Isaiah was my friend!

Isaiah was my friend. We met at Taekwondo. He was a good kid from a good family. He and his brother Zeke used to come to class together. His mom Tina would sit on the bench with my mom and visit during the kids' class. She is a nurse, very active in her church. She used to ask for suggestions about what to give her pastor and his wife for Christmas. Isaiah was my friend.

But we had fallen out of touch when he stopped coming to Taekwondo. We figured there was too much going on to continue juggling Taekwondo with everything else. That and it was time for Isaiah and his brother to move into the adult class which meets from 7:15-8:30pm on Tuesday and Thursday evenings; not a great time for most households. You have to be truly committed-and a bit crazy-to attend a class two nights a week that has you doing an intense workout that late in the evening. It turns out there was more going on.

He committed suicide earlier this fall. And we all are asking: how could we have missed the signs? Did I mention that he was a good kid! My heart is breaking as I grieve the loss of a young man who had so much to live for, yet felt death was the only way out of his pain.

Isaiah is not alone in his choice. Suicide is the number two cause of death for young people; second only to car accidents.   What does that say about the state of our times? And the pain doesn't stop for those who reach their adult years. Did you know that every day in America seventy-six million Valium are swallowed?

Taking in such a stark reality can be overwhelming. Indeed, if we do not take care to rest our souls in God, we can find ourselves immobilized. Yet the Apostle Paul is clear: Even as we rejoice with those who rejoice, we are to share in one another's suffering (I Corinthians 12). It is the only way.

But we cannot be with another in their pain unless we are able to be with God in our pain. So, how do we manage the pain? First and foremost, we need to enter into it. In a society focused on avoiding pain at all costs, this can be hard. But, it is the only way! When we refuse to name the pain, we become its victim and it can consume us. But when we dare to embrace the pain, it can become instead "fuel for the journey". Fuel which nurtures compassion for self and others. Fuel which releases us from the need to "fix"; warming us instead through acceptance. For in that grace, degree by degree, healing becomes possible and hope emerges.

Isaiah was my friend!

Holy Habit: Enter God's Love

What pain do you carry inside your soul?

This week receive God's invitation to bring your whole self before God. Enter into the divine embrace and like Adam, know that you are beloved.

As the apostle Paul emphatically reminds us: Nothing shall separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord-NO, NOTHING (see Romans 8).

Dare to ponder God's love for you. A love so wide, so deep, so high that nothing can separate you from it... even your pain! And in that love, dare to give God your pain.

God and Adam at Creation,  

Chartres Cathedral

Resources for those whose lives are impacted by suicide:

• No Time to Say Goodbye: Surviving the Suicide of Loved Ones by Carla Fine

• Lament for a Son by Nicholas Wolterstorff

• Alliance of Hope (Healing Support network for those grieving loss after suicide)

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Alliance-of-Hope-for-Suicide-Survivors/200329196655910?fref=ts 

• American Association of Suicidology (Suicide prevention)

http://www.suicidology.org/sssg-n-o#OH 

Special thanks to Pastor Robin Craig for her willingness to share from her painful journey with the death of her son, Josh! In death and life, we belong to the Lord. Whether we live, therefore, or die, we are the Lord's! (Romans 14:13)

Formational Prayer Seminar...How we Can Change!

The Formational Prayer Seminar may appear to be a hefty title, but indeed it is four days of life changing experiences, learning to walk with Jesus and seek and obtain the glory, guidance, and reassurance of the Holy Spirit. In our first seminar, the very necessary process of forgiveness and putting wounds in perspective takes place with self-forgiveness, healing of old wounds, and short and long term hurts begin with one's self and extends to others. It is the beginning of a process and a journey!

Guided, led, and taught by Dr. Terry Wardle of Ashland Theological Seminary, who has a no holds barred, reveal all attitude about his own and shared experiences, we were guided to begin our own search and realities in a program of learning, combined with daily, meaningful worship. There could never be a kinder, more empathetic way through the hand of God!

Attending the second seminar proved to be an even stronger, more involved, self-reflective journey, led by Dr. Wardle, but further enriched by other leaders in their fields of expertise in different learning sessions. We were enriched in our journey, as we walked with Jesus daily, were led by the Holy Spirit, encouraged in daily study, daily prayer, and the use of many recommended resources. A further gift was the connections made with others making the journey, and coming from many different fields of work and areas of the country. We have been encouraged to "tell our story," and to "continue the journey." For those of us in this Presbytery with our theme of "Journeying with Jesus," these experiences are life changing helping us to make changes in our own lives to better help and encourage others to change theirs and continue the walk to enhance our own lives, other lives and the world. I believe for me, these seminars have been not only a large blessing, but a permanent life change in my personal and religious life, providing great direction and joy!

Kathy Adams,   

Ruling Elder Commissioner,  

East Hills Presbyterian Church, Mansfield, Ohio.

Formational Prayer Seminar 

January 16-19, 2013. Registration begins at 8 a.m. 

Wednesday and seminar concludes at 4 p.m. Saturday.

Link to Formational Prayer Seminar at Ashland Seminary

**Please note the $100 discount when registering as an MVP leader for Formational Prayer Seminar.