I have written and rewritten this post many times over the past 3ish weeks. I am wanting to communicate this clearly as I believe it is so important to see how these two attention issues are fundamentally different - therefore treatment interventions going to be different (and hopefully frustration levels lowered too:). I give more information on ADHD as that is what has more research, but hope that I have laid out the underlying differences in a way that helps to see them separate issues. If I am unclear, please let me know and I will try to clarify:)
Dr. Russell Barkley has been studying ADHD for many years. As stated in my last post you can check him out at www.adhdlectures.com or read his books. He has compiled and conducted much research in the area of ADHD. He shared that he believes that there are probably 7 different Attention Disorders that factor analysis shows in the research rather than just ADHD as we currently know it. However, at this time only ADHD is recognized by the DSM team, and when the DSM-V (the diagnostic tool that psychologists use to diagnose mental health issues) comes out next year it will still just have ADHD as the only Attention Disorder. There are various reasons for this that I will not bore you with, but they are essentially political. However, just because a particular group of people have not stated that there is a disorder, it does not mean that the disorder does not exist;) On the other hand, what really is a disorder? Just a cluster of symptoms that a subset group of people have that means that they are somehow doing something different than another subset group of people. But...I digress...
Dr. Barkley spoke about how he believes that ADHD as currently understood is actually 2 different disorders. As you may know, a person can get a diagnosis of ADHD and then specify if it is predominantly Hyperactivity/Impulse or predominantly Inattentive (or combined). Dr. Barkley believes that the research shows that there is a disorder that manifests itself as Hyperactivity/Impulsivity and another disorder that looks like what we call Inattentive. He says that it is important to distinguish between them because he says the underlying causes of what is going on with the person is very different, and therefore treatment implications are very different. Again, people who have not studied Dr. Barkley's work will not know about these differences in conceptualization and there are no official differences in diagnosis as the current diagnostic system is set up (other than as stated above). Therefore, the information I am giving you now, as I understand it from the conference from Dr. Barkley, is primarily to help you (and me!) conceptualize the problems that we see with these kiddos and how to help them be as successful as possible.
The crux of what Dr. Barkley said was, ADHD is an "Intention Deficit Disorder" whereas the other disorder that has been called in research "SCT" is "Concentration Disorder." People talk about them as Executive Functioning Disorders - essentially the frontal lobe of the brain is the "computer" that takes all kinds of information, integrates it, makes a plan, and executes the plan (tells the rest of the brain to follow through). Specifically with ADHD, the right frontal portion of the brain is not processing information effectively much like a person who has had an injury to that portion of the brain (although there are more parts of the brain than that which are affected in ADHD). I will go into that in the next post...
I will attempt to discuss the differences between these the best way I can. I very much agree that these distinctions are essential to understand and are crucial when discussing treatment implications and long term life planning.
ADHD: developmental delay in inhibition (they are very disinhibited)
SCT: developmental delay in concentration
ADHD: is an OUTPUT disorder - they have no problem with processing information
SCT: INPUT disorder - they are not inputting and processing incoming stimuli accurately
ADHD: the problem is with sustained attention, not necessarily what they are attending to
SCT: the problem is that they do not attend to the correct information (focused on the wrong details)
ADHD: friendships tend to be few and far between, they tend to be rejected by others due to, well, the way they act in relationship to others
SCT: tend to be overlooked and neglected in relationships. They tend to not focus on the "right" information in relational interactions and thus don't "connect" well with others.
ADHD: very impulsive and hyper
SCT: tend to be slow moving/sluggish
ADHD: Their behavior is hard to control and manage
SCT: The kids are very likeable, they just don't get things done
ADHD: it is a temporal disorganization (time management disorder)
SCT: Spatial disorganization (they can get it done but it is unorganized and often not right)
ADHD: a production disorder - they tend to not get things finished, but if they do it is done correctly
SCT: Accuracy disorder - they get it done, but it is wrong (they are not attending to the right details)
ADHD: vast majority will respond to stimulant medication
SCT: less than 20% respond to stimulant medication
Other symptoms of ADHD (aside from constant moving and talking and the inability to control urges lol!!)
* Dr. Barkley shared that instead of thinking of ADHD as an attention problem, we need to think of it really as an INTENTION deficit disorder. He says that these kids can filter information just fine (or pay attention to incoming stimuli), the problem is with how they see the future (their intention of what to do with that stimuli).
