Rescuing Those Who Might Harm Themselves

UnstoppableIn Nick Vujicic’s book Unstoppable (you can read my book review by clicking here), he is very transparent about his thoughts of suicide. He wrote—

“My youthful self-acceptance and self-confidence did not begin to crumble until I began relentlessly comparing myself to my peers. Then, instead of taking pride in what I could do, I dwelled on those things my mates could do that were beyond my abilities. Instead of seeing myself as enabled, I saw myself as disabled. Instead of taking pride in my uniqueness, I yearned to be what I was not.”

According to the World Health Organization, the rate of suicides has increased dramatically, and is now the third leading cause of death for fifteen- to twenty-four-year-olds. I had a friend that committed suicide, and it wasn’t until after the fact that I could put together the warning signs that he had been exhibiting.

Nick lists some indicators that someone close to you might be depressed enough to harm themselves:

  • Unusual changes in eating and sleeping habits
  • Withdrawal from friends, family, and regular activities
  • Violent actions, rebellious behavior, or running away
  • Excessive drug and/or alcohol abuse
  • Unusual neglect of personal appearance
  • Marked personality change
  • Persistent boredom, difficulty concentrating, or a decline in school performance
  • Frequent complaints about physical symptoms, often related to emotions, such as stomachaches, headaches, and fatigue
  • Loss of interest in favorite activities
  • Intolerance of praise or rewards
  • Giving or throwing away favorite possessions or belongings
  • Becoming suddenly cheerful after an episode of depression

From Nick’s own experience, he offers these helpful words—

“Often individuals in distress don’t want to talk about their issues. Don’t push it, but keep the communication open without offering advice or judgment. Just being there for them, hanging out with them, and letting then know you care can make a difference. You don’t have to solve their problems unless you are a mental health professional. …

“Sometimes it won’t be easy to stand by a friend or loved one who is dealing with despair or depression. Your loyalty will be tested. You may feel hurt, slighted, or abandoned. I would never suggest that you allow someone to mistreat you. If that happens, maintain a safe distance, but do whatever you can to help. That may mean simply being there for those who are hurting, listening to them when they are willing to talk about their concerns, and assuring them that they are loved and valued by reminding them that other people care about them. If you sense that someone is more troubled than you are equipped to handle, you should contact a guidance counselor, a trusted clergy member, or a medical or mental health professional and seek his or her advice on what to do.”

If anyone around you is exhibiting any of these signs, please reach out to them in love. It would be much better to have a friend tell you, “I’m okay, but thanks for asking,” than for you to miss an opportunity to save someone’s life.

Contact the National Suicide Prevention Hotline online or call them at (800) 273-8255.

March!

Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on AppleSpotify, or Audible.

I’m convinced that many of us have missed answers to prayer because the answers seemed “too practical” or required “too much work” from us. Consider the well-known example of the defeat of the city of Jericho as recorded in the Bible.

Jericho was a massive fortress. Archeologists tell us that the city encompassed over eight acres, and was surrounded by walls which were 30-feet tall and 20-feet wide. Joshua was a brilliant military strategist who up to this point had never suffered a defeat. He asks God for help in defeating this fortress, and God tells him, “March!”

That’s it. Not pray, pray, and pray some more. Not go on a 40-day fast. Make no mistake, the Israelites had been in a period of renewed passion and prayer. As they entered Canaan, they sought God, renewed their vow to serve Him alone, and celebrated the Passover just days before encountering Jericho.

Sometimes our prayers have to have feet. 

Sort of like abolitionist Frederick Douglass who said, “Praying for freedom never did me any good til I started praying with my feet.”

  • We need to pray for the salvation of our loved ones, and talk to them about Christ.
  • We need to pray for God to open the door for employment, and mail the resume.
  • We need to pray for God’s help on a test, and study hard.
  • We need to pray, and we need to march.

Jericho delieveredI love the verb tense in this story! God told Joshua, “I have delivered Jericho into your hands” (Joshua 6:2). Later on, after the Israelites completed their 13th hike around Jericho, Joshua said, “Shout! For the Lord has given you the city” (v. 16).

