Blog #4 - "You never have to hate anybody."

"You never have to hate anybody." Some of you good people probably know little about my past literary works and ministry experiences. I had the honor of serving the worldwide disability ministry of Joni and Friends for ten years as the Managing Director of US Field Operations. Out of that experience came my book Contagious Love - a vision of the world and church where people who are the most vulnerable are highlighted, and how God is especially drawn to people in their time of need and weakness. The contagious love of special needs young people will rock your socks off. When serving with Joni and Friends, I heard this story from a colleague who visited a family on Bainbridge Island, near Seattle. Tommy [name changed], a teenager with Down syndrome, was visiting with his dad and his dad's friend. When his dad's friend mentioned that a mutual friend had a baby with Down syndrome, Tommy exclaimed, "That's wonderful!" When asked why it was "wonderful," Tommy replied, "Because you never have to hate anybody and you always get to love everybody!" Well, there you have it, folks. "Power in [apparent] weakness."