VICTORY IN JESUS
As Standing Stone shepherds, it’s our great joy to walk alongside ministry leaders whose family heritage includes faithful service in God’s Kingdom. Our shepherds also care for pastors, missionaries, and parachurch workers who have experienced trauma.
In the Western world, the word trauma can be misused, but some things genuinely are traumatic: childhood abuse, surviving a natural disaster, witnessing violent acts, betrayal by a close friend or family member.
What does a follower of Christ do with trauma? How does a ministry leader process traumatic events? And how can we, as shepherds who care for God’s Kingdom leaders, best help?
At the Standing Stone Great Lakes Area Gathering in Kentucky last week, we focused on questions like these in training sessions on trauma-informed care. Led by a Christian psychologist and ministry leader from Cincinnati, we dove into how traumatic events shape the brain, how trauma changes the mind and emotions, and what we can do to care well for those that have suffered. It was a rich and stretching time.
Some of our Standing Stone shepherds serve as licensed counselors or psychologists. All of our staff has a minimum of seven years of ministry work, much of which centered around soul care through grief, heartache, and trials. The vast majority of SSM shepherds have decades of experience, but we all have room to grow. Indeed, we want and need to continue growing to better serve the ministry leaders who need our help.
We want every pastor, missionary or parachurch leader we serve to experience victory and freedom in Jesus. Learning to care well for those who have endured traumatic events is part of that. We’re grateful for the team (pictured above) who dedicated their time and attention to learning how to do this. And we’re also grateful for every donor who makes our ministry possible.
Weekly Encouragement
God’s tells us…
As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.
Proverbs 27:17
That’s why our team gathers in area, regional, or national gatherings each year. When we’re with one another, training and worshipping and praying together, we experience the truth of God’s Word. We sharpen one another.
I wonder who sharpens you? Who are you sharpening?
We all sharpen others. We are all sharpened by those around us. It either happens well and deliberately or haphazardly and destructively. In the hands of the skilled, a sharp iron tool becomes an instrument of victory. Iron sharpened without careful attention or the right process can quickly become dulled and useless.
Perhaps today is a good day for you to consider how attentive you are to the ways you are being sharpened, not just by the people we see, but also by the people who listen to on our digital devices and television screens. Maybe we could give some thought to how we are contributing to the sharpness of the people we interact with, in person and on our social media feeds.
Like the word trauma, the word sharpening may be misused. Those who “beat people over the head” with their words–even if those words are true–do more harm than sharpening. Being a humble learner, a compassionate listener, a wise follower of Christ, and a willing help in time of need…these things sharpen others in the way the Bible describes. And you certainly don’t have to be a Standing Stone Shepherd to do that.
