But you can be added to the waiting list for the next study…here ishow:
Thanks to everyone who signed up for the Online Study of Autism’s Hidden Blessings. When I was thinking about doing an online study, where parents of children with special needs could support and encourage one another, I expected about 50 people to join.
Actually, 414 people signed up for the study. What this unexpected number says to me is that parents do need a special place where they can go to receive encouragement and share support. I am smiling to see what is happening now in this group: Parents are sharing their stories, supporting each other and lifting up the name and power of Jesus to be there when we need Him.
And He is there for us… truly.
I will be offering the study again in the future. If you are interested in being added to that wait list, just add your name by clicking the following link:
So if you are the parent of a special needs child, there is no better time to join the Online Study of Autism’s Hidden Blessings starting TOMORROW.
Only a Few Days Left to Join the Study!
On Friday, I will close the study to new members so that we can delve into the book (and God’s Word) together. The online study area will be closed to the public so that we can share stories and discuss the book.
If you are still considering joining, please don’t hesitate. Time is running out!
Good question! Each week, we will be covering two chapters of the book. Also each week, I will be providing homework in a PDF format which will available for study members to download and complete. I know that many parents have a lot on their plates, so the homework will be light.
After completing the homework, login to the ONLINE STUDY AREA (Top Right on the menu bar) to view a short video from me providing some insight into the chapter as well as some opening comments. Then you will have an opportunity to comment, and share you own story and thoughts about the study. I’ll be jumping into the discussion with you.
Sound easy? It is! And for the next few days, you don’t even have to buy the book! There’s nothing to lose!
NOTE: Please understand that I cannot provide tech support for the Kindle apps. Instructions and support is provided on the Amazon page (see the above link). In order to focus on the study itself, I will not respond to tech support questions with regards to the Kindle. Please direct support questions to Amazon.com.
I’ve Already Signed Up! Where is my Login info?
I will send it out tonight to your email address using my provider, Mailchimp. Please check your spam folders if you see this message with your username and password. If for some reason you have not received your e-letter with the login information by tomorrow afternoon, just send and email to: info@kellylangston.com and let me know. I’ll send it back to you so you can get started.
Hello! 98 people have signed up for the first online study of Autism’s Hidden Blessings. I am so excited to get started on May 1st. It will be a journey to remember.
If you have signed up, in the next few days you will receive an e-newsletter with details about the study. If you haven’t signed up and are interested in participating, you can still sign up for now. Just click on the “Sign up for the 5/1 Study” link at the top of the right sidebar. There is no cost to participate in the online study.
Here’s a short video with additional information for you:
Sitting in Easter service yesterday, my thoughts were swirling inside. Words for a blog post I should have posted yesterday.
I didn’t. Instead, I chose to spend the day with my family.
Even so, the words remained with me throughout the day. When the words swirl inside, my two choices are to write them down and send them out, or to keep them to myself. The second option is the usually the safest one. No threat of being wrong with Option Number 2. Keep your thoughts to yourself. But today, I’m choosing Option Number 1. Maybe in these words, you will find comfort:
What follows is the post I should have written yesterday:
It’s Easter Sunday, and I am celebrating the Resurrection. The celebration is always special, no doubt. The ethereal songs, the smiles from friends. “He is Risen,” they say. He is Risen, indeed. What is an impossible story to some, a fable to others, to me, it’s the foundation on which my faith is built.
But why? Why does the Resurrection really matter?
There is something so much more to the Resurrection. More than the spring dresses, the colored eggs, and family gatherings. It goes much deeper than those superficial things:
It’s only in the Resurrection that the pain and sorrows of this world finally make sense.
Why does God allows so many sorrows in life? That problem of that question is the number one reason why people turn from God. Think about it: Autism. Disabilities. Financial chaos. Betrayals. A good God would not allow such suffering. Right?
And yet, this is the one misconception about the Christian walk. Scripture never promised that life would be easy for Christians. Instead, Jesus Himself said, “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33 NIV 1984
People can say a lot about God. An non-believer can look at the example that imperfect Christians (myself very much included) present and find good reasons to refuse to follow Jesus. I urge people to not to follow other Christians, (again, myself included) but follow CHRIST. His example. His words. His teachings.
Only in Christ can we truly discover the essence and of true Christianity. Only in Jesus’ example—in His life and Words—can faith stand up to the onslaught of life’s difficulties.
