Public Mourns The Death Of Robin Williams

I am and many more are shocked to find out that Robin Williams; America's beloved actor and funny man; has apparently committed suicide. I am not a celebrity watcher, I feel that just because someone is famous doesn't give me the right to know every detail of his or her life. Therefore I had no idea Mr. Williams was suffering from depression. I also did not know that he had recently relapsed into drug use. I did know from hearing others talk that he had battled drug addiction. I do know that often the drug addiction and depression go hand in hand. His family is asking privacy at his horrific juncture in their lives, and I do hope they are allowed this humble and reasonable request. I know first hand what losing someone to suicide is like and I know how every one thinking they know details just makes it harder. My goal in writing about this is for one purpose and one purpose only; to shine a light on the need for education, treatment and de-stigmatization regarding depression. The time has come dear public, to shed the blinders we have on that mental illness is rare and won't touch our lives. We need to get serious about getting the word out that being mentally ill makes one week or odd. We need to get it our of our heads that depression is a sometimes feeling that goes away after a while. Though many people may only have one or a few problems with clinical depression there are also a lot of people for whom depression never really goes away. There are of course many posts on Facebook about Mr. Williams death and one just really got to me. A well meaning person said

Depression IS treatable. Medicine, counseling and faith can change things

. There is nothing inherently wrong with this but it just seems trite to me. Really, do you think Mr. Williams didn't seek help? Do you think his loving family didn't make every effort to make sure he went to counseling and doctors? Depression is so much more complicated than this quote indicates that it is. I watched for the third or fourth time a few days ago and movie called Ordinary People . The movie is a portrait of a family who are grieving the loss of the eldest of two sons in a boating accident. The portrait picks up at what appears to be a few months after the younger son has attempted suicide by slitting his wrists. If you have never seen this movie I highly recommend that you find it and watch it Mary Tyler Moore and Donald Sutherland are the parents and deliver a stellar performance along with Timothy Hutton playing the part of the younger son, Conrad. At one point in the movie a girl asks Conrad why he did it and he says;

It's like falling into a hole; a hole that keeps getting bigger and bigger. And you can't get out and all of the sudden it's inside you; you're the hole and your trapped and it's all over.

This is one the most accurate descriptions I have ever heard of what it feels like to be suicidal. My thoughts and prayers are with Mr. Williams family. The coming days, weeks and months will bring much pain. There will abundant sorrow, there will be guilt and there will be anger. I pray that somehow in the midst of all of these, the message of hope in Christ will get through and bring them comfort and peace. If you know someone who battles depression; don't tell them to suck it up. Don't tell them to pray and all will be well. Tell them to get help and be there for them, to listen and tell them the truth. Stay up all night with them if need be, stay up 2 nights in a row if need be. If you don't feel up to doing this or to help you out use this information and lift them to the Throne of Grace and pray to Almighty God that they will get help and choose life. Grace and peace CAC

Germs And Bugs; Oh My!

