It Really Is About the Heart

The Interfaith Counseling Center has four of the most talented and wonderfully gifted Therapists. A group of women in a Bible Study, asked how we were able to find and keep such great Therapists. My response was that we looked for individuals who had a genuine heart for others, especially those individuals who were struggling with stress, anxiety, sadness, conflict, etc. We also looked for individuals who wanted to be continual students rather than those who thought they already knew all they needed to know. At our Center, we can teach and help each other how to help someone who is struggling with these issues in their personal life, their marriage, at work or wherever these issues arise. What we cannot teach is the “heart” issue. We cannot teach someone to care for others genuinely and lovingly. That is a gift from God which must be continually nurtured. Just as Jesus “called” the Apostles, I believe God “called” the Therapists at the Interfaith Counseling Center and I am grateful that God included me. It really is about the heart; more than skills, knowledge, and techniques, even though these are important, they are not the most significant. We ask potential Therapists, "Do you have a heart for individuals and couples who are struggling?"

I Choose to Believe that Someone, other than me, is in Charge

What if Bobby, my brother, had not been developmentally disabled due to a birth accident, would we have moved to Norman where the University of Oklahoma had a special education class? Would I have met Dr. Hallock, Pastor of First Baptist Church? What if I had married my High School girl friend, would I have ever gone to OBU? What if Dr. Hallock had not taken me to OBU and introduced me to President Scales, would I have gone to Baylor as I was thinking? What if Judy had not invited me to the movie during ‘twirp’ (the woman is requested to pay) week, would I have courted and married her? Would there ever have been a Grant, our son? What if I had not been friends with Mike and gone to his wedding in Kentucky, would I have gone to Golden Gate Seminary as I was thinking? If I had not gone to Southern Seminary, would I have even known Dr. Oates and the field of Pastoral Care and Counseling, or would Judy have worked for him? Would I have ever worked for the Department of Child Welfare if Dr. Oates had not taken me to meet the Executive Director of the Kentucky Council of Churches about a Chaplain’s position. If I had never worked for the Department of Child Welfare, would we have lived in Lexington? If we had not lived in Lexington, would we have ever found the Trinity Baptist Church? If the Governor did not have plans to close the smaller facilities, would I have ever written a job description for Family Life Minister and asked our Pastor of Trinity Baptist Church to help me find a Church? If Dr. Oates had not recommended that I pursue a Doctor of Ministry degree at Lexington Theological Seminary, would I have ever pursued and earned that D.Min. degree? If one of the LTS professors had not asked me to become a practicum supervisor at LTS, would I have ever become the Chaplain and an Instructor at LTS? If Trinity’s Pastor had not died, would I have ever been a Pastor? If I had not read a newspaper article about spiritual direction and inquired about it, would I have even met and become friends with a Jesuit Priest? If I had not known that Priest, would I have even known about the Abbey of Gethsemane and become friends with several of their Monks? If I had not known that Jesuit Priest and the monks at the Abbey, would I have ever studied the field of spiritual formation? If I had not known a friend at Calvary Baptist Church, would they have ever telephoned me about the possibility of working with the Interfaith Counseling Center? If I had not met and become friends with the new President of BSK, would he have ever thought of me as an Adjunct Professor teaching Spiritual Formation at the new Baptist Seminary of Kentucky? If Judy had not known the youth minister at Wetumka, Oklahoma, would we have been asked by the Southern Baptist Foreign Mission Board to go to Yemen. If we had not been involved with Baptist missions, would we have been asked to become involved with CBF’s Member Care ministry with their Global Missions. I choose to believe that someone, other than me, is in charge and I call that someone, God.

Discernment: What's Important and What's Not

In today’s mail we received four letters. The envelopes were marked as IMPORTANT. The four envelopes contained four letters and some other odd stuff. The letters were clear that if we did not send money to help the fight against some disease people were going to suffer. I shredded all the letters, even the one marked with $15 circled as an anticipated donation. I call this junk mail and I am not pleased with its arrival in our mailbox. At least it provides a degree of job security for our mailperson. I hope the agencies paid their fair share of the postal expense. This junk mail reminds me that in life there are many things for which we do not need to give much attention. Discernment means knowing what is important and what is not.

Power as a Test of Character

If you have been reading my blogs, you will know that I am grieved with the Supreme Court’s recent decisions about gun control and abortion. I am also grieved that the Senate would not permit a hearing for a potential member of the Supreme Court nominated by President Obama. As a result, we now have three members of the Court appointed by a President who did not have the popular votes in his election. I am grieved, not only by the Court’s decision but, also, by the manipulation of the government’s process by powerful individuals who appear to value political party and power over the will of the people. National surveys, by reputable survey agencies, have indicated that a majority of the American people did not want to see Roe vs. Wade overturned and they favored significant control over the availability of guns, especially assault rifles. I keep thinking about Machiavellian principles in which those with power will do anything they can to keep their power. The news is reporting the discrepancy of two Justices who said one thing during their confirmation hearings and another when faced with the Roe vs. Wade decision. I am saddened and concerned. Google took me to the following quote from Abraham Lincoln, “Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power.”

Too Much of a Good Thing

We have a daisy plant. It was beautiful and healthy. The instructions said the dirt needed to be kept damp. I over-watered the plant so that it sat in water for several days. Its leaves began to droop and looked pitiful. I have now repotted the plant and placed it in a pot that has a hole in the bottom so any excess water can drain away. Will it recover? I do not know. It still looks pitiful and weak. I suppose the moral is that even a good thing can be overdone. Too much of a good thing may not be healthy.

Be Ye Perfect

Jesus said that we were to be perfect as our heavenly Father (Matthew 5:48). Perfection is a high standard, especially if we thank of perfection as a list of what to do and what not to do. Such a list is often called sins of commission and sins of omission. I do not think that is what Jesus meant. Jesus’ early followers thought of perfection in terms of Jesus’ great commandment. First, we are love the Lord our God with all our heart, soul, and mind and the second is to love our neighbor as ourselves. (Matthew 22:36-39). Sin is falling short of this commandment. We can fall short in so many ways by our attitude and/or behaviors. Greed and gluttony keep us from sharing the bountiful gifts God has given us. Acedia and sloth keep us from following through with our good intentions. Vainglory and pride keep us focused on ourselves rather than our neighbors. Lust causes us to use people rather than respectfully love them. We can become so focused on our differences such as: economics, education, race, sexual orientation, religious denominations, etc. that we diminish or cease loving God and our neighbors. We see others as we have been conditioned to see them, rather than see others as God sees them. I think God’s goal for us is to see and treat God, all neighbors and ourselves with love. With this ‘love standard’ as perfection, it seems we have a long way to go in loving God and loving our neighbor as ourselves.

When Does Life Begin or Cease?

Abortion is certainly on our legislator’s agenda in many states and our national leaders. The question about abortion seems to be when does life begin. I believe the Bible teaches that life begins, as well as ceases, when the child or individual begins to breathe or stops breathing. (Ecclesiastes 12:7 and Job 12:10; 34:14) In the creation story, God breathed into the human creation and the human became a living soul (Genesis 2:7). I do not believe abortion is to be a birth control option. I do, however, believe that a woman, her family, physician, and religious beliefs should aid her/them in that decision, not state or national government. When an abortion is chosen it needs to be done in a hospital under careful medical attention. If a woman and her family choose to birth and keep a child who is developmentally and/or physically disabled, I think the state and national resources need to be available to her and her family as they raise that child because it is going to be a demanding situation, i.e., financially, emotionally, socially, etc., throughout the child’s life.