Terrific Tuesday with Inge from Dementia for 2

Today's Terrific Tuesday guest is Inge, who writes at Dementia for 2. Inge has blessed me repeatedly in many ways. She is a former Marine (I guess this is not exactly true since I've heard that Once a Marine always a Marine), Mother, God Lover, and a Granddaughter who is actively involved in the life of her Granny. She's got a lot of awesome posts about dealing with a loved one in a nursing home, daily life, and most of all mingled through every one of her posts is her desire to seek God foremost.

Enjoy this Best of Dementia for 2 post...

A Man After God's Own Heart

My favorite book in the bible has to be Psalms. I just love David. I know that all of the Psalms were not written by him, but a majority of them were.

David has been called a lot of things by a lot of people. I often hear people refer to him as a tattle tale and have even done so myself. The more I read the psalms, the more I realize how wrong that description of him really is.

David had an extraordinary life from the beginning. He was the youngest of 8 boys. When Samuel went to anoint the man God had chosen to be king, it was a lesson in the way God thinks for everyone present. Samuel is thinking the firstborn will be named by God. God tells him don't look at his countenance (facial features) or the height of his stature. God further states that He doesn't see as man sees; man looks on the outward appearance but the Lord looks on the heart. 1Samuel 16:7. I find great comfort in that. To know that God goes beyond the physical and looks at what really matters, your heart hence your true self is a wonderful thing to me.

So the big procession goes on and after the 7th son and still no word from God, Samuel asks Jesse if these are all of his sons. Jesse says no I have one more the youngest who is tending the sheep. so Samuel waits until someone goes and gets David. The thing about tending sheep is this was a lowly job. You were gone sometimes for days. Imagine spending days tending sheep. Keeping them in line, watching for wild animals, not bathing, all that fun stuff.

So here comes David. Smelly, dirty, young, David. David is described as ruddy. Some have said this means he had red hair. I don't know where they got that from. His face was red or rosy. Spending all that time keeping sheep I suppose. Anyway, he walks past all his brothers and is anointed by Samuel then and there. While he doesn't become king for awhile, I can only imagine how the other brothers felt. The Bible doesn't say but you can bet there was envy, anger, bitterness, the works.

Now for the whole tattle tale thing. If you really read the Psalms, you will see a pattern with David. He always starts by praising God. he reminds himself of who God is and what God has done not only for him but, for the Israelites. Then he reminds God of what is going on in his life at the moment. David spent a lot of time in caves running for his life. He reminds God that his enemies are out to get him. He sprinkles more reminders of who God is in these recounts. He ends by praising God. You can see David's despair turn to encouragement in reading his writings.

While some people don't believe in "reminding" God you are instructed to do so in the Word. This is not for God's benefit, He doesn't need it. This is for your benefit. When you remember what God has done for you, you want to thank Him for His mercy, protection, etc. By reminding Him of what is going on in your life, you are petitioning God. I find for myself that when I do this, God also reminds me of things. My own thoughts or actions concerning the particular situation. This often leads to confession which leads to praise.

My son is 25. When he was a teenager, he decided to make some very poor choices concerning his life. This caused me to go almost completely white headed. So now I have become best friends with Miss Clairol. During that time, I spent some time in the Psalms.

Last year my husband and I separated for a year. I grew closer to God than I can ever remember being. Once again I was back in the Psalms.

During these two occasions in my life, I have 2 particular verses that really comfort me from the Psalms. So I am going to end this post with them. I hope they can comfort you as they have comforted me.

Psalm 91:4
He will cover you with His feathers,
and under His wings you will find refuge;
His faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.

Psalms 56:8
You number my wanderings;
Put my tears into Your bottle;
Are they not in Your book?

What do you think our response will be?

Since yesterday when I read about the extreme sentences that Pastor Wang Xiaoguang and his wife Yang Rongli received for the trumped up charges, I've been thinking about what, if any, America's response will be to this outrage. I've pondered if we should respond, as a country, to religious persecution in other countries.

