Salt and Light Ministries

 
36 down and 12 to go.    It’s been a year ago since I started God Rods Across America.  The idea was to perform “Arise My Love” on the capitol steps of every state in the continental US and pray for the state representatives to Congress from that state and our President and Vice President.    The idea came to me while I was praying for a way to show my appreciation to God for his GOODNESS in 30 years of full time ministry.  I had hoped to finish the tour in a year, but now it looks like I’ll be going into the Fall of this year.  C’est La Vie. 
 
On my latest tour, I decided to jot down what I’ve learned so far because the journey really is so much more than the destination.   Consider this my current State (Capitols) of Mind.

• I’ve had a chance to reflect on what it must have been like to be a prophet of God in the Old Testament.  These men were asked to do some sensational acts in the delivery of their messages.   Jeremiah smashed jars before his audience. Ezekiel baked bread over human excrement.  There’s also that episode of Isaiah walking around naked for three years.   In each case the message came with the package.  They were intermingled and inseparable.  While I haven’t had a lot of onlookers or gawkers or even spectators, I still get a sense that people who see me are bewildered.  It’s almost like a scene from Impractical Jokers, but there’s no joke.   And I get asked a lot by my friends, “What ARE you doing?”  If you don’t understand faith, it’s hard to explain.
• There is a majesty and wonder in the architecture of most the buildings.  State capitol complexes are incredible edifices and I encourage you to take some time to visit them.  Look around at the statues…before someone finds reason to take them down because they’re offensive.  Stroll through the hallways.  Read the history.  Most of them have rotundas of extraordinary beauty.  This has been an unexpected pleasure of my journey.
• Praying for the men and women elected by the people has been a great privilege.  This has been of more significance than performing “Arise My Love”, at least when I’m by myself.  There’s a “weightiness” .  I’ve wondered about this.  But my conclusion thus far is that it’s more a result of the times than the actual names on the list.  Our elected officials need the guidance of the Holy Spirit more now than ever before. 
• I pray Psalm 140 over President Trump and Vice President Pence.  I greatly appreciate both of these men.  I agree with their ideology.  I did not agree with the ideology of Barak Obama.  But, for eight years, I prayed for him.  We’re commanded, as Christians, to pray for our leaders in 1 Tim 2: 1-4 and Romans 13:1.
• My other favorite prayer during this tour is 2 Chronicles 7:14, because we are a divided nation and in desperate need of healing and revival.  
• I’m thankful.  I’m really thankful.  The list is long, but I’m thankful for the last thirty years of ministry and how faithful God has been to me and my family.  He is GOOD.
• I’ve done more than half of the states by myself., not counting my faithful sidekick, Aunt Maggie.  Sometimes, I’m very much in the moment and oblivious to what’s going on around me, like the sound of police rushing at me.  (JK).  When people do join me, I’m very grateful to them for taking time out of their lives to stand with me.  It’s not about me.  I won’t forget them.
• “Arise My Love” was the first song I choreographed to God Rods.  The story is good AND simple.  I’m constantly astounded at the global impact.  People all over the world use it.  It’s not the only thing I’ve ever done or created.  Still, it is the most impactful.  When I do it on the steps, I feel a sense of legacy.
• Romans 1:16, “I Am not ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ.”  This is the theme I’ve been teaching at the Creative Ministries Festivals this past year.  Perfect.
• Prayer is still the most powerful tool we have at our disposal.  When a prayer is motivated by faith, it moves God.  It moves GOD.  WOW. 
• One of the more 'memorable" experiences was in Minneapolis.  I did "Arise My Love" on the steps during a Hindu festival on the grounds.  I was surrounded by the sights, smells, and music of the Hindi religion.  Shine Jesus Shine.  
• I’m especially thankful for my family who doesn’t laugh at what I’m doing.  (I don’t think they laugh.  I hope they’re not laughing.)  For 30 years they have had to try and explain to friends and colleagues what I do.  How is that possible?  I’m especially thankful for my wife.  She is PERFECT for me.   Boy, did God get that one right.  What a blessing.
• North Carolina had the most people on the steps.  43.
• I really felt the presence of the Lord standing on the steps in Boise, ID.
• Maine was easily the worst experience.  Someone needs to talk to them about guest relations.
• The folks at the Mississippi capitol were wonderful to work with and very friendly.  So were the folks in Nevada.  The representative in CA was very helpful.
• Ohio, Texas, New York, Arizona,  made it the hardest to get on state property.  Really?  You need a police escort that you have to pay for? Insurance?
• Florida was my biggest surprise.  A group for a local Christian school joined me there.  What a blessing they were.
• Utah has the most stately architecture.
• Providence has the best designed complex.  It was beautiful.
• NEVER go to Missouri in February.  NEVER.
• In Montgomery, AL, a women joined us for the prayer time.  She works at the capitol and regularly walks at lunch to pray for the state and natural leaders.  She led a most powerful prayer.  Afterwards, she said that the Lord spoke to her after President Trump was elected and said, “I have sent Benjamin Netanyahu, someone to stand with him.”  AMEN.
• Christ Church in Montgomery, AL, blessed me.
• I was not allowed on the grounds in Austin.  So, I hid behind a rock on the corner of the property and performed and prayed.  No one saw me.  (Really?)  Thanks to the great state of Texas.
• Faithfulness.  You can only experience God’s faithfulness if you walk in faith.  
• I'm almost at the end.  Tomorrow is the last stop on the tour:  Santa Fe, NM.  Seems like an odd place to end anything, right?    But finally, 15 1/2 months after I started, I've figured out what it was all about.  It didn't materialize for me until this last leg of the trip.  And, you may be surprised at my answer.  But here is is:  PEOPLE.  It's always about people, isn't it?  If it's about God, you can bet it's going to be about people.  God loves PEOPLE because they are eternal.   I have been so blessed by everyone who shared the journey with me: 
  • Jodi, Ann, Anne, Sue and Steve, Brenda, Joyce and Karen, Gretchen, Mr and Mrs. Manion, Richie and Vickie, Kitty, Bobby, Gayle, John, Jenny and Jeff, Tina, Amy, David, Lori, Lori, All the SC peeps, Chuck, Kathy and Dan, Lenny and Mariam, Gabriel, Kristofer and Amanda;  Garret and the girl who didn't speak, Cathy, Warren, Aaron and his whole family, Gary and Julie; Chuck; Maggie (Big Time), Jason and Shannon, Tim and Judy, Linda;  Everyone at Creative Ministries Solutions, Kim and Dennis, Liz, Kitty, John, Wayne, (lady and husband in Montgomer, AL, where I spent the night?), Hillary, Cindy, (lady that drove me to the airport in Raleigh, NC, and the other gal who picked me up!), David and Janet. If you were on the steps with me at any of these places, if you prayed with us on FB Live.  Thank you for sharing this journey with me.   Psalm 84:6, 'Blessed are those whose strength is in you,  whose hearts are set on pilgrimage.  As they pass through the Valley of Baka, they make it (have made it) a place of springs (for me..)
    
