Thursday, February 15, 2018

My Health Update


SUMMARY
The night before I went to see Dr. Kathi I felt the excitement of anticipation like a child on Christmas Eve.

While I was at her office on February 13, 2018, for 3 hours I was blessed to receive many different kinds of treatments. I was amazed at how her working on the nerve connections at my jaw was helping parts of my spine.

When woke the next morning I was less stuffy than before. But I had an earache and a headache.

So this healing journey has begun. Additional visits will be needed to bring better balance to my body. That will lead to less trouble with my gut and respiration.

The biggest news is that the cause of my chest pains was not my heart based on her extensive exam. Instead one of my ribs had gotten out of alignment causing the pains in chest and shoulder blade.

How and why this rib trouble happened is a mystery. I love to walk. But I do not participate in sports. I do not lift weights. I have not been in a fight.

My appetite has slightly returned. I still have a huge craving for yogurt. Hopefully, the probiotics will lead to fewer farts.

While writing this long message God blessed me with 7 small tubs and 1 large tub of yogurt. Plus there were 3 large bottles of kombucha fermented tea that has lots of probiotic cultures. These came with a pick up full of food for the senior citizens at this apartment complex. A pastor brings it from the food bank weekly. There was rarely yogurt and never was kombucha given before.

The turmoil in my gut seems to have been fueled by my stuffing my stress into my abdomen. Normally I put my stress in my neck and shoulders. But the news about the disclosure of widespread pedophilia and other events in the news disturbed me in a different way. I could not process the layers and levels of criminality so I put the undigested confusion in my gut.  

During my visit, there were 11 x-rays taken of my neck and back. I saw the digital images. She pointed to small areas with the start of arthritis. I am very motivated to have more visits so that the adjustments will minimize and reverse the tendency toward arthritis.

I may have had at least 3 rounds of flu in the past 3 months. But still, I have other lingering symptoms that impact each other. My weakened immune system has not fully rebuilt yet.

I process complex matters in my life by writing about them. As I write there is greater clarity in my soul. Crafting this long document has helped me sort out many complex factors.

I feel conflicted because I know that a few people will read the entire message. Most are too busy. So I do my best to offer this summary.

This will take many minutes to read and it took many hours to write. Some people want all the details so those follow this summary. Others in the future will want to read this as I have archived it on a blog.

The bottom line is that I intend to return to visit Dr. Kathi at least 4 more times and hopefully more. Each 90-minute visit costs 200 dollars for the combination of her services and those of her staff. If I had the cash then I would not need to mention this. But I request your best prayers for this to happen soon.

God provided more than enough right on time for the first visit with a 20 dollar margin toward the next visit.

Besides turning from the news with commentaries I am turning toward getting the online ministry ready for this summer. That will surely lead to more support in terms of prayers and funds. I will take some of those funds to visit Dr. Kathi more times.

If you read this document to the end then I would like to award you with a big gold star.


FIRST VISIT
When I have visited doctors I sat in the waiting room for a while. Then a nurse processed me and took some simple notes on my recent pains. I waited a long while to briefly talk with the doctor. I was sent home with a prescription for drugs. Those drugs were mostly to address the symptoms. They were not usually targeted at the possible causes that were not obviously associated with the symptoms. God mostly used my immune system to bring my healing.

I have been to a few chiropractors over the decades. Instead of prescribing drugs they adjusted my back in a few places.

My time with the doctor was maybe 5 to 10 minutes. And with the typical chiropractor, it was 10 to 15 minutes.

Yet I was personally working with Dr. Kathi for more than 120 minutes. She had previously read the 19 page New Patient Information form from her website and my 28-page supplement that I sent. Based on our initial conversation she had read it all. Then with that input, she asked many excellent questions about my current conditions and history. We had a delightful time together. She not only treated me but taught me much about my body and how it works.

I was in the office for more than 3 hours. She juggled serving me with care for one other patient and addressing issues with her staff of 3.

Only during the last few minutes did I get the typical cracking my back on the chiropractic table. Before that, she had done an extensive diagnosis of the issues in my body. She had made dozens of minor and gentle adjustments that brought tiny improvements.

