Get Out!
W
(This is a model, not the real person)
e had hit rock bottom a few times in the past, but never anything like this! “Jason” and I had our worst fight EVER ... and in front of our children, no less! Words like hate, divorce and destroy were tossed around like cookies. We were both trying to get the other out of “MY HOUSE!” It ended with me telling our twenty year old daughter, “Kara,” that her dad never loved us. She just happened to be home from college for the weekend and was now having to take on the role of adult. “Kara” worked at consoling both her father and me, and spoke truth to us. However, I was so distraught, I couldn’t hear her words through my sobs. About that time, our teenage son, “Kent,” took off in his car even though it was long after midnight! Our anger was immediately diffused as we both turned our focus to “Kent’s” safety. He left angry, confused and totally bewildered! You could say, we were brought back to a sense of reality. Before all this, our son had been struggling with life in general and was pretty much shut down. He obviously cared if we divorced, but had been exposed to so much that he’d built up walls. I guess it’s not too abnormal for a mom to feel like she’s failed her kids to a certain extent. And in some ways I have failed. But my one objective has always been to make sure my children feel
by “Maria Bond”
loved and protected. Now I wasn’t sure they sensed either of these coming from their dad and me! Well, so you can better understand how my husband and I got to this place, let me share a little of our background. My childhood was interesting. I’m not going to say I was abused, but I definitely struggled with feeling loved by my family. Just last month I was reading a book on overt and covert rejection. As I read, God started downloading many thoughts about my childhood and the ways I was rejected as a kid. “Jason,” on the other hand, was loved and affirmed by his family. In fact, he was the “golden boy” of the entire “Bond” clan! Our marriage was pretty rough those first years, but after our second child was born, things began to smooth out. I enrolled in college while “Jase” was working his way up the corporate ladder. His outgoing personality landed him a great position, but his ability was what moved him to the top. However, he was working for an unscrupulous man, and we were both feeling trapped in this job. One day as I was talking to the Lord about it, I sensed Him telling me it was time for us to branch out on our own. This was a scary thought, but “Jase” and I both felt, even though it was a big gamble, with the Lord’s help, we could make a “go” of it!
We opened a tiny business out of our guest bedroom, and our roles totally changed. I went to work outside the home to help out with expenses while “Jason” worked the business. After a year or so, he was swamped and needed my help. Quitting my job and coming home to assist him was a good move on several levels. One being that I could be a help in the business, and secondly I could be home with our young son who, at that time, was having separation anxiety and needed me. I think “Jason” and I had a fairy tale idea of what it’d be like for both of us to be home; we could go out to lunch, just hang out and enjoy life together. That fantasy lasted about four hours. Being that we’re SO different in almost every aspect should’ve given us heads up. Finally, we hired someone to take my place, and life settled back down to a semblance of normalcy. At the end of that first year, we had made enough money to pay off all our debts. Our lives have changed drastically over the years. We went from being flat broke to having a multi-million dollar net worth. It’s completely crazy to me. I never dreamed we’d be living such a lifestyle. But I’m not going to lie, it has come at an exorbitant price! Having this much money coming in over such a short period of time has taken a toll on our marriage. That’s where we were when the blow-up happened. The next day, we phoned a pastor friend of ours for his input. He strongly urged us to go to Faith Family. Actually he’d been telling us about this ministry for nearly two years, and now he was insisting we give it a try. “Jason” immediately called to get an appointment, and we made arrangements to spend three
days with the Morgans at their Retreat. There was no way we could’ve known all God had in store for us! “Jason” says he was completely blown away by what God did in him! The Lord revealed areas in his life that were totally bound. He opened up to Dr. Bill, sharing, “‘Maria’ and I were at the end of our rope, and although we knew we loved each other and didn’t want a divorce—we also knew we couldn’t go on destroying one another, as well as, our kids. “Thank God! After thirty-eight years, I am free! Free from jealousy and insecurity, plus all the hidden agreements/contracts the enemy had on my heart. “By the power and love of my Lord Jesus Christ, He has set me free to get on the altar, and I have to tell you—there is no place like being in Father’s presence! “I praise God for Faith Family and am thoroughly enjoying sharing with my fellow brothers and sisters all that God did in us!” Those were my husband’s words. Wow, if you had known him before, you’d see why this is such a miracle! As for myself, I was in complete bondage when we walked through the doors of Faith Family. I had a veil of shame over me, but God revealed so much during those three days, that it’s now completely gone! I’m grateful to Dr. Bill & Toni for their faithful service to God— they were shining examples of Jesus! We enjoyed every phase of their program! Disconnecting from the outside world was in itself a huge blessing! I’m also very thankful that the Lord has given “Jason” and me a second chance! We still have a lot of ground to take back in our relationship. Naturally trust has to be rebuilt with each other, as well as, with our children. However, we can now say, Jesus Christ is a spring of water flowing through us, and what we received will be with us for a lifetime!