  • Debbie, Ben, Samuel, Alyssa, Koen.  You know, I know, God knows. That's all.  

In his book, “Counter Culture”, David Platt writes:
 
The worldwide practice of abortion is why I do not believe it is anywhere close to an overstatement to call abortion a modern holocaust.  My intention in saying this is in no way to downplay the horror of the holocaust in the mass murder of six million Jewish men, women, and children over a few short years.  But were talking here about the massacre of forty-two million (+++)unborn children every single year.  And just as German Christians should not have ignored the reality of what was happening in concentration camps across their country, I should not have ignored – and America Christians must not ignore –the reality of what is happening in abortion clinics across our country and around the world.  As multitudes of babies are dismembered and destroyed daily, this is clearly an issue where the gospel REQUIRES us to counter culture.
 
The movie, “Unplanned” is the story of Abby Johnson, one of the youngest Planned Parenthood clinic directors in the nation who was involved in upwards of 22,000 abortions and counseled countless women on the reproductive choices.  Here passion surrounding a woman’s right to choose led her to become a spokesperson for Planned Parenthood, fighting to enact legislation for the cause she so deeply believe in.  Then, one day, she is drawn in to a surgical procedure where she actually witnesses the abortion through a sonogram, which radically changes her stance on abortion and role of Planned Parenthood in women’s health care.
 
This movie has been generally panned by critics as being more propaganda than movie material.   I would agree that the message is obvious and deliberate.   It is certainly not for the weak of stomach.  The controversial “R” rating was political, but it may also have earned its exclusive rating in the graphic images of the abortion process.   And, it’s not a great movie, either.   It would have felt more like a Hallmark movie on the big screen had not been for such weighty material.  The acting (outside of a decent portrayal by Ashley Bratcher as Abby Johnson) was stiff and the caricatures of Planned Parenthood employees were wooden.  This was especially true of the acting clinic director, Cheryl, who was literally the devil who wore Prada. 
 
Still….
 
