Love
Does your autistic child love you? For the past several weeks I have wrestled with my childhood memories. Did I love my mom, dad, or siblings as a struggling child? I remember fiery anger filled me as a child. My Pop-Pop Franck wondered why I never hugged him goodbye. As an adult, when I reflect on this, I feel regret about many of my other childhood behaviors.
12 Things During the Christmas Season
If you can offer this kind of love and grace to those who really need it, yet may not be capable of returning, you will not only make a difference in their lives, but you will also grow to be more like Christ! Not a bad trade off!
Challenging Verse: Luke 10:2
Luke 10:2 is about the mission field and serving; those with mental illness can’t see how they are a part of God’s mission. God loves us so much that He wants to include us in His plan - missions. God doesn’t need us for His plan, but we need God. We foolishly think He needs us, but His plan will happen with or without us. How do the mentally ill participate in missions?
Challenging Verses Series: Psalm 119:11
I have stored up your word in my heart,
that I might not sin against you. – Psalm 119:11
In my last blog on challenging verses, I talked about Spiritual Fruit and abiding in Christ. To be able to abide in Christ, we need to know His Word.
Love: Learning and Allowing
Emotions are a strange labyrinth within a rabbit hole for Aspies. Often, we struggle with the interpretation of social cues, missing jokes as the room fills with laughter.
Challenging Verses: 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 are difficult verses for those afflicted with mental illness or/and autism. This verse contains four items that the afflicted struggle with in their Christian walk. How can I rejoice always when I feel depressed, manic…
Just Start with Hello… My Name Is…
It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year is an old Christmas song made popular by Andy Williams. For most, Christmas is a wonderful time of gathering, giving, and most importantly grace - His grace. For some, Christmas is difficult and lonely. The song itself illustrates the dreaded social aspects of Christmas - parties for hosting.
The Digital Contagion
I have been reading about the effects of social media and digital technology on people, and it reminds me of the cultural climate after World War I. In no way, am I making light of the brutal reality and deaths of World War I. Like many Aspies (code of someone with Aspergers), I think in pictures, but many times my mind relates to artwork…
Dialogue
It is always hard leaving at the end of a mission trip. I love serving others, and this trip was no exception. It has been a wonderful God-glorifying trip.
Last week with our SALT Ukraine partners was amazing. It was exciting to have face to face fellowship with partners I had previously only met on Zoom.
Two Years…
Who would think that someone afflicted with bipolar and Asperger’s would live on mission? Who would think God would call someone with such afflictions for His Kingdom? God knows and we can never understand His ways and plans for us. Who are we to comprehend the wisdom of God? (Illustrated in Job 38:4-42:6)
August: A Month I use to Dread…
August has always been my least favorite month. As a child, August meant the return to school. The free days of summer quickly passed, and the dreaded complexities of the school days arrived. I hated school for different reasons than…
What Comes to Mind When You Think of Serving on the Mission Field?
What comes to mind when you think of serving on the mission field?
Feeding people, clothing people, helping people in need… these are all the traditional images of serving others. My years serving in Ukraine, God has shown me other ways, ways that seem insufficient to us. I took photographs of those…
Beginnings
In 2005, I graduated with a MFA from Maryland Institute College of Art, but my life was full of what seemed to be endless discouragement. My mental health was borderline stable. In the summer of 2009, I was invited to serve…
Smiling During the Storms
But how can Christians, especially those afflicted, smile in the face of these storms despite our sin-filled world? As I think about this question, proposed in my church last Sunday, my mind wanders to the events in Ukraine. People, especially women and children, are living in an endless nightmare…
Six Lies… I use to Believe.
After episodes of mania or depress, I hated myself. My bipolar manifests mainly into mania. Many outsiders may mistakenly believe mania is fun. My manic bouts turned into psychosis, which is states of delusions, hallucinations, and incoherent…
Being Thankful and Giving Hope!
Thank you for helping me serve the Lord’s Kingdom for many years. In October 2020, I answered God’s calling to live on mission and partner with SALT to be a full-time…
Thankfulness
November is a time that Americans give thanks as we celebrate Thanksgiving in a few weeks. Thankfulness is defined by our praising God in all things, the storms, and blessings. Blessings are from God or others…
Shhh…
Suicide. One of the greatest tragedies and most misunderstood words is suicide. What would compel someone to end their life? We don’t like to talk about suicide, because it is uncomfortable. People whisper after a suicide. People quietly wonder was that sudden death a suicide. People don’t want to hurt the survivors of a suicide. They don’t know…
Back to School
Returning to school after summer break was walking on broken glass without shoes. I was that weird kid in school. The one everyone picked on, from the school bully, teachers, other bullied kids, and other parents. Summers were filled with summer school, tutoring and other structured…
Visible Invisibility: Life on Two Spectrums
A lot of times I feel visible invisibility. Mental illness is labeled the disease of the lonely. Autism is a conduit of the lonely. Living with both a mental illness and autism is extremely difficult. Some symptoms are similar, but then there are other symptoms that exacerbate each other. There are many times I want to be alone; but then there…