In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The Word became flesh and dwelled among us… John 1:1, 14a (EHV)

Away in a manger, no crib for his bed,

The little Lord Jesus lay down his sweet head.

The stars in the sky look down where he lay,

The little Lord Jesus asleep on the hay.

This Christmas carol has been taught to children for generations and is a favorite of young and old. Whether you are the parent of a child with extraordinary needs or you know someone parenting a child with extraordinary needs, the words of this carol are timely reminders of Jesus’ coming to us because of his unfailing love for us.

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Philippians 4:6 Do not worry about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.

Each November, the United States sets aside one special day to give thanks. Holidays can provoke extra stress for families parenting children with extraordinary needs. The change of routine, extra sensory stimulation, and food outside of a regular diet can put extra strain on parents and children. Expectations, whether realistic or unrealistic, whether our own or those of others, heighten the stress of holiday gatherings. God’s Word instructs us not to worry, but that can be a tall order. What comfort follows! This verse instructs us in each step of the solution for worry.

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John 13:34,35  A new commandment I give you: Love one another. Just as I have loved you, so also you are to love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another (EHV)

I remember the day I arrived at their home. I was a teen. I was scared on the inside but brave on the outside. The house was quiet and welcoming; the one I had left was chaotic and scary. The woman took me to the room where I would stay. Her husband was at work. Their two children, whom they had adopted, were not home. After settling my things in the room, she invited me into the kitchen for a snack. I remember her coring an apple. It was so strange to me that she would do that. No one had cared enough to core an apple for me before—not that I remembered anyway. Her calm demeanor and the stillness of the home was comforting.

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Psalm 34:19 The righteous person may have many troubles, but the LORD delivers him from them all.

Does it sometimes seem like troubles just keep coming your way, one after another? Maybe, as you’re parenting your children, you are dealing with medical concerns, behavioral challenges, school challenges, mental health needs, physical needs, and more. You work hard to get every need met, and just when you think things are getting under control, life happens—more setbacks and challenges to deal with.

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Luke 8:1-3,19-21 After this, Jesus traveled about from one town and village to another, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. The Twelve were with him, and also some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases: Mary (called Magdalene) from whom seven demons had come out; Joanna the wife of Chuza, the manager of Herod’s household; Susanna; and many others. These women were helping to support them out of their own means.

Now Jesus’ mother and brothers came to see him, but they were not able to get near him because of the crowd. Someone told him, “Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to see you.”

He replied, “My mother and brothers are those who hear God’s word and put it into practice.” (EHV)

I have never tried to calculate it, but I wonder how many actual days of Jesus' approximate three-year ministry are recorded in the Bible. What happened on those other days? Probably a lot more of what is recorded: Jesus sharing the Word of God with people, both individually and in groups; Jesus healing people and casting out demons; Jesus going off by himself to pray. And of course, the activities of daily life: walking from place to place, setting up and taking down the camp, sleeping, daily hygiene and grooming, eating, preparation of meals and gathering of supplies, etc. So many things that would have happened daily that don't get mentioned in Scriptures.

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Ephesians 3:12  In [Christ Jesus] and through faith in him we may approach God with freedom and confidence. (NIV)

In the United States, the Fourth of July is a celebration of freedom—freedoms hard-won by our Founding Fathers and fought for by countless people since that first Declaration of Independence. The five freedoms enumerated in the U.S. Constitution (freedom of speech, the press, religion, and assembly, plus the freedom to petition the government) are blessings to the citizens of the United States.

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Ephesians 6:4  Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord. (EHV)

We recently celebrated Father’s Day, rightly noting that fathers are a blessing to their families. God tells us in his Word that fathers are to lead their families, and children are to obey their parents.

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Isaiah 40:29-31

[The LORD] gives strength to the weary

and increases the power of the weak.

Even youths grow tired and weary,

and young men stumble and fall;

but those who hope in the LORD

will renew their strength.

They will soar on wings like eagles;

they will run and not grow weary,

they will walk and not be faint. (NIV)

It's that time again—time for the school year to end. The start of the summer break can lead to a variety of emotions in parents of children with extraordinary challenges

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1 Thessalonians 5:16-18  Rejoice always. Pray continually. Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. (NIV)

I like to do some baking from time-to-time. More so around the holidays. One of my husband’s favorite cookies is fruit sticks that are a recipe passed down from his great grandmother on his dad’s side. These cookies are a combination of raisins, almonds, spices, cloves, flour, butter, sugar, and eggs. I enjoy making this recipe as it consistently makes tasty cookies, and it has meaning for our family as well.

