Drawing Air: a glimpse into the mind of an addict

Seeing things through affixed shaded lenses
Like a stuck pair of dark sunglasses
Is my reality
Each day praying for a chance
To see more light
Some days I care about what you think
Other days I don’t
’Cause I’m focusing solely on me
And drawing air
I need to be loved without condition
I need someone to be there when I call
I need to be human
And to see that other Christians are human too
Teach me how to apply scripture
Through your words AND actions
Share the love of Christ
Even when you don’t feel like it
But remember ONLY Jesus can be my Savior
So create healthy boundaries
Remember your own family
Lifting me and my family up in prayer too
Allow the Holy Spirit to be your guide
Helping me to sense
His voice
Seeing things through affixed shaded lenses
Like a stuck pair of dark sunglasses
Is my reality
Each day praying for a chance
To see more light
Some days I care about what you think
Other days I don’t
’Cause I’m focusing solely on me
And drawing air
 

Rebecca O’Brien

Study #12: “I Can Do All Things Through Christ Who Strengthens Me”

John 15:5
I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing.

Ephesians 2:10
For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life. 

Jeremiah 29:11
For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope. 

Philippians 4:13
I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

2 Corinthians 12:9
...but he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.” So, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.

Working with addicts can be a very challenging and also a very rewarding experience. It is of the utmost importance for you to keep your eyes on Christ while ministering to anyone. He is the vine and we are the branches, and without Him we can do nothing (John 15:5). Remember that every individual has a different history, a different present, and a different future than anyone else in the world—just as each snowflake is its own masterpiece, our Creator created each one of us and He has the good plan in place (Ephesians 2:10, Jeremiah 29:1).

An addict (and often the family of an addict) does not see things from a normal set of eyes. Bear in mind that only God can remove the scales, which hinder spiritual, emotional, and mental sight. May we all have eyes to see and ears to hear. Selah. Another helpful hint for assisting the self-focused addict—whether it be to drugs, alcohol, sex, gambling, food, etc.—is that even when he or she is trying with all of his/her might, it is only God who can truly heal. We must always redirect our focus to Christ. One helpful way to refocus direction is by praying the “10-Finger Prayer,” which simply is, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:13) Finally, as St. Paul said in his letter to the Corinthians, remember that when we are weak, God’s power is made perfect and is sufficient (2 Corinthians 12:9).

As you embark on this journey, may you be a vessel for Christ to work through and may His love overflow in your heart, spilling onto all that cross your path. In the name of Jesus we pray. Amen.

Questions for Reflection and Discussion

• How does God ask me to minister to the addict? To his/her family?
• Why is it important for me to keep close to Christ while embarking on any ministry adventure? What measures can I take to make sure I am, indeed, doing so?
• What kind of boundaries might I need to have in place while ministering to someone who suffers from addiction?
• What are some ways I can verbally and plainly share the Gospel with an addict? How is the Gospel evident in my own daily life?

Rebecca O’Brien, USA

Study #11: A Family Disease

Ephesians 1:16
I do not cease to give thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers. 

I was surprised to learn that alcoholism was a family disease. I thought it was only my father’s problem. My father was a brilliant college professor. He knew every fact in the encyclopedia, yet he did not know how to drink. I was a kid and wondered how he could be so dumb. He became a different man when
he drank.

Dad’s alcoholism was a source of shame and embarrassment for my brothers, my sisters, my mom, and me. We could never have parties. We could never have friends over on the weekend, because what if Dad was drinking?

I ran away from home without leaving. I became overly involved in school, church, sports, and the community theater program. I excelled at everything; everything except staying home.

One weekend after a particularly bad round of Dad’s drinking, Mom threatened to leave. I encouraged her to. A few days later, the whole family confronted Dad, telling him how his drinking was affecting all of us (even ruining our lives). This is tough for me to remember. I felt so terrible that we were inflicting emotional pain on Dad. But after that intervention, Dad drove off with a family friend to his first attempt at rehab. On his third try, I believe it worked. I love my dad and I love my family. I don’t believe he intended to hurt us. And we did not mean to hurt him.

There are still times, 18 years after his sobriety, that I don’t feel safe. I question him and I doubt myself. I feel ashamed, embarrassed, and insecure for no good reason.

I don’t know if God hears me when I pray. I have my doubts. I have felt that if Dad was not there for me as a father, then how could God the Father be there for me? At times the feminine face of God, a more loving and nurturing God, speaks to me. I pray to a gentle parent who won’t hurt or embarrass me.

I know alcoholism is a family disease. It was not my father’s illness alone. It belonged to all of us. There are ways that the family learned to adjust to Dad’s drinking that were not functional. One way I coped was by running away without ever leaving home.

One challenge for me is to not run away when times are tough in my own marriage and with my own kids. There are times I want to run away. When I pray for alcoholics, I pray for their families too. I give thanks that God helps me cope. I give thanks that I remember the tough times of my own childhood, so that I can be more compassionate to myself and to others.

Questions for Reflection and Discussion

• What are ways I have learned to cope that may not be healthy?
• Where can I go when I want to run away?
• To whom can I turn? Is God a source of embarrassment for me? How do I find a more loving God?
• Does God really hear us when we pray?

Anonymous

Study #10: Treating Yourself As a Symbol of God

Genesis 1:27
So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.

Leviticus 19:2
Speak to all the congregation of the people of Israel and say to them: You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.

John Wesley felt his heart strangely warmed while hearing Martin Luther’s preface to Romans read aloud. I felt my heart strangely warmed when I read Man’s Quest for God, a book by Jewish scholar Abraham Joshua Heschel. In his book he quotes Genesis 1:27.

Heschel uses this verse to talk about humans being a symbol for God, both body and soul. It is the unity of body and soul that makes a person and it is that same unity that is created in the image of God. Not just the good parts—all of us. Heschel says that we must treat each other as symbols of God. That is what blew my mind. How many things do I wish I could take back? How many things do I want to apologize for—right now?

Being created in the image of God means that we don’t have to be ashamed of the parts of our lives that don’t fit the perfect Christian image we have in our heads. It means that we fit in. We, too, are created in the image of God. We don’t have to leave the messy bits at home. We belong, even with the messy parts. God accepts and loves us as a whole—our bodies and our souls.

Heschel says, “Treat yourself as a symbol of God.” That seemed even harder than treating others as symbols of God. Treat myself as a symbol of God? Somehow it was easier to accept that other people are symbols for God, but me? No way. I think that wholeness comes when we believe this to be true. As long as we believe that we are less than, as long as we believe that others deserve better treatment than we do, we will always be fragmented, both in our relationships with others and with God.

Treating yourself as a symbol of God could mean different things to different people. You know what that could mean for you. When you are able to do that, you are closer to wholeness, closer to holiness, closer to the person that God created you to be (Leviticus 19:2). God wants wholeness for us. God created us as a unity of body and soul and wants us to be holy and whole. God wants for us to treat each other and ourselves as images of God.

Heschel says: “The divine symbolism of man is not what he has—such as reason or the power of speech—but in what he is potentially: he is able to be holy as God is holy. To imitate God, to act as [God] acts in mercy and love, is the way of enhancing our likeness.” It’s not about where you are now. It’s about where you can be. It doesn’t matter how far you’ve fallen. You are still created in the image of God and are in a position to enhance that image. You may feel that the image is a bit faded, but it’s been there all along. Go treat yourself as a symbol of God.

