I'm Still Here and I Have Feelings

           One of our members – Dee Dee Shields – wrote the following piece. I have edited it slightly to make it a little shorter, but it is her work and contains her thoughts. I thought it was very good so I got her permission to share it with you…

I'M STILL HERE AND HAVE FEELINGS

            Growing old is a part of life that most of us will experience, unless for some unknown reason we are taken from this earth at an early age or are fortunate enough to make it old age without any of the things that I will mention. In some ways, growing older is harder on some than others. Some people don't have a family that checks in on them for one reason or another. Some families don't always live near their parents or aging relatives to care for them, should they need help living alone. Some prefer not to be involved in their lives at all, which is not easy for some of us to understand. There are many reasons why people and families don't even check in on other members of family and people that they know that might need help. 

            I try to remember that someday I could be in those same shoes and will need help and encouragement to do certain things. I am certain that none of us want to have to depend on others. But it does happen… because of a devastating illness or dementia due to the aging process, or injury, but it does happen.

            How valuable it would be if everyone who is in a care taking position with family, a friend, or if you are working in a facility where people need help… would really take time and look at the situation their loved one is in. Think about how you would feel if it were someone you loved and you were watching their life and the changes they are undergoing. Do you really think they would choose to be doing the things that are out of the ordinary for them? Do you think they would like wearing soiled clothes, not taking care of their personal needs, depending on someone else to get them to the stores for groceries, medicines, or whatever it is that they would need help with? How about when they are wearing clothes that are too small, especially shoes that must be uncomfortable on their feet, their hair needs a good shampoo, their teeth or dentures need cleaning, they are at home but don't have the energy or ability to do a wash and keep things in order… and the list goes on and on. For those who have to leave their home and need assistance, the change can be so upsetting to them. Of course someone doesn't want to leave a place that is familiar to them. No matter what, this is sometimes necessary to remove them to a safer place. Not only is this painful to them but to those that are the ones that are involved in the decision. 

            Not always can you assist someone on the first try if they are not feeling right in their own mind and with that they might be feeling threatened. Have patience and wait for a while and try a different approach without suggesting too many things at once. Take one thing at a time and this will at times get them directed in a different frame of mind. Once you can get them to do the first thing - it could be as simple as letting you wash their face or giving them a wash cloth and if they are awkward with it - suggest that you give them a hand. From there you could suggest the next thing, like a clean top to wear. You might have to wait and go slowly so as not to frighten them and avoid giving them the idea that they can't do it. After all, you are just giving them a helping hand. Remember to talk gently to them and maybe distract them with a conversation that you had been talking about earlier. 

            Imagine being so lonely for someone to talk to, if only for a short time. When we aren't in that situation it might be hard to imagine. Take time to observe the facial expressions of these people that are going through this. People might not even be aware that they are depressed, but taking time out to check in on someone might give you a clue and maybe you could help if the situation came up.

   Life passes by so quickly and everyone gets so busy with their own lives that it is not always easy to think beyond yourself. Again, I remind you that this could be you or someone you love. Take time to spend time with family and others, if only a smile and a "Hello, how are you?". At the same time, mean it as you ask the question. 

Lonesome and depressed people, sometimes can come across to other people as grumps, negative people, mean, uncaring about others, etc., when most likely they are thinking, "Who cares?!"  Would you really want to be one of those people that struggle each day with anxiety issues, confusing thoughts, dementia, fears of failure so bad that it restricts them from totally functioning like you and me? The mind works in many different ways and at any given moment we could be hit with one of these things. Like it or not it could happen. 

            I ask that you take time to look around and see how many people might think that no one cares and they have no one to turn to.  It isn't always their choice when this happens. True, one has control of their life to a certain degree but there are other reasons why people act like they do. Not everyone has the control or the ability, like most of us, to take care of themselves. Remember your families as they are a part of you even though you might not see them often. Enjoy the times together when there can be laughs and fun times and along with that also be there if one of us need help or just a caring word. Support those in the family that might be going through the caretaking role and those that are the victim. Love one another and support each other the best you can. It only takes a few words to encourage one another in a not so easy situation. Be an encouragement to those who reach out to you as long as you know it is sincere. 

            Encourage each family member when you can. I'm sure that we all have times when we are discouraged whether we admit it or not. In times when the going gets tough let's be there for each other and notice those around us who are also hurting beyond their control.  Love you all!

Ecclesiastes 12:1-7 (NIV) ¹  Remember your Creator in the days of your youth, before the days of trouble come and the years approach when you will say, "I find no pleasure in them"-- ²  before the sun and the light and the moon and the stars grow dark, and the clouds return after the rain; ³  when the keepers of the house tremble, and the strong men stoop, when the grinders cease because they are few, and those looking through the windows grow dim; ⁴  when the doors to the street are closed and the sound of grinding fades; when men rise up at the sound of birds, but all their songs grow faint; ⁵  when men are afraid of heights and of dangers in the streets; when the almond tree blossoms and the grasshopper drags himself along and desire no longer is stirred. Then man goes to his eternal home and mourners go about the streets. ⁶  Remember him--before the silver cord is severed, or the golden bowl is broken; before the pitcher is shattered at the spring, or the wheel broken at the well, ⁷  and the dust returns to the ground it came from, and the spirit returns to God who gave it.

