Testimony (disability awareness @ Newhall Prison)
This testimony was shared as part of a disability awareness week at Newhall Prison, West Yorkshire
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The Great Commission
16 Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17 When they saw him, they worshipped him; but some doubted. 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
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Introduction
Swimming at the Lazy River complex in Lisburn, Northern Ireland - disaster!
Disability can be so frustrating, when you just want to be normal, to swim with your kids, instead your swimming trunks come down!
Background
In April 1979 I was driving home past Calderfords Ford Garage in Wakefield, a car had broken down. A Jag pulled out to pass on a hump back bridge crossing double white lines to pass. The Jag hit a motorbike head on. I jumped out, and ran to the biker. He looked dead to me. We telephoned for an Ambulance, the motor cyclist was rushed to Pinderfields Hospital.
I telephoned the hospital a week later… his name was Kevin, he had broken legs, ribs and a broken back… he was disabled….
I didn’t even know what that meant…..
Four weeks later I was in the next bed to Kevin , I had the same injury, a broken back, and I was now one of the people they call ‘disabled!’
I would like to address you today by asking a series of questions which I hope are interactive, I invite you to interrupt and respond to me.
Question: What does disabled mean?
A permanent feature of as persons life.. affecting that life in many other ways due to the disability. Eg sight/specs correction not affecting life in many other ways =/= disabled.
Eg KB paraplegic. Cant carry glass water from A - B. Cant drive car w/out hand controls, cant walk w/out calipers.
How people respond to disability is crucial. I'm not just talking about the peron with the disability I'm talking about you as you stop and stare or laugh. I'm talking about the family who takes that disabled person in to the family or friendship.
KB Skiing in April with group of disabled. Paul & Garth skiing (buddy). Paul giving far more in to Garths life than he realises.
Joni Errikson initially found it impossible to reconcile her condition with a loving God. It seemed all God's gifts she had been given as an active teenager were taken from her. What was the reason, 'why me?'…..Gradually turning to God through 3 years of tears. Until finally one night she became convinced God did understand because of the cross.
From then she chose not to question why but to live for he Lord - radiate for Him…. God can turn every adversity into a victory 1 Cor 15v25 'he must reign till all enemies have been put under foot.. Heb 12v1 tell us we are surrounded by a cloud of witnesses (heavenlies..)
Stanley Haverwas 'when a disabled child is born, the religious question is not 'why does God permit mental retardation in his world?' But what sort of community should we become so that )the disability) is not a barrier to the child enjoying a gratifying life.'
Question: Which words do you prefer?
Invalid, Disabled, Handicapped, Crippled, Spastic, Learning difficulties, Special needs.
My first experienced of being called a cripple. At the ferry "a cripple needs the hoist!"
Richard Thom who had cerebral palsy and could not speak, he could control his eyebrows. His first words of introduction to me were - 'I am a spastic.'
Disabled is a term that is widely accepted and understood. Eg booking holidays they understand ‘disabled.’
Handicapped is inaccurate, can be temporary, can be untrue eg a blind person in a radio drama (not handicapped, a hearing person in a group of deaf is handicapped!
Too often people make wrong assumptions about disabled people that they see or meet.
1) It's a mental and physical thing. [KB travelling in London with British Rail. Tghey asked my wife, 'does he need help?….]
Does he take sugar? was the title of a Radio pregramme.
A Blind person is helped across the road, it was the he had just crossed over!
Question: If you meet a disabled person in need how would you offer to help?
Don’t be condescending. Ask. Be respectful. Are you disabled? Disabled from birth or accident/illness. Try & not stoop over, kneel down.
Intro testimony - Vicar St A's. Chtd Acct. Jen. 3 Kids. Been a Vian nearly 40yrs..
