PTSD and Putting on the Full Armor of God

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. (Ephesians 6:10-11, ESV)

Today during our Eastern District Pastoral Conference near Pittsburgh, we heard several sessions of sharing by the LCMS chaplain Lieutenant Colonel Steven Hokana on the topic of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.  Of course he is trained to deal with PTSD in the military… however he reminded us that PTSD is not limited to the military.  PTSD is often a factor in our lives as congregational members – and neighbors and co-workers.   We regularly face traumatic situations that can and do negatively impact our well being.  Whether it is the tragic death of a child or loved one, a significant material loss (such as in a disaster), we should be prepared and girded for the battle against the devil and the spiritual powers that would tear us down and keep us from the comfort and joy of the Lord.  The reality is that disaster and the attacks of the devil in one form or another are bound to befall us all.

There were many learnings today, but high among them was the idea we need to be thinking in “we” instead of “I”.  We are in this together – as the Lord’s body the church!  An attack against one of us is an attack against all of us.  If you are feeling trauma, please remember you are part of a great train of saints from the beginning of time, and with the Lord and all of His church we can know His grace and care!

We also need to remember that while PTSD is significant, it does not define who you are as God’s child!  If we know that God is indeed bigger than our problems and that in our Baptism we are saved, life becomes bearable – no matter how difficult it becomes!  We have the Peace that surpasses all understanding in the blood of Christ.

I am not looking forward to struggling with the great lies of Satan in PTSD – and I pray that the Lord spares me.  However, I am eager to seek after the most excellent way of the Lord and always be prepared for the time when I am at my weakest and needing to trust in the Lord completely!  Please join me in putting on the FULL armor of God!

Definition of Poverty

And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said:

“Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. -Lk. 6:20

Yesterday I attended something of a strange event. The United Neighborhood Centers of NEPA, a local non-profit social service organization, is celebrating their 90th anniversary this year and as part of its celebrations, gathered three knowledgeable individuals to speak on the topic of “Poverty and Poor Health: Changing the Equation”. There were probably about 60 folks at the new Medical College (I went in large part because I was curious to see what the new building was like. It was of course very “rich”.) The audience members were all dressed in suits and obviously pretty healthy. It was a fairly engaging conversation, although of course the problem was that any one hour discussion was only going to scratch the surface of this huge topic.

Or IS it a huge topic? Interestingly one of the points made was that, politically speaking, the topic of “poverty” is simply not a priority on the government’s agenda. We talk around the subject obviously, but, for example, the actual word “poverty” has only appeared in three of President Obama’s speeches since he became president.

I learned a couple other things along the way, but the thing that made me somewhat thankful I attended was a definition of poverty which I think has some merit. I have always struggled with the whole idea of “poverty” and what it means to be poor in our excessively rich nation, but in this discussion it was suggested that an individual (or group, I suppose) can be defined as poor when they simply do not have the power to change the bad situation they find themselves in.

If we understand poverty as a lacking of “power” we can broaden the scope of the problem to not only the lack of money, but the lack of skills and mental/emotional/spiritual resources that can be applied to effectively make the life changes needed to improve one’s negative living situation.

Applying this to the life of the church and the ministry of Jesus, I think church members often think that we can’t help the poor very much because the church doesn’t have a lot of money. I think this definition helps us to see that poverty is much more than just money… and we as the people of God have a chance to make a real difference in the lives of those who are stricken by poverty by “enriching” their lives with the mental/emotional/and spiritual resources that are so often even much MORE important than money.

I did skip the wine and cheese and grand buffet that greeted us out the auditorium… I walked right out!!! Just crazy!!!!!! Such a disjointed and obtuse world we live in! “Boy, we feel so sorry for those poor people who are in such bad health! Let’s go and talk this over with some wine and cheese, shall we?”

As an aside, I recently listened to a series of lectures on St. Francis of Assissi who tried to embrace poverty as a way of following Christ – and struggled with what that meant and looked like in “real life.” What we learn from St. Francis is that truly, we can be rich even without money. Check out how his female counterpart, St. Clare of Assisi, coined the term “The Privilege of Poverty”.

The key question for me is: “What does this mean for me and my life?”

Please Don’t be Misled: Same Sex Marriage is NOT a Civil Rights Issue!

Yesterday morning I was hearing the continual references by the lawyers exiting the Supreme Court that gay marriage is the Civil Rights issue of our day. And so this impels me to post yet another note on the subject.

It is terribly frustrating for me to hear the accusation because it obviously implies very negative things about those who defend heterosexual marriage. No one wants to be thought of as trying to restrict someone’s “Civil Rights”. And this is doubly so when it isn’t true!

