Keys to THRIVE – Expectancy

By Stephen Luther | Blog , Keys to THRIVE , Wellness

God has given us everything we need to live a godly life (I Peter 1:3) and offers us abundant life (John 10:10).  It is our desire to equip you with the keys to unlock this potential and THRIVE in life.

To THRIVE in life we need to have:  Togetherness, Holiness, Relevance, Integration, Vision, Expectancy

 Expectant –

“The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.”  I Thessalonians 5:24

“If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.”  II Timothy 2:13

He has called you, He is faithful, He will do it!  Let that sink in for a moment.  God can’t be unfaithful because he can’t deny Himself.  This means we can expect God to show up and make things happen.  So has God called you to THRIVE in your life?  If you’re not sure, go back and read this series again.  Is He bigger than any of the thing that have been limiting you in your life? 

One of the biggest limitations we have in our culture when it comes to our faith in God is that we don’t expect Him to show up, we don’t expect Him to answer our prayers, and while we know intellectually that He loves us we don’t act as through He really loves us as sons and daughters!  As a foster and adoptive parent I would do anything for my kids but many times they don’t believe it because they have been so damaged and seen the opposite for so long.  We are just like that with God, we have been hurt by this world and lied to by our culture.  Think about it, when you pray do you sit back and expect God to do something or do you move on with life having fulfilled your obligation to pray but not really expecting anything to happen.  If you are one of those people who were brought up expecting God to show up and answer prayers, where is that expectancy end?  Can that be expanded?  Do you need to expect God to show up in even bigger ways?

“But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.”  James 1:6

If we pray without expecting anything then we get just that.  So if you are ready begin the journey towards believing that God has called you and that he will show up and make that calling happen in your life we are here for you.  If you are ready to THRIVE in life, we would consider it an honor and a privilege to come along side of you and help you get there!

So here is how we do things at Grace Wellness Center.  God has called us to invest in people in a real, genuine and relational way.  We consider it an honor and a privilege to be invited into people’s journey.  The more you are ready to invest in yourself the more we can invest in you as well.  So if you are ready to begin your journey towards THRIVING then we want to come along side of you and share in that burden.  However, if you are not ready for that then this isn’t for you, but we will be here when you are ready!

Keys to THRIVE – Vision

By Stephen Luther | Blog , Keys to THRIVE , Wellness

God has given us everything we need to live a godly life (I Peter 1:3) and offers us abundant life (John 10:10).  It is our desire to equip you with the keys to unlock this potential and THRIVE in life.

To THRIVE in life we need to have:  Togetherness, Holiness, Relevance, Integration, Vision, Expectancy

 Vision –

“The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty.”  Proverbs 21:5

“The mind of man plans his way, But the Lord directs his steps.”  Proverbs 16:9

We are called to have visions, plans and desires.  Despite what you may have been taught, we are active players in this world and in our own lives.  However, this never minimizes or negates the sovereignty of God.  We are to plan and be visionaries but only in full dependence on God and in submission to his sovereignty!

Do you allow yourself to meditate on what it would like if you could THRIVE!  This is difficult because when we sit down to envision this, all kinds of limitations pop up and get in the way.  What if there were no limitations?  What if God removed those limitations and redeemed you from all of it at the cross!  Well, He did!

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us,” Hebrews 12:1

Ok, now is where someone says “yeah but we still have limitations, I couldn’t play in the NFL just because I believe I can!”  And you would be correct, but God DID remove all the limitations to you THRIVING in YOUR life in what YOU are called to do and be.  You are not limited in fulfilling your calling and having the abundant life God came to give you (John 10:10.)  And when you get there you wouldn’t want to be playing in the NFL; in fact you wouldn’t want to be doing anything other than what you are doing.

Keys to THRIVE- Integration

By Stephen Luther | Blog , Keys to THRIVE , Wellness

God has given us everything we need to live a godly life (I Peter 1:3) and offers us abundant life (John 10:10).  It is our desire to equip you with the keys to unlock this potential and THRIVE in life.

To THRIVE in life we need to have:  Togetherness, Holiness, Relevance, Integration, Vision, Expectancy

Integration –

“For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”  Hebrews 4:12

 “Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”  I Thessalonians 5:23

God has created us Body, Soul and Spirit!  We are physical, emotional and spiritual.  We are also made to be relational in all aspects of our being.  These areas of life all work together and affect each other.  Therefore, all approaches to healing and wellness must be integrated to be effective!  We must be willing to look at all areas of our life and not just one area that we see as important. 

Let’s look at the common example of someone trying to lose weight repeatedly unsuccessfully.  They are trying to be healthy in their body but are often blocked because of emotional and spiritual problems.  The harsh reality is that only 2% of people who try to lose weight actually keep it off.  This is because of a lack of integration in the approach to health.  Now broaden this view to all areas of change.  If we take on any process of change but are not using an integrated approach you likely will suffer from frustration and eventually give up.  You’ve experienced this before?  It can be different this time. 

Keys to THRIVE – Relevance

By Stephen Luther | Blog , Keys to THRIVE , Wellness

God has given us everything we need to live a godly life (I Peter 1:3) and offers us abundant life (John 10:10).  It is our desire to equip you with the keys to unlock this potential and THRIVE in life.

To THRIVE in life we need to have:  Togetherness, Holiness, Relevance, Integration, Vision, Expectancy

Relevance –

“If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.  If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.”  I Corinthians 13:1-3

 “Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible.”  I Corinthians 9:19

Ok so this is super important.  We need to be relevant and to be relevant we need to love!  Love, not just as I understand it but love so that others receive it.  If I love in a way that it is not received, it is irrelevant.  To truly love and receive love we need to have people in our lives who are willing to get to know us and understand how we are wired.  Do you have people like that?  It is our desire, through these “Keys to Thrive,” to meet you where you are and communicate God’s love in a manner that is relevant to your life and your circumstances.  . 

