"And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what [is] that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. Romans" 12:2
In Paul's letter to the Romans the instructions were explicate. "Do not be conformed to this world" be what is acceptable to God. The Church of Rome was in the capital of the known world at that time. Every type of temptation was readily available.
In my opinion the U.S.A. is becoming less Christian and more Roman. Over the last few weeks I have observed to groups of fired up people: College football fans and black Friday shoppers.
I have been bemused by College football fans for many years. Some fans just have a favorite ball team and leave it at that. Others have a more cult like devotion to their team. When the Penn State Head Coach was accused of being part of a cover up of an assistant coach who raped boys some Penn State fans rioted for the coach. The team was more important than victims of horrible crime. The rule of the mob was a defining characteristic of a declining Rome. It is becoming a sign of decline here as well.
I have been shopping on Black Friday and I have seen first hand how rude people can be. Some people hurt others to get the best deal. One woman used pepper spray to get her low priced product. This day is celebrated as a holiday. This also seems very Roman, and very worldly.
In both of these examples both of these Roman like groups are fired up for what they believe in. They are willing to fight for it. I wish more Christians would fight as hard for "what [is] that good and acceptable and perfect will of God". It's not a Play Station 3 or a football game but it is what is most important. Let's remember that.
Peace and Love!
Saturday, November 26, 2011
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Hope
Hope:
In Paul's letter to the Romans he lays out a useful, and essential guide to ministry. We start out with access to God's grace through faith. Then we glory in tribulation. Well maybe after a while.
Disability ministry is all about tribulations. The nature of what we do puts us in a storm. The kids and families we serve suffer. We suffer through them. It's been tough watching kids, moms, dads go through so much. I relive what I have been through with my son, I understand why people are so broken. I have been broken again and again.
"Tribulation produces perseverance" This both takes time and is an on going process. Every day you survive you persevere. This leads to character and then hope
Hope in Christ.
So remember: good disability ministry is always hard. What you go through builds you into who you need to be.
God has a plan for you and he will help you understand it. There is hope.
Peace and Love.
In Paul's letter to the Romans he lays out a useful, and essential guide to ministry. We start out with access to God's grace through faith. Then we glory in tribulation. Well maybe after a while.
Disability ministry is all about tribulations. The nature of what we do puts us in a storm. The kids and families we serve suffer. We suffer through them. It's been tough watching kids, moms, dads go through so much. I relive what I have been through with my son, I understand why people are so broken. I have been broken again and again.
"Tribulation produces perseverance" This both takes time and is an on going process. Every day you survive you persevere. This leads to character and then hope
Hope in Christ.
So remember: good disability ministry is always hard. What you go through builds you into who you need to be.
God has a plan for you and he will help you understand it. There is hope.
Peace and Love.
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Moving Forward
Hi friends,
There are a lot of things the ministry is working on:
First: We will be helping Access-Life with their outdoors expo/ fair on November 12.
Second: We are having training sessions starting in November. They will be monthly, free and open to all.
Third: The ministry is holding parent support meetings in Volusia and Seminole Counties.
Fourth: We are holding a monthly GF/CF soy free diet group meeting at Whole Foods in Winter Park.
Please contact us if you want to be part of any of these events.
apalmisano.adm@gmail.com
Peace and Love,
Andrew
There are a lot of things the ministry is working on:
First: We will be helping Access-Life with their outdoors expo/ fair on November 12.
Second: We are having training sessions starting in November. They will be monthly, free and open to all.
Third: The ministry is holding parent support meetings in Volusia and Seminole Counties.
Fourth: We are holding a monthly GF/CF soy free diet group meeting at Whole Foods in Winter Park.
Please contact us if you want to be part of any of these events.
apalmisano.adm@gmail.com
Peace and Love,
Andrew
Thursday, June 23, 2011
GF/CF diet group meeting.
Join Autism Disability Ministry, Whole Foods, and the vendor of the month for treats, conversation, and fun! We are meeting at Whole Foods in Winter Park on Saturday July 9th from 11am to 12 noon. This is a GF/CF and other special diet meeting. Come and learn about good food. Hope to see you there.
Monday, May 9, 2011
Answers to questions about the onset of autism.
Dear Friend,
Thank you for your excellent questions on childhood development. I will try to address them. There are several different issues involved and what I believe is not universally accepted.
1) I believe most autism is caused by a gut injury. When the vaccine injured gut combines with gluten, casien, and/or other substances, it causes an opiate like affect. Andrew had this gut injury reaction after his MMR shot at 2 +3/4.
2) It is difficult to learn under this opiate like affect which accounts for developemental delays.He lost eye contact and speech among other things.
3) The condition also sometimes results in OCD behavior. It did with Andrew.