The time is long past due for Christians to take a hard stand on this  issue.  Since 1973, when Roe v. Wade became law, science has empirically shown that life begins at conception.  This is certainly an inconvenient truth for liberals.  But it makes abortion the murder of the unborn. No one has any right to murder another human being.  It’s not a choice that we offer people because it’s not moral   As Platt mentions in the quote above, it is a holocaust.   I have to admit that the scene in the movie where the fetus is sucked out of the womb (as shown on the ultrasound) was gut wrenching and very difficult to watch.  A subsequent scene with the dismembered fetus is put back together after the abortion to account for all of its parts is equally difficult.  That this happens to the extent that it does in the name of convenience or women’s health defies logic.    There are no words.  It is PURE EVIL.
 
Christians need to see this movie if for no other reason than to support those who make these kind of movies.  It’s just that simple.  Regardless of how you view it,  movies need to make money or they won’t be made.  And they are expensive to make as everyone knows.  So, we do our part by going to see the movie and supporting the men and women who bring these stories to the big screen.   Movies are the culture’s way of telling story and these are stories that need to be told.  Making a movie about it gives it a sort of validity in culture as a relevant issue.   So, I encourage you to Plan to see Unplanned. 
 
Note:  By the way, the real heroes of this story are the participants in Coalition for Life (now 40 days for Life) who stood on that wall regularly and faithfully prayed for the lives of the unborn.  It is a wonderful reminder how prayer works!

Would you agree that the most powerful communication tool we have is story?
 
Would you agree that Jesus communicated spiritual truth to us in story more than any other format?
 
Would you agree that any curriculum for Christ-likeness for children must begin with a strong foundation in the Biblical Narrative?  In other words, is the God Story, presented in chronological order, fundamental to spiritual formation in children?
 
If so, you may be interested in what I have to say.
 
Lectio Divina is a classical Benedictine practice attributed to Brother Lawrence, a Benedictine monk from the 17th Century.  It is a method for studying the Bible used to promote communion with God and to increase the knowledge of God’s Word.  Far from mystical, it is a practical and time proven method of study and learning that consists of four simple steps:
 
1.Lectio:  Reading
2.Meditatio:  Reflecting
3.Contemplatio:  Responding
4.Oratio:  Resting
 
Over the last ten years, I have worked with teachers and mentors who use this model of Bible study and I have ‘come along side’ to practice it as a spiritual discipline in my own life.
 
Recently, I realized that even before I knew this method existed, I was using it in my design for children’s ministry curriculum at the church where I served as children’s pastor.
 
My curriculum was designed as a story-centric model that taught Bible stories in chronological order with the intention of reinforcing the God Narrative from beginning to end each calendar year.  At each successive grade level, the story thread went deeper into the story, but they were always taught in chronological order from year to year.  So each grade level was on the same story each week; just at a deeper level or different part of the same story.
 
Both models are inductive in their approach to Bible engagement.  They are Spirit led rather than a subjective design element that manufactures what the Bible story or scripture text is saying.  In other words, it asks the question:  “What is the Holy Spirit saying to you in this story?”  Remember that when we open the Word of God, we open the mouth of God and it is “living and active”.  (Hebrews 4:12)
The paradigm shift for you and your volunteers is a tricky one.  It requires you to stop teaching and start guiding.  My story-centric model for children’s ministry curriculum asks volunteers to be storytellers instead of teachers. While there is much to be made of this, suffice it to say for now that Jesus communicated through stories as his PRIMARY model for teaching.  Still, it is a transition for your volunteers to make.
 
None-the-less, I would like to pursue the model with you as a way to introduce a concept and not a product.  Unfortunately, there is no publisher that I know that has a curriculum like this.  (That however, does not make it wrong.)  Still, once you have the idea, you can easily duplicate it in a curriculum model, even if you don’t add the chronological Bible story element with it.
 
Breathe….
 