So let’s think about it!

The reality is that homosexuals have exactly the same “rights” that any other American has when it comes to marriage!!! (Yes! It is true! Please read that over again!) There is NO discrimination based on their sexual orientation! The same laws governing marriage apply to the heterosexual that apply to the homosexual. This is very different to actual civil rights issues in the past where the laws of the nation were applied differently depending on a person’s race.

Firstly, it is important to remember in the debate that no one has the right to marry anyone they want. There are laws and rules and moral restrictions on marriage. But in all these restrictions that define and govern marriage, no discrimination is made against the homosexual.

Let me just turn it over to the words of Mr. Greg Koukl, founder of Stand to Reason at www.str.org, and let him explain further:

“But I can’t marry whomever I want,” they say. Well, neither can I.

“But, I can’t marry the person I love.” Well, you can if it’s a woman; you can’t if it’s a man. Neither can I. I can’t marry any person I love. If I fell in love with my sister (Perish the thought!), or if I fell in love with my daughter, I couldn’t marry them. If I fell in love with my first cousin I can’t marry her. You see, I’m restricted in the same fashion. I have the right to marry any woman of my choice who is not already married and who is distant from me in terms of kinship. Homosexuals have that very same right.

But they say, “I don’t want to marry a woman, I want to marry a man.” Well, what you want is a different issue. The fact is you have the same freedoms I have, you just don’t want to exercise them.

And so, to restate the important point in all of this: the accusation that refusing same sex marriages is a civil rights violation is completely false. No one is being “unfair” to the homosexual community. It is just that the very definition of marriage as we have understood and practiced it in this country (and as defined in scripture) simply does not include same sex relationships. It is something like saying that a man’s civil rights are being violated because he can’t give birth to a child. The definition of a “male” does not include the capacity to give birth! It really is not hard to grasp this concept.

So the REAL question before our nation is: Will we re-define marriage to include the same sex relationship – or not?

You can read this post I wrote some time ago to see why reasonable Christians will oppose this redefinition to include same sex marriage.

The Brain Stem Nature of American Politics on Facebook: And What We Can Do About It.

I enjoy Facebook. It is a great way to keep in touch with family and friends and share an encouraging word with one another.

I enjoy it until people (from every political stripe) get the idea that Facebook is a great soapbox to express their political views with inflammatory, mean, and just plain simpleton posts – often just unthinking and regurgitated materials from the stinking bowels of the internet. This knee jerk, primitive brain stem, reactionary drivel is the very last thing we need in our country.

What we need so desperately instead are citizens who actually can think critically and logically for more than 10 seconds, and with great and Godly wisdom be able to reason and debate on the basis of facts and reason – not on what everyone else in our social “tribe”, party or allegiance thinks. What we need are citizens who have a great capacity to be generous and humble and trusting of our fellow countrymen. What we need are citizens who strive in every way to be upright and noble: individuals who are not willing to stoop to the often (at least seemingly, if not actually) illegitimate practices of those who are on the other side of the political divide.

What has happened to our country is that we are so polarized and hard-headed and just plain ignorant (on all sides) that we fail to see ourselves as a “we” anymore. Our hearts are so full of hubris that we can now only see ourselves in groups that are called “us” (the good guys) and a “them” (the bad guys.) This is a very sad state of affairs.

So what can we do about it?  Actually not much.  The most we can do sometimes is start with ourselves.  But this is no small thing.

IF one is so tempted to be politically verbose on sites like Facebook, my best advice is JUST DON’T DO IT. If one falls to temptation, they have a good chance of wrecking my good day – and seriously, why would anyone want to do that? The reality is that for the most part it is a useless endeavor and a waste of everyone’s time and brain cells. People who like the poster’s politics will all like their posts. If they don’t like their politics they will ignore them and brand them as a crazy. No one’s mind is going to be changed by any of our huffing and puffing on Facebook.

However… If someone insists on it, here are a few “Bjornstad Rules of Etiquette” that will help everyone if we follow them:

1. “Just say “NO” to reposting.
2. Just say “NO” to posting anything that is not true and verifiable (and please list the sources).
3. If you have an opinion on an issue – write your own post. Use complete sentences. Have a controlling purpose statement. Make sure everything is spelled right. Make the impression (at least) that you know what you are talking about.
4. Actually KNOW what you are talking about. Take the time to study the issue – from all sides (honestly). Know it inside and out. Think about what the objections to your opinion might be and speak to them. If you don’t know the issue you have no credibility to write an opinion.
5. Just say “YES” to logic, reason, and winsome reasonableness.  Forget the over-the-top statements.
6. Ask the question “What does this post really contribute to the conversation?” Is there anything new? If it is just basically the same idea you posted three times already today, just so “NO”. It is already garbage clogging the sewer pipe.
7. Stay positive. Sometimes it might be necessary to state very real problems – but even then feel free to do as Luther states in the Small Catechism: “always explain everything in the kindest way.”

