Angela's Glory Story

(Above) Lukas — 2009

This Glory Story was originally posted in the spring of 2009 at www.findingglory.com and appears today with a marvelous update at the end. 

I would like to share my story with you about what "getting out of a comfort zone" (taking a step of faith in Jesus) looked like for me and my husband, James. 

My husband and I started dating in July of '98 and were quickly married in June of '99. It was quick but when you know, you know. We tried for years to have kids and with no luck. We even tried fertility and still no baby. Well, life changed for us drastically in June of 2005. We learned that my husband had a child out there from a prior relationship before we met. He never knew about this child and this really was a shock to both of us. There were moments for me of confusion, anger and sadness that I was not going to give him his first child. 

We went through the motions required to determine if this child was actually his. The day before Fathers Day we learned that James was indeed 99.99% the father of a little boy (7). He was actually born 3 months before we started dating. 

We were determined to make sure that we would be part of this child's life since we finally knew about him. We still were not prepared for what would lie ahead of us.  

We finally got to meet this precious boy (Lukas) to find that he was wheelchair-bound, non-verbal, drinking out of a bottle, not able to feed himself, mentally about 18 months and had many behaviors. But, oh boy, did he have a heart of gold and the smile to light up the world.  

Okay, so now we had found out about this boy and then learned he has special needs. What a shock!! There was no diagnois at this time. The mother was not actively trying to find one nor was she taking him to any type of therapy, relying completely on the school system to provide his care.  

We immedaitely starting having Lukas over every weekend and as often as we could. We wanted to build a relationship with him and see how we could improve his quality of life. There were so many unanswered questions and the mother was not cooperative. After many doctor appointments we learned that he was being abused at home and not getting quality care.   

We were successful in gaining custody and he came to live with us full time on June 23rd, 2006.  In the first two and a half years of having Lukas in our home he was able to walk, grew to functioning mentally at about 3 years old, was less combative, started drinking out of a cup and feeding himself, began playing with toys and was beginning to use a communication device to talk with us. We enjoyed wonderful moments with his smiles, hugs, and loving spirit. We also received a diagnosis. We found out in early 2008 that he has Angelman Syndrome with the deletion of the UBE3A gene.   

We prayed for children and our wish was granted — though not in the manner we thought would happen!  

God has a plan. I believe that with everything that I am. We are so blessed to have this little boy. It's not easy. Our support system is extremely small. Date nights do not happen. We spent many years married with no kids and the ability to do anything together. This has been a drastic change for us. But, we would not give it up for anything. Our faith has helped us through this time. I think that most marriages would not have made it through this.  

We were shaken out of our comfort zone, that is for sure. But, God is good. We have a wonderful child in our home who is thriving and improving each and every day!

MARVELOUS UPDATE:  
Angela originally shared this story in 2009. Since that time, Lukas has made ongoing and encouraging developmental progress while the family has continued bonding and growing together. Angela gave birth to Lukas' little brother Brody in May 2012. 

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.  James 1:17

May we never stop being amazed by how creatively and beautifully God reveals His presence, power and goodness in our lives!

(Above) Lukas and his little brother Brody — November 2012

Let's Get Real!

My book Living Your Glory Story releases next week and I’m so excited to be part of getting this message out because we’re giving voice to the marvelous activities of God. This is a book about rising above the noise of our culture and getting real about how we’re encountering (sometimes even struggling to encounter) God.

Glory Stories are the experiences we live and talk about that point to the power, presence and goodness of God.  We all have them.

Sometimes our Glory Story is the statement of a single sentence. Other times it’s a conversation shared over coffee. Hopefully, our Glory Stories are also told in the way we live out our lives day in and day out.  In any case, Glory Stories highlight the power, presence and goodness of the Divine. God is the feature. We are the context.

This isn’t a book about evangelism, although there can be an evangelistic result. This isn’t a book that suggests telling a Glory Story is easy, but it does acknowledge that it’s necessary and we make it harder than it needs to be.  There are too many great reasons for Christ-loving people to be talking about how real and near and powerful God is today. 

