Last night I had the opportunity to sit in on the College Ministry services for my church. As is the case with all of the younger crowd ministries in our church, it is very different than our regular services. I personally prefer the High School ministry with all of their high energy, and spirit of life. It's just a different world. High School looks at the future as a long bridge they are about to set foot on with excitement of the unknown and you have to prepare them for their long journey. (make sure they packed underwear and socks for the trip) The College students on the other hand have been on that bridge for a while and because they can't see either end of the bridge they question whether they are currently travelling in the right direction. You have to occaisionally reenforce their will to continue the journey. (sort of like making sure they keep the underwear and socks clean) Both require very different leadership skills and from what I can see they are both doing awesome things for themselves and for the world around them, I am proud to be a part of it.
Now, the reason I went to the College service was to listen to the guest speaker DJ Svoboda. DJ is 25 years old and was diagnosed with Autisim at the age of 3. He is a well known artist in the area and in my eyes a great example of how we should all be in our own lives and in our lives with others. He speaks very clearly to the heart of the issue. Whether you have a disability or not, you are loved by God, and you always will be. You matter to the world, to the people around you and everything you do is important. You are capable of becoming anything you set out to be, with faith in God ANYTHING is possible. Did I mention, DJ created a world where anything imagined is possible? (imagifriends link below) Through his art and his expieriences he has created a world without pain, fear, doubt, worry and hate. All of which you and I struggle with every day. The world DJ created shines through our world like a beacon of hope. With his webpage selling his art work, his public speaking and his newly founded non profit organization he is leading the way to stomp out all of the ugliness he and millions of others in the world have expierienced because they were different. "Take all of that negativity and SPLAT! throw it against the wall..." Not too Shabby for a 25 year old with a disability. Makes me question my lifes plan quite a bit nowadays.
I knew the first time I met DJ there was something amazing about him... Well.... maybe not immediately, but once we started talking.
I met DJ about 5 years ago. I was the maintenance supervisor for an apartment complex here in NC. One day I recieved an urgent call from the apartment manager to go take care of a leaking dishwasher in one of our upstairs apartments. I had not been with the property very long but I was aware that this was a resident that rarely ever had any issues and if they were calling it must be serious. Upon knocking on the door and announcing who I was, I heard a cheerful voice shout, "One moment, I will be right there!" The door opened and I was greeted with a very large smile attached to a young man holding a mop. I introduced myself and was greeted very politely, "I am very pleased to meet you Tom, how are you today, I am DJ, won't you come in?" Now don't get me wrong, I did see the mop, but I have made it a point to never jump to conclusions and to fully assess the problem before panicking. He may have been taking the mop to the closet to put it away and answered the door on the way, right? Wrong..... but hey it was worth a shot. When I stepped in and looked toward the kitchen I saw nothing but bubbles about a foot deep, slowly creeping out of the kitchen toward the living room. With eyebrows raised (I'm sure) I said, "If you could turn off the dish washer, I will be right back." I returned with a shop vac and we both got to work on the suds. I soon figured out the problem was a result of product labeling, the dish soap for "hand washing" was almost identical to that of the "dishwasher" soap. No water damage, just a neverending supply of suds. It was awesome!
The more I spoke with DJ the more he showed the caliber of person he was. He showed me his art work and told me about his newly formed webpage and the work he is doing to make people aware of autism and love and life. I was drawn in by the cadence of his voice and his eternal smile. He will always be an inspiration to me and I am glad to have met him.
If you live in my area and would like to meet him all you have to do is come to Church on sunday morning, he will meet you at the front door with the biggest smile you have ever seen and the best handshake you will ever get. If you can't make it here to meet him please check out his web site. http://www.myimagiville.com/ Keep Smiling!
