Wholeness

Christy Wimber

Description

The world is changing; culture is shifting. Never has safety and security been more desired. What shakes also spills. Pressure spills to the surface. And when struggles become visible, safety becomes more invaluable. We only encounter true freedom and wholeness when we know we can speak and hear truth with no fear of retribution. Look at the ministry of Jesus. He created spaces of safety. He also never blamed people for how they got sick. Jesus' invitations are never based on whose struggles are more easily dealt with. In His Kingdom, in His house and under His care, there is no 'us' and 'them'. Jesus said over and over that He came for the sick, the broken, the oppressed, depressed, those caught in chains. He came for us. Each person, as well as every part of who we are, body, soul and spirit, matters to God. And if it matters to God, it must matter to us. With the world changing so are people's struggles. In years past what worked in prayer and ministry may not work today, because people's concerns and experiences of personal difficulties have changed. And just with anything else we should be growing in how we learn and deliver ministry. God wants to bring people into wholeness. And one of the greatest acts of kindness we can do is provide a safe place in order to witness people's struggles, so that we may love, care for and pray and minister to them more effectively.

Sujets

• Philosophie et théologie

Informations

• Publié par: Lion Hudson
• Date de parution: 19 avril 2019
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9780857219183
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 2 Mo

Extrait

"Wholeness addresses the whole area of healing as Christy Wimber draws on her considerable personal experience to help the reader understand the many ways God uses this important gift of the Spirit to help us to grow in our spiritual lives. Many times we have to unlearn what we have been taught about who we are in order to learn who God says we are. We are reminded that the goal of healing is for all to be loved by a loving God, to be given the opportunity to demonstrate our love for others, and to lose our own fear of asking them to help us.
Christy reminds us that one of the most challenging issues among Christians today is mental health, which is rarely talked about because of the stigma attached to it. However, it’s a recognized fact that one in four members of our church and natural families, and of our friends and colleagues, will be struggling with some aspect of their mental health while we simply do not know how to help them. Wholeness greatly increases our understanding of this complex area and the best ways of addressing it.
This book challenged my whole way of thinking about various aspects of the healing ministry, particularly in the vital area of mental health, and I wholeheartedly commend it to every Christian – particularly to those with even the most basic leadership responsibilities."
C HARLES W HITEHEAD president of the International Charismatic Consultation (ICC)
"For generations the church has believed it can’t handle the truth when it comes to complex and difficult things like mental health. But denial and avoidance have cost us dearly, and are now grinding to a crashing end. We are faced with a great opportunity: the truth. Can we handle it? I believe this book will help us not only handle the truth but allow it to set us free."
D ANIELLE S TRICKLAND , international speaker, justice advocate, and author
"Mental illness is epidemic and rising. Has the church anything to say? Has Jesus anything to offer? Christy Wimber and Katharine Welby-Roberts’ book Wholeness offers a resounding ‘Absolutely!’.
As someone who has personally journeyed with mental illness for many years, I am so grateful that wise Christian leaders are now addressing this, and bringing wisdom, grace, hope, and healing for the many who are struggling."
S IMON P ONSONBY , author, teacher, and pastor of theology at St Aldate’s Church, Oxford
"Mental health and well-being is one of the most important issues of our day, and the Christian community’s response to it is vital. Far too often we have been silent on the issue, and for too long it has been a subject shrouded in whispered conversations; hidden away in corners of our church communities’ lives.
Christy Wimber’s compassionate, thoughtful, and provocative book calls us to bring the subject into the light. It asks difficult questions and provides refreshingly honest and powerful answers. This book will help people who know that the church can do better on issues of mental health and mental illness, and is a powerful call for us to care enough to engage properly with the subjects, walk tenderly with those who live with mental illness, and remember that all of us need to think about our mental health. A powerful book with a compassionate, provocative, and insightful voice."
M ALCOLM D UNCAN , lead pastor at Dundonald Elim Church, author, and resident theologian at Essential Christian and Spring Harvest

