AUGUST 2012 Letter - LIVING WELL

Our country is grieving over the latest shooting tragedy. Our hearts are heavy; many continue to seek the answer to the question “Why?” We don’t pretend to be able to understand what was going through the mind of the shooter as he planned and carried out such a horrific act.

Most of us cannot understand the depths of the depravity of a human being. We do not know the answer to the “why?” question, what we do know is that evil is very present in our world today! No amount of analysis or speculation will be able to explain the motive of this man.

Our government leaders and politicians have re-energized the national debate on firearms. Unfortunately, an endless amount of laws will not change the fact that millions of firearms are already owned by millions of Americans.

What are we to do?

Ultimately, the issue is the heart. Darrell Scott’s daughter was killed in the Columbine shooting. He testified in 1999 before the subcommittee on crime of the House Judiciary Committee. His testimony included these words, “The real villain lies within our OWN hearts. Political posturing and restrictive legislation are not the answers….We do need a change of heart and an humble acknowledgment that this nation was founded on the principle of simple trust in God.”

You may be thinking, “My heart is okay; I would never go on a shooting rampage.” As Christians, we must look beyond ourselves. Through His Word, God says,
    “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”
                                                                  (Romans 12:21)
    “Do not repay evil for evil or insult with insult,
         but [repay] with blessing,
         because to this you were called ….” (1 Peter 3:9a)

As we minister to the hurts of those around us, we open the door for our Lord to make changes in their hearts. Our attitudes and compassion offer the love of Christ to those we see. Each of us can be inspired by good and by God or inspired by bad and evil. We are all inspired by someone or something. We will have some writings on inspiration on our next blog post.

We are excited about developments at Wisdom Community School. We received enough donations to provide security bars for the doors and window. Those bars are being installed now. Someone donated lightweight backpacks for the children of the school. They are perfect for shipping and for the needs of the children. We have enough monthly financial commitments to engage a principal, one day per week. He will provide oversight and support for the teachers but also be the spiritual instructor for the students and the teachers. We have established some reliable contacts for drilling a well.

We are starting a three-lesson series called "The Good, The Bad, The Ugly of Marriages in the Bible: and what we can learn from them" in our Sunday morning Bible study class on August 5 at 11:00. [see more info] We are teaching a marriage class at our office on Monday nights this fall, September 10 - November 5, 7-8:30 pm (eight classes). [see more information here]

We are excited about our expanded roles in leadership at church. We are leading the development of a comprehensive marriage and family ministry. The team has 10 ambitious goals for the coming year. Our mission is to: engage, enlighten, encourage, equip, and enrich families with Biblical strategies and training. Some results include a class this fall for parenting teens and a marriage celebration event with recording artist, Michael O’Brien, on February 23. 2013. [for more info, call our office, 792-2586]

Thank you for your continued prayer and support of the ministry of Living Well.
Our love in Christ,
Donna and Ed Edwards

Get Real

Resume’: a written exaggeration of only the good things a person has done in the past, as well as a wish list of the qualities a person would like to have.                  Bo Bennett

“Authenticity” is a buzz word in the culture today. When analyzing the current, youngest adult generation, people often describe them as people who desire authenticity in others.

Does their desire for authenticity come from living in a world of duplicity, deception, and technological illusions.

Interactions often come in the form of electronic dialogues with someone that we only know through their online personae. We see a picture or video and wonder if it is real or computer generated or photoshop enhanced.

Authenticity is essential in healthy relationships and for a strong marriage.  Being authentic begins with getting real with myself.

John Calvin sums up the place where people often find themselves: The human heart has so many crannies where vanity hides, so many holes where falsehood lurks, is so decked out with deceiving hypocrisy, that it often dupes itself.

[Not the real me!]

When we travel, in the hotel bathroom, they often have one of those mirrors with extreme magnification. At my age, it is terrifying to look in that mirror and see the reality of the wrinkles in my skin. So, I choose not to. It doesn’t change the truth though.

I can’t do much about my wrinkles but I can take a close look at my heart and see the truth.

What keeps us from being honest with ourselves?  For some, the pain is too great—pride precludes us from admitting that we are in a mess and we don’t know how to get out or that we haven’t done what we know to do.

God knew from the beginning that humans would have a hard time examining their own hearts. The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick; Who can understand it?  Jeremiah 17:9 (NAS)

But I can go before him and say Test me, O LORD, and try me, examine my heart and my mind. Psalm 26:2 (NIV)

He will show me the truth about my life. He will also show me the truth about His love for me. He will give me His presence and power to grow to be more like Him.

ASK AROUND .....

A lie consists in speaking a falsehood with the intention of deceiving.  Augustine

One problem with being deceptive is that eventually we may even be honest with ourselves. How do we know if we have reached that point?

ASK OTHERS

It takes courage to ask those who know you best. Then, even more courage to admit it to yourself and ask the Lord to change you.

Give your spouse, your parents, your adult children, your closest friends permission to tell you the truth about your character and your authenticity.

Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.  Deuteronomy 31:6 (NIV)

ASK YOURSELF

• Do I often have broken relationships?
• Do other people doubt what I say or not trust my word?
• Do I blame others for what is wrong in my life?
• Do I have overdue bills or creditors calling me?
• Do I ignore others criticisms of me or justify destructive behavior?

If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, examine your heart. Ask God to show you if you are really being honest with yourself. He will lovingly guide you to the truth.

For more on this topic, read our next post.