THE SILENCE KILLER-

I want to discuss something that I’ve had numerous encounters with that may help others.  This phenomenon is called the silent killer.  Many know this to be the term used when discussing high blood pressure issues.  It’s called that because you may feel just fine but with a twinge or a slight headache you could go into a coma never to awake.  I’ve learned that even though you feel fine and your pressure logs may show your blood pressure to be in the normal rage, you have to continue with the medication as prescribed indefinitely.

While reading up on this topic it came to me that we have another danger among us just as menacing, silence.  I’ve lived long enough to say that people will stand by silent and watch you make the biggest mistake in your life.  I have seen people keep secrets from people who could help alter the lives of others in the worst of circumstances.  This can be seen in the example of a crime being committed in a neighborhood when a crowd is gathered nearby: no one will stand up and break the silence to convict the perpetrators.   Worst yet, are those who keep the silence in family about generational curses, from diseases, mental illness, or abuse.

Countless times in my life, I’d be discussing the outcome of a situation with someone and they say, oh, I knew that, only to discover I was the only one who didn’t know.  They watched the person’s life fall apart without saying anything to anyone who could help.

Silence is one of the most effective traps used by enemy of our soul.    He gets pleasure when we watch someone destroying their lives through inappropriate behaviors and say nothing.  .  I wonder if we understand that, by the law of God and man, accessories to the crime deserving punishment.  As the blood of Able cried before God, so does the blood of those who are destroyed because of our silence.

 I understand too well, how the shame of being a victim can cause us to fall silent.  I want to let you know there is a victory and cleansing in speaking out.  Breaking the silence breaks the power of the situation over our lives, leads us in the direction to get help, and often helps others avoid the same pitfalls.  Bad things happen to good people.

It’s not wise to tell everyone everything that goes on in our lives, but when debilitating things happen, search out the right people to share it with. 

Not only should we be aware of what we do say but we should also be aware of the impact of what we don’t say.  Someone’s life, even our own, could weigh in the balance of our silence.

STAND THEREFORE

As I age and face common health challenges, another set of scriptures are emerging as my point of reference.  When I was younger, the scriptures that talked of running races and working while it was day were my favorites.   In the 6th chapter of Ephesians we’re told to stand and put on the whole armor of God.  I envisioned myself as putting on supports covering those areas before I left the house and began my daily battle with the enemy. 

As I age, I now see the power of just being able to stand, therefore.  After an internet search, I learned approximately 300 muscles are engaged when we stand. 

In the past year, I’ve needed several braces or form of support to be able to stand without pain.  

I have a wonderful back brace that pulls together from four different directions give proper support.    

I also have weight bearing knee braces that cover 4 inches above and below the knees.  These are God sent devices.   When I use these, I can stand, walk, and move without having to stop every 2 minutes because of pain.  

Another key piece of my wardrobe is my shoes.  I found out the hard way, wearing the wrong pair can bring me down like a sack of potatoes.  The right pair of shoes helps support my back and knees, allowing me to stand for longer periods.  They may not be as pretty as the stilettos I once wore but pain has a way of sharpening your sense of reality and perspective.  When I wear all three devices, I am as straight as an arrow.  I perform specific exercises to help strengthen my weak areas. 

Just as I need these devices to operate in the natural realm, as a Christian, I can only operate in the spiritual realm successfully with the support of God.  I need to exercise my faith to grow stronger in my most vulnerable areas. 

In this uncertain time, how we cover ourselves spiritually carries over into our natural world, where many of our spiritual battles play out.  What’s important or shows victory after any battle is whose left standing.  

If you have areas of weakness that makes it difficult for you to stand, spiritually or naturally, get the support you need whether through a brace or the grace of God.  Let the scriptures show you how to get the proper support.  Make it your goal to be the last man or woman standing.

UUM, UUM GOOD

I go over the menu in my mind for our thanksgiving meal and begin to salivate. I think of the gravies, various poultry and pork dishes the great cooks in my family are going to prepare.  I think of the smells that will linger in my house of the dressing and sauces and quickly think of that old Campbell soup commercial that says uumm uumm good.   Then quickly I remember all the things in the past year that I had to be thankful for; the cancerous lumps that disappeared while the ultrasound was being performed were an encouragement for not only me but for the lab technicians that they were able to share with their friends who had lumps that the God who loves me loves them too!  My girlfriend and I prayed for her similar cancers and God moved on her behalf and they were moved.  I think uumm uumm good, God’s been good to me!

I remember the day after several weeks of stress sitting in my doctor’s office and asked for the nurse to take my blood pressure and it was 165/110 and climbing. My doctor rushed in, put me on a table with warm compresses on my back, turned out the light and walked out and said when he returned if it wasn’t down, he was calling the ambulance. I quickly replied, I walked in and I’m walking out, I trust God, just give me a minute to pray. When he came in a few minutes later it was 137/70 and holding.  I think of the friends some younger than I and some a little older who had strokes or brain tumors. I think, uumm uumm good, God’s been good to me.

I think of the phone calls I have received in the past year; there was one from my mother who had blacked out at home alone and a family friend had been led to call to say they were coming by and they were able to take her to the hospital.  She was just calling me to tell her where she was going.  You see, I nor my step dad, would not have made it in time.   My dad called me to say someone had slashed his car tire to divert attention while they broke into his home but they did not realize he was in the house.  He called to say he was ok as he was chasing them down the street; I called the police.  I think of the calls I didn’t get this year for family members that did not die.  I think on these things, uumm uumm good, God’s been good to me.

