The Highs and Lows

Gotta love life, huh?

This past week, we have experienced some very low points...but we have also experienced some great highs.

That's the way it is in life, right?

We need to remember that always, always...God is good.

His timing? Could not be more perfect. And He is always at work, even when we don't see it.

In other news: Jim and I have started teaching a younger married class. Younger=younger than US.

Which, honestly, could be most of the church, because "US?"

CRYPT KEEPERS.

It's a mid-30's to mid-40's class. We are all still getting to know each other, and so it's not really as easy and free-flowing as I hope it will be in time. Jim and I are trying to put names with faces, and trying to learn about the couples and families who are in our class.

If you've read here for very long, you may have read about the first Small Group class we attended. Then, in the relocation process to our new church campus, everything was turned upside-down, and we had to find a new class, in order to accommodate Joshua. We have church and small groups that meet simultaneously on Sunday mornings, and Joshua's class meets during the first hour, and our class was meeting during the 2nd hour...so we had to switch.

We really liked the class we're in now, but it's SO BIG. And even tho everyone is friendly...when you have a child with special needs, you can feel really alone. Because "regular" people don't understand. It's not their fault, it just "is what it is." Pretty much everyone in our class can go and do at the drop of a hat, and we really can't. We can typically make it work, most of the time, but first we have to figure out plans for Joshua.

Usually, he is able to hang out with Holly and Aaron. Sometimes, he can hang out with Clark and Faith, but they are at college now...and it's a little more difficult to arrange. We do, sometimes, let him stay with Jim's parents, but that's an 1 1/2 drive. All this to say that it requires some logistics.

We want it to be like Joshua is "getting" to do something special and fun. NOT that he ever feels like we are dumping him off somewhere. He's pretty sensitive about things and it would break his heart if he thought we didn't want him around.

People often ask, and so let me just say: No, we don't ever leave him at home by himself.

HERE'S WHY: A few years ago, he let a man in the house, even tho he knew and had been taught not to open the door...because this man was dressed like a policeman. Joshua loves policemen. This man was NOT a policeman. Instead, he was dressed up like a member of the Village People, and was going door-to-door, selling his CDs. And I came out of my bedroom, out of the bathroom, and this man was standing in my living room. And I about died. And that's how we don't leave Joshua home alone)

I could write ten pages of how the Lord is working in our lives through our obedience in teaching this new class...and we just started a few weeks ago.

I was not really wanting to leave our class, because we are still fairly new at our church, and really new to our class. If we were to step out and teach? Well, y'all know how that goes, right? It kind of takes you out of the loop, and you never really get back in. But we really felt led to do this, and it's been neat how it's all working out.

For the past few weeks, we have seen a rotation of different people coming in and out of the class. Not everyone is there every Sunday, because CHILDREN. But we've noticed, just in trying to get to know people, that there seems to be a common thread among many of our members.

And that thread? Special Needs.

Whaaaaaaaat?

Yep, at least half of the families in our small group...at our little church...have a child with special needs.

Oh, their situations are different from ours. For one thing, all of their children are younger.

But, in this most unlikely of places...and for the first time in 4 years...we are finding out that we are not alone.

And it feels awesome.

"Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen." Ephesians 3:20-21