​Another year has come to an end, with all of it’s joys, sorrows, plans, mistakes, and trials.

It’s time to clear the slate, and start anew. 

New dreams to dream, set some new goals, adjust some things in life, and make improvements as much as possible. 

But, for some, this may be your last year on earth, if so, I pray with all my heart that you have made Jesus Christ the Lord of your life, asked him to forgive your sins, and have secured your place in heaven. He is the Door, and we all have an appointment with him one day. I hope to see you there in heaven, when my time comes to go. If it is this year for me, I'm ready. I look forward to more years to come, but none of us knows when our last day will be. That is in His hands.

Growing older brings hesitation in starting new things; for me anyway. I look at the goal I’m thinking of tackling, and wonder if I’ll have the energy to finish what I’ve started. But, making these evaluations shouldn’t keep anyone from wanting to keep on growing, and learning, and trying new things. These are some of the most important things in staying young at heart. This is one of my problems; in my mind I still feel like I’m 30.…but when I tackle the same strenuous tasks I used to do with ease then, reality soon catches up with me. You may be able to relate.

My hope for all who visit this site, is for a healthy, prosperous year, and with much joy and accomplishments that keep your strength renewed.

A verse of scripture I remind myself often is;

Psa 90:12  So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.

Whatever we’ve done, or failed to do in 2015 is gone. But, we look ahead to a new year. It’s a blank slate, and we can use the verse above to help guide us in our choices, and our goals. To number our days, and use them with thankfulness, and wisdom.

God bless each of you in the coming year.

Many people’s view on drinking is, if it’s consumed in small quantities, is neither harmful nor addictive. Some doctors advocate drinking small amounts of red wine for its health benefits, especially for the heart. Consumption of small quantities of alcohol they say, is a matter of Christian freedom. But, with these freedoms comes a personal responsibility. If I choose to drink, am I being a stumbling block to someone else?

Ephesians 5:18 tells us to avoid drunkenness.

1Cor 8:9-21 teaches us to refrain from doing something that makes another stumble in their faith, or conscience. Prov. 23:29-35 goes on to describe drunkenness, and condemns it.

What God commands Christians regarding alcohol is to avoid drunkenness
But, let’s take a look at the realities of alcoholism:

As a former alcoholic, I have strong personal views, and looking at the condition of society today, I hold to the opinion; “why do it?”

As a recovered alcoholic I can’t understand why Christians would drink. I’ve only known alcohol as a way to escape reality. I don’t know why if you are drinking for the taste you wouldn’t just drink something else that tastes good.

Christian weddings who provide alcohol open the door for people being intoxicated. For many, it only takes one glass or two. Alcohol is extremely addictive and is used to alter the mental state and “loosen up”. The results are many times things being said that can ruin relationships, inflicting pain on other’s, and yourself, and living with the regret of it.

I’ve watched this in my family all my life. There are some who are still living in denial, and want nothing to do with me, because my presence brings conviction, even if I say nothing. I just keep praying that some day they wake up and become as ashamed of themselves and as tired of wasting their life as I did, and finally want to change.

Alcohol (also grain alcohol) is a toxin that severely affects the central nervous system when ingested. Most people know that even moderate “social drinking” destroys brain cells.

The strongest advocate of alcohol must honestly admit that its consumption does not glorify God in their body; instead, it slowly destroys body and mind, which is a clear violation of the Sixth Commandment.

Today, “moderation” is taught with alcohol, but history has shown that moderation with an addictive drug or alcoholism is impossible.

In the next 24 hours, alcohol will be responsible for almost half of all:
... the homicides.
…the people who will die on the highway.
…the people who will be admitted to the hospital.
…the people who will be incarcerated in jail or prison.
…the people who will be arrested for domestic violence.
…the people who will be born with birth defects.
It will also be responsible for a quarter of all suicides.

Every year, at the New Year celebrations, this escalates.

