That show, called Two and a Half Men, has stopped production on their show for the rest of the season; since Charlie has made a public statement on interviews that disparages the producers of the show, television show creator Chuck Lorre, Alcoholic Anonymous, his ex wife, and women in general.   He says horribly vile things about Chuck Lorre and shows nothing but contempt for women, in my opinion, when he says things about women such as he has fame and those women have nothing and that all they will ever have is that night with him and that he will forget about them as soon as they leave.  He says that he is “special” and will never be one of the AA because they are a “bootleg cult”.  Seriously? 

It comes across through many of these examples that he considers himself above everyone else.  He believes that he alone cured his (in his opinion) so called disease with his own mind.  He has made recent statements to the fact that he is in control of his partying.   The truth of the matter is that he couldn’t be more wrong.  He has been in legal trouble for alleged domestic violence, he has had custody issues with his ex-wife who does try to support him in public while at the same time  tries to shield their daughters from the horror of these out of control antics that are harming him physically, emotionally, spiritually,professionally, and financially. His young sons with his second wife are very young…but they will grow up with the legacy of their father’s public displays as well.

People who work with individuals who struggle with addictions will give you all of the facts on how addicts fool themselves into thinking that they are “in control” and the rest of the world is the one with a problem.  Charlie may not live on the streets, he might not be homeless, he might not be stealing to support his habits…but he is in denial about his lifestyle choices and the effect that it is having on those who care about him (meaning his friends and family).

He has children that are growing up; and they are now, and will continue to be affected by his behavior and the choices that he makes.  He has a famous brother Emilio Estevez and then of course, there is his father Martin Sheen they have stepped up and said they continue to love him, support him and pray for him.  He has ex-wives who love him enough to try to work through their issues to maintain some sort of relationship for their children. Who can help an adult who is in a situation such as this? Can he be forced to get help through an emergency order? Is he having some sort of emotional breakdown or is he just acting out because of the damage caused by his partying?  He appears to feel all powerful and that no one has the right to tell him no, or draw a line in the sand regarding his conduct.   He has fans that he asks to support him; even though he is acting in ways that are hard to support.  He wants them to help him fight against the injustice of it all…saying that his fans are his people…not “theirs”.

In response, to the decision of his show stopping production, he slams the powers that be for stopping it…saying that they are keeping money from him, his family, and the crew of the show.   In my opinion however, if they continued to produce the show they would be irresponsible…enablers of a man who seems to be bent on self-destruction.  A week or two ago, there were articles that claimed that Charlie said that he only partied when he was bored and not working.  When he was working, he says, he was fine.   There are consequences to behaviors…and recent pictures of him show him possibly having had his teeth affected by his conduct.

Relationships suffer, professional connections become damaged and finances can become scarce because of a persons addictions.  In his case, this doesn’t just affect Charlie…he has a whole crew that is going to suffer consequences because of this situation.   A professional intervention needs to happen, because even though he says he is clean…that doesn’t mean he is stable.   I say, if he isn’t careful to get medical help, put his rehab knowledge and education to heart, and live addiction free…he is going to be bored to DEATH; and, we will be reading Charlie’s very sad obituary.

That would be a terrible waste of life; how much better to see him find his way to health and wellness and use his experience to help others in the same situation?  People who do not have fame, fortune or money deal with addictions too and the consequences are no less severe for them or their loved ones.

What are your thoughts? Do you love someone who struggles with addictions?  What have you done to survive the ups and downs?  Where did you find help?

I believe that just being aware of the world around you and noticing where the acceptance of God is lacking and doing your best to be of service in some way; of bringing a light or help to those who are in need, is a ministry itself.  Some have a pull on their hearts to teach, preach, do missions work, or evangelize.  There are others who are drawn to a particular effort of outreach which may be to take Bibles into areas of the world which have little or no access to the word.  Then again, there are those with an online ministry to edify or build up disciples such as the Live Sticky movement which encourages people to spend a portion of their online time being dedicated to bringing awareness of God to those that they impact. These are all ministries that are needed.

A ministry might mean that you take meals to someone who is home-bound, lonely or spending time with someone who is depressed.  It might mean providing comfort and help to those in poverty, a hospital/jail setting; or it could be a position of raising funds for someone to go out and do missions work.   Some of those ministries can be dangerous; but still, God puts a calling on those individuals hearts.

