Our Children's Pastor, Craig, and his wife Samantha have a son named Connor. He's a very handsome, fun, loving little boy who was diagnosed with autism. He is five years old, and he's never spoken a full paragraph. He really doesn't even speak in complete sentences. He'll speak some phrases here and there, maybe two, three, or four words, but nothing much more than that. Day after day, Craig and Samantha just keep speaking faith into little Connor, telling him that he is more than a conqueror, that he can do all things through Christ. Every night at bedtime, Craig or Samantha will sit down and read two or three books with Connor; then they'll pray together and go to bed. The other night, just as Samantha was about to turn off the light in Connor's room, she heard him start speaking. He went on and on and on so clearly, so fluently. She ran and got the video camera and captured the first real paragraph that Conner had ever spoken. Here's what he was saying:
What was that? That was the God of breakthrough visiting their home! You see, Craig and Samantha take the DVDs from my messages home, and little Connor loves to sit and watch them. They said that normally when he's watching cartoons, he'll only watch for five or ten minutes. But he'll sit there all throughout the day and watch my whole 30-minute messages. I told Craig later, "When a five year old chooses me over Barney, I know I have favor!" But I love the fact that God gave them something to talk about. They were so excited about what happened, they tell everybody what God has done. Even though little Connor still doesn't speak perfectly clear yet, they know he is well on his way because what God started, He will finish! He is still in the miracle-working business today! Just this March we opened the Champion's Club at Lakewood Church, a center designed for special needs children while their parents are attending services. Some of the features in the Champion's Club include a sensory room, fitness equipment, obstacle course, and many other physical, sensory and spiritual learning tools. Craig and our children's ministry team have done an amazing job and have also set up a support group for parents of children with autism and other special needs called "Healing from the Inside Out.&" As a ministry, our goal is to help every person discover that they are a champion through Jesus Christ! Thank you for joining with us to see this goal become reality!