A Woman's View

Psychiatry or the Gospel, which one brings mental health? One psychiatrist gives his opinion

The debate never ends.

Hasn't psychiatry replaced religion? How can the Bible, written so long ago, be relevant for today?

After years of medical practice n American psychiatrist named J. T. Fisher offers an opinion.

"If you were to take the sum total of all authoritative articles ever written by the most qualified of psychologists and psychiatrists on the subject of mental hygiene, if you were to combine them and refine them and cleave out the excess verbiage, if you were to take the whole of the meat and none of the parsley, and if you were to have these unadulterated bits of pure scientific knowledge concisely expressed by the most capable of living poets, you would have an awkward and an incomplete summary of the Sermon on the Mount. And it would suffer immeasurably through comparison.

"For nearly two thousand years the Christian world has been holding in its hands the complete answer to its restless and fruitless yearning. Here rests the blueprint for successful human life, with optimum mental health and contentment."

-- A Few Buttons Missing: The Case Book of a Psychiatrist, by J.T. Fisher, M. D., and L.S. Hawley

Obviously, Dr. Fisher likes long sentences.

If we follow the thread through his comments, we find he doesn't waffle, but speaks in definite terms. (Kind of rpreferred efreshing, don't you think?)

He refers to Jesus' words in Matthew 5:1 to 7:29, commonly known as the Sermon on the Mount. We know Jesus spoke the words, but the exact location remains uncertain. Many scholars think the crowds following him were seated on the gently sloping hillside at the northwest corner of the Sea of Galilee.

Read through these verses and you'll find many favorites, including The Lord's Prayer. Familiar phrases used by believers and non-believers are here, too, like, "salt of the earth" and "let your light shine."

So if the good Dr. Fisher were handing out a prescription for staying sane in the midst of the craziness, he might tell us to read a few verses every day and then spend time thinking about them. Anyone can fill this prescription and take this medicine, with or without medical insurance. You see, there is no co-pay. It's been paid for in advance, for every human being, for all time.

Here are a couple of verses that address what seems to be the universal mood right now:

Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? . . . Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life? . . . Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. --Matthew 6:25, 27, 34

Let the debate rage on--and it will. All that matters is that each of us knows the One who spoke those words and offers us peace-in-the-midst.

Or as Dr. Fisher puts it, the One who holds out the answer to all our restless and fruitless yearning: Himself.

Now, here's a question for you: What are your favorite verses from the Sermon on the Mount? Why not share them in the Comments section?

Here's to filling our minds with the Good Stuff!

Lenore

(This post originally appeared July 15, 2010)

Do kids need faith in God? Do you?

What difference could it make whether we believe in God? All that matters is that we believe in something. 

You've heard that said. Maybe you agree. After all, what difference does it make? 

A lot, I think.

Some people say, let children grow up and then they can make up their own minds. Sounds reasonable at first, except it means they pick up their values for life along the way. Think Sesame Street and Nickelodeon and MTV. Throw in Facebook friends, for good measure.

Not many parents I know would considere those the best sources.

"Out there" youngsters absorb a lot of negative stuff and fears. How it affects them depends on what's stored up in their hearts and minds.

Kids are less likely to run scared or be in the pits when they believe deep down that God created them (Psalm 139) and "God don't make no junk."

Even when (they think) nobody loves them, kids who believe in God know that Jesus loves them. At church they learn that old song, "Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so."

Faith in God is like the cornerstone of a building, the basic, essential part of the foundation that keeps a structure standing when storms and winds come.

And what about times when nothing seems to make sense? Or when someone says they know the exact date of a worldwide earthquake, which will usher in the end of the world. What are they to do with their fears and aren't sure how to tell truth from lies?

What can a child--or an adult--hang on to?

If we know Jesus, we hang on to him. Jesus Christ is the same, yesterday and forever. (Hebrews 13:8)

We find peace in what's known as, "the Gospel (Good News) in a nutshell," John 3:16:

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life.

Right now the media floods us with pronouncements that tomorrow, May 21, will bring the end of the world. Christians, however, remember what Jesus said. You can read his words in Matthew 24 and in Mark 13. Jesus said,

No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.         --Mark 13:32

So no matter how sincerely he believes it, Harold Camping does not know the day or the hour when the world will end.

God is still God and we human beings remain, well, merely human.

The difference is that we rest in the love of God the Father. He loves us because we believe in his Son as our Savior.

We rest in the certainty that our lives today, tomorrow and forever are in the hands of God. That means we have nothing to fear.

