I sit here tonight contemplating the last week and what baby steps we have taken at Treasures of JOY.  

Our Sunday celebrations are growing.  In May, we averaged 35 Treasures per service.  On June 10th, we reached an all time high of 48 and then on Father’s Day we reached 43 with many out to be with family.  I am so excited about the new Treasures that God is bringing to our service each week.  With each new Treasures I know that we are touching families and growing Disciples.  

We started golf practice last week and had 16 athletes for the first practice.  Yeah Treasures, you far exceeded my expectations.

We are waiting for Bocce practice to start, “rain, rain, go away JOYce’s Treasures want to go out to play”.  Well I know Houston needs the rain, but I sure want to get Texercise and Bocce practice started.  

So tonight, after another storm cancels Texercise and Bocce, I have a moment to sit and think about where we are and where we need to be.  I see clearly how God has stepped in and opened Heaven to fulfill His Vision for Treasures of JOY.  He created ALL in his image, so my Treasures with the disabilities are the same as all others – IN HIS IMAGE.  Through the many events that we are participating in within the community, we are providing the community a chance to see our Treasures.  I have always wanted the world to see that Treasures of JOY have value in the community and all have a purpose – now as the community sees them they will understand Treasures are just people – just like you and me.  

Thank you, Lord, for Open Heaven – thank you for the blessings you are pouring out on us; and now equip these earthen vessels to complete all that You have set before us.

As I sit here this afternoon thinking about all we do at Treasures of JOY, I’m trying to figure out what is the most important thing I do or if there is a most important thing.

 Treasures of JOY began as a non-profit ministry in early 2011 to provide a place for healing, recovery, and life support to families affected by any type of disability.  As we were forming the ministry, we found that 1 in every 5 households has a family member affected by some type of disability, whether visible or invisible.  To our team, the number was staggering and demanded we do something to stand in the gap for these families.  There are some of us on the team who have family members affected by disabilities and there are other team members who are just led to volunteer and be a part of the ministry.  I am learning that there is so much involved in running this non-profit organization, but I always really just want to focus on the families.  Therefore, I am going to blog about what the start-up of this ministry has been like and how we keep it focused on the real purpose – the families affected by disabilities.

 So what does it mean for me to be the leader of Treasures of JOY?  Every morning when I wake-up, my first thoughts are prayers to my Lord for the safety and well-being of The Treasures, their families, and all those who volunteer.  The one pressing thing on my mind every day is that with each family that I minister to “have I met their need, as Jesus would expect?’.  I have learned over the years that families sometimes expect us to take over and actually lead them down the path of disability, but Jesus expects that we guide and teach them to live life to its fullest and learn to live the life we have been given.  On Sunday mornings, we touch the lives of 40 to 50 people, but with our other events throughout the month we touch so many more.  So really even after one year, I’m still not sure that I’m meeting the needs, as Jesus would expect, but I’m trying.

Part of starting a JOY Ministry and I think my mentor, Denise Briley, will agree is organization.  There are so many families affected by disability that no one person or one church can possibly reach out and touch every need.  Treasures of JOY leaders have met on many occasions to discuss and implement the events we thought would help not just the person affected by a disability, but help the entire family.  I’m a people person, I love being with my Treasures and their families.  I love working with them in Special Olympics, Sunday Celebration, Games Night, or Respite, but I have to do the paperwork and follow-up to stay current with my responsibilities.  Organization, as most of my friends know, is not my strong suit.  I force myself to be organized, but it is not something that comes easily or naturally.  In saying all that, I cling to the Scriptures:

Hebrews 12:1

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles.  And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us…”

Romans 8:1

“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,…”

Yes, I must get organized and ensure that I know every family that Treasures of JOY is involved with is care for, but until I do, there is GRACE.  I do the best I can every day and lean on those who have stepped up to the plate with me to make sure we do this right.  While we are getting organized, each day we will “Jesus in Skin” to The Treasures of this world, as Christ Himself would have us be.  Be “Jesus in Skin” that is the most important thing I do each and every day.

 

June 11, 2012

This weekend, my husband, my son, and I took four days to just chill out and relax.  We went to our timeshare with the hopes of getting in some fishing time, but unfortunately the wind and cold prevented that.  I am an avid warm weather person so I never do cold weather fishing now that I’m an adult.