I spent 15 minutes on a special high tech bed that is used all over Europe. Before the machine was turned on I saw a 2-minute video of how the energy fields on this bed open the blood flow in the capillaries. Like she said that those countries that offer socialized medicine use such devices to prevent illnesses because it saves them money rather than caring for the sick patient.

I recall the story of the man who called for a person to come fix his furnace. The repair person came and went into the basement. Then after hearing the odd sounds of the furnace gave it a hit in a specific place. Then the furnace worked again. It gave his bill for 100 dollars. The homeowner objected that he did the repair so quickly. So he adjusted his invoice to say 1 dollar to hit furnace and 99 dollars to know exactly where to hit it based on many years of experience.

Immediately after I got off the chiropractic table there were all sorts of sensations in my body. And during the 3 hours while there the pains in my chest came and went a few times. The pains were sometimes dull and other times intense. She was getting at the source of my issue like the furnace repair person.

I had planned to come home and easily write an update like this. But I was so zoned-out I had to sleep for many hours. My dreams were very vivid. My dreams woke me up a few times. That has not happened after any visit to a doctor or chiropractor.


FUTURE VISITS
My physical body is still going through ripple effects from my time with Dr. Kathi.

This was the start of a process. It was not a one-time quick fix. Things are moving in the right direction and need to continue in this course toward wellness.

Please do not paint me as anti-medicine or anti-doctors. These are blessings from God for our good. But the conventional medical profession does not ever ask the kinds of probing questions that Dr. Kathi does. They do not have 40 different techniques to use in combinations suited to each patient. They surely do not take the detailed notes that she did during our time together.

The future visits are typically 90 minutes. During those times there are various protocols that might be used to address both short term and long term issues. For example, during this visit, I did not get into any detox protocol. But that will be part of my future visits.

During our time together she said that normally she wants to see a new patient at least 5 times in order to implement a proven series of protocols. Then after that, the body will have undergone major and lasting changes. It will have come into much better natural balance. I said that would be fine with me. The small challenge is finances.

Before my first visit, I had seen many of her short videos on Youtube. There are brief testimonies of those that have experienced major transformations. I will offer links at the end of this.

During my visit, there were 11 x-rays taken. They were mostly of my neck and some of my torso. I finally saw the 2 rods and 6 screws that were put into my neck after my near fatal bike accident in 1995.

These x-rays were digital so she was able to notice many subtle issues in my body. She walked me through what she noticed on the computer. I saw the black spots in my colon that was the gas there.

She pointed out the early stages of arthritis at several locations. These were where my skeleton was out of proper alignment. Hopefully, after future visits, those breeding grounds for future pains will be gone. I was sent home with a CD that has my 11 x-rays.


FINDINGS
I have had pains in my right chest for 10 weeks that have come and gone. They did not go away shortly after they started so I did online research. The American Heart Association and other sites indicated that it just might be heart-related. That brought up my lack of money and not having enough income to afford Obamacare.

During my 64 years, I have had 5 near death experiences. I detailed those as part of the 28 pages for Dr. Kathi. So unlike most people, I am clearly aware of my mortality.

During the week before Christmas, I prayed several times before going to sleep while feeling that I might have a heart attack that night and not see the next day. I learned to trust God at a much deeper level during that season. I surrendered my will and my life to yet greater degrees.

The uncertainty of the causes of the chest pains led to layers of anxiety. Then in early January, I went to Hope Clinic in Ennis. During the brief visit with the doctor, he said there was a 99 percent chance it was not heart-related. But he could not guarantee the 1 percent. That was helpful but my assurance did not last.

The uncertainty drove me to seek a second opinion from the only person in DFW Metroplex that I trusted would deeply understand my body and tell me the truth. Obviously, that person is Dr. Kathi.

After 3 hours her conclusion was that the cause is not my heart. But one of my ribs had become slightly out of alignment. That led to the pains in my chest and shoulder blade. Now that was a huge relief. It can be fixed with adjustments. I will not be suffering a heart attack anytime soon.

Besides chest pains, there were also complications with my gut and respiration.

During December and January as well as into this month February there have been a great many cases of flu in the general population. During December I had at least 2 different times that it felt like I had the flu. And it happened again in January. The collections of symptoms each time were different. It was difficult to endure those illnesses and recoveries. Normally I am very healthy. Plus it left my entire body weak and vulnerable to other issues that may still be hurting me.

