Anne's Story - Sensory Room

My name is Anne Johnson. My husband Chip and I have three children; Caroline, 17, Griffin, 13, and Aidan, 7. Our first two children are adopted and Aidan was God’s way off showing us He does have a sense of humor! Because of the way God brought our family together through adoption and Aiden’s surprise arrival, we have always felt we were special. But we are special in another way. 

Two out of our three children have special needs. Caroline was 7 when her femur fractured and she was diagnosed with Fibrous Dysplasia, a bone density disorder. She has undergone 7 surgeries in her short life and you would never know it! She is one amazing young lady!

Our other child with special needs is Griffin. We knew he had ADHD early on. When Griffin was 4, his peers were moving on and things were not getting easier. The two year old temper tantrums were now the 5-6 year old tantrums.  Griffin was seven when he was officially diagnosed with Asperger’s – high functioning autism. I know you all have heard a lot about autism, I’m not here to tell you about autism, but about how God and our church family helped us beat autism. Early on our team at Vanderbilt told us that Griffin’s natural comfort zone would be at home. And it would be easier for is as a family to keep him at home. Why? It’s predictable and it’s controllable for the most part. At home there are fewer opportunities to upset the apple cart! But if we wanted our child to beat this diagnoses we had to get him out of the house and let him experience the world with all the curve balls it throws at you. It doesn’t sound too hard on the front side, but in reality, it was a nightmare at times. When you have unsolicited advice, looks of judgement, hear snide comments, it makes you just want to stay home. But that is not where you need to stay. We wanted to come to church, for us as parents, but also to raise both our children to know God. But coming to church meant stepping out of our comfort zone into the unknown. 

During this time we had one special individual that went the extra mile to help us that was Cay Barton. Cay was the Children’s Director at the time. Cay would call me, track me down asking if we were coming to church next Sunday, coming to VBS, coming to family night and she always said and you are bringing Griffin aren’t you? Any time she would her hesitancy in my voice or see it in my face she would give me a hug and say: 
          1. He’s a child of God – perfectly made;  
          2. This is Griffin’s church family – His family and God want him here.

I can’t tell you what that meant to Chip and I. My child was wanted, my child belonged. 
With Cay’s encouragement, we brought Griffin to church, to Sunday school, to VBS, confirmation, etc. And it was coming to church that gave us the courage to try other things like sports and Boy Scouts. 

Becki Manni has encouraged him to continue to participate and he was an acolyte and went through confirmation. And now Griffin is signed up to go on the youth mission trip thanks to Joshua Strader. Today, you would be hard pressed to know that Griffin is on the spectrum. Many prayers for my child have been answered, but I want you to know that this church was the turning point for my child

I want us as church family to be that turning point for every other family that enters our doors. Let’s help them feel welcome here. Let’s let them know their child is a part of our family. Let’s give these families a place to be who they are without judgement and pity, but compassion and brotherhood. Let’s all be like Cay and give these families the support they need to move mountains for their children. God is on board and we need to follow Him.

I know there are people that loved Cay Barton and are upset that the Ark she built will need to be taken apart to build a sensory room for the children. Please understand that this sensory room means reaching out to all children – that was Cay’s ministry. Cay would be the first person to say – let’s repurpose the ark so we can build this ministry. 

Testing

Today is the last day of TCAP testing for many of our children. Our children have prepared for this week all year and a lot is riding on these few days of testing. Many of our kids are stressed about doing well, while others are calm and confident and are ready to do their best. A lot of controversy surrounds testing and many of us wonder if a test can accurately measure our child's academic achievement. I am a terrible tester. The moment a test is put in front of me my anxiety rises. The presence of that nasty piece of paper would make my mind immediately draw a blank and I would become terrified of failure. While I loathed taking tests at the time I am very thankful for the valuable life lessons it taught me.

1. There will always be tests.

They may not require number 2 pencils and scan-tron forms, but they are a part of life. As much as we detest them they are a reality. It can be something as simple as being overwhelmed by laundry to something as complicated and painful as losing a parent. Life tests us, not to destroy us, but to make us stronger. Our tests reveal our character and they help us to discover our community. 

No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so you can stand up under it. 

1 Corinthians 10:13

2. How we respond to pressure matters.

We all have pressure to succeed whether internally, externally, or both, but it is how we respond to that pressure that decides whether or not we succeed. Do we choose to cower under the covers like we did when we were little or do we choose to face the challenge head on? Do we see test as an opportunity for growth or do we see them as something to dread? Consider what Paul wrote in James 1:2-4

Consider it pure joy, 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. 

When we are faced with a challenge do we respond with joy? Can we raise our kids in a way that will allow them to respond with joy? It may seem like a stretch comparing testing to trials that test our faith, but I don't think it is. Testing is a big deal for our kids, it's important to them to do well and how we respond to the little things is training ground for how we respond to the big things. 

   

3. Failure is not the end.

Every successful person has failed. Let that sink in, every successful person has a huge string of failures leading up to their success. Our success gets all of the recognition, but it is how we respond to our failures that matter. Failure is not the end, it is only the beginning. Moses stuttered, questioned God's judgement, and killed a man. Sarah laughed at God's promises. Jacob was a liar. Abraham was too old. Paul persecuted Christians. We come from a long line of failures, but their failures did not define them because they dusted themselves off and learned from their past and moved on. 

Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But on thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. 