If you are praying for something that is in alignment with God’s Word, then God has given you your Jericho. But you may not see the walls come tumbling down until you march. Keep praying, keep marching, keep circling it in prayer, and watch those walls crumble!

To check out the others messages in this series on prayer called Praying Circles, please click here.

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Strength From The Strong One

Charles Spurgeon said this in Lectures To My Students, and it is still wise counsel for every pastor today.C.H. Spurgeon

“To face the enemies of truth, to defend the bulwarks of the faith, to rule well in the house of God, to comfort all that mourn, to edify the saints, to guide the perplexed, to bear with the forward, to win and nurse souls—all these and a thousand other works beside are not for a Feeble-mind or a Ready-to-halt, but are reserved for the Great-heart whom the Lord has made strong for Himself. Seek then strength from the Strong One, wisdom from the Wise One, in fact, all from the God of all.” —Charles Spurgeon

The Contemplative Pastor

Search mePastors can get caught in a rut, just like anyone in any number of other professions. That’s why it’s so vital for us to pause often to make sure we haven’t slipped into something without being aware of its impact.

It is absolutely vital for pastors to have regular quiet time with God. Read the Word, pray, contemplate, read other pastors (especially the “old guys”), pray, and contemplate some more. Let the Holy Spirit point out to you any blind spots.

I’ve been contemplating two quotes from the “old guys” over the last few days.

[1] “We prefer to build up converts to our own point of view.” —Oswald Chambers

I want to make sure I’m always allowing the Holy Spirit to be as unique with others as He is with me. I need to be cautious that I’m not making my practices the universal practices for everyone. I need to give these converts a solid biblical foundation, and then let the Spirit build them up as He knows best.

[2] “Recollect, as ministers, that your whole life, your whole pastoral life especially, will be affected by the vigor of your piety. If your zeal grows dull, you will not pray well in the pulpit; you will pray worse in the family, and worst in the study alone. When your soul becomes lean, your hearers, without knowing how or why, will find that your prayers in public have little savor for them; they will feel your barrenness, perhaps, before you feel it yourself.” —Charles Spurgeon

I need to be a praying pastor. My sermons must be birthed in prayer before I deliver them, and sealed in prayer after I deliver them; my appointments must be covered in prayer; my schedule must be directed by prayer; my relationships must be nurtured through prayer. I must be in prayer continually if I am to be effective at anything.

My fellow pastor, I hope you are taking the time to contemplate: to be quiet as you ponder how the Holy Spirit is speaking to you. It is absolutely vital for the health of the part of the Body of Christ to which we minister.

13 Quotes From “Unstoppable”

UnstoppableI found Unstoppable by Nick Vujicic to be so hope-filled and encouraging! You can read my full book review by clicking here, but these are 13 quotes from this book which really caught my attention.

“Your character is formed by the challenges you face and overcome. Your courage grows when you face your fears. Your strength and your faith are built as they are tested in your life experiences.” 

“I found that when I got rolling on something, there was a snowball effect. My momentum picked up and my problem-solving powers increased.”

“If you find yourself struggling more than usual with a challenge, my recommended recovery plan is to lean with gratitude on those who care about you, be patient with your tender feelings, do your best to understand the realities versus the emotions at play, and put your faith into action.”

“When you find yourself superstressed, highly emotional, and unable to function because of something that has occurred, it is important to separate what has happened to you from what is going on inside you.”

“An arrogant person does no ask for help and thus is helpless. An arrogant person claims to know everything and thus is clueless. A humble person attracts helpers and teachers.”

“God pays for what He orders. He would not call you into His service without providing all you need to pursue your passion and purpose.”

“One thing I would caution you about is that when you face overwhelming medical problem, you may find yourself totally caught up in dealing with it, so being ill and getting healthy again are all you think about. Professional counselors say that it is important to accept and manage your illness, but it is equally important to remember that you are still you. Don’t abandon the things you love to do or the people you love to be with because you want to focus exclusively on restoring your health. The health challenge has happened to you, but don’t let it take over your life or damage your sense of yourself and the value you bring into the world. You are more than this challenge. …Decide that no matter what happens with your body, the rest of you—your mind, spirit, and soul—will come through this restored and improved. Ask God for that gift of faith.”

