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Same Lake, Different Boat: Coming Alongside People Touched by Disability Paperback – January 3, 2020
Purchase options and add-ons
- Print length288 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherP&R Publishing
- Publication dateJanuary 3, 2020
- Dimensions5.4 x 0.8 x 8.4 inches
- ISBN-101629956910
- ISBN-13978-1629956916
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From the Publisher
Table of Contents
- PART 1: FOUNDATIONS
- On Truth; On Identification; On Respect; On Relentlessness; On Restoration
- PART 2: FAMILIES
- On Change; On Acceptance; On Normalcy; On Discipleship
- PART 3: FACILITATION IN THE CHURCH
- On Hospitality; On Belonging; On Wisdom; On Transformation
- PART 4: FURTHER THOUGHTS
- On Clarification; On Idols
In a fallen world, we all experience brokenness. In our humanity, we all experience limited ability.
We're in the same lake, sharing a common story—but because our experiences differ from person to person, we're not in the same boat.
When it comes to people with disability, however, we often act like we're in different lakes. Disability can seem frightening, abnormal—or even irrelevant to those who do not experience it.
But Stephanie Hubach argues that there is a better way to think of disability, a better way to understand the challenges facing those touched by disability, and a better way to understand the role of the church in the lives of people with differing abilities.
This revised and updated edition includes new chapters on growing in grace and journeying into maturity.
Editorial Reviews
Review
The new chapters in Steph Hubach's updated Same Lake, Different Boat are worth the price of the book. She combines a deep understanding of the world of disabilities and disability thinking with a rich Biblical perspective that brings fresh insights to the church's (and our) struggle to include people with disabilities. And the stories of her son Tim area always delightful. -- Paul Miller, Author, A Praying Life
“Hubach has both lived and studied the experience of disability. The challenges she describes are real and hard. The successes are real and beautiful. Deep reflections on these experiences are informed by a vibrant understanding of the Bible. “Principles for ministry are laid out in a clear, replicable manner. Frustrations sometimes faced in ministry development are discussed head-on with suggestions for wise responses to continue to move any church forward in loving all its neighbors. “Hubach emphasizes the importance of relationships over programs. She states, ‘It’s all different, but it’s all the same.’ She leads us to a commonality in understanding how people with disabilities are more similar to than different from others. This is not only foundational for families to understand. It should be the starting point in the invitation to respect based relationships and the development of ministry. “This book has become a classic for families and ministries. As a starting point, I would endeavor to put it into the hands of parents, family members, and pastors. As you understand what she shares, you understand a great deal about God’s plan for the church and people, particularly those affected by disability.” -- Jeff McNair, Professor of Education, Director of Masters in Disability Studies, Director of Education Specialist Studies (Moderate/Severe Disabilities), California Baptist University; Senior Editor, Journal of the Christian Institute on Disability
“Believing and belonging―these two themes run rich throughout Stephanie Hubach’s compelling book. She reminds us of God’s clear call to become communities of belonging for individuals with disabilities and their families. And she equips us with the perspectives and practices needed to move in this direction.” -- Erik Carter, Cornelius Vanderbilt Professor of Special Education, Vanderbilt Kennedy Center
Same Lake Different Boat has become a classic in Disability Ministry literature. It is one of the core textbooks in the disability ministry courses I teach at Moody Bible Institute. In this new edition, Hubach makes key distinctions between inclusion and belonging and brings fresh insights to the neurodiversity conversation. She clarifies her understanding of the functional and social aspects of disability and articulates a model of belonging in the church that is gospel-centered and leads to the flourishing of all people. This book will transform your church and equip you to welcome people with disabilities and their families into the life and mission of the church. -- Dawn Clark, Instructor in Disability Ministry, Moody Bible Institute
This book encourages, inspires, and teaches us how to be so much more welcoming to all, especially those with disabilities. Stephanie’s humor, delightfully storytelling of her experiences, and theological insights combine to correct us and to strengthen us to action. She does not make light of the great challenges and pain for families caring for those with special needs, but gives us a path to provide real help, and hope. This update includes important discussion of popular disability advocacy culture and how we can respond with both affirmations of grace and firm biblical challenges, while caring for the very real pain and injustice in both the social and functional aspects of having a disability. -- Tasha Chapman, Professor of Educational Ministries, Covenant Theological Seminary
Same Lake Different Boat is a disability ministry classic! My highlighters came out before finishing the introduction and were used heavily throughout the book. Stephanie Hubach tells her story, shares her unique and useful philosophy of ministry, skillfully exegetes Scriptures related to disability, builds a bridge between church and disability cultures, and gives a plan for how to minister to and with the families with disabilities that you know. And she does so in a very relatable readable style with plenty of humor. This book is for the pastors, church leaders, disability advocates, students, people in the pew, and people with disabilities and their families. -- Jerry Borton, Cofounder, Luke 14 Exchange, Inc.
