Josh Hamilton - Relapse and Redemption

What a great article on Josh Hamilton.... stumbling in your attempt to walk a healthy righteous life does not make you a failure. I'm amazed at how people attack him after one relapse in years.... for you Christians out there - this man's a believer and needs our prayers ... 

Contrary to popular belief - becoming a Christian doesn't make life a picnic. It usually makes it harder - way way better, but harder...


Its not that Josh Hamilton redeemed himself - Jesus did.


We've got your back Josh!


Original article here:   http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/sports_blog/2012/02/josh-hamilton-relapse-give-the-guy-a-break.html

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Josh Hamilton relapse: Show some compassion

February 3, 2012 |  8:14 am

It's time to show Josh Hamilton a little compassion. Hamilton, the Texas Rangers' outfielder and a recovering addict, drank alcohol at a Dallas area bar Monday night, according to the Dallas Morning News.

The Rangers released a statement saying they are "aware of a situation, but we do not have further comment at this time."

Meanwhile, this has brought out the worst in some commenters all across the Internet, with many laughing at Hamilton's professed belief that Jesus gives him strength, or thinking "What do you expect from an addict?"

Apparently, teammate Ian Kinsler went to the bar Monday in an attempt to convince Hamilton to leave, which shows you at least one teammate thinks he is worth trying to help.

All we know for sure right now is that Hamilton relapsed for one night. He is tested for drugs three times a week. He had an accountability partner, former coach Jerry Narron, to support him in his recovery, and it's probably no coincidence that the relapse comes after Narron left the team to become the Milwaukee Brewers' hitting coach. His accountability partner leaving is just one of a couple of bad things to happen to Hamilton in the last year.

Last summer, Hamilton threw a foul ball toward fans in the left-field seats at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, Texas, and a man fell to his death as he lost his balance trying to make the catch. The man's young son was standing right next to his father when he fell. That had to have had an effect on Hamilton. Add that tragedy to the disappointment of losing in the World Series for the second year in a row, followed by his accountability partner leaving, and it's easy to see how all those things could lead to a moment of weakness.

But this is the time for people to rally around Hamilton and support him. To understand that he is human, just like the rest of us, and while he made a mistake, it doesn't have to be the end of his world. That we have all had moments of weakness, and we have all needed people to support us during those times, not make fun of us. That we applaud his years of sobriety, and don't add "but you let us all down" to his thought process as he tries to find the right path again.

A little compassion goes a long way. Many people are rallying around Hamilton today, but for those who want to use this to attack him, look in a mirror, and ask yourself if you will ever need anyone to support you one day. 

--Houston Mitchell

Photo: Josh Hamilton of the Rangers during the 2011 season. Credit: Tony Gutierrez / Associated Press.

Child Sponsorship - Why I Chose Compassion Canada ( International)

We’ve all seen the TV ads . We usually turn the channel right away. Not because we’re heartless but maybe because we can’t stand to see the suffering… or we don’t know what effect we could possibly have on it. 

Maybe its because they seem to be begging for money – and we don’t really like that. We’ve heard the stories of so-called charities who are actually just lining their own pockets – and this is probably just another one  of those.

Of course there’s also the realities of making ends meet – this is understandable. And then there are the selfish reasons – but I’ll leave that between you and your Maker. Because this is no guilt trip folks – it’s a reality check.. its an opportunity.. it’s a reward.

Feeding, educating and loving children in the third world is all of those things and, of course, more. Sponsoring a child through a reputable organization is a wonderful thing – for you and for the child and their family.

We talk about investing our money - think about the intangible priceless returns of investing in another human being!

My wife and I  have chosen an organization called Compassion International 

( specifically Compassion Canada) for a variety of reasons. Whatever organization you choose I believe that organization needs to fill the physical, cognitive, emotional and spiritual needs of the child – if the last three are not met then its just survival.

We have been with Compassion for about 8 years now and have never once been disappointed with the way our money , our sponsor child or we, ourselves, have been handled.

We recently gave our sponsor child a birthday gift of $50 (Canadian) last July - she just wrote back and thanked us for the $441,001.00 Rupiah....  this puts things in perspective for me.  I really do have the extra money, I think most of us do if we really committed to it.... 

Whether we are teenagers, young adults, married with children or seniors.

I think one of the main reasons people hesitate to donate money to overseas efforts is that they are just not confident that their money will reach those in need and actually make a difference.


 Because of Compassion's reputation of integrity and their holistic appraoch to helping children through a local church and indigenous people of that specific country - it really works. 


 For the financials and ratings you can see below why it is wise stewardship of your money , the child's care and , ultimately, God's glory and Kingdom. 


