Wisdom For Care Givers

• 

   

 

 

WisdomOfTheWounded.com

Karen Mulder

“Blessed to be a blessing”

Karen Mulder is a woman of strong faith. The journey that led to her radio show, book and seminars began when she was teaching an adult bible study classes. “I found that I had a gift for teaching, and I absolutely loved it,” she recalls.

Wanting to gain a deeper understanding of her faith and further develop her teaching skills, she entered the Western Theological Seminary after her sons were grown. She had a particular interest in pastoral care, which began when she was discussing Luke 13 in a women’s Bible study class she was teaching. “It’s where Jesus sees the woman who’s all bent over and hasn’t been able to stand straight for 18 years,” explains Karen. “I asked these women, ‘When have you felt like that— maybe not physically, but mentally, spiritually or emotionally—when you were so bent over it was hard to face the day…?’

“As they shared their stories with me, I also asked them, ‘During that period, what did someone say or do that helped you the most?’ And they had such down-to-earth wisdom about how people cared for them, that it all just started to click: This is information everybody needs! We’re surrounded by people who are going through various crises; we’re all called to care for those who are hurting.”

And that’s how Wisdom of the Wounded began.  

The Compassionate Congregation

Karen’s book, “The Compassionate Congregation,” is full of information and practical suggestions about how people can be more helpful and compassionate with those who are going through a life crisis.

The book is based on interviews with individuals who have been through challenging times themselves, from the death of a loved one to serious illness and offers both inspirational and instructional advice. Founded on Christian values, it is a great “go-to” resource for anyone who wants to be a more helpful and caring friend. The book also includes other related resources as well as a self-guided workshop for small groups.

Buy on Faith Alive Christian Resources OR Buy on Amazon

The Blog

Special Services

            Make your offer specific.  Say, “I would like to come over Monday at 3:00 to bake cookies,” “read you a book,” “clean your kitchen,” “…wash your windows,” or whatever.  If you say, “Call me … Continue reading →

Share

Posted in Simple ways to show you care Tagged Special Services

Outings

Posted on Nov 22, 2011 by jmesler. Filed under Simple ways to show you care

              Everyone has times during the week when they tend to feel most alone. Evenings – weekend evenings in particular – can be tough.  Make a standing date with me to go to a movie … Continue reading →

Share

Posted in Simple ways to show you care Tagged friendship, lonely, Outings

Avoid Using Cliches & Quick Fixes

Avoid saying: “Everything will be just fine.” “I understand. . .” “Be strong.” Or “You are a strong person.” “Tomorrow will be a brighter day.” “When the going gets tough, the tough going.” “Win some. Lose Some.” “You’ve got to … Continue reading →

 

 

Golf with a Purpose, Of Course

http://www.wsrescue.org/system/files/Golf%20brochure_2012.pdf“Golf With a Purpose” is back again this year. Friday, April 27, 2012, Olde Homeplace Golf Club will once again host the Winston-Salem Rescue Mission Golf Tournament. This “Captain’s Choice” format will be fun for all and your entry fee will include breakfast, lunch, goody bag, range balls, door prizes and entry into all on-course contests. Please see the attached tournament entry form for information on how to participate or become a sponsor. Or call the Mission 336-723-1848

Free Yourself, Be Yourself Conference

Click on the Book to Order the book

Free Yourself, Be Yourself Conference

April 20- 21, 2012

Reynolda Church

Winston-Salem, NC

 

Register at www.sharingthelight.org

 

Ever feel like the pressure’s always on?

Ever feel like you’re living to please others?

Ever wish you could shake the regrets of the past?

Ever feel like there’s more to your destiny, but something’s holding you back?

 

Experience the life-changing grace of God at the Free Yourself, Be Yourself conference atReynoldaChurchinWinston-Salem,NC,  April 20-21.  Pastor, author and radio teacher Alan Wright will lead the seminar as he has all over the nation, inviting participants into the healing love of God.  Discover who you really are in Christ through inspirational teaching and practical steps to freedom.  The $39 registration fee includes a copy of the highly acclaimed Free Yourself, Be Yourself Workbook.

