Touch is of utmost importance in the healing process. Whether you’re down with the ‘flu or lying sick in a hospital bed, the one thing you crave most is a gentle touch, a warm hug, a mother’s kiss on the sore spot with the assurance that it is all better. Yet, you are so often […]
A big part of prayer is the creative visualization aspect. You must visualize and hold the picture in your mind of the best solution for that person and situation or yourself. You must not waver in that thought. You also must recognize the divine and true nature of that person, which […]
You are very precious. Do you see yourself as precious, worth while and a blessing to those around you? Maybe you believe that the words spoken over you in your childhood or circumstances determine who you are. Do you say to yourself: “he does not like me; therefore there must be something wrong with me,” […]
“Come boldly to the throne of grace”! (Hebrews 4:16) Why? In the Old Testament the High Priest sacrificed an unblemished lamb for the atonement of the sins of the people. This sacrifice, which was always performed in the outer court of the temple, had been ordained by God.
Jesus Christ is our High Priest. He […]
“The Word of God quick (living), and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is the discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” (Heb.4:12)
All words are powerful - as we have learned in a previous […]
For those that know me, you know that I am a former US Army soldier. I’m very proud of this fact, and it’s one of the reasons that I support both the military personnel in Iraq, as well as the war in Iraq.
Ask any soldier though, and he/she will tell you that he/she is reluctant […]
1 in 3 people in the U.S. have a chronic condition. If it’s not you, it’s someone near you.
Too often, a chronic illness, such as fibromyalgia, or a chronic condition like back pain from a car accident, is invisible. Those who live with chronic illnesses do everything they can to look presentable, get to […]
As pastoral staff, most of us have had the opportunity to go and visit someone in the hospital. It can be a pleasant experience as they welcome you with a smile, or they may cry as you offer prayer and comfort. It can also be awkward. For those members in your church, all of these […]
I think we, no, I should say I, often forget that grieving is an extremely individual process. No one can really experience grief in the way I do, and no one can experience it in the way you do. When the Lord says in Matthew 5:4, Blessed are those who mourn, for they […]
Elizabeth Kubler Ross wrote about the five stages of catastrophic loss in her book,” On Death and Dying”. While she was speaking to the terminally ill patient, most people have found that the stages she defines work as well for almost any kind of grief.
While people argue as to whether these stages are really true […]
