http://www.companionresources.org/Home/Newsletter en-us Thu, 9 Sep 2010 12:59:24 GMT Caravel CMS RSS App http://www.companionresources.org/Home/Newsletter:CB2=cr200301.rtf@CB8 **Companion Resources Newsletter**
edited by Paul D. Leichty
Volume 5, No. 1 January 2003

Preachers often speak most passionately about the issues that they themselves are facing most directly. Sometimes, the confidence in the words and tone of voice belies the struggle underneath to truly "practice what you preach."

So this issue of Companion Resources Newsletter explores the subject of transitions. I am in transition. Our family is in transition. The community where we live in going through major transition. And the fact that this first newsletter of the year is coming out well into February gives away the struggle to manage all of our transitions!

So hopefully, it's not hypocrisy, but a desire to learn as we think together about transitions, that motivates this subject. We will focus, as usual, particularly on transitions for persons with special needs.

Transitions are not easy! When life goes along one way for awhile, but then needs to take a different path, there are many stresses and feelings connected with that change.

Some people handle transitions very well. They are flexible and adaptable. Most of us probably handle life's daily transitions in reasonably smooth fashion. However, for some persons, particularly persons with particular mental illnesses and autism spectrum disorders, transitions can be pretty rocky.

A recent story appeared in the news about a star high school basketball player making his third attempt to play college ball. His first two attempts failed because of a mental illness called "Obsessive Compulsive Disorder" (OCD). Persons with OCD have particular trouble with transitions because their thoughts get stuck on minor details of what they are already doing. Did I wash my hands well enough? Is the door locked? Are the lights off? Sometimes these little things can paralyze a person with OCD and make it impossible to focus on the next thing they need to do.

Persons with autism spectrum disorders also very often have difficulty with transitions. Fascinations develop with sensory stimulation in the present. For children, it might be a spinning top, trees blowing in the wind, or a puzzle that remains unfinished. It is difficult to break into that stimulation that the person is experiencing to ask them to go on to a different task. The result of forcing the issue is often a heightened anxiety and negative behaviors that express confusion and anger.

How can we help with transitions, particularly in situations where persons have difficulty with change? There are no easy formulas that work for everyone, but perhaps a few tips can be helpful.

1. Discover through observation the person's compulsions and how those affect the ability to make transitions.

2. Try to gauge how far ahead a person needs to know before a change in activity. By way of illustration, when we had three very different young men in our household, it would never work to announce at supper that we were going to have company coming for supper the next night. One person would have been fine with this announcement, processing the details in his mind. For another, it wouldn't have made a difference; he would have needed to be reminded when he arrived home in the afternoon for the news to have made sense. Yet another would have thought that something great was happening right away and would have been excited and anxious, asking about it repeatedly for the next 24 hours. So we learned to prepare each person individually as much as possible.

3. Try to reach some kind of closure on the activity at hand and assure the person that anything that is unfinished can be worked on at a specific time in the future.

4. Don't rely on simply saying "It's time to do this..." Use visual and action cues to help persons make transitions. The use of a clock will be important for some persons. Others can benefit from seeing and checking off items on a list. Objects that symbolize the transition can be helpful, such as setting a stuffed bed toy in front of a child when it's time for bed.

5. For big transitions, such as moving to a new house, introduce the changes gradually. Help them to think new thoughts with questions. Connect the change to something the person likes. "You had fun at Grandpa and Grandma's house today, didn't you? What do you think it would be like to live nearer to them?"

6. Discern when it is time to let the matter drop and come back to it in a new way in a few minutes.

I'm sure there are other tips that some of you could develop as well. If you would like to send them to me, I'll publish some of them in the next edition of the Companion Resources Newsletter.

Until then, happy transitions as you continue to build community!

Paul D. Leichty
PDLeichtycresources.org
Phone/Fax: 1-877-214-9838 (toll free)

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Companion Resources
"People using Technology building Community"
http://www.cresources.org
infocresources.org
****





Wed, 17 Jan 2007 03:22:04 GMT http://www.companionresources.org/Home/Newsletter:CB2=cr200302.rtf@CB8 **Companion Resources Newsletter**
edited by Paul D. Leichty
Volume 5, No. 2 February/March 2003

I was recently asked to speak briefly on the spirituality of persons with disabilities as it relates to building community. In the process of reflecting, I realized there was a significant intersection between spirituality and the administrative structures of the helping institutions we have created. I will sketch out some ideas.