That's what Jesus said, in John 14:1:

"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me."

Peace to you, my friends,

Lenore

Three cheers for this royal couple and may their example catch on

I resisted being drawn into the hoopla around  THE wedding. I've never been much of a royal-watcher.

Until today.

Today I gave in and  watched the lovely pageantry of the day, the ceremony in magnificent Westminster Abbey, with its soaring ceiling and choirboys with angelic voices.

The Bishop with his heavy robes, the chanting, all of it seemed appropriate on this day. Wedding guests sang hymns and spoke prayers, including the Lord's Prayer.

An estimated two billion people were said to be watching this wedding around the world. 

Then it hit me. Two billion people, most of them non-Christians, were hanging on every word as the Bishop proclaimed the Word of God and delivered a Christ-centered sermon, as well.

Many who were glued to their telly live in cultures where wives are looked upon as mere property, second-class, easily disposable. In Westernized countries like ours, more and more people now consider matrimony a needless outdated custom, irrelevent in today's society. Too many consider faithfulness and monogamy rather quaint.

No matter where viewers live, each one heard Prince William and Kate Middleton pledge to be wed as husband and wife and to live together according to God's holy estate of matrimony. Each promised to love and comfort, honour and keep each other, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health. Each vowed to forsake all others and to keep themselves only for each other so long as both shall live. 

What will these two people make of their marriage? That's up to them. They know their family history and the challenges they face even better than we. But I choose not to be cynical and to wish them God's blessing. I am glad for their choice to be married in a Christian church and to promise before God and the world to be married--and faithful--for life.

I'm thankful that the Church of England bishop preached a faith-centered, meaningful wedding sermons. Most of all, I am thankful that Christ was proclaimed. For once, the world was listening.

Who knows how God will use this? 

Lovingly,

Lenore

 

What if you could start over with a clean slate?

Sounds too good to be true, doesn't it?

That's what this dark day is all about and why Christians call this, "GOOD Friday."

Maybe it's worth a recap.

*  Jesus was not captured by those soldiers in the Garden of Gethsemane. He went willingly. It was all part of God's plan.

*  This God-man came to earth to set things right between us human beings and God.

*  That relationship got messed up in the Garden of Eden, when Eve turned from God and listened to the Serpent. She chose to listen to Satan, the voice of pride and evil, rather than to God. When Adam listened to Eve, he, too, turned from the Father who loved him and closed his ears to God's ways (Genesis 3:1-7.)

*  From that time on, the perfect, loving relationship between God the Father and human beings was destroyed.

*  If we tried to be "good enough for God," we would need to be holy, because he is holy (Leviticus 19:2.) That means to be utterly good, in thought, word and deed. Perfect. Every day in every way, all the time. Anything else is called "sin."

*  Human beings, male or female, could not--and cannot--achieve that, no matter how hard we try. On our own we are without hope.

*  Even though we don't have it in us to be perfect, God never stopped loving us. That's why He came to earth in the form of a human baby, born to Mary and Joseph, in Bethlehem.

*  Jesus, the God-man, allowed Himself to be nailed to the cross. For you, for me.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life.               --John 3:16

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

In [Christ] we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace.                          --Ephesians 1:7

The blood of Jesus, His Son, purifies us from all sin.                    1 John 1:7

At our church and many others, Good Friday services are a bit different. As we enter the church,  overhead lights on dim, we stop to jot down whatever regrets, pains, wrong  actions, sadnesses and broken relationships we want to be leave at the cross. We write as much or as little as we like, no names, because, after all, God already knows. 

Then alone or as families we walk to the bare, rough-hewn wooden cross that stands at the front of the churrch, along with a pail full of big nails and some hammers. Each of us nails our slips of paper to the cross to symbolize what we already know, that Jesus died to pay the price for all our sins, past, present and future.

It's a powerful way of reminding ourselves that Jesus died for my sins, not just the sins of everyone else. That's what makes Good Friday good.

He died for your sins, too. Will you let Him set you free?

Lovingly,

Lenore

 

Can one person change the world--or one community?

In Grapevine, Texas, it all started with one man, during the 2008 football season. That's when Coach Chris Hogan made a strange request.

 fans.                                        

Gainesville State School is a State Juvenile Correctional Facility for 13 year-old to 19 year-old convicted serious offenders. The 14 teenagers on their football team had been convicted of crimes ranging from drugs to assault to robbery. Few had any contact with their families. They were allowed to play on the Tornadoes team only so long as they maintained strict standards of conduct and academics. Coach Mark Williams worked with players who practiced and played with used, outdated equipment.

