written by Taylor Byrum

Have you ever exchanged your money for a different currency?  You give a person your money, only to receive less in a different currency.  Seems inefficient, right?  To me, it seems that what you give, you ought to receive with no loss.  A similar scenario happens to you every day.  It happens every time you plug in your power cord for your hair dryer or electric razor.  You pay for the energy supplied to the wire, but not all of that energy goes to your machine.  Some of it goes to heating up the conducting wires that carry the energy, but you aren’t using that heat.  It’s just energy lost.  But, there is hope.  One hundred years ago, Heike Kamerlingh Onnes discovered that at extremely low temperatures, some materials don’t lose energy to this heating.  In fact, every bit of the energy you put in is converted into current.  This new state of matter is called superconductivity.  There is a catch, though.  These temperatures are extremely cold.  The highest temperature to date that a material becomes superconducting at normal pressure is -216 degree Fahrenheit.  Yes, you read that correctly.  It’s negative and crazy cold.

Let me take you through an experiment to describe what really happens with this type of material.   Take a certain metal you know that is superconducting.  In your lab, you have a fancy refrigerator that can get to these cold temperatures and a device that measures this heat that is simply lost.  You turn on the refrigerator and you tell it to start cooling down to its lowest temperature.  Meanwhile, you constantly measure this heat.  The heat is continuously dropping as the temperature is dropping, but it is still not zero.  All of a sudden, at a certain critical temperature, the heat discontinuously dropped from a number, say 25, to 0.  It didn’t hit 24 or 13 or 9.  It went from 25 to 0.  Now, we say it’s a superconductor.

You can imagine the potential applications for superconductors.  If we could find materials that become superconducting at normal temperatures, things would radically change.  The energy crisis we currently face may cease to exist.  Transformers along the road that solely boost the energy in the cables would be unnecessary.  Your electricity bills would be less.

This is what I study in the Physics Department at the University of Illinois.  I am trying to understand why some materials become superconducting at these “higher” temperatures.  If we can understand why, then our hope is that the answer would lead us to discover or make materials that are superconducting at normal temperatures.

However, my ultimate motivation for studying this phenomenon is not so that we can get more bang for our buck.  At the risk of sounding cheesy, I study this phenomenon because I believe it’s my calling at this stage of life.  In fact, I realized my calling as a scientist when I was working on a paper for a religion class.  For that paper, I spent many hours of research gathering evidence to support my belief that science and theology are not in contradiction regarding creation.  My calling didn’t come from an audible voice or a billboard sign.  No, it was from hours of intense and honest reading of God’s word.

In Matthew 22, Jesus says that one of the two greatest commandments is to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.”  In order to love God, we must know God.  I believe we come to know God when He reveals Himself through His Word, the Holy Spirit, visions, dreams, fellow Christians, prayer, and even His creation.  By studying God’s creation, which includes materials that become superconducting, I can learn of God’s attributes.  I know you may think this is a bit of a stretch, but let me explain this a little more.  The way these materials behave is governed by laws, laws that God has set in place.  When I look under a microscope or study light scattered from these materials, I may not see God, but what I do see is God’s hand at work.  He controls every electron.  I believe He cares and is involved in these small events that happen on the microscopic scale. How much more, then, does He care about what happens on the macroscopic scale, the things that we experience and see?

This provides a Godly calling for my work as a scientist.  The more I learn about the universe and its workings, the more I realize how majestic and awesome He has made it.  Paul says in Romans 1:20 that humans cannot help but see “God’s invisible qualities” in his creation.  Science, then, enables me to understand more about God and love Him with all of my heart, soul, and mind.

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Taylor Byrum is a 2nd year graduate student in the UIUC Physics PhD program. Taylor describes his parents as wonderful, Godly people, who raised Taylor and is brother in a Christian home in Bentonville, AR.  He studied Physics and Mathematics at Oklahoma Baptist University, where he met his wife, Jamie Byrum.  They are happily married, attend Windsor Road Christian Church, love the Arkansas Razorbacks, and dread the cold winter.

written by Dr. Barbara A. Kammer

When asked to contribute to the Urbana Theological Seminary blog, I readily agreed.  Then reality struck! Whatever would I be able to contribute since the request was very open ended? What did I know that would be of interest to anyone else? Many ideas were considered and then rejected. As I was doing homework for my class at UTS, a sudden thought came.  Why not discuss what UTS can offer those of us who do not plan a career in church ministry, but rather feel a need to grow in our relationship with God. (And “no,” this is not an advertisement for UTS, but an acknowledgement of a resource in our community which is available to all, if one knows about it.)

