Comments on: Remembering The Stutterer

By: Wrong Words

Wrong Words — Sat, 06 Jan 2007 21:57:46 +0000

freedom in the fellowship of stutterers…

A couple of days ago I spotted a link to a blog post titled Remembering The Stutterer. I followed the link to a blog hosted by someone who stutters and blogged about it. I was deeply interested because I, too, have been a stutterer. It felt freeing to …

By: aljohnson

aljohnson — Fri, 05 Jan 2007 22:20:11 +0000

Michael, I found your post via a link on the Between Two Worlds blog. I found your post and the comments to it freeing. I, too, have been a stutterer. When I was in fourth grade and we had to take turns reading aloud, when my turn came I could not get a single sound out of my mouth. Over time, like you, I have progressed. My work requires that I often speak before churches, so when I stutter or get a panic attack it is difficult for me. But before I speak, I’ve been trying to put the matter in God’s hands. He’s been helping me understand that he wants to show his strength through my weaknesses as Paul spoke about. I also found help from a caring Christian psychiatrist who assured me that it was not a lack of faith for me to take some mild medication before public speaking. So I sometimes do and God works through that also. He likes to get the glory and I am growing in wanting that for him.

By: SusanF

SusanF — Fri, 05 Jan 2007 16:19:28 +0000

Dear iMonk, (I like that handle so much that I can’t bring myself to use “Michael”),
The sunshine of my life, who is 4 and mildly autistic, suddenly developed a stutter last month. For a developmentally delayed child, my son acquired beautiful language skills within the last year. So I’ve been crushed about the onset of stuttering. Does he need another frustrating challenge in his life???
Thank you for easing my mind and heart, a bit.
SusanF

By: Alex Chediak

Alex Chediak — Fri, 05 Jan 2007 04:16:49 +0000

I am now able to comment, Michael. Thanks for your help. This was a great post. As one who in God’s wisdom has had to deal with this issue, I appreciated your kind words.

By: ksprecks

ksprecks — Thu, 04 Jan 2007 17:20:40 +0000

Michael,

I am glad I ran into this post. I’ve suffered with panic anxiety since I was 18. In high school, I would sweat so bad that I would excuse myself to the bathroom from class and try to collect myself. Then full blown panic attacks ensued in college. Only after two years of intensive medical testing did I realize I had what runs in my family: panic anxiety.

I am now pursuing God’s call in my life in seminary, hoping to become a pastor or professor. In any case, I feel led to pursue teaching up front, where my panic will undoubetly surface. I now see my struggle as insurance that I will give glory to God for his help to me and for any fruit he works in my ministry. But at times, I wish I could figure the disease out, eradicating it from my life with perscription drugs or intense workouts or soul-searching therapy. To date, God has chosen to leave this thorn, so I am left to trust God’s word, a place I should be, clinging to “his power made perfect in weakness.”

Thanks for sharing your story of stuttering. I am encouraged to know of other brothers experiencing parallel suffering to my own.

By: beerhallrevival

beerhallrevival — Thu, 04 Jan 2007 17:06:54 +0000

Monk…

I really apreciate your essays, and how they touch on the human-ness of our lives. I am continually delighted to find that in my brokeness, God’s grace shines even brighter. It really is true, and it really is the Good News. Thanks again…

By: Debra

Debra — Thu, 04 Jan 2007 02:58:26 +0000

I have a son who struggles with dyspraxia-basically he has a hard time getting his mouth and tongue to move properly to produce the correct sounds of speech. He’s like a person having difficulty pronouncing the words of a foreign language without an accent–only his problem is with his native tongue! He’s only 9 now but I’ve mentioned Paul’s thorn in the flesh to him in discussing his challenge. And I also pointed out that Moses said that he was ’slow of speech’. Maybe Moses was a stutterer or someone, like my son, who had to speak slowly in order to properly enunciate and correctly pronounce his words.

James Earl Jones, an actor noted for his wonderful voice, stuttered so badly that he was functionally mute for several years. He credits a high school teacher who discovered his writing talent for helping him out of his silence. He had him recite a poem every day in class.

Stories, like these, and yours, of people with speech difficulties going on to excel in speaking professions are amazing and really encouraging to young people still struggling with these challenges.

By: Bill Kinnon

Bill Kinnon — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 21:01:33 +0000

Michael,
Great post, as seems to be the norm around here.

I’m thankful for a Grade 9 home room teacher, Bill Hawkins, who got me into drama so he could teach me to slow my speaking down to a comprehensible speed. When I’m nervous I still speed and stumble. In fact, the first time I preached (in the late ’80’s) I delivered a planned 22 minute sermon in 13 minutes.

I’m also thankful for a community of believers who accept me, as flawed as I am, and for the grace and goodness of God.