Friday, October 21, 2011

Winning Women for Christ Retreat

I am grateful to be home from GA and the Winning Women for Christ Retreat at St. Simon's. The Lord was near to all and as always He showed me that there are so many hurting families that need His touch in a mighty way. Addictions, family disharmony, hurts and so many prayer requests abounded there and it confirmed my belief that there are no perfect families, just a lot of us as a work in progress. The highlight of the Retreat for me was hearing the beautiful, transparent testimony of Linda Froman. What a survivor she is! And as always attending early morning prayer led by my mentor, Anita Smith and attending the coolest mini-session ever by Kathy Sinex Thomas. I was just bummed that I wasn't able to attend Laurie Barker Copeland's session but since I was doing mine at the same time it was impossible. Sharon Jaynes was an awesome speaker with a lot to glean from; I'll be pondering those messages for a long time.
Thanks to my daughter, Shiloh for setting up the room as a type of construction zone and cheering me on, when I felt inadequate. I pray that the Lord will show me His next best plan for me and that I can do as this quote says, "The role of a writer is not to say what we all can say, but what we are unable to say." ~ Anaïs Nin

Thursday, October 13, 2011

Love is a Verb Devotional and Winning Women Retreat

It was so cool to get my contributor's copy of:
Love is a Verb Devotional: 365 Daily Inspirations to Bring Love Alive [Hardcover] Gary Chapman (Author), James Stuart Bell (Author) I was honored to be included with so many others, including one of my favorite editors, Jeanette Gardner Littleton.
http://www.amazon.com/Love-Verb-Devotional-Daily-Inspirations/dp/0764209701/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1318514159&sr=1-1
 
I will be leaving for GA in the morning to take part in a Winning Women for Christ Retreat. Here is part of my mini-session where I mention our somebody's Mother Online Prayer Support Group in “Dancing Through the Minefields of Life.” It is part testimony/part Bible Study:

As a family member we may feel like our problems are the worst ones anyone faces. The pain that our heart feels would indicate that, “Yes, they are the worst, no one knows what I am going through!” On the "Somebody’s Mother Online Prayer Support Group" we get letters every day of people crying out with so many problems. People in pain either in their body or their minds as they wrestle with family issues. So many of them deal with addictions and the addicts in their lives. Yet the family pain of your own children’s problems, even adult children, when they go through divorce, addictions and heartache can be overwhelming. As a parent you may want to shield them especially when you see your grandchildren hurting as a result; it is a most difficult dilemma.

Sometimes we feel like saying, "God take me, now, I can't bear it any longer!" or even better, "Come quickly Lord Jesus!" as Revelation 22:20-21 says: "He which testifies these things said, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus."

We have to put our loved ones Into His hands today and Pray (which is the #1 step) to be able to dance the dance of the survivor. The survivor dance might be likened to “The Stomp.
https://www.facebook.com/#!/groups/119408188089314/

Thursday, October 6, 2011

The Good, Upscale Doctor


I believe this story is one that many mothers and fathers will relate to, and I dedicate it to the good work by Barbara Theodosiou founder of The Addict's Mom and her wonderful team, Somebody's Mother online Prayer Support Group and the Substance Abuse Community Force.

The Good, Upscale Doctor






The Good, Upscale Doctor



"18-year-old son died of overdose, Grieving mother pushing Oxy ban,

RX for trouble: Painkiller abuse plagues society, Falling short in fighting addiction," these all were either headlines or editorials recently in our local newspaper. They say in the State of Florida seven people die daily from overdoses of prescription meds.



Until it hits home in your own family, headlines like these will not affect you. It will be somebody else's child, not your own; it doesn't affect you. You can put down people like that, thinking they may be the scum of the earth, not even realizing that some of those children started off like your own kids. Just living their life, going to school, thinking about college and their careers. Then the tragedy of addiction hits the family.



 It may have been a legitimate pain issue, they may have had surgeries young and pain issues that seemed beyond control. You as a parent may have questioned the expensive upscale doctor, voicing aloud to him your concerns. "Why such high pain killers so soon? Aren't morphine patches something given to hospice patients? Will my child still need these medications if they have surgery?"



He immediately tried to pacify you, "It isn't addictive, and it is something they can take their whole life through if necessary."



You weren't convinced, yet who were you? Did you have as many degrees as this doctor? Isn't he noted in the community for his work? Didn't he say he’d do the same treatment for his own daughter or son if in your shoes? It wasn't long before the teen that was in pain was of legal age to continue with the doctor without your consent. And sooner than later the things you were concerned with came about. That is why we have painkiller abuse in our society. I don't have to name names; there are legions in our State and country that were writing prescriptions at that time, with no concern for the long-term outcome, which in most cases was addiction.  



Prescription medicine addiction is a real dilemma in our society and it isn't getting any easier to decide who is right and who is wrong. Of course, I can understand when someone is in dire need of medications that they shouldn't be denied. I am not against doctors who truly must help those who suffer with chronic pain; I am all for good medical care. Yet the utmost scrutiny should be given to doctors that write painkiller prescriptions, too many, too soon. Look at the recent celebrity deaths and the doctors that were a part of each one! We have become such a drugged-up nation; sometimes I wonder if anyone knows real people anymore or are they just someone either doped up or a facade of that person you used to know and love?



Addiction itself has been described as cunning, baffling, and powerful by AA and Al-Anon groups. That means to me that the person becomes so cunning in taking care of their addiction that it is second nature to them to use any form of manipulation to get their source of relief. It baffles the ordinary person to find this such a powerful influence in our loved one. The person you once knew and loved seems to be gone from you forever and you can only hand the problem over to a loving God who alone can bring help for the true pain; the pain that painkillers will never cover.



Try not to judge harshly; statistics say addiction hits all families and social-economic groups before long.  You wouldn't want to walk a mile in the shoes or the grieving mother or father, rehash in your mind what you could've or should've done, or be in the body of the addict who became addicted following doctor's orders. Yes, the good, upscale expensive doctor is of no help now. Only the healing hand of the Great Physician can have mercy on this kind of hurt.

We go to the Word of God for help and comfort.


  Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed,
   for his compassions never fail.
 They are new every morning;
   great is your faithfulness.
 I say to myself, “The LORD is my portion;
   therefore I will wait for him.” Lamentations 3:22-24 (New International Version, ©2010)


I see in this verse that God truly started the “One day at a time” movement long before Bill W. came up with it. We wait on His compassions and healing for our families! 


 Another version that might help:



 I'll never forget the trouble, the utter lostness,
   the taste of ashes, the poison I've swallowed.
I remember it all—oh, how well I remember—
   the feeling of hitting the bottom.
But there's one other thing I remember,
   and remembering, I keep a grip on hope:


 God's loyal love couldn't have run out,
   his merciful love couldn't have dried up.
They're created new every morning.
   How great your faithfulness!
I'm sticking with God (I say it over and over).
   He's all I've got left.

 God proves to be good to the man who passionately waits,
   to the woman who diligently seeks.
It's a good thing to quietly hope,
   quietly hope for help from God.
It's a good thing when you're young
   to stick it out through the hard times.

When life is heavy and hard to take,
   go off by yourself. Enter the silence.
Bow in prayer. Don't ask questions:
   Wait for hope to appear.
Don't run from trouble. Take it full-face.
   The "worst" is never the worst.

 Why? Because the Master won't ever
   walk out and fail to return.

Lamentations 3:19-33 (The Message)


We have a faithful God to whom we can trust our family’s problems and issues.

Please send your prayer requests to the Somebody's Mother Online Prayer Support Group:)
https://www.facebook.com/groups/119408188089314/?id=281112801918851