1.Read.  (Lectio)
a.When working with children, it is important to read (outloud) from the Bible the first time.  It helps to read well and to read from a version that best relates to children. 
b.The story is then retold as a paraphrase.  Always resist the urge to teach.  Your goal here is to “Tell the Story in a Way that it can be Retold.”  So how do you do that?  My favorite idea here is a “Cue and Respond” model.  The notion is a prompt, which helps remind the listener of that part of the story.  As you retell the story, you introduce the prompt, cue, or token.  Then you gather the cues together and present them again in order. But this time, the audience tells YOU the story.  Take the following fabric prints for example:
i.Loaves of bread
ii.Hearts
iii.Sheaves of wheat
iv.Flannel pattern (soft)
v.Flip flops.
Do you recognize the story?  It’s Ruth and Naomi.  For the sake of brevity, I won’t explain it.  But these are all fabric panels I found in the store and used to tell the story from Ruth.   Once I told the story using the ‘cues’, I gathered them together and reset them out one at a time while the kids recounted the story to me.  Powerful!  Cue and Response is just one simple way to paraphrase a story.
2.Reflect (Meditatio)
a.This is an active reflection.  Here, I want children to experience the story.  The simplest way to do this is……Act it out!.
b.I believe that Bible is play anthology, which means it was meant to be shown, not just told.  After hearing a story read and then paraphrased through Cue and Response, it isn’t hard to act it out.  Assign parts and let it go.  If you want to script it in advance, you can but that isn’t necessary.  If there aren’t enough speaking parts, assign kids to play props and set pieces.  Let them play the part of a tree or a pig.  Lead the story as a “narrator” if necessary.  You may have to give them a line or two.  Have some fun costume pieces to add.  Does this sound like more than your pay grade?  You’re not giving yourself enough credit!
3.Respond (Contemplatio)
a.Here comes the leap of faith.  (Trust me.  It’s good for you.) Ask the question, “What did you learn from our story today?”  “What does this story mean to you?”  This is the part where you and Carrie Underwood sing, “Jesus, take the wheel!”  It is this question that makes the model inductive rather than the deductive model you buy from a publisher.  As in the Lectio model, the question is “What does this text mean to you?”  “What is the Holy Spirit saying to YOU?”
b.You have plenty of other places in your programming to talk about the fruit of the spirit or the armor of God, etc.  But a graded curriculum is the perfect place to fit in a model that teaches children the biblical narrative in chronological order and how to engage the Word of God through an age-old Bible study method.
c.Lead the conversation with questions and observations.  Don’t teach.  Allow the Holy Spirit to lead.  As Dr. Seuss would say, ‘Oh, the places you’ll go!” 
4.Rest  (Oratio)
a.In the classical model, this step is more an application to your everyday life.  What are you going to do with the Word of God in your life this week?  How are you going to respond to the story?  Faith without obedience isn’t faith at all.  So, here’s what I suggest: 
i.Make some suggestions on how to apply the Word for that week.
ii.Connect the story to Jesus.  He is the WORD made flesh and we know that Scripture always points to Jesus.  Teaching kids this valuable truth on a weekly basis will help them to properly engage God’s Word forever.
iii.End with a prayer of THANKSGIVING to God for speaking through His WORD.
iv.If you need more time, it never hurts to have a couple of activity sheets available.
 
Did you survive?  As I mentioned in my opening, I’m not here to sell a product, just a concept.  So, my suggestion is that you try the model without the chronological storytelling element.  (At least until I finish my curriculum for publication!)  See how it works.  Like Lectio, it’s not rocket science and I believe that you’ll find it helpful and stimulating.  Got questions?  Need some more help?  Contact me at jeff@saltandlightmin.org.  

Sometimes, the Spirit gnaws; like a persistent, pestering gnat or fly. 
 
I had a thought over the recent holidays that made me think about the Spirit of the Age.  Now, before I go on, you should know that I support President Trump.  But, my observations are not meant to be political.  They are just observations.
 
I wrote a dramatic piece several years ago about Simeon, spoken about in Luke 2: 25-35.   He was a devout Jew who was patiently waiting to see the Messiah.  The account of his encounter with the baby Jesus in the temple is a glorious record of God’s faithfulness to this man.  Verses 34 and 35 read, “Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, 35 so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.”
 
Certainly this prophetic word would affirm what Mary and Joseph already knew.  I wonder if it made them smile; or at least up until the last sentence, right? Jesus would grow up in obscurity to become the center of every day life; not just for Jews but for everyone.  His influence certainly included the realm of politics and governments.  While the Jewish religious leaders put a political spin on their venom against Jesus, they were clearly more concerned about how he was affecting their base of power even though they would disguise it as protecting the people from false teaching.   It was a swamp and Jesus was an outsider.  His rise to prominence through the signs and wonders that followed his ministry clearly pointed to his divine authority.  Yet, the ‘fake news’ against him dogged the good news of his message. 
 
Jesus wasn’t divisive.  Even in Matthew 10: 34-36, I don’t believe Jesus is saying that HE is dividing families. That would go against everything we know about the Bible AND Jesus.  But, everyone must do something with Jesus.  “He is a sign that is spoken against so that the hearts of many are revealed.”  There are certainly times where those disagreements over Jesus turn sharp and divide families.  So, Jesus is not dividing people.  But people are divided over Jesus.  He just reveals the division that already existed.
 