Today in the news there is some sadness which highlights that statement.  In recent days, there have been four Americans held hostage, on a yacht, which were hi-jacked by Somali pirates allegedly.  It basically is a form of human trafficking…to hold humans against their will in the hopes of making money off of them.  There was a military warship that was tailing them and as the shots rang out, the Navy warship took action capturing and killing the pirates.

Today, unfortunately the news says that all four American hostages were murdered by the pirates.  The yacht was owned by Jean and Scott Adam and they had two passengers on board, Phyllis Macay and Bob Riggle.  Jean and Scott often traveled distributing Bibles around the world on their yacht.

They knew the risks of traveling this part of the world where pirates have been wreaking havoc on ships traveling through the area.  Still, they were committed to doing what they loved to do and felt called to do.  This required tremendous courage on their part.  They believed in more than just life here on Earth and it is a terrible loss to those who knew them and loved them.  May God comfort their friends and families during this time of grieving. They sacrificed their lives to do what they felt called to do; many people do not understand that kind of commitment.  It is a love that goes beyond the general human attitude of thinking only about oneself.

Did they want to die…no, I am sure they did not set out with the purpose of loosing their lives.  There are many examples of people who have lost their lives for Christ.  I believe that God has welcomed them home.  They faced this danger knowingly…but it is still a tragedy in human terms.  Spiritually, God will deal with those who took their lives.

There are many parts of the world which are hurting and struggling with war, with natural disasters, with political unrest and with spiritual warfare.  Those areas of the world have people in need; just as there are people suffering and hurting in your own local neighborhoods and countries.  Whether you feel the call to do missions work, teach/preach or evangelize in person or online…know that lives are being affected and changed for the good.

This is important work that you do, wherever God places you to do it. It is important to pray for those who set about doing the work of God…no matter where they do it.  There are forces at work intending to persuade Christians to stand back and let the world take care of itself.  That is not what God asks of us; be about the business of God.  Be an encourager, support ministry in any way that you can.  If it is working with children, in administration, or in actively pursuing those who don’t know Jesus…find a way to be in service.

I have friends and family who are doing amazing things because of their love of God.  There is Friends Like Us who work with children with cancer and their families.  They provide chemo bears to the pediatric patients that they work with…as well as providing gifts for the patients siblings.  They talk with and support parents of those patients.  They often send blankets from another organization called Layers of Love and a book on living with cancer from an author that they work with. Please visit them and support the work that they do.  These are all ministries at work, in my humble opinion, because they show love and help people who are hurting and in need of some sort.  This is just a small sample of people in my circle of influence.

My daughter recently went to Haiti and worked in an orphanage where the love of God is at work trying to improve the lives of those they touch.  I intend to do a series of blog posts soon about some of the work being done there.  Here is a link to the Haiti Foundation Against Poverty through which she felt called to work on a recent missions trip. http://haitipoverty.org/Updates.aspx

I just want to recognize those who are about the business of doing the work of the Lord.  Thank you for the sacrifices of your time, your money, and your efforts. Never forget that the time is short and that God is coming soon.  He alone knows the day and the hour…so when you get weary or feel burdened; remember that the life that you connect to God will have the opportunity to go to Heaven rather than the destination of Hell, a place of eternal suffering. This reason alone is why God gave us his word in John 3:16  “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son, that whosever believeth in him shall not perish, but have everlasting life”.

What type of work do you do for the kingdom of God?  What do you feel called to do or share?  Are you actively involved in some kind of outreach ministry? Have you ever felt in danger while doing your ministry work?  Will you tell us about it here? What do you do for the love of God?

     Most people are familiar with mint in the form of a tasty tidbit whether it be a breath freshner, toothpaste, candy or maybe even their favorite herbal tea.  However, once you know about some of the healing properties of mint you begin to understand that mint matters are so much important than a person realizes.  For a person who has seen or felt it’s healing power…they know the value of keeping pure mint oil on hand!

        For instance, did you know that mint (be it spearmint or peppermint) has anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, anti-viral, anti-fungal, anti-spasmodic, anti-oxidant, anti-microbial, and is an analgesic?  That covers many ailments that a human being can experience.  Wow, can you think of any other product that has any kind of equal healing power in it?  It is amazing.  It also is a very tasty product and one that is fairly reasonable to purchase or to grow in your own backyard. 