Her many tests showed that the main trouble is with my gallbladder. Those pressure points were the most sensitive. Some minor improvements were made and there is still a ways to go in the healing process.

In traditional Chinese medicine, the gallbladder is associated with frustration and anger. My gut was so messed up in large part due to my emotions on overload.

KATHI
I believe that by working with Dr. Kathi I will be able to repair the damage and restore healthy balances. Please pray that will unfold in due season.

Maybe you or someone you know has had complex medical issues. Then consider Dr. Kathi Perry. Note that she works with children and those with allergies. You can see brief testimonies of those she has helped on Youtube.

Also, she helps pregnant women. The pregnant woman does not need to have complications. Just having the additional weight in the middle of the body leads to challenges for the spine.

Meet Dr. Kathi 1:32

Dr. Kathi: Beyond Chiropractic 10:53

Many videos of 2 to 3 minutes to see the many facets of her practice and testimonies of patients

Her website

DISCLOSURES
What had intensified, magnified, and amplified these matters was that the news about the disclosures of many crimes by many people all over Washington D. C. and Hollywood. I knew for years that there had been pedophilia. What I did not know until later was the scope of such horrible things both nationally and internationally.

To learn more about the kidnapping, sexual abuse, and killing of small children hurt me profoundly. I could not process all the layers of disclosures. My heart hurt for the kids. I wanted to grieve but could not go there and release the complex ball of hurts.

It was bad enough that such events were happening but then to make matters worse were the cover-ups, denials, blackmailing, corruption and more. That reminds me of Watergate. That was an event yet the cover-ups made matters much worse.

A criminal organization of bad actors has been providing children to the elites for decades. That is horrible. But then those key persons in law enforcement and legislatures have been compromised so this spiritual darkness could continue.  

It is like when the light is turned on in the kitchen at night and the roaches flee. The good news is that there are exposed. The bad news is that there are so many roaches.

Pedophilia is not the only matter that has been disclosed recently. It is just the one that impacted me the most deeply. I have never been a father or a grandfather. I have never had close relationships with children. Just the concept of pedophilia happening in the USA distressed me.

It is bad enough that there are red light districts in large cities and gangsters that are depicted in movies. I had come to accommodate grown-ups caught in the webs of sin.

But for babies and small children to be taken from their mothers to die after untold streaming impacted me in unexpected ways.

Then for those that society had put into places of authority and power not to end that madness shook my internal sense of justice.      

Christians have been talking about justice in recent years. I can remember when that was not mentioned. The massive need for justice did not impact me until these recent months.

How can kidnapping, child trafficking, extortion, bribery, blackmail, perjury, murders, corruption, and more be happening in this country? Why do citizen journalists need to risk their lives and livelihoods to expose such matters?

What has happened to the rule of law? It goes back to the age old question of is the king above the law? Or in modern times the question becomes are politicians and celebrities immune to criminal prosecutions?

Brave soldiers died during WWII so I could write this in English instead of German. I can share this with you freely without needing to get the approval of a government censor committee. So where are the brave people in key places today to stop these patterns of destruction?

If I could detach from this craziness then I might be able to find some theological ways to interpret it. I do not doubt that God exists and that God is good. But for me, it has been like those soldiers that liberated the concentration camps. Like them, I feel stunned. How could there be such inhumanity?

How can there be documentaries about the innocent lives of children and women be taken to satisfy sexual lusts and satanic rituals and yet that practice did not end long ago? If little old me can know this from multiple credible reports, then lots of others with power and authority know this too. If the NSA can snoop on my daily communications then surely there are lots of agencies that could track and catch the black hats.

What came out during my time with Dr. Kathi is that such matters were contributing to my many symptoms.  My mind and heart could not deal with it so it went to my body.

If God had not used Dr. Kathi to catch this now I would have continued down this path for years. That might have led to stomach ulcers and all kinds of lower track damage.


TYPE 1
Here is what makes me upset also. There are representatives on both sides of the aisle in Congress that have been behaving like spoiled brats. They have shouted and accused others of all kinds of junk. The media has been hyping the political circus to get more followers and sell more ads.

