“I have a key in my bosom, called Promise, that will (I am persuaded) open any Lock in Doubting-Castle.”
John Bunyan, The Pilgrim’s Progress (1678)
Note to the reader: the following post is composed of my answers to questions posed by my brother, Stephen, to help introduce me and this blog.
How would you introduce yourself to a stranger?
When you look at me, you can see that I stand six feet tall, and you might notice my deep blue eyes and warm smile. I love life and I have reason to rejoice because I am a Christian. As a young boy I repented of my sins, asked Jesus to forgive me, and acknowledged Him as Lord of my life. I am so grateful that God calls us to Himself, since this is a miraculous work. God chooses to soften our hard hearts to desire Him in the first place as a result of the work of regeneration.
Naturally, we want to go through life on our own, but in the end, do we really know what we want and how to get it? If we do get our way or what we want, are we as satisfied or as joyful as we thought it would make us? My head has less hair than I desire and I am only twenty-seven years old. Additionally, when you look at me, you might notice that my body moves slightly differently and words have a hard time coming out of my mouth. I have had years of therapy to combat these challenges, but they have remained. The two labels that describe my needs are autism and apraxia. The hairline has nothing to do with these diagnoses, however. What I am grateful for, today, is that these special needs did not cause God to overlook me or prevent His salvation plan. Jesus died on the cross in the place of people from every tribe and nation, no matter our works or ability, due to God’s plan and purpose.
Why do you want to write a blog?
The list of things I cannot do overwhelms the list of what I can do. However, I can express myself through typing. I love to encourage people that life with God as my Lord and Savior gives me beautiful peace and a joy that puts a smile on my face, despite the hardship this earthly body gives me. I would love to dialogue about books I have read and verses from the Bible I am rejoicing in or grappling with. If you met me in person, we would have a harder time dialoguing, but with the fantastic invention of the computer, my thoughts are expressed more fluidly. I am happy to receive any comments or questions you might have.
Getting diagnosed at two years old allowed my parents to have an answer to my speech delay. I was compliant to attend every therapy and class in school, and I am grateful for each doctor, neurologist, physical therapist, occupational therapist, speech therapist and teacher. I loved learning to swim at age three, and I rode horseback and performed vaulting moves with two guides on each side of the horse. I have always loved music, and I am grateful I could learn to play piano with two hands. All of these people gave me the blessed gift of believing in me. They chose not to let my disability be the limitation, but instead chose to encourage me to have goals and have helped me to achieve them. My great blessing is to have parents and a younger brother, Stephen, who love me unconditionally and provide a great family life together. They have added biking, playing table tennis, and playing basketball to my “can-do” list, and they do, with kindness, so many things on my behalf that my body is unable to do.
You might not know how to understand me if you saw me in person. I am all the more grateful to have this opportunity to share with you what is on my mind and in my heart. Perhaps you will allow me to encourage you. God is in the details and it is a marvelous blessing to take note of all that He does.
How do you type out your thoughts? What is facilitated communication?
The expression of my thoughts as I type with my index finger on a computer is the means of showing that my brain is working. Because my body has a hard time cooperating with my brain, I need someone pushing down on my forearm while I type. My body counters the pressure by going to the letter I need. The pulse from another person helps me to organize my thoughts and keep me focused. The motion to reach and press the keys is my doing, while the counter-pressure comes from the person sitting next to me. This is called facilitated communication. This is new territory to fully understand. I am not being coerced to type, and my finger is not being used to type someone else’s thoughts. This is yet one more area for which I can express gratitude to those who believe in me.
For those of us who struggle to speak, we know the feeling of being discounted as deaf or lacking in sufficient brainpower to learn or have an individual thought. Again, I am forever grateful for all of those who believe in me. Because of the many people who patiently helped and believed in me, I graduated from Arcadia High School in 2013 and earned a diploma. I was also accepted to attend Biola University and Pasadena City College (PCC). I have attended both at the same time over the past seven years. I finished all of Biola’s general education requirements at PCC, which also meant that I earned an A.A. in Humanities this past spring from PCC. I have finished the Bible minor at Biola, and my goal is to complete the Bible major requirements in the next 2 years. I count this life as a privilege. My heart is grateful.
What is the process for creating these blog posts?
The blessing my family gives me is that they give their assistance to aid me in getting my thoughts out of my head and down in writing. My brother sometimes prompts me with various questions to respond to, and he helps by editing my work. My Mom is primarily responsible for helping to facilitate my communication by applying a downward pressure on my forearm. This is a great opportunity to share my thoughts. Stephen and my Mom are necessary to make this possible and I am grateful for them. Thank you for taking time to read and get to know me.
A Bit More About Me
In lieu of a comments section, please feel free to respond to my posts or ask questions via email using the form below.
Keys for the Kingdom 