The dragon of despair is a dreadful beast. He slides and slithers under the smallest of crevices, feasting on hope, faith and love. He leaves corpses wherever he goes, slaying with haunting words of past dead deeds—words that breed the very contempt from which he is made. It’s been nearly five years since I ran into Donald and his aging father while patrolling the mall parking lot in my police … [Read more...]
The Perfect Family
It was Sunday—the Lord’s Day—and Mother’s Day. As we sat in the restaurant waiting for our dinner to be served, I glanced across the room and was captivated by a rather beautiful sight: A father and mother sitting at a table with five pretty daughters ranging in age from (maybe) twelve to nineteen years old. They were smiling, laughing and talking. The girls were dressed nicely and it appeared … [Read more...]
Agents of Grace
We took our son to his annual dentist appointment a few days back. Not really exciting or extraordinary news in the schedule of a typical family. Then again, nothing is typical for our tribe. Autism, PDD, and sensory integration disorder make the dentist office one of the most fearful places on the planet—and not just for Jake. We have emptied more than one dentist office in our many years of … [Read more...]
Twenty One Years of God’s Grace
Dear Jake, Twenty-one years. Who could have known it would pass by so quickly? I woke up this morning looking at old photographs, wondering what happened to the copper-topped little boy that used to sleep on my chest at night and ride around on my shoulders during the day. You were never too heavy. You were always a joy to carry. It seems like only yesterday when your mom came to me with … [Read more...]
Made For Another World
There I sat, in a fully reclined canvas chair under a cluster of palm trees. The sandy beach in front of me was like fine white powder bordered by a clear blue sea that looked more like a swimming pool than an ocean. The sapphire water met a cerulean sky at the horizon, almost making it hard to distinguish one from the other. A welcoming sun set high and bright in the heavens on this … [Read more...]
The Shadow of Suffering and The Presence of God
For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death... (2 Corinthians 1:8-9) I do not know exactly what Paul experienced in Asia. I can guess it might have been something comparable to (or worse than) the … [Read more...]