What the elected officials have failed to do is take responsibility like mature adults. For decades the congresses and presidents from both sides have not been effectively taking care of We the People.

There has been a lack of common sense, long-term perspective, and practical wisdom.

I have often journaled and confessed my resentment toward institutions. I do not feel resentments toward individuals. It is the institutions like the tobacco industry, military industrial complex, prison industrial complex, gaming industry, porn industry, junk food industry, and others like them that disturb me. Those crazy institutions that are the pillars of our society, economy, and culture make me upset.

I cannot change them. I must accept them. I need to live with the current reality. I need to find my special way to make this world a better place and just offer that as my contribution.

My constant concern at the deepest level is to learn what is the purpose of my life. How can I make this world a better place before my last day? What is my divine assignment or calling?

A very simple way to say this is that I believe that I am a Type 1 on the Enneagram. That means that my core concern is what is true, right and good. My subtype manifests as a reformer. I want to create systems that will guide others closer to a holistically balanced ideal lifestyle. I want to approach a more perfect life on the inside while knowing and doing what is right.

If you have not yet studied Enneagram then I recommend Beatrice Chestnut books.

NEXT
My next steps are to turn from frequent intakes of news and commentary. Then replace that with doing what it takes to prepare a MOOC for this summer. There are dozens of projects to be completed before June first. It will be an interactive experience that is aimed primarily at college students who are off for the summer.

The only way that pedophilia and other injustices could happen is that our shared society has been in moral free fall for decades. There is a chronic lack of practicing reasonable ethical standards in high places.

While I admit that I am powerless to change our current conditions there are meaningful things I can to do to help the next generations to have a biblical worldview and personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

The Serenity Prayer is the simplest yet most profound prayer. I have prayed it thousands of times over the decades. It says God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference.

So wisdom says that I cannot change the patterns that allow pedophilia to continue internationally. What I can change is to repent from intaking news and commentary unto getting ready to start a series of MOOCs for the next few years.

The current college students will become the leaders in the coming decades. My contribution will be to introduce them to engaging ways to learn about the Bible, Jesus, and prayer. Then the truth and love of Christ will become part of their spiritual DNA. It is not just about my teaching and preaching online; although I will do that too. It is about them grappling with the toughest questions related to psychology, philosophy, and theology. This is done in the setting of links to a wide range of possible historic answers as well as living experts and each other.

I have great faith that the truth will win in the end. That there is no question to be ignored. A person needs to learn to think for themselves. Groupthink inside and outside the church are toxic.

The single greatest need of this era in history is to improve critical thinking among the youth. That is best done by pondering matters that had puzzled others for centuries. Attending more boring lectures and reading yet another book will not deeply change a life.  

When I invest the time and energy it took to write this long document into paving the way for the MOOC this summer and beyond then WOW there will be serious headway. From that will come more support in terms of prayers and funds to visit Dr. Kathi.

Now that I feel sure I will not die of a heart attack in the next few days I can plunge into getting ready for online ministry.


REPENTANCE
Providentially today as began to write this it was Ash Wednesday. I have never given up anything for Lent. But this year it seems wise for me to avoid the news and commentaries. Those have been contributing to my messed up gut. I will unsubscribe from Youtube channels and not chase down various blogs that I had been following.

I have been feeling grief even at the consideration of giving up those inputs.

I choose to repent from an excessive input of news and commentary this Lent. Instead, I will put preparing for the online ministry this summer at my top priority. That will lead to greater peace of mind, more prayer support, and more donations.

Before the presidential election of 2016, I would avoid the news and especially anything about politics. Previously it had led to depression. I knew that foolishness was happening and I was powerless to make any difference with such matters.

But during the last months before the election, I started to pay some attention. It was addictive to keep up with the scandals and commentaries. Little by little I started to follow some Youtube channels that appealed to me. They pointed to blogs that would check out. There were clickbait names of videos about North Korea, Putin, congressional investigations, scandals, #metoo, conspiracy theories, and more. I told myself that I was becoming an informed citizen. But more than a year later it was taking up far too much of my time and energy. It was stirring up my emotions and harming my health.