Faith Christian Academy basked in 70 players, 11 coaches, and the finest equipment.

Faith's Head Coach Hogan knew no one would cheer for the Gainesville team. He came up with a radical idea. He would ask half the fans and half the cheerleaders to root for the Gainesville team, for just that one night, November 7th. Hogan sent an e-mail around to fans and families that read, "Let's send a message to the Gainesville team." he wrote, "You're just as valuable as any other person on the planet."

Hogan told a player who asked why, "Imagine you don't have a home life, no one to love you, no one pulling for you. Imagine that everyone pretty much has given up on you.  Now, imagine what it would feel like and mean to you for hundreds of people to suddenly believe in you."

Coach Hogan's idea caught on. When the Gainesville players appeared they ran through their first-ever spirit line, a long line made up of parents, cheerleaders and students. They even crashed through their first banner, made by Faith Academy cheerleaders. Once players were on the field, a crowd of Faith Christian parents and fans seated themselves in the Visitors stands as well as their own.

Isaiah, the Gainesville quarterback-middle linebacker said, "I never in my life thought I would hear parents cheering for us to tackle and hit their kid. Most of the time, when we come out, people are afraid of us, you can see it in their eyes. But these people were yelling for us. They knew our names."

As expected, Faith Academy won the game, 33-14. After the game both teams gathered at the 50-yard line to pray. To everyone's surprise Isaiah, the teenage convict-quarterback , asked if he could pray. He prayed, "Lord, I don't know what just happened so I dont know how or who to say thank you to, but I never knew there were so many people in the world who cared about us."

 

The people of Faith Christian Academy weren't done yet. As Gainesville players walked back to the bus under guard, each one was given a burger, fries, a coke, candy, a Bible, and an encouraging letter from the Faith Academy players .

A reporter for The Dallas Morning News quoted Coach Hogan's rationale. "We wanted to show them unconditional love," he said. "Love covers a multitude of sins, the Bible says, and it wasn't just the Gainesville kids, because we've all sinned. That night, love covered everything up."

 

That game was not the end of it. Grapevine residents and outsiders continued to provide support for these young men. As each one completed their sentences most had no family ready to welcome them back. So several of the released prisoners went home to stay with Grapevine families.

 

Since that 2008 football game the story has spread through various media outlets. Coach Hogan was invited to be a guest at the 2009 Super Bowl. This fall a movie is scheduled for release and you can watch the promo if you Google www.oneheart.com .

 

It began when one Christian individual inspired others to be salt and light in their community. When Jesus talked about that in Matthew 5:13-16, He wanted us to know that our deeds, small and big, have impact. Who knows how He will use them?

 

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

                                                                                    Ephesians 3:20-21  (NIV)

Blessings, 

Lenore

Looking at the Christmas story through Mary's eyes

Have you ever wondered what Mary felt? We can't know. But we can imagine . . . .

It began on a day like every other day. Out of nowhere there stood before me a radiant being who said, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with  you." 

I knew somehow it was an angel. But why would an angel come to me? And why would I be "highly favored?" I was young and poor and female who lived in Nazareth, the least of all the villages in Israel. 

Then I heard, "Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High ."

I could not believe my ears, so I dared to ask, "How will this be, since I am a virgin?"

"The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God . . . For nothing is impossible with God."

I could make no sense of this, yet I felt my heart warm within me. I trusted God, didn't I? So I said, "I am the Lord's servant. May it be to me as you have said."

Suddenly I was alone again, my heart brimming over with wonder and joy.

Then I thought of Joseph. Joseph! My precious Joseph, my betrothed. Already we were considered married, but as was the custom, we were waiting out our year of betrothal before we came together as husband and wife. What would Joseph say when he found out? He would know the child was not his. What would he do?

At that moment I felt an icy chill of fear. He could accuse me in front of the elders and have me flogged in the public square. I would live out the rest of my life in disgrace, alone. I and this child would live in disgrace.

I sat on that hard bench for a long time, praying, crying, trying to take it in. I swung from joy to sadness and back to joy, over and over again.  Finally I resolved I would trust the Lord, no matter what.

Joseph was stunned to find out I was pregnant, as any man would be. Finally he said he cared for me too much to have me flogged and disgraced. That dear, righteous man would just divorce me quietly.