I can tell you that in the 9 years of working in special needs ministry I can count on less than my ten fingers the days I have taken off.  I hate being away fromy my ministry family.  Yet, the guilt left on Friday evening as I began to enjoy my family with no interruptions.  The condo is off the beaten path, in the woods and has very poor cell phone reception, so there weren’t even text messages to interrupt our quiet time.

Saturday, as I was spending quiet time with the Lord I realized that my mind was clearer and I was hearing Him speak to me so much better after just 24 hours away.

I don’t know about other ministries because I devote my time to Special Needs, but I hate to leave my JOY family behind and my Mom literally has to force me to leave town and take a break.  Yet, now after my four day break I realize how important R& R is.  Everyone should take personal time to refresh and renew their spirit and their physical bodies.  This rest allows us to work so much more focused when we return.

So the answer to the question; Is Rest Relevant?  Absolutely, everyone must schedule time to rest just so they can work better when they return.  We must take care of the temple of God; to do His service now.

Beginning tomorrow I will be posting about setting up the Treasures of JOY ministry.  We have our new home at Church of Champions and we are in partnership with Helping Hands of Champions, Inc, a non-profit community service organization.  I will be sharing our journey from beginning through the process, and look forward to your comments as you join me on this journey.

Yes, it is 1:30 a.m. and I am blogging.  I know most people would wonder what a person could blog about at this time of the morning, but my JOY moms (those caregivers of persons affected by special needs) know exactly what I am about; the peace and quiet of the sleeping house.  My emails are caught up, for the most part my to do list for today is ready for me to tackle, but my days and nights are mixed up now so I thinking and typing in the wee hours of the morning.

Over the last 16 days, I have had a constant migraine that not even a trip to the ER has stopped.  Then I somehow caught cold or congestion, or something and I have spent the last week, minus 2 days in bed.  Thankfully, God blessed me with a wonderful Mother who my son calls “Mom”.  She steps in and takes over the entire household when I am foolish enough to do this to myself.

I facilitate a support group of JOY Moms in Cypress, Texas and one of the things I tell them constantly is not to push and to give themselves “me” time; seems like I should listen to my teaching.  So I suppose that’s where my blogs are heading for a while and I intend to track my recovery process from this “crash” for spending weeks in bed for me can be nothing less than a crash.  I am also going to track my learning to live a balanced life with a prayer that it will help others; and if it helps but one other person then I will have accomplished a goal.

So my first thought into this new lifestyle is nutrition.  With the busy lives any Mom lives, much less a JOY mom, we have learned to grab as we go and our nutrition may be great for the child or adult we care for but we usually aren’t taking care of ourselves.  Before James was born, I could work, play a round of golf, which included walking and carrying my bag, go to sleep at a decent hour (unless there was a good party of course) and be ready for the next day.  But as I look back now I was grabbing a Diet Coke, Dr. Pepper, Diet Sprite, or whatever our drink of choice was.  I was usually drinking a glass of tea with very little sweetener or a glass of water with lemon.  Now I use water to brush my teeth and shower.   My doctor told me last week that I was to have a glass of water in my hand at all times; dehydration it seems occurs with migraines and/or worsens migraines.  The good news that he didn’t discuss was that my cholesterol came from 295 down to 156, so I guess he figured I was addressing food along with the prescription he gave me.  However, I want to get off the prescription so I will be working harder at eating like my Mom taught me many years ago.

So Moms and Dads, grandmas and grandpa’s, or any other caregiver out in blogging land, will you join me?  If we don’t learn lifestyles that keep us healthy and functioning, who will take care of our treasured gifts from God?

Night to all

JOY in CHRIST,

JOYce

I see that it has been too many days since Iast posted, and I did the one thing that I try to help all parents; stop pushing, do only what you can do; keep balance, prioritize. So I’m on the upside of recovery and will be posted to my Treasures of JOY families again very soon.