The reality is that I will never get a call from the White House or Pentagon to ask for my advice. Congress will not call me as an expert witness. The United Nations does not have me on the security clearance list. I do not have the means or personality to go into the underworld to take out crime bosses like the superheroes of the movies.

So I am back to the simple slogan that has served me hundreds of times before. It is new to use in this arena but it will surely work again. Packed into those 5 words is an ocean of wisdom. Here are the 5 words I have used to get me out of mental and emotional jams too many times ever count --- Let Go and Let God.

Emotionally hanging on to the reports about the people in the news does me no good. So I choose to let go of those emotional strings. I cannot fix this messed up world. So I will Let God be God all by Himself. He will work out His solutions in His ways and in His timing.

All along I had grand plans for online ministry. But the tasks needed to accomplish those plans only got the leftover time and energy after I had spent hours keeping up with current events plus all the commentaries.

Before sending this out I unsubscribed to Youtube channels that had been leading to my anxieties. At first, I guessed there would be about 12. Yet there were more than 40. I am sure there are some I overlooked but will pop up later.

I kept dozens of other subscriptions to channels about motivation, science, history, biography, and education.

At a Bible study the day after Ash Wednesday I heard about a shooting in Florida. Normally I would track the initial news and follow up like in Los Vegas. But for the term of Lent, I will be deliberately ignoring such matters.

Avoiding news and commentary for 40 days is simple to say but might not be easy to do.

I recall a season when I got into a workaholic binge. I went from drinking many sodas to be alert to adding Red Bull and then Monster. And then I capped that caffeine excess off with NoDoz frequently. When I was up then I was way up. But when I needed to sleep it was a crash and burn.

The Holy Spirit convicted me that I was abusing my body. I had to agree. So He led me to quit cold turkey. My His grace that transition went smoothly. I still take some soda and NoDoz for a little boost as needed. But it is not a daily obsession.

Note that I rarely drink coffee. The average is about 2 to 3 cups a month.

Again my mother was right when she said I have an addictive personality. She told me that in the 1960s long before others said such things.

PRAYER
Pray for me to hold fast to my initial repentance to turn away from news and commentary for Lent.
Pray for God to guide and provide as I seek to prepare the MOOC for this summer.

Pray for me to soon share a simple summary of the initial MOOC and vision for future MOOCs.
Pray for God to connect me with more than enough prayer support for healing and ministry.

Thanks again for your prayers.

Your comments and questions are welcomed.

Here is an article about my need for ongoing balance that may apply to you too.

Shalom

John S. Oliver

Saturday, February 10, 2018

Table of my health symptoms for your targeted prayers



SUMMARY
Jesus is my Lord. And Jesus is my Healer. As my Healer Jesus has used medicine, therapies, surgeries, and answered prayers over the decades.  

I have told people that the symptoms for the last 10 weeks have varied. That is a vague sentence. The attached spreadsheet will provide an overview of what I mean.

I began to record how the symptoms varied weeks ago. It was for my benefit and to share with my doctor. Also I want to share it with you so that you can understand how odd this seems.

Each of these symptoms is relatively minor. I am not in major pain. But they have persisted and keep changing.

If my health symptoms keep getting more complicated and worse that could not be good.

It is not so bad as to call 9-1-1 or go to the Emergency Room.

I have an appointment at noon on Tuesday February 13 in 3 days at the office of a holistic health care provider. I am still seeking to raise the 400 dollars for that visit and to arrange for the 50 miles transportation.

I request your best prayers.

I was considering setting up a Go Fund Me crowdfunding campaign. But today I learned that it takes as much as 5 days after the fund are raised to get to the bank account. I might go down that path after the first visit to the doctor. Then I will know the plan for the next steps.

What I can offer is this Paypal link http://www.freewebs.com/jsohub/give.htm God has used that avenue during the years to connect me with supporters dozens of times.

It is likely that I might need to call a few people to ask them in person. Pray for God to guide and provide.


REVIEW
Since I was a child I was rarely sick. I would go 5 to 7 years between visits to the doctor.

Then when I lived in the homeless shelter for 3 years I was in a dorm with more than 100 men. I had some minor skin rashes and minor respiration challenges.

Normally I got the flu for a few days every 3 years.

