Prevention and Wellness

These charts from the Wall Street Journal show that a lot of people refuse to follow Doctors' orders. They figure that rebellion is costing billions of Dollars annually.

The future is here and it will reward medical practices, businesses, insurance companies that make sure workers exercise, eat right, don't smoke, don't drink, and stay away from the Doctor. They will punish those groups that fail to get their workers to practice good health habits.

Do you think I am kidding? Read this and weep.

How will "Big Brother" know if you are practicing good health habits, eating right, losing weight, and refusing donuts? They will follow your buying data. Taking home chocolate? There goes your insurance costs. Gaining weight? Failing to exercise? It is a luxury that will cost you a lot of money.

Are you happy with your Doctor and with your policy? Too bad! It has been replaced by a comprehensive, all seeing connection to a computer at the IRS. But fear not, they are on your side. They are warm, fuzz balls who will follow up on your purchases to keep you healthy. They really love you.

If your company, medical office, business, church wants to get people more engaged in self-care, contact me. We have the tools to do it and it can save you big bucks.

The Bible and Prevention 5

Perhaps the major thrust of the book None of these Diseases is to highlight the fact that God gave instructions for protecting us spiritually, mentally and physically. He gave the good news long before we understood the dangerous elements we were fighting. 

If we had heeded those instructions , our society would be better and more advanced and Christians would indeed be more like Christ. Our daily challenge is to live the lifestyle God commanded so that we can claim the promise of "none of these diseases." 

Some ways of healing.

1. Love and the other fruit of the Spirit. Love is shown primarily by being a gracious friend. In I Corinthians 13 St. Paul writes that "The greatest gift of God is love". 

2. The best human skill to show love is Listening. I think I will write a book call it "Listening is Love". My former colleague and ongoing friend, Deborah McIndoe teaches our book, Listening for Heaven's Sake every year to her high school kids. Afterwards, they write glowing letters of thanks to me for the book. It is a life changing experience. They learn to GIVE love and Listening and that comes back to them in multiple ways. 


The book The Healing Release of the Holy Spirit tells why listening is key. 

The Bible and Grief 4

The final chapters of the book, None of these Diseases, address spiritual wholeness. It also looks at the resources Christians have to cope with the loss of loved ones (Phil.4:6-7), live victorious lives (Gal. 5:24, Rom. 6: 5-6), and die in peace (Num. 23:10). Grieving the loss of loved ones leaves and indelible mark on the souls of those left behind. I have written several posts on the long term sicknesses and diseases of people who lost a parent as a child. I am still dumbfounded when I read the statistical correlations.  

Kids can lose a significant and loving relative in several ways. I have developed a simple scale to assess the level of pain and damage done to people who suffer from Adverse Events. 

External Attacks------External Neglect

SHOCK: An Rare Adversity. It leaves victims with some emotional, spiritual damage. 
TRAUMA: An occasional Adverse event that leaves victims with significant damage.
ABUSE: Ongoing or chronic Adverse events that leave victims deeply damaged. 

1. Abandonment. It seems that the number of parents who refuse to take their responsibilities seriously and stick it out with the kids is growing daily. I recently spoke with a bright woman who suffered from depression and distant relationships. She never thought that the reason could have been the fact that her father left the family to "play around" when she was a teenager.  

2. Divorce. The high percentage of men and women who divorce today is leaving millions of children with trauma and deep emotional scars. In many instances, they are unable to offer their own families emotionally. 

3. Neglect. Many people stay with the family but neglect to provide the warmth, love and nurture a child needs to thrive emotionally and spiritually. 

4. Parental and Sibling Shock, Trauma or Abuse: Shaming, physical or sexual attacks.

The world has many people who have suffered from these kinds of events so churches must develop programs that supply large numbers of people well trained in the care and cure of souls. We call it Inner Healing today. 

Many who suffer from Shock, Trauma and Abuse develop mental, emotional and relational problems like perfectionism. The price of perfectionism and extreme ambition is described on pages 239-243. It includes fatigue, frustration and anxiety, as well as serious physical and emotional disorders.

Those leaders and ministers who refuse to develop ministries of Inner Healing are continuing to abandon people in need. Read my book, Power Christian Thinking to discover how to start the process. 