People can say many things about the Jesus of the Bible. But they can never say that He fails to understand our sufferings, the pain of life. That is why God sent Jesus. He wanted us to know that He’s is with us, our Emmanuel, or “God with Us”, when life is too hard. God Himself, in the body of Jesus, felt our pain, endured our betrayals, and suffered not only our death, but a death that was humiliating and unjust. He understands our grief.
This is where the Resurrection matters. In the Resurrection, we find hope in the face of grief. We find an end to senseless pain. We find the joy that is promised, a complete and never-ending joy that no one, no person or situation in life can ever take away:
“I tell you the truth, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy. A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world. So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy.”
In the Resurrection, we find victory over our pain:
“No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
The Resurrection makes this true. Nothing can separate us from God’s love. Because of it, we are conquerors instead of victims.
Nature Points to the Resurrection
Even if you never open the pages of Scripture, you can discover glimpses of the Resurrection around us. It can be seen in the caterpillar as it stills and shrouds itself in a papery cocoon only to be transformed to a glorious new life. And in the dry seed that is covered with earth, buried in the ground, that comes to life in the Spring. A tiny, dry and dead seed can be transformed to a strong tree providing shelter and life to birds and other animals.
What science can reproduce these things? With all of our knowledge, can we mix the cocktail of chemicals, the molecular structure of life, and produce that life? No. The essence of life remains a mystery. We admit that. Why, then, is it so difficult to believe in the mystery of the Resurrection? We see such miracles before our very eyes.
The Resurrection is Hope
Why am I writing this today? Because the Resurrection is our hope.
I find suffering around me everywhere, everyday. Horrible, unjust, painful suffering for believers and non-believers alike. I hate it. It makes me cry out to God, why, Lord, why?
Thanks to the Resurrection, I have found great comfort in knowing that this is not the end of the story. That death and suffering were defeated when Jesus stepped out of the tomb on Sunday morning. Just as the seed waits in the ground to spring forth with life, and as Jesus’ body rested on cold stone, so we are waiting to see the end of suffering forever. We are simply waiting. For the light that is coming. For the life that is promised.
Wherever you are, whatever you are dealing with today, my prayer is that in some way, you see a glimpse of the Resurrection today. In a brightly colored flower that bursts to greet the sun, or in a touch of the Son’s warmth on your skin after a long, hard winter. My prayer is that the Resurrection will become a real hope for you today.
If you happen to be stopping over from Proverbs 31 Ministries’ Encouragement for Today devotional, I’m so glad you did. Proverbs 31 Ministries is a wonderful group of ladies, and I’m so blessed to know them. There’s so much that I’d like to share with you, especially if you are the loved one of a special needs child.
I’d like to tell you that being a special needs parent is easy—but if you are the mother or father of a such a child, you know that it’s not. More than anything, I’d wish I could give you a hug and tell you that God is very able to help you and your sweet child.
Not only is He able, but He desires to surround you with His strength, patience and love. He’s proven that love by giving us an inheritance of promises that we can count on to make it through the hard days.
Better still, God sent the very best advocate we could ever have for our child! This advocate is one that we don’t have to seek out. We won’t need to place a second (or third) mortgage on our house to afford His services. He knows everything about our child: their innermost thoughts, the words they say (or cannot say), and the structure of every cell in their body.
This advocate hears them when they cry and whispers comforts to them on long, restless nights. He is the voice that they do not have. The Peace that they seek. The arms that never tire, even when ours, as parents, do. He sits at the right hand of Almighty God and has His Father’s ear. He knows that we will encounter trials and hardships, but He has already overcome them, promising rest, guidance and wisdom when we need it.
Our Advocate—Jesus—longs to help you. I know, because He helped me, and He helped my son.
He was there when I’d had enough. He listened when I felt lost and alone in a crazy, messed up world with a child I didn’t know how to communicate with. When I would have given up, He promised a bettter day for my son … and for me.
I am convinced that God’s ears quicken to the sound of a troubled child’s cry. I know that He listens to every prayer that rises from the lips of a mother. I know that He is for us.
This is what I want to tell you: Our God,—and Jesus, our Advocate—are standing by. I want you to know that God will honor every promise, and I mean every promise, that Scripture gives to His children.
I want you to know that you can have joy again, overflowing, spilling out, and never running dry… if you will surrender your cares to Him. It won’t happen in a day, but trust me, it will happen.
The truth is that we are blessed to be the loved one of a special needs child. Blessed to experience the beauty of that love.
Yes, that what I wanted to tell you.
