The Christian at death doesn't pass away, he passes to something.

There are two important principles when it comes to grief and the Christian.
The first principle is, when faced with death, the born again believer has sure hope, because the Captain of his salvation has conquered the greatest enemy—death. In fact, the Bible proclaims that the death of saints is precious in the sight of the LORD, (Psalm 116:15).
When he dies, a born again believer immediately sees Christ, (2 Corinthians 5:1-9). All sorrows are forgotten. There is no pain or grief in Heaven. There is no more curse or sin. The saved one at death is reunited with saved loved ones who have died in the Lord before them. These things are sure because of the death and resurrection of Christ (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18), (1 Corinthians 15:12-26).
The second principle is that Christians, as humans, experience the overwhelming sorrow of grief, but not as others who have no hope, (1 Corinthians 4:13). Christians can be guilty of playing down the human nature of Christ and also of “sanitizing” the death of a believer. Those left behind can be in agony. Their humanity must be validated. Their hope of reunion must be proclaimed and made clear. A funeral of a Christian is a celebration of his life, and also a mourning of his death. The Christian believer is not immune to grief but participates in the mourning process; I Samuel 30:3, 4; John 11:33-35; Acts 8:2; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17.
Please pray about a new book we are writing based on the death of our daughter, Lindsay and granddaughter Emily Hope on September 11, 2001.

Writtten in 1990 after finding out Lindsay had separation anxiety

(c)2011-Steve Bloem

In some ways, there is something worse than our own depression. It is our children having it. I have spoken in the past of our son, Brant, and his severe panic and depression.
Having to watch him go through all the pain that is involved in this disease proves to be a severe trial for Robyn and me.
He was not the first of our children to have a depression/panic disorder. Our daughter Lindsay who has been in heaven for about ten years after being killed by a drugged driver (along with her daughter, Emily Hope), was diagnosed with separation anxiety and depression when she was in the fourth grade.
I do not consider myself to be a hymn writer but I did write what is below after I realized that she had tasted and would taste the bitter cup of depression and also panic disorder. The "hymn" is entitled,Count it all Joy.


Faced once again with heartache and sorrow;
Once again praying, "Not my will but Yours;"
Finding today's strength and more for tomorrow
Submitting to your way to take care of hers.

You are our Father of Mercy to children;
Suffering is not wasted when suffering for Thee.
We count it all joy when the waves overtake us,
Praying in us that His image is seen.

The cup of sorrow from the Father is given
I will drink it again, as I have before;
It has never proved harmful- nor ever will be;
Then one day in heaven, I will suffer no more.

Our great God is for us, No foe can subdue
No harm present or future His love won't see through
He spared not His own Son, He smote Him for all
Christ Jesus, our High Priest; on Him we will call.

I have researched the websites of many churches and have found it a rare occurrence to unearth a mental illness support group. Churches have grief share, divorce recovery, celebrate recovery, and many other support groups.
Many church leaders are like the proverbial ostrich with his head in the ground. It is almost a don't ask, don't tell, situation

Robyn and I have started a support group at our own church, Rockford Baptist Church in Rockford Michigan. The support group is part of a grass roots movement which we call CAMI (Christians Afflicted with Mental Illness). We have written our own study guide material.
If only pastors knew how many of their sheep feel alone and misunderstood by their church. These storm tossed afflicted persons are very important to God, The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit, Psalm 34:18.

Mental illness is a whole body disease and it has a devastating effect to those who suffer from it. The vegetative functionings of the body fail in major depression. They are sleep, appetite, and sex drive. The will is broken. The depressed person finds it very difficult to accomplish even little tasks. A depressed person's concentration makes it difficult for him to read. His memory is affected. God seems a million miles away.

The devil like a roaring lion seeks to isolate depressed people from God and church and make them think God has abandoned them. Then he presents suicide as a viable option to escape from the horrific psychic pain. The church of Jesus Christ should not neglect this people group. She will have to answer to her Chief Shepherd, the Lord Jesus Christ for her treatment or non-treatment of the mentally ill.

Robyn and I have written a starter/study guide for launching this CAMI program in your church. We have a seminar which introduces the material and then goes on to explain every part of it. If members of the church attend the seminar then we will provide consultation for your church leaders, we will instruct them on how to start a CAMI group, and how to maintain it. Our group format includes eight guiding principles for Christians who suffer from a mental illness and/or their caregivers. We have a Leader’s Manual which spells out treatment goals for every lesson.

