A Spiritual Heart Attack

For those of you who don't know me, five years ago God led our family to Eastern Kentucky on a journey with Him to minister to the needs of kids and families in a small coal mining town in the Appalachians.  While it has been very rewarding seeing God do amazing things within the people of this community, it hasn't been without trials and difficulties both personal and in ministry. 

This past week, I listened to a pastor speak on "Enlarging Our Hearts."  He was referring to the fact that as Christians we need to train ourselves for kingdom work by making room in our hearts for the brokenhearted and those in need.  We need to empty our hearts of things that cause us to lose focus and distract us from the will of God.  Our purpose as Christians should be about the things on God's heart, which is His people.  This got me thinking about our journey and how my heart has had to go through a metamorphasis of enlarging.  It reminds me of the movie "The Grinch."  The Grinch had no room in his heart for anyone but himself.  In order for him to accept the Who's and care about their needs, his heart had to enlarge in size.  Now we all know our heart can't physically expand, but in order for my heart to enlarge it's capacity, I've had to endure many spiritual heart attacks.  Those times where my arteries have been so clogged with my own struggles, my own self-centeredness, caught up in trying to do so much that I have strangled out the the oxygen-rich blood (Holy Spirit) that nourishes me and guides me and keeps me focused on why God sent us on this journey.  Have you ever done that?  Have you ever restricted the Holy Spirit to flow through you?  It affects evrything else.  You become physically drained.  Your emotions get out of whack.  Everything is off balance.   When we become so engrossed in our own struggles and get caught up in trying to do everything on our own, we starve our heart muscle of oxygen (Holy Spirit) and run the risk of spiritual death.

This time last year, my dad had triple by-pass heart surgery.  It was a very scary time for our family.  We had to stand by and watch as the one we love so much endured a painful and defenseless circumstance.  He had to have surgery or he would risk eventually having a major heart attack and possibly die. (That is something I don't want to think about.)  But he had to surrender his physical body over to the doctor who specialized in this procedure.  My dad could not fix this problem on his own.  There was nothing he could have done that would have healed his body.  He had to trust the doctor's expertise.  After the surgery there were certain things my dad had to do in order for his body to heal and things he had to change in order to stay healthy.  All of which were uncomfortable and hard to get used to.  But very necessary! 

Isn't that the way it is with us spiritually.  When we have a spiritual heart attack, don't we need to surrender our hearts to the Great Physician so He can change us and mend us.  So many times, I've tried to fix my own problems, I've tried to mend my own broken heart only to find that the pain just gets bigger and my life tends to spin out of control.  Jesus said, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls." Matthew 11:28-29   Oh, what words of comfort! 

In order to heal a spiritual heart attack, in other words, to heal our hearts when we are struggling, we need to surrender ourselves and rest in the arms of our Heavenly Father.  To stay spiritually healthy, to keep us tuned in to God's will, we need to meditate on His Word and focus our eyes on Him.  We also need to LISTEN to Him and then OBEY Him. It is so easy to get caught up in the stress of everyday life, with relationships, jobs, school, and many other things.  But in order to keep us from having a spiritual heart attack, in order to enlarge our hearts to pursue the things on God's heart, we need to recognize the things that drain us spiritually, emotionally, and physically and be able to let go of them.  In Matthew 12:34b Jesus says, "For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks."  Are you living in such a way that your heart is beating with God's heart?  Or is it out of rythmn and restricted until you can't hear or feel the heartbeat of God?  Are you truly listening to the Only One who has all the answers?  Or are you running around trying to figure things out on your own, feeling the pressure of your heart about to explode?

  

I want to encourage you. Ask yourself the questions above and determine through the leading of the Holy Spirit if you need spiritual heart surgery so the life blood can freely flow through, fill up your heart and enlarge it so you can experience all God has in store.  We need to make room in our heart to be a blessing to others.  It's important to be able to recognize the needs of those around us and then engage by meeting that need.  But the only way to do that is to keep our heart healthy.  Keep a healthy diet by reading God's Word and praying.  Understand life is hard and we need help, the help that can only come from our Heavenly Father. 

We all must do a spiritual heart check-up regularly to make sure there are no obstacles in the way, so our heart beat can keep in rythmn with God's heart beat.

His Humble Servant,

Angie Burkeen
Club 180 Ministry
503 Main Street
Cumberland, KY  40823
http://www.club180ministry.com/
http://www.estherscloset.org/

The Hope of Our Future

As my first official "blog" I wanted to write something compelling.  Something that would grab your attention, so maybe you would visit again.  Then I realized that would be selfish motives and not the reason I am posting in the first place.  So, as I sat at my desk and studied Scripture, God lovingly brought my attention to the snow falling right outside my window.  If you're like me, you are sick of the snow now!  But as I examined in my mind each flake that fell, I began to get this overwhelming feeling of just how beautiful the snow really is.  No two are the same.  Can you imagine that!  No two flakes.  Do you know how many snow flakes fall?  That's incredible!  Each one is delicately created to the size, shape, and even the precise time it should fall.  Only God could design such beauty! 

