Micah 3 - Leaders With Hearts For The Peoples' Hearts

“Listen, you leaders of Jacob,
    you rulers of Israel.
Should you not embrace justice,
     you who hate good and love evil;
who tear the skin from my people
    and the flesh from their bones;
who eat my people’s flesh,
    strip off their skin
    and break their bones in pieces;
who chop them up like meat for the pan,
    like flesh for the pot?”
Then they will cry out to the Lord,
    but he will not answer them.
At that time he will hide his face from them
    because of the evil they have done." (Micah 3:1-4 NIV)

Personally, I think these verses pretty much speak for themselves. It's seems to me it's all about personal power, authority, wealth... for many (maybe all - I can't figure out for certain) of our elected leaders. Are they really concerned about actually helping people or helping their personal agendas? It seems to be a lot about creating more mandates, more hoops to jump through and actually providing less or no services for the tax payers dollars.

There seems, to me, to be a mental health crisis in this country and specifically in the county that I live in. We have a 16% unemployment rate; the dark days of winter are upon us; people are suffering from alcohol and drug addictions as well as depression and anxiety; children and their needs are often neglected. So what to do about it? What are our leaders doing about it? Nada, Nichts,

Hичего не, Nothing (or a whole lot close to nothing)!  And... unless you are willing to go to the emergency room or call an 888 number and tell them that you plan to commit suicide or kill someone; then there is virtually no help. There is no help for those who have not yet reached those stages. With all due respect, we do have some pretty good programs in this county for substance abuse related mental health problems - through 12-step programs and the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community and there are programs for severely mentally ill persons if you can get past the call to the 888 phone number. But, for the multitudes who are suffering from countless other mental health issues - pretty much nothing.

Recently, I contacted two of our elected leaders from Michigan (one Democrat/one Republican) regarding this. Both responses were very lacking in any real understanding of the real needs of the people. One of the responses to my queries from those in authority lately has been that Obamacare will eventually fix the problem. When I asked "how long," I was told that it would probably take a couple of years...

So, thinking that maybe our elected official aren't the answer and we might have to turn to a grass roots, community effort; I checked out government web-sites for grants to implement counseling or treatment programs for those who are not yet in the crisis stage; yet, are still not living lives anywhere near to full. I couldn't find one. You can get grants to research mental health and illness. You can get grants to start community coalitions to talk about the crisis. But, I could not find one grant that would actually help a community set up a treatment program/counseling service for those who are not in the crisis stage. You know... the kind of counseling that might help people who are heading toward being non-functional due to depression or anxiety; counseling for people who are having a hard time getting out of bed in the morning; or leaving the house; counseling for people before they get to the stage where they are contemplating and planning to committing suicide or even murder.

Our LORD does ask of us to help and serve one another. So where's the help from the leaders that we, in good faith, have elected? If our leaders will not do it, who then?

Right now, I'm praying that God will figure out (and reveal) a plan for us that doesn't include elected political leaders; unless He has a mind to change their hearts and minds. In the meantime, the only answer that I can give anyone is one I overheard my granddaughter give a friend of hers who was heading into more trouble than he was already in - who was constantly complaining how life was treating him: "You really just need Jesus." That is true - a closer relationship with Jesus would help us a whole lot - in fact it would save us. But, God also gave us gifts, gift to be shared with those in need. Those gifts include professional counselors and therapists who can help us better to understand how to live life more abundantly.

I have often been asked to counsel people in the community. I am trained in substance abuse counseling. I am trained in spiritual counseling. Beyond, that... my gifts at counseling are very limited. Years ago, I use to be able to refer people to other counselors when it went beyond spiritual counseling; but, the places I can refer you to now are really limited and you might have to travel quite a ways to get those services. 

May God lift up leaders who have a heart for the people's hearts.

God's Peace - Pr. J

P.S. I read Michigan's Mental Health Act the other day. If you live in Copper Country of Michigan and are in crisis, even though the people at the 888 number, during your telephone assessment, have deemed you not in crisis - ask for a second opinion. They will, according to the act, set you up with an appointment, locally, for a one on one assessment. This means you will actually get assessed in person rather than over the phone!

