Been awhile since the last post. I can give many reasons. Hard drive crash. Personal sickness. Sickness in family. ect. But reasons are just excuses. One excuse is good as another and none of them are worth the effort it takes to express them. I have been properly flagellated and spanked. Having admitted that and asked for forgiveness it is time to move on.

I’ve heard several pastors ponder whether or not to baptize an individual with special needs or mentally challenged. Most have had problems with the idea stating that the individual was not aware of what was going on or why. My reply has been, “How do you know that?” This question has been met with frowns or other facial expressions of deep thought. I continue to say that these individuals may actually be aware  more so than is thought possible. When these pastors ask how this can be my reply is, “Just because an individual cannot express their thought in a way that we can readily recognize does not obliterate the possibility that they are aware.” I gather further looks of questioning when I tell them that possibly it is their lack of understanding and awareness that these individuals should be baptized.

Let me tell you about Megan’s baptism. We were in church one day and the service had wound into the altar call. Megan pulled on my sleeve and said, “Dad, I need to talk to that man.” I asked her why and she merely repeated the statement. “Dad, I need to talk to that man.” Well who was I to tell her that she could not talk to the pastor during altar call. Afterall, she was autistic and only twelve years old. When we got to the pastor the pastor turned to Megan and asked her, “Megan, do you want Jesus to come into your heart?” To which Megan replied rather matter of  factly, “No, I know Him.” The Pastor looked at me and then back to Megan. “Megan,” he asked again, “Do you want Jesus to come into your heart?” Now Megan became frustrated with this line of questioning. “No!” Megan was almost shouting now. “I told you I already know HIM!” The Holy Spirit revealed it to me in a split second. “Pastor,” I said, “She is trying to tell you that Jesus does not have to come into her heart. He has always been there and it is only now that she is able to express it.” The depth of this concept shook the man of God who had preached his entire adult life (over forty years) to the point that he was visibly shaken. “My God,” he exclaimed, “Lonnie I’m sorry I didn’t realize.” He then turned to the congregation and told them that we were going to have baptism the following Sunday. “No!” Megan exclaimed. “Tonight!” The pastor tried to explain that baptism usually took place the following Sunday but Megan stood her ground. “Nope, Tonight!” The pastor turned with a smile to the crowd and announced that we were having baptism that night.

Megan stepped into the baptismal pool that night and the pastor immersed her in believer’s baptism. However, he failed to pinch her nose well enough to prevent water from getting into her nasal passages and Megan came up spitting and sputtering. It was then that she announced to the church that the pastor had attempted to drown her! Hey, who said that God has no sense of humor. But it was at this time that things began to get serious.

The next day, Megan told us that there were three men in black robes in her room but they had left. This sent a chill through my core. “What did they want?” I asked. “I don’t know Dad.” Megan seemed very non-chalant and unconcerned about this. “I don’t like them though. They are not good people.”

I told Megan that if these men in black robes came back to ask who sent them. If Jesus sent them they could stay but if the “devil” sent them for her to tell them that Jesus said they had to leave. She agreed, still not very concerned.

The next day Megan announced that the three men in black robes had returned and she had told them that Jesus said they could not stay. “And Daddy, there are three angels in my room.” I dropped the book I was reading. Megan stood there before with a perplexed look on her face. “But Dad, all three angels are men.” It was apparent that she was confused because all the pictures and depictions of angels she had seen had been feminine.

“It’s okay sweetheart,” I said, “there are men angels too.” Megan studied over this for a moment and seemed to accept it. “Oh. Okay.” She replied. “But dad the big one at the foot of my bed, he has a beard and he told me that his name was THOMAS.” By this time I was officially weeping and crying big crocodile tears. Megan to this day does not know who Thomas was. She didn’t just pull that name out of a hat. I have no doubt that Satan’s crew had shown up thinking to snatch a simple minded child and she merely turned them away with the name of Jesus. I have no doubt that God sent Thomas and two other angels to watch over Megan, indeed, my household. Megan never exhibited any fear or doubt.

Now pastors you can say that I’m making it all up. You can say that Megan made it all up. I say God used my daughter as a tool to teach me a valuable lesson. I believe that Megan is much more “aware” than you or I who supposedly have awareness. According to the knowledge and wisdom of man I would never have expected it. But by the grace and power of God I do not doubt it. So I ask again, “Since most, if not all, are unable to express themselves in a manner that we would recognize, who are we to say that they are “unaware”.

Now about my statement earlier in regards to a special needs individual not being aware should be baptized. Were Adam and Eve aware of the knowledge of good and evil before Adam ate forbidden fruit? Were they aware that they were naked? No. It was in their “unaware” state that all was well and good. It was when they became “aware” that their problems actually began. Just something to chew on.

Don’t grieve the Holy Spirit. Don’t miss the blessing. Baptize them!

God Bless!
Lonnie Richardson

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