As winter comes upon us.

Maybe you are like me, a summer person. I love summer, warm weather, long days. Give me a season to choose and it will always be summer. Winter to me is, cold mornings, flu epidemics, high heating costs! I'm also a member of the snow haters club, as it produces slush and bad road conditions! There are some good things, warm evenings with the family, knowing on days off I can, if I wish, snuggle further down into my bed!
But if we didnt have the seasons, if we didnt have winter, we wouldent appreciate summer so much. Its interesting that in "The Lion the Witch and the Wardrope" by C S Lewis that the reign of evil is seen as having the affect of winter, and that as Aslam approaches, and good comes over the land of Narnia, spring comes ushering in summer.
This leads me to think of my own spiritual journey, that the difficult times are needed for me to fully appreciate the good times. I often need hardship to make me yearn for (Aslan) for Jesus!
In dayly life tiredness is rewarded by sleep, hunger by food, cold by warmth. So in my spiritual journey I may not like "winter", but if it makes me yearn for the comming of Aslan (Jesus) then this in itself is a blessing! Scripture tells us, "That all things work together for those who love God, who are called according to His purposes". Maybe you are like me, you yearn for blessing so much you dont appreciate the times of trials! If this life was all blessings and joy I wouldent yearn for Heaven. Yes I still prefer summer to winter, joy rather that harships, but we need the season in nature, and in our spiritual journey!

When it all falls apart!

Katrina made life fall apart for many, loss of home's, earnings, community, etc. "Life" , as somone said, "Can sure turn round and kick you hard!"
In my own small way I have known life to turn round and kick me hard! So I have a little understanding of this emotion!
Whether its through disastor, family pain, financial trouble, etc, when it happens we feel, probably to some extent are, victims of circumstances outwith our control!
We are left feeling vulnarable, at the mercy of others, and we can loss our sense of self value!
Being valued by others, having respect, in famalies, church, community, work place, etc is vital to our sense of well being, its importance cant be emphasised enough! We receive any self of value from those we come into touch with from day to day. Many folks commit suicide when all sense of self value has been removed.
First we must seek to understand, as fully as possible, what a person is actualy experiancing, going through. We must understand that accumulative stressers will result, at some point, in health being affected in that person. No person is a rock, and no-one can be an island. I have talked to many who have suffered hard events, or accumulation of stressers in their lives, and all replied, "I wanted a hand on my shoulder, to feel worthy of others concern!" So first thing people desire is that touch, word, smile, of encouragment. The first murderer in history Cain, when challenged by God as to whereabouts of his brother answered, "Am I my brothers keeper?" The answer of the Bible rings out, yes we are our brothers keeper!
People who have endured disator, stressers, troubles, need folks to be their keepers, to take responsibility for building them up again in themselfs. Maybe we cant give them back their home, if its been destroyed in a storm, or take away events that have led to their situations, but we can be their brother/sister, their friend, and possible the shoulder they can cry upon. The Bible also tells us, "The rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep". In other words it says to the individual, especialy to those of us who would profess to be christians, that we do have a responsibility.
Now,as in all my bloggs, I am thinking no no specific cases, i talk here generaly of how we, christians or none christians react to folks going through crises, of various kinds. We need to first, comfort, second, help to restore their feelings of self worth. Now I would add thirdly, that we need to offer practical help solutions. Is their a package that can be put together? Is there practical assistance that might help? and so on. I'm convinced that when things start to fall apart for people, in any senario, through no fault of their own, we have a God given duty to aid them. People might feel a person is seeking for sympathy, is that so wrong? Off course people desire sympathy, but my experiance is that they want sympathy that is structured. I'm convinced no-one wants to be seen as a cry baby, but that they only seek dignity. So in giving people emotional and practical dignity through assistance I/we might offer, we begin to repair the cracks and stop the falling apart process!

Our Spiritual Humanity!

Jesus came to earth, God in flesh, and wore our humanity, suffering terribly on the cross!
The world we live in looks for humanity, acts of kindness, humane sacrifice, etc! This is because world knows there is something better than our humanistic material society!
I have talked about love, being accepted, etc in previous entries, these are all part of humanity crying out, for love, help, acceptance!
As christians we must never be soo spiritual that we forget, lost touch, with our humanity! I am a christian, a spiritual being, but also a humane who broke the mold..in other words, each of us is unique!
Our humanity is formed of many events, experiances, imputs, not all of them good!
But what was good for me was becomming a christian, this humane taking in spiritual relity through Christ!
Since that day I have had to live with the new man, spiritualy I am, and also with me, the person, the man, I am!
I often get so disgusted with myself as a christian, because of the humane man I am!
I still can, mistrust, fear, doubt, yearn for love, for acceptance, for dignity...as we all do!
I even manage, though it hurts, to admit when I'm wrong!
Spiritualy I cling to Jesus, He is my all in all!
Humanly, I experice the things all others experiance!
What I am saying dear friends is...dont despair about your humanity....but rejoice in your spirituality....which can only be gained through Jesus and the cross!