 

You’ll not only be inspired – you’ll be transformed! Register today at www.sharingthelight.org

 

 

Alan Wright

 

is Senior Pastor of ReynoldaChurch, EPC in Winston-Salem, NCwhere he lives with his wife Anne and two children, Bennett and Abigail.  Pastor Wright also serves as President of Sharing the Light Ministries which produces the national radio broadcast “Sharing the Light with Alan Wright” and sponsors conferences nationally and internationally. In addition to Free Yourself, Be Yourself, Alan has authored three other books: A Childlike Heart, Lover of My Soul, and God Moments. For itinerary and resource information, visit sharingthelight.org.

Park Springs Christian Camp and Retreat Center

  

http://www.parksprings.org

Taken It To The Streets: Billie Corne

www.TakingItToTheStreetMinistries.com

The main service that we offer is to provide clothing to the needy 100% free of charge – We also distribute other items free of charge if they are donated to us (hygiene products, inspirational items, backpacks, bibles, blankets, small toys, ect.) – We try our best to help the people that need us, even if we have to connect with other ministries to do it.

The Disease That Gets No Chicken Pie

How does your Sunday School Class deal with a member that suddenly is diagnosed with a mental illness??? Today’s guest Bob MIlls, authored the article “The Disease That Gets No Chicken Pie” and member of Wake Forrest University and Associates in Christian Counselling

A disease that gets no chicken pie by Bob Mills

Last spring I was diagnosed with leukemia, a cancer of the blood.  Fortunately the type (CLL) is one of the ‘best cancers to have’ – slow-growing and treatable.  Currently it’s incurable, though, and its impact on life expectancy gets one’s attention.  I’ve been struck by the similarity of this disease and another with which I was diagnosed six years ago.  Bipolar disorder (also called manic depression) is a brain disease that can cause wild mood swings.  Both diseases are treatable, but both are incurable and deadly if left untreated (of people who attempt suicide, those who have bipolar disorder are most likely to take their own lives).  That’s where the similarities end though, primarily because of stigma.

When I was child in the 1950s, there was a terrible stigma associated with cancer.  It was discussed in hushed tones as if it were communicable or the result of sin.  Though the stigma is still prevalent in many Third World countries and among a few ethnic groups here, it has largely been eradicated in the United States.  We know better.

In my own experience, I was able to share with many friends, co-workers and church members the news about the leukemia.  My family and I received wonderful support – often from surprising sources – as the news hopped around the e-mails.  There were cards, prayers offered, contacts from others with the disease, and even a meal of that local symbol of love and caring, the Moravian chicken pie (baked, interestingly enough, by a Brazilian American friend).

How different things were when I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder.  There was no chicken pie.  I felt no shame or discomfort about the diagnosis, but hardly anyone among my family and friends knew how to react to the news that I might be ‘crazy.’  I was disoriented for a year as I tried to understand what happened and worked with my doctor to find the proper medications.  Since then, I’ve had no further problems with the disease.  The mood stabilizer and the antidepressant I take have thus far kept the symptoms in check.

Two years ago we started a support ministry at First Presbyterian Church (Winston-Salem) for people affected with the disorder.  We have two groups – one for loved ones and one for folks with the illness.  With no promotion or expense, we’ve served more than 200 people at our biweekly meetings.  Most of the people to whom we minister suffer substantially more than I did.  As if the disorientation and danger of a mood disorder are not enough, they suffer real threats of social isolation and the loss of job opportunities, marriages, children, friendships and faith.

The number of people in the United States who experience a brain-disorder illness is staggering – 54 million, or 19 percent of the population.  Clinical depression and anxiety disorders are the largest categories of illness.  Bipolar disorder affects at least 1.2 percent of the adult population (some experts estimate three times as many).  In Forsyth County, that equals about 2,400 adults.  If one includes the closest loved ones who are often affected severely by their relatives’ suffering, the number affected rises to nearly 16,000, enough to fill Joel Coliseum.  Estimates are that 60 percent of those with bipolar illness become addicted to alcohol or drugs as they attempt to dull the pain by self-medicating.