Questions for Reflection and Discussion

• What does it mean, to you, to be created in the image of God? Does it make you uncomfortable to be called holy? Why?
• Are you surprised that body and soul are created in the image of God?
• What are you going to do to treat yourself as a symbol of God?

Emily Echols, USA

Introduction to Wholeness: Taking the Gospel of Wholeness Out Into a Hurting World

Matthew 10:7-8
As you go, proclaim the good news, ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. You received without payment; give without payment. ⁸

Bert (name changed) lived on the streets, slept in parks and under bridges in Copenhagen for more than 30 years; today he has his own room in a halfway house run by The United Methodist Church, and he is healthier and happier than he has been for several years. Knud (name changed) a former cruise-line chef, started drinking, and then lost his job, dropped out of the system, and lived for several years with a woman who sold her body. When she died, he had no one, no social security number, he simply didn’t exist, and he was seriously ill. One day he came to the UMC Centralmission in Copenhagen, and one of our pastors took care of him and helped him to get his identity back. He got a social security number and was able to go to the hospital for treatment. Today, Knud cooks in the church for the homeless people several days a week.

Our neighborhoods are full of broken people. Some of them are clearly visible on the streets, others are hidden behind closed doors. In our finest hours we stop and make an effort to help. Most of the time, just as any other pastor or teacher, we look the other way, we stride by, we are too busy, and we don’t really care.

And yet, we are sent out into the world, like Christ once sent his disciples, to bring the wholeness of the kingdom, health, life, restoration, and goodness. According to Matthew, Jesus emphasizes the Jewish people as the primary receivers of this good news; however, from other Gospel passages we know that Jesus put no restrictions on his message. The kingdom of heaven was indeed open to all without any restrictions or exceptions, and the disciples were called to share freely. Wholeness was offered for free without any payment from us, however, the Gospel tells us that Christ paid the highest price to make this possible.

There is no doubt that Jesus expects obedience from his followers in this, and his judgment falls hard on us—you saw a hungry man, and you felt no pain in your stomach; you saw a line of refugees hoping to be allowed to stay in your country, and you slept well that night; you saw broken people, but your heart was not broken by their pain.

As a bishop, I have visited the mission of the Puno UMC in a slum area next to the city dump of Quezon City in the Philippines. We were a group of leaders, pastors, and bishops encountering people who literally have to
fight to keep their life together, parents who struggle to feed their children. They live off the dumpsite— one of their few sources of income is to clean and dry dirty plastic and sell it. Afterward, we went back to our luxury hotel, had a nice dinner, and continued our meetings.

Peter once proclaimed on behalf of the other disciples, that they thought Jesus was the Christ, the son of the living God (Matthew 16:16), but they had no idea what it meant. And when Jesus began to share what that would imply for him—that he was heading for Jerusalem to be denied, arrested, tortured, and killed, but would rise on the third day—the disciples couldn’t stomach it. But Jesus continued…. “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” (Matthew 16:24)

What does it mean to be entrusted with the Gospel and the reality of wholeness? And what does it mean to be a Christian and a United Methodist taking this Gospel of wholeness out into a hurting world? I wonder if those of us living in the rich western world are really able to find the answer. To us, the only logical consequence of Jesus’ challenge is chaos, which implies that only those who have nothing to lose are
really able to follow him.

It appears that many of us, who say we want to be followers of Christ, feel it is enough to readily accept that Jesus loves us, that he listens to our prayers, and everything else that makes us feel good. We are perfectly happy settling for what Dietrich Bonhoeffer referred to as cheap grace, meaning grace without discipleship.

When Jesus calls us to follow, he is ultimately calling us to come and die with him. Following Jesus literally means to lay aside everything, to submit everything to him, our weaknesses and our strengths, our wealth—all of our stuff.

Bonhoeffer declared that the church’s first step must be to get rid of all its possessions. Of course this suggestion must be dismissed as naive and eccentric, and it has been by many who studied Bonhoeffer. But if your child is starving, then you might have a different perspective. What does it imply to deny ourselves and take up our cross and follow Christ as a denomination?

It is not about a nice report and a flashy video presentation; Jesus is talking about wholeness, transformed lives; a new way of thinking, new values, and a new lifestyle. He was saying we need to die from ourselves, we need to let go of our comfortable lives and live a new life.

The mighty organism we call the church with its rich history, theology, worship, and testimony is like a great pyramid turned upside down. Christ’s intention was that the single person’s distress should be at its focal point. Every song, prayer, bishop, sacrament, and sermon should focus on that individual person in need. The distress of every single human being has a dominant priority for the living God. If we fail at this one point, we fail in all, as we are only truly the church when we exist for others.

One of the ways in which Jesus’ call to discipleship changes our perception is well expressed in the call for our denomination to be in “ministry with the poor.” We are not in ministry for the poor, we are in ministry WITH the poor. No one should be the object of our charity—we are all God’s children sharing this beautiful world, with all its resources. We are all loved by the same living God who revealed himself in this world through his son Jesus Christ, who hardly owned anything—he didn’t own his own house, was marginalized, suffered, and died—but who conquered all evil powers of this world, including the evil power of poverty.

Christ has called us to bring wholeness to our ministry. We should not only share the Gospel,food, water, healthcare, medicine, community,and education with the poor—we must address and even fight the dynamics and demonic system that create and sustain poverty.

We dare not offer bread in Christ’s name without addressing the very dynamics in the political and economic systems that brutalize human beings to an extent beyond our imagination. Through the final decade of John Wesley’s ministry he issued a series of warnings that the increasing tendency of Methodists to retain wealth instead of sharing it with those in need correlated directly with a decline in their spiritual growth and in the progress of the revival. Wesley suggests a correlation between engagement with the poor and spiritual growth.

Today we struggle with this perception. We put personal spirituality in an antithetical relationship with concern for social ministry.

Yet it says in our Book of Discipline—and I suspect this one of being inspired by the Holy Spirit: “We proclaim no personal gospel that fails to express itself in relevant social concerns; we proclaim no social gospel that does not include the personal transformation of sinners.” (¶ 101) This creative tension signifies Methodism. This is our DNA. If it doesn’t, we are something else. Lord have mercy on us.

As Colin Morris said in his book Include Me Out, “If there is still time left for Methodism, it can only be stirred into action if the power is connected between the two poles: Christ’s love and human suffering, if we feel the full effect of the strength of the first and the monstrosity of the latter.” Jesus sent out his disciples to proclaim and to live his gospel of wholeness. And he said “If any want to become my followers let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” Lord, we want to follow you—have mercy on us!

Bishop Christian Alsted, The Nordic & Baltic area

Study #9: The Woman Who Touched Jesus’ Cloak

Mark 5:25-34
Now there was a woman who had been suffering from hemorrhages for twelve years. She had endured much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had; and she was no better, but rather grew worse. She had heard about Jesus, and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, for she said, “If I but touch his clothes, I will be made well.” Immediately her hemorrhage stopped; and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease. Immediately aware that power had gone forth from him, Jesus turned about in the crowd and said, “Who touched my clothes?” And his disciples said to him, “You see the crowd pressing in on you; how can you say, ‘Who touched me?’” He looked all around to see who had done it. But the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came in fear and trembling, fell down before him, and told him the whole truth. He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.” 

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If I could just touch Jesus, even for only a minute, all will be well, Phoebe thought.