But first some background. I had the privilege to practice medicine for thirty five years plus eight years of post college training as a diagnostic radiologist with a special interest in interventional radiology.  It was in this radiology subspecialty that one had patient contact, not just the managing and interpretation of human images.  The direct patient interaction, to me, was the best part of the practice of medicine, and this particular area of practice was just developing.  I had found my niche, and I loved it! How else to feel that one could make a difference in someone’s life in such a positive way and improve that patient’s health by the techniques and   technology that replaced more invasive procedures? Little did I realize, as a young professional, what my patients would teach me while I was trying to treat them.

The patient’s primary physician would decide that a particular procedure might benefit their patient.  A consultation would be requested for discussion with the patient of the benefits and risks of that procedure so that the patient could decide what he/she would prefer to do. Most of the time the interventional radiologist saw that particular patient only two or three times, the procedure was completed and the patient returned to his/her prior activities. However, there was a group of patients with more chronic diseases, usually vascular/blood vessel disease or cancer, who returned for repeated interventions.  It was the cancer patients and their families who taught me one of, if not, the most important lesson of my life. It was not what was said, but what could be readily discerned if one only were observant.  Each time the patient came in for this particular cancer treatment, a catheter was placed into an artery for purposes of delivery of high dose chemotherapy to a specific organ. Each treatment lasted five days, and each day the catheter position needed to be verified for stability. Some of these patients underwent multiple such procedures, providing the opportunity to know them better.

It was during these interactions that it became apparent that there were distinct differences in a subset of these patients. All were dealing with extremely serious disease, but one small group was different. They were “special” and seemed more at peace with themselves and the ability to cope with whatever came.  It became abundantly clear that this peace and contentment was a manifestation of their faith. Their trust in God was supporting them through this valley in life. These patients and their families had something special! I wondered if I were the patient and not the caregiver if I would have that faith and ability to cope.

Fast forward thirty years to the summer of 2010. On a warm and humid Sunday morning, my family and I attended a church service in which the guest minister was Dr. Cuffey. It was evident that he possessed extensive knowledge of the Bible and its interpretation.  While we had lived in the CU area for more than thirty five years, we had no knowledge of Urbana Theological Seminary (UTS). In fact, we had never even heard of it. Thus began the journey to learn more about UTS and what might be available under its auspices. Would this be one way to learn more about what we, as Christians, believe and the background for it? Could this institution and its classes augment what might be available through one’s own church and independent study? Could this be a vehicle to grow and enrich one’s faith? Survey of the available classes one might consider brought a resounding “yes.” One did not need to become an enrolled student with plans for full time ministry as a vocation, but could just take classes for a fee, simply for the fun of gaining knowledge and enhancing one’s own Bible reading and understanding.

Since I had retired from my demanding profession and our children were now adults, it was time to become more serious about answering the question I had wondered about so many years previously.  Could I handle life’s very deep valleys with the grace of some of my patients? So began my venture at UTS as one way to grow my personal faith. Dr. Thomas’s class on the History of Christianity was the place I decided to begin. Back in the classroom was a trip back in time. Sure, I had studied all of my life to remain current in my profession, but the structure of formal classes, papers and tests sent my memory bank back about fifty years.  Could I still do that and compete with those younger than I? Having lived in a professional “man’s” world for so many years was a lot different than this. I did not have the computer skills of those younger than I.  Would I be able to finish the exams in the allotted time? Well, along came Dr. Thomas, who was very forgiving of my challenges and was SO accommodating.

I learned quickly that I was on a much lower plain theologically than some of my classmates, but I was there to learn and grow. Ultimately, I realized that was OK. I was a student, similar to when I had been a medical student.  I did not yet have all the knowledge needed, and that was part of the journey. After all, I had to remember why I was personally doing this, and my needs would never be those of others. Each of us in the class was there for a different purpose, but with an overarching common desire for knowledge.

The story continues, and this year’s class is the wonderful Survey of the Old and New Testament with Dr. Cuffey. Whatever he is discussing in the Bible is an enhancement of my prior knowledge. I will never read the Bible again in the same way I read it before this class. For those who are students of the Bible, this class is a treasure chest for your future.

