When I write our weekly Joys and Concerns, I try to include a scripture to meditate upon, along with a note. Here is a selection of recent offerings:
September 12: 14When they came back to the disciples, they saw a large crowd around them, and some scribes arguing with them. 15Immediately, when the entire crowd saw Him, they were amazed and began running up to greet Him. 16And He asked them, "What are you discussing with them?" 17And one of the crowd answered Him, "Teacher, I brought You my son, possessed with a spirit which makes him mute; 18and whenever it seizes him, it slams him to the ground and he foams at the mouth, and grinds his teeth and stiffens out. I told Your disciples to cast it out, and they could not do it." 19And He answered them and said, "O unbelieving generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring him to Me!" 20They brought the boy to Him. When he saw Him, immediately the spirit threw him into a convulsion, and falling to the ground, he began rolling around and foaming at the mouth. 21And He asked his father, "How long has this been happening to him?" And he said, "From childhood. 22"It has often thrown him both into the fire and into the water to destroy him. But if You can do anything, take pity on us and help us!" 23And Jesus said to him, " 'If You can?' All things are possible to him who believes." 24Immediately the boy's father cried out and said, "I do believe; help my unbelief." Matt 9:14-24
This scripture reminds us of (at least) two key principles. First, we learn that nothing is impossible for God. With faith, we have everything we need to serve him. Second, we learn that faith is not something we can attain without help. Faith is a gift, and without that gift, we are never self-sufficient. Faith is not like money that we put into a bank. In order to make our faith grow, we must use it and constantly renew it in our daily living.
September 5: 14What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him? 15If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, 16and one of you says to them, "Go in peace, be warmed and be filled," and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that? 17Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself. 18But someone may well say, "You have faith and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works." 19You believe that God is one You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder. 20But are you willing to recognize, you foolish fellow, that faith without works is useless? 26For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead. James 2:14-20, 26.
This is one of the scriptures that speaks most directly to me. In care ministries, I think James directs us to continue our efforts to help the needy, but he also helps us see the link between all of our activities and the continued development of our faith.
Diana Frey has been paying visits to Doris Wilkowske as a care minister for a number of years. Their relationship grew into a loving friendship that nurtured both persons. Diana’s love showed beautifully as she was present during Doris’ last few moments of life. We join Diana in sadness and in celebration as Doris has now departed this life for a life in heaven. I thank God for Diana and for all of our volunteers who give their love so freely. These works, difficult as they are at times, are the expression of our faith. These works, difficult as they are at times, are also what nourishes our faith.
August 22: 1"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. 2In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. 3And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. 4You know the way to the place where I am going."
25"All this I have spoken while still with you. 26But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. 27Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. (John 14:1-4, 25-27)
This is a comforting scripture as I sit here and think of our friend Topsy Krohn, who died on Monday, August 16. The last few lines of Bruce Springsteen’s hit song Bobby Jean come to mind as I think of my final visit with Topsy on Monday morning.
And I’m just calling one last time,
not to change your mind
But just to say I miss you baby, good luck goodbye, Bobby Jean.
Let’s take this week to remember all of our dear friends who have left us to go to a better place.
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Messages 2
When I write our weekly Joys and Concerns, I try to include a scripture to meditate upon, along with a note. Here is a selection of recent offerings:
September 26: I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: 2preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction. 3For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, 4and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths. 5But you, be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry. 2Tim 4:1-5
This is Paul’s exhortation to Timothy, written as Paul is imprisoned and soon to be executed. Timothy is working with the often frustrating church of Ephesus. I have a copy of verse 5 posted in my office, and it strengthens and inspires me in my work. But we all have times when we find it hard to fulfill our ministry, and right now I feel as if I’m having a struggle to “get it right.” The aid program still requires work to define it and make it work well. I still feel some confusion about what I should be doing when I finish my Certified Lay Minister training. The Community meal is in the midst of a replanning cycle to address funding, volunteers, mission, etc. To be honest, I wish we could find a new volunteer to assume the leadership of that program. Care ministries has had a very tough August and September, with 6 funerals during the past 7 weeks. All of this results in a certain tension and uncertainty, which for me is expressed in crankiness. Please offer your suggestions for managing the problem areas. Please pray that we can all continue to fulfill our ministry.
