Apathy's Antidote

What sin comes to mind when you think of the ancient city of Sodom?

Chances are, your first response is the sin of "sodomy", usually associated with homosexuality.

However, the root sin of Sodom, according to the Old Testament prophet, Ezekiel, was apathy--or a lack of concern for the poor.

"Sodom's sins were pride, gluttony and laziness, while the poor and needy suffered outside her door. She was proud and committed detestable sins, so I wiped her out, as you have seen." Ezekiel 16:49,50 (New Living Translation)

Our preacher, Dr. Jason Locke, shared this passage with us yesterday, as he talked to us about our attitudes toward gay and lesbian people. How would God have us treat those who are in same-sex relationships?

While the good Dr. Locke did not give us a definitive answer for our church family, he did encourage us to remain open to showing love and friendship to those in homosexual relationships, or those who are struggling with their sexual identity.

And he certainly advised us to avoid the sin of apathy, of having all that we need to live comfortably, yet ignoring the needy and helpless around us.

We have a wonderful opportunity, in less than two weeks, to take a huge antidote to apathy in Fresno. The Ocheltree Shepherding Group is hosting a 24-hour Urban Plunge at The Fresno Rescue Mission on Friday, Oct. 10 through Saturday, Oct. 11. We will stay overnight in a dormitory especially for guests and we will learn what goes on in downtown Fresno, where all the drug addicts and drunks and prostitutes and homeless hang out. Cost is $15 per person. That includes 4 meals. All ages are welcome, as well as neighbors, friends and co-workers. There are 90 beds available for us.

Please text or email Carolyn Ocheltree before Monday, Oct. 6, if you would like to join the Urban Plunge. Cell phone: 559-250-6465. Email: carolynocheltree@gmail.com

We will be changed after this weekend. That's a guarantee. It's a wonderful way to take an antidote for apathy in our city!

--Posted by Mama O.

Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand

RECOMMENDED READING:

UNBROKEN BY LAURA HILLENBRAND

I just finished reading, quite possibly, the best biography I have ever encountered. It is the true story of Californian Louis Zamperini, who was a champion in the 1936 Berlin Olympics one-mile run. He went on to join the United States Army Air Corps in World War II as a bombardier. His plane went down over the Pacific and he survived 47 days afloat a life raft before being taken prisoner by the Japanese. He spent years being tortured as a Japanese Prisoner of War before Japan surrendered to the Allied Forces in 1945.

The story is extremely timely, as Louis suffered from what we now call Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). After his release from prisoner-of-war camps, he suffered terrible nightmares and daytime flashbacks. He turned to alcohol for relief from the pain, but the alcohol began to destroy the relationships that meant the most to Louie.

The Billy Graham Evangelistic Crusade in Los Angeles in the late 1940s was a turning point in the rich, full life of this incredible man, who went on to establish an outdoor camp for troubled youth in the San Gabriel Mountains of Southern California.

Although I read the book on my Kindle, I ordered a hardcover copy of this book, as well as Seabiscuit, by the same author, to keep on my shelf at home so it is available to all who enter my home. It is that good!

And, for those who want to watch the story on the big screen, stay tuned...it opens on Christmas Day, 2014, in movie theaters! It is directed by Angelina Jolie and the screenplay is written, in part, by two of my favorite writers, Joel and Ethan Coen. 

Anyone up for sharing a bucket of buttered popcorn on Christmas Day, join my family at the movies! We'll be there!

--Posted by Mama O. 

Where Are The Answers: Dealing With Impossible Questions

We all have impossible questions that face us in our lives. Some of them come about when people we love do things that are wrong. Some of them come about when illness, accidents, or other unexpected crises arise. Some of them come about because of job loss or relationships that end unhappily. We have questions that cannot be answered in black-and-white terms with "yes or no" answers. We feel uncertain, confused, scared and maybe angry. How do we deal with these impossible questions? Where do we find the answers?

Truth is, some of those questions will never get complete answers until we reach heaven and "know fully" (1 Cor. 13:12). We may receive partial answers, over a period of time, from many sources. Like a puzzle that we keep adding pieces to, the answer may begin to hint at full formation, but still be missing some essential parts.

How do we deal with uncertainty and pain and panic in the meantime, while those puzzle pieces are being assembled?