The Bible and Sexual Healing 3

God's plan for sexuality as set forth in I Thess. 4:3-5 is contrasted with the practices of homosexuality , incest and adultery , which lead to devastating consequences such as sexually transmitted diseases and neurotic behavior. They explain how these violations of God's instructions have not only affected those directly involved but have generated problems for society as a whole.

One section of the book, devoted to the concept of emotional wholeness, discusses the role of faith in coping with stress and dealing with anger.(Ps. 23, Prov. 29:11)

Numerous psychological disorders and aberrant behaviors are identified as the results of the failure of Christians to exercise faith. Attention is called to the fact that some medical schools in the U.S. have recognized the power of prayer in healing and have instructed doctors to emphasize the faith principle.


Read my books, The Healing Release of the Holy Spirit, Breaking Free and How to be Me in My Family Tree to understand freedom in Christ.

God's Plan for Healing 2

                       Drug Profits! Death will pay in a Big way.

The authors of None of These Diseases call specific attention to God's warnings about the physical, mental and sociological effects of alcohol. On pages 44-54 are problems or diseases related to alcoholism (Ephesians 5:17-18, Proverbs 23:19-21, 29-34).

Reference is made to damage of nerves and body organs, damage to newborns, and sexual disorders. Attentions is also called to the number of highway deaths and broken homes resulting from alcohol abuse.

What do you see here that is different from the normal Christian approach to healing?
In southern Ohio, as well as other places, there is a plague of drug abuse. Heroin gets all the attention because there is an upward spike in drug overdoses and deaths associated with it.

But heroin is no more dangerous than Coors or Bud Light. In fact, the greatest human and financial costs come not from hard drugs but alcohol and tobacco.

Addictions are very similar to idolatry. Anything that interferes with our relationship with God is an idol. Addicts have an inner that pushes them to seek healing but idols bring greater pains and deeper problems. Revival of true spirituality is a must for any society to stop these plagues. The "Holes in the Souls" must be filled with the God of Hope in order to stop the plague.

Another step in dealing with any addictive plague is getting the family members help. Addiction requires a co-addict or a co-dependent. See our book Hope and Change for Humpty Dumpty for ways to intervene in an addict's life.

God's Plan for Healing 1

Why doing some research on the topic of why and how God introduced wellness and health care to His chosen people I came across the following book review of a classic book None of these Diseases by S.I McMillen and David. E. Stern.  Elsie Y. Smith, Associate Professor of Biology, Union University, Jackson, TN.

I read the book decades ago but reordered it when I was writing my book,Breaking Free

The authors of None of these Diseases, S.I. McMillen and David E. Stern, are Christian medical doctors who draw upon experiences from their profession and faith to make the point that the Bible is not only a guide for spiritual development but is also a guide for living healthy physical and emotional lives. Exodus 15:26 serves as the underlying theme discussed in the book. In that scripture God says, "If you will diligently hearken to the voice of the Lord your God, and do that which is right in his eyes, and give heed to his commandments and keep all his statutes, I will put none of the diseases upon you which I put upon the Egyptians; for I am the Lord your healer."

As they describe scientific discoveries relative to infectious diseases, the authors point out that God had Moses record guidelines to protect people against microorganisms long before they were known to cause disease. They identify specific scriptures that address hand washing, quarantine, circumcision, proper treatment of dead bodies, and proper disposal of human feces (Num. 19, Lev. 13:46, Gen. 17:12, Deu 23:12-13) , all of which are recognized today as measures significant in the prevention and/or control of infectious diseases.

Relative to circumcision they call attention to God's instruction to circumcise on the eighth day after birth, which can be confirmed medically as the ideal time for the procedure to be performed in order to prevent uncontrolled bleeding and excessive trauma.

What does it mean to have God as our Healer? Get my book, The Healing Release of the Holy Spirit. 

The Growing Problem of Depression

The number of people, including children, with depression, anxiety and other kinds of mental/emotional distress is exploding. Why?

What can we do to prevent these painful problems?

The Black Plague epidemic of the Middle Ages killed millions. No one knew about germs, viruses and other microbes. So what could they do?

Did you know that the village Priest in Oberammergau discovered the best way to stop the plague? He was able to single handed save the lives of his villagers. He read the Bible and discovered how to keep his people  safe.