President Trump’s policies are:
-Pro Israel
-Pro America (nationalism vs globalism)
-Pro LIFE
-Pro Military
 
He is a D.C. outsider who has brought common sense back into the SWAMP and he is getting CRUCIFIED.  Please don’t get me wrong.  He’s no Jesus!  He’s no Messiah.  And yet, I believe we are seeing a shadow of the Spirit of the Age we are living in.  People who infer that he is dividing this country are misinformed.  He is revealing the deep division that already exists.  It is being moved along by the Spirit is Lawlessness and it will be the preeminent characteristic of the Antichrist as shared in 2 Thess 2: 1-12.
 
We are moving towards globalism.  There is no way to prevent it because the Bible clearly indicates a one-world order in the last days.  This will be the final throne of the Anti-Christ before Jesus’ returns.   President Trump is standing (mostly) alone trying to stem the tide of the inevitable tsunami that is going to wipe out the world.  I admire his courage and I support him.  But I’m afraid we’re fighting a losing battle apart from a soul-awakening revival, which we should all continue to pray for along with the salvation of Israel.
 
As a Christian, we are commanded to pray for our leaders, whether we like them or not. (Romans 13:1; 1 Tim 2: 1,2) I encourage you to pray Psalm 140 over our President and Vice President.  And remember that our struggle is NOT against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, authorities, and principalities in high places."  Ephesians 6:12.

​Sometimes, when you hear an idea, you have to write it down before you forget it.  I’ve often thought of journals and blogs as small jail cells that holds your prisoner safe until they are ready for release.
 
Tonight I joined with some old, young friends who I worked with in another life when I was young.  Our connection was mysterious and spiritual.  They were teenagers then and I was very young in the ministry.  But 25 years later, here we were gathered around a table marveling at the fact that I was ministering to their children at a kid’s crusade.  Sometimes, it’s worth getting older just to have these serendipitous encounters like this.
 
But, I digress….
 
One of the girls is a prosecutor for a local district attorney’s office.  She was lamenting her role a prosecutor because of the inherent nature of the job to convict people.  She talked about how she much more preferred the role of defense attorney because it’s more towards her tendancy to show grace and mercy.  She recounted a story where she was feeling especially ‘guilty’ about sending a college student to jail for a convicted crime.  In the parking lot, she bumped into another old(er) friend of ours, Dave Dunn, the pastor of the same church where all these kids grew up together.  In that moment he spoke the most profound truth to her.
 
He recounted the story of Jonah.  Do you remember what happened when the sailors pulled lots to see who among them was causing the storm?  They tried to throw everything overboard EXCEPT Jonah.  They didn’t want to have to send him to a watery grave.  Even after Jonah insisted they throw him overboard, they hesitated.  But, in fact, they were keeping Jonah from his own redemption; not to mention that of the people of Ninevah too.  What they thought was mercy was actually injustice.  The parallel is that in doing her job, this young lawyer may have had a part in God’s purpose for this young college student that might change his life forever.   Sometimes your break down is your break through.
 
Such wisdom.  I think this is a truism in many ways, but none more so than how we try and protect our children from failure.  How often do we step in and thwart the will of God for our loved ones when we ‘bail them out’?  I’ve always said the hardest part of parenting is letting your children fail.   The lessons must be learned and sometimes they must be learned the hard way.   
 
Isaiah 55: 8,9, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,”
declares the Lord.
“As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts
 
Tempted to step in and save the day?   Step back, take a breath and let God be the hero.

June 7, 2018 on the steps of the capital building in Charleston, WV.  This was Paula's story.  She showed up without really expecting to be part of the performance ministry.  I'm not sure how we talked to her 'into' doing it, but she did.  I loved her comment:  "This is out of my comfort zone."  EXACTLY.  That's the definition of faith, isn't it?  God is continually trying to pull us out of comfort zone...which is our routine.  The very nature of practicing spiritual disciplines is the idea of shaking up our routine so we 'unlearn' how to live in the kingdoms of this world and live in the Kingdom above...HERE.  So, good for you Paula.  You stepped out in faith today and we're all reminded what it is to live in the Kingdom of God.  My thanks also to Elkview Baptist Church for showing up so I didn't have to go alone.  You're my PEEPS!!!!

