[nabs-l] having a hard time fitting in at church
Carly Mihalakis
carlymih at comcast.net
Thu Sep 20 18:14:42 UTC 2012
Perhaps, if you are to take this article at face value. I don't
however believe it is to be read as such. It's satyre, my people!At
10:08 AM 9/20/2012, Littlefield, Tyler wrote:
>This article, by far is not what you want people to see. If you want
>to fit in, go make friends. But the tone of this article seems to
>look upon us "pitiful souls" as helpless, people those who are
>"blessed" by god to be "normal," in other words, who should feel sorry for us.
>On 9/20/2012 10:44 AM, Andrew Edgcumbe wrote:
>>hear is an article that would lend into this thread.
>> Throw Away Christians
>>
>>
>> By Phil Scovell
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> I have discovered a class, or group, of people, born again they
>> are, members of the Body of Christ, yet the church has thrown them
>> away. Strangely enough, I have learned how much God loves each and
>> every one of these throw away Christians. It goes without saying, but
>> I will say it any way, Jesus died for them, shedding His blood for
>> their sins, and was bodily resurrected for them, too.
>>
>> These special groups cover a wide range of personalities and a
>> variety of physical conditions. Some are in wheelchairs for whom
>> ramps are conveniently constructed in order to get these pitiful souls
>> up and into the church building. Unfortunately, for these people,
>> none of the bathrooms have been modified to handle wheelchairs, So,
>> extra faith is required of these folk to hold it for several hours
>> until they get back home or to wherever they live. These special folk
>> are such a blessing to the church, too. It makes you thankful that
>> you aren't in a wheelchair.
>>
>> Another category of these special Christians with special needs
>> are hard of hearing. Little, if any, regard is given to their
>> inability to hear through the Public Address system to accommodate the
>> hearing loss these people have nor have any special accommodations
>> been made to the amplification system which would allow them to wear
>> earphones or to even plug in to the system, if using implants, so they
>> could hear better.
>>
>> If you are totally deaf, on the other hand, you are in luck. The
>> larger ministries have taught sign language and so the services are
>> then translated for the deaf. If you so happen to wish to attend a
>> church without a translator, then you are out of luck. The hard of
>> hearing, and the totally deaf, are such a blessing to the church, too.
>> It makes you thank the Lord for your own hearing ability.
>>
>> The elderly have their own Sunday school class. This is nice, of
>> course, because then all those that the church brings in from the
>> nearby nursing home can sit in their own class without disturbing the
>> mainstream body of believers. Especially if they smell funny and
>> those bussed in from the nearby nursing home always do. Yet, even
>> these elderly people are such a blessing to the church. It makes you
>> thankful for the youth we have.
>>
>> This special class and seating arrangement in the church service
>> for the elderly is very much like Sunday school for the children, of
>> course, so it seems logically that the elderly would have their own
>> class where they won't be a bother to others. These same children,
>> since they are so disruptive, have junior church immediately after
>> Sunday school. This is their own little church they have while their
>> parents are out in the auditorium having their big church service. In
>> this way, church workers, who never get to sit in on a Sunday school
>> class or church service, get to teach the children for a good three or
>> four hours each Sunday.
>>
>> Although it is rare, some of the mega churches have discovered
>> blind people read Braille instead of print. Since blind people don't
>> need to see, their little group of eight or ten sit on the back row
>> where those ungodly large Braille hymn books are easily stored. This
>> has really brought the blind community together, we are told, and the
>> church is able to minister to them better when they are all grouped
>> together. Additionally, there is the added blessing of the
>> camaraderie which occurs among these, to be pitied of all handicapped
>> peoples, just because they are now grouped together. They are such a
>> blessing and encouragement to the rest of the church as they sit back
>> on the back roe with the large Braille song books and singing right
>> along with the rest of the church. It makes you thankful you aren't
>> blind.
>>
>> Closely related to the blind group of special Christians, are the
>> Path Finders group. These are the mentally retarded bussed in from a
>> local care home. This group also gets to sit in the back of the
>> church because they often become disruptive during the service and
>> have to be taken out by the special workers. Thank the Lord we are
>> not like them and have mental normality.
>>
>> Finally, there is a silent group of people who rarely are
>> considered. They don't have their own special hymn books nor are they
>> assigned a special place to sit in the service. Furthermore, they
>> have no special Sunday school class of their own to attend. We notice
>> their tears they often shed during the preaching and teaching of the
>> Word but we just figure they are being moved by the Holy Spirit to
>> tears. We would never once consider that something else might be
>> wrong.
