From Connie Horn - Editor PageTwo

I am concerned about the cost of health care. I am one of millions of people who cannot afford health insurance. Last week I paid my doctor $65.00 for five minutes of his time so that he could prescribe a medication to clear up an infection. I also paid the costs of lab work and the medication out of pocket. I believe Jesus when he said that a "worker deserves his wages" (Luke 10:7), but the spiraling costs can be overwhelming.

With all that said, there is danger that I could lose sight of one of the most important issues regarding my health. I don't know about you, but it seems to me that I am being "marketed" the idea that health is the absence of a physical or mental ailment. Health, as it is being peddled these days, conjures up the image of a body and mind functioning in a manner that is productive and free of pain. One cannot argue with that. I don't like pain any better than the next person does and I think living a productive life in the service of others is a gift from God. However, good health from the Bible's perspective is much more.

One of the great stories in the Bible is about ten jealous brothers who sold their sibling into slavery. His name was Joseph and he ended up in Egypt. Although Joseph starts out as a slave, he prospers and by the time his brothers reenter the picture, Joseph is in charge of the only food source in that entire region of the world. The reason I mention Joseph is that when he sees his brothers again, he asks about his father's health. "Is he well...good health?" (Genesis 43:27-28).

The Hebrew word translated "well" and "health" in this passage broadens a Christian's concept of health. The word is Shalom. The Jews have used "Shalom" from time immemorial to convey the idea of peace and safety. The father of Joseph was, of course, Jacob. Joseph's inquiry about Jacob's health encompassed much more than a question about physical ailments. He asked about the key ingredients for good health - peace and security.

John repeats this idea in the New Testament. "Beloved, I wish above all things that you may prosper and be in health, even as your soul prospers" (3 John 2). The word "health" is also translated "safe and sound" in the story of the prodigal, when the father received the son home "safe and sound" (Luke 15:27).

Peace and security are free to us, but they cost the most precious commodity in the universe - the blood of our Savior, Jesus Christ. He purchased peace and safety for us with His own life and He offers them freely to all. He offers eternal health that is impervious to a physical or mental disease. He offers this health to us even when we have to present ourselves to Him with that age old pre-existing condition, our sinful nature. But there will never be any discussion as to our ability to pay or whether we have the correct type of insurance. There are no policies to buy; there are no premiums to pay.

Steve D. Beyer
www.pagetwo.com

Yesterday I offered my help to an addiction recovery ministry and the response was they had a 12 step program and were 'all covered'. I bit my tongue and walked away but could not sleep last night. My burden is that so many people are fooled into thinking that 12 step programs have the answer.
I have attended AA meetings. Many started with the reading of a statement that said (among other things), that this Twelve-Step program has rarely been known to fail, except for a few unfortunate people who are "constitutionally incapable of being honest with themselves". (You can look at this statement in A.A. Big Book). It amazed me how everyone just sat there and smiled while what was being said could not be further from the truth. There are two things wrong with this statement. First, people are not constitutionally incapable of knowing truth about themselves and second, independent statistics prove failure is not a rarity!

Because of the nature of the programs themselves (they are anonymous remember) we are prevented from getting accurate figures. Yet anyone who seriously examines this issue will discover that the true figures are at least 90% failure rate with the 12 step programs. In my research the actual numbers I come up with are more like 95 to 100% failure! FULL POST

THINKING ON WHAT IS TRUE

Mark Twain said "facts can be stubborn things." That is because facts are based in truth. But as concrete as facts may be, they can change from day to day. For instance, a factual description of the weather will be different every day. A factual description of the sky will change day to day. Although facts have their basis in truth, truth is not just a set of facts.

When Paul told the Philippians to think on things that are true (Philippians 4:8), he was telling them to "hang their hat" on a peg that never changed. He invited them to anchor the foundation of their thought life in a place as steadfast as the sunrise - truth. Truth, like an army with endless inexhaustible supply lines, marches across time and space fueled by the unchanging laws of an omnipotent Creator. FULL POST

I gave a ride the other morning to a young woman who was caught out in the freezing cold, lost, with a blanket wrapped around her for a coat. I don't know if she was an "angel unaware" or just "feeble minded" but she was miles away from where she told me her destination was. Anyway, as we made the trip across town, she told me she had "given up on God." And my response to her was that "God is not responsible for all the crap in the world - we are" or something to that effect. That morning I had just been working through "honesty" and was faced with the fact that I needed to tell her the truth and not "equivocate" (be double tongued). I think she was pretty thankful to be "let out" of my vehicle at her stop. She probably thought I was "feeble minded."

