TB2G! It’s Raining!

Thanks be to God!  It’s Raining!

We very much need the moisture.  The hot sun and winds have dried the landscape.  The rain is falling, very gently, but it is falling.  Thanks be to God!

Moreover, the temperature dropped into the 70s, upper 70s, but 70s nonetheless.  It is actually cooler than at 5:30 this morning.

When the sun shows itself again, it will surely become very muggy.  That’s OK with me.  The volume of rain will likely be slight, but it will be measurable.  Relief is wonderful, even when slight or brief.

TB2G!


+ + +

For Good or Not

Here is a tool that could frighten a person not knowing its purpose:

It is actually quite a wonderful invention, despite its rather intimidating appearance.  It is a tool designed to grant comfort and relief.  It is a shoe stretcher.  It is designed to be used to alleviate pressure on bunions and other troublesome areas of the foot.  It is used to stretch the area of the shoe that would cause pain to the bunion or other oddly shaped part of a person’s foot.

Of course, if applied incorrectly to the shoe, or in some other way misused, it could actually become an instrument of pain or torture.  It could be used to increase agony rather that to relieve it.  Even if used with good intentions but misapplied, it could work the opposite for which it is designed.

For example, if the stretcher is used improperly so that the area is not sufficiently stretched, and yet the suffering person is coerced to wear the improperly stretched shoe anyway, the condition of irritated bunion could be worsened.  If the person is told that the pain is not real and that the stretcher has removed the cause of pain, the person may be further injured emotionally.

Sadly, the Gospel, while not a tool, but nevertheless a means of comfort and relief, is often used improperly so that the result is a worsened state of suffering rather than relief.  It is not the fault of the Gospel that this happens.  Rather the fault is in the misapplication of the Gospel.  Often it is not only misapplied, but entirely misrepresented.

Imagine if the shoe stretcher were given to a person and told to use it to apply pressure to the bunion to reshape the foot to relieve the problem.

As outrageous as this sounds, it is very similar to how many apply the Gospel.  Instead of proclaiming the Gospel as God’s work to address and remove sin and the guilt of sin, people are told to use the Gospel as a means through which they must reshape their lives and eliminate sin and guilt by their own endeavors.  When these attempts fail or make matters worse, then the Gospel itself is reshaped and redefined to make it feel less powerful when it is misused.  Eventually it becomes defined as nothing more than a placebo, a sugar pill in which people hope for relief.

When the shoe stretcher is used rightly, it does provide the promised relief.  It can even reduce the swelling and inflamation.

The Gospel, when used as it has been given to be used, does much more.  It actually heals the disease.  It not only addresses the symptoms but actually restores to the true spiritual health that has been lost.  But this does not happen when those who use it do not believe the efficaciousness of its proper use.

Another example can be gleaned from my experience as an arborist.  I often observe where someone has pruned a dead limb from a tree.  However, it has not been properly pruned and so while it temporarily has a better appearance than having a dead limb extending from the trunk, it nevertheless does not properly close.  The dead stub remains and the fungal growth finds its way into the heartwood of the tree rather than sealing the area against such infection as normally occurs with proper pruning.

From these three crude drawings the contrast can be observed.  The first shows the tree with the dead limb.  The second shows the limb pruned as is commonly seen by those who either don’t know better or don’t care.  The third shows the limb properly pruned near the growth collar, so that the natural compartmentalization by the tree is complemented by the pruning so that the cambium grows over and seals the wound in the least amount of time and without the fungal acids that would be produced by the fungi growing in the dead stub which would digest the tree’s waxy protective sealant.

Improper pruning is no more effective than leaving the ugly dead limb.  Both result in the fungal growth that eventually may infect the heartwood of the tree.  Both result in the cambium improperly growing outward over the remaining dead material so that a hollow area is produced that catches moisture and fungal spores.

The proper pruning eliminates the deadwood, thereby eliminating the fungal growth.  The cambium grows straight across the wound, sealing it properly.  Heart rot from such a pruned limb is much less likely.

The Gospel is something like this, but even better.  One who hears the Gospel for what the Scriptures actually declare it to be will readily see the comparison.  The Gospel actually does much more than mere pruning of deadwood or diseased limbs from a tree.  It actually restores life where death and decay have already occurred.  But that only happens when and where the Gospel is actually administered in its purity and as it has been given to be used.

+ + +

Our Daily Bread in ALL Things

     My dear friend Gary Cepek has given me permission to share his words of response to my brotherly concern for his health. He has Lyme Disease, which has recurring symptoms that are sometimes very severe. His response is one that I believe can serve us all as we look to our gracious God and Father for purpose and understanding in our daily experiences.

