 |
| Praying Hearts Sanctuary |
| Newsletter |
| July 2001 |
| Volume 1 Number 3 |
| Here's just a little housekeeping to get out of the way... As you know, there have been some major changes in our ability to get the newsletter out to you. We were sorry that ListBot is no longer able to offer us the free list site but are indeed grateful that Yahoo still has one available. Thanks to each of you who have made the switch and still have your free subscription to our newsletter. If you have not opened an account with Yahoo Groups and want to continue to receive our newsletter, please visit our website at http://www.phsanctuary.homestead.com and use the link at the bottom of the page. This is the last newsletter that will be distributed through ListBot. If you have friends who you think might benefit from receiving the newsletter, please let them know about us. For those of you who have just joined us for the first time, the first two newsletters are available at our web site, http://www.phsanctuary.homestead.com. Unfortunately, as well has having to change our newsletter mailing address, we are also in the process of changing the web site. Homestead has been a wonderful server but they are at the point where they feel the need to charge for their service and since we are a totally volunteer organization, we are searching for a free place to rebuild our site. Once a new home is found, an announcement will be made and a directional will be kept at the current site until it shuts down September 30. If you look for our web site after that time at the above address and it's no longer there, please just email us at [email protected] and we will direct you to our new address. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ This verse is one of the favorites of one of our team members and it seems so appropriate to use as the first bit of inspiration for this newsletter: "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6-7 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ BEYOND ENDURANCE by Pam Brickman As someone who lives with a chronic illness that's often debilitating, I find despair to have the capacity to easily take over my life. I've experienced and fought this most of my adult life. Therefore, when I came upon the following Scripture verses one morning, I was deeply touched: "We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead." (2 Cor. 1:8b-9) Paul wrote these words to the church of Corinth, in reference to the hardships that he had experienced in Asia. Even Paul, with the greatest of faith, had felt pushed beyond his ability to cope, to the point where he was afraid he was going to die! However, he went on to say that there was a reason for this. It was God's way of teaching him that he had to rely on God instead of himself, that his own abilities were simply not enough to carry him through. I can certainly identify with that! I tend to work as hard as I can to cope with my life's difficulties, many times only to fall flat on my face into hopelessness and despair. I have wailed, "Why, God? Why me? Why can't I be like others who seem to have it so easy, to have it so together?" As God revealed to Job, however, only He the Lord is in control. It is not our place to ask why. Instead it is our blessing from Him to be given the faith to trust Him to love us and to provide His guidance along our paths. His love is always there, always available. I have found that although I may not realize it at the time, He always leads me in the way I should go if I ask for and depend on His will. Therefore I rarely ask why anymore. I hope to find that out in the future, whether here on earth or after I have crossed over into Heaven. In the meantime, the Scriptures give us a glimpse of how God can use our suffering here on earth in a positive way if we rely on Him to comfort us: "Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God."(2Cor. 1:3-4) Do you find yourself wondering how to have a ministry in your life? If we suffer, as all of us do at some point in our lives, God shows us a way to minister to others. It is simply to offer comfort and compassion, as He enables us, to the people he brings into our lives � to those who are in some kind of pain, be it physical, emotional, or spiritual. It is part of obeying the Lord's greatest command: "Love one another." ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Being Spiritually Supportive of Someone with a Diagnosed Mental Illness by Paul Francisco This article is designed to possibly aid families and friends of those who are diagnosed with a mental illness. My prayer and hope is that it will give some understanding and assistance, especially in spiritual ways. Mental illness more often appears in middle and late teen years, but is not limited to that. It can overcome a person at almost any age. Bipolar disorder (illness) is the most common problem and sometimes the hardest to diagnose. It has infected humanity at a steady one percent of the population for centuries, it is thought. Many great and important persons over the ages have demonstrated the presence of bipolar illness in their lives by intense periods of creativity and huge depressions at other times. Teens are often exuberant over people and things, and often cause older adults and parents to shake their heads in wonder----wonder whether they were ever like that! Most likely they were. Teens, especially girls, are also subject to depressed feelings during those years. "Crushes" on