Institutions and programs are necessary. Their natural tendency is to draw us away from community, but it doesn't need to be so. My hope is that institutions that serve persons on the margins of our society can be administered in ways that move us more and more to a place where true community is formed.

The reason that this doesn't happen naturally is that institutions are run by sinful, selfish people and institutions tend to magnify the self-serving nature of the people who run them. So it is only by God's grace that institutions can be administered to build up relations on the basis of mutuality and love instead of relying on a hierarchy of power.

As we create systems and programs and institutions, the "service" we start out with will most often degenerate into a power situation. However, to nurture the spirituality of persons who have difficulty with communication and socialization skills, we have to nurture a constant movement away from "service" in its modern form and toward love and companionship.

Let me just suggest some beginning practical steps in this process of building relationships of companionship and community that will provide the basis for a healthy spirituality for persons with communication and socialization difficulties.

1. The first principle is to put the welfare of the most vulnerable first in our communities. The easiest thing to do is what seems best for the institution, for society, even for the church. Yet, in a society based on power, the most articulate most often get their way. A healthy community spirituality calls for doing what is best for the weakest, the least articulate, and the most vulnerable.

2. We must practice hospitality toward everyone in the community. Whatever role a person plays, whether on the surface it seems valuable, simply ordinary, or barely existent, nevertheless needs to be recognized and valued. We need to help all persons, regardless of their abilities or disabilities to feel like they belong. Creating an environment of warmth, acceptance, and love are crucial.

3. In dealing with difficult behaviors we must remember the essentials advocated by John McGee in his approach to Gentle Teaching. (See http://www.companionresources.org/Companionship/Gentleness for more details.) We are to help persons feel safe and loved. In doing so, we also help others move toward loving in return and being engaged more fully in their own lives and community.

4. Probably the most important thing we can do for persons with special needs is to support the caregivers. These are the people implementing the other principles at the most basic level. These are the folks who are going to have the biggest impact on the spiritual life of the persons with disabilities and thus by extension to the larger community.

Supporting caregivers means taking care of them so they can focus on offering quality of care without worrying about how they support themselves and their families. It also means providing for spiritual life resources that enable caregivers to maintain a gentleness of spirit.

Spirituality in the context of community is nurtured as persons with difficulties in communication and socialization are loved and cared for. We must do all we can to help each other be true caregivers. We must move from being modern day "servants" holding power over "clients" to being true companions and friends in community. That should be the primary goal in the administration of any organization, program, or institution.

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On a personal note, my family and I are moving from our rural community setting of the past three years at Goldenrod. We will be living in Goshen, Indiana. Our son, Nathan, is moving with us and is already beginning a new community job and anticipating riding the bus to and from work. The nature of our community life will change, but we continue to be committed the principles of love, companionship, and community.
*******

Blessings to all!

Paul D. Leichty
PDLeichtycresources.org
Phone/Fax: 1-877-214-9838 (toll free)

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Companion Resources
"People using Technology building Community"
http://www.cresources.org
infocresources.org
****




Wed, 17 Jan 2007 03:22:05 GMT http://www.companionresources.org/Home/Newsletter:CB2=cr200303.rtf@CB8 **Companion Resources Newsletter**
edited by Paul D. Leichty
Volume 5, No. 3 March/April 2003

Time and money are very much entwined in our capitalist economy. As one saying goes, "Time is money."

I suspect there is some truth in that saying. That has become very evident to me in these last few months of living in transition. I often wish I had the time to do more work that seems to be important but that does not get paid for. Even the work that I am currently involved in is for organizations that struggle to make a good idea appealing enough to get people to pay for it. So I put in a little time here and a little time there and do some volunteer work over here. It seems like I will always live in that tension between time and money.

At the same time, I have the gnawing feeling that our ability to live in freedom from this dilemma helps determine the quality of life for ourselves, our families, and our communities.

Those of us who live with persons with special needs know very well the amount of time it takes to give that extra support, to walk with someone in a task that would take us half as long if we just did it ourselves.

Yet, to value persons is to give the gift of time. We need to find ways of building in time for work and play, support and companionship, meeting basic needs and just having fun.

We also need to financially support persons who put in major blocks of time to creatively give personal support and encouragement to others. I admit that I get tired of fundraising. Yet, if fundraising itself can be done in a way that builds community in the activity itself, it can be very redemptive. We need to find new and creative ways to both release the time of gifted people and to raise the money to make it possible.

