The Struggle

While on our vacation in Colorado my grandson decided to climb up this sand hill. As I watched him I got the idea for this blog. The first photo is of him moving up the hill  shot from below. I moved around to  get a different point  of view which is where I got the idea for this blog.

From my first view point I was down below him and I was just watching his struggle. Have you ever found yourself watching someone else's struggle as if you were below or above them? Your vision of what was going on was from either being above or below what was happening. Because of that you approached their struggle from that prospective.

As I moved around to get a photo from a side view I had to struggle up the adjacent hill. Now the struggle my grandson was going through I was experiencing in my own life.

When we have friends who are struggling with an addiction or some other major problem in their lives we can better understand it if we get intimately involved. What I mean by that we better understand if we have struggled with a similar problem or if we take the risk and come along side of them as they struggle. Getting our hands dirty in their lives and giving them our time and attention.

As my grandson struggled up the hill we were on another hill yelling encouragement to him as he moved up the hill. The struggle got harder not easier as he reached the summit but because of the encouragement he did not give up and eventually reached the top.

Your friend that is struggling will receive new strength when they hear your words of encouragement from you. 

As a Christian I believe our true strength comes from the involvement of the Holy Spirit in our lives but God almost always works through the lives of other  believers.

 

My grandson reached a point higher than the rest of us and as he came down the hill it showed on his face and walk. The same will take place in your friend by hanging in there and by not giving up they will reach the summit. and then they will celebrate with you the victory. 

I encourage you to not move away from a friend who is struggling. Move toward them and risk getting involved in the mess of their life. You could be just the person God wants to use in helping them gain victory over their problems.

If you do you just might share in their celebration of freedom.

The Screening

Today I had a colonoscopy. Yesterday I spent most of the day doing the prep for the actual event today. Sometimes our lives have to go through a period of prep work and then the screening for problems in our character. I think the past year has been like that for me. I will not go into details but the results were that I had a spot on my character and it was revealed through some testing.  

Because I write from my heart my posts revealed to some of my friends a flaw and they have suggested I back off of blogging. Since blogging is my release I will probably not back off completely but I will be a little more selective on what I write about. I hope the change will be refreshing and benefitial to those who read this blog on a weekly basis. 

Recently the Holy Spirit told me to back off of getting involved with leadership and trying to find a full-time ministry position. I am spending the time between now and the date He gave me to get more focused on just enjoying worship, learning and serving in a more low key way.

My next post will be an example of the new direction and to be honest I do not know what that direction will be. I will asking God to reveal that to me but I know it will still be from the heart and maybe a little more encouraging. 

For those of you who know me I apologize if what I have written in the past few months seemed harsh and even unkind.

I am thankful to the friends who loved me enough to point out the flaw and to encourage me to make some changes. We all need friends like that. 

Come back in a few days and let me know what you think of the new direction.

Added 3/25/2010
"An obivious fact about negative feelings is often overlooked. They are caused by us, not by exterior happenings. An outside event presents the challenge, but we react to it. So we must attend tot he way we take things not to the things themselves." - Vernon Howard

Ouch! This quote hits my flaw on the head and I believe God caused me to read it today so that I could include it with this post.
 

What is required for you to experience healing?

I believe that God heals today and that He can do it in a dramtic way or He can do it through the hands of a doctor.  Several elements need to be in place for healing to occur and we find them in the following scriptures.

Luke 5:17-26 (The Message)

 17 One day as he was teaching, Pharisees and religion teachers were sitting around. They had come from nearly every village in Galilee and Judea, even as far away as Jerusalem, to be there. The healing power of God was on him. 

 18-20 Some men arrived carrying a paraplegic on a stretcher. They were looking for a way to get into the house and set him before Jesus. When they couldn't find a way in because of the crowd, they went up on the roof, removed some tiles, and let him down in the middle of everyone, right in front of Jesus. Impressed by their bold belief, he said, "Friend, I forgive your sins." 

 21 That set the religion scholars and Pharisees buzzing. "Who does he think he is? That's blasphemous talk! God and only God can forgive sins." 