She had traveled a long way to see Jesus. Everyone had told her not to bother making the journey. “You will never be cured,” they said. “The physicians have done all they can for you. You must simply learn to endure
the pain. You will never be anything more than a diseased woman.”

But Phoebe could not accept that, even though she could feel the grip the disease had on her. She knew the physicians had tried everything. Mostly she had tried to do as they asked. If they told her not to eat certain foods, she had tried that. If they told her to walk for at least four hours every day, she tried that
too. She even tried resting when they told her that her body needed to gain strength to endure yet another treatment protocol.

As much as she tried to stay positive, Phoebe had her moments of despair too. There were times when she believed that the disease lingered despite the best efforts of the physicians, because she somehow deserved
the pain. Maybe there was some failing in her that caused the illness or at least caused the inability of her body to fight off the illness.

Something in Phoebe, despite these dark moments, never gave up. If she could just keep fighting long enough for the physicians to find something new to try, this time it would work. This time they would find a way to heal her. Phoebe kept hope alive in herself longer than her family or her physicians kept hope alive in them.

Then Phoebe heard people in the village talk about Jesus. When Phoebe heard their stories about Jesus, she knew he was the one. Jesus was the one who would heal her. On a clear, crisp spring day, Phoebe set out to find Jesus with her family’s attempts to dissuade her still ringing in her ears.

When she came to the town where Jesus was speaking after three long days on the road, she wanted to weep for joy. Then she saw the crowds and thought, have I come this far only to be prevented from speaking with him? She followed Jesus around for an entire day, never finding an opportunity to approach him, because the size of the crowd was too large and her own nerves got in the way as well. Finally, when she heard that he was going to move on, she knew she had to seize her chance. I don’t really need to talk with him, she thought, just a touch will do. He will never know and then I won’t have to face him and actually ask for his help.

Phoebe touched Jesus’ cloak lightly and felt warm, strong, healing energy radiate from Jesus the moment she made contact. Ahh, she thought, I did it, and began to ease away.

Just then, Jesus turned and looked at her directly and said, “Who touched my cloak?” He continued to look around, but she knew he was only doing it for the benefit of the crowd. He had seen her, but was not going to call her out. Instead, he was inviting her to come forward, claim her space, and publicly assert her right to receive healing.

The instant she stepped forward, Jesus turned to her with an encouraging smile, and then grasped her hands when she fell to her knees in front of him. The crowd parted and gave them room. When Jesus said, “Your
faith has made you well,” Phoebe knew her life would never be the same. And it wasn’t. Phoebe later became a respected deacon of the church, and she never forgot the lesson of being willing to seek and accept healing.

Often, those who suffer from addiction or who have experienced abuse carry a great deal of shame. Think about what you would say to someone who was carrying the shame related to addiction or abuse, or what you might say to yourself. What are the healing words you might say to that person? What are the healing words you need to hear yourself at this time? If the person who needs healing is you, is there someone you would be willing to talk to about what holds you back from seeking healing?

Have you ever wanted to engage or reengage with a familiar Bible story? Midrash stories, like the one above, are a retelling of a biblical story. Midrash stories take a bit of poetic license and ask, what if, or what came
next, so that the reader can see the story in new and unexpected ways. Writing your own Midrash story is a great way to jump into the story and create your own healing moment.

Questions for Reflection and Discussion

• Have there been times you have tried to seek healing in secret without anyone knowing you were in pain, because you were ashamed of needing help?
• Have you had an experience of kneeling down before God and telling the whole truth without reservation? What did it feel like to be that honest and open?
• How far are you willing to go to find the healing and peace that you need?

Maureen Cleary, USA

Study #8: Healing the Hurt

Genesis 4:1-9
Now the man knew his wife Eve, and she conceived and bore Cain, saying, “I have produced a man with the help of the Lord.” Next she bore his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, and Cain a tiller of the ground. ^2
3 
In the course of time Cain brought to the Lord an offering of the fruit of the ground, and Abel for his part brought of the firstlings of his flock, their fat portions. And the Lord had regard for Abel and his offering, but for Cain and his offering he had no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell. ^45
6 
The Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why has your countenance fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is lurking at the door; its desire is for you, but you must master it.” ^7
8 
Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let us go out to the field.” And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel, and killed him.
⁹ 
Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?” He said, “I do not know; am I my brother’s keeper?”

Addiction affects the entire family. Though one or more family members may participate in addictive behaviors, non-using members suffer consequences due to poor choices and, sometimes, criminal activity of those with the disease of addiction. This became my own reality when my addiction to rage and alcohol
destroyed my first marriage.

Negative behaviors and poor choices made by the addict generate powerful emotions in the addicted person, family members, employers, and coworkers. The hurts increase with each loss—marriage, jobs, parental rights, incarceration, etc. One of the best examples of emotionally laden familial conflict is expressed in the story of Cain and Abel.

The story demonstrates the hard feelings that can spring up between siblings. Similar hurts occur when addiction stresses or fractures relationships between parents and children, employers and employees, spouses, neighbors, and coworkers. Disappointment, frustration, and broken promises abound!

As the disease evolves and the addict’s life becomes more unmanageable, intense pressure builds to explain behaviors. Consequently, addicts isolate themselves, blame others, attempt to avoid responsibility, and spend more time directly involved in obtaining and using their “drug of choice”—whether alcohol, illicit drugs, overeating, internet pornography, work, or other potentially fatal activities.

In spite of the divisive nature of addictive behaviors, healing of the hurts can be achieve through the “12 Steps.” The first step is to “admit we are powerless over the addiction and our lives have become unmanageable.” Second, “we have come to believe that a power greater than ourselves can restore us to sanity.” And, third, “we make a decision to turn our lives and our will over to God.” These first three of the 12 Steps lay the foundation upon which we build a healthier life.

Although we can’t control addicts, we can make healthy choices for ourselves. Starting the healing process can only come from an active relationship with God. Over time, we accept that we can’t stop the downward spiral of pain and suffering in addicts, and realize we don’t have to agree with their behaviors. Such acceptance and realization empowers us to remain in relationship with addicts, while disconnecting from their lifestyle and negative consequences in our lives.

Just as addicts must enter “treatment” to find recovery, we enter treatment to release addict and regain manageability of our own lives. We learn to make positive choices and set boundaries that protect us from the addicts’ behaviors.

We must become completely honest with ourselves open minded. Close friends, fellow believers, coworkers, and others can offer “input” to help us understand some of the self-defeating behaviors we developed that may have actually contributed to the addict’s behaviors. We need to be willing to do whatever it takes to become healthy in our spiritual and emotional lives. Through the sanctifying grace of God, we can be
empowered to become whole, if we will surrender and act upon the directives we discover.

While time may heal many things, healing the hurts of addiction demands action, as well as time. The changes we desire both in our loved ones and in our own lives will not come easily or swiftly. Sadly, for some addicts, the change may not come at all. Commitment to the process, support from loving friends, and the anointing of the Holy Spirit will, however, bring us amazing results. Don’t give up before the “miracle” happens!

Questions for Reflection and Discussion

• How do you really feel toward the addict?
• How do you really feel toward yourself? Toward God?
• How might you have enabled the addict in your life?
• What goal or goals can you set today that will move
you toward willingness?