If you would like to know more about what the Bible has to say on the topic—and there is so much more—please consider joining my online study of Autism’s Hidden Blessings beginning May 1st. Simply add your name to the Online Study Signup in the sidebar. I will cover two chapters from the book each week starting May 1st.
One Last Request is an Enhanced Short Story for the iBookstore (and the iPad).
I am fascinated by technology that allows readers to immerse themselves in a story. And my father’s true story of an amazing thing that God did behind the scenes of his life was the perfect one to share in this format.
My first enhanced short story, One Last Request, has just been completed by Langston Marketing Services. It will be available at Apple’s iBookstore and was designed for the iPad readers. The iBook includes an opening video, photographs from the actual setting of the story, and an audio interview with my father as he shares his own insights.
The best part isn’t even all of the cool interactive features, it’s the story! Every time I tell this story to a Bible Study group or a group of friends, I get wonderful comments and feedback. It’s a story that often gets passed along because it has such a wonderful message:
We just don’t know what God is doing behind the scenes of our lives.
The enhanced short story is in the quality assurance checking stage with Apple’s iTunes store. As soon as it gets the green light, I will post the link to it.
If you would like to receive a notice when One Last Request is officially released, please add your name to the email subscription list.
Thank you!
One Last Request:
A dying atheist’s last request to a hospital visitor causes him to doubt God’s call on his own life … and to question his ability to deliver a very special message.
Many fear that the new definitions of what is and what is not autism will prevent and exclude many children with high functioning autism from receiving services such as special education support. Expectations are that individuals diagnosed with asperger’s or PDD-NOS may be at risk for reduced or eliminated help.
There is no better time to discover God’s faithfulness than when we find ourselves in a place of serious need. In fact,
“the only way to truly discover the full extent of God’s great faithfulness is to come to a place of great need…when He is our only hope.”
If you are facing a difficult trial—loss of a job, a health crisis, or some great challenge—now more than ever is the time to discover the God’s promises!
Thanks to everyone who commented to win a copy of Lynn Cowell’s new book, His Revolutionary Love. I so wish I could give everyone a copy! While I can’t do that, I have decided to give out two copies instead of one. Even if you didn’t win, please consider ordering a copy from Proverbs 31 Ministries, where Lynn is a speaker. In fact, you can even download a sample chapter from Lynn’s own website: http://www.lynncowell.com/books/
Now, congratulations to the winners of a copy of Lynn’s book, HisRevolutionary Love. The winning commenters are:
Godchozn and Angela Sladovnik.
Please email your shipping address to me at: info@kellylangston.com. Thank you!
Boys are 4 times more likely to be diagnosed with autism than girls. (http://goo.gl/cZWVI).
That creates a common situation where there is a neurotypical daughter, a sibling of an autistic brother. My own family is an example of this situation.
On many occasions I hear from parents who worry that the majority of their attention goes to a child with autism while their other child, the autism sibling, receives less attention than they might need. To be honest, sometimes this is a necessity. Often, sisters of a child with autism are phenomenal girls, compassionate, strong, capable and loving. But they still have a need to feel special, honored, loved uniquely for who they are.
That’s why I have asked Lynn Cowell to guest post today. Lynn has been ministering to teen girls for 10 years, and has recently authored a book written to teen girls, His Revolutionary Love: Jesus’ Radical Pursuit of You. I asked Lynn if she would be willing to share some her insight about how a parent might honor their daughters, the siblings of another child with autism. Lynn responded in minutes. As she says, ministering to teen girls is her passion.
As a special giveaway, I am giving away a signed copy of Lynn’s amazing book. Just leave a comment to enter and I’ll announce the winner on Monday morning, September 12th.
And now for Lynn’s guest post:
Six Ways to Build a Bridge to Your Girl’s Heart
Boys … how are they typically described? Rambunctious, loud, messy, insensitive. Then there are our girls. So often they are compassionate, strong, capable, even at times the backbone and heartbeat of our families.
Unlike you, I do not have a child who has autism, but my first born son did come with his own unique packaging. This has put my two daughters in places where they have had to step up and mature faster than I would have desired. Yes, God has used this to make them strong. As their mom, though, I want to be aware of my girls needs. They need to be told they are beautiful. They need to be reminded consistently that they are loved. Like a plant in the hot Carolina summer sun, they need to be poured into on a daily basis so that they flourish and blossom.
