TGIF
I have had a standing invitation for years.
I can come in at any time, no appointment necessary, no payment required.
All I have to do is show up, tell my chiropractor where it hurts, and she will apply the proper remedy and send me back into the world in much less pain and much more able to do whatever I need to do.
She is a healer in the truest sense of the word and she has faithfully loved and cared for myself, my church, and my family as if she were the one getting blessed.
The deal was that she would freely take care of me so I could do the same for others.
I rarely avail myself of this grace.
Rarely.
I wonder if she’s working that day, I wonder why she’s so kind, I don’t believe I deserve such kindness, I can handle it on my own…until I can’t.
The other day I couldn’t.
The pain was greater than my pride and I got in the car and drove to her office.
As God would have it, she met me at the front door.
She placed her arm around my shoulders, walked me through the waiting room where other people were doing what you do in waiting rooms, into her office,into treatment, and a few minutes later I could walk upright again.
No appointment, no payment, no more pain.
She advised me that I need to come regularly for a while as I’m kind of messed up.
We’ll see.
On my way back to work I was so very thankful for the treatment I had received and wished that all things could be so easily remedied by someone so kind.
It was at that point that I remembered this;
“Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
(Hebrews 4:14–16 ESV)
No appointment needed, no waiting, no payment expected or required.
Sounds almost as good as my doctor.
Make your own application…
“I rarely avail myself of this grace.”
Perhaps one of the more telling traits of our human condition. Well-said piece today. Thanks.
A great story, and well told.
“pain was greater than my pride”
I was raised by a woman whose care for her children was stronger than her pride, pretty much every day, and she got humbled and humbled again, begging for help from neighbors and strangers, back in the day before the government took care of all that. Her personal cross.
Sometimes wonder what I’m missing by being rich. If by “rich” we mean owns a car, and has indoor plumbing and a credit card with some room on it.
“The pain was greater than my pride..”. Ain’t that the truth!
Its good that you have that kind of outlet for the relief of the pain. Would that we all had an outlet for all our pain.
She sounds like a true minister of grace, life and love. .
Wanted to post something to express how this story blessed me, but posts 1-4 pretty well covered every point. Thank you Michael, et al.
I could say chiropractors aren’t real.
But that wouldn’t matter to someone who has been helped by one.
Cops and Chiropractors bring new understanding to the phrase “Laying hands on people”
Psalm 3:1–6 (ESV)
1 O LORD, how many are my foes!
Many are rising against me;
2 many are saying of my soul,
there is no salvation for him in God. Selah
3 But you, O LORD, are a shield about me,
my glory, and the lifter of my head.
4 I cried aloud to the LORD,
and he answered me from his holy hill. Selah
5 I lay down and slept;
I woke again, for the LORD sustained me.
6 I will not be afraid of many thousands of people
who have set themselves against me all around.
GOD’S remedy is in David’s plan… Going to sleep for a while. Goodbye.
This is probably off the wall but I want to say it anyway.
There have been times when I think I really know the truth and I have asked God to let me say the correct things when I speak to other people about my understanding of Him and His ways so that they will know the truth also.
Then I observed fault in that, so I changed my method of prayerful asking.
I began to ask God that regardless of what I say, Let them hear what the truth really is.
Then I observed fault in that, so I changed my method of prayerful asking.
I began to ask God to let me hear the truth regardless of what the others are actually saying.
Then I observed fault in that, so I changed my method of prayerful asking.
I began to ask God to make me understand that both myself, and others, need to realize that if we want to hear the truth and identify it as such, we need to ask the Holy Spirit to interrupt the word as we read it ourselves.
Then I observed fault in that.
You may ask, ‘what fault can there be in that’?
The fault is that this is exactly what all of us claim we are doing; and yet we have almost as many differences of truth then there are people.
Now I narrow my understanding of what ‘truth’ is:
1. God is good.
2. All things (Regardless of how small of an amount) outside of Godliness, is wrong.
3. God deserves to be praised forever, regardless of what He chooses to do with us
after we die.
So glad you have such a wonderful practitioner to help in times of need (and maintenance!).
Mod, please delete my March 22, 2013 at 4:34 pm . It appears to have killed the thread. I knew it was not the place for it and I apologize for writing it anyway. I will not do it again.
I was watching Mike Murdock on inspirational video on direct tv. The first thing that struck me was the hair, evangelicals and hair seem to go together. NO gray perfectly combed and so on. I get the idea the image is everything, trust me I get that. But Pastor Murdock spoke about ministries being blessed if they sow to the “ministry”. Of course the BS alert went off in spades but I do admire his rhetoric. I mean it works, and that always justifies its use, it always will, and I do mean always. I have been tempted to call and give, well actually I have a few times because I wanted to see “good” for folks. I agree stamp “STUPID” in the middle of my forehead it is truly pathetic that I actually hoped. That I also get, though I wonder why they call it good news, which it is not and never has been but it makes me wonder.