I have enjoyed several careers along the way while trying to live the American Dream, but always there was something missing.  I would have moments of satisfaction upon reaching a goal, but never fulfillment.  My work never had meaning until now.  Now I awake hoping something new is going happen during the day.  Tired – yes – but satisfied that I’m doing the work in this life that I was created to do.  By accepting Christ 16 years ago, I found over a period of time my specific purpose for being on earth.  I learned through study and service that giving of myself to others was the meaning in life that I was searching for all those years.  Now, just one small hug from one of my JOY “kids” gives me complete satisfaction and fulfillment for hours of preparation and work.  It is never the money anymore and thankfully my helpmate provides well from his years of working with the railroad.  Many think work and a job means collecting a paycheck, but it really means feeling satisfied at the end of the day that you’ve done what you do.  So, at 52 years old I now fully understand what I was created for.  I was created to be the mom to James, an Unexpected Treasure.  It may have taken me too many years to understand the gift, but in the end, I know he is priceless.  For you see, as James’ mom, I have learned my second purpose, which is to be the advocate for other treasures.  This second purpose allows me to help other Treasures, besides my James, dream big.  I’m that person to help them believe that God never makes a mistake; each Treasure needs to be all they can be for God’s purpose.

In James, I can see the purpose realized.  He loves everyone – unconditionally – and makes it his job in life to hug and love on as many people as possible each day.  Others may not agree, but then they don’t have to.  As long as James brings glory to the Almighty God through his love and his hugs that is the only confirmation I need.

So, do you have a Treasure?  Do you have a child or family member with physical, mental, or invisible disability?  Have you explored their life and their daily “stuff”, because if you look closely enough I’m willing to bet you can see Jesus in them?  Each time they take a breath, go out among the world that often shuns them, and each time they look into our eyes we see love and trust spilling over – that Treasure has fulfilled the purpose God has given them.

Yes, I’ve heard the comment of all the naysayers – purpose means a person can be gainfully employed and support themself at a chosen profession.  But that is the world’s definition.  Purpose means you do the one thing the Creator created you for and no one in the world can define that purpose for another – only the Creator.

My friend, when a Treasure walks by you or up to you today, I urge you to ignore the world – take time to get to know them.  Don’t judge them by the criteria of your worldly friends and family – actually don’t judge them.  Simply look within yourself to see if you are doing what your Creator created you for.  And as you realize that Treasure is really no different than you – perhaps even a little closer to the Creator – smile at them, encourage them, and remind them to dream big because there is hope when you are a child of the Creator.

I guess it’s lucky I didn’t sleep because I just spent the last hours studying.  It was great and I feel like I accomplished a lot – but I can’t always be so engrossed.

Pastor Byron, as I begin this post let me first say that I am not plagiarizing your sermon from 7/3/2011, but rather expanding on the title to fit into my special needs blog.

And that was the question of the sermon at Connextions Church yesterday, but as I have thought about this sermon over the 24+ hours it has become even more personal to me. As Christians, we quickly say to anyone that our faith is in Christ alone, but is that really fact or simply what we say. After all, when someone has asked me over the last 27 years how I was my standard answer was “fine”. So isn’t just as easy to say that my faith is in Christ. Yet, I have examined my life and I know that at times my faith is in me or in my situation because that’s all I am looking at. Pastor Byron was quick to point that out yesterday; if we aren’t focused on Christ during our trial or problem then our faith isn’t in Him. There are many times that I simply focus and worry on the problem; is James going to get his kidney soon, is James eating enough protein, is there something I could do to make his quality of life better, do I spend enough time with Bob? Of course, I’m looking to me in my human wisdom to answer these questions so my faith is on my human wisdom not on Christ. So I ask you again, where is your faith? I know of only one person/spirit/God that has the answer for any of my questions tonight. There is not a doctor at The Medical Center here or anywhere else that could answer any of my questions about James and there isn’t a counselor alive who could truthfully answer me about my relationship with Bob because they don’t have enough knowledge; only Christ does. So as I write this post I am reminding myself to place my eyes back on Jesus in each and every situation and I would pray that you would do the same. Ask the questions, go ahead, He wants us to communicate with Him without ceasing. So ask your questions, as I will ask mine, but ask Jesus, not yourself or the doctors or the counselors or the pastors or anyone else. Ask the one who has the answers and the solutions. Jesus tonight I pray that I will find my misplaced faith and that I will boldly speak the words to help others place their eyes back on You.

My devotional this morning was Isaiah 64:8 – “Yet Lord, You are our Father; we are the clay, and You are our potter; we all are the work of Your hands.”