I am hardly the exemplary model poster on Facebook. But it is time for me to do better. I hope and pray we ALL can do better together.

Sounding like a Chauvinist: What Are Women doing in Battle?

I don’t know what chauvinistic literature I was reading or who taught me how to think that way, but when I was a young boy starting in 5th grade I was quite consumed with many fantasies about giving up my life for that special woman (or girl, at the time). I would climb every mountain. I would cross any sea and fight off any monster so that I could save my beloved. Never once did I ever imagine that my girl would do that for me. And so yes, it is quite the fact that I am a true and completely helpless chauvinist (although my wife would probably argue that with me because she has to open her own doors) who has a very difficult time seeing women in combat roles in our military.

But women in combat roles is what is supposed to become the norm in the very near future if the plans of the Department of Defense hold.

The whole issue of women in combat is very interesting. Up until now, women have been prohibited from serving in “line of sight” battle situations.

What are we to think? Are we to think that women somehow do not possess the physical, emotional, or psychological attributes that men have and are therefore not suitable for combat situations? If so, should we be training our women to be more like men? Can that even work? Or are we to think that it is somehow morally wrong for women to serve in combat? Or is it just highly impractical to implement?

And what should we be thinking is the highest end? Are we going to honor the individual desires of the woman soldier to serve in combat areas? Or should we place a higher value on the good ends of military readiness? or is it simply anathema to even suggest that a woman would compromise military readiness? The case can be made that women might truly benefit military readiness!

After doing a bit of research I came across this very interesting paper which outlines the ethical and moral issues quite fairly and studiously.

For me? Firstly I have to say that I am thankful for the services of women in our military. They have obviously served faithfully and well in their various roles. But my gut reaction to it all is that with enemy fire coming in hot and heavy, if it were me in that foxhole, I am just not sure I would want the added complexity of having to deal with a person of the opposite sex next to me. Frankly, if I need to go to take a leak I don’t want to have to think of anything other than just taking a leak. Neither do I want to wonder if she likes me or not.

Further, aside from the practical issues, I am inclined to think that the principal of Biblical headship and the male role as protector, along with the fact that women are so beautifully gifted to bear children and be mothers, would generally make women in combat something which God never intended. (Of course it could be said that God never intended for men to go to war either!) But, ultimately, I just can’t figure out WHY a woman would ever WANT to shoot a gun to kill someone. I thought women were so much smarter then men! Why not just leave it to the men to shoot each other up?

Defending against a Tyrannical Government

I have heard a lot of folks talk about the importance of being able to freely possess firearms because we need to be able to defend ourselves against a tyrannical government. I appreciate the idea that governments can turn on their own citizens. We all have our grievances against the government and we might often feel the government has turned against us. But what would be that particular point when we would pull out our firearms, take aim, and actually shoot? It seems to me that the risk of such a time is extremely small (here in the United States.)

And further, in our studies of Martin Luther King Jr. and the NON-VIOLENT Civil Rights Movement at The Lutheran Academy, I am reminded that there really ARE better ways to change the government and throw off oppression than shooting each other. All across the world we have seen

1) how awful it is when we use guns to change governments (it is pretty easy to see that the death and destruction in Syria and Iraq, for example, has hardly been the answer to either country’s tyrannical dictators.), and

2) how really VERY POSSIBLE it is to bring down governments without firing a shot (places such as South Africa and Egypt).  It is simply people power.  It is actually more powerful than the force of bullets.

Personally I am not worried in the least that the government of this nation (established now for well over two centuries, a government by and for the people) would turn on me and my family in a way that the force of arms would be called for. Maybe I am naive (usually I am, I do admit), but if there truly WAS such a dreaded tyrannical government that took power, the American people would simply ignore it, recognizing that it had no authority. Either that or it would be a true sign of Judgement Day – at the sight of which I would take heart!

Just say’in that I think THIS argument against gun control simply does NOT apply to our 21st century United States. You are welcome to disagree with me. I won’t shoot you.

The Peaceable House (Proposal)

Below is a white paper on how we might establish something of a modern day convent that will serve the needs of single Godly women in our congregation who currently struggle to make ends meet every day and are burdened with many worries. It also addresses the need for workers in our church! I am offering it up to our congregation for prayerful consideration! Any and all ideas for how we might improve on this idea will be welcome. As well, if you have concerns please voice them!

