Live, learn, be free

Asperger's Syndrome: An Inside Look

Our family has dealt with Asperger's Syndrome for over 8 years now.  You would think we know it all by now, but we don't.  Just when we think we completely understand something, we realize we don't.  We continue to learn each and everyday about this syndrome.

God has opened the door for us to talk to others about what it is like for us as a family to deal with this.  We have been blessed beyond measure through this experience.  Asperger's Syndrome is not just hard for the person but it is hard for those who love them.

As the insiders it can be devastating until you realize that God is in control.  God created them this way for a reason.  We fully trust God, we know He has a plan that will glorify Him.  There are still times we question and we do still mourn losses at times. 

It all comes back to the fact that God has always been faithful to us, we must be faithful to Him.  In due time this will all make sense either in this life or the next.  God will not hang us out to dry.  He has always provided for us and He will continue to do so.

Asperger's Syndrome is not a sprint it's a marathon.  We are in a for a long haul but we continue to pray for ways to glorify God through our troubles.  Asperger's Syndrome is welcome to be a part of our family but it can not take control of it. 

Elijah is doing so well right.  We can really see God working in Him.  The progress he is making right now is immeasurable.  It is so cool to be a part of this and we thank God for making us "flies on the wall" of His work.

Dueling with the Devil

I know I am going to step on some toes with this blog post but I will not apologize.  I think this topic is so important right now that I want to share this information and I pray God helps you make the right decision for you and your children.  I have noticed a frightening trend in television programming for children.  Harry Potter, Wizards of Waverly Place, Fanboy and Chum Chum and many more have become commonplace.  Magic, witches and wizards are a regular part of many programs on Nickelodeon and Disney.

I want to alert you to the danger of just letting our children watch these programs and movies and read these books.  I have always understood the danger and kept my children away from these programs, movies and books.  Recently I have renewed my resolve to help not just my children but children everywhere. 

We are opening the door to the enemy through our children.  I want to make you aware of the fact that magic, witches and wizards are real.  Satan is in all his glory right now over the fact that so many parents are allowing their children to learn all about him and his powers through seemingly friendly programs.  We can no longer just let our children participate in these things.

Here is the danger: when we let our children watch these programs and read these books we are opening the door to spiritual warfare for them.  You may tell them it's not real, it's just pretend.  Your children talk about it with friends at school who assure them otherwise and they began to change their thinking.  Satan is happy because you have given him an in to your child's heart. 

This is a serious matter.  Our children need to understand that Satan is real and he is the source behind the power to do magic and cast spells.  Most people think it's not a big deal to let them watch this stuff and read these books.  You just tell them it's not real, it's just pretend.  Let me ask you this, if your child came to you and said they wanted to have pretend sex, would you agree to let them?  No, you would be outraged. 

By allowing them to watch these programs and read the books you are allowing them to "pretend" dabble in the occult, pretend leads to real.  Don't be fooled, your child will not be missing out.  My children understand and are alright with "missing out" on these things. 

Please understand this post is done only to alert you to this very important situation.  If you would like more information and details on the specific problems please leave your questions as comments.  You can also visit this website which has more in depth information.  Ben Alexander is a very credible man who started in the occult in a very benign way.  Let's wage war in this battle for our children, we will win and we will be victorious, because with God all things are possible.  He is stronger than the enemy.

Persevering

We are faced with Mt. Everest sized mountains of work in this life.  We have a multitude of rules to follow.  Life can get very challenging for us.  It can be tempting to just coast through life.

Last year Dave Ramsey was a guest speaker at our church, Browns Bridge Community Church.  He spoke about what he calls the "Momentum Theorem".  He talked to us about how the enemy does not want us to persevere. 

The enemy wants us to be quitters.  God calls us to persevere.  In this theorem Ramsey tells us the following: Focused intensity over time, multiplied by God equals unstoppable momentum.  This theorem really struck me.

In our society today it seems people really struggle with focus, there is always something new that draws our attention.  Intensity can be seen at sporting events by those who choose to paint their faces or bodies to support their team.  But where is the intensity in the things that really matter in this world?