     Thank you again for your encouragement and support about my health issues. Our God graciously grants such expressions in Christ to add to the goodness of the day He grants me. As Luther was granted insight to teach Scriptural truths about daily bread, he noted that good health is a daily gift our Father grants us each day. As the Spirit mercifully renews me in Christ during the day He gives me, I grasp by faith that truth, that no matter how I or anyone else may adjudge my health (or any other aspect of daily bread for that matter) it is good because it is exactly what the Father knows will best serve His eternal purpose for me "today" all the while serving my earthly life in the best possible way also. Paralleling that truth, all that is of the curse from Adam and on Adam and us must also serve that wonderful purpose. So truly, each child of God has each moment every good and perfect gift, coming down from the heavenly Father with whom there is no variation or change.

     Gary has been taught in the school of the Holy Spirit the faith that grasps God’s gracious activity even in the things that cannot be understood from our ordinary human reason. The Holy Spirit is poured out to us in our baptism to be our counselor and comforter and teacher. The Lord Jesus promised that the Holy Spirit would lead His disciples into all truth, causing them to recall all things whatsoever that He had taught them and putting these into the proper perspective. That same promise is given to us.

     This faith is not a faith that we generate for ourselves. It is the faith of Jesus, the faith through which His life, His accomplishments, His faithfulness, His goodness, His merits are accounted to us as our own so that we are made to know God as our loving, gracious, merciful Father.

     Gary’s words above are more than just a statement of what he personally chooses to believe. These words are a wonderful prayer. This prayer is taught by the Holy Spirit. In this prayer is expressed the absolute confidence that the Holy Spirit gives concerning God’s promises to work good through all things to those who love Him, the called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28)

     In the following verse St. Paul further explains this, saying:

     For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.

     Here St. Paul explains that God’s knowledge concerning us is perfect. His knowledge of who we are and what we need is from eternity. We see things from the limitations of our temporality. Our perception is blurred by our senses of pain and loss and grief and sorrow. We often cannot see the good that God is working for us through the circumstances that we encounter. Through the faith of Jesus, however, we do see. This faith directs us beyond what we can know according to our own reason and strength to the assurance of God’s perfect holiness and goodness, His limitless mercy and love. We are made to have this confidence in connection with the preaching of the Gospel and the administration of the Sacraments. As the doctrine of the true faith directs us away from ourselves to the preaching of Jesus Christ and Him crucified, then we see how God works for us through the most horrific suffering and anguish. Our fleshly nature looks for help and relief through other means, but God brings us perfect deliverance through the cross.

     In their eternal counsel together the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit predestinated our salvation through the suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus. From beyond the reaches of time they stretched forth their mercy to us and redeemed us from the destructive choices of our sinfulness. And God turned suffering and death and misery into the opposite for us, He turned these into blessedness, life, and everlasting joy. Even our considerably lesser troubles also serve God’s purposes for us, if we receive them in the faith that He gives. Then we begin to pray as dear Gary has shared with us. Then we begin to understand how our Lord Jesus prayed especially in the garden, “Not My will but Thine be done.” Then, by faith, we already have the blessing that we will only perceive with our time bound reason on the other side of the trial.

+ + +

Why God?

When things do not go the way that we think that they should or that we want them to go, we cry out, “Why, God?

When something horrendous like the tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut breaks out, those who suffer the direct effects are hit by such a shock that they are left with little other than to ask and cry out, “Why, God?”

Since we all have suffered shocking things in our lives and we all have suffered some form of loss and grief and anguish and heartache, we all relate to the circumstances of such an event so that we all are inclined to cry out, “Why, God?”

But deep down we know that this is pretense.  We are only pretending not to know why these things happen.  We pretend not to know because to admit that we know the reason is to face reality honestly, which leaves us with accountability, very painful accountability.  We do not want to face this.  We would actually rather allow things to become worse than to face the truth openly and honestly so as to confront the real problem and to deal with it.

Moreover, we know the futility of asking, “Why, God?”

After all, God has plainly told us why.  Even if He had not told us, the answer is plain for us to see.  There is no real mystery here.

No one can escape the truth.  The truth is unavoidable.  We attempt to find ways to bury it or to hide from it, but eventually the truth comes to the fore.  Eventually the light of the truth drives away the shadows in which we lurk so that we stand exposed by the light.

This is true both individually and societally.

Why does shit happen?  It happens because of the sin that is in the world, sin that inheres to each one of us and to society as a whole.  We are sinful people.  We are a sinful society.