The sharing of the resources of time, money, and talents in a supportive community remains the key. That doesn't eliminate the time/money tension by any means. Yet perhaps in keeping the goals of a high quality of life in community at the center of all of our activity will help us to sort out the priorities. It will give us a certain freedom even within the tension.

Thanks to all of you who are companions to the weak and vulnerable! You make a tremendous contribution to building true community by simply taking the time!

Blessings!

Paul D. Leichty
PDLeichtycresources.org

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Companion Resources
"People using Technology building Community"
http://www.cresources.org
infocresources.org
****



Wed, 17 Jan 2007 03:22:07 GMT http://www.companionresources.org/Home/Newsletter:CB2=cr200304.rtf@CB8 **Companion Resources Newsletter**
edited by Paul D. Leichty
Volume 5, No. 4 April/May 2003

The title of the article in a church magazine caught my attention. "Jesus would cry," it read. Yes, I imagine Jesus would cry about a lot of things in our world today.

The article wasn't quite what I anticipated. Instead of sympathizing with his 5-year-old's tears, the author used them to point out how we all we project our feelings on Jesus. His point was that we tend to be self-centered and think that our own desires, the things we cry about, are also what Jesus cares about.

The scenario was familiar not only to parents of 5-year-olds but to parents and caregivers of persons with autism spectrum disorders of any age. Someone in the family wanted the TV off. That person just hit the off button. However, that job of turning off the TV had become the domain of a certain other family member (a 5-year-old, in his case) and it simply upset his world order for anyone else to turn that TV off.

Sometimes I reflect after similar silly battles as to who is really the more self-centered. Am I, as the supposedly responsible adult, any less selfish ("autistic?!") if I knowingly take control of something that I know gives pleasure and order to someone else's life? Am I really teaching unselfishness by asserting my control over the other person?

There may be times and reasons to assert control, especially if it involves the safety and well-being of others. But it's easy to slip over into engaging in the battle just because I know I can win.

I think the assumption on the part of the author of the article (and also, I might add, many other religious folk) is that people are basically bad, "sinful," to put it in religious language. Therefore, the way to deal with their behavior is to clamp down early and often, using superior power and authority to "make them obey" or enforce "the rules."

I think the assumption on the part of the author of the article (and also, I might add, many other religious folk) is that people are basically bad, "sinful," to put it in religious language. Therefore, the way to deal with their behavior is to clamp down early and often, using superior power and authority to "make them obey" or enforce the rules.

I believe that it is this kind of assumption, taken to extremes, that led to the latest war our country waged with Iraq. We saw some evil on the part of those who we deemed as "below us" or at least not as powerful. So our government used its superior power to take control.

The problem is that people are never as totally evil as we portray our enemies. Even now, the inspectors look in vain for all of those "weapons of mass destruction" when everyone knows it is the United States that has more of them than anyone else.

What would happen if we gave others the benefit of the same assumption that we secretly make about ourselves? Rather than start with the assumption that the other person is sinful, how about the assumption that at the core there is some goodness? After all, God created all of humanity in the image of God. Might we not assume that there is some of the goodness of God in everyone, even those we see doing evil things?

Most people, at their very core, act to preserve their own lives. They act in the interest of their own safety and well-being. They seek to be loved. John McGee, with his philosophy of "Gentle Teaching" (http://www.companionresources.org/Companionship/Gentleness) has reminded us that this is the case even for persons with profound disabilities, severe mental illness, or years of hardening in a prison cell. He suggests that rather than worrying about restraining the sinful impulse or even seeking to modify the behavior of another person, that we simply show unconditional love and work hard to help the other person feel safe and loved in our presence.

Now perhaps we can get carried away by taking either the assumption of total depravity or the inherent goodness of a person to the extreme. However, the life of Jesus shows us that at the very core, God's way is to recognize the evil, call it what it is, but still respond to it with love.

If the response to selfishness is simply to meet it with our own brand of self-centeredness, then our results will always be counterproductive. I have seen that illustrated vividly with persons with autism. However, if I can patiently work with the other person, always examining my own motives and how I am perceived by the other, then the love and esteem for him or her can come through.

That, in turn, gives opportunity for that wonderful glimpse of glory when some day, the person you thought didn't have any capacity for reaching out, somehow passes that love back to you!

Let us live in that hope of glory!

