Brought by Kindness from Lodebar
And David said unto him [Mephibosheth], Fear not: for I will surely shew thee kindness for Jonathan thy father’s sake, and will restore thee all the land of Saul thy father; and thou shalt eat bread at my table continually—2 Samuel 9:7 What a day it was when kindness came to the sad village of Lodebar to “fetch” a lame, lost, and fearful son of the covenant and carry him to be seated at the king’s table! Was this merely David’s kindness to a lame man? Was it only a kindness kindled by David’s memories of his beloved Jonathan? No, […]
Editor’s Notes
This issue of the Standard Bearer is very special as it focuses on special needs members of the Protestant Reformed Churches. I am confident that you will relish it from cover to cover, and as you hear the testimony of true faith, you will stand amazed at the power of God’s grace. We are indebted to all the contributors who put their heart and soul into each article submitted. As one of you wrote in an email, “This was a labor of love and lots of tears were shed yet again while we reminisced….” Thank you! Your superb efforts will […]
Special Needs Members of God’s Covenant: Truth, Progress, and no Termination
TRUTH: BELONGING TO GOD’S COVENANT As my colleague, Professor Doug Kuiper, pointed out to me recently after he had read many different articles in various church magazines and books on the topic of special needs children, no one talks about the covenant! We have been given a precious heritage in the truth of God’s covenant and we need to consider it in connection with special needs members. The covenant of God is not a contract, treaty, or pact as has been widely taught (and what would that mean for special needs individuals?), but the warm relationship of friendship that God […]
Koinonia and Special Needs Members of Christ’s Church*
Does your congregation include someone who was born with a physical or neurological abnormality? Down Syndrome? Autism? Cerebral palsy? William’s Syndrome? Guillane-Barre Syndrome? Fragile X Syndrome? Or some other condition? Do you know of a fellow believer who was not born with an abnormality, but who later had a stroke, aneurysm, traumatic fall, or accident, and suffered the effects ever since? Such people serve the body of Christ, and Christ’s church serves them, even when we do not notice it or understand how. This mutual service is a spiritual reality. God gave also to special needs members “the measure of […]
Trials and Blessings
In His infinite wisdom and good pleasure, our heavenly Father created me with a short umbilical cord, which He determined would wrap around my neck causing a lack of oxygen just before I was born. To show forth His power and glory, He preserved the lives of a new mother and baby. On that Good Friday morning in the early 1970s, He gave two new parents, an extended family, church family, and broader community of believers the trial and blessing of a special baby with Cerebral Palsy (CP). Every detail of that morning and my entire life our heavenly Father […]
My Experience with Autism
THE EARLY YEARS I was 3 years old when I was first diagnosed with Autism…at least that’s the first time my parents were aware of it! Looooooong time ago! Now at this typing, I’m 36, so a bit over a billion seconds ago! Is autism a disability or a different ability?! Both?! It’s a quote widely attributed to Stuart Duncan: “Autism is not a disability, it’s a different ability”! Although he is wrong to say it is not a disability because it is, he is right to say it is a different ability, because it is that too. Autism is […]
Coming to Terms with Our Daughter’s Diagnosis
Have you ever prayed that God would give your unborn child a disability? Your answer to that question would probably be the same as the answer to this one: Have you ever prayed that God would afflict you with a disability? Disabilities are a part of the curse that came because of the Fall. We would not ask for them. What we do ask is that our Father would bring into our lives anything that serves our salvation and the grace to submit to His plan. Our family has experienced the amazing grace that only comes from God as we […]
Caring for Adult Special Needs Children
We have been asked to write about our path that pertains to the caring of our girls and the responsibility that we have as parents now that they are older. For proper context to this article, it is important that we introduce our two daughters and family to you. Amy is 40 years old; she is the oldest of our five children. Amy was diagnosed with an Autism cognitive impairment when she was five years old. She attended the Early Childhood program at Jenison Public for one year. When she was six years old, we enrolled her into the Protestant […]
Coping With the Death of a Special Needs Child
NOLAN BRUINSMA Nolan Bruinsma was born February 11, 2005. He was the firstborn of Greg and Liz Bruinsma. We were young, newly married, and ready to start a family. At six weeks old, Nolan experienced second-degree sun burns on his hands and face after going for short walks outside under his stroller canopy for two consecutive days in April. This raised alarm bells. Nolan’s maternal uncle had a rare genetic disorder called Xeroderma Pigmentosum. What are the chances that Nolan could have this same genetic disorder? “Infinitesimal” is what the dermatologist said. It turns out that “infinitesimal” and “one in […]
Same Lake, Different Boat*
It has been established in this special issue of the Standard Bearer that we, as Protestant Reformed churches, have been given the opportunity and responsibility to come alongside those parents to whom the Lord has given special needs children, those with cognitive and/or physical disabilities. When a special needs child is born, the child becomes not just a member of one of our families (the “different boat”) but that child also becomes a member of our larger, covenantal community (the “same lake”). Therefore, it is also that covenant community that seeks to help the parents meet the child’s educational needs […]