* There is an impairment with working memory (holding various pieces of information simultaneously and using that information to proceed logically). It is not that they do not know the rules or they are unable to recall what they were supposed to be doing. The kiddos can tell you what the rules are, but they sure aren't logically using them!
*ADHD show dis-inhibition in all areas of life, not just one or two areas or settings
* The hyperactivity piece is about intention with incoming stimuli (so much stimulation, so little time to do something with it). As an example of this, adults will not have the hyperactivity piece. They report feeling "restless" and experience "anxiety."
*Their emotions are rational - they are intense, but they are rational. This is unlike people with mood disorders (e.g. depression) who have emotions inconsistent with the reality of their lives. When you talk to ADHD people about why they feel a certain way, while they may be making a bigger deal out of something than they need to but it is still consistent with reality.
* They are UNABLE to persist in a task when there is not immediate gratification. What takes them a long time to do when there is not immediate gratification can take a very short time when there is immediate gratification. Outcome is highly variable and not consistent with the persons ability to understand what needs to be done, but rather with what is motivating them to complete the task. This was probably the most enlightening piece of information for me that has fundamentally changed the way I engage my child with ADHD.
* ADHD directly impacts a persons ability to handle delayed reinforcement (e.g. waiting for the reward). It is not that the person is being lazy or oppositional (although that happens often with people with ADHD, it is a separate problem and not a symptom of ADHD per se) but rather that they cannot keep in their mind the concept of time long enough to work for something in the future.
* ADHD people tend to feel pretty good about their accomplishments. They like to normalize their behavior and lives, but that is not a good assessment of their lives or accomplishments (they don't have much of a problem with "confidence.")
* One often finds a readiness to learn, but there is a struggle with the actual ability to learn or the attention to stay on task to learn
* over half by adolescence will be rebellious and antisocial (which is logical due to the impulse control and feeling like others don't understand them even though they believe themselves to not have problems).
* unable to sub-vocalize. Fancy way to say that they cannot think to themselves. They talk...A LOT. This is so evident with our daughter. She talks non-stop. We always giggle when when chooses to pray at meals because she gives God a blow by blow descriptive play of the day...as if He didn't know lol! In just the past couple of months I am thrilled that we actually have certain times in the day where we can get to short periods of quiet!
* these kids know the answers of how to act/what the rules are/what they should be doing. They just do not follow through. It is not that they are "inattentive" to the rules, don't know what they were told to do, didn't pick up on the instructions given, etc. Therefore, simply telling them what to do will not help.
*social maturity is about 30% delayed
My next blog post will be on understanding Executive Function and how that impacts ADHD. The one after that will be on Treatment Implications. Again, if you find this information helpful, or if you don't find it helpful and want better/more information, please check out Dr. Barkley's lectures at www.adhdlectures.com .
Sunday, October 21, 2012
Saturday, October 20, 2012
Thoughts on ADHD Conference: Part 1 Statistics
In September I had the opportunity to see Russell Barkley, PhD speak about the current research and advancement of understanding ADHD. He is the "guru" of ADHD and it was an honor to hear him. I wanted to take some time to share my thoughts on his conference. While I was there in a professional role, after raising Grace I filtered most of it through my "mom brain." I had many different emotions at the conference. I was thrilled that I felt like someone finally understood our journey with ADHD and validated that it is not "just bad parenting" and that it is very, very hard. I was overwhelmed by the realities of the longevity of the situation and wondering how we can help her so she will thrive as an adult (and adolescent). And I was encouraged by specific interventions that we can use to manage the situation.
Anyone can go to www.ADHDLectures.com and watch Dr. Barkley present his information. His information is broken down into 1 - 2 hour lectures. There are 5 for parents that include 1 on how to deal with ADHD in the classroom. There is a cost (about $6 each) to watch the lectures that is minimal considering the information and help you can receive. There is also a book written in layman's terms that I am finding to be excellent called Taking Charge of ADHD by Russell Barkley. If you have a child with ADHD, think you do, or want to help understand someone else who has it, I highly recommend this book.
Dr. Barkley presented a very different way to conceptualize ADHD than I had previously heard. I will cover that in another post. Very importantly in my mind, he talked about how ADHD is the "diabetes of psychiatry." There is no cure or fix. There is only management. The management will help with the symptoms only, but perhaps more importantly it will help to prevent more long term negative consequences.
Some statistics:
How do you get it:
ADHD is highly passed on genetically. However, there are known ways to "acquire" ADHD (about 30+% of cases)
PRENATAL:
*There is a threshold of 10 cigarettes a day below which developing baby is not thought to acquire ADHD from nicotine/tobacco use. Over that nicotine use increased the likelihood of ADHD by 2.5 times more likely than non-smoking mothers.
