Dr. Robert Schuller has a saying about suffering: “Turn your scars into stars.” A little corny, to say the least, but a point well taken. As wounded healers, we are better able to minister to others, because we have been there – we’ve been through the fiery ordeal. Our scars give us legitimacy, our trials give us compassion, and our experiences give us credibility.
As a wounded healer, you can help people much more effectively, because you’ve been there, and you’ve come through it. For example, when I went into the hospital a few years ago with a heart problem and needed surgery, I stood on one of the many promises of God. I wasn’t too thrilled about facing surgery, but I clung to a verse I’ve used for years, which is Jeremiah 29:11:
For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope. NRSV
I knew God was with me, and so I was incredibly calm about the whole thing, which only God could do. God used my experience in the hospital to help others, both when I was taking the course on chaplaincy, and even now in my everyday ministry. In a way, I am a wounded healer – and now I can relate much better than I otherwise could have.
We all will suffer in some way, and will face trails until we arrive at our heavenly home, where there are no more tears, no more pain, and no more mourning. In the meantime, we’re stuck on this flawed and imperfect earth, so with God’s help let’s make the best of our inevitable difficulties. How do we make the best of it? By:
Standing on the promises that cannot fail,
when the howling storms of doubt and fear assail,
by the living Word of God [we] shall prevail,
standing on the promises of God.
More about being a wounded healer in a future post.
Friday, February 29, 2008
Thursday, February 28, 2008
What We Can Do in Our Trials
We all have to endure suffering and trials in this world – it’s a part of life. We have natural disasters, man-made disasters, personal life events (such as sickness and death), plus suffering the consequences of our own wrong actions. Aside from the last item, these are regrettable natural occurrences, which are not the result of God’s wrath or God’s lack of caring.
Given that we will all suffer in some way, we should trust that God will help us and make some good come out of it. Blessings can come from suffering. By our response to our ordeals, God can turn a disaster into a blessing, and an opportunity for us to glorify God in our actions.
1. Standing on the Promises
One way we can react to problems in life is to trust in the promises of God – in other words, “Standing on the Promises.” For example, the Apostle Peter tells us in 1 Peter 5:10 (NRSV):
And after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, support, strengthen, and establish you.
Jesus assures us in John 16:33 (NRSV): “In the world you face persecution. But take courage; I have conquered the world!”
Standing on the promises will help to get us through the tough times, as we are assured in that great hymn of the same name:
Standing on the promises I cannot fall,
listening every moment to the Spirit’s call,
resting in my Savior as my all in all,
standing on the promises of God.
2. Lean on God
Once you are standing on the promises, you put that faith into action by leaning on God. By leaning on God, we aren’t allowing the toxic emotions of anxiety and worry to overwhelm us, but are turning our fears over to God. It says to lean on God in 1 Peter 5:7 (NRSV): “Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you.” Paul advises us in Romans 12:12: “Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer.” Another promise is found in Philippians 4:6-7:
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. NIV
Let’s keep in mind the words of another great old hymn:
What have I to dread, what have I to fear,
leaning on the everlasting arms?
I have blessed peace, with my Lord so near,
leaning on the everlasting arms.
3. Make the Most of It
Third, when suffering and grief come our way, we should commit to trust God to make the most of an unfortunate situation. We do this by yielding to him, and allowing God to make good to come out of our ordeal by not being bitter or resentful. The results of that will be blessings, such as deepening our faith and trust in God, learning from what we are going through, and building up our character. We read about some of the benefits of suffering in Romans 5:3b-5 (NRSV):
We also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.
This promise that God will make some good come out of out suffering comes from that familiar passage in Romans 8:28, 32:
And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them…
Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else? NLT
This isn’t just wishful thinking – it’s a promise from God, found all over the Bible. I’ve read countless articles in Guideposts, Reader’s Digest, daily devotionals, and books, about how God used people’s suffering to accomplish good and blessings. If he’s done it for these other persons, he’ll certainly do it for you and me.
Given that we will all suffer in some way, we should trust that God will help us and make some good come out of it. Blessings can come from suffering. By our response to our ordeals, God can turn a disaster into a blessing, and an opportunity for us to glorify God in our actions.