        As some of my regular readers know, I supported a very special group of people who produce mint oil right here in Michigan.  It is the Crosby Mint Farm in St. Johns, Michigan.  It is a family owned business and it has just celebrated their 99 harvest of mint oil this past weekend.  My family and I got to go on a tour of the farm with some very dear friends of ours this past weekend.  What a joy to see this farm that is a source of healing power for so many people around the world. 

       There is Peppermint Jim and his sister Linette who are the owners/operators.   Both of whom are knowledgable and very genuine personalities.   They have a wonderous staff of mint aficionados.  Their small, on farm, store is stocked with products sure to please.  From candles, to body spritz, to honey subtly flavored with mint, to bath salts and various sizes of bottles of pure essential mint oils to choose from; a person could surely find a way to utilize the products that they produce.

         If you have followed their story you know that they struggled in the last few years with a foreclosure and “lost” their farm to an auction.  The farm’s motto is “expect miracles” and through a very interesting turn of events they were able to buy back most of the farm and their family’s home which is a huge part of their legacy of producing mint for 99 harvests.   Their faith and the support of customers, media and community have come full circle which is going to allow for a great celebration next year of their 100th harvest. 

        I have seen the healing power of the pure mint oil that they produce; as my very own mother was relieved of  painful shingle sores in her mouth that prevented her from speaking and eating normally, for a period of time last winter.  When medicines perscribed for her, by her physician, failed to give her relief…I recommended the mint oil.  She applied the mint oil and in a matter of a few days she was finally free from the pain and inflammation in her mouth around her tongue and gums.  It was miraculous.  It was well worth the small cost of the bottle of oil to see her out of the pain and discomfort she had been in.

       There is also the story on Peppermint Jim’s website about a medical mission team that went to Nigeria and helped over 800 people there with mint oil that was donated from the Crosby Mint Farm.  You should find that story here: http://www.peppermintjim.com/mint-oil-across-the-world/  That is powerful to me.  Now understand, this is pure mint oil not imitation oil.  This is oil produced by plants designed and put on the Earth by the master physician himself, God.  Why aren’t we using this valuable product more in medicinal ways to promote health and well-being; as opposed to manufactured medications that have so many harmful side-effects? 

         One of the big things that we heard alot during our day spent at the mint festival is how the Crosbys want to help people.  By producing the best quality oil, they can help people to live healthier and enjoy their lives more when they are using the oil to live with less pain, less infection, less inflammation and so much more. 

       I have to tell you that the people who work on the farm from Carol, to Lori and her sister Kelly, to all of the others we met this weekend at the mint festival; both on the farm and at the booth at the festival, they know their stuff.  We went on a wonderful tour and gained so much information that I could have spent a week there, just asking questions and absorbing knowledge from these wonderful people.   They were gracious and allowed us to take pictures with them. 

       Did you know that it takes 1 acre of plant material (mint), or 4 tons, to fill the distillery equipment to make a batch of oil; which can yield as much as 35-40 lbs.  This is produced without chemicals or pesticides…and in fact, the Crosby Mint Farm is proud of the farming practices that they use, which are earth friendly.

        An interesting day it was for myself and my family.  Our friends were just as thrilled with all that we learned.  We were priveledged to be present for the filming of a television interview with chanel 6 in Lansing, Michigan, which has been a strong supporter of this farms efforts to not only stay in business; but, to continue the legacy that was started so long ago by Peppermint Jim and his wonderful sister Linette’s great grandfather, J.E. Crosby, Sr; way back in 1912.

        If you would like to learn more about the Crosby Mint Farm or the products that they produce you can go to their website here:  http://crosbymintfarm.com/ .  If you go there, do yourself a favor and purchase some of their products…trust me you wont be sorry.  I don’t have an affiliate link to them or any of their products…I just believe in what they do and why they do it.  I really believe you will too once you’ve tried some of it!

       Not only did more than twice the number of dollars come in, but he also says that none of the donations was more than $100 and it came from every day people…not from huge wealthy donors.   In my earlier post I said that if a mega church like his was hurting then surely we all knew that smaller ones all around the world were in the same situation.  The results of his letter with the plea is nothing short of a miracle and of his church members committment and dedication.  Congratulations to them for being obedient to the call from their pastor.

       This is also and encouragement at the beginning of a new year for every other church out there that is struggling…hang in there and be bold and strong in your belief that God is in control and obedience to God’s word is a big part of the equasion.  Blessings!

See previous post here:  http://www.writewhereyouareblog.com/ministering-to-the-needy-when-churches-struggle/