Post
91
SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT!!
IGCCB**
CLERGY/LAY MINISTER TRAINING TOWARD CERTIFICATION
in
Gambling Addiction Prevention, Education, Awareness, and Spiritual Outreach
Care
WILL
BE HELD MARCH 10-11, 17-18 BALTIMORE, MD AREA
REGISTRATION IS OPEN NOW! FREE TRAINING!!
(**
International Gambling Counselor Certification Board)
Call
the Maryland Center of Excellence in Problem Gambling for registration
details: Phone: (667) 214 -2128 or email: www.mdproblemgambling.com
Post
91
Bless
You!
We hear this often, don’t we? Someone sneezes, bless you! In parting, God bless you. You receive a compliment or gift, bless you! In speaking of the deceased, bless his soul. I close my letters and GRM Blog Posts, Blessings.
Actually, what do we mean?
Do the words bless
or blessing(s) carry a particular
connotation or are they used simply as a nicety, a pretty-sounding expression,
a polite response? Frequently, I wonder
what the personal response to a “bless you” message might be to an individual
who may not be especially faith-oriented or who is struggling with his/her
faith. When a clergyperson exclaims, God bless you!, could this sound
shallow? Then again, how often do we
really think about the meaning of this commonly used expression?
For the February 2017 GRM Blog edition, we’ll dig deeper into the words “blessing, bless,
and blessed” – and hopefully, gain additional insights into our claiming
blessings upon our fellow members of humankind!
Years ago, I came across wise words with regard to asking God how to bless a person. How does
one pray blessings upon someone? How can
we cover the individual with prayerful blessings? Actually, the word B-L-E-S-S serves as our
guide. I urge the clergy and lay
ministers who are working toward the IGCCB** Clergy/Lay Ministers Certification
in Gambling Addiction Prevention, Education, Awareness, and Spiritual Outreach
Care to use this guide as they discuss recovery issues with persons affected
directly and indirectly by gambling addiction.
May the following be of help to you as you proclaim blessings upon
others.
B BODY physical health,
renewal
L LABOR being
productive, being effective
E EMOTIONAL
LIFE healthy
and holy*
S SOCIAL
LIFE healthy
and holy*
S SPIRITUAL
LIFE healthy and holy*
(NOTE: * holy:
according to one’s tenets of faith)
Now,
let’s add additional dimension to the Blessings Guide.
From a recent sermon given by Rev. Lawrence Nielsen
(Senior Pastor, Integrity Gospel Church) I have been given permission to share
the following thoughts.
“ Where do God’s promises and blessings end and our
responses begin? Where does God’s will
meet our will in the divine-human encounter?
It has not always been easy to discern … Why take the time to talk about
God’s blessings when behind the scenes we plot our own course to get our own
way anyhow? … The story of God’s blessing and call to Abram reminds us that the
focus of God’s blessings is not on the one being blessed. Rather, God’s blessings focus on how to share
with others. Abram was blessed to be a
blessing, not for personal gain [Genesis 12:2] ... God blesses, and we then
bless others … Why does God give us gifts and talents? Why does God grant us peace and even
sometimes prosperity? The answer is not
found in keeping things to ourselves.
Rather, it is found in the movement from self to God … God blesses us so
that we can be a blessing to others – even those who may hurt or injure us …
Our mission, as God’s people, as Christ’s church, as fathers and mothers, is
not simply to take care of our own, but to take the promise of blessing and
hope beyond ourselves to all of God’s children today and in the generations to
come.”
In this same vein of receiving blessings, members of
Gamblers Anonymous and Gam-Anon share their blessings of recovery through Step
12 of the GA/Gam-Anon 12 Steps Recovery Programs. I have witnessed the incredible blessings
that flow from GA and Gam-Anon members as they follow this Step and help others
who are suffering.
Having
made an effort to practice these principles in all our affairs, we tried to
carry out this message to other compulsive gamblers/ others.
MAY
YOU BE BLESSED!
Rev. Janet Jacobs CCGSO
Founding
Director
Gambling
Recovery Ministries