Do I allow myself to be the work of His Hands? Probably not, so I started thinking of ways I could allow Him to guide my life better. I realized that what I have been teaching in our parent support group and what I teach to the Disciples is to ask Him every day to show me what He wants from me today. I must say that is an easy thing to teach, but not something that is easy to live out day by day. I am always afraid that when I lay the door wide open and completely surrender that His plans are going to be completely different than what I am now doing. Aren’t we all afraid to let go of the control of our lives, and as special need parents we are even more afraid. I mean after all who is going to take care of James if God decides to send me on the foreign mission field? So I put my foot out to test the waters and say Here I am Lord, tell me what my plans are for the day (but don’t take me out of my comfort zone and definitely don’t have me do anything where I lose control of my son who is ill because after all I need to be in control of his health; he can’t breathe without me. STOP! REWIND!. Did that just come out of my brain? I’ve known for more years than I care to tell that I am not in control of James life and that without God James would not be breathing so why do I think we have to be joined at the hip for him to stay well? You see, I think it boils down to this, we have to stop looking at ourselves as different than the rest of the world. After all, the lady across the street is 87 years old, still works full time at Wal-Mart and not just a greeter, has her grandson, his wife, and the great grandbaby living with her. Now I am not a nosey neighbor so I don’t know any of the circumstances, but I bet they have things going on in their lives and would be afraid of letting go of the control so why are we special just because we have a child with special needs? I know we are special because there are so few friends and family who step up and learn to care for our children. I’m one of the lucky ones, my mom is fully capable of caring for James, although she is 71 and perhaps doesn’t want to devote the rest of her life to James if God sends me on the mission field.

My point in all this rambling??? It is time for us as caregivers to pull together and support each other so that we feel FEARLESS each day when we pray “Lord what is it You would have me do today?” I’m not sure what that pulling together and support looks like, I just know that it is time and God says that the time is now.

JOY in CHRIST
JOYce

As I sat in my room this morning, I was reading my daily devotional and it was focused on waiting on the Lord. The scripture quote was Lamentations 3:25-26 “The Lord is wonderfully good to those who wait for Him and seek Him. So it is good to wait quietly for salvation from the Lord.”

As I meditated on the verse, I realized how many times I have set off on a project or task, truly believing that I was in God’s will doing God’s work, when in fact I was just fulfilling my vision. Because I did not seek Him first, I could not claim the promise that He was going to be wonderfully good to me.

I continued to ponder the scripture and the implications set before and applied the logic to my care for James. How many times have I set out seeking answers or care for James after researching whatever the problem may be, seizures, behavior, anger outbursts, or his kidney failure. Without taking my thoughts to the Lord in prayer, I would set off on my next journey trying to give James better health and a better quality of life. In each new quest, I expected the good results but I never asked the Lord if I was on the right path or if it was even something I was suppose to be doing.

I could apply the promise with a condition to so many things in my life, but it is glaring in my role as mother to a special needs son with multiple medical issues.On each course we take as a parent of these special gifts, we need to slow down long enough to seek the Lord in prayer, and then we need to wait long enough for Him to talk to us and give us the guidance for this next project in our child’s life.

How much easier the last twenty-seven years would have been, if I had only taken time to pray. It seems such a simple thing, yet we as American Christians as a whole really don’t take the time to wait for the Lord. I think perhaps special needs parents have learned that we must seek and wait for the Lord, but my learning took many years. I didn’t even want to hear about the Lord for the first twelve years and then there were the years after I found Jesus that I had to learn His ways. Now I know that I am to pray without ceasing, I just have to listen to that still quiet voice that reminds me to do so.

Do I want the promise that the Lord will be wonderfully good in the life of my son? Without a doubt, as his mother and guardian I want to see him have the best life. And in the role, because he can’t and doesn’t make the major life decisions, I must learn to seek God first. Take the time in my life to speak to Him about the problems James’ life and what our needs and dreams are, but after placing my burden before Him I must learn to wait for the answer. That time of patience, of remembering that I’m not in control is probably the hardest part of my role as James’ mother. So today, I plant the verse in my heart and set it before my friends. Will you as a special need parent or caregiver seek the Lord and then wait for Him to answer in whatever it is you need today? Do you have enough patience to wait, so that the Lord can be wonderfully good in your life today?

