Making sense of terror

The recent tragedy at the Navy ship yard in Washington DC--another in a string of senseless massacres--is potentially terrorizing.  How do we send our children out into a world so ransacked with sin and anger and volatility?  Do we need to carry guns to protect ourselves?  Do we pull into our private--seemingly safe world--and limit our exposure to the real world around us?  It is hard not to live in fear.

Fear has torment.  Fear paralyzes.  Fear is from the enemy.  Paul wrote his protege, young Timothy who was struggling with fear, "God has not given us the spirit of fear (timidity) but a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline."  What do we do with that statement?

1.  Fear is the enemy's tool to diminish our productivity and to dampen our enthusiasm for the pursuit of a purposeful full life.

2.  Fear is NOT from God; therefore, we know it is from the enemy whose declared purpose is to destroy us for he goes about "like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour."

3.  What God has given us in place of fear is...

      "a spirit of love"--our love for God, and the remembrance of His love for us reminds us of His promised care and sovereign oversight of our lives.

      "a spirit of power"--our link to God as His children indwelt by the Holy Spirit results in a confidence in His ability to sustain us and protect us.

      "a spirit of self-discipline"--our life in God is one of presenting ourselves to Him daily, resting in the knowledge of what we intentionally affirm to be true in His Word-and not succumbing to the spirit of the world that would depress us.

We have not seen the last tragedy or act of terrorism in our lifetime; as long as sin reigns in men's lives it will be our daily fare.  We are drawn by our love for Christ--a love that "casts out fear"--to a  deeper relationship of trust and confidence in Him.

Cling to Him today..."casting your cares upon Him for He cares for you..."

"There's no place like home..."

It's been unclear in this time of transition where "home" actually is.  "Home is where the heart is", an oft-quoted proverb, suggests that where your affections and deepest connections are made is where home is. In these last six weeks as I have lived in my new "house", I've mused about where "home" really is.

When we left for Sutter Creek last Thursday for five days of multiple responsibilities--a funeral, a seminar, counseling, dental work--I said a few times, "We are going home", almost without thinking.  In that subconscious expression I was responding to the seventeen years we had lived there, the multitude of friendships we had developed and the poignant memories of good times.

We had a great time in Amador County, visiting and sharing meals with friends, driving through familiar country that we had navigated many times before.  But, alas, I discovered it was no longer"home" for too much had changed about my life there...and here.

The place where I now go to church is in San Luis Obispo.  The place where I have my office is in San Luis Obispo. The place where I shop, where I sleep, where I run on the beach, where I bike, where I eat, where I see my family...all are in San Luis Obispo County, three hundred miles from the place I used to call "home".

Bev and I left Jackson and drove to my mom's house in Stockton early Tuesday morning before heading south to Arroyo Grande.  I grew up in Stockton, but as wonderful as it is to spend time with mom there, it is no longer "home".  As we said good-bye to mom and my sister, Diane, and climbed into our Yukon, I turned to Bev and said, "We are going home".

"There's no place like home..."

The suicide epidemic

Thirty per cent more baby boomers committed suicide over the last ten years than those the same age a decade before.

More teenagers die from suicide than from automobile accidents.

Staggering statistics that can be added to others heralding the gruesome truth that suicide is becoming an ever-increasing "way out" and "escape" from the rigors of life.

WHY?

Many reasons are suggested by the professionals--economic woes, joblessness, increased use of opiates, gender identity issues, the collapse of the traditional family unit, etc.

When Jesus said that His purpose was to bring us "abundant life" in John 10:10, many contemporary "teachers" chose to use that idea as a platform for what has been called the "health and wealth" gospel, i.e. "God wants you rich", "Christians should never be sick", etc.  Apart from the fact that this flies in the face of scripture, and that such a message would not play well in third world countries where disease and poverty abound, the challenge, then,  is to understand what an "abundant" and "full life" looks like.

A "full life" is understanding who I am and whose I am.  When I discover that I am God's workmanship (Ephesians 2:10) created by Him with a unique place and purpose, and pursue that relationship with Him (we know that He first pursues us with His love) and discover my purpose in Him--then I can begin to experience true fullness in my life as I follow Christ.

