Guidance

I recently lost a family member. How can I get over my grief?

I recently lost a family member. How can I get over my grief?

One of the hardest crosses to bear in this life is losing a loved one. “If only we could have one more day…” That is a common theme in the life of a surviving spouse or family member. It becomes even more difficult to bear when there is some type of guilt that lingers. “I wish I had just…”

Why do Christians think that a woman should not have an abortion?

Why do Christians think that a woman should not have an abortion?

First of all, there is an important distinction to make. Christians do not believe this because they are Christians; they believe this because it is what God says.

    For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. Psalm 139:13

Over and over in Scripture, we see that life is sacred to God.

The battle over abortion rights is part of the age-old battle that dates all the way back to the fall of Satan. It represents the desire for God-like power and authority. This power hunger was Satan’s downfall just as it was the catalyst to the demise of Adam and Eve, thus the entire human race. Abortion is another way people play “God.” God says, “NO!”

The Serenity Prayer

It is not certain how old the Serenity Prayer is or who really wrote it. It may date as far back as Boethius (500 A.D.) who was a philosopher. Before he was martyred by the Christians, he was in prison for a long time during which he wrote “Consolation of Philosophy.”

Reinhold Niebuhr is often credited with writing the Serenity Prayer but he credited Friedrich Oetinger who was an 18th century theologian.

Keeping “Professional Distance”

Some schools actually instruct therapists not to “insert their own personalities” into the counseling process and discourage them from sharing anything at all about themselves with counselees. Yet. I believe that it is possible to maintain a balance between over-involvement and being so objective that those we work with never see our “human” side.

A. The benefits of “self-revelation” in the counseling process
There are many good reasons to share our own spiritual journeys with those we seek to help, especially if we ourselves have overcome an addiction to drugs and alcohol.

Crisis Situations

Deeply Troubled?

    If your are greatly disturbed either spiritually, mentally or emotionally, it is imperative that you seek professional help IMMEDIATELY. Online resources and meetings are not to be confused with group therapy or professional counseling sessions.

    Phone the appropriate
    Hotline
    (worldwide listing) or Christian Counseling Ministry

Suicidal?

    Suicide National Hotline
    1.800.SUICIDE (1.800.784.2433)

    National Suicide Hotline
    1.888.248.2587

    National Youth Crisis & Suicide Hotline
    1.800.621.4000

    National Adolescent Suicide Hotline
    800-621-4000

90 Tools for Sobriety

1 ) Stay away from that first drink, taking the 1st step daily.
2 ) Attend recovery meetings regularly and get involved.
3 ) Progress is made ONE DAY AT A TIME.
4 ) Use the 24 Hour plan.
5 ) Remember, your disease is incurable, progressive and fatal.
6 ) Do first things first.
7 ) Don’t become too tired.
8 ) Eat at regular hours.
9 ) Use the telephone. (not just after the fact but during too.).
10) Be active – don’t just sit around. Idle time will kill you.

11) Use the Serenity Prayer.
12) Change old routines and patterns.
13) Don’t become too hungry.
14) Avoid loneliness.
15) Practice control of your anger.
16) Air your resentments.

Ten Helpful Tips for a Successful Recovery

1) Formulate and stamp indelibly on your mind a mental picture of yourself as succeeding. Hold this picture tenaciously. Never permit it to fade. Your mind will seek to develop this picture. Never think of yourself as failing; never doubt the reality of the mental image. That is most dangerous, for the mind always tries to complete what it pictures. So always picture “success” no matter how badly things seem to be going at the moment.

2) Whenever a negative thought concerning your personal powers come to mind, deliberately voice a positive thought to cancel it out.