According to Zig Ziglar, authorities know that approximately one in sixteen people who ever take a social drink will become an alcoholic. Would you board a plane if you knew there was a one in 16 chance that it would crash and end your life? Yet, how many think nothing of getting into a car drunk, sometimes with children strapped to their car seats; and drive on the highways drunk. They are responsible at times for not only their own deaths, but the innocent victims that are in their way, as they careen down the highway, in a drunken stupor. We see the devastating results on the news all the time. Today it is not unusual to hear of car wrecks where the driver is high on both drugs and alcohol at the same time.

The great Canadian physician Sir William Osler was lecturing one day on alcohol. “Is it true,” asked a student, “that alcohol makes people do some things better?”

“No,” replied Sir William. “It just makes them less ashamed of doing them badly.”

A quote from Paul Harvey-Tests show that after drinking three bottles of beer, there is an average of 13 percent net memory loss. After taking only small quantities of alcohol, trained typists were tested and their errors increased 40 percent. Only one ounce of alcohol increases the time required to make a decision by nearly 10 percent; hinders muscular reaction by 17 percent; increases errors due to lack of attention by 35 percent.

Charles Spurgeon had this to say about bars, and drinking-: "I wish the man who made the law to open them had to keep all the families that they have brought to ruin. Beer shops are the enemies of the home; therefore, the sooner their licenses are taken away, the better."

Billy Sunday-“After all is said that can be said on the liquor traffic, its influence is degrading on the individual, the family, politics and business and upon everything that you touch in this old world."

A sad story:

An anxious father approached his pastor and said, “Please, talk to my boy about drinking. He came home last night and fell sprawling on the floor—too drunk to get up. His mother cried the rest of the night.”

“Why don't you talk to your own boy yourself?” the preacher questioned.

But the father said, “Pastor, I can't talk to my son about it, because I am to blame. I wanted him to be a man, so I gave him his first glass of liquor. I didn't dream that he'd ever become a drunkard. Please speak to my boy. I can't talk to him.”

I grew up in this kind of environment, so I know the reality of this kind of scenario. I was given my first taste of drink, a glass of wine, at a New Years Eve party at a relatives house. I was twelve years old. This started my road to devastation and many heartaches.

My father drank and I saw him drunken many times. I watched him abuse my mother, feeling helpless to do anything about it. I hated him for how he treated her. We watched him waste away many days, and spending years drinking in front of the TV from Friday night to Sunday, only getting sober enough to make it to work on Monday. At times, he didn't get sober even then.

It was only after he was dying of lung cancer, caused by smoking, that he stopped drinking, and I got to know him. Drinking changes people. They say things and do things they would never do when sober. Those who have to live with them are the ones who suffer the most, because the drunken many times do not remember their foolishness, cruelty, or abuse they have inflicted on other's.

The last five years of his life; God brought forgiveness between us, and he came to faith in Christ only six days before his death. God’s hand moves to redeem us, no matter how deep the pit we’ve dropped into. 

One morning in 1978 in my living room, at the age of 25, I called on the Lord to forgive me from my sins, and deliver me from drinking. He answered that prayer. I thank God for these many years of freedom I've enjoyed, that drinking did not steal from me. There is never a day that I miss the fuzzy head, the hangovers, the nausea, and all the rest that came with that addiction.

I'm very aware that there are some who may read this and find it just humorous entertainment. I've lived with the numerous reactions from people, depending on where they are in their own life. Many people who enjoy drinking will continue to deny it's affects on them, and will never change. When I am mocked, I consider the source of where it is coming from.

But, I also know there are many out there who have, or still are, living in this kind of wasted life; and wish there was a way out. Over the years I've talked to many who have told their own horror stories of living with alcoholics, and how it's ruined their lives. For some, the only way out, was to leave. It was the only way they could survive.

But, I've also listened to some wonderful testimonies of those who have made it out, and the lives that has been restored, and put back together. There is hope, and it is in Jesus Christ. What he has done for me, and other's, He can do for anyone. If you really want to change, He is there if you call on Him.

Lorna Couillard

What did Jesus come to this earth for? For you and I, He is the only Hope for us, and the world He created.

