What Think Ye?

Archibald Hart, former dean of the Graduate School of Psychology at Fuller Theological Seminary was on the subject of spiritual and emotional heath when he wrote, "Evangelicals tend to sweep significant emotional problems under the rug. Many devout Christians receive no help whatsoever for serious emotional disorders because they are either afraid of the stigmatizations associated with such help or they have been taught to spiritualize their emotional problems and seek relief only through greater effort at piety."

Stress, exhaustion, frustration, anger, burnout, rejection, loneliness will be encountered along life's journey. For a leader, often these emotions are exacerbated by a feeling of "who can I trust."

Loving Ansley

Ansley Mitchell born April 9, 2009. Born to Jon and Karen and weighing in at 7lbs.12oz. and 19.5" long. This is number 4. Within the last 11 months we have added 3. Noah (Nathan and Rachel) will turn 1 yr next month; Silas (Jason and Jenny) was born 3 months ago and now Ansley. The senior member of the bunch, Sienna (Jason and Jenny) turned 3 yr. in February.

I've got enough hootin' and hollerin' and fishin' worms for all of 'em. I'm sitting here thinking about the possibilities of our quadrupling this group again within the next year. All things are possible.

Good Friday?

Today is Friday. But not just any ordinary Friday. Today is the Christian remembrance of what is historically known as Good Friday. What is good about this Friday? Mock trials, false witnesses, scourging, evil on top, and good suffering the ultimate humiliation of Roman crucifixion. Good Friday.

Today is something more…something else. Today I sit, along with my dad and brother, at the bedside of my mom who is dying. It has been long like a trip that doesn’t seem to have an end. They call it Alzheimer's, which means we haven’t had momma with us for many years. And now the end is hours away. “It could be any time now,” we are told. How strange is it that these words actually become words of consolation and comfort after such a long grind of witnessing a loved one suffer? The labored breathing and atrophied arms, legs and hands of someone who delighted in digging the dirt of her flower gardens is more than I think I can stand. I’m feeling something rise up within me that cries out to God for mercy. More than anything I want God to release her from this suffering. I believe He sees clearly what is happening and am more than a little disappointed that He doesn’t end this. Why should she suffer and why should we have to witness her struggle?

Perhaps the answers are to be revealed at some time in the future. But on this Friday, designated as Good by the Christian calendar, I am gently reminded of a Father who witnessed unspeakable suffering by His beloved son. God's love was displayed as never before on that Friday so long ago. If His love for mankind was greater than the images of suffering that shattered His heart then, I choose to trust His love today.

Come to the Quiet

Have been reflecting on my need for quiet space and happened upon a book, "One Square Inch of Silence." Written by an acoustic ecologist (did not know of such a thing), one of the more attention-getting quotes I read: "And what is there to life if a man cannot hear the lovely cry of the whipoorwill or the arguments of the frogs around a pond at night." I love the imagery and can easily imagine the vociferous croaks of a passionate debate.

I think it is in the silence that God's creation sings some of the most the most beautiful melodies.