The big news story lately is Ebola and I have a few things on my mind about it. I am seeing a lot of postings on Facebook and the like that say people are worried. It is being said that the media is not telling us the whole truth and so on. Here's the deal folks, if you are depending solely on the media to inform you of anything; shame on you! Most people have at our disposal a plethora of information via the internet. We also have books, you know those things with pages between a cover that may or may not have a picture on them? Inform yourself; and take reasonable precautions. Panic and rumor mongering do no one any good and usually do harm. Worry is pointless and sinful. Our hope, as Christians is in God as well as should be our trust. As I indicated above; we need to use the brains God gave us and be rational folks. Ebola has been in the country for a long time; in labs being studied so that treatments can be developed. Yes, it is a new strain and we can't predict how much it has mutated at this point but we must; again I say not panic. A bit of aside here is that I am appalled at the lack of knowledge people have about the necessity for basic hygiene. I was in a public restroom a few days ago and a young woman was leaving a stall as I was washing my hands and went directly out the door. I wanted to run after her and yell at her; DON'T YOU WASH YOUR HANDS AFTER YOU USE THE BATHROOOM! (By the way, she was quite able bodied and come out of the handicapped stall and I with my cane had to use the narrow stall.) I also can't believe the number of people I see coughing and sneezing into their hands! Come on people! Cough or sneeze into your elbow; I taught my kids this when I they were toddlers and I know it was taught at school too. I have auto immune disease and when I leave the house I get sick about half of the time. Some stores have sanitizing wipes for one to wipe down cart handles with but not all of them do. I wonder how much urine and other unimaginable things do we touch every time we grab a shopping cart? Now think about how easily something like Ebola could take hold just because we don't think! Back to my main point. What are we to so in this time of uncertainty? Panic? No, but spread the word about hygiene, practice it yourself and pray. Pray for your own protection but more important pray for those in charge of studying this problem and for those in other countries who are in the throws of this epidemic and seeing loved ones and friends falling dead all around them. Pray for wisdom for the leaders of other countries as well as the leaders our country. There is so much going on in the world that is troubling and downright frightening. Yet we are not powerless and without hope. We have the very power that raised Christ from the dead within us! Maybe we should start acting like it. I know I need to! My intention is not to beat up on or offend anyone. I am just sharing my thoughts. Love one another and pray. I close with this Matthew 6:25-34 Grace and peace CAC

Good Friday Musings

I am both saddened and hopeful about the meaning of this day. I am saddened by the fact that my Savior was beaten so severely his flesh was torn from His body and His face was a mass of broken bones, cuts, and bloody bruises. I am saddened by the fact that my sin held Him to the wooden death machine they nailed Him to and hung Him from. Saddened by not just His death; but death by the most hideously painful torture that existed; for me. Saddened that knowing all of this I still sin, I still sometimes decide to go my own way and ignore Him.
Hopeful; knowing that because He did what He did, that because He allowed Himself to be treated so; I can come before the throne of Holy God and not perish. Hopeful because this day, this horror is not the whole story.

It's Just The Dark Before The Morning

I don't know if I have mentioned before that I do BSF ; but I do. This year we are doing Isaiah which has just been added to the studies BSF does. They also do Acts of The Apostles,Romans, John, Genesis, The Life of Moses and The Minor Prophets. But I digress a bit. I bring up BSF because I have not been keeping up with my study this year. I have not done well in that area for a couple of years now but never as bad as this time. I counted up and I have not completed half of the lessons for this year so far. I was not really surprised at the number but it was painful to face none the less. The reason I counted them up is I have made a determination to finish strong. That said; I finished my whole lesson this week which was on Isaiah 49. You can read the passage here . I did the whole lesson and was so blessed. What blessed me most was verses 7-13 and even more so when I read it in the Message .
Heavens, raise the roof! Earth, wake the dead!
Mountains, send up cheers!
God has comforted his people.
He has tenderly nursed his beaten-up, beaten-down people
That's me! I am His people and He has comforted me, is comforting me.

Happy Easter Continued

As Paul Harvey would say; now for the rest of the story. In Mark 16 we read 1When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus' body. 2Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb 3and they asked each other, "Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?"

4But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. 5As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed.

6"Don't be alarmed," he said. "You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. 7But go, tell his disciples and Peter, 'He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.' "

8Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid. and in Luke 24 we read 50When he had led them out to the vicinity of Bethany, he lifted up his hands and blessed them. 51While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven. 52Then they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy. 53And they stayed continually at the temple, praising God.

Without this, Jesus' death makes no difference. Had Jesus not risen from the dead, the job was only half done. The power of sin to leave us separated from God forever, would not have been broken. But, praise God, Jesus did rise from the dead and went back to Heaven and sat down at the right hand of God. Unlike the high priests before Him, Jesus' job was finished; no other sacrifice would ever be needed. The penalty was paid by the blood of God's own Son.
Hallelujah! Jesus Lives!

