Same Lake Different Boat – Book Review
“May I hold her.” Steph had finished eating and pushed back her chair. Steph was visiting Taiwan to speak at one of the seminaries. Her arms opened to hold Miss K who was just four months old. As Steph held her, she commented on the memories of when Timmy was a baby. There at the lower level of the Royal Thai restaurant, I met Stephanie for the first time. Since that meeting, we have met at various times. The other year I read Steph’s book Same Lake Different Boat. I was excited to hear that she has updated the book and is releasing a new edition of the book Same Lake Different Boat Coming Alongside People Touched by Disability.
I was thrilled when Steph asked me to join me as part of the launch team for the new edition. Steph has the life experience of being a mom of a son with Down Syndrome. The book has numerous stories of the adventures of Tim. She has also spent time studying this topic from a Biblical view as well as how disability is viewed today.
About the Book
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. She pinpoints what is true about disability, in contrast to common secular views, and what we need to rethink and relearn in order to support one another and make God’s kingdom truly accessible to all.
This revised and updated edition includes new chapters on growing in grace and journeying into maturity.
My Review of the Book
I read the first edition and watched the DVD series where Steph introduced this. The first edition had three parts:
- Foundations: On Truth, On Identification, On Respect, On Relentlessness, and On Restoration
- Families: On Change, On Acceptance, On Normalcy, and On Discipleship
- Facilitation in the Church: On Hospitality, On Belong, On Wisdom, and On Transformation
I want to focus my review on Part 4 Further Thoughts. These are the two new chapters that have been added to the book.
Why do we need a new edition? The Biblical truths remain the same but I think one reason that we need a new edition is the change in our culture views disability. As the culture views change, we need to be certain that we are holding to a Biblical view of disability.
On Clarification Growth in Grace
A Biblical view of disability embraces both the functional and social realities. The world we live in is impacted by the fall and as a result, there are disabilities. This is seen in Jesus healing the blind man in John 9. We need to focus on Jesus. “The redemptive love and grace of God, in Christ, is the basis on which all Christians find themselves unconditionally love and accepted.” (page 242).
On Idols Our Hearts, Church Culture, and Disability Culture
How are we blocking the entrance of the kingdom for people with disabilities? That question made me pause and think of myself and what I am doing or not doing. There are then some idols of the heart that are listed:
- Self-Reliance
- Self-Protection
- Self-Promotion
Looking at that list I could see at times that those have become the idols in my own life. “I can do it myself.” I am not going to tell you how many times I have thought and acted that way.
Even in church culture, there are idols.
- Ableism – “treats nondisabled people as the standard around which all practices and policies of church life ought to be structured.” (page 256)
- Affluence – “puts undue emphasis on its assets.” This often means that the disabled are viewed as a liability and not assets.
- Autonomy – here the author is discussing how we make the church as only Sunday morning when we are at the building. The church needs to go beyond that into each part of the week.
These two new chapters give so much to the book. I was challenged in my own life as a parent of a disabled child and also as a member of my church.
If you want to understand disability a bit more, I highly recommend Same Lake Different Book.
Here are some other thoughts that I have written regarding my own experience.