Then my wheels began turning.  My husband would tell you, in the mornings my mind goes 200 miles an hour.  I just try to keep up with it.  By mid afternoon, don't ask me to do any heavy thinking.  There is nothing left!  Anyway, I began thinking about "The Biggest Loser" T.V. show.  Confession,Yes, I am a T.V. junkie. One of my favorite shows, "The Biggest Loser".  I am drawn to the personal stories of the contestants and the transformations they go through.  It is so inspiring!  But on this past Tuesday's episode one of the contestants, Arthur, who weighed over 600 lbs. at one time, when he began his journey had a breakthrough as he was speaking to one of the trainers.  The trainer asked him how he got in the shape he was in.  Arthur told him that he had lost hope.  He had played sports in High School with the possibility of playing football with a scholarship in college.  He began hanging with the wrong crowd and everything including possible scholarships slipped away.  He lost hope for everything.  He lost hope for life.  So he slowly began killing himself through the medication of food.  You might ask, "How do people get that way?  How do they lose hope in such a way that they get in that kind of condition?"   The same way a drug addict, alcoholic, or gambler or any other addiction someone uses to try and mask hopelessnes or pain.  They try to self medicate or self indulge in what feels good for the moment so they don't have to deal with the struggles or pain they are going through.   The trainer responded by telling Arthur that he would be there with him every step of the way.  Everytime Arthur turned a corner closer to his goal, he would be there with him celebrating.  Everytime he had a rough day, he would be there to encourage and spur him on.  He would never be alone on his journey.

So as I sat in awe and wonder of the snowflakes that God so lovingly created.  I began to think about us, His children.  We are all created with uniqueness.  God planned and thought carefully of how each one of us would look, who our families would be, when and where we would be born, he even knows the number of hairs we have on our head.  I get so overwhelmed when I think about that.  As much beauty as there is in a single snowflake that drops out of the sky, when it reaches the ground eventually melts away.  Think about how He must feel when one of His children is born into this world.  We are each given unique gifts.  He has a plan and purpose for each of us.  Jeremiah 29:11 says, "For I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper not to harm, plans to give you a hope and a future."  Wow! 

From reading God's Word, here is what I know to be true.  He loves us with an unconditional love.  He knows us inside and out.  He loves us for who we are.  In fact, He adores us so much he rejoices over us with singing (Zeph. 3:17).   Just as the trainer on "The Biggest Loser" commited to help Arthur and be there with him, I believe that God, who created us, who loves us unconditionally, is there for us through everything.  All of our trials and suffering.  All of our joys and celebrations.  All of our disappointments and feelings of hopelessness.  God is there walking us through the pain, encouraging us and spurring us on to our hope and future.  We don't have to self medicate or indulge ourselves in things that just mask our pain.  We can put all of our trust and all of our confidence in the One who rejoices over us.  The One who loves us unconditionally.  The One who is able to design something as beautiful as a snowflake, and chose us for His very own.

He tells us in His word, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." Hebrews 13:5b  If you are going through a difficult time, maybe a health issue, maybe the loss of a loved one, maybe financial struggles, marital problems, maybe you just feel like there is no hope.  Put your trust in the only One that can help you.  Go to your Heavenly Father and lay your pain and struggle at His feet.  Ask Him to hold your hand and then watch as He gently takes your hand and so lovingly walks with you each step of the way.

If you are going through a difficult time and need counseling, please talk with your minister or contact me and I will get you information to a Christian Counselor or Minister in your area.  It is important to seek help from those that can lead you to a better understanding of a relationship with Jesus Christ, the true Healer.

His Humble Servant,

Angie Burkeen
Club 180 Ministry
503 Main Street
Cumberland, KY  40823
http://www.club180ministry.com/
http://www.estherscloset.org/

The blog of my life!

Hello everyone!  I have now engaged in this blog thing.  Something I never thought I would do.  I don't have time to sit and read blogs, nor do I waste time tweeting my every move.  But I have been prompted to share my life experiences and the experiences of those I minister to in hopes that someone might read it and relate to the struggles, sorrows, or joys that life can bring. 

I do not claim to be a great writer, so I will apologize now for grammatical errors I will make.  I am not a licensed Minister, Counselor, or Psychologist.  So I will not be giving advice I can't back up.  I am however, a fourty something year old woman with life experiences, lessons learned, and hardships conquered all with the guiding hand of my Heavenly Father.  I am on a continual journey to be obedient to His leading.

You may not be interested in what I have to say or you may be bored with my post.  But if you start reading and something inside you takes hold of the words from these blogs, then erase your mind from everything else and let the Holy Spirit speak to your heart.  It may just be the words you need to hear to get you through a rough time.  It may be the words you need to help with someone else.  It may be the words you need to celebrate what Christ has done in someone's life. 

I will blog weekly with experiences from the past that God inspires me to write about or things happening right now that I feel humbled to share.  I encourage you to register and comment as you feel led.  Share your thoughts and stories with me that are similar to those I share.  Let me know how God is working through you.

As Christians, we need the love, support, encouragement, and even the rebuke of other Christ followers.  Paul's words to Timothy are so important for us today, "Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage - with great patience and careful instruction." 2 Timothy 4:2

His Humble Servant,

Angie Burkeen
Esther's Closet Ministry
503 Main Street
Cumberland,  KY  40823
http://www.club180ministry.com/
http://www.estherscloset.org/