We ignore the truth.  We bury the truth.  We lie.  We accept what is wrong and try to excuse it.  We allow what is right to be ignored and denied and even to be persecuted.

We have allowed God to be replaced with free will.  We have allowed creation to be supplanted by evolution.  We have allowed absolute truth to be diminished to relativism.  Theology is rejected for psychology.  Divinely revealed knowledge is cast aside for subjectively deduced reason that is given the pseudonym of science.  Grace is renamed as decision or commitment.  Love for neighbor and brother is replaced by tolerance.

We excuse the sacrifice of children by calling it “choice” and even a “right.”

Is it even possible to find a movie that does not have revenge as part of the plot?  Revenge, murder, selfish gain, selfish disregard for the safety of self and of others through extreme sports and fast driving.  Even running red lights is presented as cool.  Stealing of vehicles and breaking traffic laws is promoted as exciting and even acceptable.  Irresponsible and promiscuous sexual behavior is displayed as the norm.

The answer for people’s problems is taught to be some form of pharmaceutical wonder drug.  Depression is no longer counted as a reaction to grief and suppressed anger so that it now is a disorder caused by chemical imbalance that must be controlled medically.

And then we see the results of our defiance and cry out, “Why, God?”

Thankfully, God is not satisfied with merely answering our belligerent demand.  He does not stop with simply answering the question of why these things continue to happen and to become even more prevalent as society moves farther and farther from Him.  He presses onward to give the answer to the problem.  He actually puts the answer into action.

In slightly over a week we will again celebrate His answer, His solution, His salvation.

For those who are genuinely weary of the pretense and the perpetual denial of truth that always leads to the same disappointing end, He has provided His Gospel.  For those who are truly tired of seeking answers for themselves, He has given His Church on earth and the means of grace.  For those who honestly admit their own helplessness and cry out for real help, He says, “Come to Me and I will give you rest.”

Perhaps it is time that we stop crying out defiantly with, “Why, God?” and come together to cry out with relief, “Thanks be to God!”  This is the great gift of the Christmas season.  His name is Jesus.

+ + +

Fighting Addictions

      “Fighting Addictions” is a very suitable title for this topic as it can be received from two different perspectives. The first that a person is likely to receive is the notion of a person who strives to fight against an addiction or addictions. The second is the perception that the addiction or addictions actually fight against the person, both in the effects and affects of the addiction as well as in the resistance to freedom from the addictions.

      This matter cries out for and even demands that a working definition be given. Psychology Today provides a definition that is reasonably accurate entitled What Is Addiction? .

      I will reproduce it here for ease of study:

What Is Addiction?

Addiction is a condition that results when a person ingests a substance (alcohol, cocaine, nicotine) or engages in an activity (gambling) that can be pleasurable but the continued use of which becomes compulsive and interferes with ordinary life responsibilities, such as work or relationships, even health. Users may not be aware that their behavior is out of control and causing problems for themselves and others.

The word addiction is used in several different ways. One definition describes physical addiction. This is a biological state in which the body adapts to the presence of a drug so that drug no longer has the same effect; this is known as tolerance. Because of tolerance, there is a biological reaction when the drug is withdrawn. Another form of physical addiction is the phenomenon of overreaction by the brain to drugs (or to cues associated with the drugs). An alcoholic walking into a bar, for instance, will feel an extra pull to have a drink because of these cues.

However, most addictive behavior is not related to either physical tolerance or exposure to cues. People compulsively use drugs, or gamble or shop, nearly always in reaction to being emotionally stressed, whether or not they have a physical addiction. Since these psychologically based addictions are not based on drug or brain effects, they can account for why people frequently switch addictive actions from one drug to a completely different kind of drug, or even to a non-drug behavior. The focus of the addiction isn't what matters; it's the need to take action under certain kinds of stress. To treat this kind of addiction requires understanding of how it works psychologically.

No matter which kind of addiction is meant, it is important to recognize that its cause is not a search for pleasure, and addiction has nothing to do with one's morality or strength of character. Experts debate whether addiction is a "disease" or a true mental illness, whether drug dependence and addiction mean the same thing, and many other aspects of addiction. Such debates are not likely to be resolved soon. But the lack of resolution does not preclude effective treatment.

      This definition is as close as the pseudo-sciences will allow. Psychology as it currently functions is entirely bogus as those who practice it do not even acknowledge what the name teaches. Psychology means Soul-knowledge. Yet psychologists and psychiatrists do not even count the soul in their attempts to “help” people with their soul-knowledge issues.

