[Faith-Talk] Serving in Church and Related Issues

[Doug Lee]

I think it might be good to remember here that Jesus Himself was rather well known for strong words to people that were meant to guide them into a better path. He was kind, but His kindness was not always what we would call "gentle." When called "unhelpful" or "unloving" or "uncaring," I think we can look at the various ways Jesus addressed people He wanted to help, for guidance on how, and in how many ways, that can be done by a Christian.

A person requesting help is of course free to accept or reject what is offered. But just as true, a person offering help is free to choose what and how to offer it.

That said, as someone who read most of this thread, I do not recall seeing any message that I thought was cruel. I saw gentle, I saw kind, I saw guidance, and I saw today frustration; but none of that is cruelty.

I'm not sure it will be helpful for me to have said all this, but it seemed kinder to me to speak, than to say nothing.

On Sat, Nov 15, 2025 at 08:54:57PM -0500, andrew edgcumbe via Faith-Talk wrote:
honestly nobody cares to help me at all and give me understanding I need it
is all about condemming me and all this kind of this stuff in this group  I
will stick with PJ and nobody else you all are just not wanting to help me
all you all do is snip at me and for that i need to leave this group
because it is doing me allot of harm Christian brothers and sisters in
christ should be helping and being more supportive of people and  you all
should be ashamed of yourselves as christians and learn to be more
supportive of those who want to serve and help him i am very upset now
because the whole thread came up again and  triggered me and now i am sad
and it feels like nobody is willing to give me care i need i am leaving
this very unloving group soon as i can hit the cancil subscription button i
am tired of not getting the blind or christian support i need not getting
what I need i just get it from a bunch of power hungry snippy people. who
are control freeks yes that is Linda the control freak.

On Sat, Nov 15, 2025 at 8:45 PM Judy Jones via Faith-Talk <
faith-talk at nfbnet.org> wrote:

> stopddAndrew,
>
> Nothing to it, but to do it. Ful
>
>
>
> sent from Judy's Android braille tablet
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: andrew edgcumbe via Faith-Talk <faith-talk at nfbnet.org>
> Date: Saturday, November 15, 2025 05:24 PM
> To: "Faith-talk, for the discussion of Blindness in faith and religion" <
> faith-talk at nfbnet.org>
> CC: andrew edgcumbe <rollercoasterman86 at gmail.com>
> Subject: Re: [Faith-Talk] Serving in Church and Related Issues
>
> I have tried everything for years but i have been met with so much
> resistance.
> Just telling somebody just to get out there and show themselves is not the
> thing to do when there is so much resistance. i feel i just get yelled at
> for just trying to express myself by people like Linda and stuff like that.
> I am done trying i guess because people don't try to understand me.
> I pray all i want but i need to more then just pray what if nobody is able
> to give me the skills i need to do something nobody abvailable to teach me
> how to serve and stuff like that i am just nothing I am just a horrible
> person for even trying that is the thing. I been told to pray and pray i
> need to be able to do stuff like do vollunteering as i need to feel good
> about myself sitting around is not going to help my mental health and stuff
> like that nobody unst understands me at all.
> On Sat, Nov 15, 2025 at 8:13 PM Ericka via Faith-Talk <
> faith-talk at nfbnet.org>
> wrote:
> > We've all been trying to be patient and non-judgmental here. Email is not
> > a good place to understand someone's tone of voice. From what I can see
> no
> > one is yelling at you telling you you're wrong. We're just telling you
> that
> > perhaps your tone of voice when you try to explain yourself to people in
> > person isn't working. Here it does in words sound like you're complaining
> > all the time and have already given up. W We don't know what it's like to
> > live in Canada. We don't know what it's like to have a developmental
> delay.
> > But we do know how it feels to be unseen and unwanted and unloved.
> Remember
> > God doesn't answer prayers when we want them. He answers them when he
> knows
> > it's most appropriate. Just let one thing fall into place at a time and
> > keep praying not for what you want, but where thy will his will who you
> is
> > there's a lot of things I wanted to do with my life that God decided I
> > wasn't ready for. I'm still waiting on answers and like I said before I'm
> > 54 years old. I do know that when things work you have use the fruits of
> > the spirit in your life. Why don't you check out Galatians and find it.
> > Pray about these and see where you can gain skills that help you show the
> > world, your family, and your community who you really are by showing the
> > gifts of the spirit.
> >
> >
> > Ericka Nelson
> > K E9DYN
> > Proud general class him license owner
> >
> > > On Nov 7, 2025, at 8:51 PM, andrew edgcumbe via Faith-Talk <
> > faith-talk at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> > >
> > > PJ is right I should not be told I am complaining and stuff like that
> > > Like I said  I have tried and tried and tried that is the thing and
> > nobody
> > > for the likes of them is trying to understand me.
> > > I am not complaining so  people need to just start giving me some
> > > understanding for a change.
> > > you might say you do but i am accused of complaining when i am giving
> my
> > > true feelings maybe if you don't like us sharing our frusterations me
> and
> > > PJ will go else where to start our own thing simple put.
> > >
> > >> On Fri, Nov 7, 2025 at 9:36 PM Pj Navarro via Faith-Talk <
> > >> faith-talk at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> > >>
> > >> I don't recall speaking with a Linda Mentink a couple years ago so
> sorry
> > >> about that. A lot has changed since then because my one goal was to
> > assist
> > >> in getting more blind folks out of their homes, up until I've become
> > >> trapped myself. I took my dog for a walk earlier for the sake of just
> > >> getting the body moving. Nothing has changed over here in Corpus
> > Christi,
> > >> nothing ever happens for the blind community in this town whether it
> be
> > >> adaptive sports or the goals of our local chapter, it's depressing &
> > with
> > >> great shame, i have to say I've given up. My brains already fried & so
> > now
> > >> there's not much else I can do but pray I don't become homeless, the
> > last
> > >> job I had was paying too much so I made the mistake of canceling SSI,
> > after
> > >> being laid off late February, I was unaware that I won't be receiving
> my
> > >> first disability check for about a year or 2. Thank God my family has
> > been
> > >> assisting me financially since no other employer is hiring me. Andrew
> &
> > I
> > >> are simply laying down the obstacles we've come across to perhaps find
> > some
> > >> clarity in overcoming them. I'm not sure how old Andrew is but we
> > >> should never tell another adult that they're just complaining when he
> or
> > >> she is trying to open up. Even his mom has been doing her best to help
> > out,
> > >> like how my mom is the reason my utilities have been paid for. I used
> > to be
> > >> strong, energetic, & optimistic, but then life happened when I tried
> > over &
> > >> over to get a life. People who I thought could help ended up bailing,
> > Jesus
> > >> Christ is the only one I could depend on now. Everyone in my family
> > drinks
> > >> beer so I was just tired of being alone. It's only with them when I
> > drink,
> > >> it's not like I can afford to get my own beer.
> > >>
> > >> Is the information in this link still accurate?
> > >> If so, is there Blind Christian Group Meeting coming up on Thursday of
> > next
> > >> week at 7:00pm?
> > >> https://nfbks.org/chapters-divisions/blind-christian-group
> > >>
> > >>
> > >>
> > >> On Fri, Nov 7, 2025 at 6:54 PM Linda Mentink via Faith-Talk <
> > >> faith-talk at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> > >>
> > >>> Good evening All,
> > >>>
> > >>> First, I'm starting a new message because you all have forgotten to
> > >> delete
> > >>> old stuff when replying, and the string is WAY too long!
> > >>>
> > >>> I have been busy and have not had time to respond. So here goes from
> > me!
> > >>>
> > >>> First, Andrew, we have tried to help you on this list many times.
> > There's
> > >>> absolutely nothing we can do from here to help you. Again you've been
> > >> given
> > >>> some ideas of things you can do. My suggestion is that you work on
> > being
> > >>> content with where the Lord has planted you, and do your best to
> > improve
> > >>> what you can in yourself. Concentrate on being a faithful church
> member
> > >> and
> > >>> on making friends with people there who will learn to understand you
> > and
> > >>> your needs as a blind/learning disabled Christian. Complaining to us
> > here
> > >>> without making any changes is not productive.
> > >>>
> > >>> PJ, I was surprised to read your  post about things like drinking
> beer
> > >> and
> > >>> being a loser. That doesn't sound like the same person with whom I
> > >>> corresponded a couple years ago. I had sent you my telephone number
> so
> > >> that
> > >>> we could talk about things like a Facebook page, but you never
> followed
> > >>> through. There are plenty of good leaders in the TX affiliate with
> whom
> > >> you
> > >>> could talk about the issues with the local chapter with which you
> were
> > >>> involved. Also, you should learn some skills of blindness so that you
> > >> don't
> > >>> have to be frustrated with tunnel vision. By staying at home, you are
> > >>> isolating yourself—never a good idea.
> > >>>
> > >>> I remember that you sent me a link to something in your church. It
> > >> sounded
> > >>> like a good church, and I find it shocking that you seem to have
> > dropped
> > >>> your relationship with your Lord. Being blind is no reason to give up
> > on
> > >>> life! Please get out of the beer and into the Bible!
> > >>>
> > >>> As Chris shared, we are working on a multi-faith toolkit for clergy
> and
> > >>> congregations to help with inclusion of blind/low vision individuals.
> > >>> Coloborators are by invitation of the executive director with the
> Faith
> > >> and
> > >>> Inclusion Network. There were some categories in the outline where we
> > >>> didn't have much written, so, with his permission, I sent an email to
> > the
> > >>> members of the NFB Blind Christians Group a couple weeks ago. It is a
> > >> work
> > >>> in progress, and I hope it will be a done project soon.
> > >>>
> > >>> I must get back to things I need to read for a meeting tomorrow
> > morning,
> > >>> so I will sign off. I wish you all a good weekend and a blessed
> > >> Lord's-Day!
> > >>>
> > >>> In Christ's Service,
> > >>>
> > >>> Linda Mentink

-- 
Doug Lee                 dgl at dlee.org                http://www.dlee.org
"Innovation is hard to schedule." -- Dan Fylstra