As a father of a son on what is now known as the autism spectrum, I share the otherworldly experience of hearing “through a funnel in another place” (pg 19) when my wife told me that our son failed every developmental test with flying colors. No wonder he would look puzzled at a ball instead of rolling it back to me? This book captures the pain of the experience, but it sets the experience in biblical realism and does so over against current cultural attitudes and ideologies. It lifts the eyes of both parent and child above the despair to see the true dignity of their personhood reflected in the image of God. It makes plain that they have a place and purpose in an abnormal world rather than being just victims and/or burdens in a normal world. They are like us, but on a different place on the continuum of human life. I particularly appreciate how the author engages the ideas of the disability industry that ultimately paint special needs children and adults into the corner of victimhood or else gives false hopes that every disabled child can become the exceptional person (“Rain Man”). She demonstrates their inherent dignity without having to pretend the burden of disability isn't there or can be erased. Finally, she treats justice issues comprehensively with compassion and truth without creating the unhelpful identity categories characteristic post-modern analysis. This book is not only a gift to the church it is also a gift to the world. Thank you, Steph! -- C. Stanley Morton, Senior Pastor, Crown & Joy Presbyterian Church (PCA), Richmond, Virginia
Stephanie Hubach has created a new gift for the Christian community as we think about forming and maintaining relationships with people of all abilities. This gift, the second edition of her book Same Lake, Different Boat, shines the light of Biblical truth on many of the conversations and current words and trends to give us a well-articulated place where Christians can plant their feet. This book will be an excellent resource for study in Christian communities eager to be a living, breathing picture of I Corinthians 12. -- Barbara J. Newman, Director of Church Services, All Belong; Author, Autism and Your Church
This book is exceptional. It is required reading for my students. Chapter 1 presents a biblical view of disability and is worth the price of the entire book. But information alone is insufficient for transformation. Chapters 2-13 bring you into virtual relationship with one family impacted by disability to help the informational become transformational. The new chapters 14 and 15 are treasure troves of contemporary reflections carrying deep biblical wisdom. I wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone who desires to think more biblically about disability, relate more lovingly to individuals impacted by disability, or just to fuel your pursuit of God and His purposes for your life more wholeheartedly. -- Thomas L. Boehm, Ann Haskins Assistant Professor of Special Education, Director of Ann Haskins Special Education Program, Director of Wheaton Center for Faith and Disability, Wheaton College
Delightfully engaging. Personal and poignant. Same Lake Different Boat is a must read for anyone that wants to make the church as God has designed it to be...beautiful. -- Emily Colson, Author, Dancing with Max
Just like its author, this revised and updated edition of Same Lake, Different Boat, is a gift to the Church at large. Recognizing that understanding is necessary for compassion, and presence is the prerequisite for meaningful response, Stephanie Hubach graciously opens up her own experience and in so doing, equips us to come alongside others touched by disability. Readers familiar with the first edition will be gladdened by the minor revisions and especially by the inclusion of additional chapters. New readers will find the author to be equal parts gentle guide and firm advocate and her content to be simultaneously rooted in biblical wisdom and judiciously informed by her work in disability studies. While not the last book that any of us should read on this important topic, Same Lake, Different Boat, is certainly a great first book and I am delighted to be able to recommend such a valuable yet accessible resource to all who desire the Church to be a welcoming place for people with disabilities and their families. -- Mark P. Ryan, Director of the Francis A. Schaeffer Institute, Adjunct Professor of Religion and Culture, Covenant Theological Seminary
In Same Lake, Different Boat Stephanie Hubach integrates the most current concepts about neurodiversity with timeless truth of Scripture in presenting God’s vision for doing life with those who think, talk and act differently than we do. Stephanie Hubach does a masterful job of integrating the “how” of disability ministry with the “why” in Same Lake, Different Boat. She inspires fellow Christians to recognize and embrace the gifts Christ has given to persons with disabilities for the benefit of the church. -- Stephen Grcevich, MD, President and Founder, Key Ministry
Imparting encouragement, the Apostle Paul stated that we "For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face." Sometimes, through suffering and/or disability, God allows greater clarity to those struggling to see through that dark glass. In this wonderful book, God uses Stephanie Hubach's journey - and even her tears - to provide a clearer view of His grace, mercy, and provision. -- Peter W. Rosenberger, Radio Host, Hope for the Caregiver; Author, 7 Caregiver Landmines and How You Can Avoid Them