 For a real life testimony of people who have been through the program as children and are now successful healthy adults - please see the video below - it is truly amazing.

CNN's money man, Clark  Howard , advised that if you are thinking of giving to a charity to check out their rating with two specific watchdog organizations - The Better Business Bureau Charity and Charity Navigator. You can find both reviews at the links below.

 BBB Wise Giving Alliance Both Compassion International and Compassion Canada meet all 20 standards of the BBB Wise Giving Alliance and are accredited charities with the BBB.

Better Business Bureau Review: 

Charity Navigator notes that this organization receives $0 in government support. and rates it  4 out of 4 stars.

Charity Navigator Review: 

After reading the above reviews, it is undeniable that Compassion has one of the best reputations - secular or Christian .  Now take a few minutes to watch this video. it has the unique quality of looking back at children who have grown through Compassion and the local church and are now adults...

For a further look into Compassion - visit their website at http://www.compassion.ca/index.asp

and specifically the "Why Compassion?" page here

Here is a taste of what you'll find:

Releasing children from poverty in Jesus' name

As the world’s leading Christian child development ministry, Compassion is committed to eliminating the root causes of poverty for children around the globe. Our passion and purpose reside in our unwavering commitment to our Lord Jesus Christ and the ability of His Church to execute His command to serve the poor.

In response to the Great Commission, Compassion exists as an advocate for children to release them from their spiritual, economic, social, and physical poverty and enable them to become responsible and fulfilled Christian adults.

Compassion is Distinctly Christian

Compassion’s ministry is distinctly Christian. Our child development programs are unique in that they are:

• Christ-centred
• Child-focused
• Church-based

" Each person is created in God’s image and bears God’s Likeness. Jesus treated everyone with respect and willingly gave His life for the redemption of all people. Therefore, all people are worthy of our respect and love."

Here's the list of the children who have been waiting the longest:    http://www.compassion.ca/child_list.asp?linkid=74

The Great Debate

Mental Illness Stigma in Africa

Original Article Here:  http://edition.cnn.com/2012/01/31/health/frank-njenga-mental-health/index.html?hpt=hp_c2

(CNN) -- As Kenya's leading psychiatrist, Frank Njenga has been championing the cause of better mental health care on the east African country and the continent for more than three decades.

He's been working tirelessly to bring quality mental health care in a country where mentally disabled people receive little help from the state and face massive stigma from society.

"It's a horrible indictment on what we've done but the truth and reality is that very little has been done systematically and deliberately by government or by ourselves to bring up the level of mental health in this part of the world," says Njenga.

In Kenya, an estimated three million, mostly poor, people live with intellectual and mental disabilities, according to NGO and United Nations figures. At the same time, the ratio of psychiatrists to the population is dismal -- just one psychiatrist to half a million people.

See also: Kenya's mentally ill locked up and forgotten

But Njenga, who is president of the African Association of Psychiatrists, says the problem is even worse in other countries on the continent.

A psychiatrist in Kenya

Lessons of mental healthcare

"It is a major challenge but it is a challenge that is very sadly is spread across the whole of the Africa continent," he says Njenga.

"In fact, Kenya is ironically behind South Africa and perhaps Egypt in the ratios of psychiatrists that are available per population. There are countries in Africa where there is no single psychiatrist to five-six million people."

This has motivated Njenga to dedicate his life helping mental health patients and raising awareness in a continent where mental disorders are often neglected and described as "un-African" and belonging to "people in the West."

Njenga, however, discards such claims as "clear nonsense."

"For as long as you are a self-confessed human being you will continue to suffer human conditions of which mental disorders are an integral part," he says.

Read also: Namibia's 'miracle doctor' brings gift of sight

Njenga describes Africa as "truly the traumatized continent" that's been plagued by wars, human suffering and lethal dictatorships.

"Whether you are looking at Rwanda or southern Sudan or Sierra Leone or DRC, the number of women and children and adults who have suffered severe trauma is greater than any other continent that I can think of."

We are losing far too many men and women to mental illness and therefore to un-productivity by not treating them for mental illness.
Frank Njenga

He underlines the link between good mental health and productivity and calls policy makers to make mental health services a priority in order to help their countries escape poverty.

"There is no health without mental health and there is no economy," says Njenga. "We are losing far too many men and women to mental illness and therefore to un-productivity by not treating them for mental illness."

Born in Kenya, Njenga was inspired as a teenager by the work of psychiatrist Frantz Fanon, writer of "Wretched of the Earth," a seminal book that explores identity and the post-colonial experience.

From then on, Njenga was convinced he wanted to be a psychiatrist. He went on to study psychology throughout medical school in Kenya before moving to the UK for his post-graduate studies at the Maudsley Hospital -- the world's oldest psychiatric hospital.