Holy Roller Blog Tour

Julie Lyons was working as a crime reporter when she followed a hunch into the South Dallas ghetto. She wasn’t hunting drug dealers, but drug addicts who had been supernaturally healed of their addictions. Was there a church in the most violent part of the city that prayed for addicts and got results?
At The Body of Christ Assembly, a rundown church on an out-of-the-way street, Lyons found the story she was looking for. The minister welcomed criminals, prostitutes, and street people–anyone who needed God. He prayed for the sick, the addicted, and the demon-possessed, and people were supernaturally healed.
Lyons’s story landed on the front page of the Dallas Times Herald. But she got much more than just a great story, she found an unlikely spiritual home. Though the parishioners at The Body of Christ Assembly are black and Pentecostal, and Lyons is white and from a traditional church background, she embraced their spirituality–that of “the Holy Ghost and fire.”
It’s all here in Holy Roller–the stories of people desperate for God’s help. And the actions of a God who doesn’t forget the people who need His power.

Author Bio:
Julie Lyons is an award-winning writer, editor and investigative reporter who for more than 11 years served as editor-in-chief of the Dallas Observer, an alternative weekly newspaper owned by Village Voice Media. She holds a master’s degree in journalism from Northwestern University and a B.A. in English from Seattle Pacific University. She and her husband, Larry Lyons Jr., live in Dallas with their son.

You can win a copy of this book by posting a comment on this post or you can purchase one here Thank you and happy reading!

Clutter- Free Christianity Blog Tour

Clutter-Free Christianity
by Dr. Robert Jeffress

This book was different than I was expecting it to be; which turns out to be good. I was expecting a book that talked about the busyness of today's average Christian. What I got was just what I needed at this time in my life.
This book is a call to get back to the basic tenants of Christianity. It is a call to stop theorizing, speculating, and ministering for sake of ministry, and get ask ourselves if we are prepared for eternity.
Mr Jeffress opens up with the analagy of preparing for international travel and reckons that if we take such extreme care to prepare for a trip such as thisl how much more so should we take care to prepare for the most important destination of all. While a trip overseas may be subject to rescheduling or cancellation, the time we will leave for eternity is fixed in God's calendar and if we don't prepare now, we won't get another chance when it is time to go.
Realizing his own mortality was slipping by quickly, Mr Jeffress asked himself

What must I do to please God?

While understanding we are saved by grace and grace alone, we must also realize, says Jeffress, that the Bible is clear that God is interested in more just our justification,,we must also have a changed heart as suggested in Luke 10 . Our hearts must be transformed, and this is what the book goes on to address; broken down into 10 chapters that cover Connecting your heart to God's power on through to Prayer, communicating with God and ending with Creating a plan to change your life.
I have found Mr. Jeffress book refreshing, timely, and challenging. It is one of the few books of it's kind I have seen that delivers what it implies to promise, which is spiritual and personal growth.
If you think there is nothing you can do or must do to please God beyond accepting His gift of Salvation, I challenge you to read this book and find renewed focus and purpose for your life. Even knowing that I must do more, this book helped me, is helping me, to sort through the clutter of day to day struggles and frustrations and failures, and get to heart of what pleasing God really means. If you lead a small group, I would encourage you to consider this book for discussion, it has a study guide included.

Author Bio:
Dr. Robert Jeffress is the senior pastor of First Baptist Dallas, one of the most historic churches in the Southern Baptist Convention. The author of sixteen books, he is a graduate of Dallas Theological Seminary and Southwest Baptist Theological Seminary. In addition, live broadcasts of Dr. Jeffress’ weekly messages reach millions of listeners and viewers each week, while his daily sermon series airs on 1,100 television stations and cable systems nationwide. Dr. Jeffress and his wife, Amy, are the parents of two adult daughters.
I am grateful to God for leading me to this book, for Mr Jeffress for writing it and to the publisher for making it available to all of us.
I hope you will check here to get a copy of your own and make your Christianity Clutter Free

Dinner With A Perfect Stranger Blog Tour

Dinner With A Perfect Stranger by David Gregory is a large blessing in a small package.
Only 100 pages long, this little book does a great job of presenting Jesus and His Father to would be critics and detractors.
A man receives an invitation to dinner with none other than, Jesus of Nazareth and goes simply to play along with what he feels is an obvious joke on him by one of his colleagues. What he finds when he gets there is only the first surprise of the evening as he converses with a man who knows a lot about him and has some very interesting answers to his questions.
Well told, historically and Biblically accurate; this story will warm the hearts of the devout to the skeptic. It is a well written, interesting and perfectly paced while also being informative and even fun. I highly recommend this book and look forward to the companion, A Day with A Perfect Stranger.

