This is the audio of my presentation from the 2020 meeting of the Wesleyan Theological Society: “Breaking the Powers of Silence and Exclusion: Empowering People with Disabilities for Discipleship”. If you prefer, read the text of the paper. Right click to download breaking the Powers of Silence and Exclusion
Blindness and Employment in the United States: A Commentary with Resources
I recently had a discussion with friends overseas regarding employment of people who are blind in the United States. My friends asked about the types of jobs people are doing, what accommodations make work easier, and what makes it difficult for people to find employment. These are all good questions, and I recognized that in […]
Dog Number 7
My most recent posts about dog guides were made during the fall of 2018, while I was training with my sixth dog, Pepper. I enjoyed helping sighted readers of my Facebook feed learn about my training experiences and how Pepper worked; but at home I abandoned my blogging project despite good intentions. Therefore, today I […]
The Land of Promise
When God called Abram, He said, “Arise and go to the land that I will show you.” No details were provided about how this journey would take place, where it would take him, how long it would take. It was simply a journey that would take him to a new land that would be his. […]
Teaching the Holy Spirit and the Church at Smyrna
I am currently teaching via video to theological students in Pakistan about the theology of the Holy Spirit. They have many questions, and I allow their questions to guide some of the plans I make for the class sessions that I teach. Last week, a student asked about the letters to the seven churches in […]
Straight talk about suicide and relationships
What I will write in this post may not come across as warm and fuzzy as I want it to, and it may be disquieting. I write from my own wounded place as well as my place of accountability in relationships. If you are in a delicate place and need nurturing, please know that I […]
Technology, Online Language Courses, and Discipline
I have taught biblical language courses online at Anderson University since 2015. During the first week of a first-year language course, I introduce the language writing system and sound correspondence, and I introduce enough words that the students can read a few sentences. I also teach at least as much use of technology as I […]
Opening Doors to Biblical Languages
I have been working as a braille transcriber since 2009, putting biblical language texts into braille for seminary students. When I began working, some of the languages needed for graduate study did not have braille code representation because there was no braille in biblical times. So in 2014, I began working with a group of […]
The Rise of Ancient Language Text Access for People Who Are Blind
Recently an article was published on the Anderson University blog and in Signatures Magazine about my work as a braille transcriber. Space is limited in this article, and the author is able to provide limited introduction to my work. The following post is here to give further detail for those who are interested in what […]
Just Trying to Help — How to Help a Blind Person
I have just returned from my annual trip to convene with a group of blind people for advocacy, seminars on various topics of interest, fun and fellowship, and general motivation. I posted several things on Facebook about my frustrations with this travel experience, most of which had to do with assumptions that people made about […]
Disability and the Kingdom of God: Preliminary Thoughts
Yesterday, FaithLife published a press release announcing a partnership with the Church of God (Anderson, IN) in which FaithLife would provide software for church management, Bible study, building church web sites, etc. I would like to celebrate this partnership, especially since I am both ordained clergy and a seminary professor serving in this movement. There […]
Advice to Myself in Seminary
“Advice to my younger self” books seem to be popular. I’m not old and wise; but I graduated with my M.Div. Enough years ago that I understand that I would have done some things differently if I had hheeded some advice. Of course, I was not there to give it to myself then. Fortunately, I […]
Why Not a Blind Church?
I was ordained as a member of the clergy two years after graduating with my Master of Divinity degree. Neither ordination nor the M.Div. guarantees placement as a pastor. One thing that has caused me some difficulty, sometimes practical and sometimes otherwise, is the fact that I am blind. I cannot say that churches discriminate […]
Disability in heaven?