“The need to control everything around us can actually be a handicap. …When we spend all our time trying to remain in control, we risk missing the blessings that may come by putting faith into action and letting go.”

“When you commit to a loving relationship with God, you surrender to His plan for your life, and suddenly the act of surrendering loses any and all negative connotations. Instead it becomes a joyous and empowering experience.”

“When you are searching for God’s will in your life, whether it’s trying to make decisions or looking for opportunities, you can’t always expect a sign from God. Those are rare and wonderful occasions. What I’ve come to look for in trying to figure out what God wants is a sense of peace.”

“You may ask, ‘What can I do?’ or ‘What do I have to give?’ The answer is, ‘Yourself.’ You and your God-given talents are the greatest gifts you can give.” 

“Too much of the world is about seeking comfort instead of providing it. We can easily get caught up in pursuing our own happiness that we miss out on one of God’s primary teachings: true happiness comes in serving Him and His children.”

“When you aren’t getting what you want, try giving it. If you can’t catch a break, why not provide one? If no one is reaching out to you, reach out to someone whose needs are greater than yours. Take the focus off your problems and help someone deal with theirs.” 

Thursdays With Oswald—Think As Christians

Listen to the podcast of this post by clicking on the player below, and you can also subscribe on AppleSpotify, or Audible. 

This is a weekly series with things I’m reading and pondering from Oswald Chambers. You can read the original seed thought here, or type “Thursdays With Oswald” in the search box to read more entries.

Think As Christians

     The [Holy] Spirit is the first power we practically experience but the last power we come to understand. The working of the Spirit is much easier to experience than to try and understand, the reason being that we form our ideas out of things we have seen and handled and touched; but when we come to think about the Godhead and the Spirit, language is strained to its limit, and all we can do is to use pictures to try and convey our ideas. 

     Yet in spite of the difficulty, it is very necessary that we should think as Christians as well as live as Christians. It is not sufficient to experience the reality of the Spirit of God within us and His wonderful work; we have to bring our brains in line with our experience so that we can think and understand along Christian lines. It is because so few do think along Christian lines that it is easy for wrong teaching and wrong thinking to come in, especially in connection with the Spirit. 

From Biblical Psychology

Christians should be first-rate thinkers. Why? Because the Holy Spirit in a Christian is the Mediator between our brains and our Creator.

We can have the mind of Christ, if we will but exercise our thoughts. As Paul said, we need to take our thoughts captive so that they line up with the reality of God (2 Corinthians 10:5). We cannot simply make a “theology” out of our experiences, but we need to use the thinking power of the Holy Spirit to help us find out what God is revealing to us about Himself through our experiences.

God created us with a mind, a will, and emotions. Let’s make sure we’re not emphasizing one to the diminishment—or exclusion—of the others!

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Annual Souper Bowl Celebration

Souper Bowl CelebrationI love to eat good food, and I love to hear good stories about God’s blessing. On February 3 I get to do both!

It’s our annual Souper Bowl Celebration. After our regular morning worship service we all sample the delicious homemade soup and chili recipes from the amazing cooks in our church. It’s a little friendly competition, where everyone who eats gets to vote. My son Harrison is the reigning champ two years in a row, so I’ve heard a lot of cooks are gunning to unseat him. The competition should be delicious!

I don’t like meetings, so in place of Calvary Assembly of God having an annual business meeting, we have our annual celebration. It’s a great time recalling what God did for us in 2012, and then looking ahead to 2013. I always get so pumped up for this day!

If you’re around Cedar Springs on February 3, join us for some great food, some friendly competition, and some even better stories of God’s great blessings!

