august prayer update

On My Heart

I am fascinated by how people can process grief in a way that leads to healing, and how those with past traumatic events can find recovery. Christian psychologist Dan Allender has a U-shaped model that I have learned from and adapted for my own purposes. This model represents a person who has experienced trauma descending into pain (going down the left side of the U), experiencing and processing it (crossing the bottom of the U), and emerging on the other side with some measure of healing or wholeness (ascending to the top right of the U). Just as Jesus had to endure pain and death before the resurrection, and as he said about himself that a kernel of wheat must fall to the ground and die to bear much fruit, we need to delve into the pain of our grief or past trauma, face it, be honest about it, experience it, and express it. Journaling and prayers of lament are examples of expressing the pain.

The problem is that, due to the discomfort of pain, we often want to avoid these dark places. We try to minimize our grief or trauma by excusing those involved or by telling ourselves that it wasn't that bad. We want to take a shortcut to the top right side of the U by looking on the bright side or downplaying our experience. We may also fear that if we go down there, we won't ever come back.

Complicating the situation is the fact that many people we share our story with will want to rescue us from the pain rather than explore it with us. They, too, are likely to want to take the shortcut to the top right side, but shortcuts don't work. These attempted shortcuts cut off God's healing process.

I am learning not to fear pain but to embrace it, experience it, process it, and learn from it. It is not a one-time event but a willingness to repeatedly open the hood of my heart and watch the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort do his work with what has been brought into the light.

Ministry

In future newsletters, I plan to share highlights from the various aspects of my ministry: proclaiming His Word, supporting spiritual leaders, and providing grief education.

Let’s begin with grief education. I have received specialized training and done extensive personal work to address my own grief following the loss of my father when I was 14 years old. This experience has helped me recognize the lasting impact of unprocessed grief and fueled my passion for educating others on this important subject.

I have had the privilege of speaking to church groups, secular audiences, and professionals who regularly encounter loss. I am eager to continue and expand this work. In my presentations, I address the role of faith and hope in grief (for Christian groups), explore the nature of grief, discuss healthy ways to process grief, and offer guidance on how to support those who are grieving. Your prayers are appreciated.

GENERAL PRAYER

Pastor Ed covets your prayers. You can use the acronym OAR to pray for his speaking ministry. 

O—Open doors of ministry

A—Anointing

R—Responsive audiences

Pray also for wisdom as he mentors Adult and Teen Challenge students, open doors and open hearts for sharing the gospel on the street and fruitful ministry as he connects with pastors and ministry leaders in Lebanon and throughout the region.