 22-26 Jesus knew exactly what they were thinking and said, "Why all this gossipy whispering? Which is simpler: to say 'I forgive your sins,' or to say 'Get up and start walking'? Well, just so it's clear that I'm the Son of Man and authorized to do either, or both. . . ." He now spoke directly to the paraplegic: "Get up. Take your bedroll and go home." Without a moment's hesitation, he did it—got up, took his blanket, and left for home, giving glory to God all the way. The people rubbed their eyes, incredulous—and then also gave glory to God. Awestruck, they said, "We've never seen anything like that!"

The first element that has to be present is the power of God to be on a person who is going to be the instrument that God uses.

The second element is faith that God is going to heal us.

The third is we have to act.

Sometimes the faith is ours and sometimes the faith is found in our friends who are praying for us but it always is found in Jesus.  Often people will sit back and wait to see the results of the prayers of others.  They wait and wait hoping to receive healing.  

Here is what I suggest: If we are physical or emotionally sick we need our friends to do what these guys in these scriptures did.  They need to slip before God and seek healing for us especially when we lack faith or the ability to go before God with them.  We then need to act on what was requested and thank God for what He is going to do.

In this story the Holy Spirit was on Jesus for healing to take place.  We also find a group of men who believed that their friend would be healed by Jesus.  They would not be denied getting their friend in front of the one God was using for healing.  The man on the mat was lowered in front of Jesus and it must have been somewhat uncomfortable with all of the people focusing on his paralyzed body.  He probably heard the whispering that was going on and the looks the Pharisees and teachers were giving Jesus.  And then he heard Jesus say, "Rise and take up your mat and go home."  He no doubt was momentarily stuned but then he moved and stood.

Healing often does not come until we take action.  Waiting can be an act of unbelief and actually delay our healing.  We have to take action with thanksgiving for what God is doing before we realize that He healed us.

So my challenge for you with this post is to take your emotional, your physical and spiritual wounds before God and lay them at His feet.  If you lack the faith to do that then get your friends to do it with you.  Then accept God's healing by acting as if it were so and then tahnk Him for it.  Your healing may not happen immediately but I doubt it will happen if you wait for it to happen.

Some Friends and a Few of My Fellow Bloggers

With this post I am going to promote some blogs of several of my friends and share with you why I think you should check out their blog. Whether you are looking for ideas on how to improve your health or a blog that will challenge your thinking I am sure you will enjoy these sites.

God brought these people into my life at just the right moment in time.

Jason the Bald Guy Blog
http://jasonthebaldguy.blogspot.com/
I have known Jason for about 3 years when he moved to the Kansas City, MO area after hurricane Katrina hit his town in Louisiana. At Jason's blog you will find honest, open and challenging posts about life and God. Jason is sometimes "In Your Face" and "Always Writes from His Heart".

Rick's Pro-Life Blog
http://ricksblog-rick.blogspot.com/
I have known Rick for 27 years. He and his wife, Lydia, helped me out when I was homeless by allowing me to stay with them until I got back on my feet. At Rick's blog you will find a Christian assessment of the abortion issue and other topics concerning current events.

BodyKare by Karen
http://nutritioncoachkaren.blogspot.com/
I have known Karen for about 9 years. At Karen's blog and her "Eat Well and Be Well" website you will find ideas on how to include whole foods in your diet and why they help you stay well.

Vineyard Louisburg Small Group
http://vineyardlouisburg.blogspot.com/
This blog is about the journey of a small group that I, my wife, Kat, and another couple who live in Louisburg, KS and attend the Vineyard Church in Overland Park, KS started in January 2009.

Along The Road
http://www.alongtheroad.tv/
Along The Road programming was developed to address real life issues that people face every day. It is a partnership between the Vineyard Church in Overland Park, KS and Morphoo the Production and Distribution company.

Mark Warner is Senior Pastor of the Vineyard Church of Overland Park, KS. He has been my pastor and mentor for the past 11 years.

Tom Smith is the Associate Pastor of the Vineyard Church of Overland Park, KS. He has been a friend of mine for about 9 years.

Vineyard Church Sermons - Overland Park, KS

God has used these folks to positively impact my life and that is why I share their blog or site with you. I believe you will find something on their blog that will stir or challenge you. I hope you will visit their site and please share with me your thoughts if you do.