This Sunday at Noon! The Impact of Addiction on the Family

Blog »    This Sunday at Noon!
    The Impact of Addiction on the Family  

    Friday, May 30, 2014

             This free program conducted by Addiction Prevention Strategies will be held this
             Sunday at Christ Church at the Grove 1986 Newark Rd. New London, 19352. This I
             is the New London Presbyterian Church building on Route 896.   Everybody is
             welcome to attend so be sure to invite anyone you know who could be helped by
             this presentation!!!!   

“It is for freedom that Christ has set us free”
Galatians 5:1  

Helping Families Recover From Addiction  
www.addictionpreventionstrategies.com   
484-432-8721

Latest blog: Cause of Addiction  
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Results of 3 decades of American's Self Esteem Movement

Blog »    Results of 3 decades of American's
Self Esteem Movement 

    Thursday, May 29, 2014

"We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars
containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God,
 not from ourselves."    2 Corinthians 4:7 (NLT)  

The following comments from Anneli Rufus are particularly pertinent for parents of school age children.   They also prompt us to ask ourselves how we view ourselves.   Do we see ourselves as the kitten sees itself in the mirror or do we see ourselves as Paul writes to the Corinthians?   Have a great day!   Jeff

Is low self-esteem all that bad? Self-loathing is. But between self-loathing and narcissism is a vast spectrum comprising infinitely various degrees of self-regard. Neither extreme is good. If only we could just reach medium.

In 1986, California state assembly member John Vasconcellos proposed the State Task Force to Promote Self-Esteem. This ignited a new movement: Based on the notion that low self-esteem caused every kind of social woe from teenage pregnancy to low test scores and high dropout rates, school curricula and parenting techniques were radically transformed, their main objective now being to cultivate high self-esteem among the young, which activists proclaimed would cure those social woes and make America a safer, happier, and better place. A multibillion-dollar industry surged around self-esteem. Kids were taught to make “me” flags of their putative “me” nations, to view history and fiction through the filter of their feelings, and to start schooldays with affirmations such as I always make good choices and Everyone is happy to see me.

The aftermath has not worked out as planned. Since 1986, self-esteem among young people has increased. Studies show that students hold themselves in higher regard than students in decades past. But to the shock and horror of the self-esteem movement’s boosters, soaring self-esteem has done nothing to stem crime, addiction and those other ills the boosters claimed high self-esteem would stem. In fact, ambient sky-high self-esteem might present new problems of its own: One long-term study found that college students are now twice as narcissistic as college students were in 1982; other studies link high self-esteem with high rates of aggression, territorialism, elitism, racism, and other negative qualities.

And other studies show that the so-called Millennial Generation – young adults born after the self-esteem movement began — are demonstrably less likely than Baby Boomers and Generation Xers to care about social problems, current events or energy conservation. Millennials are also less likely to have jobs whose main purpose is to help other people. In one study, three times as many Millennials as Boomers said they made no personal effort to help the environment . . . .

Noting that there are “almost no findings showing that [high] self-esteem causes anything [beneficial] at all,” University of Pennsylvania psychology professor Martin Seligman laments:

“Something striking has happened to the self-esteem of American children during the era of raising our children to feel good. They have never been more depressed.”

 

“Lord, thank you for showing us where our self-worth comes from. . . anyone who is in Christ has become a new person.   The old has gone and the new has begun.   (2 Corinthians 5:17).  Amen”

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Last Call! Have you taken the Survey?

Blog »   
Last Call!
Have you taken the Survey?
    Wednesday, May 28, 2014

“Feasting makes you happy and wine cheers you up,
but you can't have either without money” 
Ecclesiastes 10:19 (TEV)

This passage from Ecclesiastes doesn’t sound very spiritual does it?   Yet the Bible doesn’t differentiate between a spiritual life and the rest of life.   We don’t have a “spiritual” life, we just have a life.   And a big part of that life is money.  

I finally took the Money Life Indicator Survey.  It only took 15 minutes and the assessment it provided me of my attitudes and habits in the areas of work, spending, saving, generosity, debt, budgeting and more is simply excellent, and really helpful.   

If you have not taken the survey yet, please note that this is the final week it will be available to be taken.    If you are married, both spouses should take it so that you can compare your scores.   Teens should take it too.   It is completely confidential, is provided by the most reputable Christian Financial Organization in America and is being offered to you by CLC free for this limited time.   But you must take it today or by Friday at the latest.  

Everything we have is all gift from God and God holds us responsible for our stewardship of what He has given us.   This survey is a great way to start!!!!  

Just click www.clcfamily.net and then click on the box that looks like the one above.   Then just get started.  It’s easy and the scores you’ll be sent will, I promise, be informative!  

