The Spirit intricately ties the shape of the future to those who cooperate with Him to bring it to pass. They have the ability to influence and shape the future because they know what wants to emerge because of what the Spirit has revealed to them. The Spirit discloses the things that are to come, the things that want to emerge. It takes a company of influencers who can combine what they see, by the Spirit, what wants to emerge with words that captivate hearts to join in the ushering in of a day and an hour of new wine for the 21st century. I have something absolutely important and exciting to share with you. I urge you to prayerfully approach what you are about to read.
In every generation the hand of the Lord moves on some to move the heart of nations. They have a desire to be a redemptive influence in large sectors of the culture. They carry an intense passion for His glory, and have been moving His heart in the secret place long before their public appearing. They have learned how to feed on “honey from the rock". The meat is to do the will of the One Who authorizes and sends them.
Is your ministry anemic and terribly routine? Are you exhausted most of the time? Are there few items on tomorrow’s to-do list that excite or renew you? Then try these four regimens of rest.
By Cal LeMon
“Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. … For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy” (Exodus 20:8–11).
So when is your Sabbath (not to be confused with “Sunday”), and how are you doing at keeping it holy?
You may be slightly indignant in response to that question. Of course you are holy because it is your job to be holy, especially on Sunday.
Suicides in the National Guard and Reserve rose from 65 in 2009 to 145 last year. Pentagon officials suggest isolation and job woes could be culprits. Frequent deployments also factor in.
By Anna Mulrine, Staff writer
Gen. Peter Chiarelli, seen here testifying on Capitol Hill June 22, said Wednesday that the Pentagon is seeking better ways to combat suicide among National Guard and Reserve troops. Newscom
WASHINGTON
There was a glimmer of heartening news out of the Pentagon Wednesday as the military released its most recent analysis of suicide figures, which found a “modest” decrease in suicides among active duty Army troops, from 162 in 2009 to 156 in 2010. It marks the first time in six years that suicides among active-duty soldiers suicides did not increase from the previous year.
He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall. EPHESIANS 2:14
Simon and Chana Taub of Brooklyn broke up housekeeping after 20 years of marriage—divorcing and going their separate ways. Sort of.
He went to the living room on the first floor, and she took the bedroom level on the third floor. And just to be sure they didn't bump into each other on the second floor—to which they both had partial access—a judge ordered that a partition be erected at the staircase, blocking them from accidentally crossing paths.
Now, I've seen the pictures of it myself on the Internet. An actual slab of white drywall, cut to fit a doorway opening in their richly ornate home. It's a stark representation of the stubborn walls of isolation that are nailed up in far too many homes across our land. Walls of silence. Walls of distance. Walls of unresolved issues. Walls built to the thickest dimensions with the materials of misunderstanding, impatience, annoyance and ridicule.
Stepfamily ministry is about preventing the pressures and pecularities of the stepfamily home from holding people back from their Lord.
by Ron L. Deal
"I'm sorry. Your background and past might infect everyone else so we can't have you at our church."
How defeating! But that's exactly what the preacher said once he discovered John and Diane were remarried. Apparently the church they had been attending didn't have room for persons in need of healing, persons with a less-than-perfect history. And John and Diane were, indeed, less than perfect. Each had experienced the devastation of divorce and for a while turned their backs on the Lord. But now, while attempting to combine a new stepfamily, they were once again trying to accept the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Only their church wouldn't accept them.
"I'm sorry. I wish I could help. Why don't you try Southwest?"
So they did. But this time, they found a church ready to serve. They discovered a stepfamily ministry that taught them how to deal with their unique day-to-day struggles, and a body of believers willing to extend hands of mercy and forgiveness. Today, John and Diane are faithful followers of Jesus Christ and leaders in a dynamic stepfamily support group that is touching lives every day. "The Step-by-Step group has meant a great deal to my family and me," says John, "more than I could ever describe to you in words."
"We don't want you here."
For nearly three decades America has suffered under a plague of divorce and out-of-wedlock births. Later, when these same individuals marry and bring children with them, a stepfamily is born. Currently, one out of every three Americans is a stepparent, stepchild, a stepsibling, or some other member of a stepfamily.1 And while soon there will be more stepfamilies in America than any other family type,2 it's not uncommon to find local churches with a population of just 6 percent or less.3
About.com Health's Disease and Condition content is reviewed by the Medical Review Board
Sexuality is part of life, and all life experience may affect our sex lives and sexuality. Even if you haven't had a confirmed diagnosis of breast cancer -- you think you've felt a lump, a doctor suggested they'd like to take a closer look at something you hadn't noticed -- the possibility of breast cancer, the idea of it and all that it evokes, can affect your sexuality. We may not always say them out loud, but people often have questions about sex and sexuality early on in their experience with breast cancer, questions like:
Will breast cancer change the kind of sex I can have?
