ASCI: A Day of Great Ministry

There’s something extremely humbling about wheeling out on a stage to give a message that thousands will hear — what an honor, what a privilege! That’s how I felt when these Christian educators rose to their feet to welcome me to the Association of Christian Schools International conference. “Disability is never convenient; it is almost always costly; and, yes, it involves sacrifice,” I shared, “but the lessons it can teach about dependence on God and others in the classroom are priceless.” On the whole, I encouraged these teachers to reach out and embrace children with special needs in their classrooms — it’ll require thinking ‘outside the box,’ but the rewards are rich and eternal. (I’m happy that this message will now become part of the ACSI virtual resource library for Christian schools around the globe to access).

So thank you, dear friends, for lifting me up in prayer this afternoon — I sensed a special presence from the Spirit of Christ as I spoke (and with the extra few minutes I still had at the end, I was able to squeeze in a closing hymn… my favorite thing to do anyway!) Tomorrow we return to the ACSI conference for a book signing at our book table ‘manned’ by staff and volunteers from our Joni and Friends/Chicago team. I’m looking forward to talking with lots more teachers then — hearing their hearts, their struggles, and encouraging them to ‘keep at it’ when it comes to Christian education for special needs children. By the way, if you’re a teacher and interested in this, check out our Smart Pages — it’s a fantastic resource. And don’t forget to check back here tomorrow for more updates!