Fred A. Goodwin, USA

Study #7: Communal Healing

Mark 2:1-12
When he returned to Capernaum after some days, it was reported that he was at home. So many gathered around that there was no longer room for them, not even in front of the door; and he was speaking the word to them. Then some people came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them. And when they could not bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him; and after having dug through it, they let down the mat on which the paralytic lay. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts, “Why does this fellow speak in this way? It is blasphemy! Who can forgive sins but God alone?” At once Jesus perceived in his spirit that they were discussing these questions among themselves; and he said to them, “Why do you raise such questions in your hearts? Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Stand up and take your mat and walk’? But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins” —he said to the paralytic— “I say to you, stand up, take your mat and go to your home.” And he stood up, and immediately took the mat and went out before all of them; so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!” ^{23456789101112}

Recently I attended the “Launch Pad Family Reunion,” an annual gathering of friends who are part of a recovery home network in our community. Some of the friends currently live at one of the homes, some have “graduated” from the program, and others have loved ones (sons, daughters, spouses, parents) currently living in the homes. People came from far and near to celebrate the recovery they have experienced in their lives. There were people there with 25 years of recovery and people with 25 days. We celebrated with great food, lots of laughter, good music, and inspiring speakers throughout the weekend.

“John” (name changed), the Saturday-night speaker, was celebrating 25 years of recovery from alcohol addiction. Tears ran from my eyes, from laughter one minute and from moving testimony the next. One of the themes that I heard over and over in his testimony was: “You people kept me coming back. You people helped me make it. You people helped me stay sober.”

Many of the people at the reunion had heard John speak before, but few, if any, had actually been around when he was working to get sober himself. However, people like the folks at the reunion had been there supporting and encouraging John to take it one day at a time, to change his surroundings when he felt the desire to drink alcohol and to call his sponsor when times were rough. John’s recovery had been and continues to be a communal healing.

Mark’s account of Jesus healing the paralytic who had been let down through the roof is a communal healing. The paralyzed man needed to get to Jesus, but his paralysis and other people blocking the way prevented that from happening. I don’t know how the paralytic managed to get his friends to take him to Jesus. Maybe it was the friends who got word that the One who heals was back at home, and now was the chance to help their friend.

The four friends used a makeshift stretcher to carry their friend, and all seemed to be going well until they got to the house where Jesus was teaching. People had packed the house and had spilled over into the yard. No
one moved away from the door as the friends approached the house.

“Excuse me, please. We need to get our friend to Jesus.”

The folks looked at the friends as if to say “Too bad. You should have gotten here earlier.”

The friends would not be stopped. There had to be another way to get to Jesus. The roof! Carefully, they carried their friend onto the roof, pulled it away, and even more carefully let their friend down into the healing presence of Jesus.

I’m amazed at their persistence and creativity. Would the crowd have dissuaded me? I’m also amazed at their selfishness. Shouldn’t they have moved aside? Someone needed to get to Jesus and all they could think about
was their own need.

The church is called to be the friend that gets those in need to Jesus. Sometimes we have to get out of the way, sometimes we have to carry folks, and sometimes we have to be creative with new openings to Jesus. “John” needed others to encourage, support, and love him during his recovery. Isn’t this Christ’s call to the church—to participate communally in the healing of the broken and the lost?

Questions for Reflection and Discussion

• How have you experienced healing as a communal event?
• Where do you see signs of the church participating in recovery ministries?
• How do we in the church (unintentionally or intentionally) dissuade folks needing recovery from “getting to Jesus”?
• What new ways can you/your church encourage folks in recovery?

Rev. Trish Archer, USA

Introduction to Healing: Healing in Community

Luke 13:11-13
And just then there appeared a woman with a spirit that had crippled her for eighteen years. She was bent over and was quite unable to stand up straight. When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said, “Woman, you are set free from your ailment.” When he laid his hands on her, immediately she stood up straight and began praising God. ¹²¹³

I went in for an annual physical checkup. The nurse did the usual, first measuring my weight and my height. I saw that she wrote down, “5 feet, 7 inches.”

“I am not 5 feet, 7 inches,” I said.

She looked surprised and said that indeed I was. I resisted, telling her that I had never been taller than 5 feet, 6 inches, although sometimes I had been 5 feet, 51⁄2 inches. She began to be a bit irritated with the resistance I was displaying to her measurement. Finally, she stepped back and, holding her clipboard, shook her pen at me, saying with finality, “You may have been 5 feet, 51⁄2 inches at some point in your life, but you are 5 feet, 7 inches today!” She stalked off down the hall, then turned and came back. “I’ll tell you something else. Most people are taller than they think they are!”

Let me put the experience in context: For about a year, a spiritual friend had been responding to discouragements and anxieties in my life with the simple mantra, “Stand tall.” I had listened to her and without consciously doing so had begun to stand taller, literally taller.

Such is the interplay in health and wholeness. God beautifully intertwines all aspects of our lives and health. God created us for physical, mental, spiritual, and relational health. Health in any of these areas is life giving for us in a holistic way.

Jesus healed a woman who had been bent over for 18 years. We do not know the nature of the “spirit,” but we do know that she could not stand up straight.

Our incapacities, pains, illnesses, and addictions are all difficult reminders of our human frailty. We live in the midst of temptations and dangers. We look to God, who breathed life into us, for strength and help.

Like the woman in this Bible story, we are a bent-over people. Just as Jesus came to the woman in the Bible story, so Jesus comes to us as a Great Physician. When God touches us through the power of the Holy Spirit, we experience strengthening and healing. God in Jesus Christ is our constant companion through the temptations and dangers, the accidents and injuries of our lives.

We are painfully aware that all who turn to God do not experience instantaneous healing. Healing is complex and mysterious, most often taking time, prayer, patience, and perseverance.

We are healed most often in community, where we are loved and supported. Standing less than straight, we need the companionship and encouragement of others. We need to be connected to others who have also struggled in the journey toward health.

The church of Jesus Christ, from the earliest days, has been a community of healing. Jesus Christ began his ministry among us in Galilee, healing and casting out demons. People were amazed at the wonderful things that they saw Jesus do (Mark 1-2). Those who experienced the saving grace of Jesus Christ turned their gaze to a hurting world. The stories of the early church include stories of healing (Acts 5:12-16). The Bible contains instructions for us: when we are sick, we are to turn to the church and receive prayers for healing, along with anointing of oil. The promise remains sure: the prayers of the faithful will save the sick and the Lord will raise
them up, and those who have committed sins will be forgiven (James 5).

Christians in The United Methodist Church have deep roots in the ministry of healing. John Wesley was attentive to the physical needs of people, establishing ministries for caring for the sick and distributing medicine to those in need. He advised the people called Methodists to take care of their bodies through nutritious diet, exercise, and rest. He wrote a book called Primitive Physick that advised drinking water rather than tea, eating vegetables, riding a horse, or walking daily. Primitive Physick also listed ailments, alphabetically, with simple remedies. This book outsold the Bible on the western frontier in the United States in the 19th century. John Wesley had in his home an exercise machine that mimicked the movement of a horse, and he carried a medical bag with him for pastoral visits. Healing is a part of the character of the Wesleyanway of life and ministry.

It is essential that we live out of our heritage as faithful followers of Jesus Christ, the Great Physician. As we live with constant awareness and gratitude to God who gave us life, we experience healing power. As we live together with thanksgiving for our human family and our spiritual community, we experience healing power. As we encourage one another toward habits of healthy living, we experience healing power. As we give attention to food, drink, rest, exercise, and social interaction, we find that we become more whole, more free, more faithfully children of God.