It is exciting to learn.  Each of us will find something unique that will aid in growing one’s faith. That is an individual path, but so important. The people and classes at Urbana Theological Seminary have been such a resource for me personally. Perhaps they might be for others as well. Only time will tell whether I will have some of the grace I saw in my patients, but the pathway to growing one’s faith has been stimulating and rewarding.

From all of us here at Urbana Seminary…Merry Christmas! And Happy New Year! I hope that your Advent season has been excellent—with friends and family, safe travel, and most of all with remembering God’s gift of Himself in the person of Jesus.

I encourage you to prayerfully include Urbana Seminary in your Year End giving for 2011. Each year we rely on a significant proportion of donations coming in during December. Many of you have given generously this year, others yet plan to, and we are so thankful for each and every one of you. We know we couldn’t do it without you. God is always at work and it’s exciting to trace what He’s been doing and anticipate what lies ahead in the New Year. Reflecting back on 2011 brings to mind several signal moments. . .

• Outstanding accomplishments of alumni: planting a church that launched very successfully this year, coming home from a furlough in India after a fruitful first term abroad, daring work planting the church in a land closed to the Gospel, and many others working for the Kingdom of God.
• The first seminar on Bioethics jointly sponsored with Carle Hospital. This year’s focus was Anti-Aging Science.
• Significant progress in the process of accreditation for the school, with a deeply encouraging annual visit from a representative of the organization.
• The ongoing life of a school that prepares God’s people for serving Him.

Praise God! For all of this we are so thankful! As President, I’m so grateful to all those who serve Christ here at Urbana Seminary . . . to faculty—Dr. Joe Thomas, Dr. Todd Daly, our Lecturers, and Adjuncts—as well as to those who have tended the administrative side of the work—Ann, Carrie, Katie, Brent, Gee. And on behalf of all of us, we’re most grateful to you for your support and prayer and encouragement through 2011. Thank you!

Merry Christmas!
Ken Cuffey
President, Professor of Biblical Studies

written by Rick D. Williams

Anyone whose life work centers on education or ministry experiences the familiar rhythm of the annual cycle. Our years are marked in quarters and semesters, by “ordinary” time contrasted with the “strong” seasons of Lent, Easter, Advent, and Christmas. We are come once again to the major transition point in both our academic and liturgical calendars. Reflection often accompanies transition, and this particular turn has brought me to a fresh consideration of Advent through an exchange of images from Isaiah chapter 9 and John chapter 1.

Let’s begin with Isaiah 9:2: “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of darkness, a light has dawned.” The starting point of all humanity—even the people of God to whom this is addressed–is darkness. We are born “blind” into a broken world over which a dark deception has been drawn. We are unable to “see” who we really are or even to understand why we are really here. As 1 Corinthians 13:12 recognizes, our perceptions of reality are but a dim reflection of how things really are. At its most basic level, our dark deception is this—that “we are on our own”; in fact, that “we are our own.”

But by God’s loving mercy glimmers of grace peek through the cracks. In this land of darkness, a light shines on dawn’s horizon. The nature of this light is poetically set forth in John 1: “Life was in Him,” we are told, and contrary to our lot, “that life was the light of men.” This one born in light “shines in the darkness,” with power even “the darkness did not overcome.” What is so brilliantly illuminated by this Life that is “the light of men?”

In this “child [who] will be born for us,” this “son [who] will be given to us,” Isaiah sees the full reason for His coming: “The government will be on His shoulders.” With his coming, the oppressive darkness of our self-deception—that we are in control—is lifted for those who desire to see. The awful consequences of humanity’s hubris is set right when we rightly acknowledge the Lordship of He who is named “Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.”

Perhaps this is why lights play such an important role in this annual journey through Advent and Christmas. Our neighborhoods come alive with light (and, alas, so much more!). Our sanctuaries are illumined with brilliant candlelight. Our hearts are strangely lit by hope, whether we believe or not. All because, one day long ago, the Light “became flesh and took up residence” in our hearts, our sanctuaries, and even our neighborhoods.

Because He is Light, we are able to see through the darkness that blinds us. Because He is Lord, we are set free from the deception that we are. Because He was “born in the flesh,” we are “born of God.” No wonder these days we mark are so filled with wonder. Whether we count ourselves among “those who receive Him” or amidst those still “walking in darkness,” the Truth is that the Light has come. Let us rejoice and be glad.

*Scripture passages quoted are from the Holman Christian Standard Bible.

by Michael Himik

Last week, I wrote there’s an elephant in the room when it comes to putting Jesus’s teaching into action in the West. Specifically, the elephant is this: God says that to love Him, we must love our neighbors. But loving our neighbors requires real community, and our culture has virtually obliterated real community. All too often, we have few, if any, deep and loving relationships outside of our own “nuclear family.”