4) In the case of learning/ develpmental delays. If you combine a special diet (to negate the opiate like affects) and ABA therapy (to force learning) you can help advance the childs development. Andrew had great results from his GF/CF diet and his ABA therapy.
5)This needs to be done at the onset of the gut condition. Andrew's treatment was delayed over a year and we can never get that development back.
6) The longer the delay the treatment the greater developmental delays.
7) If your friend was talking about OCD behavior: than one OCD behavior IS replaced by another.
8) Andrew's OCD behavior was "cured" by his GF/CF diet. Much of his past development could not be recovered but he was/is trained in lost developmental skills going forward.
Hope this was helpful. Don't hesitate to ask more questions. I am very happy to help!
Peace and Love ,
Andrew
Thank you for your excellent questions on childhood development. I will try to address them. There are several different issues involved and what I believe is not universally accepted.
1) I believe most autism is caused by a gut injury. When the vaccine injured gut combines with gluten, casien, and/or other substances, it causes an opiate like affect. Andrew had this gut injury reaction after his MMR shot at 2 +3/4.
2) It is difficult to learn under this opiate like affect which accounts for developemental delays.He lost eye contact and speech among other things.
3) The condition also sometimes results in OCD behavior. It did with Andrew.
4) In the case of learning/ develpmental delays. If you combine a special diet (to negate the opiate like affects) and ABA therapy (to force learning) you can help advance the childs development. Andrew had great results from his GF/CF diet and his ABA therapy.
5)This needs to be done at the onset of the gut condition. Andrew's treatment was delayed over a year and we can never get that development back.
6) The longer the delay the treatment the greater developmental delays.
7) If your friend was talking about OCD behavior: than one OCD behavior IS replaced by another.
8) Andrew's OCD behavior was "cured" by his GF/CF diet. Much of his past development could not be recovered but he was/is trained in lost developmental skills going forward.
Hope this was helpful. Don't hesitate to ask more questions. I am very happy to help!
Peace and Love ,
Andrew
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
ADM GF/CF Diet Group
Dear brothers and sisters,
When Andrew Jr. started treatment at the age of four, the first thing I did was put him on a Gluten Free, Casein Free (GF/CF) diet. He had great results. He spoke again after a year of sounds and silence. He made eye contact where he didn't before. He had full restful nights of sleep where before he could only sleep 3 or 4 hours at a time. It was a wonderful miracle.
A group parents, with kids on the diet longer, helped us during that difficult time. I want to do that for others. I want to invite veteran diet group parents to gather together and help new families. We will help others like we were helped.
Parents not using the diet, please come check it out.
The info is listed below.
Please RSVP ASAP.
Peace and love,
Andrew
*******This meeting is for parents (and caregivers) of kids on the GF/CF diet and/or related diets. It is also for anyone who is interested in learning more about special diets. Whole Foods in Winter Park and ADM are hosting. Free samples will be provided.
****ADM GF/CF Diet Group
Location: Whole Foods Market, Winter Park
Time: 11:00AM Saturday, May 21st
When Andrew Jr. started treatment at the age of four, the first thing I did was put him on a Gluten Free, Casein Free (GF/CF) diet. He had great results. He spoke again after a year of sounds and silence. He made eye contact where he didn't before. He had full restful nights of sleep where before he could only sleep 3 or 4 hours at a time. It was a wonderful miracle.
A group parents, with kids on the diet longer, helped us during that difficult time. I want to do that for others. I want to invite veteran diet group parents to gather together and help new families. We will help others like we were helped.
Parents not using the diet, please come check it out.
The info is listed below.
Please RSVP ASAP.
Peace and love,
Andrew
*******This meeting is for parents (and caregivers) of kids on the GF/CF diet and/or related diets. It is also for anyone who is interested in learning more about special diets. Whole Foods in Winter Park and ADM are hosting. Free samples will be provided.
****ADM GF/CF Diet Group
Location: Whole Foods Market, Winter Park
Time: 11:00AM Saturday, May 21st
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Dear brothers and sisters,
Over the past few years I have struggled with an important and key question: Why do some churches succeed in disability ministry while others fail? To answer this question it is important to understand how churches operate and the leadership models they use.
I punched "church management styles" into Google and examined the results. I found a great example of a style of management promoted by a writer knowledgeable in the subject:
“The closest I have come to seeing a perfectly managed organization was on a downtown sidewalk in Visalia, California. There were 20 preschoolers, walking single file and accompanied by 4 teachers—one teacher in front, one at the rear, and one on either side—boxing them in. Down the middle was a rope held by the teachers in front and back. Twenty preschoolers, 10 on each side, held the rope as they walked, talked, laughed, and looked around. It was a perfect system for getting preschoolers in a difficult environment safely from point A to point B, with minimal disturbance.” (Enrichment Journal April 2011)
In the model there is only one definite example of a leader, the person in front. The teachers on the sides and back were managers and may have been leaders. The 20 pre-schoolers in the middle were followers. If a church has between 1 and 4 leaders for every 20 to 23 followers it is a weak and anemic model. Jesus developed leaders.
