All Things for Good: A Father’s Faith in God’s Plan
“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”
Romans 8:28
If you ask Chris about his younger son Kendall (who turns 30 this year), he will tell you that he lights up the room wherever he goes. People love Kendall—his energy, warmth, and enthusiasm. And, living with autism, Kendall has opened doors for his whole family to connect with others navigating life with disability, pouring Gospel encouragement into the hearts of those around them.
“Have you heard of autism?”
Growing up in a Christian home, Chris came to faith at a young age. As he grew, his understanding of the Gospel deepened and he leaned in to serve God through his church and career. Both strong believers, Chris and his wife Stephanie have trusted the Lord to guide their life and parenting journey, including their response to Kendall’s autism diagnosis as a child.
Chris recalls the learning process surrounding Kendall’s diagnosis:
“Stephanie and I saw that Kendall’s speech developed slowly. So we went to the general practitioner, and they didn’t seem concerned. But we still went ahead and took him to speech therapy. We went to the local school district for speech therapy and went through their battery of tests. And as Stephanie went to hear the results, they slid a brochure to her that read, ‘Have you heard of autism?’”
As a teacher, Stephanie had experience with special needs. Still, the diagnosis caught her by surprise. From that moment, she and Chris shifted their perspective and approach from seeking speech therapy for Kendall to learning about the road ahead navigating life with autism.
“…With that great combination, we have Kendall!”
After Kendall received his initial diagnosis, Chris and Stephanie soon learned that in addition to autism, Kendall had mild-to-moderate hearing loss and apraxia, which causes speech delays.
“And so, with that great combination, we have Kendall! And what you will find out is that socially, he’s phenomenal. He has given us a lot of opportunities to connect with families living with special needs.”
Because of Kendall’s disabilities, Chris and his wife have seen many doors open to share about God’s love for people with disabilities. As Chris says:
“We’ve been able to speak to and mentor younger families when they may find out that they have a child with autism or other types of special needs… My role has often been to speak to the father, offering encouragement to step up as a partner and a dad to raise their child into what the Lord wants him or her to be.
We want to be ready to invite people in, whether it’s those with special needs or others who don’t easily fit in and at times feel isolated. We are able to gather and welcome them.”
Kendall’s Calling
God works powerfully through Kendall, not only in catalyzing relationships for his family with other special needs families. Kendall enjoys working in the logistics department at Joni and Friends and especially loves working closely with his dad. Kendall says:
“It’s you and me, father and son working at Joni and Friends. I like working at Joni and Friends packing orders and delivering mail with my friends, Sizwe, Alex, Danny and Romeo. I also helped Pastor Shawn move into his office, as our new President. I am glad I am able to help!”
And at church, he welcomes people and helps serve communion. He also loves to worship…
“Whenever we are worshipping at church, you will know where he is because you can hear him singing really, really loud!” says Chris.
Chris and Stephanie love watching Kendall thrive, stirring joy, building relational connections, and serving God wholeheartedly. Still, as Chris reflects, it’s natural for parents to have dreams for their children—to grow up and get married, have children… those types of things. But these dreams come out of human expectations, which special needs parents often need to set down, making space for God’s good plans for their child’s life.
“What we really need to understand is that all things work for good and for God’s purposes when we trust him. And Kendall’s disability has been a part of life and will continue to be part of our life as long as we are all here… and there has been and will be good out of that, including the opportunity to rely on God and draw others closer to Christ.”
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