1. Standing on the Promises
One way we can react to problems in life is to trust in the promises of God – in other words, “Standing on the Promises.” For example, the Apostle Peter tells us in 1 Peter 5:10 (NRSV):
And after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, support, strengthen, and establish you.
Jesus assures us in John 16:33 (NRSV): “In the world you face persecution. But take courage; I have conquered the world!”
Standing on the promises will help to get us through the tough times, as we are assured in that great hymn of the same name:
Standing on the promises I cannot fall,
listening every moment to the Spirit’s call,
resting in my Savior as my all in all,
standing on the promises of God.
2. Lean on God
Once you are standing on the promises, you put that faith into action by leaning on God. By leaning on God, we aren’t allowing the toxic emotions of anxiety and worry to overwhelm us, but are turning our fears over to God. It says to lean on God in 1 Peter 5:7 (NRSV): “Cast all your anxiety on him, because he cares for you.” Paul advises us in Romans 12:12: “Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer.” Another promise is found in Philippians 4:6-7:
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. NIV
Let’s keep in mind the words of another great old hymn:
What have I to dread, what have I to fear,
leaning on the everlasting arms?
I have blessed peace, with my Lord so near,
leaning on the everlasting arms.
3. Make the Most of It
Third, when suffering and grief come our way, we should commit to trust God to make the most of an unfortunate situation. We do this by yielding to him, and allowing God to make good to come out of our ordeal by not being bitter or resentful. The results of that will be blessings, such as deepening our faith and trust in God, learning from what we are going through, and building up our character. We read about some of the benefits of suffering in Romans 5:3b-5 (NRSV):
We also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.
This promise that God will make some good come out of out suffering comes from that familiar passage in Romans 8:28, 32:
And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them…
Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else? NLT
This isn’t just wishful thinking – it’s a promise from God, found all over the Bible. I’ve read countless articles in Guideposts, Reader’s Digest, daily devotionals, and books, about how God used people’s suffering to accomplish good and blessings. If he’s done it for these other persons, he’ll certainly do it for you and me.
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Fastest-Growing Churches
Below is an article of interest:
The two fastest-growing church bodies in the United States and Canada, according to a newly published report, are ones whose beliefs are known to conflict with traditional Christian teaching, reports christianpost.com.
Jehovah’s Witnesses and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints reported the largest membership increases in a year, according to the National Council of Churches’ 2008 Yearbook of American & Canadian Churches. Jehovah’s Witnesses reported a 2.25% increase in membership since the publication of the 2007 yearbook. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints — also known as the Mormon church — grew 1.56% and is listed by the NCC as the fourth largest “church.”
Other bodies in the newly published top 25 largest churches list that reported membership increases include The Catholic Church (0.87%); the Southern Baptist Convention (0.22%); the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church (0.21%); and the Assemblies of God (0.19%).
The greatest losses in membership were reported by The Episcopal Church, which dropped 4.15% in members, and the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), which decreased by 2.36%. American Baptist Churches in the U.S.A. and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America also experienced large losses in membership, dropping 1.82% and 1.58%, respectively. Although the Methodist Church saw a 0.99% decrease, the mainline group remains the third largest church body with nearly eight million members.
The top ten religious bodies ranked by membership are as follows:
1. The Catholic Church — 67,515,016
2. Southern Baptist Convention — 16,306,246
3. The United Methodist Church — 7,995,456
4. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints — 5,779,316
5. The Church of God in Christ — 5,499,875
6. National Baptist Convention, U.S.A., Inc. — 5,000,000
7. Evangelical Lutheran Church in America — 4,774,203
8. National Baptist Convention of America, Inc. — 3,500,000
9. Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) — 3,025,740
10. Assemblies of God — 2,836,174
(Quoted from “The Pastor’s Weekly Briefing”, an e-newsletter published by Focus on the Family, Feb. 21, 2008. Copyright © 2008, Focus on the Family. All rights reserved.)
After reading these statistics on growth, ponder the question: why aren’t the “mainline” churches growing, and why are most of them shrinking? I have my own thoughts, but I’d like to hear yours. Please give me your comments on this. PT
The two fastest-growing church bodies in the United States and Canada, according to a newly published report, are ones whose beliefs are known to conflict with traditional Christian teaching, reports christianpost.com.
