A Special Hope Podcast, Part 1

by jphilo | May 22, 2019 | Books and Resources, Different Dream, Special Needs Parenting

A Special Hope Podcast, Part 1

A Special Hope Podcast is the brainchild of guest blogger, Sarah Broady. Today, Sarah explains how the podcast came to be. Tomorrow in Part 2, she’ll be back with the details on how to subscribe and share the podcast with your friends who are parents of kids with special needs and disabilities.

On the way home from the Wonderfully Made Conference in Kansas City in the fall of 2018, I was on the same flight as fellow speaker, John Felageller, so we had lots of time to chat. I asked if he listened to podcasts and what his favorites were. Then, a light went off. We had just come off our second conference of the year for special needs families and ministry leaders, and I had the idea for a podcast that accomplished what these conferences sought to do. My conference workshop focused on building better relationships between parents and ministry leaders, and I wondered, is there a way to take that presentation and put it in podcast form? Is there room in the podcasting world for me? Would anyone actually listen? What in the world would I even do?

I decided that I would work best by talking with someone else. I enjoy interview style podcasts and by focusing on interviewing other people, I would have a never-ending pool of future content. I was proud to kick off the show by interviewing the one that inspires me to do what I do as a writer, speaker and now podcaster – my son with autism, Samuel Broady. You can listen to Episode 1, “All About Hope and Autism: An Interview with Samuel Broady” on your favorite podcasting app or the website!

I knew the podcast needed a title to describe the podcast in a few words. It needed to be concise and catchy. My website is Hope in Autism, and I wanted hope to be a major aspect of the podcast. As a Christian, I wanted to point my listeners to the unique and special hope we have in Jesus Christ. One day, the title hit me – A Special Hope Podcast – a title that hit the nail on the head, It conveys the life of special needs and the special hope we have as believers. At the end of each podcast conversation, I ask the interviewee what their special hope is, especially related to their faith, in doing what they do.

A main goals of the podcast is to bridge the gap between families and ministry leaders, whether church or community ministries, and foster understanding and compassion. My hope is that ministry leaders listen with the intent of understanding where families are coming from. I hope the stories of families who have been hurt by the church show them what not to do, or how to handle situations better. I hope they’ll learn from what other ministry leaders are doing as they serve disability families. I hope families are encouraged by the stories of fellow special needs families and know they’re not alone. I hope parents hear about resources – books, websites, and other podcasts. I hope parents will better understand the perspectives of ministry leaders so they will better navigate conflict.

Many books, organizations, and ministries have been born out of lives different than originally planned because of the presence of disability. Romans talks about stair steps to hope, the first step being suffering, and the pinnacle being hope. While disability does not equal suffering, we all know the grief and hardship and even loss that can come of it. A Special Hope Podcast is all about discovering special hope in the stories of those living with special needs, those who minister to special needs families, and the God who is making all things new in the midst of the trials and difficulties that can accompany disability, and how it affects both the individual and the family caring for them.

Part 2

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Sarah Broady and her husband have three boys. Their second son is autistic. Sarah is an autism advocate and has spoken to state capitol committees to secure better services on behalf of families living with autism. Her greatest joy comes in being an encouragement to other parents who are walking the same road she is walking. She blogs about their life raising a son with autism as they hope and delight in God at Hope in Autism. and interviews people involved with disabilities and special needs at A Special Hope Podcast. She is also writing a book that gives hope in Jesus on the special needs path. She speaks at Christian-related special needs events to reach parents on a more personal level. You can contact Sarah through her blog or by email at sarah@hopeinautism.com.

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Common Man, Extraordinary Call: Thriving as the Dad of a Child with Special Needs

Common Man, Extraordinary Call: Thriving as the Dad of a Child with Special Needs is a book worthy of a place on the shelf of every family raising children with disabilities. Today, guest blogger Becky Davidson tells the story of the vision of the man behind the book.

When a family receives a special needs diagnosis or finds out that their child will face life with a disability, there is often a deep internal struggle to process what this means for the family. Mothers typically respond like I did, as caregivers. We throw ourselves into research, sign up for support groups, and search for the best doctors available to treat our children. Fathers, who are often the “fixers,” find themselves in a difficult place. Facing an “unfixable” diagnosis, many men are tempted to go AWOL or emotionally abandon their family. Some even physically walk away.

My husband, Jeff Davidson, was a special needs father for twenty years and a mentor to fathers like himself. He knew firsthand what it was like to face the temptation to hide, to pull into his work and to leave his family without the emotional support we really needed. In his book, Common Man, Extraordinary Call, Jeff reaches out to other fathers of children with special needs. He shares in an authentic and candid way how he struggled to adjust to having a son with profound disabilities. He tells the hard truth about his own struggles in hopes of helping other dads.

It took Jeff several years to find his own way to connect with our son Jon Alex, but when he did, he gave himself fully to the process. Leaving a successful business career, Jeff eventually gave his life to serving and supporting the special needs community. Jeff was the president and co-founder of Rising Above Ministries which we established in 2005. Together we developed a multi-dimensional outreach to families impacted by disability. Sadly, he passed away unexpectedly in 2017, but before his death he wrote a field guide for fathers facing the same challenges he had faced.

In Common Man, Extraordinary Call, Jeff addresses the grief parents face when adjusting to the knowledge that they will not enjoy the typical life they had hoped for. He shares how he was overwhelmed with a sense of loss when he realized he would never shoot hoops with our son or teach him how to drive. Jeff was tempted to go AWOL himself and he provides 25 signs that you might be vulnerable to doing the same. In the heart of the book, Jeff addresses the deeper issue of how a special needs father can lead his family in these areas: as a protector and defender, as a provider, as a father who strengthens his family, and one who equips his family. Jeff makes the analogy of the special needs father as a soldier and this theme carries throughout the book. He teaches dads about common emotional landmines. He also addresses how to deal with “civilian assault” or the attacks that can come from people outside the special needs world who do not understand this life or its challenges.

I have had the privilege of leading Rising Above Ministries since Jeff’s death. I know Jeff would be so proud to see his book helping so many men. I hope you will take time to read it and benefit from his hard won lessons. I don’t think you will regret it.

Do you like what you see at DifferentDream.com? You can receive more great content by subscribing to the monthly 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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Becky Davidson is the co-founder and president of Rising Above Ministries, a multi-dimensional outreach to families impacted by special needs. She took on her role at Rising Above after the death of her husband, Jeff Davidson. She is passionate about supporting and encouraging special needs families and encouraging women. Becky and Jon Alex, her adult son with special needs, live and thrive in Cookeville, Tennessee. To get to know Jeff through more of his writings, visit Good Night Superman.