To my understanding, this is the situation :

• The trial of Linfen house church leaders in Shanxi province, China, was held from 9:00 AM to about 10:00 PM on November 25 (Beijing time), lasting over 12 hours
• Linfen Fushan Church is a 50,000-member mega house church network in Linfen and the surrounding villages in northeastern China
• The trial came after a massive raid by police and hired security guards on Fushan Church on September 13. During the pre-dawn raid, reportedly 400 people in police suits raided and destroyed buildings on the Good News Cloth Shoes Factory property, where the Fushan Church is located. The raid was one of the worst crackdowns against a house church in the past decade, according to CAA (China Aid Association) .
• During the September 13 raid men tore at the building’s foundation with shovels as bulldozers worked to level other buildings on the site. Church members sleeping at the construction site of the new church building were reportedly attacked with bricks and other objects, according to CAA. Several members were seriously injured and were sent to the emergency room.
• Following the raid, Yang and other church officials attempted to travel to Beijing to protest the destruction of their church to the central government authorities. However, they were arrested and detained during their trip.
• The case presented to the court as a result of their arrest was tried on November 25. The court's conduct throughout the trial caused many to question if the government had decided upon the verdict and prepared it in advance. There were only two 20 minute breaks for recess, and only four family members of the convicted prisoners were allowed to be present during the trial. Government prosecutors showed over 1000 pages of so-called "evidence materials" related to this case, but the defense lawyers were only allowed to review about 50 pages before the trial to prepare their defense. The six Christian rights defense lawyers, including renowned Attorneys Li Fangping and Zhang Kai, were said to present a satisfactory defense of the innocence of the five church leaders.
• Pastor Wang Xiaoguang and Yang Rongli's son was able to briefly chat with his parents during one recess time near the bathroom outside the court room. Sister Yang and Pastor Wang encouraged their son to stand firm in his faith in Christ. Yang and Wang have led the Fushan church for more than 30 years.
• The verdicts were severe and were announced immediately following the trial. Two criminal charges were used-- the crime of "illegally occupying farming land" and "disturbing transportation order by gathering masses." Sister Yang Rongli received 7 years severe sentence for both charges; Pastor Wang 3 yrs for the first charge, brother Yang Xuan, 3 and a half years, and Cui Jiaxing earned 4 and a half years for the first charge; Sister Zhang Huamei was found guilty of the second charge, and sentenced to 4 years in prison.
• "To punish an innocent house church leader with 7 years imprisonment is the most serious sentence since 2004 when the senior Henan house church leader pastor Zhang Rongliang received a similar length, " said CAA President Bob Fu. "We strongly condemn these unjust sentences, which are based on trumped-up charges. This case clearly shows the serious deteriorating situation of religious persecution in China. We call upon the Obama administration and international community to speak up unequivocally in its concern about this case."

How do you think the Obama administration will respond to this serious situation of religious persecution in China? Do you think America should respond to these type of situations? Who, in your opinion, should be responding to religious persecution?

The Chain

When Thanksgiving is over my thoughts turn toward Christmas.

As I was having children, I tried to establish some traditions. In regard to Christmas I wanted to establish traditions that would teach about Jesus' birth and giving; I wanted the holiday to be about more than just Christmas day.

There's one tradition we established when my boys were very young that has continued and upon which all the other Christmas things we do hinges - the Christmas chain. It is just a paper chain made from construction paper with 24 links; each link representing a day in December. Each link has the date and activity we will participate in that day to celebrate the Christmas season written on it.

Links may include things like the advent wreath, school Christmas programs, decorating the house inside, putting lights on outside the house, filling out and putting stamps on Christmas cards, baking cookies, etc. Each morning we break one of the links on the chain together and read what we'll do that day. This was especially popular when my boys were young, they would even fight over who was going to get to do the chain that day. Because it was a part of their childhood, they still enjoy it.

Writing out the chain also forces me to get out the calendar and plan for all the things I want to make sure that we do. Every year some of activities are ones that we do every year and there also new things I'm trying out. The planning also helps me think about ways to highlight the real significance of the season.

What about you, what are some of your family's favorite Christmas traditions?

Happy Thanksgiving

So here I am thinking about Thanksgiving. What hits me most is that I've been so over the top blessed, how could I not adore Thanksgiving?!

These last few days I've been reflecting on God's many gifts to me.

Most of all I can never seem to get past the fact that God left his rightful place in heaven and took on human limitations to come live a perfect life on earth and die on the cross for me, because my sins require payment. I can never cease to be grateful for this great salvation that is mine! I never cease to be grateful that He loves me just how I am and desires relationship with me. For the fact that He has a good plan for my life.

Then there's all the just plain good stuff in my life: A husband who really knows me and still loves me, 3 healthy sons who I get to be a part of their lives and see them grow in God and grow in their gifts and vision. A home in a beautiful mountain town that most people only get to come to for vacations; I can go out my back door and hike up into the national forest just about every day. Friends who I can always count on and whose company I relish.