In the Leader's manual we have provided the answers to the discussion questions which are in the student guide. The Guides help the sufferer think through various issues and to see them in the context of suffering as a Christian. It has also been reported to be helpful for the caregivers who come to the groups. This is a very important concept for today’s Christian with mental health issues. Mental Illness begs for understanding, community and compassion. Are you with us?

http://heartfeltcounselingministries.com/whispersinfoyer.aspx

The Merciful God, Does He fail us in suffering?

Lindsay Bloem Hoover

Bereavement
Do you have to forgive God? Many counselors would say, yes but Scipture says no. It is impossible to forgive Him because he never has or will commit sin. Here is my testimony; In the middle of my great sorrow (Our daughter Lindsay had died along with her baby Emily about nine months before this); God met me in the most wonderful way. The story is taken from my journal.

My journal - July 3, 2002

Anger, - Tension in the house was everywhere. I was angry.
I felt like an animal in a trap. I was angry at Lindsay for not heeding the warnings of God. I was angry at that my only precious girl was gone. I was angry at the murderer of Lindsay. I was angry at society for not punishing perpetrators who drink, drug and drive.

Prayer
Everyone except Robyn decided to disperse. Tyler, being the youngest, went with me. I was praying and confessing sins while walking around the neighborhood. I was asking God for wisdom.

God came to me
I don't mean in a vision; I mean in the providential ordering of my finding a beautiful tract in a not so beautiful place.
Tyler and I walked by a little factory. The grass was long and the grounds were not managed. There was a small colorful looking paper which was on the grass. It was a tract. The title was Ten Reasons to Believe in a God Who Allows Suffering
It was written by someone at Radio Bible Class. I could tell that whoever wrote it had suffered deeply. I read the whole tract. I read the tract to my youngest son Tyler. God gave us strength that day, God met my deepest need for comfort, and He condescended to my lonely, tired heart and gave me peace.

The Merciful God of the Bible

Psalm 18:2-The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge ; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold

II. Corinthians 1:8-11-- For we do not want you to be unaware, brethren, of our affliction which came to us in Asia, that we were burdened excessively , beyond our strength, so that we despaired even of life ; indeed, we had the sentence of death within ourselves so that we would not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead ; who delivered us from so great a peril of death, and will deliver us, He on whom we have set our hope. And He will yet deliver us, you also joining in helping us through your prayers, so that thanks may be given by many persons on our behalf for the favor bestowed on us through the prayers of many.

Steve Bloem

Heartfelt Ministries

Lindsay and Emily, Two more on 9/11

Please open the attached video that was recorded on September 11, 2011. It tells the story of our daughter, Lindsay Ruth Bloem Hoover and our grand daughter, Emily Hope.
Lindsay was eight months pregnant with her little daughter, Emily Hope when she decided to attend a special prayer meeting that was called by our pastor on September 11, 2001.
When we hear of the horrible death toll on that day of terror, we always feel there were two more deaths that resulted from September 11. Lindsay was a first responder in the sense that she was a prayer warrior/hero that night. As a Christian, she wanted to pray for our nation. On her way home from prayer, she was hit and killed along with Emily Hope by a man who was on cocaine, heroin and marijuana and had been partying with two of his friends all day long.
The Walker(Michigan)Police discovered heroin with open syringes indicating their use of the drugs even as they drove down the street that fateful day.
The two passengers and the driver were all passed out in the moving vehicle. The two in the back seat were never charged but the driver has been in prison for nine years.
Please watch the memorial we organized on the tenth anniversary of their heavenly departure. Lindsay and Emily were whisked from the accident scene by the angels of God to their home in Heaven. Life is like a vapor. Would you be ushered into eternal bliss or eternal punishment if you were to die today?
You may have to copy and paste the link into your web browser.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YFtc5mU1h08&feature=share

From the Voice of Martyrs web site; "I am a Christian. I am dying today."

From the Voice of Martyrs web site; "I am a Christian. I am dying today."

Monica Dra and her husband heard the marchers outside their small home in Nigeria on July 26, 2009. They heard the chants of "Allahu Akbar" and wondered what the night would hold for them and other Christians in their village.

"We had heard rumors all night that there were going to be problems," Monica told VOM, "and now I could hear them walking and slaughtering people as they went." Monica's husband, Daniel James, grabbed her, and they ran outside to escape the radical Muslim mob. But the radicals grabbed Daniel and hacked him to death with a machete.