Is proffesionalism relpacing compassion in christian ministry?

Is it posible that we folks in ministry can become soo proffesional that we lack compassion?
I'm not thinking here of a super spiritual compassion, but a simple humane one!
Maybe we see all answers to problems in a theoligical setting? Maybe we cant move beyond our dogmas into a world of copassionate reality?
Our colleges/seminaries, teach us to be good theologians, teachers, organisers...but compassion isnt something that can be taught!
Jesus compassion comes to us in humane form, as a man He walked amoung us, wept with us, suffered our sufferings, and ultimatly edured agony for us on the cross!
Also, are we soo concerned about our own selfs appearing kinda perfect, instead of letting our own imperfections, humanity, be seen?
The only perfection I communicate to people is the Lords! I have no humane perfection, I have trials, moods, tears, stresses, and physical suffering, and yes share the fears that humanity has!
I am well taught in theology, missions, as are my many ministry friends throughout this world.
Although Jesus does speak theology, He is more noted for His compassion and love in the gospels. Is it the case, that we in ministry are more noted for our theology, teaching, ministry, abilaties, than possibly for our compassion?
I think when I was more theologicaly minded this question didnt enter my thinking, after all, all was right with my world, and theology had all the answers! But personal sorrow, pain, hardship, and my own awarness that I need the compassion of others, has shown to me, my past, and many at present in ministries failure!
Today I sit more besides people as a fellow humane being than some evangelical guru with all the answers in some book somewhere! I share their humanity, their suffering, as I am as they are!
Dont get me wrong, in no way have I deserted the gospels neccesity for salvation of souls, and I have not for a moment stopped teaching it! Its just I'm finding I share more than preach! Isnt this what Jesus did? Jesus off course preached, and taught, but Its His compassion that touches people, and quite frankly annoyed others!
Maybe we can only learn compassion through suffering? Personaly I would hope that this isnt always neccesary, but its seems that way! Those who suffer seem more compassionate and understanding, than those who dont!
My book shelfs are lined with many books on theology and missions. But my heart thats full of pain seems more valuable than all my books!
Minsitry friends, tommorrow when folks come to you, as you are preparing that sensational sermone, will compassion direct you or theology? No, I dont want you to cast aside theology, but all our teachings without compassion I beleive are as nothing!

As we seek reason...Do we loose it?