Whether you are someone navigating the challenges of dealing with disability in your own family or someone who can’t imagine―and perhaps doesn’t want to have to imagine―the difficulties faced by families touched by disability, this book is for you. Steph Hubach comes alongside readers, disarming us with personal stories that range from hilarious to heartbreaking, and then gently challenging us to live graciously and generously as members of a body that includes those with disabilities. -- Nancy Guthrie, Author, Hearing Jesus Speak into Your Sorrow
This is a beautiful book. I loved reading it first time and I believe the two new chapters added at the end are worth the price of the book. Your cultural understanding, your theological depth and your biblical insight are profound and unusual in reflection on issues of disability. You face squarely the brokenness of the world and so are thoroughly realistic about the challenges of dealing with disability in one’s family and in one’s church and circle of friends. You see the pain and face it with clear eyes and a passionate commitment to serve. Fundamental is your recognition that all of us are marred reflections of God’s glory so that there is no qualitative difference between me and any other person, no matter how shattered their lives and how inadequate their ability to function in this world. At the same time you always affirm the glory of the person and their dignity as one made in God’s image and therefore insist that each person is given to bless others, to give as well as to receive. Your exposition of John 9 and the way Jesus related to the man born blind and how this compared to the reactions of others was masterful and wonderful. I am sure that every church needs to have this book so that people with any kind of disability are welcomed to serve and to be served. Thank you for writing such a lovely and such a needed book. -- Jerram Barrs, Professor of Christian Studies and Contemporary Culture, Covenant Theological Seminary; Senior Scholar-in-Residence, Francis Schaeffer Institute
As an adult living with autism who regularly advocates for others on the spectrum, I’m often asked about resources that will serve as a catalyst to increase understanding about disability in general and help promote disability ministry in particular. At the top of my recommended reading list is “Same Lake, Different Boat.” While great books abound, Stephanie Hubach has given us a work of inestimable value - one that contains a beautiful balance of theology and practice. This book is poignant in its description of how the effects of the fall have made disability a heart wrenching reality in our world; powerful in the way it continually points us to Jesus and the redeeming work He has done to mend the fall’s mess; and practical in the primordial nuts and bolts it provides to help God’s people learn to step into the stories of those enduring the unrelenting challenges of the deluge of disability. Written from the perspective of one who personally knows the need for these things, I can attest that Stephanie not only writes of them but also fleshes them out in friendship. Her book has made an impact on me in my own journey as a person living with disability, but even more so her life has made an impact on me. She practices what she preaches on these pages, and as one who has experienced the authentic amalgamation of her words and works first hand, I endorse this 2nd edition with great enthusiasm. May it be used mightily to make us better instruments of Christ’s mercy. -- Lori Sealy, Autism Advocate; Singer-Songwriter
About the Author
Product details
- Publisher : P&R Publishing; Revised, Updated edition (January 3, 2020)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 288 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1629956910
- ISBN-13 : 978-1629956916
- Item Weight : 14.4 ounces
- Dimensions : 5.4 x 0.8 x 8.4 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #159,778 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #612 in Christian Social Issues (Books)
- #3,046 in Christian Evangelism (Books)
- Customer Reviews:
About the author
Stephanie O. Hubach is a Research Fellow in Disability Ministries in affiliation with Covenant Theological Seminary. From 2007-2016 she served as the Founding Director of Mission to North America’s Special Needs Ministries (Presbyterian Church in America). She is also a founding member of the Lancaster Christian Council on Disability (LCCD). Steph is the author of "Parenting & Disabilities: Abiding in God’s Presence" (P&R Publishing, 2021), "Same Lake, Different Boat: Coming Alongside People Touched by Disability" (P&R Publishing, 2006, Revised & Expanded Edition 2020), and "All Things Possible: Calling Your Church Leadership to Disability Ministry" (Joni and Friends, 2007). She has been published in ByFaith magazine, Focus on the Family magazine, and Breakpoint online magazine and produced a Christian Education DVD series based on "Same Lake, Different Boat." Steph and her husband have two deeply loved sons, the younger of whom has Down syndrome. For further information on her work, go to www.stephaniehubach.com.
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- Reviewed in the United States on October 25, 2022This book challenges a culture in which individuals and families often struggle alone to meet the challenges of disability. It issues a challenge to the church to be the Body of Christ in which everyone belongs to the body and has a function. The writing is personal and meaningful. You should read this book if you know someone with a disability or a family with a disabled (or differently abled) family member to understand what is helpful, not helpful, hurtful, and uplifting. Written by someone who knows personally.
