Last weekend marked the beginning of Ben's 28th year on this earth. Although he has accumulated the years of a man, his heart and understanding are that of a small child. Ben's calendar is simple: Starting on December 26, he starts anticipating his birthday. And on June 28th, he begins to eagerly anticipate Christmas. Every … Continue reading A Special Birthday

Sometimes God's gifts come wrapped in grief. When you find yourself blindsided and reeling, you find that you have been issued an invitation into a raw intimacy with a God you never expected. John 9 tells the story of Jesus healing a blind man. "Who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born … Continue reading The Gifted

In addition to Down Syndrome, my son Ben has Autism. Part of what comes with that is a delight in making patterns. His favorite activity while watching tv is to make a pattern tower with his Legos. He does this by continuously removing the bottom row and putting it on top. This creates a perpetual … Continue reading Stacking Legos

Our son Ben has Down Syndrome, Autism and is nonverbal. He is a 3-year old in a man's body. This past year he insisted that I play the theme for his favorite pro wrestler while he struts out to the bus in the mornings. In order to look as cool as possible, he sports a … Continue reading A Kiss

He stands on the shore of Prairie Lake, swinging his arms and jumping up and down like Michael Phelps preparing to break another world record. It is a rainy, chilly day but he doesn't seem to notice as he rushes down the hill into the cold water to stand with our pastor.  His people cheer … Continue reading A Baptism