It is essential that every United Methodist church awake to its calling and spiritual destiny as a center of healing. In every place, United Methodists can love God and one another, can live with intentionality in regard to healthy living, and can offer ministries of healing in their communities. When John Wesley wrote, “The world is my parish,” he meant, “Wherever in the world I am, that is my parish.” Let us reclaim our parishes, our world, in healing ministry. It is essential that we grow into our full identity as followers of Jesus, as apostles bearing healing power, as Methodists embracing the world in love.

Bishop Hope Morgan Ward, Mississippi Conference

Study #6: Health in Five Equal Parts

Romans 7:15-25
^{16171819202122232425}I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. Now if I do what I do not want, I agree that the law is good. But in fact it is no longer I that do it, but sin that dwells within me. For I know that nothing good dwells within me, that is, in my flesh. I can will what is right, but I cannot do it. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I that do it, but sin that dwells within me. So I find it to be a law that when I want to do what is good, evil lies close at hand. For I delight in the law of God in my inmost self, but I see in my members another law at war with the law of my mind, making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with my mind I am a slave to the law of God, but with my flesh I am a slave to the law of sin.

3 John 1:2
Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, just as it is well with your soul.

Romans 12:1-2
²I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect.

John 15:3-10
^4567810You have already been cleansed by the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing. Whoever does not abide in me is thrown away like a branch and withers; such branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask for whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples. As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love.

Daniel 4:33-35
³⁵Immediately the sentence was fulfilled against Nebuchadnezzar. He was driven away from human society, ate grass like oxen, and his body was bathed with the dew of heaven, until his hair grew as long as eagles’ feathers and his nails became like birds’ claws. When that period was over, I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my reason returned to me. I blessed the Most High, and praised and honored the one who lives forever. For his sovereignty is an everlasting sovereignty, and his kingdom endures from generation to generation. All the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, and he does what he wills with the host of heaven and the inhabitants of the earth. There is no one who can stay his hand or say to him, “What are you doing?”

Acts 3:7
And he took him by the right hand and raised him up; and immediately his feet and ankles were made strong.

2 Corinthians 6:14-18
^15161718Do not be mismatched with unbelievers. For what partnership is there between righteousness and lawlessness? Or what fellowship is there between light and darkness? What agreement does Christ have with Beliar? Or what does a believer share with an unbeliever? What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, “I will live in them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Therefore come out from them, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch nothing unclean; then I will welcome you, and I will be your father, and you shall be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.”

Galatians 5:22-25
By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also be guided by the Spirit. ²³²⁴²⁵

The disease of addiction, whether it is to drugs, alcohol, food, sex, gambling, shopping, or any other thing done to excess in order to numb unwanted and painful feelings, is a powerful and encompassing issue.
Disease simply means a body not at ease. The disease of addiction affects the whole person. A whole person is made up of equal and distinct parts dependent on each other. These parts are viewed in a circle, much as a wedding ring, which has no beginning or end, made of precious materials and a symbol of something greater. The parts are biological, psychological, social, spiritual, and volitional/ by choice. To achieve wholeness in addiction recovery requires recognition and healing of each of these parts. (Romans 7:15-25)

Biological (3 John 1:2, Romans 12:1-2)
John comments on his concern for his friend’s health. Physical health is often the first part to heal. To neglect one portion of our wholeness will affect our overall health and well being. We know, for instance, that drugs such as cocaine have a huge impact on the heart, liver, and circulatory system.

Psychological (John 15:3-10, Daniel 4:33-35)
John tells us of how God wants us to reclaim the lost parts of ourselves just as the woman searched for the lost coin. This part of wholeness refers to our thinking. In drug addiction, obsession and compulsion run rampant. Obsession is the thought of using and compulsion is the act of using drugs.

Social (Acts 3:7)
We do not live in this world independently of others. The disease of addiction wants to isolate us and keep us for its own. Socially, the disease of addiction affects us through our relationships with others—our family connections, our finances, how we live in our world. “We,” being the first word in the 12 Steps, implies our own inability to get into recovery without the help of another, just as we did not get into addiction on our own.

Spiritual (2 Corinthians 6:14-18)
The fourth portion of wholeness is spiritual. Achievement of spiritual wholeness comes through daily talking with God (prayer) and listening to God (meditation). When an addict is in constant turmoil in his or her addiction, there is no room for a spiritual path. God becomes apparent in recovery through the 12 Steps, and we see just what God wants us to be.

Volitional/By Choice (Galatians 5:22-25)
To complete the circle of wholeness, we have to include choice. When addicts use, they lose the ability to choose to stop their addiction. The drug lives on while the person only exists. Addicts state, “I live to use and use to live.” This is the nature of volition. Getting into recovery, finding peace and serenity, working a recovery program, all give choice back to one’s life.

Questions for Reflection and Discussion

• How does God want us to treat our bodies?
• How does God help to quiet our minds and steer our thinking?
• Who has your addiction affected?
• When you felt at your lowest in active addiction, where was God?
• What choices do you now have?

Dr. Ronsonlyn Clark, USA

Study #5: Mind, Body, Spirit, Community

Matthew 4:23-24 (KJV)
And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people. And his fame went throughout all Syria: and they brought unto him all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and torments, and those which were possessed with devils, and those which were lunatick, and those that had the palsy; and he healed them.

In Matthew chapters 4—9, Jesus demonstrated the healing power of God. Through Jesus, people were healed from mental disorders or tormenting spirits (mind), from physical dysfunction commanding the paralytic to take up his bed and walk (body), and by casting out devils from the dumb man who was possessed (spirit). As an extension to the dynamics of Jesus’ healing power, he rebuked the wind, and calmed the sea (community). There are many Gospel accounts of Jesus’ healing ministry. In each Gospel, Jesus demonstrated a holistic approach in each healing event.

Substance abuse affects the proper unison between mind, body, spirit, and community. The first human characteristic that suffers when addiction sets in is spirituality. Addiction alters everything in one’s being. This type of affliction is described in Matthew 4:24 (KJV) as “divers diseases.” It is a diversity of illnesses.

We are all commanded by Jesus to do the same in our communities. Matthew 9:37 (KJV) states that “the harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few.”

As a recovering person from drugs for more than 15 years, God has placed it upon my heart to redirect my attention to now serve those who are challenged with substance abuse issues. For many years, I ran from this calling, because I did not want to be reminded of what happened to me. The emotional pain and embarrassment associated with substance abuse was too unbearable for me to face. I distanced myself
from everything associated with substance abuse, yet there was a constant tugging on my heart to serve God’s people who are in recovery. I accomplished many great things, but I did not have peace of mind, prosperity in my spirit, and healing in my body.

Recently, I submitted to God’s direction for my life and completed an internship at Theressa Hoover United Methodist Church in Little Rock, Arkansas, where I worked with substance abusers. What I witnessed, after six weeks of training, was healing in duality. Not only did the treatment program’s residents receive healing
from my work with them, I also was being healed. The time I spent running from my past was also the time I spent running from my healing. I realized that I had not allowed the spirit of God to fully restore my mind, body, spirit, and community, even though I’ve been sober for nearly two decades.