Stop #2:  Frankfort, KY, June 5, 2018.  An absolutely GLORIOUS day:  Blue skies; no humidity; 75 degrees.  My purpose is single-minded:  I want to bless God for his faithfulness over 30 years of ministry.  As the kids and adults gathered from 4-5 churches across KY, I had the opportunity to share my faith story and invite them to join me in a performance of "Arise My Love" to an audience of ONE.  Of course, people on their way stop and watch as we perform.  How could they not?  "What are these people doing with sticks?"  I hope they enjoy it.  They seem to.  But, it is not for them.  Under a perfect sky on a perfect day with about 20 youth and adults and 20 more chaperones and parents, we did "Arise My Love" on the steps of the KY capital building in Frankfort, KY.  Then, we gathered together to pray for the elected officials from KY that serve in the Federal government and our leaders in Washington.  It's not political.  We just ask that God would give them wisdom in governing.  All in all, a perfect day.  "IN God whose Word I praise.  In God I trust and am not afraid."  Thanks to all my 'stickers' who showed up.  By the way, this is an excellent ministry opportunity for your teams.  I would encourage you to add a heritage tour through the capital grounds.  Next up:  Charleston, WV.

May 31, 1988.  I resigned my commission in the U.S. Army and started following the "Wild Goose" in full time ministry.  It has been a wild ride.  But as I've preached, "You'll never know the faithfulness of God until you walk in faith."  Only faith moves God and somehow, the lack of faith in our lives, limits or even binds the LIVING GOD from moving in our life.   My story has been one of God's continual faithfulness.  Being in this type of ministry, I've had to trust God for 30 years.  Why would I suppose that God, who has shown himself faithful again and again, would for any reason, abandon us now?  This was the life of every man and woman in the Hall of Faith in Hebrews 11.  But they were no different than us in so many ways.  Even the great John the Baptist had doubts.  But, in the end, GOD IS FAITHFUL and our testimony is one of HIS great faithfulness.  

In celebration of this journey, I am traveling to every state capital (except Alaska and Hawaii unless someone provides the way!) to perform our signature piece, "Arise My Love" with the God Rods and pray for the state and national leaders of our day.  On the 30th anniversary of Salt and Light, we began the tour in Richmond, VA, the place where it all began.  Six of us performed including my son, Samuel.  Hank and Peggy Graser, Melissa Oliver, and CHAOS from Lawrenceville UMC in Lawrenceville, VA joined in.  As we performed, I offered God my thanks for his UNFAILING love, his UNWAIVERING favor, and his UNMERITED grace.   

Do you TRUST God?  Would you continue to TRUST Him if the stock market crashed?  Would you continue to TRUST Him if you lost someone very dear to you in tragedy?  If your only HOPE was in HIM, would it be enough?  You probably can't answer those questions without having an experience that requires you to do so, for which I pray you don't have to.  And yet, I would pray that you would come to know that you can.  For to KNOW God is to TRUST Him.  Proverbs 3: 5,6, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge HIM and HE will direct your paths."

I recently was asked to speak at the memorial service for my brother-in-law.  Steve was a great guy who was genuinely concerned about friends and family.  One of the ways I described him was by showing a glass half-filled.  I mentioned how Steve was a guy who always seemed to see the glass half-full.
 
To listen to him talk, you would never know that he struggled with depression.  He was the eternal optimist.  There was always a job to do or a place to go.  There was always tomorrow.  The sun would come up tomorrow.  Although he struggled with the darkness, when you were around him, you always felt like you were walking in light.   At the center of who he was, there seemed to be light.
 
As I considered this more closely, I was drawn to the idea of the line on the glass formed by the water.  So often, the difference between the glass half full and half-empty is HOPE.  How you view the present stands on this one thing, “HOPE”.   Hope is future.  Hope isn’t found in the past or the present.  No one HOPES for something that has already happened.  It is about tomorrow. 
 
We’re built to hope to because we were made by God IN his image.  We’re not what we appear to be.  We’re spirit beings and future is our DNA.   That’s another reason that “Happily Ever After” resonates with us in books and stories.  1 Cor 13:12 says,  “For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.”
 
Hope is such a powerful thing.  But unless the thing we hope for is utterly certain, we can be easily disappointed.

• Everyone of us has faced dark days where grief and despair have sought to overwhelm us.  But for hope….
• Each of us has faced loss and felt alone to the point of brokenness.  But for hope….
• Politicians utter promises and statesmen speak of brighter futures. While they may inspire us for a moment, we realize their words are just that.  But for hope….

 
As for me…
 
My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness
I dare not trust the sweetest frame
But wholly lean on Jesus’ name.
 
On Christ the Solid Rock I stand
All other ground is sinking sand
All other ground is sinking sand.       
 
The Bible has much to say about hope:
Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a future and a hope.
 
