The Angels of Concordia -Guest Post by Debbie's Dad

The Angels of Concordia

Guest Thoughts by Debbie’s Dad

The Bible clearly speaks of angels, the created beings that carry out missions for the LORD on earth. Few have seen angels, but many are recorded in Scripture. In both the Hebrew and Greek, the words that we translate as angels have the meaning messenger - a messenger from God.

Angels In the Old Testament

In Genesis 18 Abraham conversed with men (angels) that accompanied the LORD. At the peak of Israel’s’ kingdom, the Psalms recorded the practical theology of trusting the Lord and described the angel of the LORD as a protector (34:7). Other Psalms described how angels are given charge to watch over us (91:11) even as they praise the Lord (103:20). 

As the nation of Israel divided and finally fell, the prophets provided more insight into the work of angels. The prophets saw angels as “Seraphim” (Isaiah 6:2) and “cherubim” (Ezekiel 10:1-3). Daniel, while in captivity in Babylon, actually named two angels who came to help him: Gabriel and Michael (9:20-27 and 10:13, respectively).   Similarly, a man, identified as an angel came to help Zechariah understand the visions he was seeing (cf. Zech. 1: 7-9).

The Angels and the Messiah

After a long period of silence from God, the people returned to a devastated and conquered the land. The most well-known messenger is the angel Gabriel who informed Mary that she would give birth to Israel’s Messiah – “the king of Jacob’s people forever” (Luke 1: 26-38).  It was an angel that announced Jesus’ birth to the shepherds outside of Bethlehem (Luke 2:8-15), then angels warned Joseph to flee to Egypt and then to return when Herod had died and the danger had passed (Matt. 2:13-15 and 19-21). Angels ministered to Jesus at the beginning of His ministry (Mark 1:13) and rolled away the stone after his resurrection, remaining at the tomb to greet His followers (Matt. 28:1-2 and John 20:12). Jesus acknowledged the role of angels (e.g. Matt 22:30; 13:39; 25:31) as serving Him. Angles similarly ministered to the apostles in their ministry opening prison doors (Acts 5 and 12), providing ministry guidance (Acts 8:26 and 10:1-7) and encouragement in perilous times (Acts 27:23-25).

In all of these cases, the angels appeared as people, sent from God to give messages: to warn,  to explain, to encourage, and to protect.

My Angelic Encounter

Back in the period 2003-2006 when Debbie attended Concordia University in Ann Arbor, I actually saw some angels at work: warning, explaining, encouraging and protecting!

Before you declare me a heretic, let me explain. Debbie was accepted to Concordia in the fall semester of 2003 after 2 years of hard work at Washtenaw Community College. She was able to transfer 51 credits and began as a sophomore. On paper, all was well academically. But physically, it seemed a mission impossible for her to live on campus and succeed as a student. Being quadriplegic, she needed caregivers to get here up in the morning and then put her to bed at night; that could work. But how could she make it through the day? – For three years!  The Concordia staff was terrific, charting her path to classes and then walking with my wife and me across every path on campus to make sure they could be traversed by a wheelchair. Every ramp and every door threshold was checked.  Out toilet seat was tested on the David Dorm toilet.

But the daytime routine was the killer- ominous, overwhelming effectively impossible.  How could Debbie …

• There Be fed at breakfast, lunch, and dinner??
• Handle loading and unloading her backpack/travel to and from classes throughout the day?
• Open and close the pages of her books/take notes in classes to help her keep up?
• Study at night, turn pages in books/ practice foreign language, look at note card, etc.?

Indeed it was not possible ... but when my wife, Debbie and I explored the David Dorm where she might live, angels appeared.  Appearing as friendly college girls, they came alongside and asked us what we were doing. We explained and like angels do, they warned us of things we had not thought about, explained how others could help Debbie through the day, and encouraged us that it would work.  And soon, they assembled an entire army of the most wonderful young women we could imagine. The army grew and grew and they spent the next 3 years encouraging and protecting Debbie – enabling her to complete her degree. 