THE PEACEABLE HOUSE

PREFACE: We have come to a difficult time in our nation. Even as rich and blessed as we are (taken as a whole) there are many problems and difficulties. The primary tragedy is that, as a nation, we are falling away from the worship of, and devotion to, the Lord. The congregation of God’s people are continually distracted by the world and its cares. We forget that we are called, gathered, and enlightened by the Holy Spirit to walk in His ways and be the Light of the world. When tragedy strikes we look around surprised, and in shock we wonder why we are so troubled. Of course we should not be so confused. But instead we should be convicted of our sins by God’s law, and embrace His unlimited Grace and the fact that he loves us yet and desires much better for us. He continually holds out his Word and invites us to trust Him in every aspect of our lives. This is easy to say. It is much more difficult to accomplish. It takes MUCH faith!

And what are just some of the principles of Christian life together that the Lord invites us to trust Him in?

+ Charity. True charity. Self sacrificial charity which can come only from the heart of God. Charity that does not demand anything in return.

+ Community. True Community. Honest and purposeful community (recognizing that we are created to BE in community!) Self sacrificial community that can come only from the heart of God.

+ Humility. True humility. Humility that is based on the fact that we are ALL exceptionally poor and miserable sinners. Humility that engenders gentleness and kindness toward others, as well as the ability to take direction and constructive criticism from others.

+ Love. True Love. Love that comes from the heart of God. The kind of Love that covers over a multitude of sins. The kind of Love that concerns itself with others.

+ Forgiveness. True Forgiveness. Forgiveness that comes straight from the cross of Christ – the kind of forgiveness that overcomes hate and every evil and proves the forgiveness that we receive from the Lord.

+ The Word. True Words from God that are meditated on day and night. This Word gives us wisdom for life in this world – and makes us wise for salvation!

THE PROBLEM SPECIFICALLY ADDRESSED BY THE PEACEABLE HOUSE: THE POVERTY OF OUR WOMEN AND THE LACK OF DEACONS (SERVANTS) IN THE CHURCH.

Currently we have two problems in our church community which are quite dire:

+ A certain kind of poverty that is often unaddressed by our government programs that makes certain of our members unable to, by themselves, adequately address their every-day needs.

+ Even as the world around us crumbles under the weight of its sin, there is a terrible lack of dedicated servants of the Lord that would help address the great needs of our church and community.

THE PROPOSED HELP: THE PEACEABLE HOUSE

The Peaceable House would be established so that those Godly women among our congregation might find a home together. In this home they would combine their resources and help each other so that they might lead more healthy and fulfilling lives, as well as enabling them to be devoted in serving the Lord in the church and the community. This would be something akin to a modern day convent: a purposeful life together in the Lord and for His glory.

Some further notes:

+ Unlike monastic life, there would be no life long vows. However, the residents of The Peaceable House would agree, as long as they were residents of the home, to abide by the rules of the house:

+ Spiritual Disciplines: daily devotions and prayers together to begin and end each day. As well, attendance at all congregational worship services is expected.

+ Sharing of the household tasks and the caring for each other: Every resident will have gifts to share in the upkeep of the house. Some will be more capable than others at times, but everyone should be diligent to the best of their abilities in their agreed upon duties.

+ Works of Charity: Each resident will be diligent in their works of charity in the church and community each day (except for two days off a week and other requested vacation time with family, etc.). Each resident would receive the office of “Deaconess” in the church and be considered staff members of the congregation.

+ Financial Responsibilities: Each resident will undergo a complete financial assessment and will come to an agreement per their contribution to the rent and general upkeep of the household. From the combined resources of the residents the rent will be paid and the groceries bought and the utilities paid. The residents would also have the opportunity to share a vehicle together.

Although it is expected that the residents of the house might work together peaceably, spiritual authority and dispute resolution mechanisms are to be maintained by the Peace Lutheran Church Elders and the Pastor (who might assign someone else – perhaps a spiritual woman of the congregation who is not a resident of the house – to work in their stead.)

If there is a continued and disruptive failure of a resident to abide by the disciplines of The Peaceable House, it might be necessary for the Church Elders to make a decision as to whether that individual can remain a resident of the house, or not.

HOW THIS MIGHT HAPPEN:

Peace Lutheran Church would buy and manage the upkeep of an appropriate house in the vicinity of the church. The church would receive back rent from the residents to pay the mortgage and hire a groundskeeper. In the event that there would not be a sufficient number of residents to sustain the house, the church could possibly decide to close down The Peaceable House and rent it out otherwise, or simply sell the property.