I really don't deserve to have it so good.


Then there's the fun traditions part of Thanksgiving day. This year we'll only have 7 at our table; a small year for us (someone else is gonna be blessed by the company of 2 of my sons this year). I really like cooking for people so I've been enjoying the planning, shopping and cooking leading up to Thanksgiving day. It seems that over time we've ended up with a set menu for the most part; the salad I tried one year that my niece liked so much, my husband John's mom's recipe for cranberry relish that he can't get enough of, the vegetable dish that I'm so happy with because it's fresh,colorful, healthy and simple. I've got to say that I detest the entire idea of marshmallows on top of yams - who thought of such a gross idea? So we always have fresh, baked, sweet potatoes with butter.

What about you, what thoughts are foremost in your mind this Thanksgiving? What are some of your Thanksgiving traditions?

Terrific Tuesday with Tony from Tony C Today

Today's Terrific Tuesday guest is Tony, who writes at Tony C Today and at Kingdom Bloggers. Tony's posts have at various times made me laugh, think, and be grateful to our gracious heavenly father.

Enjoy this Best of Tony C Today post...

The one with the cute little umbrella straw please...

I'm not a coffee drinker...

Wait, let me start by saying that I've laid off political and religious subjects this week in respect to Easter. It seemed like the WWJD thing to do. So...

I'm not a coffee drinker. Never have been. But, I live with two females that love the stuff. We could debate if a 13 (soon to be 14) year old should be drinking coffee...but I won't go there. I accept the argument that a cup of coffee can't be any worse than a bottle of soda. Moving on...

So from time to time, I find myself at the local Starbucks, which might as well be eastern Slovenia for me. It's like a completely different world...a make-believe world where people speak a pseudo-foreign language and pretend to be high society...or hip...or something I'm apparently not. Now, I understand the Italian connection with the origin of many coffee drinks coming from Italy, and the implied chicness of the hole fiasco called Starbucks, but what I don't get is the absolutely ridiculous sounding process for ordering.

I'm not Italian illiterate either. Aside for the Learn A Language While You Drive cassette series I played for months before an Italy trip that feel apart the day prior to departure, the Sopranos were a weekly ritual at my house. I know Italian...well...some Italian. I know latte is Italian for milk, I know grande means large. What I don't understand is why a grande iced vanilla latte at Starbucks isn't a large cup of milk with vanilla flavor. What gives?

So, this morning I find myself alone in the drive-thru at Starbucks filled with anxiety. Since I love my wife more than any earthly thing, I'm doing this for her. For me... this is virgin territory. I refuse to order when we go together, making my wife or the teenager do the honors...and..always making fun of the process. I want a frappa mocha latte venti or some other ridiculously sounding fictional concoction. But here I am...ready to order.

Speaker: Welcome to Starbucks. Would you like to try one of our fancy smancy new sandwiches?

I'm frozen. What did she say she wanted?

Just a minute please.

Speaker: Take your time and order when you're ready.

I'm sure the seven hundred and twenty cars behind me want just that...me to take my time. I glance over the menu board looking for some type of trigger word...but it's all so...foreign.

Uh, uh mocha, latte, venti, frappachino, cappachino...before I even realized, I say...out loud...

Frappa mocha latte...uh

Speaker: Excuse me sir?

Nothing would do my heart more good than to break into a speaker rant over why Starbucks had to stop selling the black and white cookie...it's all I ever liked there! But I have loved ones waiting in the balance on me performing this simple task.

Text message! Thank you Jesus! She sent what she wanted in a text message! A few quick clicks...

I'll take a iced vanilla latte venti please. Not a perfect delivery...wrong indefinite article grammatically...but hey...I'm a rookie.

Speaker: That will be $4.33. Thank you pull forward.

$4.33! For a cup of coffee! I'm I picking this up IN Italy? That's an entire #1 Value Breakfast Meal WITH a large iced tea at Mickie D's.

As I'm pulling forward, I notice the 'Coexist' bumper sticker on the BMW in front of me...nice...this is now the company I keep...very nice.

Is mental illness ever related to demon possession?

If you've read this blog much you know that I have a heart for mentally ill adults. Since I have a sister who is a paranoid schizophrenic, and I'm a CA licensed nursing home administrator who has ran secured psychiatric facilities serving the chronically mentally ill for the past 9 yrs, I've had lots of experience with mentally ill folks.