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Proverbs 31:8  Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves. (NIV)

After reading this verse, I was taken back to the multiple times that my husband and I were required to speak up to the nurses, doctors, therapists, and teachers concerning our daughter’s needs and level of care throughout the years. I found advocacy to be a skill that was hard for me at first since I have a more introverted personality. The Lord over the years has developed this skill in me and also in my daughter so that she has become very good at advocating for her own care going forward.

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Holy Week. It’s a time for us to focus on what Jesus did to earn our salvation—to remember his agonies in the garden, his beatings and humiliation when under arrest, and his suffering on the cross, and then remember and celebrate his resurrection. To truly appreciate these things, we need to slow down and shift our focus to them. Yes, even we parents of children with extraordinary needs need to slow down and focus on Jesus’ saving work. When we do, we find some undeniable truths in God’s Word.

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Luke 7:36-50 (selected verses)  A certain one of the Pharisees asked Jesus to eat with him. Jesus entered the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. Just then a sinful woman from that town learned that he was reclining in the Pharisee’s house. She brought an alabaster jar of perfume, stood behind him near his feet weeping, and began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she began to wipe them with her hair while also kissing his feet and anointing them with the perfume. When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would realize who is touching him and what kind of woman she is, because she is a sinner.”

[Jesus] said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house, but you did not give me water for my feet. Yet she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You did not give me a kiss, but she, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with perfume. Therefore I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven; that is why she loved so much. But the one who is forgiven little loves little.”

He said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you. Go in peace.” (EHV)

Why do you do what you do for your child? “Because I have to. If I don't, my child wouldn't have any chance to thrive in their life. Maybe not even survive! I know my child better than anyone else, and if I don't address their needs, sometimes in unique ways, I don't know what would happen.”

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Luke 6:47-49  Everyone who comes to me and listens to my words and does them—I will show you what he is like: He is like a man building a house who dug down deep and laid a foundation on bedrock. When a flood came, the river beat against that house but could not shake it, because it was founded on bedrock. But the one who listened to my words and did not do them is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the river broke against it, it fell immediately, and that house was completely destroyed.” (EHV)

When I read this text, and came across the word “bedrock,” the theme of the old TV show “The Flintstones” automatically popped into my head. My apologies if it has now done so in your head, as well... In that show, so many items we use today were made out of stone, for “the modern stone age family.” The wheels on the cars were stone. The furniture was stone. Even the bowling balls were made of stone. And of course, the houses were made of stone.

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Luke 5:4-10,27  When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep water, and let down your nets for a catch.”

Simon answered him, “Master, we worked hard all through the night and caught nothing. But at your word I will let down the nets.” When they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their nets were about to tear apart. They signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them. They came and filled both boats, so that they began to sink. When Simon Peter saw this, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Go away from me, because I am a sinful man, Lord.” For Peter and all those with him were amazed at the number of fish they had caught, and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon.

Jesus said to Simon, “Have no fear. From now on you will be catching people.”

After these things, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector by the name of Levi sitting at the tax collector’s booth. He said to him, “Follow me.” (EHV)

If you were Lord of the Universe, and you came to earth and started gathering followers, whom would you pick?

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Luke 4:22-24, 28-30  They all spoke well of [Jesus] and were impressed by the words of grace that came from his mouth. And they kept saying, “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?”

He told them, “Certainly you will quote this proverb to me, ‘Physician, heal yourself!’ Do here in your hometown everything we heard you did in Capernaum.” And he said, “Amen I tell you: No prophet is accepted in his hometown.”...

All those who were in the synagogue were filled with rage when they heard these things. They got up and drove him out of the town. They led him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, in order to throw him off the cliff. But he passed through the middle of them and went on his way. (EHV)

The person who first said, “You can never go home again” could easily have been thinking of this section of Scripture. Jesus had recently begun his ministry when he went to his hometown of Nazareth. While the people of Nazareth were impressed with him as he read from the book of Isaiah, they also seemed confused. Isn't this the son of Joseph, the carpenter? He's from common working folk. He hasn't gone to rabbinical school to learn the fine art of public speaking. How can he be speaking like this?