Psalm 42:11, “Why so downcast oh my soul and why so disturbed within me.  Put your hope in God for I will ever praise him, my Savior and my God.
 
Is 40:31, “But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.  They will soar on wings of EAGLES;  they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not faint.
 
When all else is gone and the end of all things has come, the Bible says there will still be three things that remain: Faith, Hope, and Love
 
Hebrews 11:1, brings two of these three everlasting qualities into one verse:  “Faith is the promise of things hoped for.  The evidence of things unseen.
 
Hope is the essence of my faith, which is the center of who I am.  Because of FAITH, I am assured of my HOPE and that always lets me see everything in light of the glass half full. 
 
Romans 15:13, “May the God of all HOPE fill you with joy and peace as you trust in HIM so that you may overflow with HOPE in the power of His Holy Spirit?

Several  years ago, I went through a difficult season where I experience panic attacks.  Being in faith-based ministry, it was hard to recognize and understand.  It took me to the depths of despair and almost overwhelmed me.  But, I was very fortunate to have friends, family, counsellors, and a God who longed to help me.  The experience brought me into a deeper place of faith than I had ever been before.  Since then, God has used that experience to give me insights and help other people going through similar problems.  Recently, I wrote a letter to a friend who was struggling with some depression and it captured an 'overview' of a few things I learned in my story.  I'm posting it here to help you or someone you may know that is struggling with these issues.  They are NOT alone.

Wanted to share a few more things with you regarding the anxiety, panic attacks, depression or whatever else you’re going through in that vein.
 
First of all, as we discussed, get some medical help.  Let me know how that goes.  I was given a more deliberate dosage of a anti-anxiety med to get me back on track.  After about 1 month, I was put on a low-dosage medicine, which I still use today even though the doctor said I probably don’t need it.   Look at this way:  If you had strep throat, you would get medicine.  If you had a fever, you would get medicine.  Your mind is a physical entity and if it’s causing you physical problems, you should get medical help.  There’s nothing weak or faithless about that; no shame in getting medical advice and assistance.  It’s your first step in this healing process.  The reason I know that there was a chemical imbalance in my situation was that the medicine immediately cured my physical symptoms;  There really was a simple chemical imbalance in my brain.  Things start to break down when you get older and I was given to a familial history of anxiety and worry, which I didn’t really recognize until now.  But, I’ve never struggled with anxiety or depression until now. That’s why I didn’t know what to do with it.  I can’t believe no one told me to go and see a doctor!
 
Then, I went into counseling with a Christian Counselor.  I also have an excellent friend who meets with me weekly to disciple me and work through scripture.  It’s a blessing.  Do you have an older/wiser person in your life that is a mentor?   This guy has been a real gift from God to me…especially with not having great male role models growing up.  He’s shown me how to be a better minister, man, husband and father.  Although, I have to say, I’ve been a pretty good Dad.  That came easy for some reason.
I have a journal of our meetings together over the course of 18 months.  I met with her every week initially.  She was helpful in several areas:
 
-Spiritual:  There is a spiritual dimension of depression and anxiety that you want to get into.  I’m not really sure what books to recommend here.  I didn’t really find one book that was helpful.  You’re looking for material on the mind as a battleground. Joyce Meyer has a book called “The Battleground of the Mind.”  The foundational truth here is learning the lies you believe and where they came from so that you can get to the root of wrong thinking.  First of all, the mind and your patterns of thinking are very much involved in this issue.  For me, fear gripped me because I started looking to the future and feeling hopeless about my financial situation.  After 25 years of faith ministry, I suddenly felt that I had to take control of things because financially, we were not going to make it.  Now, why would I start thinking that after 25 years of seeing God move faithfully in my life, would I believe he would suddenly stop being faithful?  Honestly, I had to unlearn-relearn about God and who HE is.  
 
The "sin in our members” is there because of our long history living outside the “Kingdom Among Us.”  By the way, I strongly recommend ANY Dallas Willard.  His book, “The Divine Conspiracy” broke me.  I’ve been studying it for almost 2 years with my mentor.  Also, a books by James Bryant Smith were helpful; especially, “The Good and Beautiful God”.  It’s part of series.  The other two books are “The Good and Beautiful Life” and “The Good and Beautiful Community.”  Those books is based on this very premise.  How do we see God and why??? What are the lies we believe and where do they come from?  Anyway, that sin in our members is strong and generates automatic responses in us that have been cultivated from years of living outside the kingdom…OR living inside the kingdom but not knowing or understand it’s power for THIS LIFE.  Remember, Jesus said, “I have come so that they may have LIFE  (THIS LIFE) and life abundantly.”  (John 10:10)  WOW.   I had to rethink my automatic responses.  AND that took me into the dark places!!! 
 