At the end of this studies, however, Njenga chose not to pursue a career in the UK but to return to his home country, committed to promoting the cause of better mental health in the continent.

"I went to the UK to come back and to come back as a psychiatrist and to make a difference in my homeland and in my continent. That is the reason I left Kenya and that is the reason I came back," he says.

Read also:The Africans giving aid to the world

On his return to Kenya, Njenga embarked on a mission to reduce the social stigma that is attached to going to a psychiatrist or seeing a mental health professional.

In a ground-breaking weekly show called "Frankly Speaking," Njenga spoke with his patients on television, putting the spotlight on tough issues such as schizophrenia and substance abuse -- taboo topics that were usually kept out of public sight.

Today the discussion of mental health issues on this continent is focused and is positive -- about that I feel proud and privileged.
Frank Njenga

"I felt powerful and relaxed I felt at last here I was able to tell it exactly as it was," he says. "Of all the things I have done in this society and community it is the program on television -- Frankly Speaking -- because I spoke frankly as my name is and my patients spoke very frankly indeed."

In his commitment to providing top-notch mental health care, Njenga also helped build a private in-patient psychiatric hospital, the first of its kind in Kenya.

He's also authored several children's books in a bid to build better understanding of mental illness and advocated for an insurance cover for mental health patients as chairman of the largest insurance company in Kenya.

Through awareness and affordable treatment, Njenga has changed how many people in Kenya think about mental health.

"Today the discussion of mental health issues on this continent is focused and is positive -- about that I feel proud and privileged," he says.

What the Bible Says about Church or The Invisible Church and the Visible Church

"What the Bible Says about Church: or "The Invisible Church and the Visible Church"

 There seems to be a lot of misconceptions about the the term "church" or "the church" really means or refers to.

This is not meant to be an exhaustive look at the topic of the Christian Church (much smarter people have written much larger works ) but rather a bit of an overview for the curious or confused  or maybe even ( and hopefully) a refreshing look for the embittered veteran.

As is often helpful in defining something, let’s talk about what it is NOT.

The Church is not a building. It is not a steeple and stained glass. It is not bricks and mortar or wood or crystal.

The Church, as the Bible lays it out, is in fact – people.  Human beings.  And to be more specific , human beings who have met Jesus Christ in a very personal way. Who, through reason and experience,  have put their faith in Him, and Him alone, for the redemption of their souls ( this obviously implies that they have first also come to acknowledge their need for redemption).

It has been rightly said that the Church is not an organization, it is an organism. 

 In other words, it is made up of people in community and fellowship centered on the Person of Jesus Christ. And, like spokes in a wheel, the closer these people get to Christ, the closer they get to each other.

The Greek word used in the Bible for church is “ekklesia”  which literally means “called out ones”.

Strong’s Greek Dictionary:

1)      a gathering of citizens called out from their homes into some public place, an assembly

d) in a Christian sense

1) an assembly of Christians gathered for worship in a religious meeting

4) the whole body of Christians scattered throughout the earth

5) the assembly of faithful Christians already dead and received into heaven

Notice the first two Christian definitions – one is a singular gathering at a specific location which we shall refer to as the “local church”.

The other is all Christians ( i.e. true believer’s in Jesus Christ) throughout the world. We refer to this as the “Universal Church” and this term often includes the third group -  those already in Heaven – amongst its number.

Vine’s Expository Greek Dictionary expands on the concept of a “Local” and a “Universal” Church:

(a) (Universal) to the whole company of the redeemed throughout the present era, the company of which Christ said, "I will build My Church," Mat 16:18, and which is further described as "the Church which is His Body," Eph 1:22; 5:23,

(b) (Local) in the singular number (e.g., Mat 18:17, RV marg., "congregation"), to a company consisting of professed believers, e.g., Act 20:28; 1Cr 1:2; Gal 1:13; 1Th 1:1; 2Th 1:1; 1Ti 3:5, and in the plural, with reference to churches in a district.

An interesting thing to note is that the word “catholic” simply means “universal” and so the early church was simply called the Catholic Church.

However, throughout history and especially during the time of the reformation ( in the 15^th century) , there were those who believed that the “catholic” (more specifically the Roman Catholic)  church had strayed from Biblical teaching, imposed its own rules and at times became corrupt. 

When we think of the terms “The Church” or the “Roman Catholic Church” as portrayed throughout history and even in today’s view – we must realize that this is not necessarily a true or accurate representation of “the Ekklesia” . 

One way theologians make this distinction about the Church is that of the “visible Church” and the “invisible Church”.

