CSchellenbach
22p20 comments posted · 2 followers · following 0
14 years ago @ I Trust When Dark My Road - On Confessing Your Ill... · 0 replies · +1 points
That helped out plenty. I spent way too much time obsessing and worrying over whether or not I had faith. I know he was well meaning, but he definitely caused more harm than good.
However, this is not to say that I should become complacent about my worries, since worry is against the First Commandment. This is where it is important to get treatment and work through the means that God has put in place for such disorders not just for my physical and emotional well being, but my spiritual as well The more I work to cut down my own worry the more it stops attacking my faith. A good pastor will, as they get to know you, learn how to help you in your mental illness journey and how to put the proper amount of Law and Gospel into your conversations, or Confession and Absolution. He may not be good at it at first, and it may be a learning process for both of you, but it can (and has!) happen.
14 years ago @ I Trust When Dark My Road - On Confessing Your Ill... · 0 replies · +1 points
On the one side, we all know the theological answer. The sins associated with the illness are exactly that: they are sin. An offense against God, no matter what their root cause. A reflection of the world infested by the overarching disease: original sin. It is clear that we are guilty and should confess those sins against God without any excuse, be it a mental disorder/illness or a slight case of the common cold. In that respect it makes perfect sense to confess the sins stemming from illness and all other sins that we are guilty of that we are aware of and then include the fact that we know there are sins we aren't aware of and that it leaves us in a pitiful state begging for mercy from the Almighty God pleading for Him to make it right because we cannot.
But then we complicate the matter further. Like St. Paul we look at the fact that the sins we do not want to commit we do and the good that we want to do we find ourselves unable to accomplish. Then the despair of thinking about the fact that we didn't have a chance from the get-go. "What did my parents or I do? What sin did we commit that I should be stricken with such an illness that my very being is offensive to God no matter my good intentions and in spite the fact that I am baptized?"
So the answer lies in not what you do to separate the disease from the sin nor does it lie in showing penance but in the very act of repentance itself. Confess and receive absolution *and* work with doctors and medicines to work on both facets of the disease.
14 years ago @ Learning How to Climb - A Break from Blogging,... · 0 replies · +2 points
14 years ago @ Learning How to Climb - A Break from Blogging,... · 0 replies · +2 points
Otherwise you are right, a lot of love, care, and attention go a long way. Daffy, my oldest cockatiel, loves pastas, peas, corn, and whole wheat bread. These do have to be given in moderation as they are a lot of starches, but she also loves cantaloupe, grapes, and even the occasional green bean. "Table scraps" are generally very good for the bird and might give some nutrition she wouldn't normally get. (Always avoid chocolate, tomatoes, and avocados!)
I hope your little one makes a full recovery. Even when all we can do is give lots of love, like I did for Peanut, it makes a difference. You are in my prayers! :)
CS
14 years ago @ Esgetology - The Office of School-T... · 1 reply · +2 points
The same is true, although not as obvious, with the teacher education programs. Often the Lutheran teacher's classroom is referred to as a "ministry" to the children and their parents, citing that often the only contact that some of these families have with religion of any sort is through said teacher. There is a push to get the LTD so that the teachers can feel "validated" in their chosen vocation and prove that they have a "call" from God to teach, thus showing that God has a specific, mapped out plan for their lives that they dare not stray from. Those who do stray from said call are seen as weak in the faith and suspect as non-believers in general.
I know of what I speak. I am a graduate of *both* programs from one of our Concordias. I have been a victim of those who discriminate against me because I demand a solemn appointment. I will not take a "call" as I believe that is an affront to the OHM. It might have started for IRS reasons, but it has taken on a life of its own.
14 years ago @ Learning How to Climb - Give Us This Day Our D... · 0 replies · +1 points
14 years ago @ I Trust When Dark My Road - Why the Church Drives ... · 0 replies · +1 points
14 years ago @ I Trust When Dark My Road - Why the Church Drives ... · 1 reply · +1 points
There is also fear on the other side of that, where people who are mentally ill know when others fear them and when others understand them. They are not going to want to go to a place where they can't connect with others because everyone is too afraid to talk to them or have a conversation with them.
14 years ago @ Learning How to Climb - Awesome Book Headed to... · 0 replies · +2 points
14 years ago @ I Trust When Dark My Road - How many books would y... · 0 replies · +1 points