Here’s a key point:  God wants to use this very situation in your life to bring you into a greater understanding of HIS nature.  That’s why you need to faithfully embrace what you’re going through and wrestle with it.  YOU WILL BE OKAY.  It’s just going to be  season where you need to go through it.  NOT around it.  If you want the full measure of God’s blessing in your life, you will embrace this ordeal and walk through it.  I can tell you for REAL, the deeper waters are life giving.  A friend said to me, “Jeff, you’ve always been able to rearrange the furniture in this room.  This time, God is destroying the room.  He’s completely rebuilding this room from the ground up.”
 
In my life, pretty much everything goes back to my childhood.  (This is Psychology 101, right?  Everything goes back to our parents!)  I had automatic responses that i used to survive back then.  It was a difficult situation and my only coping mechanisms led to issues that I still carry around.  But this season in my life forced me to recognize them and how it affected my relationship with God and how I viewed Him.   Discipleship and spiritual disciplines are the way to disrupt the automatic responses in our lives.
 
(By the way, Willard’s book, “Renovation of the Heart” is the go-to book on the ideas of discipleship.)
 
You need someone to help you through that.  I pray that you can find the right person who won’t let you sneak away with answers that you know they want to hear.  Start praying for that person in YOUR life.   God wants to help you through this season more than you want to help yourself.  
 
So

1. Medical help
2. Battle of the mind
3. Sin in our members and personal disciplines and discipleship appropriate to the lies that you have believed which cause these automatic responses.   

 
There are other things too:
 

• Diet.  Oddly enough, there are foods, which increase and decrease stress.  It’s an interesting study.  Also, some food combinations can serve to increase/decrease how the body deals with stress and anxiety.

 

• Exercise.  Great release for anxiety and stress.  ALSO, very important with the release of endorphins which help stress.

 

• -SLEEP????  How are you sleeping?  If you’re not sleeping, why?  Is it because you are having trouble turning your mind off at night?  You need your sleep.  

 

• I love the images in Scripture of Jesus’s strong right hand. “I cling to you; your right hand upholds me.”  (Psalm 63:8)  For example, the image of Jesus reaching down and pulling Peter out of the water with his right hand. (Matthew 14)  Lots of scripture verses talk about the strong right hand of God.  When I was feeling overwhelmed, I would physically reach up with my right hand and grab hold of Jesus’s right hand.  “I need you Lord. Help me.”  I did it often.  It was a physical response that gave me hope.  HOPE is a big deal.

 

• -Memorize scripture.  Meditate on Scripture; especially verses that bring HOPE and speak about the character of God.  Swim in the Psalms DAILY.  Practice the Presence of God…Father Lawrence was great on this subject.  (“The Practice of the Presence of God”)

 

• -Start focusing OUTSIDE OF YOUR SELF.  Depression is a lot about looking inward and focusing on self.  Do NOT withdraw.  This is the exact place that the enemy wants you to be.  Practice spiritual disciplines that force you to go outside of yourself:  

 

• Worship. (Not corporate worship/ personal worship).  
• Serving.  
• Thanksgiving.  
• Intercession.  (That’s biggie.  Start making your prayer life more about others than yourself.  It will help.)

 
Lastly, my wife gave me the most beautiful prayer when I was struggling so much.  I’ve kept and have it on my desk even today.  You may want to copy it down and put it somewhere where you can pray it regularly:
 
Heavenly Father,
Teach me to trust you when I don now know where you are going.
Help me to surrender and not turn inward into myself out of fear.
The storms and winds of life blow strongly all around me.
I cannot see in front of me.
Sometimes, I feel like I am going to drown, Lord.
But you are CENTERED.  Utterly at rest and peace.
Open my eyes that I might see you are with me in the boat.  I AM SAFE.
Awaken me, Jesus, to your presence within me, around me, above me, and below me.
Grant me grace to follow you into the unknown, into the next place in my journey with you.
In JESUS name.  Amen.
 
The counselor used to ask me what I was afraid of.  When she tried to get me to be as specific as possible, I said, “I’m afraid I’m going to lose my house.”  Her response:  “Then your house is an idol.”
 
Wow.  What are you afraid of right now?  (Verbalize that.) What is it that you are most worried about?  (Verbalize that.) The answers to those questions are important to your healing.  Get to that because they reveal something about how you view God and your relationship with Him.  
 
You’re NOT alone.