A simple acrostic, spelling out the word FAITH, may help with impossible questions:

Follow Certain Truths Rather Than Uncertain Conjectures

It is easy, during a crisis, to "run away" with opinions and Facebook and Twitter posts. Fear takes over and leads the charge. But "perfect love casts out all fear" (1 John 4:18) Go with what you know to be right (1 Cor. 13:13). Practice faith ((Prov. 3:5,6; Heb. 11:1,6); hope (Rom. 5:5) and love (1 John 4:20,21).

Ask open-ended questions of God

Too often our prayers are nothing more than thinly disguised requests for God to "rubber stamp" our own agenda. Learn a lesson from good King Hezekiah of Judah, who was faced with a terrible threat from Sennacherib, king of Assyria. Rather than having his military leaders draw up a defensive plan and put it before God for His "divine rubber stamp of approval", Hezekiah took the threatening letter into God's presence and spread it out before Him, asking God what His plan was! The answer God gave was quite unexpected and brought overwhelming victory to the Jewish people. Read the story in 2 Kings 19. Meditate on Hezekiah's response to threatening news in 2 Kings 19:14.

Instruction from wise counselors is needed

Even those with a great deal of knowledge and skill still need to consult wise counselors. When the Apostle Paul was a new convert, he had a great deal of knowledge, zeal and persuasive power. He was so persuasive in his arguments with the Greek Jews about Jesus' true identity as the Messiah that they put out a contract on Paul's life! Wise counselors prevailed. It was not young Paul's time to die! The apostles in charge of the Jerusalem church had Paul board a ship for his hometown of Tarsus where he had time to mature in his faith and get away from the death threats. Read the whole story in Acts 9. 

Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, had much to say about seeking good, solid, wise counsel. Read a sampling of his advice in Prov. 12:15, Prov. 13:10 and Prov. 19:20.

Truth comes from knowing God's character, not having all the answers

"For My thoughts are not your thoughts,

Neither are your ways My ways," declares the Lord.

For as the heavens are higher than the earth,

So are My ways higher than your ways,

And my thoughts than your thoughts."

Isaiah 55:8,9 (New American Standard Version)

"The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going, so is every one who is born of the Spirit." John 3:8 (New American Standard Version)

God can take unexpected turns. Those who are open to listening to God and understand His character of love will be able to change their course when God is the One leading.

Read about the Apostle Peter and his 180-degree turn on the issues of Gentiles becoming part of God's family and of unclean meat being acceptable to eat. The story is found in Acts 10. Peter would not have been able to make these complete turnarounds in his practices if he did not understand God's character of love for all mankind and the sacrifice of Jesus, God's only Son, to forgive all people of their sins.

Have joy in the process!

Nothing can weigh a person down more quickly than unresolved emotional issues. The "what if's" and "if only's" and "it's not fair" questions will keep people awake at night and give them headaches during the day. We simply will never have all the answers. Life cannot be erased and lived over again. We must live with the consequences of our choices and the consequences of other people's choices that affect us. And we must live in a fallen world where young, healthy people die of disease or are killed in accidents. There are no easy answers to the questions that arise from difficult circumstances.

Does God want me to be happy? If He does, then why did my child die...my wife leave me...my job disappear in a downsizing...my brother get addicted to drugs.... 

It is a fact that the circumstances of our lives will not always be happy. We will make some of our own misery, other people will create chaos around us, and natural disasters and disease will take their toll. We won't always be fully compensated financially in a class action lawsuit or vindicated in front of those who judged us. We will have to find our way to "go on" anyway. 

God has provided a beautiful way to "keep going": in the full, unbridled joy of His presence, which promises that all will be made right "someday". In the meantime, rest in the joy of God's friendship and presence:

"I have set the Lord continually before me;

Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. 

Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices;

My flesh also will dwell securely.

Thou wilt make known to me the path of life;

In Thy presence is fulness of joy;

In Thy right hand there are pleasures forever."

Psalm 16:8,9,11 (New American Standard Version)

I Am The Most Blessed Person In The World: An Interview with Ruth Geary

The fourth friend whose story I'd like to share with you is Ruth Geary. Ruth is the senior member of our group of story-tellers from College Church of Christ's Ladies' Night on Sept. 5. Ruth and Frank Geary have been married for 60 years on Dec. 23, 2014, and Ruth turns 80 on Dec. 4, 2014.