The power of Jesus’ teachings is so prevalent today. There are diverse conditions of illness integrated within substance abuse. Just as Jesus went out to heal the sick, I came to the Hoover Treatment Center in a similar way to heal those who are sick and suffering from addictions. It aligned my spiritual path to renewed healing.

Questions for Reflection and Discussion

• Can you think of ways you’ve limited God’s healing power in your life in recovery?
• Do you feel that you are healed in mind, body, and spirit? If not, what areas need healing?
• Do you accept your past, and if so, do you forgive yourself for what happened?
• Do you understand the mind, body, spirit, and community connection and how that relates to wholeness, health, and healing from addictions?

O’Dell Johnson, USA

Study #4: Restorative Faith Can Nurse You Back to Health

2 Corinthians 12:9-11 (NIV)
But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.  That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. I have made a fool of myself, but you drove me to it. I ought to have been commended by you, for I am not in the least inferior to the “super-apostles,” even though I am nothing.

In Maua, Kenya, we grow a drug that is called miraa (sometimes known as knat). It grows on a tree, and three-to-four-inch long twigs are cut and chewed. Miraa has the same components as amphetamines. Originally, elders used it in special ceremonies, but now it is used widely by the men who grow the miraa in our area. Many of the men chew miraa constantly, which as we have seen causes a variety of problems.

One characteristic of the use of miraa is erratic emotional behavior. Thus, Maua Methodist Hospital’s surgical ward looks much more like a trauma ward than a normal surgical ward. The ward always has many men who have cuts from a panga, which is similar to a machete. Usually the violence is against family members, because of arguments over land and miraa trees. When you walk into one of the male wards you can feel the anger and hate seething from the victims of violence. Often the desire for revenge is their total focus.

Linet Wanja was a 23-year-old mother of two boys and the wife of Ayub. One night, Ayub, after using miraa and drinking alcohol, dragged Linet out of their tiny home and cut her 23 times. Both arms had been severed three to four inches above the wrist, her right foot was dangling by a piece of skin, and there were cuts on her face, ear, back, legs, chest, and head.

After two weeks of intensive care, Linet’s condition stabilized and it was clear she would live. She shared that she had been thinking and praying and had made the decision to forgive her husband. She refused to press charges against him. In my visits with her, I was surprised at her strength, her will to live, her hope, and her
faith in God. Most amazing was her lack of anger, malice, or desire for revenge. There was a quiet, peaceful, even joyful feeling that seemed to permeate Linet’s hospital ward and all those who entered.

Shortly after Linet went home to live with her father, his wife and young child, her two brothers, and her two sons, her father died. Her stepmother soon ran away, taking her child. Due to traditional beliefs, Linet’s brothers could do no personal care for her. Soon her two sons were taken by a nearby orphanage, since Linet could not care for them physically or financially.

Recently, Linet had a thanksgiving service at her church to thank God for all His goodness and love. To see goodness after all the losses, pain, and suffering she has experienced is a miracle. Linet radiates that goodness through her reliance on God’s love. That fateful night, her physical life was changed forever. Spiritually, Linet has been enriched and has grown by overcoming evil actions with love and forgiveness. Linet is a modern-day saint that reminds us who “nothing is impossible with God,” and indeed it is in our weakness that God can show His strength.

Questions for Reflection and Discussion

• What choices have you made when you have faced pain and suffering?
• What choices are possible for each of us in the face of pain and suffering?
• How hard is it to admit you are weak and need help?
• Who can help you when you are facing difficult situations and unbearable physical or emotional pain?

Jerri L. Savuto, R.N., Kenya

Introduction to Health: Healthy Living from the Inside Out

3rd John
The elder to the beloved Gaius, whom I love in truth.
2 
Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, just as it is well with your soul. I was overjoyed when some of the friends^* arrived and testified to your faithfulness to the truth, namely, how you walk in the truth. I have no greater joy than this, to hear that my children are walking in the truth. ³⁴
5 
Beloved, you do faithfully whatever you do for the friends,^* even though they are strangers to you; they have testified to your love before the church. You will do well to send them on in a manner worthy of God; for they began their journey for the sake of Christ,^* accepting no support from non-believers.^* Therefore we ought to support such people, so that we may become co-workers with the truth. ⁶⁷⁸
9 
I have written something to the church; but Diotrephes, who likes to put himself first, does not acknowledge our authority. So if I come, I will call attention to what he is doing in spreading false charges against us. And not content with those charges, he refuses to welcome the friends,^* and even prevents those who want to do so and expels them from the church. ¹⁰
11 
Beloved, do not imitate what is evil but imitate what is good. Whoever does good is from God; whoever does evil has not seen God. Everyone has testified favourably about Demetrius, and so has the truth itself. We also testify for him,^* and you know that our testimony is true. ¹²
13 
I have much to write to you, but I would rather not write with pen and ink; instead I hope to see you soon, and we will talk together face to face. ¹⁴
15 
Peace to you. The friends send you their greetings. Greet the friends there, each by name.

It was one of those talk radio shows where people bare their souls. The topic of discussion was healthy living. The woman caller described years of “unhealthy relationships,” “dis-ease” of spirit and body, and endless cycles of “self medication” with alcohol and various legal and illegal drugs. “I want to be healthy,” she said, “from the inside out!”

One of the shortest books in the Bible is the 3rd Letter of John. In my edition of the Bible (NRSV), it takes less than a page, only 15 verses, to highlight three important dimensions of healthy living…from the inside out.

1) “I pray that…you may be in good health, just as it is well with your soul.” (3 John 2) As that woman caller did, bare your soul. Is it well? Health begins at the core of our being. When the soul is troubled, it is often reflected in the healthiness of our minds and bodies.

Every time I go to my physician for a checkup, among the standard questions the nurse asks during the intake is, “Are you fearful?” That is a soul question. Jesus again and again says, “Fear not.” He says, “Peace be with you.” (See John 20:19) Are you full of fears? Is it well with your soul?

In reflecting on the addictions and death of Michael Jackson, one commentator suggested that, “His soul was sick.” In turn, it took a toll on his mind and body. Again and again, Jesus’ health-giving ministry of healing addressed both the matters of the soul (forgiveness, hope, faith, love) as well as the body. He understood the needs for transformation inside out. He offered the “higher power” that touches the deepest needs of our lives.

2) “You walk in the truth.” (3 John 3, 4) Twice John affirms walking in the truth and in doing so, “we may become co-workers with the truth.” (3 John 8) The woman caller on the radio was facing the truth of her unhealthy life that had affected her body, mind, and relationships. Facing the truth of our reality can be the first step to health. When Jesus met the paralyzed man at the pool of Bethesda who had been lying there for 38 years, Jesus asked him, “Do you want to be made well?” The man avoided the question by blaming others for his inability to reach the healthful waters. Then came the moment of truth. Jesus said to him, “Stand up…” and he got up and walked. (John 5:2-9)

This is a dramatic story of the truth of our own excuses, the truth of Christ’s presence with us, the truth of whether we really want to be healthy or not, and the truth that we can be “co-workers with the truth” in walking into a new future.

The greatest truth of all is that we are all “Beloved.” John repeats it three times. (3 John 2, 5, 11) God’s love for us sets us free to do the truth telling of confession and be unconditionally forgiven. God’s love for us sets us free to live into the new truth of healthy living inside out; to be the beloved who does “not imitate what is evil but imitate what is good.” (3 John 11)

3) “Together face to face.” (3 John 14) The move toward healthy living from the inside out is a communal
journey of “friends.” John’s last words are, “Greet the friends there, each by name.” We walk together with God and one another. Health clubs are built on the notion that people draw inspiration and wisdom from others as they pursue healthy lives together. Jesus gathers his disciples together, face to face.