There have been occasions when listening to other’s Glory Stories powerfully served to bolster and enrich my faith. Ever since our daughter was diagnosed with Angelman Syndrome, hearing about God’s goodness and sovereignty in disability from other parents who have “walked in my shoes” has been life-giving and reminds me that I’m never alone despite feeling very isolated sometimes.

Living Your Glory Story is also a book about friendship. I’m excited because I believe it will serve to deepen and strengthen many relationships and marriages. I dedicated the book to the memory of my dear friend Jennifer Kreykes who became my neighbor when I was 3 years old. She remained one of my closest friends until cancer took her in our early thirties.

Jennifer & Lisa, 1981

Jennifer and I started out as preschool playmates who grew into penpals and teenagers at the piano singing Amy Grant songs like “Tender Tennessee Christmases” and the “Arms of Love.” She wrote poems, I wrote songs and we both wrote dozens of letters. Together, we explored young faith and encouraged each other in how God was speaking even before either of us really understood the tangibility of His voice.

Then our faith unexpectedly and almost simultaneously grew more firmly rooted in our deep affection for Jesus through adversity hard-fought in the terrors of cancer and disability. Little did either of us know what a harvest of faith would grow out of those too few years together.

Jennifer lived the Glory Story and greatly enhanced my vision for how to live it. She inspired me to cling to God’s Word and let my Light shine. She proved to me that it is not the length of a friendship that matters but whether, through that friendship, we take each other to the feet of Jesus.

Living Your Glory Story is a quick-read (only 64 pages) but, I pray, jam-packed with encouragement and empowerment for you. 

In writing this book, I had one single aim — to get us all out there living and sharing our stories in ways that make life together more fulfilling and God better known.

I hope you enjoy it!

Order at Walk Right In Ministries or find Living Your Glory Story on Amazon.

Please pray with me that this book contributes to a revival of intimacy with the Father and deepened passions to share that with others!

What's in A Rescinded Academy Award Nomination?

We’re so quick to start kicking and screaming when things don’t go our way.

It’s tragic that the song “Alone Yet Not Alone” got pulled from the Oscar nomination list. Or is it?

An announcement was made yesterday that the Oscar nomination for the song “Alone Yet Not Alone” was rescinded.  Apparently, there was email exchanged between the song’s composer and the Academy and, no matter how well intentioned it was, the Board of Governors took action to protect the integrity of the process. 

It’s so easy to rush to judgment about why this should not have happened. For sure, it’s just plain sad.  Sometimes I think we worry a little too much about perceptions. In any case, there will be those who think this was an attempt to silence a message that points people to Jesus. This song was from a film that did a powerful and profound job of pointing people to the One True God!

Should composer Bruce Broughton have been more careful? I’m pretty sure he has some regrets today. But I’m also pretty sure He is taking comfort in knowing that God will do something really cool with this mess.

There’s something I’ve learned over the years. Whenever circumstances get really ugly, God does things with those messes that are bigger, better and more beautiful than anything I could have imagined, hoped for or done for myself.  In fact, it has been when my life seemed most broken, upside down or backwards that I’ve had my most intimate encounters with the power, presence and goodness of God. 

I think the singer of “Alone Yet Not Alone,” Joni Earekson Tada, would agree with me too. Joni, more than anyone, knows that God’s purposes always prevail. No weapon formed against God’s love and reign will ever prosper. Ever.

The message of this song could bless millions of people. How many million people would have gone to listen to “Alone Yet Not Alone” if it had won an Academy Award? How many would have listened if it had NOT won? How many will go listen to it today — people who would NEVER have otherwise gone to listen to it — just because they’re curious about this song that got pulled from the Oscar line-up? 

Of course, we’ll never know. Well, maybe Jesus will explain it to us in heaven. But for now, I trust something bigger is unfolding.  I think this whole thing is going down in a way that God is just chuckling about.  There will be people who hear this song today and in the coming days who will experience a hope and comfort — and possibly even life transformation —all because this song never appeared at the Academy Awards.

Let us pray… 

Listen to "Alone Yet Not Alone" here.