Anyway, I tell you all that to say that out of her comments about giving up on God, I was thinking about why people say they give up on God. I think they may do this because they have an innate sense of what God should be like. They have basic beliefs about what He should do and be. In their heart they believe that God is all powerful and that He is merciful and should do something about suffering.

I suppose a person who turns his back on God doesn't even realize that he has drawn the benchmark of what is right and good from God Himself. C.S. Lewis wrote about this knowledge of what is right being drawn from the ONE who is RIGHT. FULL POST

You cannot change your life without a deep personal desire drawn from inside. I think back years ago to a college student that came to me for help. "I am a mess," she said. "Can you help me?" We spoke for a while and I began to identify things she could do to begin the change. After the session, I set a meeting for the following week. I also provided her a reading assignment to complete before our next meeting. She arrived early for her next appointment ready for our next talk. I walked into the outer office where she was waiting and asked if she had read the materials I gave her. "I just did not have time, I was so busy this week" she replied.

I sent her away. I also told her, "When you finished reading the material, call and make an appointment." She never called. Like so many people today, she did not want to change. She only wanted to talk about change. She actually enjoyed her problems because she gained a perverse sense of pleasure from the attention she was getting. I will not belabor this. I hope you get my point. Are you one of these people? If you are, then let's change that. Wouldn't you rather get all the attention you need from successes rather than failures? I hope so! FULL POST

I have hypoglycemia. Sugar is the enemy of my body, along with many other things. I like sweets but the effect of sugar is extreme. I have had physical blackouts due to the wrong diet. The question for me is not, "Do I like sugar?" The question is, "What do I want?" Did I want change? Yes. I want health, not sickness. Thus I had to train myself to deal with foods correctly. I have been asked, "How do you resist eating that big piece of cake?" It is easy. I merely programmed myself to eat correctly and it comes natural to resist temptation.

There is much debate regarding why a woman who grows up with an abusive father marries an abusive spouse and then stays in the relationship. I knew a woman just like this. Her husband seemed a nice enough man from the outside. We even spent time with them socially. Unknown to me, there were problems. It was not until one morning when I saw bruising on her face that I was able to get her to tell me the extent of what was happening at home. He was an extremely controlling man and became abusive when he drank alcohol. After several incidents, she decided to take her child and move far away from him. She obtained a restraining order against him, quit her job, and moved to a different state to start her life over. Everyone who cared for her, including myself, knew this was the best thing for her to do.

As you have guessed, that is not where this story ends. Six months later, I accidentally met her in a restaurant. I could not believe my ears when she told me she had returned to him. Apparently He could not "live" without her and promised to change. Months later I learned that things had not changed, she was still trapped.

One might ask why she doesn't want to change and have a better life. This illustrates the difference between wanting to change and needing to change. It is easy to see that she needs to change. Does she know she needs to change? Of course she does. What is happening is very common. The forces that seemingly compel her to endure the harmful lifestyle have smothered the capacity to realize what she wants. These forces seem stronger than dreams for a better life. She believes that she cannot escape and abuse will be her life. I say it doesn't have to be.

It is not just that one must leave a Page One life because it is so painful, it's that the longer the behavior is endured or repeated, the harder it becomes to get back up again. Every time the cycle repeats, it gets more deeply embedded into who we are. In the case of an abusive relationship the reason to change is obvious. Your Page One may not be as openly hostile or dangerous as an abusive spouse may be. But the consequences to your real life, the life you want, are the same. So ask yourself, "Do I really want to change?"

One of the people who worked the PageTwo system found that one of her most destructive Page One behaviors was the useless imaginary conversations she had with people she could not deal with in reality. Over time, family and friends had disappointed her expectations and thus her life was full of past failed relationships. Over and over again she would have imaginary conversations with these people, but in reality she rarely spoke to them at all.

