Rick and Kay Warren | All is Well

Sunday night an the Duffer crew is getting ready to get back to normal (??) tomorrow after a rough spring break. Grateful for the few things we did get to do together……movies with my boys and dying Easter Eggs yesterday with my girl.

Below are some thoughts as this week ends.

We didn’t make it to church this morning. This always seems like a good idea at the time, and always ends up being a terrible decision ultimately. You would think I would learn. For all of us, corporate worship is something we are called–commanded even–to do. Hebrews 10:24-25 reads: ²⁴And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, ²⁵not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. I blew it today and am kicking myself for it, once again, tonight. I missed out on the opportunity to encourage someone. I missed out on the opportunity to be encouraged by the preaching of the Word. And how can I stir up and be stirred up to love an good works if I isolate myself from the body of Christ. Yes, I am preaching to myself (and you, too, if you skipped church for no good reason today). I could name my excuses but they are worthless. Next Sunday I must be in Sunday School. I must be in Worship.
I did, in an effort to kick myself, get much accomplished. I worked for about 3 hours on things I was behind on for my job. I then took two hours to complete my very strict, new budget using Mint.com. It’s easy, it’s free and it will help us to be faithful to sticking to a budget. If you’ve not tried it, I suggest you check it out. It does all the hard stuff (math) for you, and contains awesome graphics that will either encourage you or discourage you, depending on how you are handling your money.
If you read one of my posts earlier this week, then you might remember that this has been a downward spike for me in terms of fighting off real depression. And it is a fight. But I came across an article today by Adrian Warnock that I would highly recommend everyone to read, especially in light of the death of Pastor Rick and Kay Warren’s son this week. Extremely timely, wise and helpful, he addresses the question “Can a Christian be Depressed?” from both a Biblical and a psychological viewpoint. I needed to read this today, in fact between reading that article and knowing I’m prayed for, I’m ready to get up tomorrow and renew my fight for joy. Please, read this article. It may help someone you care about. (here’s another excellent article focusing on the church’s response to mental illness, by Ed Stetzer.
Spring Break is over. Join me and let’s pray for all the students and teachers that return to work tomorrow. I know not a one of my crew wants to go back tomorrow. I’m sending my girl back to school 14 pounds lighter and not 100%, but she’s missed so much school that she needs to go. The weather this week looks absolutely fantastic–I think spring is here and summer is on its way! 🙂
In the last two weeks I’ve come across a newish song (to me anyway) that has provoked much writing and confession and prayer in my life. I’d like to share it with you. The tune is a bit redundant, but the words are important. It’s an excellent song to use to meditate upon during spiritual disciplines, or to listen to at night when sleep doesn’t come. Below is the video with the lyrics. I hope you enjoy:

My heart hurts today for people I don’t even know.

Rick and Kay Warren, pastor and pastor’s wife of Saddleback Church (Rick is the author of Purpose Driven Life), lost their son last night to mental illness and suicide. This after spending a fun evening together.

I can’t even begin to imagine what this family is experiencing right now in terms of shock and grief. Tremendous grief.

So many Psalms come to mind at this moment. Psalms that cry out to God “Why?” Psalms that beg God for mercy. Psalms that pour out of the writer’s souls, often times I imagine with much weeping as their honest words fill the pages. I pray that Rick and Kay will also be able to pour out their grief to our God. That He will hear the words they can not even speak as they grapple with this tremendous loss.

And I think about the verse that came to me in the middle of the night last night: Philippians 4:7:

⁷And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

I pray that their hearts and their minds will be guarded-protected-in Christ Jesus by the peace of God that we can not understand.

I pray for their church. Rick and Kay Warren, as pastor and pastor’s wife, have been by the side of many grieving an hurting people. I pray that their church will now surround them with an outpouring of love and mercy and grace—and that God will give the congregants the wisdom to know what to do–and what not to do–in this time of grieving. And as pastor of a megachurch, their loss is very public. I know that well. May God grant them privacy and quiet times in the days ahead.

And I think of their son who has now gone home, and I thank God that he had parents that stood by his side through these years of despair and hopelessness, through mental illness and depression. I read Pastor Warren’s letter to his church. This paragraph stood out to me:

“I’ll never forget how, many years ago, after another approach had failed to give relief, Matthew said, ‘Dad, I know I’m going to heaven. Why can’t I just die and end this pain? But he kept going for another decade.”

My soul.

Looking at Saddleback’s website, I see that they were going to start a sermon series on “Surviving Tough Times” Good Grief. And now they face their toughest time. May God envelope them in the arms of Christ and those who know them best.

May God grant them solitude when needed to grieve, and presence of friends and family when the need is to be held up.