A Place Called Ease

 A Place Called "Ease" and Other Lessons

 

While Steve was counseling on Wednesday, I decided to go along and do some studying... or treasure hunting at thrift stores...yep, treasure hunting won. 

On my way back to pick him up, the steering froze and the car was not doing what cars are supposed to do...so I made it back to where he was and a belt fell out of... well, I don't know where exactly- somewhere inside the guts of the car. I informed him that we seemed to be having a slight car problem. Since we had just put $869.00 in said car last November, we called the same mechanic and he said he "warranties everything he touches" for one year. Well, that settled it; we would have it towed to Boca Raton where it was probably going to be completely free. haha...

So, we called, rode in the tow truck (with a guy who took our business card "in case he needs counseling") and dropped off the CRV. We then walked two miles to the Tri-Rail station, rode the train twenty miles to Okeechobee Blvd. in West Palm, transferred to a bus and rode the bus to Wellington. On the bus, I was reading Pilgrim's Progress and laughed out loud when I came to the portion I had before me. It is just four lines describing a place called "Ease." "Then Christian and Hopeful went out again and went til they came to a delicate plain, called Ease, where they went with much content; but that plain was very narrow, so they quickly got over it." Pretty funny, huh?

Yes, Ease is indeed a narrow pass but someday all will be bliss. We await His promises where moth and rust don't corrupt and thieves can't break in and steal...and cars are not even necessary. Oh, and buses and trains couldn't possibly be "there" since they are slow, unpredictable and not very pleasant smelling. Yea for the promises of God! (and the blessing of Pilgrims Progress). Oh, and as things go, this problem is an entirely different one than he "touched" last time. Of course, it is. Oh, well. :)

Robyn Bloem

Hello Readers,
I am sorry that I have not written a blog for over a week.  This is because of computer problems and time constraints.  Please continue to pray for the persecuted church.  You can visit persecution.org to get details on the suffering of so many Christians across the world. I invite you to visit our web site,
heartfeltmin.org. You can also peruse my blogs (about 350 of them) by looking at them on this blog site.  You can also search the web for them. There are blogs on many different subjects.

Depression Series, What is Reactive Depression?

One of the most comforting doctrines that I have grasped in my brief time here on the earth is that of the providence of God. Many people when they are afflicted with depression or panic or grief only think of "getting through the present."  Now that is an important thing to do, but our endurance much  not be in a stoical sense but in God's power enabling you to persevere in trials and distresses.
 We must persevere with an understanding that the Lord is in control of all the circumstances and events of our lives. I would like to give you a description of providence found in the Westminster Shorter Catechism and then quote the most quoted preacher in the Western world, Charles Spurgeon.
I am reading through Spurgeon's Expository Encyclopedia,  published by Baker Book House.  You can also read all of these sermons on line at ethereal library and/or Spurgeon's gem's quotes.  These quotes came to me by way of Exploring the mind and heart of Spurgeon .http://www.spurgeon.us/mind_and_heart/quotes/g.htm#providence

The Westminster Catechism says,

The works of providence are …. God’s most holy, wise and power preserving and governing of all His creatures and all their actions. (Westminster Shorter Catechism)

 

To suppose that temporal things are too little for our condescending God, is to forget
that he observes the flight of sparrows, and counts the hairs of his people’s heads.
Besides, everything is so little to him, that, if he does not care for the little, he cares
for nothing.



There is as much providence in the creeping of an aphis upon a rose leaf as in the
marching of an army to ravage a continent. 
 me. 
  Believer, if your inheritance be a lowly one you should be satisfied with your earthly
portion; for you may rest assured that it is the fittest for you. Unerring wisdom
ordained your lot, and selected for you the safest and best condition.

   You shall find books and sermons everywhere, in the land and in the sea, in the earth
and in the skies, and you shall learn from every living beast, and bird, and fish, and
insect, and from every useful or useless plant that springs out of the ground.