      Nevertheless, this definition does give a good starting point for understanding addiction. The third paragraph is perhaps the most helpful. It comes very close to the real issue for people and their addictions. The term addictive behavior draws very near to the truth, but still falls short. This is because psychologists are unable to deal with the fact that our addictions are our fault.

      We are responsible for the choices that we make. Addictive behavior is a choice. In many cases this choice may be made without understanding the “why” of the choice, but it is nevertheless a choice. Moreover, it is a conscious choice. It may become so habitual that it appears to be an unconscious choice, but it is a conscious choice nevertheless.

      The above definition in the third paragraph comes amazingly close to the truth in saying, “People compulsively use drugs, or gamble or shop, nearly always in reaction to being emotionally stressed, whether or not they have a physical addiction.” This comes very close, so close in fact, that some of the benefits of the truth are actually experienced in limited ways. But the freedom of the truth resides in the truth.

      The following statement shows where this understanding falls short:

      The focus of the addiction isn't what matters; it's the need to take action under certain kinds of stress. To treat this kind of addiction requires understanding of how it works psychologically.

      The focus of the addiction IS what matters. The problem with psychology is that it has divorced itself from that which has need of healing. Without addressing the needs of the soul, freedom from addiction cannot be achieved. Without addressing the needs of the soul, the problem cannot even be rightly understood.

      These psychologists rightly identify emotional stress as a stimulus that triggers a response. But emotional stress is not the real cause of compulsive behavior and addiction. Neither is the focus of addiction “the need to take action under certain kinds of stress.” The focus of addiction is the perception of a need to take action to satisfy a sense of a need that is not understood.

      So what really is the focus of addiction? The focus of addiction is fulfilment. Because of our sinful nature and the inescapable awareness of our incomplete and corrupted image, we feel empty. The true image in which God created us is no longer ours. The holiness of God is vacant. In times of emotional stress we feel this emptiness to such a degree that we become desperate for relief and so we seek to fill the vacuum with something, anything.

      Alcohol and other drugs, sexual activity, sexual experimentation, alternative sexuality, horror movies, thrill seeking and extreme sports, exercise, working for success, hoarding, sadism, abuse of self or others, dieting, overindulging, all of these and many others have been used and abused in attempts to fill the emptiness that sinful humans feel in their souls. The list is as vast as the human imagination. Anything that a person imagines to have satiating value may be pursued.

      It seems that of the most powerful are the sexual addictions. Sexual addictions are expressions of our perverted perspective. Since Adam cut us off from the image of God, which is Christ, we continually search for ways to restore this wholeness. Our perception of self has been perverted so that we cannot see the person whom God created us to be. What we most long for is to be restored to the holy communion of God with Man and Man with fellow Man.

      God created mankind with a holy desire for this communion, this interconnectedness, this unity of being. But sin divorced us from God and the Life that is only in Him. This separation is felt in our very being, in our soul. This is how the Scriptures speak of our existence.

      And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. (Genesis 2:7)

      God created us to be full of His presence, that we should live in Him. He created us in His image, in His unity, with His own holy desires and will. And the need for this fullness is felt in our soul. We still feel the attractions to God and to one another, although those have become corrupted and perverted. Moreover, these attractions in some ways may actually be felt more powerfully since we cannot find their fulfillment or complete satisfaction.

      Furthermore, we no longer rightly understand the attractions that we have. We were created as sexual beings, to have attractions that would lead to being united in the flesh with another person, that a man and a woman should be joined as one flesh. This is a powerful attraction. And since our understanding of this has been corrupted, we do not rightly understand what we feel. But it is part of who we are. It is who we are. That is why we feel it so strongly. Ignoring it does not make it go away.

      But our attractions to others are not limited to our sexuality. We are designed to desire to be one with all of mankind. And so we feel attraction to all other people. But since sexual attraction develops to such a powerful level as we grow, it becomes our default attraction. And so, when we feel attracted to others, we often become confused and imagine that all attraction is sexual attraction. This is even more pronounced when we prolong singleness unnaturally. God designed us to marry quite young. Our bodies develop and the hormonal activity develops and we feel the powerful drives of these hormones. When these are ignored or suppressed, a person can become obsessed with them. Except for a very few people, God designed us to be united with someone in marriage.

      This being core to our existence, when we feel attractions to others, we can confuse these with our sexual feelings. A man will naturally feel attracted to another man, even feeling a strong desire to express connectedness with that man, and this can be misinterpreted as a desire for sexual interaction. The two attractions are very closely related and thus in our perverted sinful existence we sometimes confuse them. This is why some people think that homosexuality is a genetic condition. And it actually is, because we all are born with it. We all have these attractions and we all have the tendency to confuse them and misinterpret them.