Will it change how much I want sex, or how much I enjoy sex?
Will it affect who I get to have sex with? Will people not want to have sex with me?
Will sex feel different?
It can be easiest (although easy probably isn't the best word) to focus on detailed questions like these, the anatomical and physiological parts of sexual activities. This approach is often supported by doctors who, if they are comfortable talking about sex at all, tend to focus on sexual functioning. But there are drawbacks to this approach, including:
Focus on individual and not social, cultural, environmental factors that affect sexuality can mistakenly lead people to think that they can solve every problem with the right medication or attitude.
Breaking sexuality into its "functional" components can strip it of much of its meaning and limit opportunities for sexuality to be a source of strength and support.
Medical models focus on heterosexual intercourse, ignoring the infinite possibilities for sexual pleasure (not to mention the fact that we don't all have heterosexual intercourse!), and eliminating the possibility that breast cancer can lead to positive personal exploration.
Focus on the individual or couple also contributes to social isolation, reducing the opportunities to connect with others around shared challenges.
It is almost certainly the case that breast cancer, like any other significant life experience, will change your sexuality and your sex life. What we forget, or sometimes don't realize until we're confronted with an illness, is that our sexuality is always changing, and in the long run, that change may be for the better.
Below are links to information on some of the predictable ways that diagnosis of and treatment for breast cancer can affect your sexuality in general and your sex life in particular. As you're reading, remember that each of us experiences sex in our own way. Comparing yourself to what is written here or to others, may feel like the right thing to do, but in the end it's often not that helpful. More helpful in the long run is to start with yourself. Ask yourself what connections you're already aware of between what's happening with and to your body, and your sexuality. Know that you have the right to care as much about sex, or as little about sex, as you want. Along the way you'll have to pull partners and/or health care providers in for support and ideas, but ultimately you are the one that should be deciding the priorities, pace, and timing of conversations about sex, and having sex.
Sexuality and Breast Cancer Diagnosis In what ways does a diagnosis of breast cancer immediately change the way you think about sex, the way you imagine your immediate and distant sexual future? If every message we get about sex is that it's for the young and healthy, what does it mean for your sexuality if you're now branded as "sick" or "diseased"? Here are some examples of obstacles people face when they are diagnosed with breast cancer, and tips on how to reduce the affect and increase your access to sexual health and pleasure following breast cancer diagnosis.
Sexuality and Breast Cancer Treatment There are many different treatments for breast cancer and each of them can have multiple effects on sexuality. On the one hand it's important to get detailed information from health care providers about the effects of your treatment regimen. On the other, it may be time to broaden your definition of what sexuality includes, in order to find ways to be sexual during what can be a long and difficult process, physically, emotionally, and psychologically.
Sexuality and Surviving Breast Cancer Surviving breast cancer doesn't mean that your sexuality or sex life will go back to the way it was. Just as your sex life when you're 30 won't ever be like it was when you were 20, your sex life after cancer won't be exactly the way it was before. We can't go back. Mind you for many of us the way it was may not have been so hot, and there are those who talk about how dealing with major illness, including breast cancer, has eventually led to them having better sex because they had to learn to ask for what they want and become more active participants in their sexual pleasure.
Sexuality and Terminal Diagnosis Just as sexuality is a part of life and living, it's a part of dying too. No one has the right to tell you that you should or shouldn't care about sex or want sex to be a significant part of your life, at any time, and least of all at the end of your life. If your cancer diagnosis is terminal you may feel a silent pressure from those around you to put sex and sexuality way on the back burner. And if that's how you feel too, that's okay. But if sexuality is an important part of your life, know that it can be a part of the end of your life as well, it just takes advocacy, desire, creativity, and usually some humor.
Young Man Nude by the Seashore by Flandrian Hippolyte
“It was not really alarming at first, since the change was subtle, but I did notice that my surroundings took on a different tone at certain times: the shadows of nightfall seemed more somber, my mornings were less buoyant, walks in the woods became less zestful, and there was a moment during my working hours in the late afternoon when a kind of panic and anxiety overtook me…” – William Styron, Darkness Visible
Sometimes the Depression Self-Screening Tests are just too clinical, and the symptoms don’t really “click” with you. Some of the criteria are general, and if you’re suffering from depression, specifics are easier to understand. I know that I might not have diagnosed myself with depression just on the basis of those symptoms. I had no change in appetite, and no sleep problems (getting out of bed was what was difficult). Below are some un-clinical symptoms.
Things just seem “off” or “wrong.”
You don’t feel hopeful or happy about anything in your life.
You’re crying a lot for no apparent reason, either at nothing, or something that normally would be insignificant.
You feel like you’re moving (and thinking) in slow motion.
Getting up in the morning requires a lot of effort.
Carrying on a normal conversation is a struggle. You can’t seem to express yourself.
You’re having trouble making simple decisions.
Your friends and family really irritate you.