Though prescription medications and therapy are effective for about 80 percent of the bipolar cases, most ill people go untreated because of stigma, misinformation and failures of insurance plans to provide adequate coverage for diseases of the brain.  Organizations such as the Mental Health Association and the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI) work valiantly to overcome these problems, but funds and volunteer leaders are scarce.

My particular calling is to engage churches and other faith communities in the fight against stigma.  We are seeing remarkable recoveries in families as others who have been broken by these illnesses – yet strengthened by their trials – come alongside them with encouragement and prayer.

There are few churches I know of that would allow stigma to keep them from ministering to people who have cancer.  Fifty years ago this was not the case.  My dream is that in less than a decade, nearly all churches will minister to those with brain diseases and other mental illnesses.

I wrote a bit of bad verse that sums up my observations about the difference between having cancer and bipolar disorder.  Perhaps it will strike a chord with many of those affected:

Two killers live in me.
Both destroy my bod.
One the world will help me fight,
The other, only God.

The enemy’s weapon is stigma.  Its fuels are fear and human pride.  At stake are the hearts, minds, bodies and souls of our friends and loved ones.  Perhaps even our own.

It’s time for the children of God to join him in the fight.

Tuesday, April 10, 2012, 6:30 p.m.
Benton Convention Center, Winston-Salem, NC
Featuring Judy & Harold Smith
President & CEO, Christianity Today International

RESERVATION DEADLINE APRIL 2nd   Click on Link for Reservations

http://www.christiancounseling.org/banquet-signup.htm

 

Call Of Love Ministries

http://www.calloflove.org/?i=14650

How do you Witness to a Muslim

Call of Love Ministires takes the message of Jesus Christ to unreached Muslims in the United States and all over the globe. Call of Love also helps Christians reach out with the love of Christ to their Muslim neighbors by providing training and resources.

Check out our website for resources, both in English and Arabic, which will equip you to reach Muslims. Also, do not forget to go to our Ministries page so that you will know how to pray for us as we reach the Muslim people with the Good News of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Call of Love Ministries depends totally on your contributions and love gifts. We cannot reach Muslims without your partnership. We pray that the Lord will lead you to suppport Call of Love through the different options provided on the Partner With Us page.

>To Our Muslim Visitor<

The Parable Of The Soils This Spring

Click Book To Order

Toby Bost has been a popular garden writer for more than 20 years. He served as assistant editor of Extension’s Successful Gardener® and is a consulting horticulturist and field faculty emeritus of the North Carolina State University Cooperative Extension. He has published three gardening books, including The Carolina Gardener’s Guide. Toby currently writes garden features for Carolina Gardener

magazine.

While Toby was a student at North Carolina State University, his fascination with its greenhouses led him to major in horticulture. The department chair introduced him to the Cooperative Extension—an agricultural education agency— through an internship in his junior year, which led him to a 31-year career as an extension agent. Today on Robby’s Hobbies we’ll see what kind of soil God has used in Toby’s Life

 

 

Renewanation

http://www.renewanation.org/

Our mission is to secure a bright future for America and the world by instilling a Christian worldview in the hearts and minds of children.

Our primary focus is to help children receive a full-time weekday Christian education. We are committed to strengthening and building Christian schools and homeschools so that they can offer a high quality, Christian education to every child whose parents choose this alternative to secular education.

“To educate a person in mind and not in morals
is to educate a menace to society.”
President Theodore Roosevelt

Our secondary focus is to work with individuals and organizations whose calling is to provide Christian worldview training to children who are unable to attend Christian schools or home schools.

When millions of children in America and perhaps around the world are afforded Christian education, the founding principles and values that made America great will be rewoven into the fabric of society. The end result will be a nation renewed!

Project Surround

Project Surround What if every child in the world started each day with a Bible verse in their pocket? Visit    and sign up for FREE weekly “Pocket Scriptures”. OR… for more helps in SURROUNDING children with God’s word visit one of the following sites.      NEW…Best VBS crafts on the web.    Thousands of Bible Coloring pages.    Best Lord’s Prayer Coloring Pages on the Internet.    NEW Creation Activities for Parents and VBS teachers.    God’s word is meant to move.    NEW…Healing for problem marriages and children. Thank you for sharing our dream. www.bibleparent.com