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You can read the article referred to in the opening paragraph by going to the following link: http://www.themennonite.org/pdf/magazine_pdf_50.pdf (p. 11). This link illustrates some practical tools that are becoming even more widely used on the Internet today. The overarching term you should be aware of is PDF, which stands for Personal Document Format. There is a free tool available from Adobe (http://www.adobe.com) which allows anyone with any kind of computer to read the same document as long as it is a PDF file. Formerly called the Acrobat Reader, it is now available in version 6.0 as simply the Adobe Reader.

The ability to create these kind of files that anyone can read used to be totally in the hands of those who shelled out the big bucks for the full version of Adobe Acrobat. However, with version 6, Adobe has lowered the price considerably and made different versions to attract new customers.

However, I've discovered something even more amazing! There are now lots of other companies out there with tools to create PDF files. At least one offers most of its tools for free! (Of course, you pay for it by having to close pop-up ads.) If you are interested, see http://www.pdf995.com/.

I'm considering moving this newsletter onto a PDF format. If you have comments on that, pro or con, please let me know. And, as always, visit the Companion Resources website and associated online stores to support this ongoing work.
*******

Blessings in your ongoing journey!

Paul D. Leichty
Goshen, Indiana
PDLeichtycresources.org
Phone/Fax: 1-877-214-9838 (toll free)

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Companion Resources
"People using Technology building Community"
http://www.cresources.org
infocresources.org
****



Wed, 17 Jan 2007 03:22:08 GMT http://www.companionresources.org/Home/Newsletter:CB2=cr200305.rtf@CB8 **Companion Resources Newsletter**
edited by Paul D. Leichty
Volume 5, No. 5 May/June 2003

Greetings from the land of Goshen!

In Biblical times, the land of Goshen was the place where Jacob (also called "Israel") and his family settled in Egypt after a famine racked their homeland. That settlement came about after Jacob's son, Joseph, was sold into slavery by his brothers. Due to a remarkable series of events, Joseph eventually gained the confidence of the Pharaoh who put him in charge of running the country to prepare for the lean years of harvest.

Goshen was a place where the Israelites were able to find a temporary place of rest and recovery as they reflected on their family's journey and sought God's will for their future.

So it has been for our family coming back to Goshen, Indiana. I say "back" because we were married in Goshen and both of our children were born in Goshen. Yet, we had been gone for over 20 years.

Goshen now represents a place where we can stop and take a breath and seek out the next phase in our family journey. It is a place where we are closest to the most family and the most support systems. It is a place of some security even as world events make most of life seem insecure. Whether we will settle down for a long time as Jacob's family did in Egypt or whether we will venture out again remains to be seen.

Life with a family member with disabilities seems to require a Goshen in our lives, regardless of where the physical location is. We need the security of a home base, familiar and friendly people, support systems at many levels, and more routine work that can help us recover from the "famine."

There are still many issues to deal with. Just when the vocational opportunities and personal assistance seem to come together in a good routine for our son, something upsets the apple cart and we are left to scramble to put something new together again. In the helping agencies, people come and go as the systems rise and crumble according to circumstances and the quality of leadership. Even in the church, we struggle to put together basic ministries and support, encouragement, and advocacy for families and congregations.

Yet God is good. The proverbial wolf has been kept from the door and we are finding our way--in Goshen.

Blessings to all of you in your journeys,

Paul D. Leichty
Goshen, Indiana
PDLeichtycresources.org
Phone/Fax: 1-877-214-9838 (toll free)

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Companion Resources
"People using Technology building Community"
http://www.cresources.org
infocresources.org
****




Wed, 17 Jan 2007 03:22:10 GMT http://www.companionresources.org/Home/Newsletter:CB2=cr200306.rtf@CB8 **Companion Resources Newsletter**
edited by Paul D. Leichty
Volume 5, No. 6 June/July 2003

On July 3, 2003, I had the rare opportunity to hear a former U.S. President speak in person to a Mennonite Church convention in Atlanta. Since leaving office, Jimmy Carter has used his position as a former President to work for peace and better health around the world. Last year he received the Nobel Peace Prize.

Carter's message was in the form of Sunday school reflections for which he has become famous in his home town of Plains, Georgia. What was remarkable about it was the simple humble way in which he spoke and particularly the illustrations he used.

Carter's main theme was the meaning of "success" for the Christian. I was impressed by the fact that Carter's political success does not seem to define who he is or what he has accomplished. He was much more interested in sharing about the role of the Carter Center in saving the eyesight of millions of Africans or of addressing deadly diseases like AIDS. He expressed his admiration for an inner-city Hispanic pastor spreading the faith among the folks in his city. And, of course, there were references to his work with Habitat for Humanity.