PRAYER:  Lord, increase our compassion for those in need, and for those who are experiencing challenges from the aging process. May we share Christ’s love and grace with them.  In His name, AMEN.”

Jesus Christ is Lord!  

Scott

A Day in the ER

      I spent most of the day yesterday in the Emergency Room at St. Joseph’s hospital. Before you feel too concerned for me you should realize that it was in the waiting area for the ER. I was not a patient. Joanne was with her mom, who was the patient. Most of us who have been in ERs know that the wait to be seen, treated, and possibly admitted can feel like forever. I had a small computer with me so I was able to do some work while I waited. That was helpful in passing the time. It is not a way or place in which I would typically like to work, but there are a few lessons I can learn by observing what takes place in an Emergency Room over a few hours.

First… we live in a world where so many people are hurting, but we don’t always take the time to see the needs. The maladies are different, but the fear, anxiousness, discomfort, and uncertainties people have share some common threads. Whether they are ragged or refined, everyone comes in with hope that something can be done for them. You can see the trouble in their eyes or on their faces or in their body language. People who accompany the hurting look like they feel helpless and weak, though they want their loved one/friend to feel better. Hurting people are looking for a place to go for answers to their pain and hope for their healing.

Secondly, people feel out of place in the ER (except the workers/employees). They feel like strangers. They seem unsure of what to say or where to go. They get asked a lot of questions by people they don’t know  and they wonder how long they will have to wait. For some it will be a long time. Sometimes others (who even came in after they did) seem to get priority. The needs of some are greater and more immediate than others. The waiting can be hard on some people, especially if they have “things to do” or “places to go”. Most of them want to be someplace else, but know they need to be there.

Third, the people offering help (the employees) seem to genuinely care about those who come in, but they also are very busy. They do their job efficiently, but much of their work is not face-to-face care with the hurting. In time, everyone is “seen” and the first question they are asked by the PA is, “What’s going on?” or “What brought you in today?” People can’t always articulate clearly what the problem is. For others, the problem is obvious. For the most part, those who are there every day doing their jobs show respect and courtesy for all who come in. They are trained to (at least outwardly) show no bias or favoritism. Their training helps them to meet the needs of people “on edge”.

Lastly, from what I observed most people come for treatment and then leave (the same day). A few are admitted for ongoing hospital observation and care. Either way, those who come in are looking for a reason to have hope. They are looking for help. I think, too, they are looking for someone to relate to them in a loving way, because they need assurance that everything will be okay.

This day in the ER has me thinking about some parallels between it and the Church. What are the similarities and differences when a person comes into our church? What if you read this email again, as if it were the church I was describing? It might be an interesting and enlightening exercise. I will leave it to you to ponder the question and to prayerfully seek God’s guidance and will for our ministry to others.

Luke 19:10 (NIV) ¹⁰  For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.

Luke 5:31-32 (NIV) ³¹  Jesus answered them, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. ³²  I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."

Matthew 9:35-36 (NIV) ³⁵  Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. ³⁶  When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.

PRAYER:  Father God, may our church be a spiritual hospital of your love, where people can find healing for their souls be meeting the Great Physician. May they find hope in Christ! And may they find in me, as part of my church, a spirit of grace and one who truly cares for them. May I be a person of compassion like Jesus.  In His name, AMEN.”

Jesus Christ is Lord!

Scott

My Rock

      Warm sunshine in January is a good thing. While snowmobilers and skiers might take exception, a warm-up day and a bright sun shining can do a great deal to lift spirits, raise hopes, and bring joy. One can only take so much cold, snow, ice, and rain… for so long… before his heart begins to get a little heavy. I honestly don’t know how people in Alaska do it. Joanne and I have noticed the clear change in people on bright days in the summertime after a few cloudy/rainy ones. We see it on the carriage paths or on the streets as we walk or ride. People are just different. They are smiling. They are more talkative and responsive to greetings. It’s an amazing transformation. But it is too bad that our disposition is so impacted and influenced by external conditions.

A relationship with Christ has made a tremendous difference in my life, because He is Lord over even my moods and my emotional ups and downs. The externals (weather, amount of light, etc.) seek to have an impact on me, but Christ is greater than those things. I am not some pinball being bounced around a variety of emotional swings caused by outward circumstances beyond my control. Whatever my situation, and wherever I may be, Jesus Christ is Lord. Since He is my source of joy – not the externals – I have victory in Him. They cannot defeat me or destroy me. They are (and will be) always passing away. I like the Scriptures that speak of God being my “rock”. We all know that God is not literally a rock. But He is like one – to and for us. There is an immovability to His nature. There is a certainty that He does not change. There is a strength that He has for every need and every situation. There is protection for the one in His shadow… for one who is “moored” to Him... for the one rests on Him.