Psalm 63 - Myriads of Thoughts...

O God, You are my God;
Early will I seek You;
My soul thirsts for You;
My flesh longs for You
In a dry and thirsty land
Where there is no water. 
So I have looked for You in the sanctuary,
To see Your power and Your glory. (Psalm 63:1-2)

This morning, multitudes of hearts ache for the loss of lives yesterday in the Connecticut school shooting.  As in a dry land, our souls are parched, we search for answers, we look for God's help, for His help. 

Though very few facts are in, I can't help but remember our Bible Study this past Wednesday at Zion.  We discussed, for a bit, the issue of a growing population with very serious mental health issues. We discussed mental health issues that go undiagnosed, that are misdiagnosed, treatment that is refused by the patient, and treatments that may actually do more harm and be more dangerous to society than if none were administered.  Some of these diseases are very physical; while, others are psychological, brought on by stress in or the circumstances of one's life. Although we know it, we seldom truly accept that physical and psychological health are both affected by and effect our spiritual health. We have a long way to go in recognizing, diagnosing and treating mental illness.  In the meantime, a lot of people suffer, both the one who is ill and the people around them - all of society.

There are also those who are already using this latest shooting as an excuse for tighter gun control.  And, there are those who lament the fact that God has been outlawed in public schools.  In fact, God has not been outlawed in public school.  No one can stop you from voluntary praying.  They can; however, stop you from forcing children to pray to your specific God.  I would be very happy, indeed, if we all believed in the one God, whom I trust.  But, we do not.  We live in a country where we have freedom of religion and, as Christians, we rejoice that we are free to do that.  However, we have to remember that freedom of religion, in this kingdom, extends to all people. So, let me ask you this question.  If organized prayer were allowed in your child's school, would you be willing to have a Wiccan or a Satanist lead those prayers?  They are after all both recognized as religions, whether we agree with them or not.

I think it's time to stop blaming the increased violence in the world on guns and the lack of prayer in schools.  Will you be praying with your children or grandchildren when they wake up this morning?  Will you be praying with them before they lay down to sleep at night?  Will you be bringing them to the house of God to hear God's promises and to give Him thanks for all that He has done?  If God is missing in this society, I think maybe we should look at what we as individuals, as families, and as a church can do to change ourselves and by result change society around us.  Don't wait until there is a major catastrophe to teach your own children and your neighbor's children about what God has done and will do for them and the world around them.  And, don't be blaming others if you neglect to teach them this.  

For years, I was frustrated with our Sunday School material.  What it boiled down to was that we were teaching morality.  We don't need to teach them morality.  We need to teach them who Jesus is, who God their Father is, who God the Holy Spirit is.  So we quit purchasing material and have made the Holy Bible the text book.  We are confident that once children (and adults) get to know who this God is; once they get to know Him; once they get to a place where they have a real relationship with God, that thing we call morality will fall into place.  Our focus is no longer on how to make them act like real Christians (did you realize that this is what much of our Christian curriculums are actually doing - teaching them to behave?) but not how to have a genuine relationship with God, so that Christ might abide in them and they in Him.  When Christ abides in one, then good things, actually may be accomplished.

Without God, nothing good can be accomplished.  But, as Christ abides in us, it is He who accomplishes good through us. As St. Paul wrote, "... it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me."             

So how does all this relate to Psalm 63?  Do your lips praise God?  Do you meditate on Him? In the morning, all through the day, and in the night?  Or has He been forgotten in your home?  Do you bless God so others might hear of His glorious deeds?  Seek the LORD, thirst for His Righteousness....  Quit blaming guns... Quit blaming schools... Quit blaming the government.... What are you doing to teach your children to live in health and in peace?

Ok... so this is a lot of rambling.  Hard to focus in light of yesterday's events...  The only peace we will ever truly know comes when we recognize who this God of ours is.  He can quench our thirst for peace, for equity, for all things good.  He and only He can accomplish these things.

God's Peace - Pr. J