I will admit, to my eternal shame for showing emotionalism, that people I worked with were healed. I agree that is pathetic and tempting God, we should not want, hope, seek or any other such nonsense. We should always overcome, in all ways over come right there every second. No offense but from the cheap seats it really is not good news, it really is not.
PAL I have killed more threads then almost anyone here so dont feel bad. The folks here are very kind.
Brian said: “PAL I have killed more threads then almost anyone here so dont feel bad. The folks here are very kind.”
Brian, 100% honest, I click on a post just to read your comments. 🙂
You might kill threads but people like you here. (I don’t think people like me as much, but that’s another story for another day.)
PAL: I don’t know if your comment was made to me. I know I said some weird things the other day, stuff I should just keep between myself and God. Now it’s on the internet for everyone to read, including future employers! Oh joy!
If it puts PxP at ease, I don’t talk about this stuff in public and very rarely in private.
I don’t know why I feel such a compulsion to share here. I feel God warning me not to.
But I love this place. I can’t stop coming. Is this an addiction? A spiritual addiction? Is that a good thing?
Brian, you are loved, so I say this out of love.
Firstly, I want you to know that people do listen to you and you are family. So don’t stop sharing your precious heart.
But I googled Mike Murdock and this is his wiki page
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Murdock
“Murdock preaches around the world and is best known for his promotion of prosperity theology. He often preaches with Benny Hinn and has also preached with Tammy Faye Bakker. He hosts the Wisdom Keys with Mike Murdock television program.”
I say this in love, Mike Murdock is bad news. If you want to watch him for entertainment value, it’s okay, but to put any spiritual stock in this guy is dangerous.
Prosperity theology is really dangerous, I’d say just as dangerous as Mormons, Scientologists and Moonies. It ensnares and imprisons people, yet there’s never any fulfillment. They are like clouds with no water, they promise so much, but they cannot deliver. Don’t put your hope and trust in this guy and think that you’re trusting God.
There’s a better world to come. That’s what I put my hope in.
Peace.
PAL
“Then I observed fault in that, so…”
“All things (Regardless of how small of an amount) outside of Godliness, is wrong.”
You, my friend, are killing your soul.
You are far harder on yourself than Jesus ever was on anyone.
I’m wishing for you a new season of freedom, of less analysis, of joyous serendipity, and a peace that God is at work in the lives of all around you and that their knowledge of him doesn’t shatter irretrievably if you cannot live up to the impossible standards you pose on yourself.
PAL, i too signed in from my email just to read what you wanted deleted.
i found what you wrote to be inspiring. it reminded me of my own personal advancement in desires to the LORD over the years. i would ask myself to God from time to time: if i could have anything i want what would it be?
my answers began to tighten up a few years back to what i believed to be the crux of my desiring.. .i desired “not to sin” (for i realized how my sin damages my relationship with Him, affects the measure of my peace and joy). . but then more purely my utmost desire became for holiness, to live a righteous life. . my ultimate desire now is for wholeness—to be one with God and with the Body of Christ and with this marvelous universe. . Wholeness. .
anyway PAL, i’m cautious to throw my own pearls out there. . who knows what sort of dogs and swines my take off with them and trample the expressions of my heart. .
. .
Fwiw: I’ve known of Murdock for many years. Dudes a Wolf and False Teacher. Plus he’s just outright creepy to see in action as he fleeces the flock.
Michael –
Thank you for this…an excellent reminder.
By the way, I think this probably one of your Top 10 TGIF articles. (Not that you keep a list, or anything.) 🙂
Fly said, “PAL: I don’t know if your comment was made to me.”
What I posted had nothing to do with anything you or anyone else said. It was purely an “at the moment” expression of curious, possible, self-explanation of lack of sureness.
I do not have a “one” particular day of Salvation. My religiousness (for lack of wording) has always, and I mean always, been deep in me. Even through times that circumstances caused me to have to live in precarious places; I lived in the belief that there was some goodness available and clung to that section.
I doubt that this makes any sense at all but my main point is that I am fully aware of my corruption ability and fully aware of the righteousness of God.
Although I really believe I now have a personal relationship with Christ, I never want to forget the worthlessness of myself opposed to His Grace which He has bestowed upon me. I pretty much refuse to allow my corruptible self to believe I have the slightest chance of being a citizen in His Kingdom. Not because I do not understand the Mercy of God, but because I fear the muster seed of sin.
Benny Hinn is marketing the spare lot next to his home. You can get a new custom home to be built on the lot when you purchase it
.http://www.bcre.com/idx/residential/OC13042589/details.html
Not sure I would want him as my neighbor. The neighbor on his other side is not to fond of him. He told me this last time I talked with him.
Benny must be needing funds. He originally said that he bought the xtra lot so that he would have privacy. But now he is marketing it. I guess times are hard, even for the professional fund raisers among us.
Maybe Mike Murdock would like to buy the lot and be Benny’s neighbor?
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=LT2nnbosuJA
Birds of a feather flock together?
May God richly bless and reward your chiropractor!!!
CK…may you find comfort and care as well.
Always good to know you’re around.