It's not easy.  This is not a ticket to a comfortable life nor is it the promise of problem-free living.  What it does give me is a prescription for life--how to live it rightly and how to build meaningful relationships that are supporting and sustaining.

I firmly believe that if we understood this, and the significance of Philippians 4:6-8 where we are encouraged to come to God with our problems in prayer with the promise, "...He will keep your hearts through Christ Jesus...", or, as another commentator suggested, "keep you sane"--we would embrace life, not despair of it.

Too many are living in the grip of hopelessness and despair. This week I have the privilege of speaking to those who have lost friends and family members to the tragedy of suicide.  My prayer is that I will be the voice of hope to those who have survived and are struggling to make sense of what happened.

Our hope is in the Lord.

What defines me?

I have been doing some soul-searching in recent weeks, whether walking on the beach, sitting on my patio, or sometimes, in the early hours of the morning when I can't sleep.  Here;'s the haunting question..."WHO AM I?"

I always defined that by what I did.  I am a pastor.  I am a Hospice chaplain.  I'm a part-time missionary to Haiti.  I'm a Christian counselor/coach, etc...  There was always a list of things that I did that seemed to define who I was.

It's different these days.  I am semi-retired with less responsibility and visibility--except for a sharpened look at myself--and I am not always pleased with what I see.

What defines me, I am remembering from what I've counseled others, is not what I do but who I am on the inside.  It is not who I appear to be in public when I am demonstrating my best behavior but who I am in the private place when no one--but God--sees me.

Scripture reminds us that while man is looking at the outside, God is checking out the inside.  And that can be scary to contemplate.

I've decided I really do know who I am.  I am a redeemed sinner, a child of God, a growing believer in need of spiritual food and fellowship and a joint heir with Christ.  That's a mouthful to contemplate but it is who I am, by God's grace.

How do you define yourself?

Join me in purposefully choosing not to recite what you do, but remembering who you are in Christ.

A new office, a new perspective

I can look out from my desk window and see the semi-industrial area around me, dotted with rows of dressy metal buildings with offices and businesses inside.  It reminds me that I am no longer in the sleepy confines of Amador County.  The locals here would argue, however, that this is paradise, a far cry from the bustling highways of Los Angeles three hours away.

It's a new perspective for me.

And I'm in a  brand new office with an architect, a therapist, a driving instructor and a landscape material order business around me.  An eclectic group.

I've been asking myself, "Am I a new me"?  Everything about my life seems so different--no pastoral responsibility, living space reduced from 2200 square feet to 1200 square feet (three bathrooms to one), discretionary time, anonymity in a new community...?

Who am I really?

Here's what I am re-discovering about myself...
1.  I cannot not work.
2.  I cannot not serve God.
3.  I cannot not be involved in ministry.

It's how God hard-wired me.

Here's to semi-retirement and the opportunity to reaffirm who I am..and get about the fulfilling pursuit of God's work here in San Luis Obispo County.

Update on Full-LifeCoaching

I have arrived in Arroyo Grande where Beverly and I are establishing our "new life", near eight of our grandchildren...and the ocean.

Here is some pertinent updated information for our friends and clients.

1.  I am doing Skype counseling an am available now for those out of the San Luis Obispo County area.

2.  We are retaining the same cell phone contact number, 209-403-2296, and email address, daleabarrett@gmail.com.

3.  My new office address is 636 Clarion Court, Suite 101, San Luis Obispo, 93401.  I'll be moving into that office August 20th and available for appointments August 26th.

4.  I am developing a new website that should be available in September, 2013.  It is             www.Full-LifeCoaching.org.

5.  I'll be speaking at a Suicide Survivor's Seminar at the American Legion Hall in Jackson, September 7th from 9 a.m.-noon.  I'll be joined by Liseanne Wick, Program Manager for Suicide Prevention and Crisis Services.  The seminar is free and is directed towards those who have lost friends and love ones through suicide.

I hope to keep in contact with you and invite you to communicate with me as we get re-established in our new community.

"Fed Up" or Filled Up?

I will be presenting a seminar June 18 and July 16 for a local business to its forty-plus employees about discovering a full life, entitled "Fed Up" or Filled Up?.  This seminar will be video-taped and may be made available to you along with a notebook of accompanying exercises.

If you are interested, contact me at daleabarrett@gmail.com