* There is NO SAFE THRESHOLD FOR ALCOHOL USE!!!
* premature birth - especially if a brain bleed (45% are thought to develop ADHD)
* total increased pregnancy complications
*high phenylalanine levels in mom's blood (but not full PKU levels)
* high maternal anxiety in 2nd trimester (due to the hormone levels on the baby while developing)
GENETICS:
* two genes have been identified so far. 40 genetic sites have been located - all related to issues with dopamine (which is probably why stimulates work well as treatment).
* if a sibling has it, 25 - 25% likely of another sibling having it
* if an identical twin has it, 78 - 92% likely the other twin has it
* if parent has it, 40 - 54% of their children will have it (more likely if it is the father)
POST-NATAL (3 - 7%)
* head trauma
* certain seizures
* lead poisoning prior to age 3
* survival from acute lymphoblastic leukemia
* strep B infection
* elevated but sub threshold exposure to PKU related amino acid
Some more general stats on ADHD:
* 7-8% of kids are diagnosed with it and 4 - 5% of adults.
* one sees a 2.5x increase in seizures in kids who have it
* 1.5x more likely to be overweight if have it (impulse control issues)
* 39 - 56% have sleep problems
* more dental issues
* more coordination issues
* accident proneness - 1.5 - 4x greater risk for injuries, 3x greater for accident poisonings
* 2 - 3 x the medical costs of other kids - not counting the meds/mgmt of the ADHD itself
* pragmatic deficits in language disorders with 60%
* excessive speech, less logical, coherent, organized speech
* much difficulty with talking "to self"
* less able to understand rule-governed behavior
* IQ is an average of 7-10 points lower (probably due to the executive functioning that I will discuss later)
* 90% have poor school performance (reduced productivity and inattention are the biggest issues)
* learning disabilities in 24 - 70% depending on the study (with reading, spelling, math, handwriting, and comprehension). These LD's are not due to the ADHD, but co exist with it and can improve with ADHD management.
* increased parent/child conflicts
* higher rates of parental divorce earlier in marriage
* since it is highly genetic, many parents also have it which leads to interesting dynamics
* significantly impacted peer relationships: more intrusive on others, verbally impulsive, more anger, more directive of others, less cooperative (wanting things done own way), reduced empathy, etc resulting in conflicts and often rejection by peers of the ADHD child.
Teens:
* 40% of ADHD kids are parents as teens
* 60% of ADHD girls get pregnant in high school
* 40% don't graduate
* 40% fail/repeat at least 1 class in school
* only 5-10% finish college as compared to 35% of non-ADHD students
* 5x more likely to attempt suicide if they think about suicide (less likely to talk self out of the thoughts as are more impulsive).
* much higher risk of car accidents (he even went so far as to suggest not letting 16 year old ADHD teens drive until more maturity is developed. I am ALL about agreeing to that lol!)
*As adults: family stress, strained friendships, more limited educational success, legal difficulties (if engage in criminal behavior), excessive smoking/drinking/caffeine, accidents, job problems, financial problems (impulsive spending), problems in own marriage/parenting, and unhealthy lifestyles, increased risk of heart disease. 3x more likely to die by 45 years old.
Drug use (top 3 that are abused):
1st: nicotine. The nicotine, oddly enough, will "treat" the ADHD as it is a stimulate, and thus unfortunately many people with ADHD symptoms use it to self-medicate
2nd: alcohol
3rd: marijuana these are used not to self-medicate as it will actually make the symptoms worse. However, people with ADHD often use them to help "forget" their problems
My next post on ADHD will be on Dr. Barkley's theory of ADHD, what he says the foundational issues are, and what he says Executive Functioning is that is most impaired in people with ADHD.
Anyone can go to www.ADHDLectures.com and watch Dr. Barkley present his information. His information is broken down into 1 - 2 hour lectures. There are 5 for parents that include 1 on how to deal with ADHD in the classroom. There is a cost (about $6 each) to watch the lectures that is minimal considering the information and help you can receive. There is also a book written in layman's terms that I am finding to be excellent called Taking Charge of ADHD by Russell Barkley. If you have a child with ADHD, think you do, or want to help understand someone else who has it, I highly recommend this book.
