Teachers of the Soul
The Heart of God Revealed through People with Disabilities
by
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As a contemplative I believe that God offers us the opportunity to grow toward the fullness of the measure of Christ in us. Through the people and circumstances we encounter, God’s invitation is always to orient our lives toward a fuller relationship with God. It has been through my relationships with people with disabilities that I have discovered God to be bigger and less predictable than I could have imagined. We all covet predictability yet we often encounter unexpected, even undesired circumstances which befuddle us and cause us to question the very foundations upon which we have built our lives. Disability is one of those unexpected events in life which often catch us unaware and unprepared. I believe that the invitation God extends to us as we encounter the undesired, unplanned-for events in life is to discover within them the gifts that liberate us to become more fully human.
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About the Book
In a world that idealizes the intellectually and physically gifted, many people with disabilities are relegated to the margins of society. Dave brings this population back to the forefront and highlights the gifts they have to offer us. He shares vulnerably from his journey into the darkness of his own struggle after his daughter was born with Down syndrome and then later developed a seizure disorder. He also writes compellingly of his emergence into a world where those with disabilities become teachers of our souls.
About the Author
Dave is a father of a child with Down syndrome and a pastor to persons with multiple disabilities. Ordained as a Mennonite pastor in 2001, he brings together the unique perspective of parent, pastor, and contemplative to the spirituality of persons with an intellectual disability.