[Faith-Talk] Thought-provoking Article on Blindness, Healing and Evangelism

[David Moore]

The Church of Christ, really rives out, and preaches the word of God! They
know, that the Bible is the only words of God! They never doubt me because
I am blind, and let me teach, read scripture, and any other way that I can
serve in our congration! I would love you to considder a Church of Christ!

On Sun, Sep 6, 2026, 6:44 PM Judy Jones via Faith-Talk <
faith-talk at nfbnet.org> wrote:

> Yes, the most important thing is to go where the Bible is taught, Old and
> New Testament.
>
> Judy
>
> “Embrace each day with His mercies and blessings.”
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Faith-Talk <faith-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Ericka via
> Faith-Talk
> Sent: Sunday, September 6, 2026 3:00 PM
> To: faith-talk at nfbnet.org
> Cc: Ericka <dotwriter1 at gmail.com>
> Subject: Re: [Faith-Talk] Thought-provoking Article on Blindness, Healing
> and Evangelism
>
> I agree with some of the people that you should find a congregation
> whether it be catholic, Lutheran, Episcopalian, or such that affirms you as
> a person. I have yet to find a Lutheran pastor that has treated either my
> husband and I this way.. Remember Luther was Catholic after all and didn’t
> want to change things by name, but just wanted to bring Catholics more in
> line with what the Bible really says. You have good insight, which is much
> more important than outward sight of things in this world. There’s a lot of
> awful things happening out there that we should be aware of, but I don’t
> feel the need to see it visually. Spirit is not a visual thing, it is an in
> word relationship with Christ and living your faith rather than just
> showing up kneeling dipping and going home. Thank you for sharing your
> story and I’ll keep praying for you. Remember just because the church
> doesn’t have a van to pick you up doesn’t mean it isn’t accessible to you.
> Calling the church and talking to the Pastor, or the church secretary can
> give you big insights into how a congregation will accept you. My husband
> and I live in a community that does not have public transportation on
> Sundays. When someone cannot pick us up, who usually does, either day or we
> find someone else in the congregation willing to pick us up and bring us
> home. It is such a blessing to not have to worry about this, but just focus
> on Church events. Many times Pastor has taken us home or picked us up.
> These churches are out there. By the way, I’m going to be helping serve
> communion in our Lutheran Church in a couple of weeks. Nobody questions, my
> ability. They were just trying to figure out how to get me there in time to
> get things set up before we served. I’m riding with an usher and that works
> out just fine. Any Anything is possible. God will lead you. I have a very
> good friend goes half an hour south of us to a community called Beloit
> Wisconsin to play for a church. She started out just substituting and now
> plays every week because the person had to stop. Medical issues gotten in
> the way of her. It God is there for you and you know it. Peace.
>
> Ericka Nelson
> KE9DYN
> Proud general class him license owner
>
> > On Sep 5, 2026, at 4:32 PM, Humberto Avila via Faith-Talk <
> faith-talk at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> >
> > Dear Chriss, Et Al,
> >
> > Thank you and thank you from the bottom of my heart. I couldn't agree on
> what Mr. Marlon has stated in his conversation with the rude gentleman at
> his table. Yes, he did not listen. He simply took the bible too literally.
> > I've seen people do that. Simply take the Bible taken too literally and
> legitimately.
> > I don't like it.
> > I've encountered people on the streets you know how many times and
> attempted to pray for me.
> > I just don't like it.
> > This is why, quite frankly and honestly, I've been shying away from my
> Catholicism.
> > I was raised Catholic, went to church every Sunday, and I was a
> practicing Catholic for most of my college and high school life, playing
> piano for the church Mass service.
> > But I still get this anxiety and intimidation with the Priest's Sermons
> sometimes.
> > These days I've even seen it where during the sermon, the Priest
> references the bible and asks people to open the page(s) where he is
> reading.
> > This happens especially during Lent, where, in the liturgy, we have a
> few Sundays where the Gospel references blind people being healed.