A “Quick Fix”
... totally irresponsible!
with a quick-fix mentalWity.e are“Justa society give me a pill to make me feel
better so I can go on living the way I want to.” Totally irresponsible! Then when illness occurs, the blame is often shifted on to others! And it’s quite common to read about law suits that reveal these same kinds of behavior. For example, several years ago, we heard of a mother who was not only irresponsible with her own health, but also with the health of her child. She left her baby in her parked car to run a quick errand. AND, she left a burning cigarette in the ashtray! While she was in the store, the car burst into flames and the innocent child suffered disfiguring burns, lost her hearing and later had to have her fingers amputated. In essence her life was ruined because her mother was incredibly irresponsible. Yet, can you believe this mother won a $2 million settlement from the cigarette company! This rationale leaves out ethics and good common sense! Plus, it’d take volumes to share all the irresponsibly high costs of medicine, resulting in the pharmaceutical companies
HealthPoint
making a killing! However, the intelligent and responsible patient will search for the underlying cause of their malady instead of just covering their symptoms with a drug. Reports show that people markedly improve, and even reverse their conditions, with the Cardio/ION test (Metametrix. com), a year of prescribed corrective supplements with repeated blood monitoring, a whole foods diet and a Far Infrared Sauna. However, many doctors are fined every time they step “out of the norm” and have the audacity to order nutrient levels for people who are on the brink of death! Even though there is irrefutable evidence of how many “hopeless” diseases are inexpensively, naturally and effectively reversed. There are multiple examples that highlight the insanely skyrocketing costs in medicine, which most insurance companies cover, while denying patients coverage to look at their nutritional status that likely got them into trouble in the first place. And clearly, it will take “people power” to see this “quick fix” mentality rectified!
Life Is Short ow do you approach each day? Is it H with anticipation or dread? Does it look
bright or dreary? I’ve heard it said, “Life is short, eat your dessert first!” The point is that we never know when our time on earth will come to an end. As you begin each new day, remember, you are giving up a portion of your existence on this planet for what you’ll do in the next few hours. Time is a precious commodity that must not be squandered! God sets the boundaries for our life, and He gives us opportunities to know Him as we learn to “hear” His voice. He desires to live life in us, with us and through us. He has gifted us with the time to experience all He has planned and designed for us to do. We have a purpose for being here, and that purpose is to get to know God and learn to bring glory to Him through yielding ourselves as His instruments in whatever our field of endeavor. What does yieldedness look like? How are we to live as His vessels? Jesus is our example, but two-thousand years have passed since He walked this earth, and civilization has greatly changed over the centuries.
And yet, people are still people, life still goes on as it did in Biblical times. We have the same opportunities to exhibit a life where God is the center just as Christ did. Let me give you an example. Several years ago Toni and I were faced with a legal problem that was far beyond our ability to handle. We prayed for the other party involved and tried to work things out, but were unsuccessful. In the end, we needed legal counsel, but our problem wasn’t within our attorney’s expertise. So we had to look elsewhere. A friend of ours in another state checked with several of his lawyer friends in Georgia and found an expert in the type of law suit we were facing. This attorney happened to be Jewish and definitely knew how to handle our case. His help was a God-send in every way. Plus, he gave us his counsel and help without any compensation. Though he said he didn’t have a close relationship with God, he clearly exhibited Christ’s character. And, BTW, we still pray for this man and his family every day! Life is short — live each day so that at the end of your life you have no regrets!
T
The Power of Kindness
he year was 1863, on a spring day in Northern Pennsylvania. A poor boy was selling goods doorto-door to pay his way through school. He realized he had only a dime left, and that he was hungry. So he decided he would ask for a meal at the next house. However, he lost his nerve when a lovely young woman opened the door. Instead of a meal, he asked for a drink of water. She thought he looked hungry and so she brought him a large glass of milk. He drank it slowly, and then asked, “How much do I owe you?” “You don’t owe me anything,” she replied. “Mother has taught us never to accept pay for a kindness.” He said, “Then I thank you from my heart.” As Howard Kelly left that house, he not only felt stronger physically, but his faith in God and man was strengthened also. He had been ready to give up and quit. Years later, that young woman became critically ill. The local doctors were baffled and finally sent her to the big city, where specialists were called in to study her rare disease. Dr. Howard Kelly was brought in for the consultation. When he heard the name of the town she came from, he went down the hall to her room. Dressed in his doctor’s gown, he went in to see her, recognizing her at once. He went back to the consultation room determined to do his best to save her life. From that day, he gave special attention to the case, and after a long struggle, the battle was won. Dr. Kelly requested from the business office to pass the final billing to him for approval. He looked at it, then wrote something on the edge, and the bill was sent to her room. She feared to open it, for she was sure it would
take the rest of her life to pay for it all. As she looked, something caught her attention on the side of the bill, and she read these words: “Paid in full with ONE GLASS OF MILK...” (Signed) Dr. Howard Kelly. Dr. Kelly was a distinguished physician, who in 1895 founded the Johns Hopkins Division of Gynecologic Oncology at Johns Hopkins University. This beautiful story is one of many true stories found in the book, The Power of Kindness by Mac Anderson. I love the quote from Leo Buscaglia, “Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around.” Quite frankly, this is the part about kindness that we all understand. But it’s the other part that many of us fail to grasp. That is — practicing random acts of kindness can change our lives! And that is what the book, The Power of Kindness, is all about. The great English writer, Aldous Huxley, was a pioneer in the study of techniques to develop human potential. In a lecture toward the end of his life, he said this: “People often ask me ... what is the most effective technique for transforming their lives?” He then said, “It’s a little embarrassing that after years and years of research, my best answer is—just be a little kinder.” This is the paradox of the power of kindness. It doesn’t feel powerful at all. In fact, it almost feels too simple to be important. But as Huxley said, it is the #1 thing that can transform your life. Kindness, more than anything, is an attitude that brings us back to the simplicity of being. It is also the one way you can be assured of making a difference with your life!