tells us that Christ ascended into the clouds, and will come back to earth in the same manner he left.  Which by the way, doesn’t necessarily mean He will descend from the clouds, I believe the passage just means that He will return in glory, just as He left in glory.  But I digress.

I say this because of another website that was started by some young Christians asking others to pray for God’s creation any time they fly because “you’re never closer to God than at 30,000 feet.”  Now, let me just say that I think these folks have the best of intentions and I love the fact that they are using their time in a jet wisely; in prayer rather than watching the in-flight movie.   But to think that you are closer to God just because you’re high up in the atomosphere is theologically incorrect, and really just deist.  This is a god who as Christian Smith explains, “created the world, and defines our general moral order, but not one who is particularly personally involved in one’s affairs–especially affairs in which one would prefer not to have God involved. Most of the time, the God of this faith keeps a safe distance.”

But scripture doesn’t teach us that God watches us “from above.”  He is intimately involved in all of creation.  Job 38:39-41 speak of how God even provides food for the lion cubs and young ravens “when it’s young ones cry to God and wander around in search of food.”  Our God manages His creation every minute.  He doesn’t sit on some throne up above the clouds.  We’ve been above the clouds and He wasn’t found there.  We’ve been as far as Mars and no one has seen His temple.

If you really want to be close to God, visit a prison.  Visit an old folk’s home.  Visit a hospice.  You’ll never be closer to God than when you’re next to someone who is about to meet Him…