Why was it absolutely necessary for her to change this behavior? "Because," she said, "while I was busy with imaginary conversations in my head, my entire life was slipping away - the real one!" Her reason for change was that she was missing her life! Thus, her reason to change became more important than her desire to hold on to resentment.

This is an excerpt from book found at http://www.pagetwo.com

DO YOU HONESTLY WANT TO CHANGE?

There is the life you lead and the life you deeply desire and it seems there is an invisible barrier between the two. There seems to be something holding you back from conquering and finding that full measure of life. Oh yes, there are times you may say, "It doesn't matter, it's not a problem, I can live this way." Be honest with yourself. You and I know this is not true. There is real danger in acceptance of this form of life - or half-life. Don't deceive yourself any longer. Do not live one moment longer with this shadow covering the life you can have.

I have seldom talked seriously to a person that says they have nothing they want to change about themselves. In fact, given the opportunity to completely expose their inner thoughts, the vast majority of adults will tell you they have serious concerns to confront on a regular basis. If you are like most people, you endure the pain of an invisible, bloodless wound. It is a pain deep inside revealing something missing. Maybe it is a lost dream or a terrible mistake you made in your life. Maybe it is some horrible thing that happened to you in your past that engulfs your present. Maybe it is a habit you carry that seems to have control over you. Whatever it is, I'm certain you are acutely aware of its presence.

This wound that won't let go could be evident when you look into the mirror and view an overweight body. Like many, you may experience this pain in the form of a hangover or the dreaded after effect of a drug-induced high. Or maybe you hate your job but don't have the confidence to leave and move on.
I'm certain you have heard or read the statement: "There is a place I live and nobody knows it but me." We all have these kinds of thoughts that sneak around our mind to haunt us. Each day we greet and are greeted with the question, "How are you doing?" The acceptable answer almost jumps from our lips, "Fine". Yet in reality many should say, "If you only knew." As a counselor, many of my patients have said, "I've never told this to anyone before," as they proceed to talk about that secret place of pain.

The next time you are driving, look at the faces of those in cars around you. For the most part, you see people with gloomy faces, lined with concern, fraught with anxiety. Many are fighting the unseen battle, a silent war. It is a war within. It is dilemma with no beginning and no end in sight. This is a society of millions who are regularly falling short and who will never reach their life's potential. Because there are so many who are living far short of what they desire, it begs the question; do they really want to change? Because I do not want you to miss the importance of this I will repeat it for you. DO YOU REALLY WANT TO CHANGE? Give this question some serious thought for it is the first and vital step you must take toward your own Page Two.

This is an excerpt from PageTwo Book found at www.pagetwo.com

Scholars commissioned by King James coined the phrase "addicted to ministry". Such is the case with the second half of 1 Corinthians 16:15. This particular passage of Paul's letter was translated in 1611 as "they have addicted themselves to the ministry of the saints."

When the translators of 1611 used the word addicted, they had no idea that by the time Webster's Dictionary rolled off the press in 1983, the word "addicted" would long have been relegated to describing those overcome by harmful behaviors. The word "addict" is just not a description that the average Christian would want on his resume for it has been relegated to a mark of weakness.

We know instinctively what the word "addict" describes. It's someone who needs his next fix; someone who will be experiencing withdrawal if he can't get a supply of that which he is devoted to. This has some merit for I would love to live my whole life so addicted to Jesus that I experience withdrawal when I lose His power in my life - but there is so much more to the concept than what we commonly understand.

To make absolutely sure that we grasp the intent of the writer of 1 Corinthians 16:15, we can cross reference the word "addicted" with other places in the Bible where the same Greek word is used and translated into a different English word. One of these words is "set." Luke tells the story of a centurion who sent for Jesus to heal his servant. In the course of that episode, the centurion says, "I also am a man set under authority" (Luke 7:8). The word "set" is the same as the word "addicted." Just as the centurion had put himself under the control of another, so also does the addict deliberately relinquish control to someone or some thing. This idea of a deliberate plan or choice is borne out in a trusted Concordance (James Strong) that defines this word "to arrange in an orderly manner, i.e. assign or dispose." There is a conscious decision made involving God's gift to us of free will. It is significant that the phrase in 1 Corinthians reads "they addicted themselves."