Can you guess what he found in the Bible that save all those lives? Go to Sweeten Life Store and choose the book of your choice. It is yours free if you guess the answer.

As Socialism Prospers Christians Wither

At the turn of the 20^th century, Berdyayev wrote about the revival of Russian culture. In his mind, a great culture depended on one key thing: Christians gathering in small groups around the kitchen table. The topics would be scripture, prayers and encouraging each other to live holy lives. 

The Communists saw the dangers of that powerful force and were threatened. Why did they try so hard to eliminate faith? They tried to eliminate fellowship, mutual support and the application of the good news. House churches and home fellowships, the core of Berdyayev's vision, as well as public churches were attacked with viciousness.

Any ideas but especially ideals that did not bow to Socialist philosophy were deemed too dangerous to be allowed.  They chose to destroy all religion but especially Christianity. Marx was a cultural Jew who had bitter hatred of all religion because his father had recanted his faith to get more business. 

 Christianity was especially hated because of its emphasis on building healthy social ties. When one’s own faith becomes our main interest, the fate of the rest of the world loses all meaning. (See James 2:18 on faith and works)

As false religion advances faith in God is attacked. Freedom of speech is specifically curtailed, faith is derided, morality is made immoral and persecution is accepted. Maybe we can see evidences of that today!

Read my book, The Healing Release of the Holy Spirit to see why

Communism is a form of religion and, like all authoritarian religions, it attempts to destroy competing gods. Communists tend to institute laws that forbid "hate speech" based on the fake idea that they are protecting children and minorities. Yet, the names and language they use to describe their opponents are filled with hatred, jealousy, bitterness, greed, etc. 

Study world history and you will see what always happens to freedom of speech and freedom of religion when they take over. Stalin dropped out of seminary, turned against his father, a Priest and attempted to kill as many Christians as possible. 

Thanks for the Award

A few weeks ago I was honored by the Venue and Lead Magazines here in Cincinnati along with about 50 other leaders in health care. My cardiologist, Dr. Dean Kereiakes, was also included as were several very outstanding men and women. As I looked around at the group I thought how blessed I was to even be among such a group let alone one of the honorees.


The specifics focused on the fact that my colleagues and I started a unique Counseling Center 25 years ago in 1989 and it still exists. We founded Life Way Counseling Center as in-patient units for both adolescents and adults. The ideas were certainly unique at the time.

1. They integrated faith and medicine, psychology and theology.

2. They combined family therapy with individual therapy. We brought in the Patient's family, friends, Pastor, etc.

3. It included a strong psycho-educative component.  We taught each and every resident how to think, act and interact healthily.  We trained them to listen, care, think rationally, pray for each other, etc.

4. It was a dual diagnosis approach that housed both addicts and people with psychological concerns.

The outcomes were so great that several Psychiatrists not associated with us asked to place their patients with us. Two Muslim Doctors and a Jewish Doctor were the most excited and impressed.  That lasted over seven years and we had to close it but the Clinic continues.

The group also started Equipping Ministries International, and Sweeten Life Systems. Each has a sterling record of equipping churches to minister to the mental, emotional, relational and spiritual lives of their members and friends. Those organizations have reached out to groups in over 100 nations. Find out more about SLS here.

Our latest venture in mental and family health is Patient Home Advantage. We are dedicated to help families do a better job of providing great care for disabled members.

God and Man at Table Are Sat Down

A great worship and fellowship song that we often sang when I was in the Presbyterian Renewal. I love the lyrics

By Robert Stamps of Oral Roberts University

O, welcome, all ye noble saints of old
As now before your very eyes unfold
The wonders all so long ago foretold.
God and man at table are sat down.

Worship in the presence of the Lord
With joyful songs and hearts in one accord.
And let our Host at table be adored.
God and man at table are sat down.

Elders, martyrs, all are falling down;
Prophets, patriarchs are gath'ring round.
What angels longed to see now man has found:
God and man at table are sat down.

Beggars, lame, and harlots also here;
Repentant publicans are drawing near.
Wayward sons come home without a fear.
God and man at table are sat down.

Who is this who spreads the vic'try feast?
Who is this who makes our warring cease?
Jesus, Risen Savior, Prince of Peace.
God and man at table are sat down.

When at last this earth shall pass away,
When Jesus and his Bride are one to stay,
The feast of love is just begun that day.
God and man at table are sat down.