>>
>> We have also noticed that this silent group of unnamed people
>> often are going forward during the altar call for specialized prayer.
>> Again, we have no idea why but just assume they have tender hearts
>> toward the Lord. We have heard they have some special problems but we
>> have never talked to them, other than to say hello when coming or
>> going to the church, and they look like people who prefer being left
>> alone anyhow.
>>
>> Eventually, your curiosity gets the best of you and you ask one
>> of the church leaders who this silent group of people are. You are
>> told that this group has been unofficially classified by the church as
>> "those to whom only the professionals can handle."
>>
>> I could continue with other segments of society but you likely have
>> gotten the picture by now.
>>
>> Scattered throughout these various groups, are little girls who
>> have been molested or raped by family members or friends and
>> relatives. Little boys can also be found in the church who have been
>> sodomized but as is the case with the little girls, they have been
>> threatened or ignored if they did tell someone about it. Now, most of
>> those children are adults. Some in this silent group have suffered
>> from traumatic childhood experiences and although they daily
>> experience anxiety and panic attacks, they have no understanding of
>> the nature of the cross they must carry. When seeking counsel from
>> leaders of the church, they often are referred to "The Professionals"
>> and told they will be placed on the church prayer list.
>>
>> Some of these people suffering from various forms of depression
>> have ungodly nightmares the would frighten the average Christian
>> beyond emotional stability. Others cry themselves to sleep at night
>> because of the sadness that tries to crush the life out of them.
>> Others, although they would never admit such to anyone, even hear
>> voices. Some have not only considered suicide but attempted it. They
>> never told anyone why they were missing from church for the last three
>> weeks and no one noticed anyhow. Some of these people in this special
>> silent group, are told they are in advanced stages of emotional and
>> mental illness. This group are on medications for sleep because
>> otherwise they are awake all night. Others are on antidepressants and
>> antianxiety medications for their depression. Some are on even
>> stronger medications classified as psychotic or psychotropic mind
>> altering drugs. These are the more mentally ill people, who,
>> amazingly enough, seem to function in life relatively normally as far
>> as anyone can tell. Holding down a job, caring for their families,
>> driving a car, mowing their grass, reading their Bible, serving in the
>> church, and other activities that seem perfectly normal, are all
>> conducted by these silently hurting people. If people knew, on the
>> other hand, they had done as the church leadership had recommended and
>> gone to "The Professionals" with their problems, and were now
>> diagnosed with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, or with schizophrenia
>> tendencies, or told they have Obsessive Compulsive disorder, General
>> Anxiety Disorder, or they are clinically depressed or manic
>> depressive, or if they have been tested and found to be bipolar, or,
>> as is the case for some who have been brave enough to tell their
>> doctor that they heard voices and now have been determined to have
>> Dissociative Identity Disorder, which is multiple personalities, the
>> church wouldn't come near them. Well, they don't come near them
>> anyway. These silently hurting people are throw aways, right along
>> with many others, for whom the church chooses not to minister.
>>
>> My ministry, on the other hand, is to these silently hurting and
>> forgotten people. I pastor them and pray with them. I cry for them,
>> making myself available for them 24-7 and pray for them on my own
>> times alone with the Lord. They call me in the middle of the night
>> and get me out of bed because they are afraid. They call me when I'm
>> eating my breakfast or lunch or supper and I talk to them as they cry
>> and tell me how frightened they are and how they want to kill
>> themselves. They call me as I listen to my favorite football games
>> which I turn off to talk and pray with them. Sometimes, those with
>> multiple personalities, call. It isn't uncommon in such cases for the
>> frightened alternate personality to actually do the calling. when
>> they call, I talk to them until they become peaceful. Sometimes an
>> alternate personality emails me. I email them back and attempt to
>> comfort them. I schedule regular appointments of prayer times with
>> them so the Lord can continue to reach into their lives of fear and
>> guilt and shame and loneliness and anxiety and pain to heal them.
>>
>> How long do I continue to minister to them? Until they are whole
>> and healed from everything. Is that possible? If it is not, you are
>> serving the wrong God. Aren't these people crazy people? No, they
>> are hurting people whom the Lord not only wants to heal but can and
>> does.
