Wednesday, March 17 – Day 29

Seeking His Righteousness In Our Communities
Seek God….for His Spirit to empower His People
We seek God and behalf of Depressed People

Editors note: this is a long entry – there is really no way to shorten it – and I can guarantee that when you finish reading it, you will agree!.

“We can’t tell them Jesus loves them until we are ready to love them too” is a line from one of the first contemporary Christian songs I heard as a teenager. This one simple line lights fire in me that can cast away the business of life and remind me that our witnessing is done through relationships. You would think with Facebook, Twitter, texting, and e-mail we would be better at relationships, but those can each be just another place for our friends to hide their feelings of worthlessness and depression. Depression is a silent killer and it affects a significant part of our churches.

See, I knew a man with a wife and three small children that came to church every Sunday. He was active in the men’s group and even invited his neighbors across the street to attend with his family. He was persistent, and finally his neighbors were saved. He was a witness to his extended family and tried his best at being a husband and father to his young family. But something was wrong. He was feeling more and more down. He quit attending special church functions and sometimes was hard to get out of bed to go to church. His wife dragged him to a doctor and he was placed on medication for depression. He went to see a therapist. He learned that he had clinical depression and it ran in his family. He continued to spiral downward. His wife was at a loss for what else to do. His church family initially tried to help, but then pulled away. All the couple’s friends pulled away. This man was trying everything to make the pain of his depression go away. In the end, this man took his life and left his three small boys and wife behind to pick up the pieces. This man was my late husband. (2002)

Please, I beg of you to go to a family that you know is dealing with depression and listen, lift them up in prayer, and learn about this disease. We as a church need to be the comfort zone of our families dealing with this depression. In Christ, we can help families deal with this and get them proper help. This is the first time I have said anything publicly about my late husband, but I felt lead to share in hope that others will seek help for their family members and friends. There is HOPE in our risen Savior!

Blessings in Christ,
Regina B.
89.1 The Spirit

Editors Note: Some say that 20 % of the population deals with depression. (The elephant in the room that no one wants to talk about.) I applaud Regina for her transparency. God directed this assignment from the beginning. I did not know her story when I gave her this day to write about. She listened to my transparency at our last monthly luncheon –how I escaped going into depression – getting close from working too many hours, not taking a vacation, sleeping too little, etc. The more responsibility one has the more time they need to spend in the Bible and I had not increased my time as the responsibilities had increased. May I encourage you to do some study, to talk to someone, to be aware of someone else that might need your encouragement, to eat right, to exercise and get the right amount of sleep? There is no shame in dealing with depression, but there will surely be disappointment if we don’t. The Lord exhorts us via Paul to “press on toward the goal…” We have an adversary that will try to “de-press us from heading toward the goal.” Listen to God. Brother Charles

Monday, February 22 – Day 6

Seeking His Life to Revive the Church
Seek God…to impart His life-giving Spirit

When Brother Charles asked me to write on day 6, he had no idea about 3 passions of my life. The first passion is “to impart His life giving spirit”. "I am sending you, just as the Father has sent me." ²²Then he breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit. John 20:21-22 The second passion is the Athletic Industry. ²⁴You know that many runners enter a race, and only one of them wins the prize. So run to win! ²⁵Athletes work hard to win a crown that cannot last, but we do it for a crown that will last forever. ²⁶I don't run without a goal. And I don't box by beating my fists in the air. ²⁷I keep my body under control and make it my slave, so I won't lose out after telling the good news to others. 1 Corinthians 9:24-27. These 2 verses are life verses in my journey with God.

The third passion is praying for Haiti. I recently returned from Haiti as being part of the National Disaster Medical System. I deploy as a Dr of traumatic stress specializing in psychological disorders and as a Chaplain representing Christ in a faith based response to a disaster.

We are asked as a nation to seek God for the city. We are witnessing three events taking place right now under our eyelids; the Olympics, the devastation of a nation with catastrophic results of death, injuries, and loss, and the Holy Spirit available and willing to breathe life into the hearts of those drawing near to God. The prayers today encompass these three events.

I was schooled on faith in Haiti. I was surrounded by a people of faith because that is all they had. This is a nation that was maimed, lamed and shamed. This is a nation broken physically and emotionally. The Holy Spirit was imparting life all around me in a sea of death. I am humbled in pure faith and changed as a result. As we watch our Olympians compete and a nation survive an earthquake, my prayer is that we keep our purpose : seeking God, Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; disciplined in prayer, I do not fight like a man beating the air; and available for divine appointments, No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.

Lord Jesus, breathe life into our dead bones that we might rise from the depths of despair. Ignite a flame in us to consume those around us with your power and presence. May we learn lessons from the Olympians and Haitians in their journey for survival. May we become a city desperate for You. May we become a people humbled to a pure state of faith, hope and love.

Jim Coyle
Neighborhood Church, Cedar Rapids, IA