I pray your cute little eyes will someday see the beauty and glory of the Lord who saved me and keeps me.
And for the short while when you will carry my name, I pray you will be much more prouder and unashamed to carry His all your days. 🙏🏾👶🏽
This week, my wife and I made the very difficult decision to terminate the pregnancy due to Trisomy 21.
The choice was not made lightly. We really appreciate all of the personal stories that you guys shared with us, especially the unconditional support we received from fans with no matter what we decided.
I know some of you may be very disappointed to hear this news. We are devastated. This has been extremely traumatic for both of us, especially Ashley.
She underwent the procedure earlier this week and is on the mend. Thankfully, everything went smoothly, but emotionally we are drained.
Trisomy 21, also known as Down Syndrome, is caused by an extra chromosome. It is caused by an error in cell division, like a glitch. The odds of a baby having it is 1 in 1000.
When I first confronted this news, I was shocked but optimistic. If they’re a little slow intellectually, then we’ll make it work. I signed on to be a parent, come what may…but I just didn’t fully understand what Down Syndrome entailed.
Once we made it public, it became clear that MOST people don’t know what Down Syndrome entails (and no, it’s not the same as Autism):
50% of babies with DS have heart defects. 75% will have hearing challenges. Over 50% will have vision problems. Impaired immune function, developmental disabilities, learning disabilities, delayed physical development, poor muscle tone, structural issues with face, decreased lifespan, etc…Sadly, the list is long, feel free to look it up…Down Syndome isn’t a “blessing”, it is objectively shitty from a health perspective.
I didn’t realize just how rough it is for the child, let alone the family…more often than not, they would be fully dependent on others for the rest of their life.
The miscarriage risk is also close to 50%, which made matters worse…they may never see the light of day and it puts Ashley further at risk.
We spoke with doctors, friends, family and genetic counselors and learned that up to 90% of women terminate their pregnancy after learning the baby has Trisomy 21.
This was WAY higher than I expected, I thought it would be lower given that I hear so many say they kept or would keep the baby. I believe that’s because most terminations happen privately, it feels shameful. A lot of judgment being cast.
You never think you’d be in this type of situation until it happens to you and then things change.
To all of my fans who have weighed in on this topic who have Autism, Down Syndrome or any other conditions…we appreciate you. You matter a lot and we’re glad you’re here. I commend you and your families for having the strength and courage to push forward.
As for us, we made a difficult decision that we believe in the long-run will be beneficial for our family. Thankfully, we had a choice.
It will take a little time to move on, but we are excited to try again in the future and hopefully have a better outcome.
Love you guys & thank you for understanding. ❤️
Some church will always have better coffee, better music, better facilities, better speaking, better marketing.
Showcase Christ and his gospel. Nobody can improve on that.
—@jaredcwilson
@kyleworley Hey Kyle. The category of a Two Year Apprenticeship, embedded in a local church, after college, is not much of a category in America, as in other parts of the world as a pathway to ministry training.
Any idea why this is the case?
I'm reading "Memoirs of an Ordinary Pastor" about Tom Carson (DA Carson's Father).
He was done wrong by TT Shields, the most famous pastor of his era and area. (He ministered as a missionary pastor in Quebec). Shields' actions were so egregious that it caused a huge rift in the Union Baptists and ended up starting a new seminary where most of the students went.
But DA Carson never heard of it. In fact, despite the personal slight, his parents praised Shields to their children , shared his books with them and recounted the good things he had done.
Carson had to learn of the truth of his own father for the first time studying Canadian Baptist history in college.
Oh to have that grace for the people who have wronged us.
Top three podcasts most useful/enjoyable to me in my pastoral ministry the last few years:
1. Pastors Talk (Jonathan Leeman and Mark Dever)
2. The Everyday Pastor (Matt Smethurst and Lig Duncan)
3. Room for Nuance (Sean DeMars)
Such great men, and solid content.
Just figured that we actually don't win that game without Casemiro.
• 114' – won the penalty for Bruno to score
• 120' – assist for Mainoo's equaliser
• 120+1' – assist for Maguire's winner
A SPECIAL THANK YOU, UNCLE CASE. 👑❤️ @Casemiro
When @timkellernyc taught preaching at @RedeemerCTC he did it in five sections:
1. Preach the text
2. Preach Christ
3. Preach grace
4. Preach to the heart
5. Preach to culture
Getting it right (1-3); getting it across (4-5).
I come back to that a lot. All are essential.
@curious_edline I mean, how far back are you going here with these “geopolitics”? Literally the most prominent figures in the early Christian Church were Africans in Carthage, Hippo, Alexandria and of course, Ethiopia. Christianity in Africa predates European colonization by over 1000 yrs. 🙂