Text copyright © 2019 Christy Wimber and Katharine Welby-Roberts
This edition copyright © 2019 Lion Hudson IP Limited
The right of Christy Wimber and Katharine Welby-Roberts to be identified as the authors of this work has been asserted by them in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
Published by
Lion Hudson Limited
Wilkinson House, Jordan Hill Business Park
Banbury Road, Oxford OX2 8DR, England
www.lionhudson.com
ISBN 978 0 8572 1917 6
e-ISBN 978 0 8572 1918 3
First edition 2019
Acknowledgments
Scripture quotations primarily taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version® Anglicized, NIV® Copyright © 1979, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Other scripture quotations taken from The Holy Bible, Living Bible Edition, copyright © Tyndale House Publishers 1971. All rights reserved.
And from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved
Extracts p. 90 and pp. 214-215 taken from Emotionally Healthy Spirituality: Unleash a Revolution in Your Life in Christ by Peter Scazzero. Copyright © 2006 by Peter Scazzero. Used by permission of Thomas Nelson. www.thomasnelson.com.
Extract p. 151 taken from The Disease of the Health & Wealth Gospels by Gordon Fee. Copyright © 1979 by Gordon Fee. Used by permission of Regent College Publishing.
Extract p. 206 taken from Interview with Anne Lamott on NPR, 19th November 2012. Copyright © 2012, Anne Lamott, used by permission of The Wylie Agency (UK) Limited and NPR.
Cover image: Steve Halama/Unsplash
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Contents
Acknowledgments
Introduction
CHAPTER 1
A bit of my story
CHAPTER 2
Medication struggle
CHAPTER 3
Body, soul, and spirit: why seeing all of us matters
CHAPTER 4
From someone who suffers with mental ill health
by Katharine Welby-Roberts
CHAPTER 5
The stigma of addiction
CHAPTER 6
The spider’s web of shame
CHAPTER 7
If God heals, why am I still sick?
CHAPTER 8
The meaning, purpose, and goal of healing
CHAPTER 9
Learning to trust
CHAPTER 10
Seeking help
Acknowledgments
K atharine, I have loved working alongside you. You have taught me so much about perseverance and what it looks like to live with chronic mental ill health. You have no problem correcting me (which I love), and I have seen your candour and vulnerability speak life to so many. Thank you for taking a risk with me. I love you dearly.
Thank you to Yorba Linda Vineyard. Having the privilege of leading you for those eleven years forever changed me. To those who served alongside me, you have a special place in my heart. You were the first to work with me in grappling through mental illness and making a place in our church to help serve others. Your faithfulness in every season marked me as a leader and encouraged me to trust God for the impossible.
To my dear friend Kay Warren. You are an "iron sharpens iron" friend. This book has been possible because of your friendship, your challenges, and your willingness to walk with me. Our differences have stretched me to learn in ways that have impacted my story and the theme of this book. I love and appreciate you (and your gift in grammar!).
"As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend."
(Proverbs 27:17, NLT )
Introduction
M Y HOPE IS THAT THIS BOOK will take you on a journey.
To some extent I have always known that I am a work in progress. However, it wasn’t until this latest season of my life that I began to discover how layered I am as an individual, and how important it is that I continue to allow God to work on me.
In writing this book I have had to enter new territory. It hasn’t been easy, but I have persevered because I believe it provides a timely and important message about the attitude of the church and wider community to mental ill health. My prayer is that I can encourage the church to reopen and re-examine some of its beliefs and practices surrounding healing. But I don’t only want to challenge the church; I also hope to also encourage us, as individuals, to provide a refuge where deeper healing and wholeness can take place. At the same time, I am really hoping to encourage those who feel overlooked and unheard, and those who feel they have no voice.
I knew that I could not speak into these areas without sharing some of my own story, describing periods in my life when God has graciously – but sometimes painfully – given me insight into the issues surrounding emotional wellbeing. I also wanted to explore some of the "unlearning" and "relearning" I have had to do along the way.
When it comes to the topic of mental ill health, there have been times in the last few years when I have felt as though I was in over my head. It has made me nervous, especially as a pastor, knowing there is an expectation that I would know what to do in certain situations! But there were many times when I didn’t know, and I have had to be willing to listen and learn. Reading through the Gospels again with a special focus on healing, I began to take a deeper look at the model of Jesus. During my study a light bulb illuminated; not just one, in fact, but many.
Working alongside my dear friend Katharine Welby-Roberts at events where we have shared what healing means, it has been challenging but also encouraging to acknowledge that we are body, soul, and spirit. Katharine has written a brilliant chapter for this book that describes her personal experience of mental ill health and gives some much-needed perspective on what churches should know and do.
This is not a book for the faint-hearted. I hope to encourage but also challenge you. If you find you are struggling, I urge you to press on. If you are caring for someone who is unwell, I hope you find solace in these pages, as well as the reassurance that you are not alone.
Finally, I have come to realize more and more just how important language is, especially when it comes to the area of mental ill health. Please know I am trying to be as sensitive as possible. You will find me using the term "mental ill health" instead of "m