So what, as Christians, should we do? It is highly unlikely, and not at all biblical, that God will exempt us from His word simply because our culture has made it difficult to follow His command to “love your neighbor as yourself.” It is more likely, and entirely biblical, that He expects us to change our culture, and to build real community in His name. But how?

Friends, there is a biblical tool that can be used to build real community – a biblical tool that can build deep and loving relationships among God’s family and welcome others into that family. It is the agape feast practiced by the early church. You can call it a community feast if you like, because that is what these feasts build in God.

What is an agape feast?

Agape (pronounced “ah-gah-pey” or “ah-guh-pey”) is the New Testament Greek word for God’s love. An agape feast is how the early church celebrated God’s love. In fact, it is how the early church celebrated communion. When Jesus said to break bread and to drink “in remembrance of me,” early believers took Him at His word and came together over a shared meal where He was host.

During this shared meal, those following the Way “communed” not only with the Lord, but also with each other in the Lord. The Lord’s Supper was supper – an actual meal that knit the community of believers together in Christ’s love. The early church in Jerusalem even met and ate together daily:

“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common.  Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.” (Acts 2:42-47)

For the early church, communion meant community. Moreover, all were welcome at Christ’s table. Agape feasts were an opportunity to live out Jesus’s command that

“when you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind” (Luke 14:13)

Those with food shared with those without. Those with wealth shared with those who had need. Those in possession of the gospel invited others to hear this good news. The fellowship of believers was real and deep in those days, and earthly distinctions were erased by the Cross.

Just as Jesus promised, when the church did this, it was blessed, “and the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.” When the church failed to do this, or did it in a way that promoted division rather than community, it was condemned (1 Corinthians 11:17-34).

Friends, let’s restore this practice of the early church and reap its blessings. There’s never been a better time for these community feasts – because today, everyone who comes to a community feast shows up in need. Some who come need the food. But all who come need the community.

Despite our material wealth, we are poor in community, poor in relationships, poor in true Christian fellowship. Let’s drop our idolatrous individualism and prideful privacy — and embrace this poverty. Let’s become “poor in spirit” and be blessed. Let’s recognize that others need us and that we need them. Let’s give a feast in Jesus’s name and invite all the poor, including ourselves, to come.

Jesus asks us to love our neighbor. We try, but in our honest moments, we raise our hands in frustration and cry out, “Lord, I don’t know even know my neighbor.” We have let our culture define the way we follow Jesus, rather than letting our walk with Jesus define our culture.  But it doesn’t have to be this way. Jesus gave us a way to build real community in Him.

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Michael Himick is one of the people working to make Sunday Action happen. He is a publisher, writer, and internet consultant.  You can register to attend a community feast right here in Champaign-Urbana at http://www.sundayaction.com. The next Sunday Action feast is December 18.

written by Dr. Todd Daly

The quest for longer life has been around as long as humankind has. Having been thrown out of the Garden and barred access, we have been trying to forge pathways back to the Tree of Life through hygienic practices, alchemy, and now technology. While Ponce de Leon’s quest for the fountain of youth proved futile, the mythical nature of longevity has steadily eroded over the last decade in the face of stunning scientific breakthroughs. It seems that hyper longevity has gone from legend to the laboratory, as researchers continue to both discover and modulate the mechanisms of aging.

Indeed, while none of the ‘anti-aging’ products on the market actually slow the aging process, researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago and the University of Chicago S. Jay Olshansky and Bruce A. Carnes have observed:

Scientists are on the threshold of discoveries about aging that are likely to have consequences for personal health and longevity that we could only have dreamed of just a few decades ago. We are optimistic that aspects of the aging process will eventually fall within the control of the biomedical sciences—permitting humanity, for the first time, an opportunity to influence the biological forces that govern life and death.[1]

Recent scientific breakthroughs with six-fold lifespan extensions in nematode worms and mice have been splashed across the pages of Science and The Wall Street Journal, echoing what Olshanksy and Carnes predicted ten years ago.