I read a post this morning at https://www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/2019/31-may/comment/opinion/do-i-wish-to-remain-disabled-in-heaven#.XPDrp6yjJE5.twitter that is extremely thought-provoking. The post does an excellent job of summarizing the varied views of people with disabilities regarding the question of whether they want to have a disability in heaven. This is a question that people without disabilities often don’t take time to think about, […]
Finding Good Commentaries for Exegesis
In my upper level Greek and Hebrew classes, students are required to submit an exegesis paper using proper sources each semester. Many online students struggle greatly to find adequate sources for their papers. I think there are a number of reasons for this. I hope, in this post, to make the process of research for […]
D.Min. Final Project Defense
For a D.Min. degree, the candidate submits what is called a “final project” rather than a dissertation. For some candidates there is very little difference between the two–the final project looks much like a dissertation except that it is different in methodology and in tone. It is based in practice rather than in scientific methodology. […]
Thoughts at the end of the D.Min. journey
On March 25, I successfully defended my final project for my D.Min. When I began work toward this degree in the fall of 2016, I thought that I would occasionally post about what I was doing. The truth is that I had little time for posting between working on the degree, teaching several classes at […]
On Blindness and Relationships
I often hear that sighted people don’t know how to talk with someone who is different from them. … This is not something I am necessarily skilled at either. I have had to learn how as I have lived my life in community with many people who are different from myself, including my own family. […]
Teaching Exegesis Orally Via Distance Learning
I am teaching a live video series on Biblical exegesis for a seminary overseas through a partnership between the Church of God and a church fellowship in the other country. The seminary prepares new pastors to plant churches in their own country and raise their own support. Until now, most of my teaching experience has […]
Helping the Scaredy-Cat and the New Dog Adjust
One of the cats, Kira, has had a great terror of dogs for several years. Kevin and I have been concerned about how she would handle Pepper’s homecoming. Kira’s phases of adjustment to the dog in the house: Thursday homecoming: shaking in terror but allowed me to hold her while Pepper sat at my side […]
Pepper At Home: Breakfast Time
: Updates from home: During training, Pepper learned how she was expected to behave in the environment we lived in. It was a very “sterile” environment. There was no kitchen, no external responsibilities other than the work that I took with me, no unexpected things intruding on our planned training routine, etc. There were two […]
Pepper Homecoming
We are home. Pepper did not like flying on United Express. We were right over the wheel on a 50 passenger plane, and whenever the wheel goes up or doen it creates a great vibration that is quite unpleasant. Pepper flies under the seat in front of me, and all my carry-on items go in […]
Pepper Training: Hospital Visit
this morning Pepper and I will be visiting a hospital. Not because we like to frequent such places, but because sometimes in the course of my life it becomes necessary for me to be there with people whom I love and, once in a while, for my own benefit. It is easier at such times […]
Pepper Training: Strolling Around
I took two trips today. In the morning we did what is called country work. Technically there is no “country” involved. This simply refers to working in places where there is no sidewalk. The person and dog walk on the left side of the road, against the traffic just as a sighted person should, and […]
Pepper Training: Preparing for Home
Note: I shared the followign on Facebook, where many local friends, family, and colleagues follow me. It hreceived much positive feedback and I have decided to post it as a public post in case it is useful. This is a post that I wrote personally and is different from the letter that the school sends […]
Pepper Training: Dog Distractions and Dog Fears
Tomorrow my partner and I will do our last formal route together. This is not a complicated route for me. It has streets with turn lanes, one intersection with cars coming from the left that are supposed to stop but often don’t, and one intersection with a walk sign that must be activated by the […]
Pepper Training: First Route Done
We are done with our first route. Today my partner and I walked the route without guidance from the instructor. This meant that not only did we have to remember all the instructions for walking through this place where we don’t live, which we have only been learning for the past three days, but anything […]
Pepper Training, Day 3
Today Pepper and I worked as partners with another classmate and her dog. We walk several blocks, then turn and walk one block over, walk back around the blocks we have just walked and return home. Essentially we are making a giant rectangle. Along the way, we negoatiate lots of things: different types of intersections […]
Pepper Training, Day 2
Pepper and I are hard-working girls!!! According to the app on my phone, I am walking 3-4 miles/day. Some of this includes the distance in the building. The routes are about a mile. We do one in the morning and one in the afternoon. There is at least one lecture each day about some aspect […]
New Mystery Dog
This is Pepper. A very cute little black lab. She has a wonderful personality. Gives her paw. Loves to give hugs. Loves to receive pets. Slept under my desk while I have a meeting right after receiving her. I think I’m going to like this dog!
Unexpected Dream
Last year, Kevin and I achieved an unexpected dream. We bought a house. Homeownership is difficult for many people in today’s economy. In spite of the popularity of messages about financial freedom, most people I know live with high amounts of student loan debt or medical debt, low wages, etc. Student loan payments can often […]
Stepping into the Terrifying
Many years ago, my life was altered in a way that was both wondrous and terrifying. In order to reach the wondrous, I needed to conquer the terrifying. As I began to step my feet on the road to do this God sent the best people into my path every step of the way to […]
Losing Sight and Going On: Inspiration?