Perhaps the most poignant illustration, however, had to do with an award given by Norman Vincent Peale to a church in Georgia while Carter was governor of that state. This particular church was made up largely of persons with developmental disabilities. Carter said he was nervous because he was invited to speak along with Peale, and considered Peale the finest public speaker of the day. However, as it turned out, those who attended the ceremony, likely remembered nothing of what either man said.

Rather, it was a woman with Down Syndrome, asked to light a candle at a key point in the ceremony, who embodied the real meaning of "success" for those in attendance. Despite great difficulty and many people "holding their breath," she persisted until she lit the candle. It was a sign of hope for all those who witnessed the scene.

Indeed, it is good for all of us to be reminded that it is often in the simple ordinary things that we find meaning and success. Success involves pushing oneself and reaching for our full potential, whatever our gifts and abilities might be. Success may even mean stepping down a notch in the world's eyes in order to serve in the simple act of running a race, giving a hug, or building a house.

Those of us with children who face particular challenges know that we cannot define success in the same way for all people. What seems simple to someone may be a tremendous accomplishment for another person.

Yet, I would like to think that true success has one key ingredient that applies to everyone. True success touches the life of other persons in ways that make their lives better and build community. It may be something tangible, or it may simply be inspiration by example.

All of us can find ways of doing that. We don't have to be a world leader and have a public stage in order to build up other people. The way that each of us lives shows whether we are about the "success" of own self-interest or about serving others.

May you find the blessings of successful living in community!

Peace!

Paul D. Leichty
PDLeichtycresources.org
Phone/Fax: 1-877-214-9838 (toll free)

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Companion Resources
"People using Technology building Community"
http://www.cresources.org
infocresources.org
****



Wed, 17 Jan 2007 03:22:11 GMT http://www.companionresources.org/Home/Newsletter:CB2=cr200307.rtf@CB8 **Companion Resources Newsletter**
edited by Paul D. Leichty
Volume 5, No. 7 July/August 2003

How special is special?

In a paper entitled "Community Building In Logan Square," Mary O'Connell tells the story of how neighborhood leaders in the Logan Square section of Chicago were asked to identify persons with disabilities in their neighborhoods in order to help integrate them more fully into the life of their neighborhoods. However, the project could not get off the ground.

Almost everyone knew that there were persons with developmental disabilities in their neighborhood. Some knew where there was a group home. Others had seen these persons in a shop or on the job. But no one could give a name or enough information to go seek out that person. Persons with disabilities were nameless persons on the fringes of community life.

At the same time, there was no secret involved in finding such persons. Everyone knew they lived in special group homes administered by social service agencies whose sole work it was to care for such persons. So the community developers finally gave up asking in the neighborhood and went to the social service agencies.

Eventually, the neighborhood association sponsored the project to encourage others in the community to form friendships with persons with disabilities to see if they could be included more in the community. Some of these relationships included going to church together.

One such person who was a part of this experiment was Susan. With the help of a friend, Susan joined a faith-sharing group at a local church. She participated for several sessions. The other persons in the group made room for her and accepted her occasional eccentric behavior. It seemed like the goal of encouraging a person with disabilities to become part of the community was succeeding.

However, one day at a sharing group meeting, Susan became sick. After dealing with that unpleasant reality, the group started talking. One of the group leaders finally said what some others were thinking. Susan didn't really belong in the group. Among the reasons for specifically asking Susan not to come back was this rhetorical question: "Doesn't the diocese offer a special religious education program for disabled people?"

Indeed, the word "special" has become a code word for segregated services for persons with disabilities. Although there are hopeful signs in certain communities, for the most part, we expect persons with disabilities and chronic mental illnesses to function as clients who are served by professionals in settings that we call "special."

These persons start school in special early intervention programs and special pre-schools. When they become school age, they enter a system call "special education" and get classified for certain "special ed" classrooms. Some get involved in Special Olympics. When they get out of school, they enter into a system of special agencies who take care of their "cases." They go to special workshops, live in special homes, and continue to have "special" recreational activities.

The rest of us have come to think of this as normal and good. That way, we don't have to make any adjustments and modifications in our mainstream educational settings, homes, workplaces, or bowling leagues. Persons with disabilities are segregated, shuttled off into a kind of exile where they are cared for by professionals and don't have to bother the rest of us.

It is granted that this situation is better than the institutions of 50 years ago with their stark barren buildings and high wrought iron fences. We even take pride that "these folks" are now in our communities.