What exactly are the mechanisms of human aging, and what are the real possibilities that we may one day experience health spans of 150 years? How should Christians respond to this quests? How might these successes alter our understanding of death, including our ability to know when to forgo further treatment? On December 10^th you’ll have the opportunity to hear S. Jay Olshanksy speak to both the science of longevity, and some new work on the religious aspects of living longer. Dr. Todd Daly of Urbana Theological Seminary will offer one Christian response to anti-aging science, and Dr. Robert Cranston of Carle will speak to the issue of knowing when to ‘say when’ with regards to care for the dying.

This unique one day interdisciplinary conference affords a rare opportunity to explore the quest for hyper longevity from scientific, theological, and medical perspectives, and will include a panel discussion directed by your questions. Registration information is available at http://www.urbanaseminary.org/events/

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[1]S. Jay Olshansky and Bruce A. Carnes, The Quest for Immortality: Science at the Frontiers of Aging (New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2001), 14.

written by Michael Himick

Friends, last week, my good brother Dr. Jeff Hallett introduced a new ministry based in Champaign-Urbana called Sunday Action. This week, I’ve been given the opportunity to tell you about the goal of this new ministry. Next week, I hope to tell you more – specifically about Sunday Action agape feasts.

But let’s start at the beginning.

At base, the mission of Sunday Action is to help Christ-followers put the gospel commands of Jesus Christ into action. I think all of us realize, at one time or another, that we have a tendency, as Soren Kierkegaard said, to “believe that the Christian commandments (e.g., to love one’s neighbor as oneself) are intentionally a little too severe, like putting the clock half an hour ahead to make sure of not being late in the morning.”

But we also know, with the solidity of the Word itself, that Jesus really does expect us to put His teaching into practice. We know, absolutely know, that doing what pleases Jesus is an essential expression of our love for Him. Jesus says this throughout the gospels.

He said:  “If you love me, you will obey what I command.” (John 14:15)

He said:  “Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him.” (John 14:21)

He said:  “If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.” (John 14:23)

He said:  “He who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.” (John 14:24)

He said:  “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:31)

He said:  “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 7:21)

He said: “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?” (Luke 6:46)

So, here’s what we at Sunday Action propose.

Let’s resolve to go on the greatest adventure of our lives. Let’s resolve to follow Jesus’s teaching more actively every week. He has done everything for us — forgiven every failure, given every grace. He has even promised us that when we step in faith toward Him, God the Father will direct and empower our steps through the Holy Spirit. God himself will enable and aid our obedience to God.

We’re resolved. Starting this Sunday at SundayAction.com, we’re going to examine the gospel commands of Jesus Christ one at a time, one week at a time. We’re going to tackle just one teaching a week, but with a firm and prayerful commitment to put that teaching into greater practice over the course of that week.

Some weeks may be easy. Others will be painful and require us to die to self. Regardless, each week, let’s commit to surrender more and more of ourselves to God’s will. Why wouldn’t we? Jesus, in perfect love, gave himself for us. He gave us life. If we love Him, why wouldn’t we truly give our lives to Him?

Join us this Sunday at SundayAction.com. Following Jesus’s teaching more actively every week is our first goal. I hope to tell you about our second goal next week.

written by Dr. Jeffrey Hallett

Recently I have been convicted by the fact that I am a rich Christian, and generous, but I typically pay others to help the poor. Giving out of our abundance is something Jesus calls us to do, but how many of us actually know and love the needy, as Jesus did? When we speak to Him on Judgment Day, and He asks us what we have done is His name, what if He asks us to name one homeless person, or prisoner, or hungry person? What if we can’t? I have realized I am poor in community. I lack deep relationships with my Christian brothers and sisters.

Also I have been meditating a lot about communion. Certainly in the first century it was a real meal, not thimbles of juice and breadcrumbs. If you don’t think God honors real communion meals in a mighty way, read Acts 2:44-47. It describes rich and poor, believer and pre-believer, sharing in the name of Jesus. When the body of Christ held regular Agape Feasts, God added to their numbers daily.

Have you noticed how modern American Christians use the word “fellowship”? We use it as a verb, don’t we? Something we do with our friends from work or church, with little more commitment than sharing some chips and dip.

In the Bible the Greek word for fellowship, koinonia, is more often used as a noun. It means “close mutual relationship” and it is a gift of our salvation. It is this common sharing in the abundant Spirit-filled life that makes us the complete body of Christ. In this commonality described in Acts, the Christian family was sharing assets to alleviate needs out of love, not legalism. The congregation existed outside church walls and beyond Sunday mornings. Koinonia was, and is, the gift of our salvation that transforms us from individual consumers of the Gospel into corporate producers of the Gospel.