Monica began to run, with her Bible and hymn book tucked under her arm. But members of the chanting mob grabbed her and began striking her with machetes. Seeing a cross on a chain around Monica's neck, a militant began to chop at her neck, nearly decapitating her. By the time Monica got to the hospital, she could only breathe through the gaping wound left by the lethal blade.

"I thought, 'I am a Christian,'" she said. "I am dying today."

But Monica didn't die. After six surgeries to repair her throat and close the wound in her neck, doctors were able to save her voice. Through VOM Medical, Monica, a poor widow with a 5-year-old child, received excellent medical care and post-op follow-up. Thanks to generous donations from VOM supporters, Monica is among the more than 600 Christians who have received medical care after being injured because of their Christian faith.

Monica now needs only one more surgery to regain her normal speaking voice. "Now that I have my strength back, I have forgiven my attackers," Monica said. "Now I have more courage to serve the Lord much more."

We don't know where the next attack will occur. Nigeria? Indonesia? China? But VOM Medical is committed to serving those who are injured by persecution.

THANK YOU for helping Monica Dra and other Christians who have been injured in anti-Christian attacks around the world. With your help, VOM was able to provide six surgeries for Monica, a Christian widow with a 5-year-old son. We will soon be providing one more surgery, which should restore her normal speaking voice.

Whispers in the Foyer, An Honest Look at the Christian and Mental Ilness

Steve and Robyn will be conducting a one-day seminar, Whispers in the Foyer...an Honest Look at the Christian and Mental Illness  It will be Saturday, October 15, 2016 and is hosted by Boca Glades Baptist Church.  Registration will begin at 9:00 a.m. and the seminar will end at 4:00 p.m. WITF is a prerequisite for becoming a CAMI (Christians Afflicted with Mental Illness) group leader. The cost is $60.00 per person; $90.00 for couples and includes a set of seminar notes for each atendee.
Please scroll to the bottom of this page to be directed to register online.

  Review written by: Pastor and Licensed Therapist, Nathan Wagner  

Whispers in the Foyer is a much needed fresh voice to a controversial dialogue.  

Steve and Robyn Bloem have literally “written the book” on how to survive and thrive in the midst of the chaos of mental illness. Their honesty, candor, authenticity, and thoroughness of thought offer us a unique perspective at a critical time for the church in the U.S. Rather than hiding or running from their own struggles with Steve’s mental illness; they have faced them head on with incredible courage and a profound faith. Their book Broken Minds, Hope for Healing When You Feel Like You're Losing It and now this resulting workshop seem to flow from a deep resolve to help shift the old paradigms that so many of us in evangelical circles are still working from when it comes to the issue of mental illness.  

An Honest Approach to Understanding Mental Illness 

With rare candid honesty Steve and Robyn presented a detailed description of mental illness itself, a Biblical lens through which to engage it, and an inspirational story of struggle and triumph. Woven through Steve’s presentation on several types of mental illness and a solid Biblical discussion on its validity and implications, Robyn shared a story of intense struggle as they battled Steve’s depression early on in their marriage, the loss of their daughter and unborn grandchild to a tragic car accident, and ongoing journey as they continue to navigate the chaos and uncertainty defining mental illness. 

As a pastor and counselor, I believe Whispers in the Foyer offers a refreshingly open appeal to rethink our intolerant and ignorant views on this issue. It also helps frame the dialogue in a more accessible way for so many of us in churches who want to help but are paralyzed by misunderstandings and fear. I want to thank the Bloems for their investment in writing an incredibly helpful and encouraging book, for crafting a workshop to open eyes and hearts to God’s perspective and heart for those impacted by this kind of brokenness, and for sharing their inspirational story of tragedy, despair, and ultimately hope. I believe many will be blessed, instructed, and encouraged because of their ongoing investment of time and energy by the profound faith they’ve displayed for so many years, as well as the celebration of God’s goodness in the midst of such a difficult journey. 

Review written by: Pastor and Licensed Therapist Nathan Wagner.

 If you wish to pay online, please go to  http://heartfeltmin.org/join-us.html

 
Rev. Steve and Robyn Bloem

  Prices: As stated above the cost is $60.00 per person. Group and student rates are also available. If you cannot afford payment, there are some scholarship funds available. We will also accept a personal check made payable to Heartfelt Counseling Ministries and sent to 4371 Northlake Blvd. Suite 256 Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33410