Many Bible people had emotional ups and downs in their lives. Ultimately, only one truth mattered to them. Only one thing could help them. No matter what was happening, God was sovereign and trustworthy. In Him they were safe. He would not let them go, and they could not experience anything – including any and all of life’s hardships – without His enduring and assisting presence. All they need do was trust. Simple trusting is the key for peace in our hearts and minds on a daily basis. God is strong. I am not. May the Lord lead us to rely on Him more and more, and may we never doubt that joy will come “in the morning”.

Deuteronomy 33:27 (NIV) ²⁷  The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms. He will drive out your enemy before you, saying, 'Destroy him!'

Psalm 18:2 (NIV) ²  The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

Psalm 30:4-5 (NIV) ⁴  Sing to the LORD, you saints of his; praise his holy name. ⁵  For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.

Psalm 62:6-7 (NIV) ⁶  He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken. ⁷  My salvation and my honor depend on God; he is my mighty rock, my refuge.

Isaiah 26:3-4 (NIV) ³  You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you. ⁴  Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD, the LORD, is the Rock eternal.

Matthew 7:24-27 (NIV) ²⁴  "Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. ²⁵  The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. ²⁶  But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. ²⁷  The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash."

PRAYER:  Father, I cling to you… I trust you… in the midst of each day’s ups and downs. Deliver me from bondage to my feelings. Keep me from trusting in them. Keep me from being pushed around and controlled by them. Instead I will rest in you and rely on you and you alone. In Jesus’ name, AMEN.”

Jesus Christ is Lord!

Scott

The Last Time

      A week ago I was thinking about it being the last day of the year. There’s a sense of finality every December 31. Something is ending. The world goes a little crazy every year as the last seconds are counted down. New Year’s Eve has never been much of a big deal in my life. Often I have not stayed up for the “countdown” and just gone to bed. New Year’s Eve always seemed to me to be just a convenient reason for people to get wasted and forget their troubles for a few hours. I guess you could say, “I don’t get it!”

On that same day I finished our “Through the Bible in 2013” reading plan. Part of me felt like saying, “There, that’s done!” And it did feel good to complete it. But do you think I am “done” reading the Bible? I think you know better, because the next day God’s Word had something new for me. While systematic reading through all or part of the Scriptures is a good thing, complete mastery in understanding, obedience, application, and wisdom never comes fully this side of eternity. I will never be “done” reading the Word.

Each of us is steadily moving toward what is often thought of as the last day of our lives. But it won’t be. Our last breath will usher us into eternity. We enter eternity in one of two states: having faith in Christ, or not having faith in Christ. John wrote that “He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.” (1 John 5:12). To “not have life” does not mean to cease to exist. The last day of existence does not come for the one who rejects Jesus Christ. As I read the last chapters of Revelation as the days of 2013 came to an end, I was reminded that the lake of fire (the second death) is eternal (Rev. 20:10). While it is reserved for the devil and his angels, it is also the destination for all whose names are not written in the Lamb’s (Jesus) Book of Life (Rev 20:15) at the final judgment. At that time every “final resting place” will give up their dead (without exception). All who have ever lived will stand before God on His great white throne.

For the person who “has the Son” (whose trust is in Christ alone) this presents no fear because, as Paul writes in Romans 8:1, “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus…” The confidence of standing before God wearing the righteousness of Christ is a great cause for assurance in our hearts. We will not be condemned because Christ has cleansed us of our sin by taking it on Himself and by giving us His own righteousness. It is for this reason that we also need not fear that last day of our earthly life – whenever it may come – or the last judgment. Jesus is a great Savior. What a privilege we have to know Him and to be among those God has chosen for faith and for salvation. How humbling that is, and how encouraging that is to share with others whom God will also call to believe on Christ.

I used to sing a song by Mark Heard in church when I was younger called “The Last Time”. The lyrics remind me that we are always living out the things we do in life for potentially the last time. For me this was both a comforting and challenging thought. Each breath… each prayer… each meal… each day of work… each song… each heartbeat… each year is one closer to being with Jesus in eternity. The thought of this could make a person fret, but not the one who knows Christ and looks forward to His appearing: the one who knows the “last” of anything is not ours to determine, but is in His hands (His will). May the Lord give you peace about these things because you are in Christ. And if you are not in Christ, may the Lord rescue you out of such a hopeless and helpless place so that you may be able to place your hope in Him.

If you’d like to listen to the song, this link can get you to it: https://myspace.com/johnmarkheard/music/song/the-last-time-88298428-98007323

Isaiah 53:4-6 (NIV) ⁴  Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. ⁵  But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. ⁶  We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

2 Corinthians 5:21 (NIV) ²¹  God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

PRAYER:  Father, in this new year I rejoice that you have by grace, imputed to me the righteousness of Your Son. Not because of who I am, and not for anything I have done, but for your glory and according to your lovingkindness and mercy. For this I praise you. In Jesus’ name, AMEN.”

Jesus Christ is Lord!

Scott