The most effective and lasting way to teach is through how we arrange and prioritize spaces. The ancients knew this well, and they learned vast amounts of story, scriptures, and sermons by associating ideas with places that were familiar to them. In daily life, our movements around our homes, classrooms, work spaces, and churches teach us just as much as the lessons we might study in those places. This human way of learning in three dimensions is a wonderful asset for sharing the faith with children with disabilities, impairments, and neurodivergences. Unlike the speech or reading or heavily language-based ways of teaching that fail to engage the attention or enable the interaction of children with disabilities, this prayer corner is a meaningful way to…
writing, autism, & theology as a mother of joy
Posts tagged “prayer”
You’ve read about my experiences praying with PTSD in other posts, such as “The Discipline of Weeping” and “Return to Your First Love: On Heart Prayer.” If you’ve spoken with me in person, I probably talked about the way God heals us sidealong. It’s time that I start talking more about the hands-on ways that God has helped me heal from extensive childhood trauma. For that I’ve created a new series in my just-launched video podcast, Some Myrrh. It’s called, “The P is for Prayer,” and you can watch or listen to the first episode now. This one is for anyone who has ever felt “Shattered.”
“I’ll pray for you.” “Thank you.” This interaction happens countless times each day among people of faith, and it is always good. But for years, I had some wrong ideas about prayer. For one, I thought they had to be done in a prescribed way in order to matter. For another, I thought that I had to be someone different for them to matter. And again – and trust me, this is only the beginning of a list of things I’ve gotten wrong – I thought I had to say something for prayer to matter. One of the hard-won lessons I have learned in ten years of helping my communication-challenged children talk and communicate clearly is that the love of God is not hindered…
Categories: christian, conversation, discernment, encouragement, faith, life lessons, special needs child, spiritual formation, Uncategorized
Tagged: autism, nonverbal, prayer, silence, special needs parenting
For the next 40 days, I’m posting on my Facebook page a brief word of encouragement for people living with autism (in themselves or their families). Because our God is with us, concrete thinking is not a barrier to faith. Because our God is with us, we can ask God for help. But how do we teach these truths? Like all lasting things, as simply and as concretely as possible. That’s why I’m offering these free printables for you to download and use this Advent (and hereafter) to encourage prayers. Using the simplified prayer board is easy. Print out the cards. Cut them out. Use them to pray. The raised hand is “help.” The ear is “listen” or “hear.” The two hands together are…
Categories: autism, christian, concrete thinking, encouragement, faith, free giveaway, holidays, special needs child, spiritual formation, Uncategorized
Tagged: adhd, Advent, apraxia, asd, autism, Catholic, cerebral palsy, Christian, church, Down Syndrome, free printable, how to pray, Orthodox, prayer, simple, special needs
I try to go to God with an open hand. In birth-giving, your hands are vital to the process. As the hand, so the hidden places. So the heart. I want an open heart before God, but flies sometimes fall into my little cup of trembling. I will try to pray, and a thought will occur to me that I ought to apologize. “I’m sorry for the wrong I did,” is an ok prayer. “I’m sorry that I exist as an offense in the universe,” is evil. If I let that thought linger, I put the weight of all my loves and life and joys and fears and accomplishments onto the back of that fly- the cumulative tons of dust and papers and medals…
Tagged: heart prayer, holy holy holy, prayer, ptsd, trisagion
Today, my article, “Prayer for Survivors” posted on the Survivor Today site {Go There}. Please check it out and share. I cover several types of prayer under the categories: praying while triggered, prayers for when you wake up afraid at night, prayers that make a prior claim, prayers that make safe spaces, and prayers that by-pass guilt and shame. While the site is directed toward healing survivors of childhood sexual abuse, survivors of any major trauma may find my article helpful.There is also a Pinterest board to accompany the article: Prayer For Survivors. I hope this article builds you up.
Eight years ago, my baby sister tried twice to take her own life. As I reached out to her and my other siblings, I found out terrible things about their situation. I was devastated and did all I could to help from seven states away. One day, as I walked down the wide flagstones on Duke’s West Campus on the way to a seminar, I noticed the song I had been singing to myself on the long walk across the campus. It was from the liturgy, but only the beginning, over and over: The Lord be with you. And also with you. Lift up your hearts. We lift them to the Lord. Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. It is right…
Categories: advice, Can't Buy Me Love, christian, faith, Friday Faith Talk, gratitude, music, spiritual formation, survivor story, traditions
Tagged: bestseller, Friday Faith talk, gratitude, liturgy, overcoming, prayer, singing, survivor, walking