Philippians 3:12-14

Today as I send my boys off to school I do so confidently. As their mom it is my job to prepare them to become men and I trust that this week is just another stepping stone towards adulthood. If they worry about the results I will remind them of the truths I have learned and I will trust God with the rest.

How do you handle the stress of test time in your house?

Cuddle Time

As a parent I have always struggled with family devotions. Prior to the boys being born I had visions of us sitting quietly and reading the Bible, praying and singing together and then the boys came along and reality set in. When they were little exhaustion often won. After fixing dinner, giving them a bath,and reading Good Night Moon what felt like 800 times I could barely keep my eyes open through our bedtime prayers. Devotion time took a backseat and life went on. 

Before I knew it they we in elementary school and with it came homework, lots of homework. Our nights were filled with homework, karate, soccer practice, and once again our time together with God took a backseat to life. 

I never thought it would be this way. God is such a central part of my life how is it that I was not sharing Him with the most important people in my life. Then one day everything changed. Our family was going through some changes and one of the things we decided to do to add a sense of security to our lives was to add cuddle time to our days. Cuddle time is my favorite time of day. 

Every night cuddle time has three parts:

1. We talk about our day, the highs, the lows and everything in between.
2. We recite our gratitude alphabet. We go through the alphabet and tell one thing we are thankful for each letter. 
3. We read our devotional and our Bible. We are currently reading though Jesus Calling for Kids. 

Cuddle time is magical. During this time my boys will tell me things that do not come up in regular conversation, They open their hearts to me and each time they do I realize what a privileged it is to be their mom. More importantly, during cuddle time they open their hearts to God, 

Last night during cuddle time Aiden said, "isn't it amazing how our devotion is always about what we were just talking about." "Yes, Aiden. God is amazing," I said. 

I encourage you to try cuddle time. It isn't always magical. Sometimes my kids stick their stinky feet in my face and begin to talk about Nerf guns in the middle of reading a Bible verse, but that's OK. Cuddle time is messy and unpredictable, but it's worth the effort.  

Does your family have a cuddle time? What are some of the challenges you face? What are some of the victories? Please share your journey with us by commenting on this blog.

Submitted by Damaris Allen

5 Reasons Why VBS is Important

I love VBS and I know a lot of kids who feel the same way - but is it really important? Is it really important to the life of our already very busy church?  Is it really worth all the time, talent, treasure, and just plain effort? I decided to put together a list of why VBS is SO important to the life and vitality of HFUMC.

1. Child Evangelism is Exponential Evangelism
             Vacation Bible School is not primarily for the regular attendees of our church. Yes,   our children might attend and they might enjoy the summer program but the goal of VBS is to minister to children and their families who may not attend church on a regular basis. Most VBS programs are designed to teach the message of salvation and keep the message simple to bring children to Christ. This gives the families of HFUMC the opportunity to bring visitors. Each child comes with families and the fun summer program of VBS is a much more non-threatening environment than perhaps they might feel attending a traditional Sunday morning service. 

2. A short-term commitment with eternal benefits
             VBS is an opportunity for busy volunteers to serve. We have so many gifted people who lead frenetic schedules but for a few hours each evening, for one week they find the joy of serving far outweighs the inconvenience or exhaustion. They connect with kids who soak up the messages and their love like sponges. They find that they are energized by the children’s enthusiasm and innocent excitement over the Gospel message. And afterwards, VBS volunteers will be physically tired but spiritually refreshed.

3. We all agree on the basics
             Okay, this might be a bit controversial but believe it or not Christians can even       debate about a program like VBS. We all have our beliefs on raising children and even how we raise children according to scripture. VBS is not the time to bring our theological debates into the mix. Vacation Bible School is about reaching children and families with the message of the Cross. When we bring our theological debates into the mix we turn people away and we make church uninviting. But when we stick to the basics, lives are impacted and the kingdom grows.

4. It’s a wise investment
             As costly as it can be to put on a VBS program cheaper is not always better.           According to Barna research, “nearly half of all Americans who accept Jesus Christ as their savior do so before reaching the age 13 (43%), and that two out of three born again Christians (64%) made that commitment to Christ before their 18th birthday.” Funding the program isn’t about the money but about teaching the gospel to the youngest members of your community. A far greater investment!

5. Church is fun
            Perhaps one of the biggest reasons why I have always loved VBS is because it is   fun. I can laugh and be silly with children of all ages and because we can transform the walls of our church into a child’s adventure. I think it is important to show others, especially children, that loving God is fun and the message of Christ is not all about an adult’s world but it is about being a community where loving God and faith includes children.

Again this year, VBS will be held from 6:00 - 8:00 p.m., the week of June 21-25. We hope to have some of Nashville's popular Food Trucks set up shop in HFUMC's parking lot so that family, friends, and community members can grab dinner and visit while our kids head indoors to learn about Jesus' unwavering love. Thursday night, we will close the week with a special celebration for families that will include good food, music and fellowship.
Everyone - parents, grandparents, those who just like fun - is invited to participate in VBS, as volunteers. We are currently recruiting station leaders, crew leaders, individuals to help with registration, photographers, etc. We hope the later time frame allows more parents, including our working moms and dads, to experience this fun-filled week with your little ones! If you would like to volunteer, or to find out what volunteer positions are open, please email Jennifer Foran. 

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Article submitted by: Becki Manni