Read Carly's Story

You can't beat this folks! Our book, Finding Glory in the Thorns, is on sale this month. Whether you get the paperback or eBook, both are available right now at the same low price of $4.99!

And while you're thinking about it, consider picking up a copy of the companion Group Discussion Guide. The 7-week format would make a great summer Bible study for your small group or book club.

I'm already gathering a stack of books to take to the beach and my hammock this summer. We hope you'll make Finding Glory resources part of your summer reading!

What readers are saying about Finding Glory in the Thorns...

Finding Glory in the Thorns is not just a book for the parents of hurting and challenged children. It is an honest, insightful and valuable tool for everyone attempting to understand what it really means to surrender to God’s will.

—Robert J. Doman Jr.

Founder and Director, National Association for Child Development

The challenges of raising a child with Angelman Syndrome are numerous and daunting. I applaud Larry and Lisa for the honesty in the telling of their story. As the parents of a child with Angelman Syndrome, Yolanda and I are tenaciously hopeful about our daughter’s future and unwavering in our belief that God is guiding our steps. Larry and Lisa have written a book that bolsters that hope and conviction.

—Regie and Yolanda Hamm

2008 American Idol Songwriter Winner; “SESAC Songwriter of the Year” in 1995, 1996, 1997, and 2000. Multiple Grammy® and Dove Award nominations as both a producer and writer. Author of Angels and Idols.

Refreshing to hear from people unashamed to be human.

—Parent of a child with Autism

Finding Glory in the Thorns is transformational as well as inspirational...I, for one, need the hope, the vision, the taste of glory this rare book provides.

—Howard Baker

Instructor of Christian Formation/Campus Chaplain, Denver Seminary. Author of The One True Thing.

Finding Glory in the Thorns is a lovely and transparent telling of the Jamieson's discovery of the power of God hidden in weakness - the power of God in community, prayer, and family...where we meet God and learn compassion to reach out to other wounded people.

—Joel Warne

Founder, Wellspring Life Resources

Author of Soul Craving and How to Eat Your Bible.

I started reading Finding Glory in the Thorns thinking it was just going to be another story of parents in their struggle with a disabled child. From the very first page I found my preconceived notions were wrong. This is the story of real people sharing their lives genuinely — their tiredness, their frustrations, their questions, their doubts, their search for answers — in such a real way that I could relate it to my own life.

—Marilyn Haugen

Board Member, Walk Right In Ministries

I'm going to have my mom, my husband, my sister, and my mother-in-law read it. I'm going to recommend it to all the members of my son's playgroup. And then I'm going to re-read it myself.

—Member of the Angelman Syndrome Foundation

Lessons from the Power Fold

Mondays are “Power Fold Day” at the Jamieson house. It’s a tradition that started several years ago when this mom was both stretched to the limit with stuff to do and also watching two pre-teens sloughing their responsibilities on the family team.

Since our youngest of three daughters, Carly, has severe disabilities, the older two girls have grown up in an environment where there have been others in and out helping to care for their sister. Sometimes, that has included helping with household chores. If Carly is sleeping, a caregiver may empty a dishwasher, fold a few clothes or sweep a floor. For that reason and some others (including mom and dad just plain failing to put their foot down), I began to notice we might inadvertently be raising two girls who largely expected to be served.

And so was birthed The Power Fold experience that changed more than we ever expected it would.

One evening I announced to my family at dinner (husband included) that we were going to spend 20 minutes together folding nine or ten loads of laundry that I had washed and dried during the day. They were collected in baskets in the dining room waiting to be placed in orderly piles. After the meal, the kitchen table was washed and cleared for the big event. No one was to leave the room until the job was done. I promised them it would only take 20 minutes and though I got eye rolls, harrumphs and verbal push-back about urgent homework, I walked over to the oven and set the timer for 20 minutes. I assured them the job was doable in that amount of time if everyone focused and I invited them to leave early if the job was done more quickly than expected. We were finished in 18 minutes.