Jehovah’s Witnesses and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints reported the largest membership increases in a year, according to the National Council of Churches’ 2008 Yearbook of American & Canadian Churches. Jehovah’s Witnesses reported a 2.25% increase in membership since the publication of the 2007 yearbook. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints — also known as the Mormon church — grew 1.56% and is listed by the NCC as the fourth largest “church.”
Other bodies in the newly published top 25 largest churches list that reported membership increases include The Catholic Church (0.87%); the Southern Baptist Convention (0.22%); the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church (0.21%); and the Assemblies of God (0.19%).
The greatest losses in membership were reported by The Episcopal Church, which dropped 4.15% in members, and the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), which decreased by 2.36%. American Baptist Churches in the U.S.A. and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America also experienced large losses in membership, dropping 1.82% and 1.58%, respectively. Although the Methodist Church saw a 0.99% decrease, the mainline group remains the third largest church body with nearly eight million members.
The top ten religious bodies ranked by membership are as follows:
1. The Catholic Church — 67,515,016
2. Southern Baptist Convention — 16,306,246
3. The United Methodist Church — 7,995,456
4. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints — 5,779,316
5. The Church of God in Christ — 5,499,875
6. National Baptist Convention, U.S.A., Inc. — 5,000,000
7. Evangelical Lutheran Church in America — 4,774,203
8. National Baptist Convention of America, Inc. — 3,500,000
9. Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) — 3,025,740
10. Assemblies of God — 2,836,174
(Quoted from “The Pastor’s Weekly Briefing”, an e-newsletter published by Focus on the Family, Feb. 21, 2008. Copyright © 2008, Focus on the Family. All rights reserved.)
After reading these statistics on growth, ponder the question: why aren’t the “mainline” churches growing, and why are most of them shrinking? I have my own thoughts, but I’d like to hear yours. Please give me your comments on this. PT
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Experiencing God
In an earlier post I included an article that looked at various ways people said they could experience God outside of the Church. While those other ways are certainly viable alternatives, I believe Jesus established the Church as the main vehicle for people to experience God and exercise their faith.
Jesus was referring, I believe, to the Church when he said to the Samaritan women in John 4:21: “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.” (NRSV) The Church is not a building or a particular location (such as the Temple in Jerusalem), but an active, living, breathing Body of Christ’s believers in many different locations throughout the world, working under the power of the Holy Spirit (or at least they should be).
The Church is not an organization or a hierarchy. It isn’t just the clergy, the bishops, or the Pope. First and foremost, it is the Body of Christ made up of the people who have decided to follow Jesus – his disciples. As a body of disciples, I believe we all have the five purposes that Rick Warren mentioned in his popular book, The Purpose-Driven Life. All people have those five purposes, which have been given by God, and which I believe can be best accomplished in and through the Church. These purposes are:
·Worship (that one of the main things the Church does);
·Fellowship (the best place to be with fellow believers;
·Discipleship (a good place to grow spiritually – difficult to do on your own);
·Ministry/Service (plenty of opportunities for laity in most churches);
·Mission/Evangelism (plenty of opportunities for laity in most churches).
I believe that people can’t fully express or exercise their faith outside of the Church, and they usually aren’t able to grow spiritually on their own (mainly because of a lack of self-discipline, something I can identify with). There are para-church ministries that are quite effective and do many worthwhile things, but all of them will admit that they are not substitutes for the Church, but they are adjuncts to the work of the Church. But we also have to remember: it isn’t the Church for the Church’s sake, but we are to be active in a church for the sake of Christ. The Church is a vehicle, a way of fulfilling these five purposes, not an end in itself.
If you haven’t been part of a church, please reconsider your position. No church is perfect, and the Church as a whole is far from perfect. Nevertheless, Jesus established it for a purpose, and we as his followers should be active participants in it.
Although I am writing this as a Christian and don’t claim to be speaking for any other religions, I do believe what I wrote in this post could be a guiding principle for any religion. For example, I would think being a part of a synagogue or mosque is very important to a person’s spiritual development and fulfilling G-d’s or Allah’s purposes for his or her life. So if you haven’t been as active in your place of worship as you perhaps should be, you may want to consider getting re-established with that body.
Jesus was referring, I believe, to the Church when he said to the Samaritan women in John 4:21: “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.” (NRSV) The Church is not a building or a particular location (such as the Temple in Jerusalem), but an active, living, breathing Body of Christ’s believers in many different locations throughout the world, working under the power of the Holy Spirit (or at least they should be).
