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Newsletter |
Inspiration, Insight & Information
APRIL 2010
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A MATTER OF LIFE OR DEATH
By JoAnne Crough, MA, LPC
Have you ever thought about how many life or death
decisions you will have to make in your lifetime? I'm not referring exclusively
to the life or death decisions that you might encounter in a hospital or crisis
situation.I'm talking about the kind
that come to us camouflaged in the ordinariness and busyness of our daily
lives. In their simplicity and
cumulative power, theyaffect not only
the direction of our development, but they ultimately have eternal
consequences.How aware are we
really of what we actually believe about God, the world, our place within
it, and our true value?
According to Christian teaching, there are really only two
paths from which to choose: the way of
death or the way of life.We choose
where to place our feet with every decision we make in our life.If the path of death is about lies, deception
and distortions of the Truth, then the path of life is nothing less than that
which connects us to the Truth.
There are some key ways we can steadily become
diverted from Truth - ways that elude our conscious awareness and keep us from
the fullness of life, intimacy and greatness for which we have been
created.We can learn to believe we are
bad, unlovable or worthless based on our experiences with others. If we have
lived through high tension or trauma in our youth, are currently living in a
highly stressful situation, or are experiencing many changes or losses in our
lives, we can be more vulnerable to believing the lies that distract us from
the path of life.
It is actually pretty common for us to be drowning in old
patterns of responding to others and God.This is a fallen world; we can and should expect that there will be
trouble here.We were not created for
such a place.Moreover, we are told in
Scripture that there are forces working against us, deceiving, seducing and
ensnaring us into the diabolical trap that self-sufficiency and worldly success
will bring us happiness.
Our culture constantly bombards us with messages that our
value depends on our monetary worth, our job, the car we drive, how we look,
the clothes we wear, the grades we made in school, our productivity,
performance and even the brand of our jeans.We compare ourselves with others and believe we are "less than" or, conversely,
more entitled to God's love.Can our
worth actually be calculated by human means?Can we really do anything to cause God to love us more or less? What does Scripture tell us?How important it is to be aware of how you
answer these questions before you choose the path on which you walk!
If you believe your value depends on what you do, you will
tend to believe the lies that come with that belief.You are convinced that you need to please
other people to feel good about yourself; that you can't turn down a career
advancement to spend more time with your family; that you need to keep adding
to your own portfolio to experience a sense of security; or that it really
doesn't matter what you do because nobody really cares anyway.You don't notice the words God speaks
quietly into your heart - that you are loved, that you should never fear, that
you are never alone, that He resides in you, and that you are powerful when you
are weak. What do you choose to believe?Which path do you trust?How does
your life reflect that trust?
Sadly, we can easily be utterly unaware of the far-reaching
effects of the choices we make.We
can't change the choices we've made in the past, but we can learn from
them.We have the option of changing our
minds and the path we are on, but the present moment is the only time we can do
that.Ask yourself the following
questions. Your answers will help tell you on which path you are choosing to place more of your faith.
Does your life seem out of control
with responsibilities, time pressures, and fractured relationships? Do you feel trapped?
Does it seem that you're on a
treadmill, in constant motion but going nowhere?
Does your life lack meaning,
purpose and joy?
Do you feel more dead, numb and
isolated, than alive, energized and connected?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, you probably
need to examine your decision-making at a deeper level than you have
before. There may be some external
things about your life that require change, but more than likely it's the
internal workings that need some attention.
Take some time to prayerfully examine with a trusted person or counselor
what you believe and how it is affecting your life. This practice is not only a valuable tool in
seeing the struggles in this life as opportunities for greatness, but a key
part of planting your feet on the solid and worthy ground of the Truthful path.
__________ _ _ _ __________
JoAnne Crough is the Director of the Meier Clinics in Pittsburgh, PA, and also is a Licensed Professional Counselor. She provides marital and individual counseling on a wide range of issues including anxiety, depression, grief/loss, mood disorders, panic attacks, and women's issues. JoAnne has been happily married since 1984 and is the mother of three children. If you are interested in counseling with JoAnne or any of the other Meier Clinics counselors across the nation, log on to www.meierclinics.org or give us a call at 888-7CLINIC (888-725-4642).
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The Face of God
by Bev Henry, LCSW
Catastrophe
struck Haiti
in January. Thousands were killed as the rest of the world looked on in
horror and shock. "Where is God?" many cried. "God has deserted us"
reverberated through our homes from the evening news. Many of us wept as
we prayed and tried to figure out how to help. We're assured from
Scripture that God had not deserted the Haitians even if it felt that
way. We know we live in a fallen world filled with catastrophes, and they
strike unexpectedly in all kinds of ways.
Seven days
after the quake hit, a seven year old little boy was pulled from the rubble with
his arms outstretched and a smile on his face-hope in the midst of
despair! He exemplified to the world the face of God amidst the rubble, as did the woman pulled from the rubble singing hymns. God was and is
present in Haiti in the lives of His people and in the tireless efforts of the
relief workers-those who dug relentlessly and found survivors as long as ten
days and even two weeks after the quake hit, those who are still handing out
food and water, the doctors and nurses who are trying desperately to save
lives.
