Understand me: “If you tell me to sit up straight, now I have to use all of my brain to do just that.”

These words count for everyone.

You are so much more than you seem, you are so much more than what people see.

Being healed physically or not is not promised; but what Jesus does is to bring healing to our souls, restoring us. calling us “daughter”, calling us “son”.

Disability is neither due to a person’s sin nor the sin of their parents.

How does the way that David welcomed Mephibosheth into his royal court challenge the way we welcome children and young people with additional needs into church? 

There is nothing wrong with generous hospitality but sometimes we can overdo it or be so focussed on everything being perfect that we forget the very reason we are doing it at all.

Candles can be vulnerable, but they can also burn brightly, lighting up a room, changing darkness into light.

Sensory Processing Disorder can mean that children or adults have under-developed or over-developed senses.

What older generations can be great at is having a heart to help a particular child or young person, having the pastoral skills to see when they are struggling and to help them.

Much of our time as parents of children with additional needs is spent tending to their needs, supporting them. Jesus modelled this in so many ways during his ministry, and during those times that he served people he taught them too.

Jesus message of selflessness, putting others first, serving others, loving others, is counter-cultural in today’s society.

At times, additional needs parents can play many of the familiar roles of circus performers.

James’ journey through life has not been an accident; it has and continues to have purpose.

Yes, he did. He made you perfectly, he made you wonderfully.

The hardest question can be the one from a child themselves… “Why am I different?” 

It should be about that genuine, heartfelt, willingness to work together to create an environment where everyone can join in.

It’s not your fault that our child is Autistic.  It’s not your fault that he has Learning Difficulties and struggles to communicate effectively. None of these things are your fault, or mine; they are no-one’s fault.

Never, in a million years, did we expect to have a disabled child.

What do you see when you first meet a child with additional needs or a disability?

When I’m seeing parents who are looking for tips about how to support their child better in church, at home, and elsewhere, it’s often Mum that I see.

It is important to provide a child with additional needs with someone they can trust who can help them understand what is happening, where they are supposed to be and what they are supposed to be doing.

Members of churches often ask what one change can make the most difference, can have the greatest impact, can enable lasting transformation.

We might find ourselves washed up on the beach from time-to-time, but we and our child jump up and run back in to the surf once more to try again.

We have experienced a change of destination, we’ve ended up somewhere we didn’t expect, or initially want, to go… How will we respond?  How will it affect us?