This is no easy task, especially when we have another child who needs are much more apparent. Yet, friend, we cannot mistake the quiet stability of our girls as their lack of need. They need us to build a bridge to their heart; connecting our heart to theirs.
Here are six ways that you can build a bridge to your daughter’s heart:
Be informed.
Be informed about what is happening in your girl’s world. What things make her anxious? A friendship? You know many times relationships with girls can be more complicated than boys! For over ten years I have been mentoring, speaking and writing to teen girls. Girls carry a lot of anxiety. They need to know being needy isn’t bad; that’s where God comes in! Much anxiety can be alleviated by simply by talking. Know your girl’s heart. When you do this, you say to your girl, “I care enough about you to learn your world.”
Be approachable.
Often what our girls need most from us is a safe place to talk. Recently, my daughter Madi was telling me about a friendship problem. I asked her, “Would you like me to just listen or do you want advice?” She said, “Just listen.”
An approachable parent responds instead of reacts. We should be thermostats instead of thermometers. Thermometers tell us the temperature of the house, a thermostat sets it. By responding instead of reacting we are setting the temperature of a safe place to be yourself and be heard.
Be available.
Slowing down is important so we can be there for our children. Different kids will be more vulnerable and open at different times. Think over your life and your schedule. How can you arrange things so that you can be available to your daughter to hear about her world, her heart and the things she is going through in her mind?
Be vulnerable.
Pouring into teen girls has been one of the Lord’s greatest gifts to me. These girls would say, “I wish I could talk to my mom like I can talk to you.” Or, “I wish my mom would tell me things about when she was growing up.” It is important to share with our girls the things we struggled with when we were their age. Of course, we need to do so as the Holy Spirit directs us and as it appropriate for their age, but our kids need to hear from us our struggles, our victories and our falls. When your child is struggling have you shared some of your stories with her? Does your child realize that you, too, struggle?
Be her discipler. This is our chance to share with our girls what the Lord has done for us by going through His word with them. This can take place in two ways: informally and formally. Informally, I look for opportunities to tell my kids what Jesus is doing in my life. In the car, going for a walk or having a snack, I share how the Word helps solve problems.
Formally, when my kids are eating their breakfast, I read God’s Word to them. I also have a small group for my youngest daughter and five of her ninth grade friends. Every other week we get together to do a Bible study and learn more about Jesus and his love for them. By following a formal format, I am reassured that we will have a pre-set time to read and study His Word together.
Be willing to speak truth.
When your girl is looking in the mirror and lamenting over that zit on her forehead, remind her that Jesus says in Psalm 45:11: “The king is enthralled by your beauty.” When she feels rejected because everyone else has a boyfriend and she doesn’t, speak that truth “I am my lover’s and he is mine!” (Song of Solomon 2:16). When she wishes for a bigger chest and a smaller waist, speak to her, “You are altogether beautiful my darling and there is no blemish in you.” Your girl needs to know that the love she needs can never come from a guy – they just don’t have what it take; but Jesus has all she needs and then some!
Remember:
You are the vessel, my friend, that the Lord can use pour the truth of unconditional love into your girl. Fill up and then pour out!
Lynn Cowell is a speaker and writer with Proverbs 31 Ministries. She lives in North Carolina with her husband of 24 years and her three teenage children. She has just released of her first book “His Revolutionary Love: Jesus’ Radical Pursuit of You”; a study for young women. She loves sushi, well worn sweatshirts and anything that combines chocolate and peanut butter. You can access free resources for you and your girl at www.LynnCowell.com.
Me? Just a Steel Town Girl with a Passion for the Divine
Here's what I'm not going to do: I'm not going to pretend that I lead a perfect Christian life. I don't. Instead, I'll share the ups, the downs, the doubts and the fears that every Christian feels, whether they tell you about it...or not. I'm not holding anything back about what it really means to live a Christian life. Want to know a secret? It' hard. But the payoff is unmatched! As you get to know the real Christ, life becomes an adventure. And me? I wouldn't want to live any other way. Are you ready? Let's go!
Here's what I'm not going to do: I'm not going to pretend that I lead a perfect Christian life. I don't. Instead, I'll share the ups, the downs, the doubts and the fears that every Christian feels, whether they tell you about it...or not. I'm not holding anything back about what it really means to live a Christian life. Want to know a secret? It' hard. But the payoff is unmatched! As you get to know the real Christ, life becomes an adventure. And me? I wouldn't want to live any other way. Are you ready? Let's go! 
Comments from Readers … or your turn to talk!