There is something inherent to addiction that causes the loss of self protectiveness. There is a passion to it that takes risks. The difference in the Biblical usage of this term, the one who is addicted is not controlled by the object of that passion. In a world where an addict is seen as a foolish helpless individual, we must reexamine our attitude of repugnancy at such behavior. What if those who are willing to throw their lives away on things that destroy actually exhibit a passion that we should all strive for? A passion that many Christians lack in their daily devotion to our Lord? Of course an addict's passion can be corrupted, the object of that passion can be destructive, but it is very possible that the ability to exhibit that kind of selfless devotion, regardless of consequence to life and limb, has been placed in our heart by our Creator.

Those who are addicted to a harmful substance or behavior are told they are helplessly ensnared by genetics or disease. What a misstatement of the truth! God gives us the predisposition of an addict. This is true in the since that the word "addicted" is also translated as "ordained," in Romans 13:1 "Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God." But this is false if we believe that it is the object of addiction that has the power over us!

Our ability to choose and take responsibility of our addiction does not arise by itself. We are created in the image of the One who gifted everyone with the ability to choose and take responsibility. We are an addict by design. We have the ability to be addicted - to be passionate - to exhibit the selfless devotion and loss of protectiveness - to whatever we choose. Thus what we are addicted to is a choice.

All of the exposition in the world is of no use if we don't look at the context of the "addiction" of those Paul writes about. Those who had addicted themselves to the ministry of the saints were the members of the "house of Stephanas." Tradition holds that Stephanas was the jailer at Philippi who was saved the night that Paul and Silas were freed from prison (Acts 16:20-34). In 1 Corinthians 16:15, it is said that the church that began in Stephanas' home was the "firstfruits" of that region. The reason Paul is talking about Stephanas at the end of 1 Corinthians is because his letter is written to a group of believers who were addicted to destructive behaviors (i.e. immorality, gluttony). Paul has spent a good deal of his letter pointing out the negatives. Like any good leader, he ends his letter with this positive illustration. He goes on to assure them of the Savior's love and his own commitment to continue to love and support them.

As a new believer, one of the first things Stephanas decided to do was take care of the physical needs of Paul and Silas. "He took them the same hour of the night and washed their stripes" (Acts 16:33). Serving the Lord in those days was a risky business. It was no small thing that Stephanas took these men home, fed them and gave them a safe place to sleep. No doubt, a strong conviction that came to be known as an "addiction" arose in Stephanas' heart that night. He and his whole church "addicted themselves to the ministry of the saints."

Describing this addiction as the "ministry of the saints" may not be the best way for someone in our own culture to grasp what Stephanas was doing. If we take a look at the roots of the word ministry, we get a clearer understanding. Someone who is a "minister" is working on behalf of someone else. The Greek root goes so far as to explain ministry in terms of running an errand for someone else. All of us, at one time or another, have run an errand. We have been sent to do a task and the completion of it has brought us the satisfaction of knowing that a job has been well done.

When we undertake an errand, we willingly become the servant of the one who sent us. All of Christianity is embodied in this idea. It is seen in the Lord Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God who is the Cornerstone - the Firstfruit - praying "Not my will, but thine, be done" (Luke 22:42). The errand we have been asked to undertake may not seem to have a concrete aspect to it. It may not feel as if there is a definite beginning and ending to it. They key to our life errand as a believer is not in its duration or repetition or even its completion. The key is in our willingness to addict ourselves passionately to being on that errand day after day for Jesus Christ.

Our Creator is also aware that we are creatures who like to see projects completed. He knows we like to have a pat on the back - to see results of our work. Who would be more intimately acquainted with us than the One who made us? It is no accident that Jesus made it very clear that we must take up our cross daily and follow Him. He who created us knows that the limits of our endurance reside between sunrise and sunset. He challenges us to be addicted to "the errand" He has in store for us just today - for just one day.

I'm addicted to Jesus. Whose addict are you?
Steve Beyer www.pagetwo.com