Impacting Lives for the Kingdom of God

Impacting Lives for the Kingdom of God

by | Sep 29, 2021 | Different Dream, Spiritual Support

Impacting Lives for the Kingdom of God

Impacting lives for the kingdom of God is the most important goal of believers. In today’s post guest blogger Kimberly Drew tells how easy it is to lose sight of that goal whatever your work may be–parenting kids with disabilities, teaching school, pastoring a church, putting together widgets on an assembly line–and how to regain it again.

A few weeks ago, I had one of my back-to-school nightmares. In it my classroom was covered in trash and Lego pieces. I was frantically cleaning before the students came. New curriculum, a student with severe allergies, new co-teachers or administration, a change of classroom or teaching grade, all these things can add to the nerves before school starts and result in nightmares. If I’m not careful, the details also start to crowd out the most important goal for me as a Christian: impacting lives for the kingdom of God.

James and John lost sight of this in Mark 10 when they start lobbying for positions next to Jesus in heaven. He reminded them about why he came. His singular focus, to do the will of the Father by serving unto death for the sins of the world, would make a way for us to enter the kingdom of God. This reminder followed a third time Jesus predicted his own death. Immediately, James and John started vying for his affection. The rest of the disciples became indignant. Talk about being distracted from impacting lives for the kingdom of God!

If I’m honest, I get distracted too. Sometimes I’m tempted to think that I can check the service box off my ridiculous what-good-Christians-do mental checklist. Yes, God has placed students in my life to serve them as Christ served. However they are not my only calling. My primary calling can be found in Mark 12:29-31:

 “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”

Yes, I must serve my students and my own children, two of whom have disabilities. However I must first love the Lord my God with everything in me. Out of that relationship, my ability to serve others will only become sweeter and deeper.

If you find the details of your career, life, or the care of your children are clouding your perspective, remember that impacting lives for the kingdom of God is your most important goal on earth. Your co-workers, precious children, relatives, and friends all need you to be a servant pointing the way to Jesus. Maybe like me, you’re getting overwhelmed by details that are crowding out that goal. If so, take time to refocus today and set your mind on Christ.

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Kimberly grew up and went to college in the small town of Upland, IN. She graduated from Taylor University with a degree in Elementary Education in 2002. While at TU, she married her college sweetheart and so began their adventure! Ryan and Kimberly have four amazing kids on earth (Abigail, Jayden, Ellie, and Cooper), and a baby boy waiting for them in heaven. Their daughter Abigail (Abbey) has multiple disabilities including cerebral palsy, a seizure disorder, hearing loss, microcephaly, and oral dysphagia. She is the inspiration behind Kimberly’s  desire to write. In addition to being a stay at home mom, Kimberly has been serving alongside her husband in full time youth ministry for almost fourteen years. She enjoys working with the senior high girls, scrapbooking, reading, and music. You can visit Kimberly at her website, Promises and Perspective.

Author Jolene Philo

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If You’re Wondering Why Jane Is a School Teacher…

If You’re Wondering Why Jane Is a School Teacher…

by | Sep 10, 2020 | Family

If you’re wondering why Jane is a school teacher–and the Jane being referred to here is the protagonist of See Jane Run!, the picture above holds the explanation.

See the woman in the second row, far left, standing by the little girl with the pixie hair cut? That’s my mother. She taught school for 39 years.
Do you know how many students were in her third grade classroom during the 1963-64 school year? 32

That’s 32.

In a time when
classrooms weren’t air conditioned,
special education classes were few and far between,
men were paid more than women for doing the same job,
and women had to wear dresses and hose every day, even during recess duty in the winter.

While Mom was in charge of the education of 32 eight and nine-year-olds, she was also

furthering her education by completing her 4 year degree and a master’s degree,
caring for a husband who had multiple sclerosis,
raising three kids, who were 10, 7, and 4 in 1963-63,
and raising a ruckus with the school board which resulted in women’s salaries being raised to the same level as their male counterparts.

My mom was living proof that an elementary school teacher are tough enough to be the protagonist of a cozy mystery series. The country school and the town where Jane teaches are based upon my teaching experience, not Mom’s. As a result, Jane’s

biggest class consisted of 15 students in three grades (1st-3rd),
she earns the same salary as men,
she wears pants in fall, winter, and spring,
and her classroom isn’t air conditioned.

Therefore,

Jane can afford to go to the cafe for supper,
she can spend less time correcting papers and more time looking for clues,
and she can run around the short grass prairie in blue jeans in all kinds of weather.

All of which make the story move along faster,
make me grateful for my tough elementary school teacher mom,
and even more grateful never to have had a class of 32 students!

Sign up to receive website updates and See Jane Run! book news on Gravel Road’s home page right under the picture of–you guessed it–the gravel road.

Surrounding the Vulnerable with Love Is Simple and Profound

Surrounding the Vulnerable with Love Is Simple and Profound

by | Jul 17, 2019 | Different Dream, How-Tos

Surrounding the Vulnerable with Love Is Simple and Profound

Surrounding the vulnerable with love is simple and profound–

As simple as a neighbor walking down the street to visit a young father losing his fight with an incurable disease,
As profound as the memory, 50 years later, of that neighbor helping the man’s children with their 4-H projects.

As simple as the shoe store owner giving that young father new boots every year,
As profound as the impact his generosity had on the man’s children as they grew into adulthood.

As simple as picnics, hikes, and adventures with an aunt, uncle, and cousins on the weekends,
As profound as an example of the give and take between healthy married couples growing children need to see.