      And this is true with alcohol and drugs and work and play and thrill seeking and anything else that we may choose to utilize in an attempt to fill the emptiness that we feel on account of our sin-separation from God’s holy communion with Him and with the rest of mankind.

      This leads us to consider the answer to this dilemma.

      Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is. And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God. (Ephesians 5:17-21)

      This is the answer. This is the solution. It is the only solution.

      But this solution is only available in God’s Holy Communion. The world naturally scoffs at this because this answer is spiritually discerned. The worldling’s are dead and are unable to discern these things. Apart from being regenerated through water and spirit into the kingdom of God, apart from the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, the solution to our emptiness and resultant addictions cannot be perceived.

      But for those who are in Christ, those whom God has brought again into the reconciliation that He accomplished in the body of Christ, this makes perfect sense and provides the fulfillment that is needed. This is the answer to our addictions. We need to recognize our addictions for what they are, foolish attempts to take action for ourselves rather than turning to the One who has the power to take action for us.

      God has provided the means for our salvation and justification and sanctification. He has provided the means by which He promises to fulfill our needs of body and soul. This is what St. Paul explains in the quotation above. If we acknowledge our emptiness we can then also acknowledge the source of our fulfillment. If we acknowledge our emptiness, we will turn to God and hear His Word of promise and be filled by the Spirit who answers our pleas and comforts us and restores us to wholeness again. Being filled with the Spirit begins in our baptism. Once the Spirit has been given to us and has taken up residence in us, He continually calls to us to be gathered into the Holy Communion to partake of the Supper of God’s Communion. This refreshes us and renews us in the true faith and in the forgiveness of our sins and in the new life that is in the image of God, that is, in Christ.

      Then, having been so refreshed and renewed, we go forth into our daily activities, carrying with us the divine liturgy by which we were refreshed and renewed together. We continue, being filled with the Spirit we continue to speak to ourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in our hearts to the Lord; giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; submitting ourselves one to another in the fear of God.

      This is the answer. We need to ask ourselves: “With what are we seeking to be filled?”

      When we feel the emptiness and the urge for fulfilment, where do we turn?

      Have you ever tried to think of doing what you know to be wrong while engaging the Lord through prayer and psalms and hymns and spiritual songs? It is not possible. Now it is possible for hypocrites to do this, but not for one who is filled with the Spirit. This is why St. Paul concludes this by bringing it all together with “submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.”

      This is not merely what is commonly understood as fellowship. This is communion, and not a communion of men, but the communion of God into which the Holy Spirit carries us and unites us. This means that we are in a communion where the means of grace are rightly administered in conjunction with the preaching of the pure Gospel. God’s communion is not like the fellowships of men. God’s communion is built upon the purity of the Holy Trinity and the means of grace that He administers. He administers His means of grace in perfect purity and they have the effects that He has ordained.

      So, when we find ourselves enticed toward one of our addictions, what is the answer? Our immediate response will be to turn to the Lord in prayer. Additionally we will begin reciting the liturgy, with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. These will keep us looking to the Lord until He brings us safely to the gathering of the saints where we submit to one another in the fear of God and receive again the refreshment of the Holy Communion.

      It works just as God has promised.

      One more thing needs to be stated. God’s complete answer, even as St. Paul states it, is even better yet. God’s answer is not that we react to our addictions in this way, but that we continue in this way always. But temptations do come. The Lord assures us that they will come until the Last Day. And thus we will stray from the continual use of the liturgy and will need to be called back to it again. And God promises so to do. Thanks be to God that our salvation does not depend upon our faithfulness, but upon God’s faithfulness! And He cannot be otherwise.

+ + +

This article is available with additional information, including comments on the blessing of Confession and Absolution, at the Bride of Christ web site as an HTML file or as a PDF file.

+ + +

So Much Hurt

Everywhere I turn it seems that I encounter more hurt, both in what I observe in the lives of others as well as in my own life. Hurt, hurt, hurt!

Perhaps the saddest part of this is to realize just how much of the hurt that we encounter and endure is actually the result of our own choices.

This is why the Lord has given us His commandments. His commandments have a threefold purpose.

First they show us what our heavenly Father is like and what He has planned for us. The Commandments teach us His goodness and providence and love. Thus, they show us how we are supposed to be.