There is no issue more important than where are we going to go when we die. Because none of us are going to escape it. And when we do die, we are not going to just cease to exist, as many believe. When our bodies die, we who have lived in them will go on and live forever; either in hell or heaven.

This is what Jesus spent His time teaching while He was here.

Mark 8:36 "For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul."

In the 3rd ch. of John 1-7, Nicodemus came to Jesus to ask the most important questions recorded in history, how to receive eternal life.
Nicodemus was a scholar of religion, spending most of his life in the ancient scrolls and parchments. He was highly intelligent, but realized there was something missing in his life. He knew Jesus had a closeness to God that he missed. He wanted that closeness, spiritual power, and he came seeking Jesus for the answers.

Signs of a receptive heart:

1. He wanted to learn, he was willing to listen to someone else, instead of stubbornly holding to his own dead ideas that he knew were faulty
2. He acknowledged his own emptyness
3. He humbled himself to go to the one who could answer him, because he could see the fruit of Jesus' life, that he has answers that Nicodemus was looking for "Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that you do, except God be with him."

Jesus gave him an answer he didn't expect: Nicodemus was looking for a tangible answer something he could write down and put into a practice; a law or principal to follow. But Jesus told him he must EXPERIENCE GOD in a relationship, NOT FOLLOW A FORMULA.

Many people are like Nicodemus. They are seeking answers to questions about God rather than seeking God Himself. They think that if all of their questions can be answered to their satisfaction, and the pieces properly assembled in their minds, then they will have the correct concept intellectually, and understanding will be theirs.

TRUE SPIRITUAL LIFE IS SPIRITUAL
IT IS BEING ALIVE TO GOD
A MAN'S NATURAL SENSES ARE DEAD TO GOD

EXPLANATION: A corpse lies unaware of anything around it. It cannot feel, or see anything. God is all around us, but the natural man is unaware of God as a corpse is to the sun or rain.

In receiving Christ we know God, we are awakened, and with this awakening comes new life.

Acts 17:28 "In God we live, and move, and have our being."

SPIRITUAL LIFE COMES BY REALIZING WITH THE HEART WHO HE IS, AND KNOWING HIM IN THE LIGHT OF THIS REVELATION. AND IT CAN ONLY COME BY REVELATION.

It is not a product of reasoning powers
It cannot happen through positive thinking
It is not the fruit of religion

Text Matt. 16:13,14
Thru the ages men have had many speculations, and reasoned in themselves who Jesus is. Human intelligence and reasoning has come up with a number of conclusions. He was John the Baptist reincarnated or one of the prophets, or another spiritual teacher.

In the text Jesus asked his disciples, "But whom do you say I am?"

Here we are given the greatest revelation from Peter of the truth of who Jesus is "And Simon Peter answered and said, You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God."

1. The greek word apokalupto, means revelation, or "take off the cover". Peter was given a revelation from God who Jesus really was.
2. This revelation was given by the Holy Spirit to Peter, it did not come from his own human reasoning. Now, his own spirit was enlightened, and he knew, he saw and understood.

a. 1John 5:1 says "Whosover believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God."

Acts 16:31 says "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved."

What Was His Mission

Jeus only came into the world for one reason; to save sinners. There is no other reason why He came from heaven to this sin sick world, it was for you and I.

Luke 5:32 "I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."

Luke 15:1,2 "Then drew near unto him all the publicans and sinners for to hear him. And the Pharisees and scribes murmered, saying, This man receives sinners, and eats with them."

1Tim. 1:15; Paul said "This is a faithfull saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief."

1John2:2 "He is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world."

1John 4:10 "Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins."

Many people believe in Jesus, but are not saved; the bible tells us the devils believe and tremble. James 2:19 "You believe that there is one God; you believe well: the devils also believe, and tremble."

Christianity is not being Baptist, Catholic, Methodist or any other religion. It is not cooking church suppers, doing rummage sales for the poor, it's not being a police man for God by enforcing His laws. If God took the cover off and let you see, as Peter did, you would see Christ, and Christ alone.