I AM THE MOST BLESSED PERSON IN THE WORLD:

 AN INTERVIEW WITH RUTH GEARY

Smart and talented and pretty, Ruth Geary had more than one proposal of marriage in her day. But she chose Frank Geary, with his steady, loving nature and his commitment to God, and she hasn't looked back since.

They have enjoyed years of serving God and other people. From the time they met and married (Frank was stationed at Fort Benning, GA, and had been invited over to Ruth's sister's house for Sunday lunch after church--Ruth was there visiting her sister), they have been contributing to the life and health of the local church.

Frank's military service took them to North Carolina where they helped establish a church. They moved back to California after Frank's military service was complete, where Frank finished his education to become a teacher. While Ruth had received excellent education all along the way, Frank's education in the San Joaquin Valley had been inadequate. He wanted to work within the system to make it better!

Ruth and Frank worked tirelessly for the first 20 years of their marriage, raising Denise and Philip, Ruth volunteering at school and at church (she typed all of John Banks' sermons at College Church of Christ) and Frank served as Boy Scout Master in Parlier, taking Phil along on the long Scouting hikes. Ruth and Frank were present when College Church of Christ opened its doors in 1964.

Once Ruth's children were raised, she returned to the workforce. At first, as a typist for a Fresno State College professor, but later, she became his illustrator, when he discovered her artistic talents. Three veterinary science textbooks, still in use today at California State University, Fresno, are illustrated by Ruth Geary.

Ruth's organizational abilities soon got her "discovered" in the local business world, where she founded a branch for an insurance agency and hired many of the young women of College Church of Christ at the time, including Cindy McGrady, Olivia Gale and Jennifer Martin. Ruth illustrated training manuals for the insurance agency, as well.

Retirement brought 20 more years of happy service for Frank and Ruth, as they bought an RV and traveled all over the place with their grandsons' soccer matches. Members of the soccer team would come to the Geary's RV to play cards and rest awhile between matches.

Aging also brought a number of health problems for Frank and Ruth. Frank has had 24 surgeries, including open heart surgery, prostate cancer surgery, kidney stone retrievals, kidney surgery, three hip replacements, two broken legs. skin grafts...But he has kept going. Only in the last five years has it slowed him down. This past February (2014), "we thought Frank was dying," Ruth said. "The doctor told us, 'Just try to make him comfortable.'"

"Then a young gastroenterologist suggested we test him for Celiac's disease. We did and he has made a 180-degree turnaround in his health," Ruth related.

Ruth, herself, went for her routine check-up in March (2014) and the lab results showed a mass in her right breast. A biopsy revealed breast cancer and Ruth had a partial mastectomy on May 15, 2014. Because her arm was elevated for so long during the surgery, she developed tendinitis, which may need surgical help, also. She has had to deal with radiation burns on her chest, but she said, "God needed me to slow down."

As Ruth sits, like a queen, at the top of 80 years of life and 60 years of marriage. She calls herself "the most blessed person in the world". She and Frank have two children, six grandsons, and five great-grandchildren. All of them are Christians. Those who are married are married to Christians.

"I have a family filled with Christians who will be living forever. That is the best legacy to have," she said.

When Ruth and Frank face difficulties, Ruth is comforted by the worship song, taken from Psalm 42:7, titled "Deep Calls to Deep".

"It reminds me that when I am in the depths of my troubles, God calls to me from the depths of His heart!" Ruth said.

--Posted by Mama O

God is Protecting Me: An Interview with Arrolene Burrell

Today, I introduce you to the third of my four friends who shared their stories at College Church of Christ Ladies' Night on Sept. 5. Arrolene has the gift of making us all laugh as she shares her story.

"God Is Protecting Me": An Interview with Arrolene Burrell

Arrolene and Robert (Bobby) Burrell were married for 41 years. Bobby had been retired for 8 years, Arrolene for 7 years, when Bobby passed away in September, 2012.

Bobby had been diagnosed with cancer when he was 25 years old, so Arrolene felt truly blessed to enjoy his company for so many fine years!

They had one daughter, Aris. Aris was 3 years old when Bobby was first diagnosed with cancer. Arrolene remembers praying to God that she did not feel ready to be left alone to raise this 3-year-old daughter. Bobby lived until Aris was 33 and had two children of her own! Aris is now expecting her third baby.