As we think about the time required in this theorem we can relate this to perseverance.  It takes time, Ramsey talked about the story of the "Tortoise and the Hare".  You can be slow and ugly but if you keep moving you will eventually win, perseverance is the key.

We can not do any of these things alone, we need God.  God is the power source behind our efforts, when His power is multiplied with our efforts it equals unstoppable momentum.  The key to this whole theorem is to heed the words of Winston Churchill: never give up, never give up, never give up, never give up!

Spiritual Inventory

An inventory usually takes stock of what you have and don't have.  Stores, businesses and factories take inventory.  But we can also use inventories to take stock of our spiritual lives.

We start our inventory by looking at what we have.  Look at your family, friends, home, job, children.  You can also look at your possessions, your talents and even your relationships.  You won't probably be surprised with what you come up with for these inventories.  Most of us know what we have in these arenas. 

Sometimes we start to look at all the things we have and we start to think we have done alright for ourselves.  We think we have done all this for ourselves.  We are wrong to think we got everything we have on our own.

When we start to take stock of what we don't have then we will really be surprised.  We can soon realize that we don't have it all.  Take stock of your security, happiness, contentment, patience, trust and peace.  What do you see?  Is this inventory list empty, or do you have some of these on the shelf?

Sometimes the things we don't have tend to outweigh the things we have.  We know we don't have a right standing before God.  Our relationship with our Heavenly Father is suffering.  Don't let pride get in the way, take inventory of the right stuff.  God wants to have a relationship with you don't shut him out.

Can You Be Content?

I will go ahead and spoil the surprise, the answer to the title is yes.  We can be content if we choose to be.  I am not saying it is easy but I am saying it can be done.  I will admit there are times I don't choose to be content but I catch myself and correct myself.

Philippians 4:11 tells us we are to learn to be content in every circumstance. Paul goes on to say in verse 12, "I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty.  I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want."

We have to stop the insanity of trying to keep up with the Joneses.  We have to start looking around and realizing that we have everything we need.  We need to show God our gratitude for all He provides for us.  There will always be something better around the corner.

I know it's hard when you buy something and a few months later a better snazzier version is released.  It is tempting to want to get the new one.  That is the game the companies are counting on, they want us to grow discontent with what we have so we will buy the new product each time.

Let's all commit to being content with what we have.  Let's be thankful for what we have and show our appreciation to God.  Quit keeping up with the Joneses and be happy with what you have.  You can be content no matter what.

When Life Gives You Lemons...

I am sure of you have heard of the following saying, when life give you lemons use them to make lemonade.  This saying is in reference to using the bad things in our lives to make something good.  When you are experiencing difficulties in your life we can use them to glorify God.

Many of us have examples from our own life or we know people around us who are examples of this saying.  I was watching a Monday Night Football game recently.  If you are familiar with the recent trials and tribulations of the Washington Redskins then you may be familiar with their coach Jim Zorn.

Jim Zorn has been stripped of his offensive play calling duties.  In other words he been reduced to a cheerleader of sorts for his players.  It was interesting to see how he has dealt this predicament, not just in the media but on the sidelines. 

You would think Jim Zorn would not care about the team or even bother to get into the game.  Instead Jim Zorn stood tall on the sidelines and cheered on his players.  He ran up to players and would pump them up and encourage them to do well.

In life we can only control what we are choosing to do, how we deal with the troubles that come our way.  We can not control what others will do.  As Christians we can be an example to others of the hope we have in this life.  Jim Zorn is a Christian and he knows he can only control what he does, not what the owners and managers do. 

We need to realize that if we believe God and trust in Him then He will make good on His promises.  God has told us His word, that He wants good for us.  Pray and ask God to help you turn those lemons into lemonade because even if you don't like lemonade someone else will.  Others can learn from our difficulties.  Would you be willing to help others in this way?

Writing Your Story

Do you like to tell stories?  When our kids were younger they always wanted us to make up stories instead of reading them stories.  It was hard sometimes to come up with something fresh and exciting for them.  I heard a great sermon series about life stories at church recently. 