What if a fascinating stranger knew you better than you know yourself?

When her husband comes home with a farfetched story about eating dinner with someone he believes to be Jesus, Mattie Cominsky thinks this may signal the end of her shaky marriage. Convinced that Nick is, at best, turning into a religious nut, the self-described agnostic hopes that a quick business trip will give her time to think things through.

On board the plane, Mattie strikes up a conversation with a fellow passenger. When she discovers their shared scorn for religion, she confides her frustration over her husband’s recent conversion. The stranger suggests that perhaps her husband isn’t seeking religion but true spiritual connection, an idea that prompts her to reflect on her own search for fulfillment.

As their conversation turns to issues of spiritual longing and deeper questions about the nature of God, Mattie finds herself increasingly drawn to this insightful stranger. But when the discussion unexpectedly turns personal, touching on things she’s never told anyone, Mattie is startled and disturbed. Who is this man who seems to peer straight into her soul?

David Gregory is the author of the best-selling books Dinner with a Perfect Stranger and A Day with a Perfect Stranger, and coauthor of two nonfiction books. After a ten-year business career, he returned to school to study religion and communications, earning graduate degrees from The University of North Texas and Dallas Theological Seminary. A native Texan, David now devotes himself to writing full time.


You can learn more about and purchase these books here or here

Blog Tour Of The Echo Within by Robert Benson

This is an interesting little book. I would not call it theologically sound, yet it could be useful for one whom finds herself feeling unable to hear the voice of God. It would be a great starting point, as long as one did not stop here but went on to read her Bible and consult with her pastor. I feel the author stops short of getting into any real relevant spiritual meat. Whether this is because he does not have his own insight to provide it or is trying to appeal to a wider audience by not digging deeper I am not sure. I hope it is not the former. There is too much of a "I'm OK, You're OK" type of thing going on here. While God has created us and desires to be a part of our lives, we must realize that without the finished work of Jesus Christ; looking inside ourselves for answers will leave us empty and lost.

I was enchanted by Mr Benson's anecdotes from his life; as a child and as a grown person. I like his writing style, it seems as though he is sitting across from you in the room and having a conversation. It is well written, with just the right amount of humor to make it move along quickly and just enough personal whimsy to keep one turning the pages. I think I would like to someday check out some of his other works, as this is the first book of his I have read.
This would be good book to give to someone as long as you made sure they did not use it on it's own to discern direction.
This is the information from the publisher
The Echo Within is a profoundly affecting, honest look at the myriad ways we are drawn into our life’s best work.
Written out of his own lifelong search for and response to the calling voice of God, Robert Benson recounts his discovery of the meaning of vocation, work, and purpose through the ups and downs inherent in family life, professional choice, and spiritual experience. With clarity and insight, and in the elegant prose for which he is known, he gently invites and encourages readers to find such deep truths for their lives as well. In particular, he illuminates the way for readers to explore:
· ways to sense the Holy in our pursuits, both in the pursuits themselves and within ourselves.
· how to fall into our vocation and chart a course toward it at the same time.
· how to love the work we do, and the process of doing it.
Robert Benson has written more than a dozen books about the discovery of the sacred in the midst of our ordinary lives, including Between the Dreaming and the Coming True, Home By Another Way, and Digging In. His work has been critically acclaimed in a wide range of publications from The New York Times and USA Today to Spirituality & Health and The Benedictine Review. He is an alumnus of The Upper Room’s Academy for Spiritual Formation and was recently named a Living Spiritual Teacher by SpiritualityandPractice.com. He lives in Nashville, Tennessee.



You can purchase this book at
or herehere.
Or you could have a chance at winning a copy of your own by commenting on this post. I will choose two comments by random number generator on March 14 Good luck!