Psalm 46
tells us that God is a very present help in trouble-even "when the earth
changes, the mountains shake in the heart of the sea, its waters roar and foam
and the mountains tremble with its tumult...the Lord of hosts is with us; the God
of Jacob is our refuge." The earth changed in Haiti. Many of God's children
have helped and are still helping in the aftermath. Many more of us
around the world are praying and contributing to relief efforts, wishing we
could be there to help. Our role is to be faithful in what we can do-pray
and give. Our role, also, is to be the face of God to those around us who
are experiencing their own personal catastrophes, whatever they may look
like. We represent the One who offers hope in the midst of
hopelessness. Let's be there for the neighbor who is ill or has lost a
loved one, the friend whose husband or wife has left, whose child has a serious
illness or whose teenager has gotten into trouble yet again. Let's be
there to offer hope when people are desperate for it. We are the face of
God to those around us.
________ _ ________
Bev Henry is a retired school social worker and therapist. She currently works part-time in the counseling department at Focus on the Family. For more information on Focus on the Family, visit www.focusonthefamily.com.
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NEW HOSPITAL PROGRAM
Meier Clinics is pleased to announce our collaboration with Ascend
Health Corporation in creating Meier Christian Inpatient Programs in several of
their hospitals. The first program in El Paso,
Texas, will open April 1, 2010, and the second program
will begin in Portland, Oregon, on May 1, 2010. We trust God will
bless the lives of those who come to our Christian Inpatient Programs with new
hope and healing at very difficult times of life.
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Timberline Knolls Opens Pine Lodge in Response to Increased Demand
Timberline
Knolls Residential
Treatment Center,
a residential treatment center for adolescent girls and women with eating and
co-occurring disorders and substance abuse, announces the opening of Pine Lodge
on its Lemont, Illinois, campus. Scheduled for completion in April 2010, Pine
Lodge increases resident housing from
two lodges to three and expands overall capacity from 52 bedsto 84.
"Our focus has always been about developing programs
that meet the needs of those women who seek treatment and need our help," said Kim Dennis,
M.D. and medical
director at Timberline Knolls. "Adding
additional housing offers so many wonderful opportunities for our residents -
giving them living options they did not have before that can benefit them
socially and functionally."
The planning for Pine Lodge began in early
2009 at about the time Timberline Knolls began seeing more women in their
30's and 40's seeking treatment for eating disorders. "We went, literally, from having zero at any given time to
having a subgroup of anywhere from five to ten . . . It's a big increase,"
said Dr. Dennis. Since its opening in early 2006,
Timberline Knolls has served more than 900 adolescent girls and women of many
ages who have needed treatment for eating disorders, substance abuse, mood
disorders and co-occurring disorders.
In conjunction with the opening of Pine
Lodge, Timberline Knolls has partnered with former Miss America, Kirsten Haglund,
and her foundation, the Haglund Foundation, to assist women all over the United States
to become educated about the necessity of treatment for eating disorders. During the Pine Lodge opening ceremonies,
Timberline Knolls will donate the first bed to the Haglund Foundation which
will identify a woman who is currently in need of treatment yet treatment has
been beyond her reach.
_____ _ _____
Timberline Knolls is a residential treatment center for females, ages 12 and older, nestled in a wooded area in a southwestern suburb of Chicago. Meier Clinics provides Christian counseling services for those residents who request it. For more information about Timberline Knolls, visit www.timberlineknolls.com or call them toll free at 877-257-9612.
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Spring is in the air; flowers are peeking up from the ground, robins are building their nests, and the earth is coming back to life after what was a hard winter for many across the U.S. Did you know, despite the renewal of life in nature, there has historically been an upswing in suicide during the spring months? You can help provide hope and healing to those who are in such despair that ending their life seems to be the only option to ending the pain, hopelessness, and emptiness.
The staff at Meier Clinics thanks you on behalf of those whose lives you impact through your generous donation so they can receive the quality, Christian counseling care they desperately need. Phone: 800-848-8872 Online: www.meierclinics.com/donations Mail: MCF, 2100 Manchester Road, Suite 1510, Wheaton, IL 60187-4561
MCF is a 501(c)(3) non-profit. Donations are tax deductible within IRS regulations.
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YOU ARE INVITED
to visit Meier Clinics Foundation now on
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"HAPPY EASTER" from the entire Meier Clinics staff.
We pray that you and your loved ones have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ whose death and resurrection we celebrate this month. If you have not experienced the peace, power, joy and freedom that comes from placing your life in the Savior's hands, we encourage you to do so today.
". . .I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies. . ."
John 11:25
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Thank your for taking time out of your day to read our newsletter. We hope it has been encouraging and enlightening. If there is a topic you would like us to address in the future, please feel free to contact us at [email protected] and we'll do our best to include it in a future newsletter or on our website. If you would like to speak with one of our intake staff, please call us toll-free at 888-7CLINIC (888-725-4642) to be directed to the Meier Clinics nearest you. Or you may contact us by e-mail at [email protected].
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