But then the Commandments, in showing us the perfection and holiness of our heavenly Father, they simultaneously show us our sinfulness. While showing us the perfection of God and His will, they also show us how we fall short, miserably and horribly short. We do not truly even come close to measuring up. And so the Commandments drive us to despair of our own efforts at goodness so that we fall to our knees and confess our sinfulness and look up to our perfect and holy and loving and merciful Father to hear His holy absolution.

Then also, the Commandments serve as a curb to thwart evil doers. We fear getting caught and punished and so, even though we may not fear and love and trust in God above all things and even though we many not truly want to please Him, nevertheless, we fear the consequences of getting caught. And so a degree of civil goodness is produced, even among unruly and ungodly people. For all government mimics God’s holy commandments, even if they do not realize it.

The hurts that we suffer are all ultimately on account of sin in the world. Our hurts serve us, if we are willing to hear it and believe it. Our hurts continually remind us of our need for the restoration that God works in us through the faith that accompanies the gift of the Holy Spirit in Baptism. Through this faith God restores to us the knowledge of His mercy and love so that we look beyond our hurts to the love of God in Christ. In Christ we experience true relief from our hurts. In Christ we are made to know the holiness of God again, and we hear Him declare this holiness to be ours once again. Even though we do not merit this declaration by what we do, nevertheless, for Christ’s sake, God declares us to be holy. He declares us to be righteous not with our own righteousness, but with His. And His righteousness has no flaws. He declares us to be His beloved children who may freely come to Him in every situation and be received by Him and embraced by Him in His Holy Communion.

When this is where our hurts cause us to turn, everything is made right again. Then our hurts turn to rejoicing and thanksgiving and our hearts are merry and full of Life!


† † †

Laetare

Laetare is the Fourth Sunday in Lent. Below is the Collect of the Day for Laetare:

Grant, we beseech Thee, Almighty God, that we, who for our evil deeds do worthily deserve to be punished, by the comfort of Thy grace may mercifully be relieved; through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end.

As I observe the historic liturgy of the Church, with the depth of riches that we have received through it, I often find myself wondering whether anyone really pays attention to what the Lord gives to us and declares to us through it.

This marvelous prayer holds before us the reason for Laetare, that is, for a Sunday within the season of Lent in which we are called together with the theme: Rejoice!

Lent is a season of the Church Year in which we direct special attention to our need for the repentance or turning that the Lord works for us and within us. It is a season of deep awareness of the proper contrition that we should experience on account of our sinfulness and also for our actual sins both of commission and omission. It is a season in which the Law of God is held before us in ways that cannot easily be ignored, showing us the horrible depths of our lost condition. It is a season in which our need for salvation, for forgiveness, for reconciliation, for justification and sanctification, is made paramount. It is a season for looking to the great mercy of God in Christ displayed and brought to fulfillment in the suffering, death, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Collect for Laetare very powerfully directs our hearts, minds, and souls to this ever needful awareness. It also produces in us Laetare, the rejoicing that is not deceptive, but founded in and upon the very foundation of the one true faith by which we have true cause for rejoicing. The comfort of God’s grace is truly our one reliable source of relief, relief that produces endless rejoicing in the Lord.

It certainly seems to be worthy of continual reflection throughout this week, praying it again and again so as to built up in the answer that God has promised and most assuredly bestows in Christ.

† † †

Winter Blues and Pains

With winter comes cold and with cold comes many other complications. Ice and snow often accompany the winter weather and some folk have to deal with it. Yet most folk today are not accustomed to the rigors of shoveling deep snow and such efforts often carry a big price. Even walking in cold weather can bring considerable discomfort.

The cold tends to make muscles tense up and then they often bunch up in tight knots. These can cause pain throughout the body. When the muscles tense up through the shoulders and neck, a person can have terrible headaches caused by this tension, headaches that feel like they start somewhere in the back, shoulders, or neck and migrate up the back of the skull and shoot out through the eyes.

Several things can be of help.

† † †

Moist heat can be of tremendous help. The best that we have found
is a rice pack that can be heated in the microwave. A simple hand towel can be folded in half, preferably lengthwise, so that the edges can be sewn. Then the resulting bag can be filled with rice to the desired fullness, and the remaining edge can be sewn. It is usually best not to over fill the towel, as the fuller the bag is filled the stiffer and harder it becomes. Some flexibility is preferred. The rice bag can then be heated and then applied to the stiff and aching muscles. Depending on the amount of rice filling the bag, heating on high for a period ranging from four to six minutes works well. (For filling your hot pack, use the rice straight out of the bag from the store. DRY. Do not add water or precook. Simply use the rice as purchased from the store. The moist heat is produced from the moisture in the air.)