Thus, we gather for worship; we gather for study; we gather for 12-Step programs; we gather to help others; we are the body of Christ together. We pray for each other; we weep and rejoice with each other; we hold each other accountable; we love our neighbor as we love ourselves. We even call help lines and radio shows with thousands of others in on the conversation, the truth telling, the belovedness, the next steps to standing up into healthy living inside out.

Never try to take the journey alone. Others are there. God is there. So John proclaims: “Peace (shalom, health) to you.” (3 John 15)

Bishop Peter Weaver, New England Conference

Study #3: Without Hope There Is Not Life!

Romans 8:24 (NASB)
For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees? 

The word “hope” is the second in the eternal triad—faith, hope, and love—from these three things depend luck and happiness in our life.

Every day I hope to get up from my bed healthy and with a good mood.

Every day I hope to see my six-year-old daughter smiling and having fun.

Every day I hope that my husband will come back home safe.

Every day I hope that God will take care of me…

I grew up in a five-children family. I was a happy child and I was loved. But I remember that every time playing outside with brothers and sisters and friends, we would see coming back home from work our dad, and we would leave our friends and run back home quickly, proclaiming that dad is coming back drunk again…

It was such a shame for us, that our dad was not normal, not drinking like others on weekends…he was drinking every single day. My mom always had hope that one day he will stop! That he will stop drinking…

She had hope when they decided to try to have a son after three daughters—it did not help; she had hope when she decided to go for holiday with only him—it did not help; she had hope when she brought him to a special hospital for people with such problems—it helped just for a while. When he would meet his old friend he would begin his routine again…

She had a good sense of humor, she would joke that our dad has golden hands (it means that he was very creative), but also a golden throat (it means that he likes to drink alcohol). She prayed to God for help. She was a strong woman, but my dad was weak. He became weak so soon because of his addiction to alcohol. He was not himself; the addiction took power over him.

So one day my mom needed to make a choice. She did not want to live such a life. She did not want that her children would have such an example in their lives. She made the choice to save her children, even though she loved our dad very much. My dad started a new life with a new woman, but he still is addicted to alcohol. That woman is trying different ways to have faith with his addiction. But it is very difficult. He never calls us, he never tries to visit us. We don’t feel any connection with him. And we don’t want to be connected. Now we have our own life and our children just know that they do have a grandfather, but they never saw him.

But, still I believe that there is hope. There is hope for the new life. There is hope for resurrection. And I am thankful to God for my dad, for the life he gave to us, for the brothers and sisters he gave to me. I am thankful for his lessons in my childhood. For all the crafts he made for us, and all the jokes he shared with me.

Prayer
Dear God the Father, let our hope in Jesus Christ be strong and real, even when we are in darkness or in shadows. Let him make us strong always. Then we will go without fear by the right way. Amen.

Questions for Reflection and Discussion
• Do you believe that there is hope in your life?
• What would you do if you would have a person who is addicted to alcohol in your family?
• How would you help him or her?
• Do you think this person has hope for a new life?

Egle Chomyniene, Lithuania

Study #2: Hope

Acts 28:20
"For this reason therefore I have asked to see you and speak with you, since it is for the sake of the hope of Israel that I am bound with this chain.” 

Psalm 71:5
For you, O Lord, are my hope, my trust, O Lord, from my youth.

Psalm 146:5
Happy are those whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord their God. 

Romans 4:18
Hoping against hope, he believed that he would become “the father of many nations,” according to what was said, “So numerous shall your descendants be.” 

Job 4:6 (NIV)
Should not your piety be your confidence and your blameless ways your hope?

“I believe in the sun, even when it’s not shining…” (From “I Believe in Love” by BarlowGirl)

These December days in northern Russia are very short; when you wake up it’s dark and when you go to bed it’s dark as well. On days like these you especially crave warmth and light. And we all hope—I’d even say we are more than certain—that before the year is out light will conquer darkness and the days will gradually grow longer.

These are the days when we all await Christ’s birth. Our God has many names; one of them is “the hope of Israel.” (Acts 28:20) He is our hope too. The psalm singer says, “For you have been my hope, Sovereign Lord, my confidence since my youth.” (Psalm 71:5, NIV)  We anxiously await Jesus’ birth and thus hope that through his birth, death, and resurrection He will again defeat the forces of evil, darkness, injustice, and oppression. We are confident that He will be our ally in conquering our sinful nature. He will be by our side when we face temptations and will never forsake us.

My personal experience proves this truth. I was a beer addict some two years ago. You could barely count two days a week when I didn’t hit the bottle. I liked it. Therein lies the devil’s trap: you simply like to sin. Beer tastes good, it helps you relax after a hard day, takes you to a world where there are no problems or matters of urgency. Then one summer I realized I was in trouble: more and more often I would be thinking about a drink, would try to finish some task as quickly as possible to “reward” myself with a beer. I understood the situation was troublesome. At the same time I didn’t feel the strength within me to kick the addiction. Moreover, I liked it! There is a good verse in the Bible: “Blessed is he...whose hope is in the Lord his God.” (Psalm 146:5, NIV) I realized I couldn’t deal with this sin with my own strength or righteousness; then I prayed to God to give me the desire and fortitude to overcome this addiction. It worked! Two or three weeks later I was free of alcohol addiction. I remain free to this day.

In the modern Russian language the word “hope” sounds like something vague, uncertain, and weak. While studying the Scripture, I found that in the biblical sense, “hope” has nothing to do with weakness or uncertainty. On the contrary, it is that to which you must apply your will and efforts. Take Abraham, for example. By all the laws of nature, this man of God stood no chance of becoming “the father of many nations.” But as Paul writes, “Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed…” (Romans 4:18, NIV) Amazing, isn’t it? I wish I had faith like that! I wish we all had hope in the biblical sense—hope bound by absolute confidence and conviction that God is mighty and wants to save each and every one.

Questions for Reflection and Discussion

• How would you interpret the following verse: “Should not your piety be your confidence and your blameless ways your hope?” (Job 4:6, NIV)
• Have you ever lost all hope because of something? What did you feel at that moment and what actions did you take?
• What shade of meaning has the word “hope” in the language you speak? Does it coincide with the biblical
meaning?
• Can we overcome addiction on our own? If yes, why? If no, why?

Vladimir Ditmar, Russia

Study #1: God Is Everywhere and Now Is the Accepted Time

2 Corinthians 6:2
For he says, “At an acceptable time I have listened to you, and on a day of salvation I have helped you.” See, now is the acceptable time; see, now is the day of salvation! 

Psalm 139:7-11 (KJV)
Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?
If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.
If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea;
Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.
If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me. ^{8 9 10 11}

Addiction, like any other disease or difficult predicament, can lead to hopelessness, especially when the afflicted person fails again and again and finds herself in the same situation she was in when she started the
journey to recovery.

In the real world, recovery—whether from drugs, alcohol, or other dependency—is a daily, hourly, moment-to-moment process. God is with us all the time (though we may be unaware), so that if we fail in one hour, we have the opportunity to begin anew in the next.