I attend Browns Bridge Community Church in Cumming, GA.  Our lead pastor is Andy Stanley, he does a great job communicating God's word to us.  His series was about decision making.  In the second sermon Andy talked about what story you want to tell.  It makes you really think about the decisions we make.

We pay closer attention to the decisions we make when we know someday we will have to share those stories.  We have all made decisions we wish we hadn't made.  We all have things in our past that we may be a little reluctant to share with others.  This motivates us today to make the right decision in our life today.

When we trust God and we continue our intimate relationship with God we can make decisions more clearly.  We will not be tempted to censor our own life story.  Do you want to tell your whole story or will you have to edit your story.  You see our children's story begins with the end of ours.  How do you want your children's story to begin? 

Dropping The Ball

I am sure by now many of you have realized I am a big sports fan.  My sisters and I would watch football and hockey when we were young.  Football is fun and frustrating to watch.  It's hard to understand how the players can make so many mistakes.  Football players are unique, they are some of the most handsomely paid athletes in the world. 

NFL players are paid millions of dollars, their job in most cases is to catch a ball.  I know this is a simplistic view of a very complicated game.  It is said that the average career for a professional football player is 3.7 years.  That does not seem like a long time given the financial outcome.

Terrell Owens has for several years held the record for most dropped passes.  He is currently getting paid $6.5 million for one year with the Buffalo Bills.  How is it that a professional athlete making this much money still can't do the one thing being asked of him?  I am not just picking on Owens.  A lot of players drop a lot of balls. 

I think most players have several problems which we all can relate to in our lives.  Most guys who drop a pass are thinking about the player waiting to tackle them as soon as they get their hands on the ball.  They know they are about to get hit hard.  The same can be said of us in our lives, we get scared of what may come and we fail to complete our jobs.  We are afraid of what is around the corner.

The next problem I see is players thinking about the next step, they start to run before they catch the ball.  We do the same thing, we get ahead of ourselves and we fail to do what God has asked of us.  Finally I think players think about the glory they will receive if they score a touchdown after catching the ball they lose focus of the first step, to catch the ball, and they drop it. 

I think we all daydream about what the end result will be, we take our eyes off the process, the necessary steps we must take and we drop the ball.  God wants us to succeed, He has set a course for us to win.  We need find a balance between taking each step and keeping our eyes on the prize.  God has set the game plan and we just need to put aside our fears, greed and focus on the job at hand.  We need to catch the ball. Pray, ask God to help you balance the necessary steps and keeping your eyes on the prize.

Don't Go With The Flow

Did your parents tell you to go with the flow when you were a kid?  Maybe you have been told this as an adult.  I think often times we think we should just go with the flow.  I think as Christians we need to remember that we live in this world but are not of it. 

God calls us to stand out, to not go with the flow.  We can live in this world, but we don't have to just blend in with what everyone is doing.  How will they tell us apart?  How will they know we are different?  We need to learn to balance our lives in this world.

God does not want us to go with the flow, God wants us to be different.  We can show others we are different by making the wise choice in our everyday lives.  We need to show those around us that do not know Christ that we have hope. 

Please don't think that because God calls us to stand out, that He wants you to call attention to yourself.  Remember this is not about us, it's about calling attention to God.  We want those around us to see Jesus in our lives. 

We are not perfect and many around us will expect us to be.  We just need to live our lives the way God wants us to and forget about expectations from those around us.  We don't have to go with the flow but we do need to set an example. 

Simple or Complicated?

Is your life simple or complicated?  Recently I had the opportunity to spend some time with a wonderful 89 year old lady named Mary.  She was so full of life and joy for Jesus.  She lives in a simple town, in a simple home.  At first glance her situation can be deceiving. 

Mary has actually had a very complicated life.  She has four boys, she recently became a widow.  She and her husband have lived all over the world and all over the United States.  She has done many things in this life that would humble you.

While living in Bahrain she and her husband took the time necessary to be able to spread the Word of God to the people there.  She has lived a complicated and eventful life, but she had never acted as though her life was complicated. 

She and her husband have followed what God wanted them to do, they made it look simple.  We need to take a new perspective on our lives.  God has a plan and we just need to not get lost in the details.  It does not need to be complicated, it can be simple, it's your choice.