Be careful not to overheat in the microwave, for the rice will scorch. Also, it is possible to burn oneself if the bag is too hot.

As an alternative a damp washcloth can be wrapped with a towel and then heated. This method is more tricky. One must be very careful not to burn one’s skin.

Of course, a hot bath or shower is another relaxing method. Also, soaking in Epson salts can help.

† † †

Massaging the muscles also can be of great benefit. Massaging the scalp and temple areas, even gentle massaging of the eyes can bring relief. Often knotted areas in the neck, shoulder, and back can be gently massaged away. Massaging is not a quick process. It usually takes ten to fifteen minutes or more. Sometimes gently massaging the more intense areas for a few minutes, resting a few minutes, and then massaging a few more minutes can give a relax time for the muscles. Also, the area where the pain is felt may not be the area where the muscles are most tense. Sometimes the areas with the most tension may be several inches away from the area where the strain seems to be.

Stretching exercises can help relieve the muscle tension as well.

† † †

A quarter teaspoon of Turmeric, the yellow spice in mustard, can help to relieve many headaches and helps with muscles sometimes, too.

Oil of oregano helps with inflamation.

Used in conjunction with Bromelain, an enzyme extracted from pineapple, relief from sinus and bronchial symptoms can often be obtained. If the persistent hacking of bronchial drainage is ever a problem, this combination can be a very effective remedy. Bromelain alone is also very effective.


A saline sinus rinse is also very helpful. The usual mix is one eighth teaspoon of salt with one eighth teaspoon of baking soda in eight ounces of water. The saline rinse can be placed in the palm or a tablespoon and snuffed through each nostril. Be sure to do this over the sink. Most drug stores and pharmacies also sell a nasal rinse kit with premixed packets and a nasal squirt bottle.

† † †

With the nervous tension and the tendency to eat too quickly or too much during the feasting season, keep the Turmeric available for headaches and for heartburn. In many cases, a quarter teaspoon of turmeric will bring quick relief for either a headache or for heartburn. It is inexpensive and has no negative side effects.

Oops! Almost forgot Ginger as a relief from upset stomach and nausea.

† † †

A blessed Christmas to you.

More on Foot Pain Relief

In the post below I shared the relief that I have received from the pain of Metatarsalgia & Morton’s Neuroma. The foot pads continue to give relief as long as I use them. I have been truly amazed at the relief that accompanies the use of such a seemingly common and humble means. I find myself wanting to wear my shoes for the relief that I receive. During the evenings and nights when my shoes are not on my feet, the swelling at the heads of the metatarsals returns. But when I put my shoes or boots on, with the ever so humble pads installed, the symptoms begin to subside almost immediately.

In case you’ve been wondering when I would make a theological connection, the time is now. For these little humble means of relief for my feet are a type (a figure) of the means of grace that God provides for the soul. Like the metatarsal pads, God’s means of grace work their miracle only when we are in contact with them. While Baptism is a once-for-all event in a person’s life, its effects are lifelong. The confession/absolution is a perpetual process of addressing the symptoms and applying the healing that is needed for the cause. The Lord’s Supper likewise renews the application of the means of healing for hurts that have no other possible cure. The pain that recurs in our heart and spirit and mind cannot be touched or healed by any means that we can supply. Only God can restore a good conscience to sinners and remove the corruption that kills every man, woman, and child without discrimination.

One of the most amazing things about God’s means of grace is that they are absolutely free. God does not charge for them. He does not place requirements for them. He does not even schedule appointments that are never on time. Even the faith by which the grace is acquired is a gift that God pours out freely through His Word.

Metatarsalgia & Morton's Neuroma

Yesterday I was listening to “Take Your Health To Heart with Dr. Galichia” on KNSS Radio and at the very end of the program a gentleman asked about Metatarsalgia & Morton’s Neuroma. The symptoms were typical and the man sounded very tired of dealing with the continual burning and pain in his feet. He told how he has tried custom made orthotic inserts and other methods but with no real relief. I wanted badly to call in with the help that I have received, but the show was over. The doctors spoke of cortisone injections as the next step and then surgery. I was very disappointed at their answers.

I visited a podiatrist on July 17 and received help, genuine help.

I, too, have purchased expensive orthotic inserts and received a degree of help, but eventually the symptoms return. I have metatarsalgia and Morton’s neuroma. For years my feet have hurt, often with burning as though I had a piece of burning charcoal inside the balls of my feet. As an arborist, my feet endure long days of non stop abuse. At the end of the day I often have had trouble walking because of the pain. I recently received a series of ultrasound treatments at considerable cost and no noticeable benefit, except to the chiropractor’s income.

