Many churches experiment with various programs to reach their communities for Christ. Often they become discouraged because these approaches do not seem to bring the desired results. This workshop will examine the fundamentals of building sustainable and successful church-based community health outreach programs.

ASI 2014: Lift Him Up

<p>Many churches experiment with various programs to reach their communities for Christ. Often they become discouraged because these approaches do not seem to bring the desired results. This workshop will examine the fundamentals of building sustainable and successful church-based community health outreach programs.</p>

<p>Free sharing permitted under the Creative Commons <a rel="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/us/">BY-NC-ND 3.0 (US)</a> license.</p>

Seminar: Health

Vicki Griffin

Evelyn Kissinger

FIT & FREE! Building Brain and Body Health

Heavenly Father, thank you so much for this opportunity of gathering together and learning from each other.

We love this health message that you have given to us.

And we want this message to go forth throughout our communities, our state, our countries, the world, this precious message of hope, healing, and wholeness.

Be with us today and help us to know how we can integrate The information that we share today into our own lives, into the lives of others, we pray in Jesus' name, amen.

Didn't you really appreciate Vicky's life story is very, gives us all hope, doesn't it?

I see it on a daily basis and she has inspired my life in so many ways.

Yes, all recovering train wrecks need to do that.

I'm telling you this woman is so positive.

She's had her share of trials, but trials well-born are an amazing thing to witness.

All right, so we, maybe you were not with us last night, but we want you to know that we want you to be so blessed in this seminar, We want you to have education, inspiration, and motivation.

Because if you can have so much information, but if you don't have hope, then the information crushes you and you wind up at Wendy's Burgers.

All right, today we're talking about, welcome everyone, you've come from the community and we're happy that you are here.

We've created a beautiful environment for you, a tasting, a decorating.

She comes and does seminars on how to create a beautiful environment in your program because the people who walk through those doors, Madeline, they're gonna make a decision.

Madeline tells us they are gonna make a decision about your event in 38 seconds by what they see around them.

So if you're tripping over boxes, unpacking stuff, the mimeograph sheet is sideways, you know, this is not the way we're gonna do this, right?

And Madeline's amazing, if you need a teacher on this.

All right, so today we're beginning with our topic, fit and free, and our topic for our first session is building a better brain.

Do you think it's possible to build a better brain?

So throughout the course of this series, and by the way, what I have been doing, and it's been very successful, is we do 3 of the 4 presentations during the week, and then the fourth 1 in church on Sabbath.

If you have a brain, then you qualify for being in this class.

How many of you think that there's a relationship between your lifestyle and brain health?

How about nutrition and mood, memory, learning, behavior, stress, susceptibility?

So there's this two-way highway going back and forth between the brain and the body.

And we're going to learn about that during these sessions.

So In a regular program, we would be discussing 5 facts about the brain.

But today, we're breezing through and just giving you a sample of what your viewers will be experiencing and seeing.

We want everyone who comes to a Fit and Free program to be filled with hope and courage.

We want someone who is dying, who is not gonna get better, to wanna come and hang around you and be at this program.

And I had that experience at the last series of meetings I did.

A woman had a return of aggressive rectal cancer.

I had an MS patient come to the meetings.

That's what we want, because you know what?

No, but can we add value to your life, no matter where you are, no matter what your circumstances?

So the whole theme is adding value, value to your meals, add value to your thinking, add value to your walk with God, add value to your life.

Would you like value added to your life today?

We need the tools to do that because the addicted brain is working very hard but it's not working smart.

That's what surrounds you and how you think, your internal environment.

That's why this is a brain-oriented program and it's a fitness-based program and there's a spiritual battle out there.

We all have to fight these battles on every single 1 of these levels.

The Lord has engineered you to move forward.

That's enough to be thankful for every day.

And if you're not thankful for that, you can be thankful you're not a lab rat, if you can't think of anything else.

I really thought about that as I read these studies.

The brain, this is Matthew Deutsch, a psychiatrist who wrote a book called The Brain That Changes Itself.

The brain is not an inanimate vessel that we fill.

The brain is very hungry for real estate, and what we put into It changes the real estate of the brain in a tangible, measurable, visible way.

1 that grows and changes itself with proper nourishment and exercise.

I mean, what's the point of putting science up here if it doesn't tell us something about God.

If you've come from a crummy environment, you have bad genes, what does it tell you?

It says there's hope, that you can move forward.

The neuron is the basic unit of communication in the brain.

The neuropeptide is the basic chemical, excuse me, the neurotransmitter is the basic chemical of communication in the brain.

And The interesting thing is that 95% of the brain is actually non-electrical.

It is glandular, meaning that all of the 50 neuropeptides which we associate with being linked with different mood states are capable of action at a distance.

So when you're upset, where do you feel it?

In your stomach, usually, your gut, something like that.

So all 50 of these are capable of action at a distance.

Dan Gabbert

Transforming the Mind

Gracious Father, what a special gift it is to have this quiet time together in your presence to contemplate some of the beautiful gifts that you offer each 1 of us in order to actually enable us to cooperate with your special work for our hearts in preparation for Jesus' soon return.