> > Once I've even listened to a Mass service, where at the end, the Priest
> literally says, to the crowd gathered, "do I see you? Do you see me? Use
> your eyes... find God..." or something like that alluding to the fact that
> literally we must see the priest and each other and make eye contact with
> each other to find Christ.
> > That felt if I'm being brutally honest with you, very rude, and very
> ableist.
> > Ableism and the way they outcast blind people in the church community is
> what's keeping me from practicing truly my Catholic faith.
> > I know I'm committing a grave sin by not going to church every week.
> > But, every time I go, instead of feeling the relief from the Lord, I
> feel trepidation, anxiety, and pain. I don't know what the Priest will say,
> or what members of my church community will say, or do towards me for being
> blind.
> > I've seen it many times, too many times.
> > God will heal your blindness.
> > God will restore your blindness.
> > God will save you because you can't see the world, and the joy in the
> world.
> > But how can God restore something that I have yet to be had? How can
> here repair something that doesn't need to be? How can he "fix" my identify
> as a blind person?
> > If it ain't broke, don't fix it!
> > I identify as blind!
> > And proudly so!
> > I am a proud Federationist, after all.
> > I can live the life I want!
> > It's so, so damn hard to find a church that can affirm me as a blind man
> of faith, truly.
> > And people who can see me for who I am. A competent church musician, a
> good listener, a contributing member of the community, who gives back, or
> what have you.
> > I don't really understand it.
> > I feel especially pained since the Catholic church historically is very
> slow to change.
> > So, I don't know what to do at this point.
> >
> > I'm seriously contemplating converting to something else.
> > If I uphold myself in peace, love, hope, determinations, and how
> expectations for myself and others, God will always be by my side anyway.
> > God loves me.
> > God affirms me.
> > God knows exactly what I want, even if people do not see it anywhere.
> > God lays a plan for me and sometimes I don't even know what it really is.
> > But whatever it is, I do know this beautiful fact of my life:
> > God planned my blindness to be, and it planned for it to be a peaceful,
> beautiful, and wonderful thing.
> > Because without people of diverse abilities, and people of diverse
> backgrounds and diverse ways that humans do and live with things, the world
> wouldn't be as whole as it is.
> > Yes, people do bad things and treat us awful.
> > But God judges us all accordingly.
> > So I'll just stick with the Federation.
> > For if I am part of a beautiful movement of likeminded individuals who
> share my hopes and dreams, and my high expectations, values, ETC, I know
> god will like this.
> > And I shall forever live the life I want.
> > God is always with me.
> > Thank you for reading, and all of that and I wish you a blessed day.
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Faith-Talk <faith-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org> On Behalf Of Chris
> Nusbaum via Faith-Talk
> > Sent: Saturday, September 5, 2026 1:44 PM
> > To: faith-talk at nfbnet.org
> > Cc: Chris Nusbaum <cnusbaumnfb at gmail.com>
> > Subject: [Faith-Talk] Thought-provoking Article on Blindness, Healing
> and Evangelism
> >
> > Hi All,
> >
> > Those of you who are on Facebook may have seen the below article
> already, since it has been shared quite widely within the blind community
> and beyond. But I wanted to put it here for the benefit of those who aren't
> on Facebook but might find it of interest. The original author is Marlon
> Pareajo. I would be interested in hearing your thoughts on his story and
> reflections. Enjoy!
> >
> > I am going to preface this by making something abundantly clear.
> > I am unapologetically a believer in Jesus Christ.
> > For my Trinidad and Tobago people, I am talking:
> > Saved.
> > Sanctified.
> > Holy Ghost filled.
> > Water baptised.
> > ‘Jesus-is-mine’ Christian.
> > The whole package.
> > And as believers, we are commanded to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
> > Absolutely.
> > But I have also learned something.
> > Sometimes, in our enthusiasm to tell people about Jesus, we become so
> busy talking that we forget to listen.
> > Allow me to explain.
> > I walked into my local Subway with one simple objective:
> > Egg and cheese sandwich.
