Mary Jane Ponten is a friend, mentor and second mother to me. She has taught me about life and ministry through the years. A couple of months ago, I asked Mary Jane to write out her hilarious story about how disability language changes through the years. Not only did I want it as a memory of her, I wanted to be able to share it whenever I got into discussions about disability language.
So here it is….Mary Jane’s own words about her Identity crisis.
Enjoy!
To quote Forrest Gump…
“Life is like a box of chocolates.
You never know what you’re going to get.” Continue reading Summer 2017 plans
Read Acts 16:6-10
In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps.
Proverbs 16:9
Continue reading Our plans or God’s?
Maybe I do this too often. I have this habit of looking back through the years and remember where I have been. I look at the calendar and remember where I was and what I was doing on a certain date and year. Continue reading Remembrances and Memorials
Disability ministry crosses the entire spectrum of a church’s ministry. Whether it’s the children’s ministry, the worship team, or the leadership, there is an element that could have a disability touch to it. During my years in this ministry, I have discovered that people don’t often understand what disability ministry is. Continue reading Where does disability ministry fit in at your church?
Where does the time go? The Lord talks and and teaches me daily, but you’d never know it from my website or looking at my date book. This has been something I’ve struggled with my entire adult life….proving my worth. Proving I belong and my work matters. I know, I matter to God and that’s enough. But shouldn’t I at least post more often to show progress?
I won’t solve this today. But here’s a little end of summer update about what I’ve been up to lately….
“Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him.” John 9:3
I don’t feel good today. Continue reading Give me a Verse, Lord
An oldie but a Goodie
I can get awfully frustrated when I don’t blog for a while. I need to remember 200 words can give a punch just as much as 500 words. My goal is to do that. As I come up with new material, I decided to post an oldie but a goodie about my college friends. I love this story, and it’s a great reminder how to interact with someone living with a disability. If you ever get nervous about getting to know a new friend, this story is for you. Enjoy! Continue reading An oldie but a Goodie
1982 was a pivotal year in my life. I was in second grade, and I transferred to my neighborhood school in the middle of the year. I remember being very excited to start at my new school, as I already knew several classmates from Sunday school. I would also meet other children who would be apart of my class through high school graduation. Continue reading My Friend Kyle
The Lord has continued to use me to advance His kingdom in 2015. It got off to an awesome start when Kelly and I attended the Global 
Access Conference in February. It was good to meet with old and new friends as well as hearing some awesome speakers. The conference was a nice stepping-stone for ministry in 2015. This report highlights my ministry activities in 2015 and is divided into the following areas: Church Relations, Writing, Global Media Outreach, Mentoring, and Last Thoughts.
Continue reading 2015 Ministry Report