#64: The Ministry “of” Children with Disabilities with Amy Julia Becker

So often, conversation on kids with intellectual disabilities centers on ministry "to" children with disabilities. What if we instead focused on the ministry "of" children with disabilities?

In this episode, Amy Julia Becker presents us with a massive paradigm shift on many levels. After reading her cover article in Christianity Today titled The Ministry of the Disabled, we knew we needed to learn from her.

A graduate of Princeton University and Princeton Theological Seminary, Amy Julia's essays about faith, family, and disability have appeared in the Washington Post, USA Today, Christianity Today, the Christian Century, and online for The New York Times, ABCNews, the Atlantic, Vox, and The Huffington Post.

Here are some highlights of our conversation:

* Changing how we see the word "need." Would you describe yourself as "being needy?" What if it were a necessary and good thing?
* Why it's important to receive people (especially our kids) as they are given to us, not through the lens of who we want them to be.
* How Amy Julia discovered the core parental fears and idols she had after learning her daughter, Penny, had Downs Syndrome.
* Tangible ways we can all come alongside families who have children with disabilities.
* How churches can include children with disabilities.
* Very practical ways we can celebrate and champion every child, and look for ways to bring everyone together.

Show Notes: 

Visit Amy Julia Becker's website by clicking here. 

Click here to read Amy Julia's Christianity Today article title, The Ministry of the Disabled. 

Click here for A Good and Perfect Gift: Faith, Expectations, and a Little Girl Named Penny.

Click here for Small Talk: Learning From my Children About What Matters Most.





 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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