Dr. Barkley presented a very different way to conceptualize ADHD than I had previously heard. I will cover that in another post. Very importantly in my mind, he talked about how ADHD is the "diabetes of psychiatry." There is no cure or fix. There is only management. The management will help with the symptoms only, but perhaps more importantly it will help to prevent more long term negative consequences.
Some statistics:
How do you get it:
ADHD is highly passed on genetically. However, there are known ways to "acquire" ADHD (about 30+% of cases)
PRENATAL:
*There is a threshold of 10 cigarettes a day below which developing baby is not thought to acquire ADHD from nicotine/tobacco use. Over that nicotine use increased the likelihood of ADHD by 2.5 times more likely than non-smoking mothers.
* There is NO SAFE THRESHOLD FOR ALCOHOL USE!!!
* premature birth - especially if a brain bleed (45% are thought to develop ADHD)
* total increased pregnancy complications
*high phenylalanine levels in mom's blood (but not full PKU levels)
* high maternal anxiety in 2nd trimester (due to the hormone levels on the baby while developing)
GENETICS:
* two genes have been identified so far. 40 genetic sites have been located - all related to issues with dopamine (which is probably why stimulates work well as treatment).
* if a sibling has it, 25 - 25% likely of another sibling having it
* if an identical twin has it, 78 - 92% likely the other twin has it
* if parent has it, 40 - 54% of their children will have it (more likely if it is the father)
POST-NATAL (3 - 7%)
* head trauma
* certain seizures
* lead poisoning prior to age 3
* survival from acute lymphoblastic leukemia
* strep B infection
* elevated but sub threshold exposure to PKU related amino acid
Some more general stats on ADHD:
* 7-8% of kids are diagnosed with it and 4 - 5% of adults.
* one sees a 2.5x increase in seizures in kids who have it
* 1.5x more likely to be overweight if have it (impulse control issues)
* 39 - 56% have sleep problems
* more dental issues
* more coordination issues
* accident proneness - 1.5 - 4x greater risk for injuries, 3x greater for accident poisonings
* 2 - 3 x the medical costs of other kids - not counting the meds/mgmt of the ADHD itself
* pragmatic deficits in language disorders with 60%
* excessive speech, less logical, coherent, organized speech
* much difficulty with talking "to self"
* less able to understand rule-governed behavior
* IQ is an average of 7-10 points lower (probably due to the executive functioning that I will discuss later)
* 90% have poor school performance (reduced productivity and inattention are the biggest issues)
* learning disabilities in 24 - 70% depending on the study (with reading, spelling, math, handwriting, and comprehension). These LD's are not due to the ADHD, but co exist with it and can improve with ADHD management.
* increased parent/child conflicts
* higher rates of parental divorce earlier in marriage
* since it is highly genetic, many parents also have it which leads to interesting dynamics
* significantly impacted peer relationships: more intrusive on others, verbally impulsive, more anger, more directive of others, less cooperative (wanting things done own way), reduced empathy, etc resulting in conflicts and often rejection by peers of the ADHD child.
Teens:
* 40% of ADHD kids are parents as teens
* 60% of ADHD girls get pregnant in high school
* 40% don't graduate
* 40% fail/repeat at least 1 class in school
* only 5-10% finish college as compared to 35% of non-ADHD students
* 5x more likely to attempt suicide if they think about suicide (less likely to talk self out of the thoughts as are more impulsive).
* much higher risk of car accidents (he even went so far as to suggest not letting 16 year old ADHD teens drive until more maturity is developed. I am ALL about agreeing to that lol!)
*As adults: family stress, strained friendships, more limited educational success, legal difficulties (if engage in criminal behavior), excessive smoking/drinking/caffeine, accidents, job problems, financial problems (impulsive spending), problems in own marriage/parenting, and unhealthy lifestyles, increased risk of heart disease. 3x more likely to die by 45 years old.
Drug use (top 3 that are abused):
1st: nicotine. The nicotine, oddly enough, will "treat" the ADHD as it is a stimulate, and thus unfortunately many people with ADHD symptoms use it to self-medicate
2nd: alcohol
3rd: marijuana these are used not to self-medicate as it will actually make the symptoms worse. However, people with ADHD often use them to help "forget" their problems
My next post on ADHD will be on Dr. Barkley's theory of ADHD, what he says the foundational issues are, and what he says Executive Functioning is that is most impaired in people with ADHD.