A few minutes later, Larry and I went for a glorious walk in the neighborhood sunshine and I was working hard to keep my self-satisfaction (okay, call it pride) to myself. Fortunately, before I succumbed to gloating, my husband made a simple statement that made me want to jump into his arms right there in front of passers-by on the busy street. He said, “We’re going to do that again next week. In fact, that’s the way we’re going to do it from now on.”

The quality of the folding, in some cases, was pathetic. With time and a little coaching, this improved. Sometimes it took 27 minutes instead of 20. We eventually started adding an episode of a favorite tv show to the experience which meant it took more time but it kept our teenagers in the same room with us longer too. Bonus.

Here are some of the lessons we’ve learned from The Power Fold:

• Each of us is an important part of a team with responsibilities and opportunities to bless others on the team.
• A relatively small investment of time can go a long way. (Twenty minutes from each of them bought mom 2 or more hours of sleep.)
• A creative, consistent and calmly administered plan prevents a mother from becoming whiny and quarrelsome like a “continuing drip of rain.”
• Working shoulder-to-shoulder makes for valuable bonding. (When schedules don’t allow us to put in our 20 minutes simultaneously, each of us puts in our 20 minutes independently. The job gets done but we miss out on the blessing of fellowship and collaboration.)
• Doing some of the family chores together (rather than independently) creates an opportunity for my husband to be our leader and for the two of us to display our unity in front of the children. (I initially proposed the Power Fold without disclosing my secretly prayerful intention that it become a regular event. Fortunately, my husband saw its tremendous value and declared it weekly tradition. He is now frequently known to text the girls a reminder in the afternoon that they’ll need to reserve time that evening for the special event.)

Let us know — what are some ways your family is serving one another and learning lessons with eternal value?

Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. ECCLESIASTES 4:9

If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you. Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them. JOHN 13:14-17

It's "Marriage Prayer Friday!"

This week, we are praying for parents and spouses who need a break as they give full-time care to a loved one with special needs.

A prayer for your own marriage—

MERCIFUL GOD, thank you for the cross which not only saves me but proves your understanding of every burden that I carry each day. You know that our family experiences great joy in caring for our loved one(s) with special needs. Thank you, Jesus, for the privilege of experiencing a servant's heart as we care for each other. But you also know that my spouse and I grow weary. Lord, the burden is often heavy and lonely. Show me ways to come alongside my spouse as a team sharing the burden. Forgive me for making this a solo sport sometimes! Help me to better understand how my spouse is experiencing the emotional and physical weight of the caregiving responsibilities. Help us to communicate better about our needs, concerns, and hopes. Help me to listen — and listen with my heart. Bind us together in fresh ways. Show me some practical things I can do to nurture my spouse so that he/she is encouraged and strengthened to do his/her part. Help me to leave my own neediness with You and empower me, by the strength and wisdom of your Holy Spirit, to bless my husband/wife. In ways that only You can, Lord, would you also make a way for my husband/wife to get some breaks. Create a way for us to get a break together as well!

Please use the disabilities in our family to strengthen us, not weaken us. You are God. You can do this! Thank You, in Jesus' name. AMEN

Something to pray for a friend's marriage—

MERCIFUL GOD, thank you for the cross which not only saves us but proves your understanding of every burden that we carry each day. Today I lift up the families I know who are caring for a loved one(s) with special needs. Thank you, Jesus, for their servant hearts and for the joys they gain from their experiences. But Lord, You also know the burden is often heavy and lonely. It can be a great weight on a marriage. Please strengthen these friends of mine helping them to share the joys and responsibilities as a team.

Refresh them with energy and discernment to share burdens and nurture each other more effectively.

Help them to communicate with each other freely and listen to each other with their hearts. Would you please make a way for them to get some breaks, Lord? You know how critical it is for them — individually and together — to get some time away. Show me what role I might play in lightening their load or supporting their marriage.

Please use the disabilities in my friends' families to strengthen them, not weaken them. You are God. You can do this! Thank You, in Jesus' name. AMEN