Pinpricks Enlarging

Well I managed to drag myself to church (late) today for the first time in 3 weeks. I didn't make it to the other services but came in just before the Pastoral Prayer so I got to hear the special music and participate in Worship. The music was nice, though the Praise Band on today performs more than lead, but it was much better than not going at all.
I have been telling people who ask how I have been, more than in passing , the truth; that I am depressed and not doing well. I don't know why, but I have a hard time admitting my struggles to most people,especially emotional ones. But I am figuring out, duh, that if no one knows, no one can pray, which is what is going to help more than anything.
I managed to pop my knee out while working in AWANA this evening so now I dealing with that pain and swelling and aggravation. Add that to my back and legs screaming at me for all the shoveling I did after the storm here and trying to catch up on laundry; why am I always behind?
And yet today overall I have to say, has been a better day, a brighter day as I am allowing God's Love to penetrate my cold and lonely heart.
Once again, thank you for your prayers and encouragement.

Not A Religion But A Relationship

I have been mulling this one over for a month or so.

One hears the phrase "It is a relationship not a religion" when talking to others about their salvation. It is said so much that like most of Christianese it can start to sound trite. What does it mean, really? What is the difference between religion and relationship? Why do Christians want there to be a distinction? These are some of the questions I would like to address and hopefully they will help someone answer this question in the future and I would love to hear if anyone sees it differently.

Religion is by definition is

1.
a. Belief in and reverence for a supernatural power or powers regarded as creator and governor of the universe.
b. A personal or institutionalized system grounded in such belief and worship.
2. The life or condition of a person in a religious order.
3. A set of beliefs, values, and practices based on the teachings of a spiritual leader.
4. A cause, principle, or activity pursued with zeal or conscientious devotion.

while the definition for relationship is this

1The condition or fact of being related; connection or association.
2. Connection by blood or marriage; kinship.
3. A particular type of connection existing between people related to or having dealings with each other: has a close relationship with his siblings.
4. A romantic or sexual involvement.

So let us look at religion and which definition is connoted when one says she is religious. Of course one may think of 1a but most likely not, since many people who claim not to be religious say they believe in a higher power. So next we look at 1b, 2, 3 and 4 and get a little closer to the mark. One can see how these can fit many Christians who attend regular church activities, but also many other religions as well such as Islam, or Buddhism. The practices are based on the teachings of a spiritual leader, have regular activities, or requirements to adhere to, and often is connected with some sort of institutionalized system such as a church or a mosque.

So one can say she is religious and not be saying she is a Christian, and one can say she is a Christian and not attend church regularly and say she is not religious; is that not so? However one easily sees the confusion that arises on one who is neither religious nor Christian when we say we are not in a religion. Are we delusional or just nit picky? If we are devout in our walk with Christ, we appear on all counts to be religious, so why can't we just admit it and be done with it?

Perhaps looking at the definition of realtionship will help us, look at it again

1The condition or fact of being related; connection or association.
2. Connection by blood or marriage; kinship.
3. A particular type of connection existing between people related to or having dealings with each other: has a close relationship with his siblings.
4. A romantic or sexual involvement.

Are we all relatives in our church? Well according to the Bible we are, by adoption we are all God's children. Next, connection by blood, again, yes the blood of Christ is what made our adoption possible. Three is pretty much the same as number one we have dealings with one another as a local church and sometimes as part of the Church, that is the Body, by serving in missions, attending events in other churches and the like. Lastly there is number 4, a romantic involvement yes some people are definitely, completely desperately, in love with Jesus Christ. If we are not, we ought to want to be.The Church is referred to as the Bride of Christ; oh yes definitely a romantic connection.

Now, there we have it. If one calls me, as Christian, religious I need not take offense or correct them harshly but point out that none of the definitions of religion have to define a Christian. However, that said we need to consider the fact that while it is good to remember religion cannot save one, that being religious in our Christian walk is beneficial nay necessary, for the health and growth of ones relationship. One can be none of those things yet have a relationship with his Savior. The relationship may not be all it could be but it can still exist.
So the next time this comes up I hope this little "lesson" helps you explain a little better why we prefer not be referred to simply as religious. As for me I would say with my head high: "why yes I am religious about maintaining a healthy, vibrant relationship with the love of my life, Jesus Christ.