However, the podiatrist examined my feet and visited with me for a few minutes and told me he had the answer. I doubted him, but gladly tried his suggestion. He gave me three pairs of inserts, and installed the first pair for me in my tennis shoes. He also prescribed some anti-inflammatory medication for a period of two weeks. After leaving his office, wearing my shoes with the inserts, I noticed immediate relief. Within a half hour, as I drove to Walmart to get the prescription filled, I noticed further relief. I wondered whether I was experiencing a psychosomatic response to his enthusiastic suggestions. But over the past weeks my feet have continued to improve. I stopped taking the medication and the pain has not returned. I have not experienced this kind of relief in years.

I am truly amazed at the relief that I am experiencing and I want to share the information for anyone else who may desire to try these pads. Amazingly they are very inexpensive, not like the orthotic inserts that cost between $160.00 - $280.00 and last only a year or two. These cost only about $5.00 to $10.00 per pair.

I still experience some symptoms, of course, but the relief has been amazing. The pads can be purchased through Hapad, Inc. at 800-544-2723 or at their web site at Hapad, Inc.

The pads that the doctor gave to me are Longitudinal Metatarsal Arch Pads. I am using them possibly a bit over sized so that some folk may consider them uncomfortable, but for me the relief is well worth it.

I am including a picture below of the ones that I am using. There are different styles, but these are working wonders for my symptoms.

Perhaps someone that you know can benefit from them as well.

By the way, I continue to take a quarter of a teaspoon of turmeric once or twice a day, which also helps with inflamation. My wife also takes turmeric for her headaches. She used to have headaches almost every day, bad ones. She has not had a headache in about four months, ever since she began taking turmeric (the yellow spice in mustard) every day. Turmeric also gives almost instant relief for heartburn.

Here is the picture of the Hapad inserts.

---

Technorati Tags: +Metatarsalgia & Morton's Neuroma, Metatarsalgia, Morton's Neuroma, foot pain, balls of feet, burning, relief, inserts, no surgery, turmeric, headaches

For Headaches and Others

Here are a few more notes on health matters and natural relief measures.


A headache can make anyone feel miserable and irritable. One simple remedy is to take 1/4 teaspoon of turmeric, the yellow spice used in mustard. It is inexpensive and works quite quickly to help reduce the pain of a headache.

Turmeric also works very quickly to relieve heartburn. We have found that it works almost instantly.

The easiest way to take the turmeric is simply to place it on the tongue, press it against the roof of the mouth until it becomes moistened, and then to swallow. But since not everyone can swallow powders so easily, like Stephanie, a method she has found helpful is to take a small piece of banana, mash it up with the turmeric, form a small ball, and swallow that. Since I can swallow almost anything except bad theology, I just plop the turmeric on my tongue and swallow.

In the Other category, hemorrhoids, can be a terrible source of discomfort. I recently had a bleeding hemorrhoid. That certainly got my attention in a hurry! I told Stephanie and she ran to her handy copy of Let’s Get Well by Adelle Davis. According to Davis hemorrhoids develop due to a deficiency in Vitamin B6. Since stress causes a body to utilize the B vitamins more rapidly, anyone can develop a deficiency. She suggests taking 10 mg of B6 after each meal. She reports that in every case that she has observed this cured the bleeding hemorrhoids in those who followed this procedure. I did this, and additionally took turmeric twice a day, and applied cold-pressed coconut oil to the area of the hemorrhoid. Within two days the bleeding had stopped completely and the itching and burning had subsided. I actually used a higher amount of B6, but with the B vitamins this is not dangerous unless abused. The point is that the combination worked. The coconut oil gave instant relief from the itching and burning symptoms and maintained the relief throughout the day.

Organic Virgin Expeller-Pressed Coconut Oil can be purchased in many health food stores and has many uses. We purchase ours on-line through Tropical Traditions. We also use coconut oil in our cooking, as a treatment for burns (after icing it soothes the burn quickly and reduces healing time), for treatment of dry skin as a moisturizer that quickly absorbs, even as a hair conditioner (in very small amounts).

For upset stomach, cultured yogurt is very helpful. Cultured buttermilk also works very well. We make our own of both, which saves considerably on the pocketbook.

Extra virgin olive oil also has many healthful uses in addition to being very tasty in cooking.

And don’t forget the benefits of stretching and massaging for relief of many aches, tension, headaches, even depression.

For what it is worth, these are some things that we have found to be very helpful in maintaining our health and comfort. Perhaps you can benefit from some of them as well.