God welcomes all His people to dine with Him. 

My Call To Ministry

Mt. Vernon Community College Spring Dance

After being accosted at age 20 by the Savior that June evening I had no idea about what to do as a follow up.
I had a very strong desire to go to college. However, in our small town, college was a rarity. In my church it was close to being a sin.

But God's call was clear: "Quit your job. Go to Mt. Vernon Community College. I did even though it was two years since I had been in high school. I was fearful because I had hated high school and never learned to study what they wanted me to learn. I had rebelled to my own detriment.

But I signed up and started school. I loved college because it was open, free and spontaneous like my elementary school had been. At Ina Grade School we had eight grades and four teachers so the kids taught each other. College was the same. It was team work just like Grade School. But high school considered helping each other cheating.

College was made for guys like me. I soared with the easy going ways of the school and my teachers. I made the honor roll! It was a miracle.

I taught five years in my home school and other places. I had some conflicts with my boss and resigned to get a Masters in Counseling and that really turned me on. God was leading with an invisible hand.

After college went to Cincinnati and discovered the move of God called, "The Jesus Movement". But that is too fast. Read the history of The Jesus Movement by Larry Eskridge in God's Forever Family, Oxford University Press, 2013.

See my story since Cincinnati.

Jesus Movement Revival: The Stories of God's Love

             

Oceans of converts baptized in the Pacific Ocean!

Enough time has elapsed since the Jesus Movement came upon the world and brought enormous changes to the church and God's people. Here is a great You Tube Video that shows four Baptist seminary professors telling their stories about how Jesus changed their lives.

Read the history of The Jesus Movement by Larry Eskridge in God's Forever Family, Oxford University Press, 2013.

The Holy Spirit got hold of me in 1958 but I had no idea what that meant. I was driving in my 1967 Ford Fairlane to Benton, Illinois to join my fellow drinkers for a night of debauchery. I was blasted by God's intervention instead. That was my introduction to Jesus as a personal, wildly invasive Messiah. He was "The Hound of Heaven".

I hear many people talk about promoting revivals through prayer, repentance, fasting, Bible teaching, etc but I am not sure that will bring a supernatural flow of God's Spirit where whole continents are awakened. These things will always bring a personal revival and maybe a congregational revival. But  national revival?

How did you come to Jesus? Write and tell me.

You can get my materials on Pastoral Care, Christian Counseling and Christian Growth here. Check out my eBooks for $3.99 each for a PDF you can download.

Saint Paul Had a SIN Problem!

^21-23 It happens so regularly that it’s predictable. The moment I decide to do good, sin is there to trip me up. I truly delight in God’s commands, but it’s pretty obvious that not all of me joins in that delight. Parts of me covertly rebel, and just when I least expect it, they take charge.
²⁴ I’ve tried everything and nothing helps. I’m at the end of my rope. Is there no one who can do anything for me? Isn’t that the real question?

²⁵ The answer, thank God, is that Jesus Christ can and does. He acted to set things right in this life of contradictions where I want to serve God with all my heart and mind, but am pulled by the influence of sin to do something totally different.

Need an answer bad habits? (SIN) The Healing Release of the Holy Spirit can help you and Breaking Free will free you.

St. Paul's Bad Habits (Dare I say, "SINS")

 Romans 7:^14-16 I can anticipate the response that is coming: “I know that all God’s commands are spiritual, but I’m not. Isn’t this also your experience?” Yes. I’m full of myself—after all, I’ve spent a long time in sin’s prison. What I don’t understand about myself is that I decide one way, but then I act another, doing things I absolutely despise. So if I can’t be trusted to figure out what is best for myself and then do it, it becomes obvious that God’s command is necessary.

^17-20 But I need something more! For if I know the law but still can’t keep it, and if the power of sin within me keeps sabotaging my best intentions, I obviously need help! I realize that I don’t have what it takes. I can will it, but I can’t do it. I decide to do good, but I don’t really do it; I decide not to do bad, but then I do it anyway. My decisions, such as they are, don’t result in actions. Something has gone wrong deep within me and gets the better of me every time.

Need an answer to this dilemma? I have some books that explain the issue and gives some relief. Try The Healing Release of the Holy Spirit, for about $4.00!