Have you noticed revival lately? I know if you care about what God cares about, you are sensitive to that sort of thing. If you are like me, you have prayed to be in a place where you can see conversions, and baptisms, and miracles, and changed lives, and you are seeing those prayers answered.

I’m really excited about a local ministry that already has its roots in our town ofChampaign-Urbana. This ministry is called Sunday Action. It is spearheaded by a gifted brother in Christ by the name of Michael Himick, who will contribute to the UTS blog next week. The concept of Sunday Action is simple and biblical: sit down with other Christians, and have a meal together, and invite those who need a meal to join the Christian Family. We are witnessing a local revival like that described in Acts. Just like in the early church, relationships formed over these meals are leading to love and generosity among Christ followers, and multiplying Christ followers. The materially poor are developing their assets alongside the wealthy. Many rich Christians, like myself, are realizing their relational poverty, and seeking to grasp this koinonia as a gift of their salvation! Please continue to pray for God’s work in your town!

written by Dr. David K. Webb

We are now living during this, the “church age,” the “end times,” the earth-focused “Kingdom of God,” the time of the fullness of God’s revelation, or the time of the powerful outpouring of the Holy Spirit.  Men and women are called to be Christ’s Body here on earth, living simultaneously in the world but also in theKingdomofGod.  As redeemed people, we are to live in community, bounded together in self-sacrificing love; we are to seek to influence each other away from sin and its pervasive destructive effect on our person and toward wholeness, healing, life and total well being (Shalom).  Within this community of faith, for the purpose of addressing human suffering, individuals are separated out to be “vessels” filled and equipped with Jesus’ heart, wisdom and (yes) even His authority and power.  They are to be conduits of His love and “willingness” to make broken mankind whole and “clean” again.  Society has, without realizing it, cooperated with this plan: physicians and other health care professionals are trained and given permission to uniquely connect with people of all types in all stages of “dis-ease” and ill health.  As a Christian who is a physician I learned early in my career the awesome privilege and responsibility I was given to be Christ to the people who sought my care.

The critical point, and the foundational process in this ministry of healing, is to seek and employ in the examination room the “heart” of Jesus, specifically the fruits of the Holy Spirit.  We are to love the “fellow leper” with Jesus’ love; we are to reflect to them Jesus’ patience, kindness, gentleness, goodness, and self control; we are to seek to lead them into His peace and contagiously transmit His joy.  We are to show all people the respect He gave that diseased leper inGalilee, and to communicate understanding and empathy for the circumstances of their dis-ease.

In my experience, the key to being able to join Christ in this ministry, and the source of all that is needed to be useful, is prayer and the study of His Word.  In prayer, I share my burdens and personal weaknesses, my fears and my fragility; I am daily fortified and empowered to be obedient and serve Him on behalf of those He will bring into my medical office.  In His Word I get to know Him and learn how I can and should be part of His functioning body in my practice; in His Word I hear Him.

In my daily walk with Him, as a physician, going from one patient to another, Jesus shares His wisdom with me.  In each individual person’s situation, with their unique needs for healing, He adds His perspectives, insights, priorities and revelations.  This wisdom is the seasoning to the medical knowledge I hold; this is the proper bases for my medical decision making.  The combination of His wisdom added to the knowledge that He permits His creation to possess, directs the Christian physician toward the high goal of healing as Jesus did.

Just as Jesus, I seek to see my patients wholistically.  They are fallen beings struggling spiritually and loaded down (in varying degrees) with poor choices, disrupted relationships, destructive thoughts, imprisoning habits, and painful memories.  They live in a fallen world where all creation functions out of synchronization with God’s intention, causing harm and destruction from within and from without.  They know physical pain and disability; they struggle with dying and death; they confront their fears of mortality and the loneliness of isolation; they suffer the pain of a rebellious adolescent and an unfaithful spouse.  They live as dying lepers; they need the “reach” and “touch” of Jesus.

I pray with some; I pray for some.  I speak of Jesus when the Spirit gives me liberty.  I smile when it seems helpful and I touch when it is appropriate.  I listen when they need to talk.  Yet I am well aware, and am daily reminded, that this is only Jesus, ministering through His Body (us), and not me the fellow fallen leper.

I believe we are only “scratching the surface” of His available power and authority over all sickness and the forces that produce it.  In this regard I feel like a novice who knows it is true but know not how to bring it to full fruition.  It is in this area I continue to seek the fullness of the Jesus who makes a leper clean with a word from His mouth.