You’re not sure if you still love your spouse/significant other.
Smiling feels stiff and awkward. It’s like your smiling muscles are frozen.
It seems like there’s a glass wall between you and the rest of the world.
You’re forgetful, and it’s very difficult to concentrate on anything.
You’re anxious and worried a lot.
Everything seems hopeless.
You feel like you can’t do anything right.
You have recurring thoughts of death and/or suicidal impulses. Suicide seems like a welcome relief.
You have a feeling of impending doom – you think something bad is going to happen, although you may not be sure what, and/or…
…You have a very specific fear that torments you constantly.
In your perception of the world around you, it’s always cloudy. Even on sunny days, it seems cloudy and gray.
You feel as though you’re drowning or suffocating.
You’re agitated, jumpy and and anxious much of the time.
Your senses seem dulled; food tastes bland and uninteresting, music doesn’t seem to affect you, you don’t bother smelling flowers anymore.
Incessantly and uncontrollably into your mind comes the memory of every failure, every bad or uncomfortable experience, interview or date, like a torrent of negativity.
Note: I wrote this a few years ago, and it has made its way around the Net uncredited. If you want to reproduce it in any way, please look at the terms of the Creative Commons license at the bottom of the page.
Please feel free to post your comment about what depression feels like. Don’t post:
Questions about depression and how to handle it.
Comments on how you think it should be managed, including finding God.
Requests for other people to email you.
Your depression “biography”.
Please note that comments are moderated – if you post a comment, it will not show up until it is approved, and this can take a few days. Comments asking for responses will be edited accordingly.
Alzheimer’s disease stages are characterized by people who exhibit symptoms in seven different stages, and each stage is progressively worse until the ultimate end of life within the seventh and final stage. In a list below, each of the seven stages are explained more thoroughly. But there are some symptoms of Alzheimer’s that are easily confused with actions normal to aging people.
Before you conclude that your loved-one has Alzheimer’s, remember that some forgetfulness and moodiness is normal for people of all ages.
Here is a list of some things that people do as part of the normal aging process:
Temporarily misplacing keys or other household items but locating them later
Forgetting appointments or names, but remembering them later
Not remembering how to perform a certain task
Searching for a word occasionally, but remembering it later
Forgetting the date or day of the week
Making normal mistakes in judgment
Having problems with more complex math problems due to intellectual capabilities
Experiencing normal mood swings of sadness happiness or irritability
Occasionally not wanting to do housework, go to work, or perform social obligations.
If you or your loved one show symptoms beyond those normal to people who are aging, perhaps it’s time to seek professional guidance. A healthcare professional will be more able to diagnose which stage, if any, of Alzheimer’s a person is in. Below is a list of the symptoms manifested in each of the seven Alzheimer’s disease stages:
There is no impairment, and the patient is considered to be functioning in a normal manner when the patient is asked questions in a medical interview by a health care professional.
Individual begins to have memory lapses, forgetting familiar words or the location of objects, yet, these symptoms are not evident during a medical examination or apparent to loved ones.
There are problems with memory or concentration in word- or name-finding. The individual cannot remember names when introduced to new people. Performance issues become apparent in social or work settings or while reading a passage, the individual retains little material. The inability to plan or organize becomes evident.
The progression is considered mild, but during an interview, there is detected decreased knowledge of recent occasions or current events and a reduced memory of personal history. The patient may become withdrawn especially in socially or mentally-challenging situations;
This is considered the mid-stage level where there are major gaps in memory and reasoning, and some assistance is needed with day-to-day activities. The patient may not be able to recall her current address, telephone number, or the name of the school from which she graduated; there may be confusion about the date, day of the week, or season. The patient has trouble with math and needs help in choosing the correct clothing for the proper season.
This stage is considered severe or mid-stage. Memory difficulties continue to worsen and significant personality changes may emerge. He may lose awareness of recent experiences and events as well as of his surroundings; recollection of his personal history becomes imperfect, but the patient may know his name. The patient may occasionally forget the name of his spouse or primary caregiver, but can distinguish familiar from unfamiliar faces. He may need help getting dressed properly. He may experience disruption of his normal sleep/waking cycle, need help with handling details of toileting, have increasing episodes of urinary or fecal incontinence, experience significant personality changes and behavioral symptoms, and tend to wander and get lost.
This is the last stage of the Alzheimer’s disease stages where patients lose their capacity for recognizable speech. They may need help eating and toileting, and may lose the ability to walk without assistance, smile or hold their head up. Reflexes become abnormal and muscles grow rigid. Swallowing is impaired.
Whether your loved one is showing normal signs of aging or displaying several advanced symptoms of Alzheimer’s, please remember that we serve a God who can give us rest from our burdens. He doesn’t always take those burdens from us, but we can stand on His promises that He does all things for the good of those who love Him (Romans 8:28). allaboutlifechallenges.org