A few of "Angels" of Concordia with Debbie in 2006

Being and Angel to Others

Sure I know these young women were not the heavenly being like the patriarchs, prophets, and apostles saw, but they sure behaved as if they were sent by the LORD. They played the role of angels, providing us the message that what seemed impossible, was made possible by their sacrifice of time and energy to be Debbie’s hands and feet.  To me, they will always be angelic. And they set a wonderful example for me to follow. They glorified God by their Christ-like lives …

Encourage the people who are afraid. Help those who are weak. Be patient with every person. 1 Thessalonians 5:14b (ICB)

Debbie earned her BA degree in January 2007, enabled by that platoon of wonderful young women in David Dorm and across campus. Many of them still keep in touch with Debbie online, pray for her and, as angels always do, encourage her from afar.   May the Lord send to each of us someone to whom we may serve as an angel, just like that.

ZION Official Trailer (2018) | Netflix | Documentary

Welcome Back Readers~

Before I take a break from YouTube and this blog for a couple of days, I was wondering what to write about; but then I just happened to see a short commercial on Netflix about Zion Clark's story. Put up for adoption by his mother, Zion was born with no legs. After putting up with negative experiences in a number of foster homes, he had just about given up hope about ever being adopted; at 16, though, his dream finally came through. Despite this, he still had difficulty trying to fit in. Zion never really felt comfortable wearing`prosthetic legs but felt more himself when he was closer to the ground. That's when the idea of wrestling came into play. Zion refuses to see himself as a person with a disability; instead, he chooses to rely on God and trust in his plan for his life. For more information on this movie, please see the following:
https://www.bustle.com/p/where-is-zion-clark-now-a-new-netflix-movie-spotlights-the-athletes-incredible-resilience-10056176
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=327AEuMF0YQ
http://www.espn.com/espn/feature/story/_/id/15273815/the-unbelievable-story-high-school-wrestler-zion-shaver

Encouragement: Down Syndrome High School is confused and excited as he opens up in a letter from local college.

Dear Readers

This video kind of reminds me of my whole college journey.. I was blessed to find a college ready and willing to do whatever they needed in terms of accessibility and learning to make my experience a total success. I can imagine this young man's thrill as he embarks on the same. Everyone deserves a chance to experience that- even those with a disability. With God, all things are possible!


http://www.today.com/news/they-said-yes-boy-down-syndrome-gets-college-program-heart-2D11777602

Birthday reflections/This Is Our Time Trailer

Welcome Back Readers~

Approximately two weeks ago I turned 33.. Unlike most birthdays, this one was quieter than most-with a simple family gathering at Outback Steakhouse with a few balloons.

The older I get, the more I realize that birthdays offer us a unique opportunity to take stock of our lives and make changes. Questions like Am I doing all I can to portray God's Love to those around me or Have I done enough in using my God given talents to further His kingdom always seem to be at the top of the list.

I'll be honest these are hard questions to answer, especially when you feel like you don't measure of to those around you. But that's the beauty of God, we each matter to him and are uniquely created for the task set before us as Christians. After all, doesn't it say in Corinthians 12:12-21 :

    " Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by^[c] one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many. Now if the foot should say, 'Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body, it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. And if the ear should say, 'Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,' it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be?  But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be?  As it is, there are many parts, but one body"

 

That being said, we shouldn't doubt our purpose or standing in terms of God's grand design! We have each been put on this earth for a reason... Though we might not see His Calling in our lives yet, it's there; whether it be to simply act as a light in the darkness of your workplace or testify to those in other countries. It's all important because it points the way to the cross..

This is the main message I got from Pureflix's This Is Our Time. And even more than that it reminded me of the amazing Christian friendships I have maintained from college. I love you guys..

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGVWWsxvh_Y

What to do when you have a "differently abled" student in your class from?

Okay Guys,

So I'm still recovering from my big birthday week adventures.. It's surprising how just a matter of a few days can zap your energy supply.

While I'm recovering though. I figured you would appreciate this article. It's five suggestions on how to adapt the classroom for a disabled student. I know how important learning was to me, so I want everyone to be able to have the same opportunity. Hope you enjoy!
http://chronicle.com/blogPost/5-Suggestions-Concerning/23040/

By the way, I'm looking for suggestions on how to improve my blog. It's been coming increasingly difficult to find new stuff regarding disability in general as well as new technologies. Does anybody have any suggestions for me. I would really appreciate it.