- Reviewed in the United States on February 5, 2020Steph Hubach did a great job with this book. I have a brother with a disability and resonated with her stories of her sons, their interactions with each other and those outside of the family. Steph brings great Biblical insight and challenges the reader to see that every one of us, whether we have a disability or not, is an image-bearer of God. I have enjoyed this book and will continue recommending it to others.
- Reviewed in the United States on February 18, 2020This book gave me a great, god-centered view of people with disabilities, church programs with inclusion mindsets, and the role of disability in everyday interactions. The author approaches the subject with a clear focus on how God speaks about disability and how to effectively translate this example into our lives and our communities. If you’re looking for practical guidance, solid Biblical insight, and honest discussion about the complexities of disability, read this. Very well-written, informative, and insightful.
- Reviewed in the United States on July 24, 2023There is helpful information in this book, however, because it intermittently elicited distress for me as an Autistic with multiple other disabilities, it wasn’t good for my mental health to continue reading. I am sure the author has other helpful insights and conclusions as Joni and Friends is known for putting out compassionate resources. For example, I appreciated this from the summary of chapter two: “Would you be proud to identify with your “brother” or “sister” who is disabled? Then follow Jesus’s example - be intentional and go find them.”
Yes and amen!
Throughout the first three chapters I wrote in the margins, “It’s not that simple,” “There is more nuance here,” “It’s not that black and white,” “We shouldn’t be drawing hard lines here.”
This is common in resources from the perspective of non-disabled professionals and parents of children who have disabilities. Resources by Disabled adults will typically have more insight into the Disability experience as non-disabled people can only infer from their non-disabled perspective. No shade, it just makes sense that we’ll have more insight and nuance from first-hand lived experience.
The last straws for me were in chapter three. The subtitle for chapter three is Common Grace, Special Needs. Anyone who is listening to a variety of Disabled adults knows that the term special needs is packed, not preferred, and even carries a slew of traumatizing memories for those of us bullied by the term - especially those of us in grade school before zero tolerance was implemented in the early 2000’s. I was triggered. It wasn’t a deal breaker because I still expect to hear this term from parents, educators and some social workers but I just wasn’t prepared to see it in this book released in 2020. Then this sentence blew me out of the water:
“Each of us faces a complete barrier to participation in the kingdom of God due to the profoundly disabled condition of our hearts.” (page 49 in the revised and expanded edition)
I can see where she was trying to go with this but comparing disability to humanity's fallen nature is to link disability to sin. Disability itself is not sin. It is a God-ordained human circumstance (Ex. 4:11, Psalm 139, Is. 14:24, 45:7) made possible, in many cases, by the fall.
Human nature is not disabled. Human nature is depraved and rebellious (Ezekiel 16:47, Rom. 1:28, 3:12, 2 Peter 2:2). To call rebelliousness a disability is to contribute to the erasure of the Disability minority experience, minimize sin and either subtly or overtly demonize disability or condemn a person whose body/mind holds a disability. It is interesting that this statement would actually support what the author calls the Modernist View of disability (disability is abnormal in a normal world vs expected in an abnormal world, pg 26). On the other hand, for many of us, disability is permanent in this life. If we conflate disability and sin/depravity it could give the impression to some that sanctification is a pipe dream.
Disabled Christians already deal with the repeated trauma of Christians suggesting our disability remains due to some sin or lack of our own. This statement can unintentionally fan that misconception into flame.
For example, before I read this statement in the book, I had heard a ministry leader put it this way:
“Disability helps us remember that Christ has overcome the profoundly disabled condition of our hearts so that we can _________.”
This guy took the quote a bit further by centering nondisabled people (while introducing a disability ministry), and reducing disability to an object lesson for the service of non-disabled people. It is dehumanizing and objectifying as you cannot separate disability from the body and you can not separate the body from the image bearer.
Human experiences are often used as metaphors - Yeshuah himself did it (Mtt. 15:14) - but because of the historical oppression of PWD (particularly in the church given the hard-fought religious exemptions from the ADA) and the internalized ableism that affects all of us, using PWD as object lessons in this way isn’t helping justice or belonging.
The last thing I read encouraged me that there was more good in the book but at this point, I couldn’t risk being triggered that intensely again.
“Learning to see God’s image helps us to keep our perspective by focusing on the potential in every person, rather than focussing on limitations. It also aids us in emphasizing what matters most - a person’s dignity - and not their abilities or disabilities.”
Yes and amen.
It’s just so hard because there is good here but the harmful parts will likely be missed by the non-disabled people intentionally seeking out PWD.
- Reviewed in the United States on April 26, 2024Not a good analogy, certainly does not apply to any education that a church leader should gain.