As we have established above, the church is made up of all true believing humans. Though we can see the outward lifestyles and confessions of people, we cannot see their inward heart and therefore cannot know in an absolute way who is and is not part of this Biblical, “ invisible Church”.

The visible Church, on the other hand,  would be the official organization, the building etc… but just because it is concrete in nature, or official with the government, does not mean it is real in spirit. 

The “visible Church” is often what we hear of in the history books and the media but it is not necessarily reflective of Jesus’ teachings.

There are no doubt many true believers in the visible church but there are also false Christians – fakers, phonies, posers. 

Ghandi noted this when He said “ “I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.”

If you are a Christian, let this not be said of you  - we should all strive to be LIKE Christ.

Thankfully the Bible assures us that

2Ti 2:19 Nevertheless the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: "The Lord knows those who are His," and, "Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity."

and this is the sum of the Invisible Church

This is not to say we cannot objectively judge a person’s lifestyle and the sincerity of their faith – but our measurements are inevitably finite.

Today we are aware of the distinctions between the Roman Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church ( much of Greece)  the mainline Protestant churches ( i.e. Anglican, United, …) and the Evangelicals you hear so much about in the States but who have really existed for many years in many forms and in many countries ( Baptist, Pentecostal, Mennonite Brethren, Alliance etc….)

(By the way for full disclosure, I would fall under the “Evangelical” category. For more on this term see :   )

You may be surprised to learn that of all the ceremonies, customs  and traditions that can be found in churches , the only two that Jesus  instituted  absolutely were baptism and communion ( also known as “The Lord’s Supper” or the “Eucharist” )

(*Note – Most Protestant and Evangelical churches believe that the bread and wine ( or grape juice) of communion are symbolic of Jesus’ broken body and shed blood while the Roman Catholic Church and some others believe it literally becomes Jesus’ flesh and blood … as I said, I heartily take the Evangelical view as I believe it to be the Biblical one.)

One thing they all agree on is The Trinity – in other words, a Triune God  - Father, Son and Holy Spirit. 

Dr. Wayne Grudem in his Systematic Theology gives a point form definition of this incredibly important but sometimes hard to be understood doctrine.

1)      God is the Persons

2)      Each Person is fully and equally God

3)      There is one God

That is a very brief summary of what a systematic and contextual look at Scripture clearly teaches.

And as this doctrine implies, the Son – Who is Jesus Christ – is fully and equally God.

Referred to as the “Deity” of Jesus, this teaching is at the heart and foundation of Christianity . 

In true Christianity , Jesus Christ is no less than the Almighty Creator God.

This is indeed the dividing line between what is “Christian” and what is not.

Speaking of Jesus Christ and the Church, Paul writes:

Eph 2:17 And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near
Eph 2:18 For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father.
Eph 2:19 Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,
Eph 2:20 having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone,
Eph 2:21 in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord,
Eph 2:22 in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.

Another 2 defining marks of a true Christian church is that it believes and teaches the Bible as the sole and infallible Word of God and that it is attempting to function as a church by having communion and baptizing believers ( the latter would be the difference between an independent Bible study and a church in progress).

This would be true of both the local independent church around the corner or a large international organization claiming to be Christian.

Mat 16:15 He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"
Mat 16:16 Simon Peter answered and said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."
Mat 16:17 Jesus answered and said to him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed [this] to you, but My Father who is in heaven.
Mat 16:18 "And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.

Eph 1:22 And He (God the Father)  put all things under His (Jesus’ )feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church,
Eph 1:23 which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.

It’s important to note that it was Jesus , Himself , who founded the Church  and Who is it’s Head. and bid us partake in this particular form of community.  So to say we love Jesus and then refuse to go to any type of Biblical Christ-honouring church is really just hypocritical.

Many say that their church is “the outdoors” or “nature”.  To be sure, taking in Creation can indeed be a worshipful experience – incredibly so actually. I can attest to that personally.

 However, that alone is not enough. It is not community and it is not what Jesus’ meant when he founded the church.  

Act 2:42 And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.
Act 2:43 Then fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles.
Act 2:44 Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common,
Act 2:45 and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need.
Act 2:46 So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart,
Act 2:47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church   daily those who were being saved.

You can see that in the first verse we see 4 hallmarks of the church – “they continued steadfastly in”:

1)      The apostles' doctrine (i.e. The teaching and explaining and life application of the Bible)

2)       and fellowship (community, meeting together, being accountable to one another and loving each other)

3)       in the breaking of bread (communion)

4)      and in prayers (praying together as a group for each other and all those in the world etc…)

Well, much more could be said but for the sake of simplicity and readability I think I will leave things there. Please feel free to comment if you see anything that doesn’t fit Biblically or is missing .