> > Lipton tea.
> > Peace.
> > That was the mission.
> > The customer service at this particular Subway is exceptional. Every so
> often, they even manage to make me grin broadly enough to display all
> twenty-eight-or-so teeth still reporting for duty.
> > “Good morning, sir. Welcome to Subway.”
> > “Good morning.”
> > “Egg and cheese sandwich and a tea?”
> > “Correct.”
> > “And how would you like your tea? Strong like you, or sweet like me?”
> > See what I mean?
> > Ms. Sweet guided me to a seat, and I began dealing with my sandwich
> while listening to Chris J on 98.1 FM.
> > Life was good.
> > Then a voice appeared.
> > “Excuse me. How long you blind now?”
> > “Fifteen years.”
> > I have been asked that question so many times that the answer
> practically leaves my mouth by itself.
> > “Fifty years?!”
> > The voice sounded like a man somewhere in his early sixties.
> > “No. Fifteen. One-five.”
> > “Oh.”
> > Pause.
> > Then came the sermon.
> > “You know if you ask God for your sight back, and you really believe,
> you will see again?”
> > “Yes, I do.”
> > I was trying to get the last piece of sandwich into my mouth.
> > “By His stripes, I am already healed.”
> > That apparently disrupted his programme.
> > “So you saved?”
> > “Yup.”
> > “You sure?”
> > “Pretty much.”
> > “But you blind still?”
> > “Uh-huh.”
> > “But the Bible say Blind Bartimaeus was immediately healed.”
> > “My name is Marlon, not Bartimaeus.”
> > “Stop making joke about God. You don’t have enough faith.”
> > “I’m not joking. I’m stating a fact. My name really is Marlon.”
> > “Blindness is from de devil.”
> > “Okay. Noted.”
> > “And the Bible say we have to lay hands on the sick and they will be
> healed.”
> > “Also noted.”
> > “So if you still blind, you are not saved.”
> > Now he had my attention.
> > “Really?”
> > I leaned back slightly.
> > “Tell me more.”
> > Silence.
> > Perhaps he was trying to figure out whether I genuinely wanted to hear
> more.
> > Perhaps he was reconsidering his theology.
> > Perhaps he was quietly checking ChatGPT.
> > I cannot confirm.
> > “So,” I began slowly, “is it that you believe once somebody gets saved,
> life becomes a picnic from then on?”
> > Silence.
> > “Is it that you believe anything you ask God for, He must give you
> exactly what YOU want, exactly when YOU want it?”
> > Silence.
> > “Is it that you are saying I know what I need for my life better than
> God does?”
> > He eventually found his voice.
> > “But you blind and suffering.”
> > “Suffering?”
> > I almost laughed.
> > “Do I look like I’m suffering to you?”
> > “But you BLIND!”
> > Ah.
> > There it was.
> > Apparently blindness and suffering were synonyms.
> > “So blind equals suffering?”
> > “Yes! Nobody want to be blind.”
> > Interesting.
> > There I was.
> > Eating a sumptuous breakfast.
> > Listening to the radio.
> > Waiting on my colleague to take me to work.
> > Going to a job where I serve as a police sergeant.
> > Having left my beautiful wife at home.
> > My daughters safe and sound.
> > A career.
> > A family.
> > A purpose.
> > A testimony.
> > Food in front of me.
> > Tea beside me.
> > Christ within me.
> > Oh, somebody please rescue me from my terrible suffering.
> > “Kind sir,” I said, “the Bible says that by His stripes we are healed.
> Yes. But where does it say every healing must happen immediately?”
> > He said nothing.
> > "What is better? That I demand instant gratification from God and decide
> something is wrong with me–or worse, something is wrong with Him–if I don’t
> get what I want right away?”
> > I paused.
> > “Or that I trust in God whether I can see or not?”
> > Silence.
> > “Have you ever considered that my blindness may actually be part of His
> plan?”
> > “Blindness come from the devil.”
> > “But God can use my blindness for His purpose, can’t He?”
> > “No.”