Another Website regarding the Things to Think about When Choosing a College

Hey Guys,

As my readers may have noticed, I like to reminisce a lot about my experiences in college. These experienced help shaped into the person I am today. That's why I believe it's so important for people with disabilities have the same type of experience. That being said, here's another article featuring things to think about when choosing a college.

http://collegeadventures.net/blog/2009/11/22/college-students-learning-differences/

Special needs college?

Welcome back,

Since I'm not going to be near a computer this weekend, I thought I would set this post to publish a little earlier. You may have noticed I've been focusing a lot on the importance of an education this week. Partially because it just happened that way, partially because I believe a good education plays a vital role in helping a person become who they are meant to be. The following article highlights an interesting proposal of a college for students with special needs. I don't know whether I agree or not because the idea separates people with disabilities from the real world longer than usual. This may make it harder for them to adapt when it is time to enter the "real world"


http://college-reviews.suite101.com/article.cfm/a_college_for_students_with_special_needs

Encouragement: Overcoming hurdles

Hey Guys~

Since writing about my personal experiences in college yesterday, I found this article quite interesting. Born with CP, eighteen-year-old Jasmine is graduating high school this Friday along with her classmates. What makes this such an accomplishment? For starters, she is unable to speak but uses a computer with a "specially designed device " that helps her press the keys. What strikes me about this article is that some people are still putting limits on us, even though we've proved time and again that every situation is unique and can be overcome. They automatically assume the worst for us.

Good luck Jasmine

http://www.carolinalive.com/news/news_story.aspx?id=308227

It's the simple things of life

Okay,

Once again, it seems like I'm behind on my posts. There has been a lot of of drama around my household this week, so it's been hard for me to get "quality" time on my computer. But when I did, I just wanted to relax and not think. Long story short, we are on yet another search for personal assistants. Out of all my dreams, I would have never imagined it taking this long or being this exhausting -and believe me I've had my experiences. I've been getting help from personal assistance since I was 18 at least. I hate to admit it, but Virginia has been one of the hardest states to find good PA's.

But I digress..

A while back, I was talking with my dad about how lucky I was to have such a positive college experience. Part of it due to the friendly students and staff. Granted, they were a Christian /Lutheran College-but they went beyond the call of duty adapting their college to make sure I could fully participate. It was during that time that I discovered what was as a person, beyond the confines of my disability. As well as college extracurricular activities, I also became a part of the "7th Heaven" club; this was a group of guys and girls they gathered at various dorms to watch CW's 7th Heaven. These girls often accompanied me, rain or shine, to the dorm just so I could take part. This may seem like a simple task, but it was a constant reminder to me that my disability didn't play a role in my friendship with them. What a amazing lesson, that was for me.

In short, I hope this personal story shows you that the little things in life make a difference. So, if you have a friend who is disabled or struggling, do something to let them know they matter to you today. It doesn't have to be a weekly club, just remind them they matter. You have no idea how it will influence their life in the long run.

PS. I am still a avid fan of the show since it went off the air. And I still keep in touch with many of my friends from the 7th Heaven club today

Accommodations in College

Everyone~

Okay, so I'm back from my weekend trip with my mother. The weekend was busy and quite demanding for both of us. I'm still recovering; as a result, Friday's post is not going to be a big one.

If you've been reading my blog for a long time, you've heard me talk a lot about my experiences in college- how they helped to make me the person I am today. Going to college on my own wasn't without its difficulties especially having a disability. Here is yet another article featuring things to consider before taking this huge step of independence.

The article can be located at:
http://media-dis-n-dat.blogspot.com/2008/10/dealing-with-disability-access-on.html

Encouragement: Not Just Going To College

So,



Here I am, late as usual. I don't know what to say except I'm sorry. A lot of things have been occupying my mind lately. Sometimes I feel that I'm not the right person to keep up with this blog- that there is someone with more experience than me. But then I somehow keep coming back to my writing here. And well, it speaks for itself. Anyway, I'm thankful for the opportunity to share my life and heart with you. That being said, thanks for sticking with me.

Today's post is a simple one. If you have been reading this blog long enough, you know I talk about how important college is to the growing process. It's where people really begin to find themselves- who they are and what they believe in. It's through these experiences that you find out what you're truly capable of. It's helpful to be prepared. Here's just one story about how a autistic young man's journey to college.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=94728606&ft=1&f=1030

Here is another version:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=94429083