After 41 years in a happy marriage (both of them were lucky enough to be on the same sleep schedule--night owls who liked to sleep in during the morning hours!), you miss a lot of things about a person.

Bobby always took care of car repairs and filling up Arrolene's car with gasoline. After he retired, he became quite the gourmet chef, preparing meals that were both delicious and lovely to look at! It eventually got to the point, when Arrolene entertained women from one of her organizations, they would just call up the stairs, "Thank you Bobby!" Everyone knew it was he, not Arrolene, who had prepared the meal!

When Bobby was in UCLA's Medical Center, Arrolene began to realize that she was going to have to find a more economical way to travel back and forth from her hotel than using the taxi. So, by herself, without the help of a girlfriend or anyone except God, she taught herself how to use the Los Angeles Metro blue bus system. 

"One day I got on and paid my 50 cents fare for passengers who are 55 and older and the bus driver looked at me and pointed to the sign that said, "55 and older" with a suspicious look. He didn't come back and talk to me or anything, but when I got off the bus, I showed him my driver's license to show I was an honest woman, and a few years past 55!"

Arrolene was able to stay at a place called The Fisher House, which is provided for United States veterans and their families. This also saved expenses.

Bobby had the "gift of knowing that it was his last night on this earth," Arrolene recalled. "He knew the machine had been turned off and by this time tomorrow, he would be with his Heavenly Father. Very few people have that gift. On that night, those two grandchildren were on the bed with him talking and hugging. The children were on their best behavior. It was like a picture book! At Bobby's funeral, his 4-year-old grandson, Jaden, was a pallbearer alongside his daddy, David Shabaglian. Little Jaden was so poised and mature that day!"

Arrolene had been afraid of funerals ever since her father died when she was a little girl. She stood in the bathroom on the day of Bobby's funeral, thinking, "I can't go." But she knew she had to because this was her husband.

"I felt so much better after I went. Here, all these people came out on a Monday afternoon to say all these wonderful things about my husband. Even though I was married to him, I didn't know all of the wonderful stories people told! And this wasn't even our home town, like Memphis, Tennessee, or Mt. Vernon, New York. We are transplants to California!"

Arrolene said all her family was amazed at the wonderful job Pat McKenzie and her crew did of organizing the meal after Bobby's funeral service. "I was going to have it catered so I could be sure it was high quality," she said, "but Pat McKenzie assured me that she and her crew would take care of things! All the relatives from the South and the East and everywhere else commented on the food and fellowship and how good it was. That was the hit! I really want to thank Pat McKenzie for that!"

Since Bobby's funeral, Arrolene has been more "at peace"with attending funerals and has done so for several of her friends.

There is no question, the dark night hours are the hardest for Arrolene, now that Bobby is gone.

"I am so thankful to God for protecting me. It is God who is protecting me, not my husband. I have this picture framed in my head that God has His arms wrapped around me. So I don't have to be afraid of being in the house by myself."

--Posted by Mama O.

Don't give up!--an interview with Jennifer Bryan

Jennifer Bryan is the second of my four friends who shared their stories at College Church of Christ's Ladies' Night on Sept. 5.  Warning: Jennifer's story will give you an irresistible urge to persevere through life's tough times!

"DON'T GIVE UP!'--AN INTERVIEW WITH JENNIFER BRYAN

In December of 2009, Jennifer Bryan had taken a leave of absence from her job as a trauma nurse at Community Regional Medical Center. She was 48 years old at the time, her daughter, Wendy, was soon to be married. Jennifer was scheduled for neck surgery that month, to remove a benign tumor. Jennifer was at risk for having a stroke because she had undergone surgery five times before. This tumor has recurred multiple times.

Two days after the surgery, Jennifer was sleeping when she had a nightmare. She awoke to a different world. She had a stroke. The entire left side of her body had no feeling and no control. She was confined to a wheelchair. In fact, she had to be strapped in so she would not fall out!

Her doctor gave a dark forecast: she would never walk again! But Jennifer did not believe it. She wanted to say, "STOP! My God is not in a box!" Despite statistics and timelines that would tell her differently, Jennifer knew she would walk again.