Before he could speak to the authorities and make it official an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins."

Joseph believed! Neither of us could understand the hows and the whys, but that didn't matter. God had decided Joseph and I were to be part of his miracle in sending his son to earth. Joseph took me home, but we agreed, of course, we would not come together as husband and wife until after God's Son was born.

Just as I feared, the folk in the village whispered about the child I was carrying. The men called Joseph a fool. But he paid them no mind. He was my protector and my support. 

Close to the end of my pregnancy Emperor Caesar Augustus decreed a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. Joseph and I both belonged to the line of David. So we had to go from Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem, the city of David, Israel's greatest king. It didn't matter that I was in my ninth month and Bethlehem was about seventy miles away. We had no choice. Caesar ruled his Empire with an iron fist.

Can you imagine the discomfort of that journey? Sometimes I rode side-saddle on the donkey and sometimes I walked. Either way, I felt every jolt, every rock, every rut in the road.

Toward the end I neared the end of my strength. As I walked I held my aching belly. By the time we drew near Bethlehem I was feeling ill. Then I felt a sharp pain down low in my belly.  I knew my time to give birth was coming soon. Yet we had no place to stay.

Joseph searched the town, pounding on doors, frantically inquiring of innkeepers. There were no rooms to be had, not anywhere. At last one kind man took pity on us and told us we could stay in his stable. At least we would be in out of the cold night air and we could have a bit of privacy. He lent us a small oil lamp. We watched its light dance and flicker on the rough walls and listened to the soft sounds of the animals. And we waited.

Joseph did what he could. He spread out a garment for me and helped me lie down on it. What a relief! My swollen feet throbbed and my whole body ached.

We had only the warmth--and the smell--of the animals. Only our love for each other.

Only the waiting for God's Son to be born.

Then I felt the labor pangs begin in earnest, quickly growing stronger. I know not how long I labored, trying not to scream. Joseph stayed by my side, his eyes filling with tears as he stroked my forehead and whispered my name, over and over. I hear him still: Mary. Mary . . . .

Then I felt such an urge to push I could not resist. With one final push and a long sigh my labor was over.

The Savior, the long-awaited Messiah, was born!

I could not hold back tears of joy. I looked into my baby's face and wondered what the future might hold for this little one. Then I wrapped him in some soft cloths I had brought with me. After awhile I laid the Child on top of the fresh hay Joseph had spread in the cleanest place in that cattle barn: the manger.

We could not have imagined what would come next. A group of men who looked to be shepherds burst into the stable. They went straight to the manger and gazed down at Jesus. Then they bowed down in worship. I saw a glow on their faces . . . as if they already knew who he was. 

After awhile they told us what brought them to the manger. They were out on the hills around Bethlehem as usual, guarding their sheep against thieves and animal attack. Suddenly everything around them shone bright. They never saw anything like it. Then an angel appeared and said, "I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."

Before they could speak a word the sky filled with a great company of angels, all of them singing and praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men."

Then just as suddenly the angels were gone. The shepherds could hardly contain themselves. They said to one another, "Let us go to Bethlehem and see this wonderful thing!"

So they abandoned their sheep and ran as fast as they could to find the Savior, Christ the Lord, there in that lowly manger.

Why were any of us surprised? Centuries before Jesus was born there lived a prophet of God named Isaiah. He foretold that a virgin would be with child and give birth to a son who would be called Immanuel. Immanuel means, "God with us."

I never stopped thanking God for choosing me to be part of that glorious night.

But I never got used to the fact that when God stepped into our world almost no one paid attention.

It's still true, dear friends. Jesus is God with us. Jesus came to make us right with God. All who believe in him as Lord and Savior are forgiven for every sin and will never die. When we breathe our last breath here on earth, we'll draw our next breath in Heaven, where we'll be face-to-face with Jesus. With God.

You can find the Christmas Gospel (Good News) in the Bible. The best-known account of Christ's birth is in Luke 2: 1-20. Matthew 1:18 to 2:12 tells of the angel's visit to Joseph , and also the visit of the Magi, the wise men. Isaiah's prophecy is in the Old Testament book of Isaiah, chapter seven, verse fourteen. Read John, chapters 14 through 17 if you want to know Christ's heart of love. (The account of his death on the cross and resurrection follow.) To learn more about salvation from sin and God's forgiveness and grace in Christ, read Romans, chapter eight.

As you and I rush around getting ready for Christmas, let's hang onto the wonder and JOY!