Not a philosophy, not a protestant or Catholic ethic, not a theological position, not even a way of life......but a Person. Not merely Jesus......but Jesus the Christ.

In Acts 2:36 when Peter was restored by Jesus after His resurrection; Peter preached a powerfull message and proclaimed "God has made Jesus both Lord and Christ.

4. It is very important to know that we can be faithfull to the teachings of Jesus, be an excellant churchman, yet not be a christian.

What does propitiation mean?

Propitiation: Is a greek word "hilasterion", meaning " an atoning victim. The Old Testament atonement was made by a propitiation, a blood sacrifice. "For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the alter to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that makes and atonement for the soul." Lev. 17:11

This Old Testament declaration of atonement through the blood was a picture of things to come. It was the prophetic announcement of Christ.
In the New Testament we read, "We joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement." Rom. 5:11
Now, atonement means RESTORATION TO DIVINE FAVOR.

When Jesus went to the cross, and died there, He made atonement for your sins, all of them, and restored you, even while you still lived in sin. ON THE CROSS HE CRIED; IT IS FINISHED. THE PRICE FOR YOUR SINS AND MINE WERE PAID.

Salvation comes when we receive the free gift of his salvation, and simply ask for his forgiveness and cleansing. There are no works that we can do to earn our salvation.

When we are born again, our desires will change, we won't want to do the things we did before. This is the evidence of the Spirit of God now living in us. It may take time, and putting into our daily lives the guidence of the word of God. It is a process of "renewing our minds", and becoming stronger in God as we continue our journey here on earth. We may fall, but if we do we have an advocate; Jesus the Son. He promises to forgive and cleanse us again, and if we are sincere He will once again restore us to his righteousness. 1John 1:9

In the last teaching I gave on the prodigal son, and The Father; we see a picture given to us by Jesus Himself of this restoration.

A man escapes the wages of sin because the Heavenly Father values his son's sacrifice more than anything, in all of history.

The Father freely accepts those who come to Him through this sacrifice. No matter what they have done. They will be forgiven if they will ask in the name of the Son.

But, if someone scorns, or smugly tries to rest on their own merits, or own imaginations, they remain in darkness, and headed for an eternity without God. We choose our own ultimate destination. God does not send anyone to hell.

Is There Any Other Way

Let's see what the scriptures say:

What Jesus said about Himself:

John 8:58 "Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am." Here He identifies Himself as the eternal, ever existing God, who spoke the same truth to Moses when he called him to service, in Ex. 3:14.

John 10:7-10 "Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. The thief comes not but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly."

John 14:6 "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."
Acts 4:12 "Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved."
1Tim. 2:5 "For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus."

According to these and many other scriptures; Christ is the only way provided to us for salvation. He was more than a man called Jesus from Nazareth, He was the Christ from heaven.

The disciples were persecuted fiercely, imprisoned, stoned, and killed not just because they talked about a good man, or even because they repeated his teachings. No one resented that, they were stoned, beaten, and killed because they preached Jesus was the Christ.

There is no stigma or persecution attached to the person who sees Jesus as a teacher only. When men consider Jesus as a teacher, most can accept His sayings about love, and the golden rule.

It is not the Jesus the "teacher" or Jesus the "good man", that people reject. It is Jesus the Christ.

What causes persecution; The message of the cross, The blood shed for us, The resurrection, The second coming.

We will have to make up our minds also is Jesus is worth it to us; to go thru whatever we may have to; to stand firm for Him. The bible never offers us, or promises us an easy walk, but does set us on the path of heaven, and a "city, whose builder and maker is God."

Satan hates these truths to be proclaimed, because he knows everyone who receives Christ is one he has lost in his grips of sin.

Ac 4:10 Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole.

Ac 4:11 This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner.

Ac 4:12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.
Jesus.....not a teacher only, but a SAVIOR.
Lorna Couillard

(2007 teaching for Teen Challenge)

Exactly because most people tend to avoid the sick and dying, ministry to these persons is a defining task of Christian discipleship. As Followers of Christ, we are called to remember those whom the world forgets and avoids.