We ask for your Holy Spirit to do what only he can do for each 1 of us, including me.

I wanted to start with Just a couple of statements focusing in on the absolute importance of God's Word in the work of actually the cooperation that we actually have to do with cooperating with Christ to find healing and restoration.

You see in this statement there from Review and Herald, the science of overcoming as Christ overcame is the science of salvation.

If we will unite with Christ in the work of developing Christian character, if we will maintain unwavering faith in God and in the truths of his Word, We shall be given strength to overcome every evil thing in the life.

But notice it's all centered around maintaining an unwavering faith in God and in the truths of his word.

Now I look at that statement and I have to conclude that every evil thing includes those negative, hopeless, helpless feelings that we struggle with.

Whether it's anxiety or depression or fear or unhealthy anger, this covers it.

Scripture, all scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine.

That's doctrine, what God is like, the way He sees things, for reproof tells me what's wrong, for correction tells me what's right, And instruction in righteousness, it actually tells me how to get right and stay right with God.

That the man of God might be thoroughly perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.

Psalms 107 20, 1 of my favorite texts in the Bible simply because it gives me hope.

He sent his word and healed them and delivered them from their destructions.

Notice what he sent to provide healing for his people.

Christ's teaching like his sympathies embraced the world.

Never can there be a circumstance of life, a crisis in human experience, which has not been anticipated in his teaching and for which its principles have not a lesson.

Prince, the prince of teachers, his words will be found a guide to his co-workers till the end of time.

According to 2nd Corinthians chapter 5 verses 18 and 19, we are ministers of reconciliation and the tool he's given us is his word.

The Word of God should be our counselor in all difficulties, our guide in all the relations of life.

Just to solidify in our minds how valuable and important it is when we start dealing with the problems of life and particularly the emotions and the anxieties and the fears and the feelings that are attached to know that the Word of God should be our counselor.

Regardless of age, health conditions, circumstances.

We're gonna move into looking at what I believe is 1 of the greatest gifts that God has given us.

There's 2 absolutely necessary ingredients for anyone to experience eternal, three-dimensional healing and a hope-filled life through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Apostle Paul testifying both to the Jews and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.

The time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is at hand, Jesus said.

And of course here if you looked at the Greek, your strongest concordance, the word faith and belief come from the same Greek word Repentance and faith Vital There's no true salvation without these Notice this statement from inspiration conflict and courage page 41 Thus the plan of redemption is laid open to us so that every soul may see the steps he is to take in, what everyone?

Repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ in order to be saved in God's appointed way.

Repentance has not been given a lot of attention these last few years, And yet it is 1 of the most vital ingredients to a saved healing experience with the Lord Jesus Christ.

It's vital to recognize that these 2 precious gifts from God actually determine also, watch close, the extent and quality of healing and health that a person experiences in his physical, mental, and spiritual life.

In your everyday walk of life, no matter what you do, where you go.

Those 2 gifts, faith and repentance, are primary factors.

I'm going to spend just a few moments on faith before we go back to repentance and we'll be spending the rest of the time there.

Ephesians 2.8 a lot of people have this memorized but notice it says, for by grace are you saved through faith and that not of yourselves it is a gift of God.

Watch this statement from Education, 253.

Faith is trusting God, believing that He loves us and knows best what is for our good.

Thus, instead of our own, it leads us to choose his way.

In place of our ignorance it accepts his wisdom.

In place of our sinfulness his righteousness.

I so appreciated Elder Finley bringing that out as he was sharing.

This is just as unique and special, special gift from God.

But what it does, it enables, it verifies the reality of what God has promised us in his Word.

This is where Hebrews 11 1 comes into the picture.

Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Faith is what verifies the reality of what God has promised us in his Word.

Inseparable from repentance and conversion and will manifest the fruits of the Spirit.

It is a continual conscience, conscious trust in Jesus.

The sinner's only hope is in the merits of a crucified and risen Savior and what connects him to that risen and crucified, crucified and risen Savior is saving faith and repentance and conversion.

Now there's something that sometimes I wonder if we recognize.

But I'm beginning to realize that there's a catch to this That is very important to examine and recognize in our own personal experience.

How many human beings have faith according to that?

If atheists didn't have a measure of faith, they would be unable to actually accept Jesus as their Savior and Lord.

God has given us a measure of faith so that we're actually able to put our trust in a loving Savior and Lord.

Faith is the gift of God, but the power to exercise it is whose?

Everyone's got the gift of faith, but notice where we put faith sometimes.

Chariots, I suppose that would be automobiles in our day.

Nicole Parker

Healing Hurting Hearts

Let's start out with a word of prayer, okay?

Father in heaven, we just thank you so much for the gospel that heals everything, that you are the 1 who has been through every temptation that we face, and you know how to help those who are tempted.

Lord, I pray that you will speak through me, that I will just be an empty vessel filled with your spirit, and that every person who comes here and every person who listens to this seminar will be blessed and will be in touch with you, that your spirit will speak to each heart.

Thank you so much, Lord, for your love, amen.

All right, for those of you who don't know me, my name is Nicole Parker.

I'm married to the most wonderful man in all the world.

