Show Notes for Podcast 62 – “Sleep Issues? 25 Tips to Help You Catch some more Z-z-z-s” At our house, we have sleep issues. Can you relate? Join us on the Podcast today as we share some ideas that may make it easier for you to GET to sleep and to GET BACK to sleep. As we promised in this Podcast: Here is the link with a few tips from Healthline.com: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/17-tips-to-sleep-better If this Podcast has been helpful to you, we invite you to check out more Podcasts and our Blogs on our website: Champions4Parents.com. If you would like to […]
3 Tips for what TO do Yes #1: Think about who is already there. Build a foundation of serving by loving the ones who are already in your church. Determine their needs and put into place the things that will work to help them feel part of the church family. Think of the person with disabilities and their needs. Consider how best to love siblings. Empower parents with a support group and respite. Yes #2: Share the gospel. In the midst of putting helpful things in place, remember the reasons for ministry. The first and foremost focus needs to be […]
Assumptions are made and most assumptions are wrong. Albert Einstein Assumptions are the termites of relationships. Henry Winkler (the Fonz) I don’t know about you, but I have been guilty of making assumptions about challenging behavior as I see it in children and adults alike. My assumptions are often not accurate or I am at least not considering the whole picture. Could this be you, too? Maybe there is more that we need to know and understand. Maybe we need to think about these behaviors differently. Maybe we need a different response. Maybe Albert Einstein and Henry Winkler are on […]
Recently we had the privilege of teaching a class of adults with disabilities for six weeks. We heard their victories and we also heard their hurts. Many of them have had countless experiences of cruelty and thoughtlessness acted out toward them. When we looked into their eyes as they were telling their stories of abuse and persecution and being overlooked, underappreciated, and undervalued, it broke our hearts to see that pain. The question is how do we help our friends with disabilities take next steps? Join us on the Podcast today as we endeavor to start the conversation of how […]
Join us on this Podcast entitled “MELTDOWNS” as we discuss what meltdowns can look like and how we can support individual children or adults with disabilities showing signs of a potential meltdown coming or when they are in the midst of a full-on meltdown. We cover some potential triggers and strategies to put in place. Here are some links of good resources that we mention in the podcast: Helping to bring back the calm for the caregiver or ministry person as well as the individual with disabilities: 8 ways to stimulate your vagus nerve and ease anxiety :https://happiful.com/8-ways-to-stimulate-your-vagus-nerve-and-ease-anxiety Great resources […]
Every journey in life teaches us lessons. Even though the road can be tough, we are grateful for the lessons that being parents of a child with disabilities has taught us. Our hope is that there is something in here that will help you along your journey. Always ask God. – So many times we had to make decisions for both our Amy and our son, Josh, that were staggering and would likely impact them tremendously for the rest of their lives. We were not equipped. However, we are thankful that our God has worked in our lives in the […]
Join us on this Podcast entitled “The Challenges of Traveling with Disability” as we discuss some of the unique challenges special needs families encounter while traveling. The resilience of families affected by disability never ceases to amaze us. There is this underlying persistence and grit that propels forward motion to do what needs doing moment by moment. God is in these moments. Our children, siblings, and friends with disabilities are fearfully and wonderfully made by a loving Creator. There is a greater reason and purpose for the struggles and challenges we face. He tells us over and over in the […]
Children’s ministry leaders are enriched and empowered when they meet up with other children’s ministry leaders from other churches. There are conferences for them to attend throughout the country. Youth ministry leaders often bounce ideas off of and support other youth ministry leaders through local meet ups and zoom conversations and through conferences. Adult ministry leaders have better thriving ministries when they get together with adult ministry leaders from other churches to share ideas and attend conferences. The same is true of leaders in disability ministry. We all need opportunities to collaborate, get heads together, plan, and vision cast. When […]
Join us on this Podcast entitled “Every Child Needs?” as we discuss some things we learned at a recent appreciation lunch/training for volunteers in the disability ministry of our church. Listen in as we talk a little more about these four things that Every Child Needs: To know Jesus personally. To be known by name. To be prayed for weekly. To be discipled. If you would like support in brainstorming ideas on this or any topic specific or of concern to you, please don’t hesitate to email us at Champions4Parents@gmailcom. We would love to hear from you. We offer — […]
How to love our brothers and sisters with disabilities better. Are our assumptions serving each other well? Today we participated in a roundtable on Zoom with over 30 participants from all over the country discussing the topic of serving individuals at church who have speech limitations. The discussion was started right out of the gate by two women who have found amazing ways to use the gifts God has given them in spite of the challenge of having limited ability to use speech to communicate. Here are some things we learned from them and others during this enlightening and inspiring […]