> > I laughed.
> > I genuinely laughed.
> > “So you’re telling me the devil is more powerful than God?”
> > Silence.
> > “You’re saying God cannot take something the enemy intended for evil and
> use it for His glory?”
> > More silence.
> > Then I said something I wish more believers would remember.
> > "Your heart might be in the right place.
> > But your ears aren’t."
> > Because somewhere during this entire conversation, the gentleman had
> decided what my story was without actually listening to it.
> > He had decided I was suffering.
> > He had decided I lacked faith.
> > He had decided I needed salvation.
> > He had decided what God should do with my life.
> > And he had done all of that without once asking me what God had already
> done.
> > So I told him.
> > “I have prayed for healing.”
> > “I have believed for healing.”
> > “And I still believe God can restore my sight whenever He chooses.”
> > “But my relationship with Christ does not depend on whether He does.”
> > I smiled.
> > “If I see again tomorrow, Christ is Lord.”
> > “If I remain blind for the rest of my life, Christ is still Lord.”
> > “And that is enough for me.”
> > I stood to leave.
> > “Yuh leaving? Yuh eh want me lay hands on yuh?”
> > “You can pray for me.”
> > Pause.
> > “But I don’t think we need to go as far as touching.”
> > “You need Jesus in order to see again.”
> > I sighed.
> > We had apparently made absolutely no progress.
> > “May the Lord bless you and keep you. May He cause His face to shine
> upon you and give you peace.”
> > And I left.
> > Still blind.
> > Still saved.
> > Still believing.
> > Still trusting.
> > And, surprisingly, still in possession of enough faith to make it
> through the rest of the day.
> > But the encounter stayed with me.
> > Because as Christians, we absolutely must share the Gospel.
> > We cannot become ashamed of Jesus.
> > We cannot become so afraid of offending people that we never tell them
> about the One who saved us.
> > But witnessing is not merely waiting for someone to stop talking so that
> we can start preaching.
> > Sometimes the most powerful thing you can do before telling someone
> about Jesus is to listen to them.
> > Listen to their story.
> > Listen to their pain.
> > Listen to their questions.
> > Listen to what they already believe.
> > Listen to what God may already be doing in their life.
> > Jesus did not treat every person He encountered as though they were
> identical.
> > He asked questions.
> > He responded to individuals.
> > He dealt with people where they were.
> > And perhaps we should do the same.
> > Share the Gospel boldly.
> > Speak the truth without embarrassment.
> > Tell people about the cross.
> > Tell them about grace.
> > Tell them about salvation.
> > Tell them about Jesus.
> > But while you are speaking for God, be careful that you do not become so
> convinced you know what God wants to say that you forget to hear the person
> standing in front of you.
> > Because sometimes the person you are trying to witness to already knows
> Jesus.
> > Sometimes they need encouragement.
> > Sometimes they need prayer.
> > Sometimes they need an answer.
> > Sometimes they simply need somebody to listen.
> > And sometimes, before God can use your mouth, He may need you to open
> your ears.
> >
> >
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > Faith-Talk mailing list
> > Faith-Talk at nfbnet.org
> > http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/faith-talk_nfbnet.org
> > To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
> Faith-Talk:
> >
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/faith-talk_nfbnet.org/humberto_avila.it104%40outlook.com
> > _______________________________________________
> > Faith-Talk mailing list
> > Faith-Talk at nfbnet.org
> > http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/faith-talk_nfbnet.org
> > To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
> Faith-Talk:
> >
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/faith-talk_nfbnet.org/dotwriter1%40gmail.com
>
> _______________________________________________
> Faith-Talk mailing list
> Faith-Talk at nfbnet.org
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/faith-talk_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
> Faith-Talk:
>
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/faith-talk_nfbnet.org/sonshines59%40gmail.com
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Faith-Talk mailing list
> Faith-Talk at nfbnet.org
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/faith-talk_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
> Faith-Talk:
>
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/faith-talk_nfbnet.org/jesusloves1966%40gmail.com
>