{"id":1956,"date":"2011-10-24T01:00:17","date_gmt":"2011-10-24T05:00:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/simplelife\/?p=1956"},"modified":"2011-10-25T05:48:53","modified_gmt":"2011-10-25T09:48:53","slug":"the-she-gets-it-factor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/simplelife\/2011\/10\/the-she-gets-it-factor.html","title":{"rendered":"The “she gets it” factor"},"content":{"rendered":"

This weekend I had the honor of teaching a group of wonderful volunteers who minister to the mentally challenged community. \u00a0They put in thousands of \u00a0hours each year.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Our teachers and volunteers instruct, transport and love the members of \u00a0The Special Gathering, which is a ministry within the intellectually disabled community. \u00a0Our mission is aggressively and unapologeticly \u00a0evangelistic and focused on discipleship within the community we serve. \u00a0However, we could not do what we do without our many volunteers.<\/p>\n

Occasionally, when we are looking for people to hire and become staff members, there is one volunteer who stands out from the rest. \u00a0Dorothy Anne was one of those. \u00a0As I was looking for a supervisor for one of our programs, our executive director came to me. \u00a0“Have you considered Dorothy Ann?” he asked. \u00a0“You know, I’ve been watching her for years. \u00a0She gets it. \u00a0She understand what we do.”<\/p>\n

This weekend as I was studying to teach, the She Gets It Factor came to mind. \u00a0While I had instinctively known what our exec was saying, the She Gets It Factor was an abstract principle. \u00a0To teach, I needed to take it from the gut feeling and intuitive<\/em> arena and pull it into the cognitive part of my brain.<\/p>\n

For Special Gathering, the She Gets It Factor falls into two areas. \u00a0First, there is the spiritual aspect of ministry. \u00a0We believe that people who are intellectually disabled need to hear the gospel on an intellectual level that they can comprehend. \u00a0This principle is in our DNA. \u00a0You cannot divide that from who we are. \u00a0Most of our members cannot and do not understand the theological implications wrapped around the arguments that divide the church bodies into different denominations. \u00a0Yet, we believe that understanding the fundamental claims of Christ are essential. \u00a0That is what we teach.<\/p>\n

Second, supervision, health and safety are issues that most ministries do not have to be concerned. \u00a0Of course, our members are adults. \u00a0Nevertheless, their thinking processes reside somewhere on a fourth or fifth grade level. \u00a0Their social interactions are junior high. \u00a0Most of our members don’t drive. \u00a0They must be transported to and from our chapel programs and most of our activities.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Additionally, nearly all of our members have some physical or medical limitations. \u00a0Each week, we transport between 200 to 250 people. \u00a0This means 400 to 500 trips because we pick them up and take them home. \u00a0Both their medical limits and the transportation issues add to our responsibility. \u00a0Our philosophy is that we pay people to be responsible<\/strong> for the day to day operations of the ministry. \u00a0Safety is an important part of our culture.<\/p>\n

The She Gets It Factor for us means that a person understands not only our mission but our culture.<\/p>\n

Yet, as I thought and prayed about the She Gets it Factor, I was amazed at how many areas of life this principle applies. \u00a0Each church has its own cultural bent. \u00a0Understanding the unique culture of a business enterprise often becomes more important than understanding the tasks you are to perform. \u00a0Additionally, all families operate on the She Gets It Factor.<\/p>\n

Whether the family structure is small or large, there is a pulsing, alive organizational plan where every successful family member abides. \u00a0As an example, some families are dysfunctional and work within the framework of unhealthy interdependence. \u00a0When a family member begins to grow beyond the dysfunction, they will either change the culture of the family or they will be forced out of the family.<\/p>\n

Several years ago after a marital crisis, Mark turned his life over to Christ at a different level. \u00a0He had accepted the Lord as a young man but God began to work on his heart. \u00a0Suddenly, he and his wife wanted to put Christ first in their entire lives. \u00a0Church-as-usual was not an option for them. \u00a0They wanted to know Jesus in an intimate relationship. This set off problems in every area of their lives. \u00a0Why? \u00a0 Family members, church members or the business culture where they work no longer coincide with their core beliefs. \u00a0Conflicts and uncomfortable feelings develop. \u00a0S\/He no longer gets it.<\/p>\n

Fortunately, their family slowly saw new joy and peace in their lives. \u00a0One by one their family’s members experienced a reality and vitality they had not known. \u00a0They wanted what Mark and his wife had found. \u00a0Inch by inch, their family culture changed because of his influence.<\/p>\n

After working several years within their church structure, Mark was approached by the leadership. \u00a0These men and women lovingly suggested that they find a place of worship that better fit their newfound zeal. \u00a0The leadership even suggested a congregation that they felt would better fit Mark and his wife’s total commitment outlook.<\/p>\n

The She Gets It Factor moves and releases us. \u00a0Every person has experienced the positive and negative effects of this factor in our lives. \u00a0Too many times, it happens without any analysis or cognitive reasoning. \u00a0When we are merely following gut reactions, our impulses develop into hurt feelings and loss of friendships. \u00a0Understanding the She Gets It Factor helps us to move freely without the uncomfortableness of anger or dissatisfaction.<\/p>\n

When was the last time that you realized that you moved into a different cultural setting and without being told you understood that You Got It? \u00a0When was the time that your cultural gages changed and you needed to make a change?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This weekend I had the honor of teaching a group of wonderful volunteers who minister to the mentally challenged community. \u00a0They put in thousands of \u00a0hours each year. Our teachers and volunteers instruct, transport and love the members of \u00a0The Special Gathering, which is a ministry within the intellectually disabled community. \u00a0Our mission is aggressively…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":387,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,5,20,287,186,49,16,8,4,41],"tags":[690,21,688,7,726,715,701,694,689,6],"class_list":["post-1956","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-autism-spectrum","category-christianity","category-church","category-faiths","category-hope","category-inspiration","category-intellectual-disability","category-mentally-challenged-community","category-simple-truths","category-spirituality","tag-autism-spectrum","tag-christian","tag-christianity","tag-developmental-disabilities-2","tag-faiths","tag-hope","tag-inspiration","tag-intellectual-disability","tag-mentally-challenged-community","tag-simple-scriptural-truths"],"yoast_head":"\nThe "she gets it" factor - A Simple Life, a Childlike Faith<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/simplelife\/2011\/10\/the-she-gets-it-factor.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The "she gets it" factor - A Simple Life, a Childlike Faith\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"This weekend I had the honor of teaching a group of wonderful volunteers who minister to the mentally challenged community. \u00a0They put in thousands of \u00a0hours each year. 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