It is always providence when it is a good thing. But why is it not a providence when
it does not happen to be just as we please? Surely it is so; for if the one thing be
ordered by God, so is the other.

 Blessed is the man who sees God in trifles! It is there that it is the hardest to see
him; but he who believes that God is there, may go from the little providence up to
the God of providence.

 To gather up all in one, the calamities of earthquake, the devastations of storm, the
extirpations of war, and all the terrible catastrophes of plague, have only been
co-workers with God—slaves compelled to tug the galley of the divine purpose
across the sea of time.  
   Why, look, sirs; suppose for a moment there were some great performance going on,
and you should step in in the middle of it and see one actor upon the stage for a
moment, and you should say, “Yes, I understand it,” what a simpleton you would be!
Do you not know that the great transactions of providence began near six thousand
years ago? and you have only stepped into this world for thirty or forty years, and
seen one actor on the stage, and you say you understand it.

  The insatiable archer is not permitted to shoot his bolts at random—every arrow that
flies bears this inscription, “I have a message from God for thee.



 To take the sacred picture of providence, and, with our eye-glass, look at the canvass
inch by inch, is practically to see nothing; but to view the work of the Divine Artist as
a whole, with all its lights and shades, and all the fair proportions which manifest the
matchless skill—this is to see indeed. The fault of us all is this: that we judge
Providence by the moment, instead of regarding it in its true magnitude, stretched
upon the framework of that eternal love which knows neither beginning nor end.

 The Lord cannot be unkind to me in providence; for it is impossible that he can
forsake those whose names are graven upon the palms of his hands. 1110.261

He causes the wheel of providence to revolve in such a manner as to help his cause;
he abridges the power of tyrants, overrules the scourge of war, establishes liberty in
nations, opens the mysteries of continents long unknown, breaks down systems of
error, and guides the current of human thought. He works by a thousand means,
preparing the way of the Lord. 1388.686

If we turn to Providence, the history of nations, the history of the church, what
centuries of wonders pass before us! It is said that wise men wonder only once, and
that is always; fools never wonder, because they are fools. He that looks for a
providence will not be long without seeing one.

 When you have looked at creation, remember providence, which is a prolongation of
the creative act. The power which made all things upholds them.The very thing we regret most in providence will probably be that in which we shall
rejoice most in eternity.

 A good man once went to a certain place to meet his son. Both his son and himself
had ridden from some distance. When the son arrived, he exclaimed, “Oh father! I
had such a providence on the road.” “Why, what was that?” “My horse stumbled
six times, and yet I was not thrown.” “Dear me!” said his father, “But I have had a
providence too.” “And what was that?” “Why, my horse never stumbled at all, and
that is just as much a providence as if the horse had stumbled six times, and I had
not been thrown.

    Hence it is most important for us to learn that the smallest trifles are as much
arranged by the God of providence as the most startling events. He who counts the
stars also has numbered the hairs of our heads.

  He who believes in God must believe this truth. There is no standing point between
this and atheism. There is no half way between an almighty God who works all
things according to the good pleasure of his own will and no god at all. A god who
cannot do as he pleases,—a god whose will is frustrated, is not a God, and cannot be
a God; I could not believe in such a god as that.

Franklin Graham Warns Christians in America 'Persecution Is Coming

The Rev. Franklin Graham gave an ominous warning to Christians living in the United States Sunday, as he expounded on how religious freedoms are being eroded stateside while believers are being persecuted throughout the world.

http://www.christianpost.com/news/franklin-graham-warns-american-christians-persecution-is-coming-135348/




May. 15, 2015 | Pakistan
Pray for Christian Prisoner Imran Ghafur and His Family

Imran Ghafur’s family requests prayer for his release and for the needs of the family. He is currently serving a life sentence on a conviction of burning a Quran. Imran’s brother Naveed told VOM contacts that the entire family was able to visit him before Easter and that Imran continues to read his Bible, fast and pray. His attorney has filed an appeal with the Pakistan High Court, but no hearing date has been set. VOM has regular contact with Imran’s family, offering prayer and encouragement.