With the help of an excellent physical therapist, who truly thought "outside the box" Jennifer began to regain more and more mobility. She used something called a "Light Gait", which was like a treadmill with a harness.

"I had a real fear of falling because I could not feel the left side of my body. It is still kind of numb, to this day," Jennifer said. 

Jennifer also dealt with emotional side effects of a brain injury (stroke). She developed Pseudo Bulbar Affect, or PBA for short, which causes emotional imbalances in people with head injuries. It would cause her to laugh or cry at inappropriate times, making it awkward to go out in public.

"I didn't want to go anywhere because my emotions were not under control," Jennifer remembered.

In working with various natural remedies, the emotional side effects have become more manageable, with time.

There were spiritual side effects to the stroke, as well. Jennifer struggled with feeling hurt by God. Why would He allow this? Did He love Jennifer? But God took Jennifer's hand and pulled her up, helping her to see that she needed to keep going for her husband, Pat, and for her grandchildren (she now has 5!)

Re-learning walking as an adult was "a real trip", Jennifer said. "Hip/Knee/Hip/Knee".

"Most people learn that stuff when they are about a year old and a lot closer to the floor!" she laughed.

At times, she had a person on each leg, helping her re-learn to walk, down the corridor.

Jennifer knows that her career in nursing is too physically demanding, but she is planning to enroll in classes this spring to become a counselor, helping others to overcome the obstacles in their own lives.

Her advice as a therapist-to-be?

"Don't give up! When it seems hopeless, a blessing might be just around the corner!"

--Posted by Mama O.

With love, anything is possible: an interview with Rachel Ammons

 I would like to introduce you to four of my very precious friends from College Church of Christ. These four beautiful ladies agreed to share their testimonies, in an interview format, at our annual Ladies' Night on Sept. 5, 2014. Each lady represents an different segment of womanhood and motherhood, and I believe you will be truly encouraged by each story. Today, I will start with the story shared by Rachel Ammons:

RACHEL AMMONS

Rachel Ammons is a mother of two young children, her daughter, Riley, is 2, and her son, Sage, is 3 1/2 months old. Rachel is married to Kris. 

Rachel was born in South Korea in 1978, where she was left as an orphan as a tiny baby. Through God's grace, Rachel was adopted by her parents, Ron and Carol Chitwood, who were stationed in Japan with the Air Force at the time. Her parents especially requested a little girl because they knew the fate of girl orphans. They were left to make their living on the street, as prostitutes, while the boy orphans were abuducted into the military when they were "of age". Rachel has since discovered, through research, that she was adopted through an organization headed by a godly man named Dr. Kim who prayed over each and every baby who was adopted (around 45,000 of them!)

Rachel grew up in Kansas with parents who loved her and taught her to love God. She played all kinds of sports, and became good enough at soccer to win a college scholarship. Although Rachel's mom was more of a homemaker and Rachel was more of a tom boy growing up, they became very close as adults. Rachel and her mom talked on the phone pretty much every day, just to catch each other up on their lives.

Rachel's mom, Carol, loved children and looked forward to being a wonderful grandma! She taught cradle roll in their local church and would be a "local grandma" to the families stationed in the military in their church.

When Rachel and Kris moved to Clovis and were expecting a baby, it seemed like the perfect time for Rachel's mom to move to California and be near her grandbaby-to-be! But, her mom had been taken very ill by this time and was not able to travel. Rachel's mom was a hard-worker and the forced-rest from her illness was very difficult for her, but she was in a great deal of pain.

Carol Chitwood was blessed to meet her granddaughter, Riley, once, before Carol passed away, when Riley was six months old. 

It has left Rachel and Kris with many happy memories of Carol, with her wonderful hospitality and hard work on behalf of others. While Rachel misses her mother every day, she is grateful that her mother is not in pain anymore, and that she is using her gifts to serve Jesus and the other saints in heaven!

When Rachel was asked what the best gift her mother gave her was, she thought about it, because her mother was such an intensely loving and giving woman. She remembered a time, years ago, when her mother hosted a baby shower for an unwed mother in her church. It was considered kind of scandalous at the time and many of the parishioners did not attend the shower. But, Carol Chitwood insisted on showing the love of God, even to people who don't get everything right in this life.

"My mother believed," Rachel said, "that, with love, anything is possible!"

Posted by Mama O.