Sunday, October 7, 2012
Reflections on the Ladies Retreat
Last weekend I attended the BOLD Conference and was deeply moved by Dr. Al Mohler and Tim Holland's deep understanding of theology and doctrine. It was a very meaty conference and I have been thinking of it often this week. All of the messages are free online at this link if you are interested in listening. It was a pastors conference (I'm not a pastor, but was blessed to be able to go!)
This weekend was the Ladies Retreat. The content was very different, but content that I am reflecting on none-the-less. We watched Elyse Fitzpatrick DVD's that spoke on keeping the gospel central. I have read several books by CJ Mahaney (such as Living the Cross Centered Life and Humility) as well as by Tim Keller that speak to this primary concept. I have been striving to apply the concept of "preaching the gospel to myself daily" for the past several years. I seem to do a better job of encouraging others to do it than I do myself:)
During the wrap up session I shared a bit about how I have been applying this concept over the years. I think I did a poor job of it. It seems I am a better communicator one on one or in writing:) Anyway, what I wanted to communicate but did not do a good job of was how God has been stripping away my prideful areas via different routes over the past 6 years more poignantly than prior to that. We had dear, dear friends who moved away the same month that Grace came and this journey of parenting a lot of kids, and difficult kids began (I believe that parenting has humbled me more than anything else to date! Talk about learning that I have absolutely NO control over ANYTHING!! and that I have no rights to anything...like sleep, food, clean clothes, time alone in the bathroom, thinking a complete thought before an interruption, taking my next breath...etc). These friends had been our mentors since we had come to know the Lord and were probably the most like-mined/like-passioned. It was devastating to me for them to go. However, God revealed to me during that time that I had made that relationship into an idol. I sought my friend before I sought the Lord. I used her as His mouth piece rather than sharpen my skills in listening to His still, small voice and developing a mature understanding of the scripture. God, of course, did a GOOD thing by having her move so that I could draw nearer to Him.
Through the course of various experiences God has shown us our path and we have learned to seek and listen to Him first. We continued our path of adoption and stood in awe at how He opened doors and brought our 4 youngest children to us (I am also in awe that he allowed us to have our 1st 2 kids so easily - I think he really wanted to lull us into a false sense of control before He revealed Himself...just to make sure the point really stuck lol!). We have been so moved by our church family in supporting us. We know that we are loved by them. They rallied behind us when we were adopting from Liberia and prayed and supported us. When the Lord closed that door without us bringing those 4 children home they continued to support us (Superman and Faith came at that time). Our church family completely and totally welcomed Superman and Faith, loving on them and making them feel safe and included. When we felt led to adopt again we did not feel it necessary to tell a lot of people. We did not want to get people excited for something that may not happen (we learned our lesson with Liberia!!!). We did tell our elders and they were very supportive. When we got the call that JJ would be joining our family in a matter of days, we had an outpouring of support and love. I have heard so many very sad stories of churches that do not support/include adopted children. We are very aware of how blessed we are to be in this church family.
Yet, there are times during the past 6 years that we have felt loved...but lonely. Times when people are excited for us as a family but not really sure how to love "us." People may think us a bit odd as a home schooling family of 8 with 4 adopted kids but no one in our church family has ever said anything negative about it (at least to our faces lol!) There have been times that people may not take the time to "really" ask us about "how" things are going. However, we have strove to take this to the Cross and remember that Jesus always cares "how" things are going. He is always listening. He always has time for us. The reality is that we have not been able to put a whole lot of energy into relationships during this season of life so why do I think that if I am not cultivating something that there should be a "harvest" so to speak. Add to that that we do not do a good job at all of asking for help...what do we expect lol! He has been teaching us that He is enough. He is our best friend. He is all we need. He knows what and when we need it. He is our Provider. He is Sovereign. He is powerful enough to move mountains. My friend who left is consistently pointing me back to the Cross saying "He is our audience of One" and "this is not our home."
One thing about our church family that I appreciate the most are the people who pray for us. Who are we that we should be blessed to have others think of us to stand in the gap with our Heavenly Father? I remember the first time a prayer warrior from our church said, "I pray for you by name every morning." I started crying right there! I know that our family has people who intercede for us and we never even know it. We are so blessed to have a God who loves us enough to die on a cross for every one of our specific sins so that He would not have to spend an eternity without us with him! Just as a bonus he threw in a wonderful church family who loves us patiently through this season of life as God strips our sin from us while we attempt to live faithfully for Him.
So, as you can tell if you follow my blog, I need LOTS of words to communicate what I mean, and lots of time to type and rethink if I have accurately communicated my heart. I attempted to say something off the cuff with as few words as I could limit myself to and don't think I did it well. I need to learn to just keep my mouth quiet and wait for time to type it out lol!