September 19: 10 Consecrate the fiftieth year and proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you; each one of you is to return to his family property and each to his own clan. 11 The fiftieth year shall be a jubilee for you; do not sow and do not reap what grows of itself or harvest the untended vines. 12 For it is a jubilee and is to be holy for you; eat only what is taken directly from the fields. 13 " 'In this Year of Jubilee everyone is to return to his own property. Lev 25:10-13
In Old Testament times, the Year of Jubilee was celebrated every 50 years. It was a time of forgiving debts, compassion for the poor, and removing oppression. It was also a time to mend old feuds and allow new growth of personal relationships. This past week, I had conflict with some of our church leaders, and I have to say I fumbled the ball. I should have used the Rule of Christ but it didn’t work out that way. I learned something from that. Based upon my own experience, I would suggest that we all declare a Jubilee: let’s forgive those who trespass against us and ask forgiveness for our own trespasses. We will continue to work on managing conflicts within our church-it’s a learning process and we shouldn’t expect instant results. But maybe our first step should be to renew relationships, forgive and start again.
September 26: I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: 2preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction. 3For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, 4and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths. 5But you, be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry. 2Tim 4:1-5
This is Paul’s exhortation to Timothy, written as Paul is imprisoned and soon to be executed. Timothy is working with the often frustrating church of Ephesus. I have a copy of verse 5 posted in my office, and it strengthens and inspires me in my work. But we all have times when we find it hard to fulfill our ministry, and right now I feel as if I’m having a struggle to “get it right.” The aid program still requires work to define it and make it work well. I still feel some confusion about what I should be doing when I finish my Certified Lay Minister training. The Community meal is in the midst of a replanning cycle to address funding, volunteers, mission, etc. To be honest, I wish we could find a new volunteer to assume the leadership of that program. Care ministries has had a very tough August and September, with 6 funerals during the past 7 weeks. All of this results in a certain tension and uncertainty, which for me is expressed in crankiness. Please offer your suggestions for managing the problem areas. Please pray that we can all continue to fulfill our ministry.
September 19: 10 Consecrate the fiftieth year and proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you; each one of you is to return to his family property and each to his own clan. 11 The fiftieth year shall be a jubilee for you; do not sow and do not reap what grows of itself or harvest the untended vines. 12 For it is a jubilee and is to be holy for you; eat only what is taken directly from the fields. 13 " 'In this Year of Jubilee everyone is to return to his own property. Lev 25:10-13
In Old Testament times, the Year of Jubilee was celebrated every 50 years. It was a time of forgiving debts, compassion for the poor, and removing oppression. It was also a time to mend old feuds and allow new growth of personal relationships. This past week, I had conflict with some of our church leaders, and I have to say I fumbled the ball. I should have used the Rule of Christ but it didn’t work out that way. I learned something from that. Based upon my own experience, I would suggest that we all declare a Jubilee: let’s forgive those who trespass against us and ask forgiveness for our own trespasses. We will continue to work on managing conflicts within our church-it’s a learning process and we shouldn’t expect instant results. But maybe our first step should be to renew relationships, forgive and start again.
Can I do Anything to Help My Memory?
After my dad died of cancer in April, 2008, my mom was left alone in a big empty house. She lived out in the country and the place was just too much to manage, so my sisters and I talked her into selling the place and moving about 90 miles to a town house in the city where one of us was living. We thought maybe mom would get involved in the neighborhood activities, and perhaps feel secure enough to make new friends, since it was a private community restricted to people older than 55. Unfortunately, mom decided instead to just sit in her house with the blinds drawn and not do much of anything. Over the next year, we noticed some disturbing changes. Mom forgot to pay the bills, and the insurance company cancelled her policy. She stopped cooking, and made meals out of crackers and snacks. She lost touch with what was going on in her community and in the world, and eventually she started getting lost when she drove to the grocery store. It was time to sell the car and move her to an assisted living facility.
Does my mother have early Alzheimer’s disease? She has been evaluated by an internal medicine specialist, a neurologist, and a psychologist, and no one is sure. But she clearly shows some changes from how she used to be. What is causing these changes? How can mom try to slow down the progression of the problems, or even stop them all together?