Pastoral Presence - A Ministry of Care and Hope

Christian ministry to the sick or dying creates and environment from which a patient may draw physical, emotional, and spiritual sustenance. This environment of caring is created by the Holy Spirit and mediated by pastoral presence.

We must first remember that our visit is an offer of presence. The patient may or may not accept this offer. Many variables having nothing to do with our merit as visitors can lead the seriously ill patient to withdraw from our presence. Love compels us to accept both the decision to welcome and the decision to withdraw.

Pastoral presence can be shared with the sick or dying person through prayer, scripture, touch, empathy, and listening.

Prayer

Prayer at the bedside can be meaningful or mechanical. The difference is determined by the sense of participation experienced by the patient and the visitor. In the case of an unconscious or confused patient, the family members in attendance may become primary participants.
Each patient has a different devotional makeup. Patients with deep spiritual maturity will experience prayer differently from patients who view prayer as a kind of theological magic.

Guidelines for Prayer

Prayer with purpose. Be specific about your petitions for the patient based on what the patient has shared during the visit. Relevance and specificity communicate sincere interest in the patient.

Put the patient in control. When the conditions of the visit create some doubt about the propriety offering prayer, say to the visitor, "I will be praying for you during your illness." If the patient responds positively, ask the question, "Would you like for me to join you in prayer now?" While most patients respond positively, asking the question allows the patient to control the depth of spiritual sharing and set the stage for building trust.

Avoid preaching to the patient with your eyes shut. Do not use prayer to teach, correct, persuade, or challenge.

Avoid praying at such a rapid pace that the patient might infer insincerity. Pausing for a few seconds before beginning the prayer can help to calm and assure.

Avoid trivializing prayer by competing with noisy distractions like a loud television, boisterous visitors of the patient in the next bed, or clanging equipment operated by the medical staff. Allow these tasks and distractions to exit before beginning prayer. The dignity with which we treat the act of prayer sets the tone for the patient’s participation.

Avoid using prayer as means to shorten or conclude the visit. Prayer should happen in natural progression and not as a way to cope with anxiety over the patient’s distress or to control the length of the visit. Patients can sense this impropriety and consequently feel disregarded and manipulated.

Use the patient’s name in prayer. Praying for "this, our brother" or "this, our sister" in the petition will be rightly received as impersonal. When visiting someone unfamiliar, clarify the name and proper pronunciation at the beginning of the visit.

Scripture

God’s presence is revealed in and mediated through Scripture. Because the Bible speaks directly or indirectly to every need and because patients embody a multitude of needs, it is important to share scripture skillfully and carefully:

Be brief. Seriously ill patients do not have the stamina or power of concentration for a Bible study or lengthy reading.

Commit helpful passages to memory for use in prayer. Some appropriate selections are Isaiah 41:10; Psalm 146:5; John 14:18; Romans 5:3-4; and Revelations 21:4.

Be sensitive to the moment. Some visits will not lead to the readings of scripture or its use in prayer.

Notice the patient’s spiritual or devotional literature as you enter the room. The presence and identity of this material may provide clues concerning the patient’s receptivity.


Read passages of scripture that have been meaningful to the patient in the past. Once the invitation to read scripture has developed during the visit, the visitor may ask the patient for favorite or best-loved passages. Be careful during serious illness not to require more energy and reflection than the patient can generate.

Touch

Touching is a powerful nonverbal communication. Because they are sometimes lonely and isolated by their illness, patients need touch to sense genuine concern. A caring, tender touch such as holding a patient’s hand during prayer communicates blessing. Propriety dictates how to touch the patient. Touching the hand or the forearm is appropriate for patients of the opposite gender. Gently touching the patient’s shoulder is an alternative for persons of the same gender.

Empathy

Mediating Christ’s love entails developing sensitivity to the patient’s experience. While diseases can be diagnosed and verified with ever-increasing precision, the individual patient will have a "private interpretation" of being ill. The attitude, which enables the visitor to grasp these unique interpretations and experiences, is called empathy. Empathy means freeing us to see, understand, and experience life through another’s being.