When I moved to the small town of Ennis I was healthy until December 2017. That is when I started to have minor pains in my right chest. I thought it was a pulled muscle. But it came and went. Plus it moved around.

I had flu like symptoms like many others. But mine lasted longer. It came and went. The symptoms changed during December.

The chest pains caused me concerns because my father had heart bypass surgery in his 50s. He has had 2 stents and is currently taking heart medicine at 94 years old. So I must take any sign of heart trouble seriously.

I am 64 years old. I took early retirement at 62. Medicare starts when I turn 65 this April. I do not have any health insurance. I was not making enough income to qualify for Obamacare.

As you will see in the attached table there are various symptoms that involve different parts of my body. Some things are lingering and some new issues are arising.

I went to the local sliding scale clinic in early January. The doctor just said that there was a 99 percent chance my chest pains were not heart related. He was in a hurry to get to the next patient he had nothing to say about my other symptoms. That is when I sought the more holistic health care.

Dr. Kathi has a team in her office and they address the body from many directions.

I have been unable to sleep on my right side for many years. When I do my right arm falls asleep. Also as the table shows there are times that my right shoulder blade hurts when my right chest hurts. So hopefully chiropractic adjustments cause the chest pains to end.

Dr. Kathi’s team offers several detox protocols. Getting the bad stuff out of my body will allow the immune system to function much better. Hopefully the stomach aches, heartburn and frequent farts will end. Hopefully lose of appetite will end.

If she thinks it could be heart related then I want to go to a specialist that she recommends. That person will be more holistic than others.

Shalom

John

Tuesday, February 6, 2018

My Health is in LIMBO and I Intend to Launch an Online Ministry this Summer


SUMMARY
This is another wordy update. Truthfully I do not know how to make it briefer. 

There are essential matters covered here.

I offer these for those who are supporters. I request your best prayers.

I hope that God will answer prayers to open the door for me to visit Dr. Kathi Perry soon. Then Lord willing God will use her to relieve the various health symptoms that have troubled me for months.

I hope that God will answer prayers to pave the way for me to effectively launch an innovative interactive online ministry aimed at high school and college students plus their teachers this summer. 

Over the last 4 decades, I have made many attempts to launch a ministry. I hope that God will guide me to enroll more than enough prayer support to effectively launch this summer.

What follows are the related details. 

HEALTH
Nearly every day I feel minor pains on the right side of my chest. About one time a week I also feel pain in my right shoulder blade. So I expect that those pains are related. And I hope that chiropractic adjustments will relieve the pains.

Hope Clinic said that there is a 99 percent chance that chest pains are not heart-related. May they be right.

I have had various troubles with my gut for 9 weeks. 

I have had troubles with my breathing also since early December. 

I spend most of my time in my bedroom where I also have my home office. Here I have a vaporizer going that I refill as needed. And I have a diffuser that puts essential oils in the air. When those run out I get very stuffy. And when I wake each morning I must take Tylenol Severe Sinus just to get going.

I am waiting to hear from Dr. Kathi Perry in Arlington Texas. I mailed her the 19 page New Patient Information PDF from her website. Also, I included 28 pages of additional details about my health history and current conditions. 

I called and they said it was received. I was told that the next step is that she reads that and then calls me to discuss my health matters. Then an appointment is set. I am waiting for that call. 

When that appointment is set then I will need to do fundraising to cover the costs of those visits. And I will need to enroll transportation to get there. DART does not serve Arlington and the Community Transport Service here in Ennis does not go to Dallas. 

I have faith that God will guide and provide. Also, I request your best prayers for my healing as well as starting to visit Dr. Kathi Perry soon.


MINISTRY
During much of December and January, I was too weak and in too much pain to consider online ministry. Thankfully God has answered prayers and I feel much better. 

For the last few weeks, I have felt clear and repeated guided to begin an online ministry this summer. During the summer the high school and college students are out of class. It is that critical season of life with many people are in the formative stage related to their future spiritual life. 

During those few years, a person is leaving the world of living at home with parents and moving to maybe living on campus and then living on their own someday.  Typically what follows is a career, marriage, and parenting. During that transitional season between childhood and adulthood, the person is involved in various courses. It is normal for them to read, listen, think, write, and engage with fellow students. Their internal world is being formed. When career, marriage, and parenting arrives those bring a different set of challenges. And the worldview, core values, and concepts of God are put to the test.