friends who turn out to be something less than emotionally perceived are "disastrous" to some youngsters. Agony over ossible low grades in school is often demonstrated, especially after they occur. These and countless other emotional demonstrations make it sometime difficult to establish a diagnoses, especially in this most common mental illness which is typified by emotional highs and lows. When either the emotional highs or lows get to be extreme, leading to self harm or material destructiveness (the windows; the furniture; the car), then the diagnosis is more apparent and established. It is then time for treatment: proper medication and proper counseling (if available). Also a time for understanding. For a family which is church-oriented and has belief in the overall goodness of God toward them, a family member, suffering an obvious mental illness and is diagnosed as such, becomes a source of great pain and often the disruption of the family's life. The pain comes from belief that "All things work together for good to those who love the Lord" as the Bible states. The disruption may come either from the ill member's actions (hitting, breaking things, flauting all authority, and other wild behavior associated with the bipolar illness; or the deep, often suicidal, depressions.) So there is often a double blow: Why should this happen to us, as Christians (What have we done to deserve this?) and, Is there some flaw in me, or in the way we have raised him or her; or are my genes defective; etc? It should be noted here that depression (alone) is the other most common illness, and effecting women more than men. It is not easier to deal with than bipolar illness, and no less dangerous to the sufferer, for suicide is often seen by the ill person as the only way out. Elderly bereaved men are especially subject to deep depression and suicidal thoughts. And again, the family and friends find much pain here, and often considerable expense for medications and treatments. For all mental illnesses there is also the possibility of long term care somewhere. Let us think productively and Biblically, rather than emotionally, about this subject. The Bible tells us directly and repeatedly that this is an imperfect world, and has been ever since Adam's fall into the sin of disobedience. In God's rulership of the earth's peoples the sin of Adam was decreed to infect the whole race. He is the federal head of humanity. In God's providence, salvation from sin was decreed through the Savior whom we know as Jesus Christ. God through the Holy Spirit moves people to believe in Christ for salvation and everlasting life and give their earthly lives to Him for service. God is propitiated toward believers in Christ Who actually is the propitiation in Himself (sin is forgiven and Christians are sanctified, or set apart, for the worship of and service to God. How much of this service is realized depends upon a saved person's submission to God's will). This, very briefly indeed, is the New Testament message. In this sin-cursed world, then, anything can happen: both to Christians and non-Christians alike. The verses of Romans 8:28-32 tell us that all things do indeed work together for our good; and that Christians, foreknown and predestinated to become like Jesus who suffered for us, shall be given all things. "All things" may well include suffering as well as peace, love and joy in the Holy Spirit. It is important for Christians to recognize this and not feel that they are exempt from all problems. It is on this point that faith can be weakened and prayers unanswered. Peter tells us in his first letter (4:12,13) that Christians should not think it strange when "fiery trials" come, but should "rejoice" when we suffer a little, as Christ did tremendously. Paul in Second Corinthians 1:7 reminds us that if we have suffering in our lives as Christ did, we also look forward to the great final Consolation: some of those things that God has prepared for those who love Him. This is not pie-in-the-sky, but Scriptural truth. In any and all desperation about what life "hands us" there is comfort available from God. Paul tells us that God comforts those who are cast down (downcast), when we ask for it. The Holy Ghost is the "comforter" in a very real sense and we may call upon Him. In a remarkable set of verses, Paul sings praise to the God of all comfort "Who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God"! Paul, and countless others (including the writer), experienced direct comfort from God in times of trouble. Prayers for the direct healing of a loved family member or friend may well have to be framed by delay in prayer answers, need for medications (all substances are given by God and proper medication is not to be despised) and times of continued suffering both for the family and the patient. But assistance and understanding are available from both those who treat and medicate, and the Lord God. When faith is weak and patience at an end is the time for praising God and seeking greater faith through simple requests in prayer. God's advice and command are given with great directness: Be careful (anxious) for nothing, but in EVERYTHING by prayer and supplication (more prayer) WITH THANKSGIVING, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which passes (surpasses)all understanding, will guard your HEARTS and MINDS through Jesus Christ (Philippians 4:6,7). Don't give up. God has the answers and you will know them at the proper (God's) time. To conclude with the original theme: That family and that friend who draws upon God in faith and by knowledge of at least the above discussion will be of greatest spiritual assistance to the ill person. When given these facts about God in times of remission of the mental illness, or when it is controlled by medications, the ill person will also prosper spiritually in practicing them. One of the feelings sufferers have is that of uniqueness: No one has ever felt this way before. This is not true, of course. Another feeling can be, if I am born again in Christ, this would not be happening to me. Also not true. Jesus said the rain falls upon the just and the unjust. Christians are not guaranteed or even promised total or even good health in this life. Those who have it should praise God for it. Even though ill, when in times of full alertness, that person also should be praising and thanking God. The verse quoted in the previous paragraph says, IN EVERYTHING...WITH THANKSGIVING. This takes grace, and that is available in abundance when faith and effort are put into practice in our spiritual lives. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ WORDS FROM HEIDI Hi! I'm Heidi from the Praying Hearts Sanctuary Prayer Team. I just wanted to let you know that Matthew 11:28-30 is my absolute favorite scripture: "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." I also enjoy Psalm 13. "How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and every day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me? Look on me and answer, O LORD my God. Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death; my enemy will say, "I have overcome him," and my foes will rejoice when I fall. But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoies in your salvation. I will sing to the LORD,for he has been good to me." Epilepsy is a disease that affects millions of people in the U.S. and other parts of the world. I am, unfortunately, one of the people who has this disorder. I had my first Grand Mal (tonic clonic is the new name) on August 1st 2000. It took 6 months to get an actual diagnosis because of inept people in the hospital where I had my first tests done. I spent 6 days in the hospital in March of this year hooked up to all kinds of wires and finally have the diagnosis of Juvenille Myoclonic Epilepsy with generalized grand mals. I will have this for the rest of my life even though it's a juvenille disease. However, my seizures are being resistant to medication. I'm on high doses of anti seizure medications. We don't know for sure what we will be doing to try to stop them next. I will be getting a service dog to help me before and after I have a seizure but still have to be accepted into that program. I will also be going to the Mayo Clinic for studies on the ganglian receptors and some mitochondrial studies. Hopefully they will shed some light on what's going on in my goofy body. I would really appreciate all of the prayers and support I can get. I'm facing some scary stuff in the next few months. I'm so glad I have God to get me through this, without Him, I'd be lost. ~ Heidi ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Di writes: Sometimes when things are really bleak - and sometimes when things are going really well - I remind myself that there are angels all around us. We may not see them, but they are there, as this piece of Old Testament scripture tells us: 'I myself will send an angel before you to guard you as you go and bring you to the place that I have prepared. Give him reverence and listen to all that he says. If you listen carefully to his voice and do all that I say, I shall be enemy to your enemies, foe to your foes. My angel will go before you and lead you.' (Exodus 23:20,22,23) Meditation on angels: We are not alone. We live in the company of angels. They are masters of disguise and camouflage, emissaries of God's Holy Spirit, maifestations of the imminence of heaven, who guard us from danger and the powers and principalities of darkness. In stillness and purity of heart and in vulnerability to love it is just possible to catch a glimpse of them in a seeming reflection, a passing shadow, in the stranger who appears in a crisis, in the single word of comfort spoken from an unlikely source. Angels are messengers from heaven disguised in the message they bring. (From The Really Useful Meditation Book by Lorraine Cavanagh, Hodder & Stoughton, 1995) ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Closing Prayer Our most precious and Heavenly Father. We pray that you watch over us and guide us through our daily lives. We pray that you use the words in the newsletter to touch lives and provide a source of comfort and strength. You Lord, are the Almighty Healer and we ask that your will be done in the health and well- being of those who receive this. We pray for the needs of all your children, whether they be physical, emotional, psychological, or spiritual. You have said that you knew us even before we were in the womb and even now, you know our every need. Forgive us where we fail thee. We pray this in your Holy name, Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Contact Information Website http://www.phsanctuary.homestead.com Email for Prayer Requests [email protected] The Group [email protected] Pat [email protected] Ang [email protected] Di [email protected] Paul Editor [email protected] Asst Editors for this issue [email protected] [email protected] |
 |