Memory loss is part of aging-it happens to all of us. Our brains actually work the best when we are in our 20s, and most of us start noticing some memory glitches by about age 45-50. In people with Alzheimer’s disease, the memory loss grows progressively worse, along with some changes in personality, until it can make us unable to do even the simplest tasks, or to care for ourselves. The causes of Alzheimer’s disease are not completely known. Some of the risk is inherited, but your lifestyle can also increase or decrease your risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. What are the risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease that you can control?
Smoking after age 65 increases your risk of Alzheimer’s disease by 79%.
Obesity in mid life makes Alzheimer’s disease 3 times more likely.
Diabetes increases your risk by about 2 times.
Chronic stress may increase your risk, but doctors are not certain of this yet.
You can decrease your risk of Alzheimer’s disease (and stroke too) by controlling your weight, exercising such as brisk walking, and eating a healthy diet that includes omega 3 fatty acids (cold water fish, nuts, whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables). When exercising, make sure you wear a helmet if you are bicycling or playing sports. Head injuries can greatly increase your risk of memory loss. Establish a regular sleep cycle with consistent times for going to bed and getting up.
Exercising your brain may be even more important than exercising your body. Set aside a time each day to learn something new-read a book, study a foreign language, work puzzles, take up a new hobby. It also helps to practice memorization. Start with something easy, and then work up to learning the capitals of our 50 states, or the names of former presidents. Make a written list of your daily experiences, including the who, what, when, where, and why details. Working your brain keeps your brain working.
Social interaction also helps keep your brain working. I would strongly recommend that you not take my mother’s route of inactivity and social isolation-it lets your memory go and it raises your risk of depression, another illness that can rob you of your ability to concentrate and remember.
At her assisted living home, my mom now gets help with taking her medicines, and she has a regular schedule with good meals and social activities. I hope she will avoid further problems. I only wish we had intervened earlier.
Does my mother have early Alzheimer’s disease? She has been evaluated by an internal medicine specialist, a neurologist, and a psychologist, and no one is sure. But she clearly shows some changes from how she used to be. What is causing these changes? How can mom try to slow down the progression of the problems, or even stop them all together?
Memory loss is part of aging-it happens to all of us. Our brains actually work the best when we are in our 20s, and most of us start noticing some memory glitches by about age 45-50. In people with Alzheimer’s disease, the memory loss grows progressively worse, along with some changes in personality, until it can make us unable to do even the simplest tasks, or to care for ourselves. The causes of Alzheimer’s disease are not completely known. Some of the risk is inherited, but your lifestyle can also increase or decrease your risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. What are the risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease that you can control?
Smoking after age 65 increases your risk of Alzheimer’s disease by 79%.
Obesity in mid life makes Alzheimer’s disease 3 times more likely.
Diabetes increases your risk by about 2 times.
Chronic stress may increase your risk, but doctors are not certain of this yet.
You can decrease your risk of Alzheimer’s disease (and stroke too) by controlling your weight, exercising such as brisk walking, and eating a healthy diet that includes omega 3 fatty acids (cold water fish, nuts, whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables). When exercising, make sure you wear a helmet if you are bicycling or playing sports. Head injuries can greatly increase your risk of memory loss. Establish a regular sleep cycle with consistent times for going to bed and getting up.
Exercising your brain may be even more important than exercising your body. Set aside a time each day to learn something new-read a book, study a foreign language, work puzzles, take up a new hobby. It also helps to practice memorization. Start with something easy, and then work up to learning the capitals of our 50 states, or the names of former presidents. Make a written list of your daily experiences, including the who, what, when, where, and why details. Working your brain keeps your brain working.
Social interaction also helps keep your brain working. I would strongly recommend that you not take my mother’s route of inactivity and social isolation-it lets your memory go and it raises your risk of depression, another illness that can rob you of your ability to concentrate and remember.
At her assisted living home, my mom now gets help with taking her medicines, and she has a regular schedule with good meals and social activities. I hope she will avoid further problems. I only wish we had intervened earlier.
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