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Luke 3:23-38  Jesus himself was about thirty years old when he began his ministry. Jesus was the son (so it was thought) of Joseph, the son of Heli, the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, the son of Melchi, the son of Jannai, the son of Joseph, the son of Mattathias, the son of Amos, the son of Nahum, the son of Esli, the son of Naggai, the son of Maath, the son of Mattathias, the son of Semein, the son of Josech, the son of Joda, the son of Joanan, the son of Rhesa, the son of Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, the son of Neri, the son of Melchi, the son of Addi, the son of Cosam, the son of Elmadam, the son of Er, the son of Joshua, the son of Eliezer, the son of Jorim, the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, the son of Simeon, the son of Judah, the son of Joseph, the son of Jonam, the son of Eliakim, the son of Melea, the son of Menna, the son of Mattatha, the son of Nathan, the son of David, the son of Jesse, the son of Obed, the son of Boaz, the son of Salmon, the son of Nahshon, the son of Amminadab, the son of Ram, the son of Hezron, the son of Perez, the son of Judah, the son of Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham, the son of Terah, the son of Nahor, the son of Serug, the son of Reu, the son of Peleg, the son of Eber, the son of Shelah, the son of Cainan, the son of Arphaxad, the son of Shem, the son of Noah, the son of Lamech, the son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch, the son of Jared, the son of Malaleel, the son of Cainan, the son of Enos, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God. (EHV)

Did you make it through this section? I would guess that if you were to read through the book of Luke, this section is one which you would either skip or, at best, speed read. So many names, and most of them are of people about whom we know nothing except that they were ancestors of Joseph, the foster-father of Jesus. It's hard to get through the list when there are 76 “son of” sections. It can take a long time to read through them all! In biblical genealogies, “son of” actually has more of an idea of “male descendent of.” This means that this list actually covers more than 76 generations! If you start to add up the approximate length of these lifetimes on this earth, each person passing on from one generation to the next the promise that a Savior would be coming, you can begin to appreciate how long the wait was. 

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Luke 2:41-52  Every year Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the Festival of the Passover. When he was twelve years old, they went up to the festival, according to the custom. After the festival was over, while his parents were returning home, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but they were unaware of it. Thinking he was in their company, they traveled on for a day. Then they began looking for him among their relatives and friends. When they did not find him, they went back to Jerusalem to look for him. After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers. When his parents saw him, they were astonished. His mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you.”

“Why were you searching for me?” he asked. “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?” But they did not understand what he was saying to them.

Then he went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. But his mother treasured all these things in her heart. And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man. (EHV)

“I just don't understand why my child did that.” Has that thought ever crossed your mind? It certainly did for me as my children were growing up, as it probably has for most parents. If your child has extraordinary challenges, the number of unexpected actions might be on the higher end of the parenting curve. Oh, to have a child with fewer challenges and unexpected behaviors!

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[...] (Luke 57-60)  When the time came for Elizabeth to have her baby, she gave birth to a son. Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown her great mercy, and they were rejoicing with her. On the eighth day they came to circumcise the child. They wanted to call him Zechariah after the name of the father. But his mother answered, “No. He will be called John.”

(61) They said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who is called by this name.”

(62) They made signs to his father, to see what he wanted to name him.

(63) He asked for a writing tablet and wrote, “His name is John.” And they were all amazed.

(64-66) Immediately Zechariah’s mouth was opened, his tongue was loosed, and he began to speak, praising God. Fear came on all who lived around them. In the entire hill country of Judea people were talking about all these things. And everyone who heard this took it to heart, saying, “What then will this child be?” (EHV)

Every child is unique, different from every other child in multiple ways. This may be in small things, or large ones. One of the more unique children described in the Bible was John, called “the Baptist” or “the Baptizer.” The announcement by the angel Gabriel of his upcoming conception and birth was special. John would also have a special purpose: “to prepare a people who are ready for the Lord.” That he would be unique would be clear already before his birth, even to the point of his leaping for joy in the womb when coming into the presence of the unborn Jesus. And raising the child into adulthood would require a special approach, such as him not having wine or beer. That he was unique was common knowledge, for “in the entire hill country of Judea people were talking about all these things.”

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