>>
>> If you are one of the suffering silent people and need ministry
>> because you have no one to whom you can turn, call me. If you are a
>> pastor and need ministry, call me. If you are a pastor's wife and are
>> trapped by fear and there's no one to tell, call me. If you are a
>> pastor or missionary or church leader, and find yourself addicted to
>> pornography, call me. If you are a mixed up confused mom who is
>> hearing voices in your head and you want to kill yourself, call me.
>> If you are depressed, call me. If you've been raped or molested and
>> can't seem to find comfort after all these years, call me. Having
>> marital problems? Call me. If you are sexually confused, call me.
>> If you have nightmares, if you are suicidal, or if you've attempted
>> suicide, call me. If you've lost a loved one and the grief is over
>> powering and it just doesn't get any better, call me. If you are an
>> obsessive compulsive, call me. If you have committed the unpardonable
>> sin, call me. If you doubt your salvation, call me. If you have
>> become involved in an affair, call me. If you are a throw away, call
>> me.
>>
>> No, I am not a professional but as an intercessor, I know how to
>> pray and The True Lord Jesus Christ still knows how to heal. If, on
>> the other hand, you require professional help, by all means, find
>> someone to help you make the right medical decisions.
>>
>>
>> Safe Place Fellowship
>> Phil Scovell
>> Denver, Colorado USA
>> Mountain Time Zone
>> WWW.SafePlaceFellowship.COM
>>
>>
>>On 9/20/12, Sarah <coastergirl92 at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>That sounds like a horrible discriminating church if you ask me.
>>>
>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>>From: Lavonya Gardner <hotdancer1416 at gmail.com
>>>To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
>>><nabs-l at nfbnet.org
>>>Date sent: Thu, 20 Sep 2012 08:16:44 -0400
>>>Subject: Re: [nabs-l] having a hard time fitting in at church
>>>
>>>I was told that I wasn't fowling gods word because I couldn't
>>>talk. And my sensory input is way, causing me to scream if
>>>things r too bright, loud, or if touched. Or handle any change.
>>>They thought I was dumb. They also thought that I was cursing
>>>them out, when I would make sounds or sign, and that my blindness
>>>was my punishment for not letting them touch me.
>>>
>>>Sent from my iPad
>>>
>>>On Sep 19, 2012, at 16:49, Sophie Trist
>>><sweetpeareader at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>
>>> How can they throw you out of a church just because you're
>>>autistic? Sounds like discrimination to me!
>>>
>>> ----- Original Message -----
>>> From: Lavonya Gardner <hotdancer1416 at gmail.com
>>> To: National Association of Blind Students mailing list
>>><nabs-l at nfbnet.org
>>> Date sent: Wed, 19 Sep 2012 15:16:55 -0400
>>> Subject: Re: [nabs-l] having a hard time fitting in at church
>>>
>>> I have been thrown out of 25 churches, due to my autism. They
>>>seem to be fine with me being blind, but autism was not. So now
>>>I attend 2 churches. 1 of them has sometimes 15 blind people at
>>>a time. At the other church, I am the only blind person? I am on
>>>the dance team. I still do not fit in, but I do try to do ad
>>>much ad I can, and try and be ne'er people with my interests.
>>>Have you tried finding people to talk to that have your
>>>interests?
>>>
>>> Sent from my iPad
>>>
>>> On Sep 19, 2012, at 10:49, Andrew Edgcumbe
>>><andrewjedg at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>
>>> Hi nabs students readers
>>>
>>> I hope you all are doing well.
>>>
>>>
>>> Anyway
>>> I am struggling with fitting in at my church and things.
>>>
>>> I been having a hard time finding friends to talk to there and
>>>things.
>>>
>>> They all seem to talk to each other and just walk away from me
>>>and things.
>>> every time after the service is over they just talk to each
>>>other's
>>> friends and i am not really talked to much at all i am often
>>>left
>>> sitting alone sometimes they walk out of the church pew all
>>>together
>>> and things i get left behind allot i don't get included in going
>>>out
>>> to lunch and things like that.
>>>
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>
>
>--
>Take care,
>Ty
>http://tds-solutions.net
>The aspen project: a barebones light-weight mud engine:
>http://code.google.com/p/aspenmud
>He that will not reason is a bigot; he that cannot reason is a fool;
>he that dares not reason is a slave.
>
>
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