James 1:2 “Consider it pure JOY, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”

I’m challenging myself to read the book of James. I’m reading the second Radical book by David Platt. He says that his church was challenged to perform radical acts of faith while studying this book, not works because they felt like it was what God expected of them but works because of their overflowing love for Christ and what Christ had done for them. I don’t think I need to be challenged to serve the Lord, but I want to study, as I read the book, to see what it was that challenged them. Some people in my family continue to tell me that I am doing to much and not giving myself rest time or time with my husband. Yet, I know from where I came. I remember the JOYce before Christ came into my life in 1996 and I”m so thankful that God could forgive me. Yet it is not just gratitude because everyday of my life I am amazed that God could love me. I remember many times sitting at Texas Children’s Hospital (TCH) or driving home by myself when I would curse God. I also remember telling my Mom that I didn’t want to hear about God, because her favorite saying was that “God would never give me more than I could handle”, which is not very comforting when your son is on an extended (7mos) stay at TCH. Yet I came through and when James was 12, he nagged me enough that I went to church with my parents and him. He has been nagging me to “go see Jesus” for probably 2 or 3 years at that point, but I was a control freak and thought I didn’t need God. After all, James was stable and had outlived the doctor predictions, so it seemed to me that “I” had handled things pretty well. I must say that I was very ignorant at that time. But it took only one day at church to know that there was something in HIS presence that would fill a void in my life.

Through Christ, I have found that life is livable, not easy, but livable. I have also seen the purpose for my son’s life in the glory He brings to our Lord. So when I read this verse I now understand what it means to consider it pure JOY whenever I face trials. I have faced many different trials in James’ life and just life in general. But these trials allow me to grow in my faith and to recognize the work of God in my life. They also show me, each and every time, the glory James’ brings to God through his life. I know of no one else who loves people so unconditionally. He never meets a stranger and he loves each person he meets. He never fails to hug people (I know it is not always socially correct, but it is Biblically correct to show our love to each other). In just being James, he does what Jesus expects out of each of us.

I’m sure some are asking how this life is livable and it really is hard to explain, except in every new trial we face I know the Lord is present and in control. I don’t have to be in control anymore. Yes, I have to be a parent and do my very best in caring for James, but ultimately God already has his life marked out. It’s not me that controls the doctors to do the things James’ needs, but instead the hand of God working in their lives whether they know or acknowledge that presence. Most of all, life is livable because I have met so many strong parents through this journey who share the burden and share the belief that our children are not handicapped or worthless, but special gifts that God has chosen just for us. My son may be challenged in many ways, but he is not handicapped. He functions differently then I do and differntly than most of the world, but he sees the world differently.

If we could only look into the souls and minds of our special needs population, because I know there is so much hidden there we cannot understand. Many call them dumb or heaven forbid the “R” word, retarded (this is an offensive word to all in the special needs population and should be to all the world), when in fact they understand
more than we could ever imagine. The word retarded is defined as not being able to learn past a certain level; yet have you worked with a developmentally challenged person? My son is 27 and one of his friends will soon turn 38, both challenged yet still learning every time we meet together. They are learning to run their own business, learning to give back to the world, and learning to function in the world. These people are “different” from the world, but then we, the world, are different to them. I wish that I was mentally challenged like my son because in his challenge he understands and knows Jesus so much better than I. Yes a simple faith, but that is what Jesus instructs us to have. So I consider it PURE JOY to watch my son continue to grow and mature and I look forward to seeing him minister the love of God to others. I also consider it PURE JOY to work each week with my group of 5, and if the Lord allows I will grow the group to as many as HE gives me.

Each parent of a special needs child feels the burden, but do you feel the JOY? I challenge you today, find the JOY that your child is meant to bring to your world. Yes, you may have a doctor’s appointment today or a therapy session that will wear you out, but remember that each day of testing/each burden we carry will grow our faith and perseverance, if we will allow the Lord to work in our lives.

Lord, I pray today that whatever challenge or test that you bring to me or one of my friends that we will persevere and while in the trial consider it PURE JOY. I thank you for the gift You gave to me 27 years ago.

JOY in CHRIST,
JOYce