This weekend was the Ladies Retreat. The content was very different, but content that I am reflecting on none-the-less. We watched Elyse Fitzpatrick DVD's that spoke on keeping the gospel central. I have read several books by CJ Mahaney (such as Living the Cross Centered Life and Humility) as well as by Tim Keller that speak to this primary concept. I have been striving to apply the concept of "preaching the gospel to myself daily" for the past several years. I seem to do a better job of encouraging others to do it than I do myself:)
During the wrap up session I shared a bit about how I have been applying this concept over the years. I think I did a poor job of it. It seems I am a better communicator one on one or in writing:) Anyway, what I wanted to communicate but did not do a good job of was how God has been stripping away my prideful areas via different routes over the past 6 years more poignantly than prior to that. We had dear, dear friends who moved away the same month that Grace came and this journey of parenting a lot of kids, and difficult kids began (I believe that parenting has humbled me more than anything else to date! Talk about learning that I have absolutely NO control over ANYTHING!! and that I have no rights to anything...like sleep, food, clean clothes, time alone in the bathroom, thinking a complete thought before an interruption, taking my next breath...etc). These friends had been our mentors since we had come to know the Lord and were probably the most like-mined/like-passioned. It was devastating to me for them to go. However, God revealed to me during that time that I had made that relationship into an idol. I sought my friend before I sought the Lord. I used her as His mouth piece rather than sharpen my skills in listening to His still, small voice and developing a mature understanding of the scripture. God, of course, did a GOOD thing by having her move so that I could draw nearer to Him.
Through the course of various experiences God has shown us our path and we have learned to seek and listen to Him first. We continued our path of adoption and stood in awe at how He opened doors and brought our 4 youngest children to us (I am also in awe that he allowed us to have our 1st 2 kids so easily - I think he really wanted to lull us into a false sense of control before He revealed Himself...just to make sure the point really stuck lol!). We have been so moved by our church family in supporting us. We know that we are loved by them. They rallied behind us when we were adopting from Liberia and prayed and supported us. When the Lord closed that door without us bringing those 4 children home they continued to support us (Superman and Faith came at that time). Our church family completely and totally welcomed Superman and Faith, loving on them and making them feel safe and included. When we felt led to adopt again we did not feel it necessary to tell a lot of people. We did not want to get people excited for something that may not happen (we learned our lesson with Liberia!!!). We did tell our elders and they were very supportive. When we got the call that JJ would be joining our family in a matter of days, we had an outpouring of support and love. I have heard so many very sad stories of churches that do not support/include adopted children. We are very aware of how blessed we are to be in this church family.
Yet, there are times during the past 6 years that we have felt loved...but lonely. Times when people are excited for us as a family but not really sure how to love "us." People may think us a bit odd as a home schooling family of 8 with 4 adopted kids but no one in our church family has ever said anything negative about it (at least to our faces lol!) There have been times that people may not take the time to "really" ask us about "how" things are going. However, we have strove to take this to the Cross and remember that Jesus always cares "how" things are going. He is always listening. He always has time for us. The reality is that we have not been able to put a whole lot of energy into relationships during this season of life so why do I think that if I am not cultivating something that there should be a "harvest" so to speak. Add to that that we do not do a good job at all of asking for help...what do we expect lol! He has been teaching us that He is enough. He is our best friend. He is all we need. He knows what and when we need it. He is our Provider. He is Sovereign. He is powerful enough to move mountains. My friend who left is consistently pointing me back to the Cross saying "He is our audience of One" and "this is not our home."
One thing about our church family that I appreciate the most are the people who pray for us. Who are we that we should be blessed to have others think of us to stand in the gap with our Heavenly Father? I remember the first time a prayer warrior from our church said, "I pray for you by name every morning." I started crying right there! I know that our family has people who intercede for us and we never even know it. We are so blessed to have a God who loves us enough to die on a cross for every one of our specific sins so that He would not have to spend an eternity without us with him! Just as a bonus he threw in a wonderful church family who loves us patiently through this season of life as God strips our sin from us while we attempt to live faithfully for Him.
So, as you can tell if you follow my blog, I need LOTS of words to communicate what I mean, and lots of time to type and rethink if I have accurately communicated my heart. I attempted to say something off the cuff with as few words as I could limit myself to and don't think I did it well. I need to learn to just keep my mouth quiet and wait for time to type it out lol!
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