But even though they live among us, they are still often isolated and lonely. The wrought iron has been exchanged for plenty of shrubbery, expansive lawns, and strict supervision.

And even though they work in some of our workplaces and places where we do business, they are mostly invisible. They tend to be the ones who clean up after us, emptying the trash or washing our dishes in the back room.

And even though they go to our churches, they tend to congregate in bigger churches that can then develop a "special" Sunday school program so that they don't need to bother the rest of us.

Pretty soon, it appears that the separation and segregation, the sense of exile and isolation, are nearly as great as if they were behind physical walls.

Yet, everywhere you look, there are signs of hope as professionals become friends and build bridges to others in the larger community. When we take the time to enter into this "special" world and build relationships, there are some truly special things that happen out in the community. Whether it's shopping together, seeing a movie, inviting a co-worker to dinner, or including someone in the Sunday School class social, there are countless ways to break down the walls of segregation and begin building true community that includes everyone.

It is in community-building attitudes and activities that truly special things begin to happen. For it is only then that we can discover that "persons with disabilities" also have abilities! Each person has gifts and, indeed, is a gift from God. We can receive those gifts only by living in community relationships which enable those gifts to be exercised and shared.

So let's go beyond the specialness of segregation. Let's build a "special community" where all persons, regardless of their strengths and weaknesses, their abilities or disabilities, can participate and find a place of belonging.

I would enjoy hearing about the special moments in your lives! Many blessings as you continue to build community!

Paul D. Leichty
Goshen, Indiana
PDLeichtycresources.org
Phone/Fax: 1-877-214-9838 (toll free)

****
Companion Resources
"People using Technology building Community"
http://www.cresources.org
infocresources.org
****


Wed, 17 Jan 2007 03:22:12 GMT http://www.companionresources.org/Home/Newsletter:CB2=cr200308.rtf@CB8 **Companion Resources Newsletter**
edited by Paul D. Leichty
Volume 5, No. 8 August/September 2003

Are there wheel chairs in heaven? Will blind people be able to see? Will persons with autism be able to think clearly?

Disabilities and mental illness have always challenged the faith of persons who believe in a loving God. Most of us can expect some suffering and some disabilities within our lifetime, particularly as we grow older. Yet, when babies, children, and even young adults in their prime are stricken with major disabilities or chronic mental illness, it is a challenge to the faith of all who are close to them. Why would a loving God allow these things to happen to those who are so innocent or who hold so much promise of life?

From a theological perspective, Christian faith tells us, first of all, that God's creation is good. The corollary is that what is bad or flawed in this good creation is the result of sin, the disobedience of humanity to God's will for creation.

The problem comes when we try to draw a one-to-one correspondence or a simple cause and effect relationship between sin and those conditions that cause suffering. We want to play the "blame game" and pin the fault on somebody specific.

Furthermore, even when we try to draw the distinction that particular disabilities or illness are not the result of the sin of that particular person, there is still a stigma felt by many persons with disabilities and their families. Many people go through stages of grieving prior to coming to a deep acceptance of who they are or who their loved one is, "disability" and all. In fact, they may experience a healing and wholeness far deeper than most persons who don't suffer as much. Making the disability/sin connection in such situations can be insensitive at best and highly offensive at worst. This is particularly the case when folks with a particular theological agenda suggest that the person could be cured if he or she only had enough faith.

Jesus himself was confronted with this dilemma. When a man who was born blind was presented to him, he refused to call either the man himself or his parents "sinners." At the same time, Jesus did not simply say, "Oh, he's OK the way he is; let him accept the situation in life that God has given him." Instead, Jesus healed him.

Yet, the healing that took place is not simply the physical cure. Rather, the physical cure made possible the restoration of that person to wholeness of life in the community! That wholeness was the healing. I can think of so many healing stories where this is the case that I suspect it is a key to understanding the healing ministry of Jesus. It's also the key for understanding the healing ministry of those who would be followers of Jesus.

Most people, whether in Jesus' day or our own, are willing or even eager to cast the label of "sinner" on persons who are different in order to deflect attention from their own sinful attitudes and actions. Could it be that the society of Jesus' day was so entrenched in its negative attitudes toward persons with disabilities that Jesus had to work from the personal cure side? Is it possible that this was the only way they would begin to understand the power of God to work at restoring all persons to wholeness of life in community? Might they have needed that miraculous transformation of one person in order to examine their own attitudes toward all persons who were different?