When people tell me they don’t know if they could handle losing their sight, I try to communicate to them that yes, they could. It is a matter of making choices. The choices we make determine the direction that life goes–and sometimes the choices we make shape important events. Case in point: Lewis Joseph Sherrill […]
America First and All Lives Matter
I am very disquieted about “America first” ideology for a lot of reasons. Most of them are human beings who are special to me and who do not live in America. What would my attitude say to them if I espoused “America first” thinking? Perhaps I would not intend it to say anything negative. But […]
Ash Wednesday sermon
This is the audio from the Ash Wednesday chapel service at Anderson University School of Theology and Christian Ministry. The two texts are Isaiah 58:6-11 and Ps. 51:9-10, 16-17. I suspect the readers used the Message. I did not specify a translation for them to read from. I mention it here only because in places […]
living with fibromyalgia
There is a post going around Facebook about chronic pain conditions. I read it, thinking that someone had written very vulnerably about their experience and how I wanted to leave them an encouraging comment. At the end of the post were the words, “I’ll be watching who reads to the end of this post. In […]
The Gospel Brings Life
The Gospel … the message of salvation … is about God taking a person’s vulnerability and shame and turning it into something that empowers them to speak about His goodness and love. It isn’t about God wiping away any trace that shame ever existed, or simply giving us what we want. I am convinced that […]
Doing Unto Others
I have been thinking about why the theology of doing unto others what you would have them do unto you does not work. Often we simply cannot imagine wanting someone to do unto us what others are asking that we do unto them. We have become so comfortable in our own situation that we have […]
Why Do We Rejoice?
Rejoice, rejoice! Immanuel shall come to thee, O Israel. So often we rejoice not because of what God has promised, or who God is, but because of what God has done. But the Biblical story is filled with people who rejoiced in God’s promise and lived their trust in that promise, whether or not they […]
The Words We Speak
The words we speak hold the power of life and death–not only for those to whom we speak but for others who are affected by the ripples created by our words. Let us speak blessing, that we may bring life to all we touch and all who are touched by those we touch. Otherwise we […]
Sermon: I Will Praise the Lord
“I Will Praise the Lord” is a sermon based on Leah’s response to her circumstances, specifically the fact that even the blessings of God were not enough to make Jacob love her. Sermon text: Gen. 29:15-35: 15 Then Laban said to Jacob, “Because you are my relative, should you therefore serve me for nothing? Tell […]
Crying Out
The foundational story for both Jews and Christians is the story of God delivering the Israelites from slavery in Egypt. The part of the story that we don’t often preach is that the deliverance took time and God was responding to the cries of a people in anguish. No one wants to be the people […]
Preaching Good News
It is necessary that we learn to handle our beliefs about Christian living with mercy in regard to our relationships with other people. Otherwise we do nothing but ingender bad will, and we certainly do not preach good news.
God’s Call is Forever
Do you ever feel like asking God why you were the one chosen to do something? Why not send someone else? That is what Moses did. Moses was so persistent that God’s anger burned against him. Here is what came of that interaction. Watch on YouTube. Text is Exo 4:1-16.
Remember and Live by Grace
My dear Christian brothers and sisters, I ask that you will read this post and I pray that God will move on your hearts to hear the message here./p> When the Israelites were delivered from slavery, God commanded them concerning their treatment of each other and of aliens living among them. These commands were given […]
Worship in Spirit and Truth
The primary text of this sermon is Jn. 4:21-26. Other texts are Ps. 51:16-17, Isa. 58:2-4, Jer. 29:13, and Heb. 4:14-16. This sermon was preached in Muncie, Indiana. Click to listen or right click to download: Worship in Spirit and Truth
In Memory of Loretta
People often speak about the bond between a dog who travels with its blind person as if the dog experiences all the things the blind person does. I don’t personally subscribe to this theory–my dogs have all had minds of their own, slept through my classes, walked away while I was preaching so they could […]
“What Can I Do for You?”
This is the sermon I preached in Muncie, Indiana, on the text of Lk. 18:35-43. Click to listen or right click to download: What Can I Do for You
Snippets from Disability History
Blind history tells us that whatever happens, we will rise to it. In 1934, blind clergy were writing statements speaking out against sterilization, which was being practiced both overtly and otherwise around the world. In Germany, people with hereditary forms of disability were medically sterilized. In America, they were often discouraged from socializing with each […]
Words and Mixed Messages
On an average day in 2016, blind people in developed countries across the world use many of the same technological tools that sighted people use: laptops, IPhones, IPads, Android tablets, etc. These pieces of technology have some inherent weaknesses in how usable they are when taken out of the box. These weaknesses are compensated for […]