“Lord, I know that all that I have and all that I am is a gift from you to me.   Thank you for this opportunity for self-assessment so that I can grow as a steward of your Grace.  Amen”

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Live to Give

Blog »    Live to Give  

    Tuesday, May 27, 2014

“I was hungry and you gave me something to eat”
Matthew 25:42 (GW)  

The following “I like to give” story was passed on to me last week a member of the CLC family.  Jeff  

                                                 I Like Giving A Cup Of Coffee.  

Sitting exhausted in a San Francisco Starbucks, reflecting on his 3 week road trip cross country, Eddie was ready to get home. He knew he had a few more hours before he even headed to the airport for his redeye flight back to the east coast. He had only taken a seat in Starbucks to relax while his iPhone charged. With him, he had all of his belongings from his trip, which surprisingly only consisted of a backpack, messenger bag, and water bottle. His backpack had been a high school gift and had survived the 6 years since, staying with him through college, camping experiences, skateboarding trips, and everything in between. It still worked, if you knew how to correctly tie the shoelaces that held together the broken zippers and didn’t play with the duct tape that was covering some of the holes that held sentimental memories of skateboard falls. His sticker-covered water bottle was hooked to his belt loop with a carabineer and the sweatshirt he was wearing was looking forward to a good wash almost as much as its owner was looking forward to a real shower.

He leaned back, staring off into space, thinking about his next project at work and excited to see his sister for dinner before he headed back home. In his relaxed state, he hadn’t noticed the man who had wondered over to him until he placed a five dollar bill on the table and said, “Son, get yourself a cup of coffee. You look like you could use one.” Startled, Eddie said thank you and stared at the $5. He would love a cup of coffee . . . and he wasn’t planning on spending his money on it, so why not? He walked up to the counter and ordered himself a small black coffee. When the barista handed him the change, Eddie looked around for the kind man. He saw him sitting in a corner with a few bags. Ed grabbed his coffee, walked over to the man, thanked him again, and put his change on the table.

“No son, you keep it.” He said.

“Sir, the coffee was plenty, thank you.” Eddie said, leaving the change on the table and walking back to his seat. But when he sat down, he couldn’t help but watch the man - he looked even more worn then Eddie felt. He clothes were a bit dirty, and the bags he was carrying looked old and worn as well. And he was not drinking coffee. He had tucked the change from Eddie’s coffee in his pocket and was just resting. Interested, Eddie walked over and took a seat next to him. “You live in the area?” Ed asked.  

“I guess. I don’t really have a home, but I usually sleep somewhere around here.”

Which is when it hit Eddie. This man was homeless. And even more than that, this man thought Eddie was homeless. And even in his state of survival, this kind man saw an opportunity to positively impact someone who appeared less fortunate.

The moral of the story - (besides the fact that I need to get my brother some nicer clothes) - a man recognized an opportunity to ignite someone’s potential. That cup of coffee was not going to save my brother’s life. That cup of coffee would not have even fed him if he was hungry. That kind man saw Eddie, and regardless of the judgment he may have passed, recognized a tired soul that seemed far from home. And, putting aside any judgment, knew that he could do something little to make his day just a bit brighter.

How often do we take advantage of those small opportunities? Albert Schweitzer reminds us that, “In everyone’s life, at some time, our inner fire goes out. It is then burst into flame by an encounter with another human being. We should all be thankful for those people who rekindle the inner spirit.”

How often are we rekindling someone’s flame? 

Do you have an “I Like Giving” story to share?   Just send it to info@clcfamily.net  and we’ll share it with others!  

“Lord, help me also to recognize a “tired soul who may be far from home” and in some small but important way show that person that someone notices, and doing so to be a sign to them that God notices as well.   Amen” 

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What would Jesus say about Purple Heart recipient Jed Zillmer and the other 22 per day?

Blog »    What would Jesus say about  Purple Heart recipient Jed Zillmer and the other 22 per day?

    Friday, May 23, 2014 

As you prepare for Memorial Day, think about it as Jesus would think about it.  Feel what he feels.  Think about his words as he commented on the fate of Jerusalem, which was destroyed in the most horrendous of ways in 70 AD.  

 But as they came closer to Jerusalem and Jesus saw the city ahead, he began to weep.  “How I wish today that you of all people would understand the way to peace. But now it is too late, and peace is hidden from your eyes.  Before long your enemies will build ramparts against your walls and encircle you and close in on you from every side.  They will crush you into the ground, and your children with you. Your enemies will not leave a single stone in place, because you did not accept your opportunity for salvation.”                                                     Luke 19:41-44 (NLT)  

Now think of Jed Zillmer.  Here’s how a friend of his put it.  