 May. 15, 2015 | South Asia
Pray for Christian Workers Fined for Bible Smuggling

Officials detained two Christian workers in January for transporting Hmong Bibles. The officers confiscated the Bibles, interrogated them for two days and nights, threatened them with imprisonment and ordered them to pay a large fine. They were allowed to leave after paying the fines.


 


May. 15, 2015 | Syria
Pray for Christians in Damascus Living in a Battle Zone

Intense fighting between Islamic State militants and government forces erupted on Monday, May 4, in Damascus, and media outlets warned Christians living in the area to evacuate immediately. Government forces are employing air assaults and armored tanks to fight the militants, making it extremely dangerous for those living in the immediate area. Last month, it was reported that IS had moved into a part of Damascus that is less than a mile from several Christian neighborhoods. A VOM contact whose family lives in the area requests prayer for believers there. “They can’t go anywhere at this point,” he said. “Pray for the safety of our family and churches all over Damascus and Syria.”

Have you heard about our Christians Afflicted with Mental Illness Support groups?

I have researched the websites of many churches and have found it a rare occurrence to unearth a mental illness support group. Churches have grief share, divorce recovery, celebrate recovery, and many other support groups. Many church leaders are like the proverbial ostrich with his head in the ground. It is almost a don't ask, don't tell, situation

Robyn and I have started a support group at our own church, Boca Glades Baptist in Boca Raton, Florida. . The support group is part of a grass roots movement which we call CAMI (Christians Afflicted with Mental Illness). We have written our own study guide material. There are other CAMI groups in the United States.  If   pastors knew how many of their sheep feel alone and misunderstood by their church, they would host one of these groups. These storm tossed afflicted persons are very important to God, The LORD is near to the broken hearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit, Psalm 34:18.

Mental illness is a whole body disease and it is devastating  to those who suffer from it. The vegetative functioning of the body fail in major depression. They are sleep, appetite, and sex drive. The will is broken. The depressed person finds it very difficult to accomplish even little tasks. A depressed person's concentration makes it difficult for him to read. His memory is affected. God seems a million miles away.

The devil like a roaring lion seeks to isolate depressed people from God and church and make them think God has abandoned them. Then he presents suicide as a viable option to escape from the horrific psychic pain. The church of Jesus Christ should not neglect this people group. She will have to answer to her Chief Shepherd, the Lord Jesus Christ for her treatment or non-treatment of the mentally ill

Robyn and I have written a starter/study guide for launching this CAMI program in your church.  Our group format includes eight guiding principles for Christians who suffer from a mental illness and/or their caregivers. We have a Leader’s Manual which spells out treatment goals for every lesson.

In the Leader's manual we have provided the answers to the discussion questions which are in the Student Guide. The Guides help the sufferer think through various issues and to see them in the context of suffering as a Christian. It has also been reported to be helpful for the caregivers who come to the groups. This is a very important concept for today’s Christian with mental health issues. Mental Illness begs for understanding, community and compassion. Are you with us? If you would like to come, please go learn when and where it is. http://heartfeltmin.org/what-we-do.html After you are there scroll down to CAMI Support Group.
If you would like to contact us so we can  teach you how to have a CAMI group please go to our home page. http://heartfeltmin.org/index.html.


Have you read our book Broken Minds Hope for Healing When You Feel Like You're Losing It? http://heartfeltmin.org/author-page.html
If you donate $25.00 or more we will send you a copy right away.  The donated money helps us to do God's work with those who have mental illness.
Please go to our web site.  All you have to do is click on the donation button and follow the prompts that will be given to you.  Your money will make it possible for so many people to live another day. Here is the link!
 http://heartfeltmin.org/how-can-i-get-involved.html