I think on the courts, judges and legal matters I’ve encountered this past year and how each time God was with me performing what the attorney could not accomplish, uumm uumm good. I remember the covenants that God has made and kept down through the years, especially the one regarding transportation for me and my family.  One day while sitting on my deck I was thinking through the options for a current situation involving a loved one.  I heard that still small voice tell me that because of that covenant, I would not need to prepare for a funeral for that loved one. Uumm uumm good, God’s been good to me.

I don’t always immediately go to the positive when faced with life’s situations but when I don’t my mind becomes the witness of the things that God has done for me; story after story replies in my mind when my soul repeats the verdict as a jury foreman would read in a courtroom, God has been good!

So join me this Thanksgiving season to say from the bottom of my heart, thank you Lord for being uumm uumm good. As the Word says in Psalms 34:8, Oh taste and see that the Lord is Good! Blessed is the man that trust in Him!

THEY LIVED

 One of my favorite highlights to the Super Bowl football game is the commercials.  Their images would last for months after the game, long after our memory of the loss or victory of our favorite team.  This year, I didn’t remember any of the commercials until I saw the one about cologne month later and the other about Subaru vehicles in horrific crashes.  They use the phrase; they lived, throughout the commercial.

 The car commercial rang a note in my soul because my daughter and I were involved in 22 car accidents in a two year span in one car, not a Subaru.  The final accident, we were hit almost head on at 50 mph while I was sitting still, waiting to turn.  As we spun around I asked God not to let my daughter be hurt.  I remember saying to God that I didn’t want to die because I wanted to raise my own daughter.  A quick answer came to my spirit that I would not die. 

As crazy as it sounds, I kind of laid back in the seat at that point. Then I saw the hood detach and begin speeding for the windshield.  The thought of decapitation came to mind.  As a new well taught Christian, I said Jesus quietly.  When it didn’t stop and continued for the windshield, I hollered the name Jesus with such a voice that the hood stopped in its tracks.  It was still in that same position hanging on a thread of metal the next day when I went to where they towed the car.

My former Pastor’s wife, the head deacon of the church rushed to the hospital with my mother and stepfather.  When they saw my condition, my mother wept and my Pastor’s wife asked if she could pray for me.  I wholeheartedly agreed thinking it would just be a verbal prayer.  To my surprise and being new to any kind of open prayer, she laid her hand across my forehead and the rest of the story after that is history.  The power and spirit of God entered that place and moved through my body from the bottom of my feet to the top of my head.  When it was done, I was able to stand and walk, something the doctors were not sure would ever happen when they examined me..  I was no longer paralyzed.

The next day, my insurance company scheduled a rental car for my use and I went to the lot where my car had been towed to remove my belongings from the car.  When my daughter and I went back with the attendant, he looked at the car and said, how is the hood sitting up on that small piece of metal?  He goes on with another question, I wonder if they made it: this is bad.  

I told him, they made it.   Before he could speak, I said it was me and my daughter that were in the car and began to march back and forth saying how I was paralyzed and how the power of prayer changed that.  We all began to weep.  He asked what church I attended.  He said he was going to go to church that next Sunday because truly he was looking at a miracle.  Just then the front end of the car fell to the ground and the hood that was suspended, dropped to the side. We looked at each other, I hugged my daughter, and raised my teary eyes and hand in praise to the God I serve.  I can hear the angels reporting back to God after the smoke cleared, the broken glass swept, and the battery acid removed, and my wheel chair was placed back in the corner; they lived.

SOMEBODY'S WATCHING

A faithful church member had some issues going on in their life and needed help.   The person who they approached for help wasn’t a member of their church family, but a neighbor.  While the neighbor was taking care of their dilemma, they started a conversation and mentioned that they see them go to church all the time, sometimes three times a week.  They shared that they even bought some of the dinners they sold for church functions.  They watched them bring home families less fortunate and feed them or at Christmas give gifts to those in church less fortunate.  They reminded them of past conversations they had about paying tithes.

They asked had they changed churches, especially since a recent disability prohibited them from driving to church as they normally did.   They told them how sorry they were about their misfortunes and loss of loved ones.  They wondered out loud to them, where the church was in their time of need.   Just imagine overhearing a conversation such as this or even being the person confronted with this, how would you react or respond?  If you’ve never been confronted with this by a neighbor or family member, you’re fortunate.  You may have even asked yourself this question during a time of distress.

There are many opinions on this and many circumstances that make it difficult to come to one conclusion on how we should respond to this as a Christian.  We are told by many examples in the bible of how we should live and interact in the world.  One scripture says if you see your brother in need.  Jesus commands the church to take care of the widows and orphans.  Then there is the example of what the Good Samaritan did.  We know that sometimes we have not because we ask not.

The Christian has to be careful to not show respect of persons and treat each church member the same, not just those in our circle of friends.  We have to be sensitive to our fellow church members and respond according to how we would want to be treated in that same situation.  When helping people in general, we must have the right motivation, not rooted in selfish intentions.  Love should have been the motivation; the love of God, even if not for the recipient of your act.

 When we reflect over the thing we did for others, it should be noted that we weren’t looking for anything in return.  Most important, we should be striving to be pleasing to God, who promised to be the one to repay us.  I’m confident and it’s been proven in my life that He’ll send the help we need.

One thing we can be sure of, like it or not, the world is watching how we the Christians treat not only our families but how we treat our fellow church members.  We should also remember God himself is watching how we treat one another and bringing reward or reproach to us for our deeds.  Jesus knew that the world will take care of its own, (John 15:19) so, one of His last commandments to the church was for the church to show love one to another.  He says this is how the world will know we are one of His disciples.  Remember, somebody is watching how we treat our fellow church members.