About this column:
The pastor of Matt's House Church advises how to cope with the stresses and distractions of everyday life.
Check out Jesse’s video interview. If you watch and listen closely you’ll see and hear the struggle he has processing the very simple questions I ask him. You’ll also discover that his answers are more like the answers of a 6 year old rather than a 12 year old. Jesse is my son, and if you’ve been following my series, sporadic as it’s been, you’ve come to know that Jesse is autistic. You’ll quickly notice that Jesse, if he understands the question, is able to respond. For this we’re thankful—many kids struggling with autism can’t respond when asked a question. Jesse said he likes to read. …
A couple of weeks ago, on one of the colder nights, we set up a couple of makeshift beds, the space heater was kicking out the heat and we were hoping to save some electricity while keeping warm by having a family sleep over in our room. Allison and I headed down stairs to watch a movie. Jesse and his sister Faith fell sound asleep. Later Allison and I climbed the stairs we heard the restful snores of our kids a sense of comfort and peace filled our hearts as we peered into our bedroom door. Slowly, we tip toed closer and closer. The light from the hall spilled into the room it seemed to …
Your heartfelt sentiment and rave reviews of the video that Jesse and Faith created were touching. “I think there is a time in every parent’s life when, if we are listening, our children take their own path,” commented one reader. So, true. We each are uniquely gifted and beneath the outward appearance lay riches and destiny untold! Let’s continue to explore the life a special needs kid and his family. Elated, overwhelmed and blown away when the pregnancy test came back positive! In total disbelief my wife Allison said, “I’m pregnant.” I got the call while out in West Virginia helping my …
I really appreciate the encouragement, thoughts and idea’s that many of you shared concerning my last article, “Meet a Special Needs Child.” One reader shared her own struggle connecting socially with others and the internal emotions and thoughts that seem to plague her. Another was empathetic toward Jesse because she grew up with a brother who is on the “autism spectrum” and has dedicated her life to helping kids like Jesse be all they can be. Your comments were very touching! Jesse is my son. He was born early in the fall of 1998. What a special day it was, and most anticipated; a day my …
His name is Jesse. He is most often exuberant, energetic, enthusiastic, fun-loving, playful and joy-filled. His smile is up lifting and inviting. Jesse has an uncanny knack for detecting how others are feeling, their underlying attitude which most “normal” people either totally miss or just don’t care enough to look for. His heart overflows with compassion. Today, his therapist arrived for her biweekly, 2-hour session with Jesse and he immediately noticed a bandage on her hand and said, “Aw, you have a boo boo. You need to go to doctor.” Every day when Jesse gets home from school he asks, “…
Wow! I enjoyed all the Facebook chatter in response to the last Life Matters, "Giving Without Expectation of Return." Your responses were wonderful and insightful. Deanna Marquart shared her thoughts on giving, "I wonder if there is a way to make giving fun year-round thing – with no obligations or strings attached…obligation gets in the way of the true spirit of giving." Hallmark's corporate website reports that 1.5 billion greeting cards are sent every Christmas and this single holiday also serves as the companies' best revenue producer throughout the entire year. The targeted marketing …
Christmas is coming so where's the joy? The economy is negatively impacting everyone especially local business owners. One family abandoned their careers and invested every cent they had to open a small restaurant hoping someday to send their three small children to college, but their hopes are slipping away as their customer base continues to shrink Everyone's spending their hard earned cash on necessities and Christmas leaving nothing to spend in local business. Though Washington proclaims they understand the plight of these small businesses, their helping hand offers no real help …
I remember once years ago while I was on patrol in the Southwest District of Baltimore City coming across a stolen car with two suspects in it. They eventually crashed into a tree, ran, jumped an eight-foot fence and fled into the woods, escaping into an apartment building on Manordene Drive. As a cop, you swear an oath commiting to serve and protect not only the citizens but those you serve with. That day, the two officers assigned to back me up chose McDonald's French fries—their stomachs…themselves—over my safety. Words have meaning. Have you ever been left hanging? A person …
Michael Jackson's lyrics, "I'm starting with the man in the mirror," literally capture the essence of how you and I can participate in making this world a better place. You have the power to make this world better. We often diminish the power of our impact in this world. How has your family, whether they were present or absent good or bad, shaped who you've become? If you're like me the statement about apples not falling far from trees strikes a chord in your heart. It might be a beautiful note that your hearing or maybe it's a sourer note regardless people affect us and we affect people. …
Last week I challenged you to get naked in front of a mirror…to look and listen to your heart, your soul. If you had the guts to take the challenge I commend you because you want to make a change and you take life seriously. Integrity starts at home. In this the second part of a three part series we are going to continue to expose the need to confront this human short coming: Doing life without integrity destroys the world. If we expect our politicians, leaders and employers to act with integrity, then maybe we need to do the same. What do you think? A wise and well respected Jewish …
There I stood, silently staring at a naked man in the mirror. Have you ever taken time to really look at yourself in the mirror? I read a book years ago that suggested I stop, look and listen in front of a mirror and stair deeply into my own eyes, it's been said the eyes are the windows to the soul; and examine my own body inch by inch. Did I like what I was seeing? Was this the man I'd always dreamt of being? What about my soul...was it intact, or fractured and broken by life? Just for your information I'm not a voyeur I'm just asking you to risk looking under the hood, beneath the …
One summer evening I found myself doing something I hated doing, climbing into an unlocked window on the second floor of a row home in Baltimore. I'm not a burglar, I was a Baltimore City police officer. Dreading these kinds of calls, I slowly pushed the old, wooden window up and waited for the stench that often accompanied this type of investigation. The front door was locked. No one had seen this neighborly, older gentleman in days. As I crept into the upstairs bedroom, I found no signs of life. I opened the door and it hit me. The stench was emanating from the hallway. I made my way into …