I've seen up close how much mentally ill people can suffer.

There are some groups of extreme belief type Christians who think that all mental illness is caused by demon possession. On the other hand you get folks like Michael Spencer over at the Internet Monk who wrote a post entitled Is mental illness demonic that cautions us as to how we should read the gospel accounts where Jesus cast out demons. Spencer states:

"The Bible was written in the narrative world of ancient, prescientific cultures that often interpreted reality and events through a grid quite different from our own way of looking at the same reality. When the Bible speaks to us from its ancient setting, it does not “update” its cultural interpretations of causation for commonly observed phenomenon. Instead, it speaks in the cultural norms of the time. Those cultures tended to see most of what we call mental illness as the result of demonic influence or as a punishment for sin. Now, Christians have been entirely free, in their own settings and cultures, to appropriate, interpret or re-interpret these Biblical explanations. "

I see Spencer's point and agree with the principle. Just as the Bible parables relate to a different culture, so do the accounts. So it may be that some of the people we read about in the Bible who acted in ways we see Schizophrenics behave today, may have been healed of Schizophrenia and it was explained in terms of demons because that was the understanding of the day.

But I do not think it's an either or situation. It's very difficult for me to separate out the physical and spiritual so completely. I think it may be that we have both physical and spiritual phenomena occurring simultaneously. The fact that the voices that many Schizophrenics hear talking to them in their heads (I've met at least 300 individuals on whom I'm basing this statement) are always negative, leads me to seriously question the origins of these voices.

My guess is that in some instances, mental illness is almost exclusively a physiological phenomenon. In these cases the person has a physical anomaly that is causing the mental illness, and the enemy tries to use against the person , as well as his loved ones, just as in any other serious physical illness such as cancer. I would also guess that this is the most frequent case for mental illness.

But I'm also quite certain, from many situations I've observed through the years, that there are cases where what is manifesting as mental illness is almost exclusively spiritual.

But, if I'm being totally candid here, I would never let some religious group come into my facility and start casting out demons.

I really don't have any great insights or answers to this issue, just thoughts and questions.

What do you think, is mental illness ever related to demonic possession?

Political Correctness can only work with Openess

I'll admit it - I've made fun of political correctness.

But I read a thought provoking article today over at CCN entitled Political Correctness and Ft. Hood Killings written by Tom Kenniff that made me take a second look at some of my thoughts. Kenniff is a legal analyst, a criminal attorney, and a veteran of the war in Iraq where he served with JAG. He made the point that political correctness is not the problem, that political correctness has led to good things such as African Americans serving in the armed forces and desegregation in the military.

The problem is that we avoid certain issues and do not openly look at events and ask relevant questions.

There is no recent event where this was dramatized before our very eyes more than the Fort Hood killings. Considering our country's recent history - the horror of 9/11 and the fact that we have since that fateful day suffered suffered multiple attacks at the hands of Islamic extremists, including the Army sergeant who killed two officers and injured 14 others in a premeditated grenade attack in 2003 - it is reasonable that any potential acts of terrorism should be investigated. Investigation does not mean to jump to conclusions, but it does mean to very seriously look into the details.

In this recent Fort Hood situation we knew for a fact that this Army officer had committed violent acts at one of the largest military bases in our country against unarmed soldiers and civilians. There was not a discernible motive aside from death and destruction. Yet almost all of the the media avoided asking the obvious questions about if indeed this event was an act of terrorism and if it was motivated by religious fanaticism - why? How could any thoughtful, honest, look at these events refrain from questions about the motive?

In the aftermath of Fort Hood, as more information is discovered, it gets way worse. It would appear that it is not only the American media that has problems with openly dealing with problems. The Fort Hood tragedy occurred on November 5th, on November 12th CNN released this report written by Brian Todd and Ed Lavandera that details numerous claims made by classmates of Hassan that he was a subpar student with militant Islamic views. As I read through this report I kept asking myself if this man should have been allowed to continue in his residency and become a psychiatrist. I wondered if his supervisors were uncomfortable and didn't want to seem anti-Muslim so they chose to not look as closely at him as would have been appropriate - it's hard to say.

But I can say that for life to work we have to be OK with being uncomfortable, we have to ask questions and look honestly at situations.

What are your thoughts about if we're letting our political correctness cause us to avoid asking all the pertinent questions?