Jed Zillmer was a kid.
Jed Zillmer fought for his country.
Jed Zillmer returned to a nation ill-equipped to deal with the injuries he suffered as a result of his service. And I’m not talking about his foot.
Twenty-two veterans a day commit suicide in the land of the free and the brave.
Imagine a gunman walking into an elementary school and killing dead an entire First Grade classroom every single day.
That’s what 22 veterans a day looks like. It looks like the slaughter of young boys and young girls.
As young Zillmer tragically learned, the real battlefield isn’t in Afghanistan, or even Iraq.
The highest incident of soldier bloodshed is right here on U.S. soil.  

What is Jesus’ word to us about Jed Zillmer, the 22 per day, war and peace?  How would he have us pray, think and act?  What would he have us do?  

Here’s the newspaper article . .  . . .  

Sheriff’s office releases recordings of response to Zillmer call, fatal shooting by deputies

By Kip Hill The Spokesman-Review

Emergency dispatchers warned law enforcement responding to a high-speed chase with a suicidal Army veteran earlier this month that the man was seeking a confrontation.

“He says he doesn’t plan to harm citizens,” a dispatcher said of Jed Zillmer, 23, who was armed when he was shot and killed by deputies near Spokane Valley Mall on Feb. 11. “Unless we take too long to shoot him.”

More than 40 minutes of recorded radio traffic between responding sheriff’s deputies and dispatchers was released by the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office on Thursday.

The recordings detail the response to Zillmer’s initial calls that he was seeking “suicide by cop,” according to dispatchers, through a high-speed chase that ended at the intersection of East Indiana Avenue and North Sullivan Road. Six deputies opened fire on Zillmer, who was found with three guns, after he refused to comply with law enforcement commands, according to court documents and the Spokane Investigative Regional Response Team.

Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich said that deputies worked to limit citizens’ exposure to the situation, stopping Zillmer before he reached the Spokane Valley Mall. According to the recordings, spike strips were deployed just east of the Indiana exit to slow Zillmer, who had been traveling at speeds of more than 100 miles per hour. Officers attempted a maneuver to disable his 1997 Honda sedan but backed off when it was apparent he was slowing to a stop, according to the recordings.

One dispatcher said Zillmer told a city 911 dispatch supervisor “he wants to be shot in the head” and “he will shoot in the air until we shoot him.”

Paramedics did not immediately approach Zillmer after the shooting because of a fear that there were explosives in the Honda. Zillmer had told dispatchers he was “heavily armed.”

The regional response team is handling the investigation into the shooting and will forward information to the Spokane County Prosecutor’s Office for any potential charges in the case.

Zillmer, a former infantry sniper, earned a Purple Heart during battle in Afghanistan in February 2011, according to a lawsuit he filed along with other veterans claiming he’d been denied benefits. Zillmer was pursuing a degree in mechanical engineering and computer science at Spokane Falls Community College, according to his family. The family suspected he might have been suffering from post-traumatic stress.  

“Lord, there is something gone wrong when we can live comfortably while our young men and women simply leave home and then die tragically fighting other young men who die tragically, or come home and die then tragically because they can’t figure out how to live.  Why are we okay with the the thoughtless, “well that’s the price of freedom”?   And what does it all gain?  Freedom, we say.  And a memorial day barbeque.  Is there no better way? You tell us there is.   Lord, Lord, Lord, help us.  Amen”

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Another "Live to Give" Story from the CLC Family

  Blog »    Another "Live to Give" Story
from the CLC Family  

Thursday, May 22, 2014

“The people responded immediately and generously with the first of their crops and grain, new wine, olive oil, money, and everything else—a tithe of all they owned, as required by law to be given to the Lord their God. Everything was laid out in great piles.
The people who had moved to Judah from the northern tribes and the people of Judah living in the provinces also brought in the tithes of their cattle and sheep, and brought a tithe of the dedicated things to give to the Lord, and piled them up in great heaps.
The first of these tithes arrived in June, and the piles continued to grow until October.  When Hezekiah and his officials came and saw these huge piles, how they blessed the Lord and praised his people!  
"Where did all this come from?" Hezekiah asked the priests and Levites. 
 And Azariah the High Priest from the clan of Zadok replied, "These are tithes! We have been eating from these stores of food for many weeks, but all this is left over, for the Lord has blessed his people."              2 Chronicles 31:5-10 (TLB) 

Last year was a bad year for me financially!  I needed a new roof and air conditioner.  My son and his family were in dire need of money as the result of extended unemployment, so of course I helped them out.
I was really feeling strapped and so did not write my tithe check in December and January, even though I intended to catch up when I could.
January came, things were looking up and I started to catch up with tithing which made me feel so much better.
March comes around, and I get a letter saying I could get a lump sum of money from a long lost pension plan.
Scam, right?  No, real!  And the amount covers my new roof and air   conditioner!   Thank you, Jesus!                                     Anonymous CLC member  

“Lord, over and over again you show us how faithful you are when it things are hard for us.   Help us to renew our decisions to trust you with our hearts and our actions, be it in good times or tough times. Amen”

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Practice Resurrection

  Blog »    Practice Resurrection  

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

"Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like
a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and
the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its
foundation on the rock.  But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put
them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came
down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house,
and it fell with a great crash."
When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching,
 because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law."
Matthew 7:24-29 (NIV)

C.S. Lewis helps us to understand the interactions of faith, doubt, and reason in his comments which follow.  