The Church is not an organization or a hierarchy. It isn’t just the clergy, the bishops, or the Pope. First and foremost, it is the Body of Christ made up of the people who have decided to follow Jesus – his disciples. As a body of disciples, I believe we all have the five purposes that Rick Warren mentioned in his popular book, The Purpose-Driven Life. All people have those five purposes, which have been given by God, and which I believe can be best accomplished in and through the Church. These purposes are:
·Worship (that one of the main things the Church does);
·Fellowship (the best place to be with fellow believers;
·Discipleship (a good place to grow spiritually – difficult to do on your own);
·Ministry/Service (plenty of opportunities for laity in most churches);
·Mission/Evangelism (plenty of opportunities for laity in most churches).
I believe that people can’t fully express or exercise their faith outside of the Church, and they usually aren’t able to grow spiritually on their own (mainly because of a lack of self-discipline, something I can identify with). There are para-church ministries that are quite effective and do many worthwhile things, but all of them will admit that they are not substitutes for the Church, but they are adjuncts to the work of the Church. But we also have to remember: it isn’t the Church for the Church’s sake, but we are to be active in a church for the sake of Christ. The Church is a vehicle, a way of fulfilling these five purposes, not an end in itself.
If you haven’t been part of a church, please reconsider your position. No church is perfect, and the Church as a whole is far from perfect. Nevertheless, Jesus established it for a purpose, and we as his followers should be active participants in it.
Although I am writing this as a Christian and don’t claim to be speaking for any other religions, I do believe what I wrote in this post could be a guiding principle for any religion. For example, I would think being a part of a synagogue or mosque is very important to a person’s spiritual development and fulfilling G-d’s or Allah’s purposes for his or her life. So if you haven’t been as active in your place of worship as you perhaps should be, you may want to consider getting re-established with that body.
Monday, February 25, 2008
Christianity without the Church?
Below is an article of interest from Barna Research about people’s views concerning ways of experiencing God:
The results of a new study conducted by The Barna Group reveal that a majority of adults now believe that there are a variety of biblically legitimate ways to experience God outside of the conventional church.
At least 50 percent of adults who took part in the survey said that they felt that each of these six alternatives were “a complete and biblically valid way for someone who does NOT participate in the services or activities of a conventional church to experience and express their faith in God:”
Engaging in faith activities at home, with one’s family (considered acceptable by 89%).
·Being active in a house church (75%).
·Watching a religious television program (69%).
·Listening to a religious radio broadcast (68%).
·Attending a special ministry event, such as a concert or community service activity (68%).
·Participating in a marketplace ministry (54%).
Other alternatives that were not supported by a majority of those questioned included interacting with a faith-based Web site (45%) and participating in live events via the Internet (42%).
The study also showed that 28 percent of adults who did not attend a conventional church in the past month did take part in one or more of the alternative expressions of faith. Also, two out of three senior pastors of Protestant churches agreed that “house churches are legitimate Christian churches,” but only 40 percent said they would ever recommend a house church to someone.
For the complete report, visit www.barna.org.
(Quoted from “The Pastor’s Weekly Briefing”, an e-newsletter published by Focus on the Family, Feb. 21, 2008. Copyright © 2008, Focus on the Family. All rights reserved.)
Some comments on this article follow in a later post. PT
The results of a new study conducted by The Barna Group reveal that a majority of adults now believe that there are a variety of biblically legitimate ways to experience God outside of the conventional church.
At least 50 percent of adults who took part in the survey said that they felt that each of these six alternatives were “a complete and biblically valid way for someone who does NOT participate in the services or activities of a conventional church to experience and express their faith in God:”
Engaging in faith activities at home, with one’s family (considered acceptable by 89%).
·Being active in a house church (75%).
·Watching a religious television program (69%).
·Listening to a religious radio broadcast (68%).
·Attending a special ministry event, such as a concert or community service activity (68%).
·Participating in a marketplace ministry (54%).
Other alternatives that were not supported by a majority of those questioned included interacting with a faith-based Web site (45%) and participating in live events via the Internet (42%).