We receive forgiveness seven times seventy times seven hundred times, and each new attempt to get it right carries no weight of past failure. The present is the best position for recovery, and luckily it’s where we happen to be all the time and all that there really is. The clean, always fresh, now.

Now is where we meet God, where we have an ever-renewed chance at salvation. And for transformation, we absolutely need the help of a higher power. We cannot do it alone.

People with dependencies can sometimes feel they have failed so many times that they have gone to a place where recovery and God are beyond reach. But there is no place or condition where God is not present.

Sometimes God can come in the form of another person or a deep part of yourself previously unknown to you. Recently, while rereading parts of Moby Dick by Herman Melville, I came across a chapter devoted to a sermon on Jonah and the whale. It is essentially about hope: the preacher says it’s impossible to escape God,
even if you’re on a ship going in a direction opposite from where you should be headed:

He thinks that a ship made by men will carry 

him into countries where God does not reign....

Or you may be at the lowest point in your life, being digested in the stomach of a whale at the bottom of the ocean:

But God is everywhere....God came upon him in the whale, 

and swallowed him down to living gulfs of doom....

Yet even then beyond the reach of any plummet—’out of the belly of hell’— 

when the whale grounded upon the ocean’s utmost bones, even then,

 God heard the engulphed, repenting prophet when he cried.

Questions for Reflection and Discussion

• When have you ever felt hopeless?
• Where is God present?
• When can healing begin?
• What can you do to inspire hope—in yourself and others?

Dan Licardo, USA

Introduction to Hope: Hope for the World of Addiction

Romans 5:1-5
Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand; and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God. And not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us. 

 ³⁴⁵

Beloved of God, “Hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured in our hearts.” Hope sustains us when all seems to fade away, it is our hope that is there, within us, to push us on, encourage us, uplift us, convict us, and convert us. It is our hope given to us by the resurrected Christ that keeps our faith
grounded, and causes us to be able to take risks.

We are challenged, as The United Methodist Church, as a people of hope, to place ourselves in situations where there is hopelessness and fill these spaces with the hope we know that is in Christ Jesus, our Lord and our Saviour.

How will The United Methodist Church bring about solutions? Can it become a “Saving Station”? For, if our church is to stay alive and vital, it must become a “Saving Station.” We cannot count on a political system or social institutions, as good as they might be; only the church has the ability to appropriate the grace of God that can change the human condition. We are the body of Christ, we are to bring hope, for in us is the Hope of Glory”: “[Our] hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness; [we] dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus’ name....On Christ, the solid Rock, [we] stand; all other ground is sinking sand.” (From “My Hope is Built” by Edward Mote, #367 in The United Methodist Hymnal.) As Christ’s people, we are the bridge of hope for humankind. It might come to us with some painful experiences, for as is freedom, hope is a child of grace. Hope is a gift from God; we cannot earn it; it is freely given to us; for, “suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope.” (From Paul’s letter to the church in Rome.)

When have you brought hope to someone recently? Did you feel the joy it brings to your soul? It is indeed a Hallelujah moment. If we are to bring this hope to a broken world, we must find the means to radically break down the destructive forces, systems, and structures that cause hopelessness and addictive behaviors to exist and thrive in our society. We must think and work seriously to eradicate those forces of sin and evil that so easily keep us from a vision of hope for all humankind and make the possibility of hopefulness elusive for so many of God’s children.

Drugs, alcohol, and violence—three words that are a clarion call for help. When they come to our attention for discussion, they are focused as addictions, i.e., addictive behaviors. In this context, let us reflect on some
words by Dr. Gerald May in his book, Addiction and Grace: “All of us are addicted.” The same processes
that are responsible for addiction to alcohol and drugs are responsible for our addictions to money, work, power, relationships, and all things that tend to enslave us, take all of our time and energy, occupy our existence, and are idols for us, thus separating us from God. These are our addictions.

In 1989, The United Methodist Church was called to address the concern of alcohol, drugs, andviolence in each Episcopal Area around the world. What would have happened if we had sustained our initial interest and action? A thorough compilation of statistical data related to the use and misuse of drugs and alcohol and the violence associated with their illegal usage was placed into the hands of each bishop for his/her Episcopal Area, so that United Methodists would have firsthand knowledge regarding the depth of the scourge against society in cities and towns across their Episcopal Areas. The staff of the General Board of Church and Society and The United Methodist Church Drug Program compiled the material. The material stated clearly
for congregations to hear that:

• Addiction is a disease.

• Addiction is a “spiritual problem.”

• All of us are addicted to something.

• It is through God’s grace that we can be delivered.

• Hope is a child of grace.

• Hope will never be denied us, for God’s love is in each of us, in our hearts, and in our souls. God is in us the hope of glory.

Workshops were held in Washington, DC for all bishops to be resourced by national health leaders
and to dialogue with their congressional leaders regarding the depth of the problems in their
Episcopal Areas. A model plan grew out of these four consultations called a “Saving Station Ministry.”
The United Methodist Church would be known as a Saving Station to welcome people from their addictive
stations in life and to deliver them from their addictions. Curriculum was developed for children, youth, parents, and guardians that led them into an in-depth discussion and gave them guidelines for
deliverance from their addictions. Tent Ministries provided evening worship experiences, where volunteers supported persons who indicated that they were prepared to address their addictions. These persons were accompanied to residences to meet and pray with co-dependent family members. The day after that encounter, volunteers also accompanied “sisters and brothers” to hospitals, clinics, and social-service agencies, waiting with the clients until their immediate needs were addressed. The United Methodist Church lived its motto: “Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors.”

The Church became a Saving Station—a movement, not just a structure—that provided worship for
renewal and conversion, commitment, love, personal support, and “deliverance from evil.” We call
upon The United Methodist Church to a time of renewal and revival and conversion. We call upon
The United Methodist Church to take hold of its spiritual and prophetic power to bring hope to all
persons addicted to whatever it is that blocks them from a vital relationship with God through Jesus
Christ our Lord. Hope is a very small word that is powerful in its meaning.

For those facing the addiction of drugs and alcohol and any other addictions, for those who find the
need to bring violence upon others, know that there is hope: There is healing, health, and holiness; there is an open door to overcoming; there is God’s grace to develop a passionate and empowered spirit. For
hope gives us the willingness to take risks and to do what is right and kind and just. Jesus called us to do
the work of healing the brokenness of the world by providing opportunities for others to grow in Christ.
The question for us is, when the people of the world look at us, do they see hope? Do they see through
our actions the love of Christ? Do they see a way out of their brokenness to a place of hope, forgiveness,
and reconciliation?

Martin Luther King, Jr., in a speech in Memphis, as he reflected on the story of the Good Samaritan,
put it this way: “The question is not what will happen to me if I become involved, but what will happen if I
do not become involved.” As The United Methodist Church, what is our response as we consider how
alcohol, drugs, and violence affect us directly or indirectly? The world awaits our response.

Let us be reawakened to the challenge. Let us be a movement, not a structure. Let us be a people
of hope.

Phyllis Elizabeth May and Bishop Felton Edwin May, retired

Join us for Hope 2012

Thank you for joining us for this Lenten study.  Each Monday, Wednesday, and Friday during Lent will feature a different portion of the study, beginning on Friday, February 24th.  You may access each post directly through the blog or you may sign up to receive email updates using the form on the right-hand side of this page.  You may also subscribe to the blog so that you can read each post in your choice of blog reader or on your smartphone.

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