Hugs,

Lenore

Questions? Comments? I'd love to hear from you.

Need an injection of Christmas spirit? Find it here . . .

Around this time of year, as we look at our To Do lists, I expect some of us long for a "shot of Christmas," to get us energized.

I don't have a magic potion, but this YouTube should do the trick. You may have seen it, but if you take time once again, I promise you'll find yourself smiling by the end. 

Are you smiling?

Some of us have been hearing or singing Handel's Messiah for years, especially Hallelujah. Not so many know the story of how Handel came to write this glorious music.

Picture the scene. It is the summer of 1741, in a small house in London. Discouraged and miserably in debt, 56 year-old George Fredric Handel considered himself something of a failure. Not long before he had given what he thought of as his farewell concert. Then a friend passed on a libretto based on the life of Christ. Its writer hoped someone could write music to go with his script, all of it quoted from The King James Bible. 

Handel, a strong believer in Christ, read it through and was deeply moved. So on August 22nd, he set to work composing. After that no one saw him except the servant who faithfully brought him food, then every day removed the untouched tray.

One day the servant opened the door to find his employer with tears streaming down his face. Handel said, "I did think I did see all Heaven before me, and the great God Himself."

George Frederic Handel uttered those words just after completing the movement that ever after has been known around the world as the Hallelujah Chorus.

He wrote the entire work in an amazing 24 days. In that short span of time Handel not only personally inked each note of the four-part vocal score, but also the music and every instrumental part for the orchestra. (If you've sung the Messiah, you know just the choral arrangement plus piano accompaniment runs to more than 250 pages.) Whether we call it genius or divine inspiration, for more than two centuries this piece of music has been performed all over the world.

Handel died April 14, 1759, eight days after his final performance where he conducted his mansterpiece, Messiah. If you visit Westminster Abbey in London, look for his statue. He's shown holding the manuscript for the solo that opens part three of Messiah, "I know that my Redeemer liveth."

It seems to me we can draw some lessons for ourselves. At the time, Handel would have been considered elderly and people around him considered him finished. So did he. It seems he never said, "Well, I can't do that because . . ." Maybe we, too, need to set aside our labels and our familiar thinking and step out in faith. Otherwise, who knows? We might miss out on doing something great.

As for getting in the mood for Christmas, I know what I need to do. I need to take my eyes off how much I have to do and focus on what Christmas really means. The Joy-Giver is just as capable of giving meaning and joy to our work as He was back in Handel's time. Sure, our "tune" may be small, but the world around us needs to hear it. So let's smile and give thanks, then go for it!

Comments?

Here's to letting our JOY show in this most wonderful time of the year,

Lenore

 

Authentic faith shines through

The other day I heard a story that touched my heart and it's too good to keep to myself.

There are a couple of versions, but they all trace back to fact. Take yourself back to Twenties, when people paid to hear dramatic speakers recite poems and speeches. Friends of one much-acclaimed actor and orator threw a lavish party in his honor. More than a hundred guests attended, all dressed in their finery.

Each guest felt privileged to be present since the famous guest traveled extensively and drew large (paying) crowds wherever he went. One of the guests asked, "Would you favor us with your rendering of the Twenty-third Psalm?"

At once the great man launched into a dramatic  rendition, complete with well-practiced flourishes and gestures. At the end the audience gave the speaker  a prolonged standing ovation.

Then from the back of the great room an old man stood and asked, "Might I also speak this Psalm?"

With permission given, the gray-haired man slowly made his way to the front of the room. Surprised guests sat politely, prepared to be unimpressed. Then the old man began to speak and a hush fell over the room. Listeners sat with tears streaming down their cheeks and many began weeping loudly. Once he finished they sat without moving for several minutes. 

Later someone asked the orator why the audience showed such different responses to hearing the same Psalm. The speaker answered, "I know that old man, so I know the reason.

"You see, I know the words. But that man, he knows the Shepherd."

Right about now seems the perfect time to revisit that psalm. That old preacher would have quoted the King James Version, so here it is again. Take time to drink in these beautiful words, because they're true for you and me, too.

Psalm 23

 ¹The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.

 ²He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.

 ³He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

 ⁴Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

 ⁵Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

 ⁶Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.

Just the words themselves are comforting, aren't they? I find speaking them aloud soothes my spirit. I hope you do, too. 

And may you, too, know the Lord as your Good Shepherd. Let Him lead you through and restore your tired heart.

Blessings,

Lenore