We all seek "Reason", a reason for our lifes, for our very existance on this plannet. We are creatures who need a reason for our existance, for our continuing to exist!
People seek this through a career, through marriege, etc! Others trace their linage, their family tree, most often looking for a noble past. We all, if we are truthfull need a reason to live, to explain our existance!
I, we all, need to feel valued. In my ministry I need to feel worthwhile, wanted, needed, childish as this may sound. I need to feel my employer values me, that I am of some worth, some good. Its a horrible experiance to find oneself not valued, it strikes at the very core of our existance.
We need to feel needed in personal relationships, this is why single folks often hurt so much, they can feel, not wanted by another, therefore of no value!
Children need nurcherd in that feeling of belonging, of being wanted, of having values, to be congratulated in even the smallest acheivment. If this is missing in a childs upbringing we will be left with a person who see's no value in themselfs!
As a christian I was taught about how God values me...that "If I had been the only sinner Christ would still have died for me". But does the church pass on this truth in an emotional way to me, too you?
We are receiving messages every day from society...If you have that good car you are a success, a person of value! If You have that position of power, you are a person of value! If you have the perfect family, you are a person of value, and so I could go on.
In touching the Leper, sitting with the tax-collector, being loving to the prostitute, Jesus not only healed, and saved, but He communicated to them their value in God's eyes! We often miss this out in our evangelism, we tell folks they need "To be saved", but do we give them a sense of their value?
We are all different, we all broke the mold. But one thing that we all share is a desire for reason, for our existance, for our coninuing existance.
When we are betrayed, rejected, ignored, are though badly off, whether justified or not, our sense of self value plumits, and our reason for existanse is brought into question!
If I cry out for help, for assistance, for understanding, yes for love, and I'm ignored, then this will, does affect, my fragile humanity! My humanity is part of the whole person I am spiritualy!
Who am I? There is the question? I'm a child, I'm an adolescent, I'm a young man, I am a theoligical student with dreams, a young husband, a husband, a father, a muture man, a man who has been in ministry for 27 years, I am all these at one time, as all the experiances, hopes, dreams, joys, and pain, make me the person I am today.
I suppose, I'm a "Nuclear Child" as Henry Nouwen would put it, still seeking for reason!
Oh dont get me wrong, I am totaly committed to God and His Kingdom. But, its that feeling of personaly value, "Reason" I seek for. This value this reason is communicated to me by those I know, worship with, work with, am employed by! If they dont find value in me, see a "Reason" for my existance, see me as a valued person, then how can I?
I phoned someone this morning, in an attempt to let them know, they are valued, that in my concern, they have "reason" their existanse is noted and valued!
I find most of the phone calls I get are worked related, or someone wanting something from me...nothing wrong with this. But very very seldom, does anyone phone me to celebrate my existance on this earth, to make me feel valued for myself!
We all seek this reason to value ourselfs, to be noted, worthwhile, wanted, needed, cared about! Often we can be left with only a feeling of being used! This leads us to feel, when we are past usefullness, we can be discarded!
Surely I/you are more than our work, our position, our possesions? I'm a person passing through this world but once, I am a vapour that vanishes in the rising sun. But I am also an etternal soul...a soul with feelings, yearnings, wanting reason for my existanse on this earth.
I hope and pray, that today, someone will reach out to you and me, and give us a feeling of "Reason" or worth, or tragicaly we may loose it!
Someone might shout out, "Hold on, God is your reason!" Yes I agree, but God communicated worth to the Leper , through Jesus, bye Jesus touching him. God works through us, through His people, if His people feel I am off no worth, the message isnt comming through, if they do, and communicate it to me, then there is hope in even my darkest night!

The Christian and Depression.

Many in this world suffer from what is loosely termed "Depression".
Many commit suicide each day because of it.
I would always advise against suicide obviously, but do think of the terrible suffering that causes a person to do such a thing!
Medicine has good resources, often the correct anti-depresant will help enourmously. To a lesser degree, counselling can help, but again counselling is just that, "Counselling"!
Depression can be hormonal, though I feel over emphases is given to the hormonal angle, as depression seems in most cases, to be caused by events, stress, etc! Or simply by how people are treated!
Various careers cause fepressions of various kinds. Law Enforcment does now recognise that the experiances of that career can lead to forms of isolationism and depression. Simply, folks in that proffesion can become isolated in their experiances from others in society, and yes the church!
The ministry itself is a fairly high depression incidents proffesion. Many factors may come into this...salery....lifestyle...always being the giver and never the receiver...not be supported properly...being unapreciated...etc etc.
But I want to take my thoughts even further. Why is there so much depression amoung christians? We have so many Bible passages promising wholeness, healing, peace,...and yet seem to have churches full of people who dont experiance these things. Tragic thing is, to my thinking, christians seem to accept this failure in their midst, to make excuses, or even simply blame the person suffering!
Also, as christians do undoubtedly commit suicide, we are burying our heads in the sand regards a major problem in our midst!
I beleive truthfully, that many start out in the christian life with high hopes of great things to come, of wonderfull experiances of God, that they slowly but surely become depressed as they realisticly see little, experiance little! Sadly many christians flirt from church to church, teaching to teaching, looking for that fix they yearn for...and yes, I dare to say it..NEED!
My simple observation is..that the emotional spiritual needs of people are not been met in our churches! This my friends is a disastor we are not facing up too. We may just simply not wish to accept that our churches are failing..are missing out...or dont have God in reality in our midst!
In fact, some christians feel we shouldent even discuss suicide as it may cause people to feel suicide as an alternative to their continual suffering. While totaly agreeing that suicide is never the answer...we miss the point...christians are already suicidal, or deeply depressed at least..and our not wishing to talk about the subject does nothing to help the issue!
Many long years ago at a ministers conferance, I heard a talk on "Ministerial Depression". I still remember it today because I have not heard such a talk since!
My feeling is...and its my person Blogg...my personal Journey...is that God dosent wish for soo many christians to be suffering depression. I feel there is an answer, but one I see very few christians looking for!
I would love to see more realistic care of christians suffering from this curse! I would love to see a more realistic scritural/spiritual reasearch being made into , Why christians continue to suffer so much from it?
What do you think? Have you any comments? suggestions? answers?