As simple as a disabled parent wheeling into the high school gym, the church sanctuary, and the fairgrounds,
As as profound as the offhand comment, “Your father was the one visible person with disabilities in our town during the 1960s.”

As simple as teachers who encourage a child who can’t run and jump as fast as her classmates.
As profound as teachers who spoke truth into that insecure girl’s heart by saying, “You can do this. You’re creative. You are brave.”

Surrounding the vulnerable with love is simple and profound,
Encased in the ordinary,
Disguised as small things,
Dismissed by the proud,
Cherished by the humble,
Treasured by the vulnerable,

Surrounding the vulnerable with love is simple and profound.
It is your work. It is my work. It is good work.
It is transformational, life-changing, and life-giving.
It is the holy, sacrificial, daily work of Christ to which we are called.

Surrounding the vulnerable with love is simple and profound.
Will you choose to do it?

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Jolene Philo is a published author, speaker, wife, and mother of a son with special needs.

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Ministering To and With Those Who Teach Our Children with Special Needs

Ministering To and With Those Who Teach Our Children with Special Needs

by | Aug 27, 2018 | Different Dream, School/Education, Special Needs Parenting

Ministering To and With Those Who Teach Our Children with Special Needs

The end of August means the beginning of school, a time of year I greeted with equal measures of excitement and dread as a teacher. So my original idea for this post was to shed some light on what teachers think and feel when a new school year rolls around. However, the Holy Spirit had something else in mind because when I sat down to write, the special needs family camp where I’ve served for a long weekend during the past three summers kept intruding on my thoughts.

I was proud enough to burst my buttons when several family members who previously attended as recipients of camp services return as volunteers. This development should be the ultimate goal of every special needs ministry–a shift from ministering to those with disabilities to equipping them for ministry so all eventually minister with one another. As thoughts of camp and thoughts of the new school year cozied up in my mind, a new idea formed.

To read the rest of this post, visit Key Ministry’s blog for parents of kids with special needs.

Do you like what you see at DifferentDream.com? You can receive more great content by subscribing to the quarterly Different Dream newsletter and signing up for the daily RSS feed delivered to your email inbox. You can sign up for the first in the pop up box and the second at the bottom of this page.

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Jolene Philo is a published author, speaker, wife, and mother of a son with special needs.

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The Final IEP Meeting: Advice to the Mom I Once Was

The Final IEP Meeting: Advice to the Mom I Once Was

by | Nov 22, 2017 | Different Dream, School/Education, Special Needs Parenting

The Final IEP Meeting: Advice to the Mom I Once Was

After her daughter’s final IEP meeting, guest blogger Karen Jackson, marked the day by penning a letter to the mother she was in the early days of their children’s education. Her advice is valuable beyond measure and may require a tissue.

The Final IEP Meeting:
Advice to the Mom I Once Was

Today I attended my 17th and final IEP meeting for my daughter, Samantha. I remember the first one when she was just four years old. I was new to the lingo, new to the procedures and still grieving and trying to figure out what autism was and how it would affect my sweet daughter.

Samantha’s public schooling comes to an end this year, and the last IEP begins the official process of transition to the post-high school world. I feel like something should mark this day. Celebration does not seem completely appropriate but the idea of a letter to that mom from 17 years ago might work. So here goes…

Dear Young(er) Mom,

As you begin this new, unknown path of education for your child who was just diagnosed with autism, let me share a few things you will learn during the next 17 years- things that may set your mind at ease:

  1. You aren’t going to do this alone. There will be many, many professionals who will come alongside and help educate your daughter. They will not all be excellent teachers, but some will be. Most will be caring and skilled, doing their best to help your daughter reach new goals.
  2. It’s not a battle. Despite how you feel right now, the best strategy is to support and encourage the IEP team. Be a positive advocate when at all possible. Sometimes, you will need to use strong words or even bring in other advocates, but you will be most affective by staying positive.
  3. Do not feel guilty. You try your best for your daughter, so do not feel guilty when you miss something–when she doesn’t make the expected progress or when you can’t be at every event for all three of your children. (Oh, by the way, you will have a third child in a couple of years…Surprise!)
  4. Enjoy the everyday moments. The schedule in the school years will always be busy: activities, work, meetings, therapy will be on-going. So savor the small, seemingly insignificant moments; a walk to the water, the first day she wanted to help in the kitchen, watching her interact with her brothers. These precious moments will make up for some of the daily challenges so take time to recognize and enjoy them.
  5. You are stronger than you think. The task ahead appears daunting. You need to educate a child who can’t speak a word, keep her safe, help her to grow into the woman she is meant to be. You will become strong enough because, as you gain parenting and life experience on this unexpected journey, your faith will also mature. One day, you will look back and realize your strength is not just from yourself. It is from the Lord. You were never meant to be strong enough by yourself, or even with all the support of professionals, family and friends. God will be on every step of the journey with you and He will give you the strength to carry on.

Blessings to you as you begin this exciting and very special parenting journey. Hang in there. The years are going to go quickly!

Love,
Karen, a slightly older and more experienced me

 

Do you like what you see at DifferentDream.com? You can receive more great content by subscribing to the quarterly Different Dream newsletter and signing up for the daily RSS feed delivered to your email inbox. You can sign up for the first in the pop up box and the second at the bottom of this page.

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Karen Jackson is the Executive Director of Faith Inclusion Network (FIN) of Hampton Roads where she lives with her husband and three children in Norfolk, VA. She is also the author of Loving Samantha. You can connect with Karen on Facebook at the FIN page.

 

Author Jolene Philo

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