The study also showed that 28 percent of adults who did not attend a conventional church in the past month did take part in one or more of the alternative expressions of faith. Also, two out of three senior pastors of Protestant churches agreed that “house churches are legitimate Christian churches,” but only 40 percent said they would ever recommend a house church to someone.
For the complete report, visit www.barna.org.
(Quoted from “The Pastor’s Weekly Briefing”, an e-newsletter published by Focus on the Family, Feb. 21, 2008. Copyright © 2008, Focus on the Family. All rights reserved.)
Some comments on this article follow in a later post. PT
Friday, February 22, 2008
Death in an Abortion Clinic
Below is an article of interest that I doubt you’ll see in any of the media:
Abortionist Surrenders Medical License after Patient Dies
Rapin Osathanondh will never practice medicine again after a 22-year-old patient died during an abortion at his Hyannis, Mass., clinic in September. He permanently surrendered his license Wednesday in the wake of a criminal investigation and disciplinary action.
On Monday, the Boston Medical Examiner's office declared the cause of Laura Smith's death was "cardiac pulmonary arrest during anesthesia during a voluntary termination of pregnancy."
Operation Rescue broke the news of Smith's death, then worked with her mom, Eileen, to apply public pressure to authorities so the death was not covered up.
"While nothing can bring back Laura and her baby, we take great comfort in knowing that Osathanondh will never again hurt another woman or kill another innocent child," Operation Rescue spokeswoman Cheryl Sullenger said.
Quoted from CitizenLink, an enewsletter put out by Focus on the Family. Feb. 21, 2008. © 2008 Focus on the Family Action, Inc. www.citizenlink.com
The reason I put this in my blog is to let you know that deaths do occur in “safe” abortion clinics. These clinics feel they are above the law and resist state inspections, and they don’t report underage pregnancies as required by law. The public needs to understand what’s going on. PT
Abortionist Surrenders Medical License after Patient Dies
Rapin Osathanondh will never practice medicine again after a 22-year-old patient died during an abortion at his Hyannis, Mass., clinic in September. He permanently surrendered his license Wednesday in the wake of a criminal investigation and disciplinary action.
On Monday, the Boston Medical Examiner's office declared the cause of Laura Smith's death was "cardiac pulmonary arrest during anesthesia during a voluntary termination of pregnancy."
Operation Rescue broke the news of Smith's death, then worked with her mom, Eileen, to apply public pressure to authorities so the death was not covered up.
"While nothing can bring back Laura and her baby, we take great comfort in knowing that Osathanondh will never again hurt another woman or kill another innocent child," Operation Rescue spokeswoman Cheryl Sullenger said.
Quoted from CitizenLink, an enewsletter put out by Focus on the Family. Feb. 21, 2008. © 2008 Focus on the Family Action, Inc. www.citizenlink.com
The reason I put this in my blog is to let you know that deaths do occur in “safe” abortion clinics. These clinics feel they are above the law and resist state inspections, and they don’t report underage pregnancies as required by law. The public needs to understand what’s going on. PT
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Looking at the Unchurched
Below is an article of interest:
A new survey of U.S. adults who don’t go to church, even on holidays, finds 72 percent say, “God, a higher or supreme being, actually exists.” But just as many (72%) also say the church is “full of hypocrites,” reports USATODAY.com. Additionally, 44 percent agree with the statement, “Christians get on my nerves.” The survey was conducted by LifeWay Research, the research arm for the Southern Baptist Convention
(Quoted from Pastor’s Weekly Briefing, January 17, 2008. © 2008, Focus on the Family, Colorado Springs, Colorado. All rights reserved.)
A lot of Christians get on my nerves as well, but that's no excuse to stay away from worship. It's about God, not you or me! PT
A new survey of U.S. adults who don’t go to church, even on holidays, finds 72 percent say, “God, a higher or supreme being, actually exists.” But just as many (72%) also say the church is “full of hypocrites,” reports USATODAY.com. Additionally, 44 percent agree with the statement, “Christians get on my nerves.” The survey was conducted by LifeWay Research, the research arm for the Southern Baptist Convention
(Quoted from Pastor’s Weekly Briefing, January 17, 2008. © 2008, Focus on the Family, Colorado Springs, Colorado. All rights reserved.)
A lot of Christians get on my nerves as well, but that's no excuse to stay away from worship. It's about God, not you or me! PT
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