A Christ centered model develops leaders. In his ministry he developed leaders and taught his leaders to develop leaders.
“The teachers were competent in their task and the kids happy to be led. With everybody going in the same direction, it was management by walking around; all parties had a hands-on relationship to the task. And those who looked on applauded the event with appreciation.” (Enrichment Journal April 2011)
According to Christ we are his sheep and we should have the faith of a child but that is when following God, following him. When he ascended he left us a model for explosively growing ministry. He didn’t want us led around happily by a rope. He wants Christian leaders cultivating Christian leaders. Christ’s model is the perfect model, not the model of preschoolers being led around by a rope.
My favorite definition leadership comes from John C. Maxwell "leadership is influence - nothing more, nothing less." (The 21 Irrefutable Laws of leadership) It takes the focus off the leader and put the focus on the effect the leader has on others. Leadership becomes a verb. Leadership at its best is a symbiotic relationship between leaders. Christ is the head and we all have an important role in the body.
The Christ centered model is confident and unafraid. It is a growing model.
“The Law of Explosive Growth- To Add Growth, Lead Followers- To Multiply
Leaders, Lead Leaders.” (John Maxwell)
“Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” (Matthew 16:24) When Jesus said follow me he wanted his disciples be like him , Christian means Christ like. To be Christ like is to be a leader.
“The word "disciple" literally means someone who pledges to be a “learner.” Moreover, it is someone who follows another's teaching, and adheres to it. It is a commitment and a process. It involves commitment, and time to undertake the learning, and, as a Christian, a yearning to imitate Jesus!” (Into thy word 2007 Net Ministry)
Due to the defuse, complex, and difficult nature of disability ministry it requires a Christian leadership to follows Christ’s leadership model.
Peace and Love,
Andrew
Over the past few years I have struggled with an important and key question: Why do some churches succeed in disability ministry while others fail? To answer this question it is important to understand how churches operate and the leadership models they use.
I punched "church management styles" into Google and examined the results. I found a great example of a style of management promoted by a writer knowledgeable in the subject:
“The closest I have come to seeing a perfectly managed organization was on a downtown sidewalk in Visalia, California. There were 20 preschoolers, walking single file and accompanied by 4 teachers—one teacher in front, one at the rear, and one on either side—boxing them in. Down the middle was a rope held by the teachers in front and back. Twenty preschoolers, 10 on each side, held the rope as they walked, talked, laughed, and looked around. It was a perfect system for getting preschoolers in a difficult environment safely from point A to point B, with minimal disturbance.” (Enrichment Journal
In the model there is only one definite example of a leader, the person in front. The teachers on the sides and back were managers and may have been leaders. The 20 pre-schoolers in the middle were followers. If a church has between 1 and 4 leaders for every 20 to 23 followers it is a weak and anemic model. Jesus developed leaders.
A Christ centered model develops leaders. In his ministry he developed leaders and taught his leaders to develop leaders.
“The teachers were competent in their task and the kids happy to be led. With everybody going in the same direction, it was management by walking around; all parties had a hands-on relationship to the task. And those who looked on applauded the event with appreciation.” (Enrichment Journal
According to Christ we are his sheep and we should have the faith of a child but that is when following God, following him. When he ascended he left us a model for explosively growing ministry. He didn’t want us led around happily by a rope. He wants Christian leaders cultivating Christian leaders. Christ’s model is the perfect model, not the model of preschoolers being led around by a rope.
My favorite definition leadership comes from John C. Maxwell "leadership is influence - nothing more, nothing less." (The 21 Irrefutable Laws of leadership) It takes the focus off the leader and put the focus on the effect the leader has on others. Leadership becomes a verb. Leadership at its best is a symbiotic relationship between leaders. Christ is the head and we all have an important role in the body.
The Christ centered model is confident and unafraid. It is a growing model.
“The Law of Explosive Growth- To Add Growth, Lead Followers- To Multiply
Leaders, Lead Leaders.” (John Maxwell)
“Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” (Matthew 16:24) When Jesus said follow me he wanted his disciples be like him , Christian means Christ like. To be Christ like is to be a leader.
“The word "disciple" literally means someone who pledges to be a “learner.” Moreover, it is someone who follows another's teaching, and adheres to it. It is a commitment and a process. It involves commitment, and time to undertake the learning, and, as a Christian, a yearning to imitate Jesus!” (Into thy word 2007 Net Ministry)
Due to the defuse, complex, and difficult nature of disability ministry it requires a Christian leadership to follows Christ’s leadership model.
Peace and Love,
Andrew
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