1> Boy .. (2nd coming of Christ)… Christian home - mother prayed for sick……
Boy 10 follows Christ… stuck with me thro school things vying to take central place. Thro life I’ve walked this kind of tight rope enjoying having friendships and a life outside church and Christians. [Remember Ena KB Going Golfing ‘Be ye separate.’ But I read John 17 and I hear Jesus asking the father these words: ‘my prayer is not that you will take them out of the world…’ Thro life I’ve walked this kind of tight rope – mixing it with FRANC. Sport (N Ireland Cap), thro Uni (NI juniors) . Enjoyed mixing it with students/people who didn’t believe.. Studies (sharpened faith) thro sport Hockey to Trainee Acct [tight rope walk was to Keep V central]. Everything All going well work, sport, girls, ££. (leisure pleasure Treasure)
2>Bottom fell out of my world - Car Crash. Voice from heaven: ‘I am with you always’ (Matthew 28:20) Holding on.
3>Questions/anger/close encounters….[lake of tears].
4>The call & the challenge. Matt 28v19 ‘Go & tell’ Tell your story – tell what V means to you, tell how he has changed your life, tell how you have a peace, tell how he forgave you, tell how he takes your burdens of life and gives you life in abundance.
Question: Pause for 1 min to think about one incident or time of loss or suffering you have experienced
(Eg Coming to Newhall (or leaving home 1st time), parent/grandparent/sibling death, pet loss, injury through accident or suffering thro illness.)
In 2's or 3's share your story and listen to the other stories. If you had a faith then talk about how your faith helped you (or didn’t) through that time. If you didn’t have a faith then talk about the effect the experience of loss had on you.
Finally talk about this experience of sharing the story. If it seems appropriate pray with eachother.
Often hear - We are all disabled in some way. I'm not sure I like that. W/you like to swap disabilities!
But yes we are all disabled in the sense that none of us are exactly as God would wish us to be until we are made perfect in heaven/glory. Bible says we will gain a new resurrection body, not just a floating spirit.. we will be made whole.
Looking around me I see endless dieting, plastic surgery for everything, courses for meditation, mysticism, healing, predicting (prophecy) [tarrot cards, stars, asrtology] Therepy, searching for healing.. people are suffering/hurting & desperate for healing [Body Mind Spirit]
It is so frustrating because spirituality, meditation, healing, prophecy or therapy/support is what Christians have been doing through Jesus Christ for the last 2000 years.
And in Jesus Christ we see our Lord God who suffered for our sakes, he died in our place, he was tested in every way as we could be he is the God who experienced suffering 1st hand.
The theology from the cross suggests that although God is almighty and all powerful he chose through Jesus Christ to be vulnerable (child & cross), defenceless (child and cross), and to suffer (trial and cross - Passion of the Christ).
God chose to embrace and to know suffering 1st hand.
We can never accuse God of not knowing what it's like to suffer. The all-knowing Almighty God knows suffering 1st hand.
But he was never disabled in the many disabilities we could come up with
…. God can turn every adversity into a victory 1 Cor 15v25 'he must reign till all enemies have been put under foot.
Ques? What disabilities can we think of?
Blind, deaf, mute, learning, spina bifida, para, quad,
So why does he allow people to be born disabled or have disabling illnesses (MS) or accidents? Or why does he allow people to go through suffering?
Is it to make us better, stronger, understanding people - maybe, sometimes but not always.
Is it to demonstrate his healing power and sovereign control over nature - maybe, sometimes but not often.
Is it cause He's up there and we're down here & we are left like orphans with random things going wrong in random lives - an accident to one a terminal illness to another - I don’t think so. There is a view of God that he was like a watch maker who made the world and creatures with the ability to procreate & he disappeared into the heavens and has left us to it down here.
No! If the all-knowing Almighty creator God chose to create human beings he had to create beings with freedom of choice (otherwise we would not be human)
And in loving human beings with a special love he had to take the risk that we may choose to not love Him in return. That makes my God vulnerable, a God who takes risks. He may desire the best for his humans, desiring that our days would be long, that we would be healthy and accident free. BUT freedom means, people drive cars fast, cars break down, diseases come, freedom means people get drugged up or boozed up and accidents happen under that influence, freedom means a baby can be born with AIDS or an addiction. Freedom means suffering happens and I believe the vulnerable almighty God grieves over our accidents, and illnesses and traumas. Longing that we will turn to him for strength and courage, turn to Him for healing and peace BUT freedom means we may choose to not to turn to Him. Yes I believe God is weeping with those who weep.