Listening

Listening is the heartbeat of pastoral visitation and the radar that guides us into the empathic understanding of the patient’s experiences. Intuition alone cannot substitute for listening. Disciplined effort is required to share the meaning of other’s experience. Before visiting the patient, pray for the strength to listen in order that the grace and love of God may be manifest in conversation.

Listening Basics

God listens to all of us. We should listen to each other.
Most people believe they listen better than they actually do.

Each patient is unique. Do not assume to know the patient’s values, needs, concerns, and attitudes without careful listening.

Listening involves the whole body. Behaviors that can help patients know our interest in their feelings are called attending behaviors. They include (1) taking a comfortable position that allows us to make easy eye contact; (2) maintaining an alert posture such as leaning slightly forward; (3) maintaining a relaxed demeanor. Avoid standing with arms folded (nonverbal statement suggesting a barrier).

Listening involves all the senses. Observe the patient’s nonverbal clues. Are the patient’s physical behaviors (facial expressions, fidgeting with his hands) congruent with verbal messages? Nonverbal clues are indicative of the patient’s feeling and thinking.

Listening for the tone of voice as well as the content of the patient’s statement.

Resonate with the patient’s communication. Do not be thinking of the next response to the patient while he or she is talking.

Listening is interactive. Communication is completed, and the patient is affirmed when we verbally follow up the patient’s conversation. Respond with restatement of the patient’s statement that seems parallel in meaning. Example:

Patient: "God must be mad at me. I’ve had so many problems with my health, just when I was planning to retire."
Visitor: "After experiencing so much hardship, you’re wondering if God is being fair."

Be alert to the meaning of the patient’s disclosures, rather than the facts. As a rule, do not probe for facts. Allow the patient to reveal what is important by responding to his or her feelings.

Responses the visitor might employ combine a feeling word gleaned from the patient’s message with the context of the feeling.

Examples:
"So, you feel frustrated because of this confinement."
"I’m sensing how frustrating this illness has become."

Listening may require more than one visit. Our willingness to listen non-judgmentally over time can free the patient to risk genuine feeling without fear of ridicule or rejection.

Ministry to the Dying

Even though we are ever journeying toward death, the prospect of death becomes a crisis when the patient experiences a terminal diagnosis. Ministry to the dying is the ministry of companionship. The visitor listens empathetically during multiple visits as the patient explores what has and does mean the most to him or her. The visitor attempts to be open to the patient’s intense feeling. The visitor tries to support the patient’s family members by allowing them to share honestly what they are feeling.

Considerations for Ministry to the Dying

Death generally occurs a little at a time. Some patients integrate death into their lives over time while others fiercely deny death. Eventually denial will yield to other powerful feelings. This progression is normal. Allowing and receiving the full expression of feelings is a vital part of ministry to the dying.

Feelings spotlight an inner struggle against emerging losses connected to the following needs: control, personal identity, relationships, and sense of completeness. Don’t give false reassurances or minimize problems. The patient will perceive that he or she cannot be honest about troubling concerns.

Be alert to what is known as "unfinished business." Are there persons to whom the patient wants to be reconciled?

Allow the dying patient as much control as possible. Honor as many choices as possible relating to a wide array of concerns: food, visitors, and spiritual resources. Do not impose opinions when the patient is so vulnerable.

If chosen to listen, allow the patient to "tell his or her story." This is a time of exploring the chapters of the patient’s life and a process that helps the patient accept life for what it has been and what it will be.

There will be times when the visitor will be helpless to comfort the patient and will have to wait with the patient for the promise of Christ: "I will not leave you orphaned; I am coming to you"(John 14:18). Our primary task is being present.

Sharing ourselves with the sick and dying is sharing Christ. Through presence, prayer, scripture, empathy, and listening, we share Christian hope. People who are sick and dying need hope as much as they need medical care. Our presence with them as a servant of Christ and members of his Body brings the gift of hope.
Lorna Couillard