Just in case you guys don't know him, his name is Alan Parker.

We've been married for 13 years now and we live in Collegedale, Tennessee.

He's a professor at Southern and I'm a biblical counselor.

Although mostly, I'm a stay-at-home homeschooling mom.

Then in my spare time when I have it, I'm trying to do what I can to advance the work of the gospel everywhere that I have an opportunity.

My mom is also here today too, right over there, Linda Crozier.

So glad that she could be here today too.

And I'm glad that every 1 of you could be here.

I'm encouraged to see how many people want to know how to help the gospel spread to people in their hearts and minds and not just help people to be healthy in their bodies.

You know we as Seventh-day Adventists are famous for our health message.

We have a tremendous message that makes such a difference giving people longer, healthier lives, clearer minds, and so many blessings.

But if we have clear minds and we don't know how to deal with the emotional pain of living in a sinful world, we still have far to go, don't we?

He wants us to be transformed by the renewing of our minds.

And he said that he binds up the brokenhearted.

You don't read about Jesus going to a blind man and putting bandages on him and saying, come back in 3 weeks, Right?

We tend to think of biblical healing as an event.

Jesus touched people and they sprang up and said, I'm healed.

And that does happen, both in emotional healing and in physical healing.

But it's often the exception and not the rule.

Because God knows that if he binds us up in a process of healing, in the process he binds our hearts to him.

That process of learning how to lean on Christ and let him be the center of our hearts, our lives, our identities is the process that makes us realize the gospel really works.

So often, healing of the physical body, especially when we've made a mess through our sinful habits, it's a process.

Losing that weight, getting rid of those cigarettes, whatever.

So what I'm sharing today, I'm not saying this is what has worked for me.

And now I'm free of everything, every struggle, every problem.

I'm saying this is what is working for me.

And what is working for the people that I share it with.

This is how the gospel works to set people free from the power of sin in so many ways.

You see, we as a church have bought into what the world says about healing.

It says if you have a physical problem, you should see a medical doctor, right?

And there's something certainly very valid to that.

When my husband was dealing with a very difficult diagnosis, we didn't just pray and expect that God would make everything go away.

We had to do what we could to get physical healing for physical problems.

If you have a spiritual problem, the world says, you need to see a pastor.

But if you have an emotional or psychological problem, our modern culture says, well, you ought to see a psychologist or a counselor.

Now, there's something to that as well, isn't there?

And I have a master's in biblical counseling.

But biblical counseling is very different than traditional counseling.

And when a person says, I'm going to counseling, I myself as a counselor often go, oh dear, what does that mean?

Because counseling often does more harm than good.

And I know some people are hesitant to go to a counselor because either they think, well, that's just a bunch of secular hobble-de-gobble, all I need to do is pray, or they say, you don't go to a counselor unless you have really serious issues.

I don't want to tell anybody I'm going to counseling.

But biblical process says that we should get counsel, right?

Where 2 or 3 are gathered, we can pray more effectively.

And when we need counsel, look at the kings in the Old Testament.

Didn't they always surround themselves with counselors?

Other people, more than 1 mind, is very helpful in being able to discern the will of God.

We all have blind spots as human beings, both through inherited and cultivated tendencies toward evil.

And the best counselors are actually those who love us and know us well.

That's why, as a church, every 1 of us should be biblical counselors.

Biblical counseling is something that helps people so much, helping them understand how to apply the gospel to their lives.

Now when I say go to a counselor when you have a problem, I do not mean, you know, biblical counseling is gonna solve everything.

There are organic mental illness issues, for sure.

Schizophrenia, bipolar, there are many diagnoses that have organic roots or organic influences in this situation.

When a person's depressed, I don't automatically just say, you come to me for depression, all right.

What's going on in your heart spiritually?

That's going to be 1 of the things I examine, but I'm also going to say, have you gone to a doctor?

Have you had your B12 levels checked, your vitamin D?

You know, going without sleep can make you depressed.

Having a hormonal issue may make you depressed.

And that depression may not be a spiritual issue.

So I'm not discounting the power of medicine or the importance of having medical help with dealing with some issues.

But what I am saying is what typically happens, even with organic mental illness issues, is the spiritual problems exacerbate them.

The more you have a natural tendency toward, say, if you grew up not having any control of your world and you made a vow as a child, someday I will have control.

Now, if you have an organic issue that adds to that, you may end up with obsessive compulsive disorder.

But the spiritual issue is already influential.

And while a person may have or may not have organic issues that are leading to some of their mental or emotional issues, the spiritual aspect always needs to be examined.

So we're going to talk about that a little bit more as we go on.

Here's how you can discern some things about choosing a counselor if you do decide you need to go into counseling.

A secular counselor, their typical approach is let me be God for you.

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Series

Seminar: Health

Essentials Ingredients for Successful Local Church Health Outreach

Transcript

Description

Parent Series

Parent Conference

Sponsor

Recorded

Parts

FIT & FREE! Building Brain and Body Health

47m

Transforming the Mind

1h 37m

Healing Hurting Hearts

1h 24m

Essentials Ingredients for Successful Local Church Health Outreach

1h 30m

Sound Doctrine