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Leaving the Ninety-Nine and Seeking the One that Was Lost.
Leaving the Ninety-Nine is a site offering special education advice and evaluation services to the Christian community. My desire is to offer special educations expertise to pastors, Sunday school teachers, children’s pastors, Christian schools, parents, and anyone else that shares my desire to reach every individual with the gospel of Christ. Christ died to give us all life and life abundantly. The Christian community needs resources for reaching individuals with intellectual and physical disabilities, and that is precisely what Leaving the Ninety-Nine is destined to do. I am offering free Individual Education Plan (IEP) reviews, Functional Behavior Assessments (FBA), and instructional advice and adaptations. I am also continuously adding links to games, books, and products to help parents and Christian educators utilize assistive technology and behavior management tools.
Most of the behaviors teachers see occur at the end of a child's acting out cycle, when the behavior is already spinning out of control. At this point you are on a sinking ship, and all you can do is watch helplessly. If we can isolate the cause of the initial agitation, we will be able to resolve the problem before it gets out of control. It is amazing that often we tell students "Don't....," and we expect them to magically devise a plan to correct a behavior that has been working for them for a very long time. Sometimes just having a plan is enough to motivate students to change behavior. We need to help them feel secure in our world, playing by our rules before we can expect them to leave their world.
Most of the behaviors teachers see occur at the end of a child's acting out cycle, when the behavior is already spinning out of control. At this point you are on a sinking ship, and all you can do is watch helplessly. If we can isolate the cause of the initial agitation, we will be able to resolve the problem before it gets out of control. It is amazing that often we tell students "Don't....," and we expect them to magically devise a plan to correct a behavior that has been working for them for a very long time. Sometimes just having a plan is enough to motivate students to change behavior. We need to help them feel secure in our world, playing by our rules before we can expect them to leave their world.
The Story Behind the Name
I have been pursuing my calling to aid individuals with special needs and their families for five years now, and I have to admit that I had doubts along the way. I asked God why he would call me to minister to such a small percentage of our population. Why couldn't I minister to a broader field like minorities or just children? What about foreign missions, God? Couldn't I feed the hungry? You see with a broad vision you reach MOST of them, but God's vision is to reach ALL of them. He put this parable in my heart and I knew what my destiny was:
“What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost. Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.’” (Luke 15:2-7).
Jesus longs for every individual's heart, and he would risk everything to have him/her with him forever in eternity. Shouldn't we look at each person with the same passion and compassion. If we look at the Christian community as God's Church or his flock, we see that we all belong together next to our shepherd. We need to find value in all of our fellow sheep and rejoice when the shepherd takes time to meet the needs of a struggling lamb. Jesus didn't die for our buildings or our prestige, he died for communion with us. The Church as a whole has not done its part caring for individuals with physical and mental disabilities. We have let the state and federal government come in and do our job. God is not glorified in policy and forced inclusion. God can use policy and inclusion, but he is glorified in our faith working through love. Let's love beyond logic. Let's open our hearts and minds to learn how we can reach individuals that learn and communicate differently. We need to confront behavior problems as opportunities to build character and hope in the life of a little lost sheep. Click here to play Parable of the Lost Sheep video
“What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost. Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.’” (Luke 15:2-7).
Jesus longs for every individual's heart, and he would risk everything to have him/her with him forever in eternity. Shouldn't we look at each person with the same passion and compassion. If we look at the Christian community as God's Church or his flock, we see that we all belong together next to our shepherd. We need to find value in all of our fellow sheep and rejoice when the shepherd takes time to meet the needs of a struggling lamb. Jesus didn't die for our buildings or our prestige, he died for communion with us. The Church as a whole has not done its part caring for individuals with physical and mental disabilities. We have let the state and federal government come in and do our job. God is not glorified in policy and forced inclusion. God can use policy and inclusion, but he is glorified in our faith working through love. Let's love beyond logic. Let's open our hearts and minds to learn how we can reach individuals that learn and communicate differently. We need to confront behavior problems as opportunities to build character and hope in the life of a little lost sheep. Click here to play Parable of the Lost Sheep video