“Just as the Christian has his moments when the clamor of this visible and audible world is so persistent and the whisper of the spiritual world so faint that faith and reason can hardly stick to their guns, so, as I well remember, the atheist too has his moments of shuddering misgiving, of an all but irresistible suspicion that old tales may after all be true, that something or someone from outside may at any moment break into his neat, explicable, mechanical universe. Believe in God and you will have to face hours when it seems obvious that this material world is the only reality; disbelieve in Him and you must face hours when this material world seems to shout at you that it is not all.  

No conviction, religious or irreligious, will, of itself, end once and for all this fifth-columnist in the soul. Only the practice of Faith resulting in the habit of Faith will gradually do that . . . .  

When we exhort people to Faith as a virtue, to the settled intention of continuing to believe certain things, we are not exhorting them to fight against reason. The intention of continuing to believe is required because, though Reason is divine, human reasoners are not. When once passion takes part in the game, the human reason, unassisted by Grace, has about as much chance of retaining its hold on truths already gained as a snowflake has of retaining its consistency in the mouth of a blast furnace. The sort of arguments against Christianity which our reason can be persuaded to accept at the moment of yielding to temptation are often preposterous. Reason may win truths; without Faith she will retain them just so long as Satan pleases. There is nothing we cannot be made to believe or disbelieve.  

If we wish to be rational, not now and then, but constantly, we must pray for the gift of Faith, for the power to go on believing not in the teeth of reason but in the teeth of lust and terror and jealousy and boredom and indifference that which reason, authority, or experience, or all three, have once delivered to us for truth.¹  

“Lord, thank you for teaching me how to live the Life of God.    I’m terrible at it now but I want, really want to be better at living out all you’ve taught me.   You once summarized your sermon with the words, “Love God and love others”.   As I seek to do so, remind me over and over again how every word of your Sermon on the Mount elaborates on those two powerful directives for living.   You’re amazing.  Amen”

 

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Live to Give

  Blog »    Live to Give  

Monday, May 19, 2014

“I was hungry and you gave me something to eat”
Matthew 25:42 (GW)
 

          Another inspiring story about generous living from a member of our church family! 
          If you would like to share your own story of generous living, just send it to
          info@clcfamily.net God is great!   Jeff
                                                            

                          I like squeaky shopping carts after midnight

One night in the dead of winter I needed to take my son to Philadelphia.  As I waited in the car for him to return, I noticed in the distance, a homeless man covered with a white blanket pushing a shopping cart and I felt heartsick for him. . . it was so cold.  He was a far distance from me so I asked God to send someone to give him some assistance.  As I sat there reading, I heard squeaking sounds getting louder.  When I looked up there was that homeless man with the squeaky shopping cart, walking by my car, stopping and bedding down for the night in the doorway of a store right beside me!!   I shamefully thought, “Are you kidding me?  It’s 1:00 in the morning and I have no idea where I am, and I’m alone!!  You can’t mean me?”   But I knew God DID mean me. . . . so I prayed for protection, took a deep breath and down the street I walked to try to find someplace to get food.  I found a couple leaving a club so I asked them if there was anywhere around where I could get some food.  They invited me to follow them down the block to a McDonalds.  I still was very uncomfortable being a woman, that late at night and walking into a very rowdy McDonalds, but I entered and ordered some food and hoped I could find my way back to my car.   As I approached the man, he was all covered up and settled in for the night, by that time it was almost 2:00am.   When I said “Excuse me sir” he snapped at me and told me to put the food in the cart, which I did, along with a $10 bill.   I must admit I was a little confused with the man’s reaction but I realized then that I had entered into this man’s world uninvited.  However, I knew that I needed to be obedient and whatever he did with the food, whether he ate it cold or threw it out later, whatever he did with the money, was between him and God and I felt very grateful to be used in that way.                               Anonymous CLC member  

Do you have an “I Like Giving” story to share?   Just send it to info@clcfamily.net  and we’ll share it with others!

“Lord, Your Word teaches us that You Yourself are a Giver and receiver.  As Father Son and Holy Spirit you are a continual flow of joyful giving and receiving, receiving and giving.  Lord help me to enter they joy of that flow also and, as the apostle Paul wrote, to experience the “Life that is truly Life”.   (1 Timothy 6:19)  Amen”

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