Furious Longing

Furious longingThere is a passage of Scripture in the Book of James which has caused many people to propose many different explanations. I’m not a theologian, but here’s my take on this—

Or do your think the Scripture says without reason that the spirit He caused to live in us envies intensely? (James 4:5)

Envy in the Greek is a neutral word; it becomes a virtue or a vice depending on its context. I could long for a deeper relationship with my wife (virtue), or I could long for a drug that gives me a temporary escape (vice).

The Greek word for envy can mean pursue with love (virtue), or lust after forbidden desires (vice).

“The spirit [God] caused to live in us” came from a loving Creator, and was intended for us to long for Him. When God created man in His image, He said, “Let Us create man like Us” (Genesis 1:26). In the Triune God there is a furiously intense longing among Father, Son, and Spirit. Each part of the Godhead longs for the entire Godhead to be glorified—this makes the Godhead indivisibly and gloriously One. This is the same spirit God placed in man.

Of man God said, “It is not good for man to be alone” (Genesis 2:18). The God-implanted spirit of man longs to give love and to receive love. Our God-implanted spirit longs to connect.

But for what do we long? We were made to long for intimacy with God. If we substitute or exchange this with a longing for temporary worldly things, we are rightly called by James “adulterous people” and “an enemy of God” (James 4:4).

“But God gives more grace” (James 4:6) that we will turn from our temporary longings to long after Him. James almost seems to be saying that those in the church have their hearts hanging in the balance. Of the other eight times this Greek word for envy is used in the Bible, they are in the positive (or virtuous) connotation.

James is imploring us—longing for us—to not be the exception. Longing for us to humbly admit our need for God and to receive even more divine grace. Longing for us to tip our hearts toward God and renew the passionate, furious longing for which we were created.

O God, I want my passion to burn furiously for You alone. Jesus, may I follow Your example to only do what pleases the Father. Holy Spirit, may I hear Your voice if my heart ever begins to turn toward anything but my Beloved.

(I explored this idea further in a whole series of messages called Craving.)

Unstoppable (book review)

UnstoppableNick Vujicic didn’t just write a book called Unstoppable, he embodies unstoppable!

If you are not familiar with Nick’s amazingly encouraging story, check out his first book called Life Without Limbs. In Unstoppable, Nick presents an uplifting follow-up for those facing some of the darkest situations of life: sickness, bullying, suicidal thoughts, purposelessness, lost love, and dead-ends.

Nick weaves together his own life story with those he has interacted with, and ties them all together with a solid strand of scriptural truth. This is not some pie-in-the-sky, three-steps-to-happiness, sappy self-help book. It rings with genuineness because Nick lives out the message of hope. Make no mistake about it, he is realistic about how dark these situations can seem, but instead of offering any get-better-quick schemes, Nick shares the hope that can only come from trusting in a loving Creator.

In the first chapter Nick writes—

“I wish I could tell people that if they love God, everything will be okay. The truth is that people still stuffer. They endure sickness, financial problems, broken relationships, and the loss of loved ones. Tragedies occur in every life, and I believe we are meant to learn from them. My hope is that when people who are in pain see that I have a joyful life, they will think, If Nick—without arms and legs—is thankful, then I will be thankful for today, and I will do my best.”

From start to finish, this book oozes with unstoppable hope and encouragement!

I am a Waterbrook book reviewer.

(I shared some quotes from this book here.)

And, And, And

AndIt’s a great question that the apostle James asks: What good is it if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? (James 2:14)

It simply doesn’t work!

In fact, it’s a waste of time if all I do is…

  • …speak a blessing over someone’s life
  • …claim a promise in Scripture
  • …pray
  • …walk with God for years
  • …provide outstanding hospitality

“Faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead, James says a couple of verses later (v. 17).

No matter the language—and, y, en, et, und, ve, kai—we need to add the “and” of action to our faith-filled belief.

I need faith AND action

  • …speak the blessing AND be the blessing
  • …claim a promise AND act on it
  • pray AND do
  • …walk with God AND bring others along with me
  • …entertain AND get out in the streets

“I will show you my faith by what I do!” (v. 18).

Faith and, and, AND works.

Heavenly Father, help me to get this right. I don’t want to preach it well or believe it strongly, unless I’m going to live it consistently, too.