Perhaps we live in a day when those of us who are temporarily able-bodied can work hard at the other side, the side of society accepting all persons as valued and worthy just the way they are. I believe that it is just as reflective of the saving power of God for temporarily able-bodied sinners to accept and welcome and embrace persons with disabilities as it is for persons with disabilities to either find a personal state of self-acceptance or to find a cure that makes them "acceptable." In all cases, the end result that reflects healing is the drawing together of persons into community under God.

So what will heaven be like? We can speculate all we want about the relationship between the weakness and frailties of our earthly bodies and the glory of our heavenly bodies. Yet, the overarching picture of heaven is of a community, the congregation of saints gathered in worship before the throne of God.

It is that vision which informs our calling to build community here and now, a community that includes all persons, no matter what their abilities, giving glory to a loving, accepting, saving God. Such communities offer a glimpse of heaven and fulfill the part of the prayer Jesus taught when he said, "Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven."

Blessings as you live out that calling!

Paul D. Leichty
Goshen, Indiana
PDLeichtycresources.org

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Companion Resources
"People using Technology building Community"
http://www.cresources.org
infocresources.org
****




Wed, 17 Jan 2007 03:22:14 GMT http://www.companionresources.org/Home/Newsletter:CB2=cr200309.rtf@CB8 **Companion Resources Newsletter**
edited by Paul D. Leichty
Volume 5, No. 9 September/October 2003

Greetings to all community builders! This issue of the Companion Resources Newsletter will feature a slightly different kind of discussion than in many of the past months. I want to talk about a new Internt technology and strategy that I believe is especially suited for small non-profit enterprises. I'll also include more than the usual advertisements (hopefully, the no pressure, no hype variety). We'll start there.

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My family got me a wonderfully handy gift for Father's Day. I've often been intrigued when seeing a pocket organizer, handheld, or PDA (Personal Digital Assistant) used by someone else, but I had never seriously considered having one for myself. I have since learned that I usually read about the expensive top end models when many fine models are very affordable! I was also amazed at how, through an Internet connection, there are so many features that can be added. I now carry around in my pocket a date book, address book, Bible (multiple versions), notepad, 5-day weather forecast, the day's newspaper clippings from my local paper and the New York Times, important papers created in Microsoft Word that I want to refer to, and even a novel to read! If there is someone on your Christmas list that might benefit from one of these devices, check out the selection at NextDay PC at http://www.nextdaypc.com/main/cat/subcat.aspx?subid=12&rsmainid=ND0023934.
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Ever since coming to understand some of the wonders of the Internet, I have always sought ways to make this technology usable and affordable for families, churches, and small non-profit organizations.

So the latest segment of my journey started about a year ago when I joined a small group of parents to find a way to keep a church-related advocacy and educational ministry going. Although it was rather bold (or foolhardy?) to think that a small group could do what three or four church agencies said they couldn't do, we decided to try anyway.

I was convinced from the start that the way to share the most resources for the least money was through a networking approach. So we decided that a website and an email discussion group would be prominent in our initial stages. You can see the results for yourselves of the presence and ministry of the Anabaptist Disabilities Network (ADNet) by visiting that website at www.adnetonline.org.

ADNet Online is different from any other website that I have built. It uses a "content management system" (CMS) created by Mennonite.net. When I approached Michael Sherer, IT Director at Goshen (Ind.) College and the visionary behind Mennonite.net, I had very little concept of what a CMS was or how it could benefit ADNet. However, I knew I wanted to create a website that could be easily maintained by a group of volunteers around the country who may not be very technically oriented.

The more Michael talked, the more I became convinced that his vision provided far more than I had even dreamed. So ADNet became an early user of a CMS that has now been dubbed "Caravel." In the process, I have learned that CMS sites are the wave of the future and even big corporations are revamping their websites to enable content to be uploaded quickly and easily by the ordinary worker without needing to pass through the Information Technology (IT) department.

What makes Caravel different is the vision of community that lies behind it. Caravel CMS is technology for mission that spreads the costs and the benefits of developing that technology across a broad community. Because Caravel uses Open Source technology, it already reaps the benefits of a community of mostly volunteers who have developed pieces of this technology over a number of years. In turn, Mennonite.net offers its own work to the Open Source community on the Internet for others to build on and improve for their own purposes. Thus, instead of fattening the purses of some giant software corporation, ordinary users like you and I have the benefits of some really great technology at a fraction of the cost. We can get our message, our information, and our tools out there on the web at an affordable price.