Let us consider the terrible statistics that a large percent of those that were active members of youth groups in churches then quit being active Christians when they get to college. Many have said that one of the reasons is that they no longer have the support of family and peers. And another reason is that they never did fully understand and own the Christian faith as their own. They were drifting along on the coattails of their parents and youth leaders. So the assaults on their faith by professors and other students were too much. 

This generation of young people is online all the time. They are at the stage of asking tough questions. Most older church members do not have the time, energy, or ability to engage with them about the big questions of life.  

When I was in college I was a seeking agnostic. I attended Christian college ministries many times. I asked tough questions and got shallow answers. I drifted into a New Age cult. There I drifted into drug abuse. But for the grace of God, I did not overdose. I was taking more and more LSD.

God answered the prevailing prayers of my mother. The Lord Jesus Christ graciously delivered me from the cult and drug abuse. When I was in the church-based drug rehab I knew I had made a wreck of my life. During those 18 months in that loving community, I repeatedly made total surrenders to trust and obey my Good Shepherd. 

After my rebirth, January 16, 1977,  I attended Bible College where I was deeply disappointed. They were into detailed academic stuff that was only indirectly related to the Bible. They did not promote spiritual formation, accountability, or Christian community. They were seeking to forge more cogs for their religious church machines.

It is said that we are not only in a post-modern society but also a post-Christian and even a post-truth society. The trends in church attendance, biblical literacy, and lack of fervent prayer life are troubling for me. 

When I see small children my heart hurts. What kind of spiritual legacy are we leaving for them to inherit? If the tidal waves of secularism, materialism, atheism, consumerism, hedonism, and more isms are not presented with a Christian worldview that is Bible-based, Christ-centered, and God-glorifying … then what kind of a mess will our children and grandchildren endure? 

Soon after I was born again I felt the call of God into ministry. I responded positively and that began a complex adventure. I did my best to follow the conventional paths to ministry but they did not work for me. So my 40-year journey has had all kinds of turn.

During these 4 decades, I have had dozens of inspirations for educational ministries. I have captured and organized those key ideas on many online mind maps. I have made attempts to launch those ministries. None of them got off the drawing table. So I have also grappled with many seasons of depression.

On the one hand, I have more than enough material to lecture for 200 hours based on those mind maps. I could draw on my various experiences in a wide range of local churches. But on the other hand, I would not want to attend my own lectures. I am not now at the place where the typical lecture format appeals to me. 

But I could preach for 500 hours. While that could be enjoyable for me and inspirational for others, it would not address the deeper need to educate, equip, and connect the next generations. It is my higher aim for others to own their faith in Christ and go on to make disciples. I want them to become godly spouses, parents, and local church lay leaders.

I will not exclude others from what I have to offer. But I will tilt primarily to those who are most teachable and ready to learn how to think for themselves.

I admit that I have had a chronic problem with starting but not completing projects. I have been praying about this and requesting prayers. Now I believe that God has answered those prayers. 

Have you ever heard of a MOOC? That term stands for a Massive Ongoing Online Course. Instead of a typical course that follows a strictly linear path, the learner gets to interact with the many online modules. They can use the suggested roadmaps or not. They interact with the lessons as well as fellow learners, and the teacher. 

This is a far more complicated way of education. But I believe it is far more effective in the long term. I would rather ask lots of tough questions that have been around for centuries. Then I would offer tools for each person to find their own answer rather than just present my answers. They will have opportunities to interact with other learners along the way. As the iron will sharpen iron there would be real education instead of indoctrination.

I heard about a MOOC years ago. I have never participated in one yet. I have begun to learn about how to make them. I will share more about this in the next update. Plus I will include an overview of what I plan for this summer and beyond.

There is much learning and preparing for me to do before June. I will also need to enroll the advice as well as the help of many people in the coming months. 

PRAYER
Please pray for God to guide and provide along this exciting adventure. 

Please pray for me to keep it simple as I write.

It may be more effective in the future for me to offer shorter updates and to use short videos.

THANKS again for your prayers.

Shalom
Brother John