Not that it's easy. I've seen the challenges first-hand as Michael invited me to become a part of Mennonite.net, handling customer relations as a half-time job as other organizations and churches start building their websites with Caravel. As most of us working to build community know, when you operate with a completely different vision on a financial shoestring, the road can sometimes be rocky. Yet, I believe that good faith and hard work bring results in the end, results that will endure because each step continues to build community. That's why I'm pleased to aid in that effort as an expression of my ongoing ministry.

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Communication is an important part of building community. I'm particularly pleased to be able to offer the tools of communication ranging from Internet access to telephone calling cards to wireless phone plans through my Cognigen affiliation. You will be hard-pressed to find more economical options anywhere. So click on the Cognigen link on the Companion Resources home page or go directly to http://www.ld.net/?cresources.
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We live in times of tremendous opportunities and abundant resources. At the same time, the opportunities for carrying out the best and most creative options in community building are often stymied because the resources do not flow in that direction. That is why collaboration, networking, and the creative use of both human and material resources are so important. Let us continue to work together for the things that build people up and create community!

Blessings on the journey!

Paul D. Leichty
PDLeichtycresources.org

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Companion Resources
"People using Technology building Community"
http://www.cresources.org
infocresources.org
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Wed, 17 Jan 2007 03:22:16 GMT http://www.companionresources.org/Home/Newsletter:CB2=cr200310.rtf@CB8 **Companion Resources Newsletter**
edited by Paul D. Leichty
Volume 5, No. 10 October-December 2003

This issue of Companion Resources Newsletter will be a bit unusual, but hopefully helpful as well. As you may have noticed, my attempts at publishing this email epistle in a timely monthly fashion have floundered a bit. I've decided that this year's offerings will end with No. 10 and cover the remaining part of 2003. Starting in 2004, I hope to publish issues toward the first part of the month, rather than late in the month.

Some of you know that one of my primary activities of the past year has been to help establish the Anabaptist Disabilities Network, or, as we usually refer to it, ADNet. ADNet was born out of a desire to see advocacy and educational work continue in the area of disabilities and mental illness among churches growing out of the Anabaptist movement, Mennonites, Brethren, and others. I am pleased to be working as a part of a wonderful team of essentially volunteers who have, within the past year, established a viable organization that is building partnerships with various church organizations.

I want to introduce you to two online resources that I think may have appeal even beyond the Anabaptist churches. Both of these resources are available on ADNet's website (www.adnetonline.org) which I created using the Caravel content management system that I introduced last month.

The first resource is our newsletter which we hope to publish quarterly. It is called "Dialogue on Disabilities" and carries on a name and tradition of previous newsletters published by Mennonite organizations working with disabilities. We at ADNet also include the whole area of chronic mental illness as well, drawing upon the broad definition of "disabilities." You can find an introduction and copies of "Dialogue on Disabilities" at the following address:
http://www.adnetonline.org/Resources/Newsletter

The second resource will be of special interest to those who work to include marginalized persons in the life of the church. It is called "ADNotes." It is a one-page reproducible sheet which offers resources and ideas that strengthen the relationships within your community. In each issue we plan to focus on one or two specific areas of challenge for congregations seeking to welcome and support individuals and families with mental illness and other disabilities.

Your are encouraged to visit http://www.adnetonline.org/Resources/ADNotes
to read and print out the current issue with your Adobe Reader, available free for any
computer.

The current issue is entitled "Holiday Hints." Here are some sample quotes:

On "Sensitivity":
"In this season of 'goodwill and cheer,' we can be aware of those in our
congregations who struggle to cope both emotionally and physically with the
disruption and stress."

On "Inclusion":
"During this Advent and Christmas season, we can make a special effort to
draw in those who may be feeling isolated, unneeded, or lonely."

On "Understanding":
"Including the language of despair and brokenness in pastoral prayers is a
way to offer companionship and acceptance to those who may feel completely
alone in their struggles."

Again, to get your copy of ADNotes, visit
http://www.adnetonline.org/Resources/ADNotes

Feel free to browse further at ADNet Online while you are there. And don't forget to check out the Companion Resources home page (www.cresources.org) in the right-hand column as you do your Christmas shopping.

I wish you all a very blessed Advent and Christmas season!

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Paul D. Leichty
PDLeichtycresources.org

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Companion Resources
"People using Technology building Community"
http://www.cresources.org
infocresources.org
****



Wed, 17 Jan 2007 03:22:17 GMT