The limitation here for people is perspective.  Through life’s experiences our perspective becomes limited so when we see something that we don’t understand we can’t adapt to it.  When we can’t allow ourselves to see things from the other person’s perspective this becomes very toxic not only for us but to others in our lives.

My friend, we are all damaged.  We all hurt and we all are limited by our perspective.  We suffer loneliness, disconnection, and a lack of satisfying relationship when we don’t truly here others and know how to be truly heard ourselves.  Do you feel like sometimes people don’t understand you and that you are often not on the same wavelength with people?  This could be a problem of not knowing how to be relevant and how to give and receive love in a transformational way.  

Keys To Thrive – Holiness

By Stephen Luther | Blog , Keys to THRIVE , Wellness

God has given us everything we need to live a godly life (I Peter 1:3) and offers us abundant life (John 10:10).  It is our desire to equip you with the keys to unlock this potential and THRIVE in life.

To THRIVE in life we need to have:  Togetherness, Holiness, Relevance, Integration, Vision, Expectancy

Holiness

“Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord”  Hebrews 12:14

“but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy.’”  I Peter 1:15-16

God has called us to be holy and without holiness we cannot connect with God or live a godly life.  In a world that is addicted to self and to comfort, we are taught to pursue happiness.  This influence from the world gives us another limitation.  It limits our view of our circumstances and makes us very ego centric.  As we remove this limitation and stand in awe of God’s holiness, our perspective on ourselves, our circumstances and the world we live in completely change.  We become open to a whole new understanding that helps us THRIVE no matter what our circumstances are.  We begin to recognize that we can have something so much better than happiness.  Holiness leads to joy which is not dependent on our circumstances and no manner of suffering can remove joy that comes from God.

Are you ready to shed the limitations that come from the pursuit of happiness and put on the rewards of pursuing holiness?  Where ever you are, God wants to meet you there, embrace you and impart to you His joy.  The more we become consumed by this joy the more we see how lacking the pursuit of happiness was.  This is what Solomon was referring to when he said in Ecclesiastes 1:14, “I have seen everything that is done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity and a striving after wind.”  Like trying to catch the wind, all attempts to capture what the world offers only leads to momentary happiness that is gone in an instant.  Even if we could catch it and keep it, it isn’t worth having anyways, it is only vanity.

Keys to THRIVE – Togetherness

By Stephen Luther | Blog , Keys to THRIVE , Marriage , Wellness

God has given us everything we need to live a godly life (I Peter 1:3) and offers us abundant life (John 10:10).  It is our desire to equip you with the keys to unlock this potential and THRIVE in life.

To THRIVE in life we need to have:  Togetherness, Holiness, Relevance, Integration, Vision, Expectancy

Togetherness

 “that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.”  I John 1:3

God has called us to be in relationship with Him and with others.  The quality of these relationships affects all areas of our lives.  In order to live the life we were called to, if we are to thrive in life, we must connect in healthy ways with God and with others.  What is the quality of your relationships?  If there is some lack there, you can bet it is affecting all other areas of life.  In Godly connectedness, we become available to the will and call of God as well as to others we are in relationship with.   A commitment to Godly togetherness means we need to be willing to be vulnerable or emotionally naked with God and in healthy relationships with others.  

Wow, that sounds scary!  Well it certainly is, but remember that we serve a big and compassionate God who wants what is best for us.  He wants to meet you where you are and help you each step of the way.  Fear is probably the biggest limitation in life.  Removing limitations is one of our core concepts in our THRIVE philosophy.  As you remove the limitation of fear one step at a time, you will be moving closer and closer to your call to THRIVE in life.  When looking at the whole process of overcoming fear and connecting in a vulnerable way it is overwhelming.  But taken one step at a time with a patient God, skilled helper, and quality connections it is very doable.  With God you CAN do it! 

My Splankna Experience

By Stephen Luther | Blog , Counseling , Splankna Healing Ministry , Wellness

What on earth is “Splankna?”  I’m glad you asked.  Let me first tell you my experience and then I will let you know how to find out more about it.
After several years of being involved in Christian ministry I found Splankna healing ministry and it changed my life.  As a Christian counselor, I worked with many people through Biblical counseling and saw a lot of progress but it was limited.  Many people didn’t get well and others got well but never really thrived.

    “and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”  John 8:32 NASB

If the truth is suppose to set us free, why were so many not being set free?  Why was I not being set free?  I found out that it is because lies and agreements made during hurtful experiences were still running in my subconscious and the truth could not take root.  I also learned spiritual warfare, which was mostly ignored during my Christian upbringing, had much more of an impact than I knew.

When I first began training in Splankna healing ministry I saw my connection with God open up as each barrier was removed.  The next thing I noticed was that I began to be more of myself and got back to who God had created me to be.  One of those areas was in physical health.  Over the past 15 years or so I had developed unhealthy eating and lifestyle habits that lead to me putting on 60 pounds and becoming very unhealthy.  This is not who I was, I knew that, but couldn’t get back to the healthy, active and athletic person I use to be.  After having Splankna therapy I began to notice I no longer was drawn to my unhealthy habits and that they were no longer connected to the same emotional needs.  I began to change my lifestyle and over the next couple years I lost 60 pounds and started running marathons.  Now don’t worry, if that isn’t who you are, Splankna won’t make you run marathons!  But, it will allow you to be more you, whoever that is.  Wouldn’t that be awesome?

Well, not only can you experience that for yourself, you can help other people experience it as well by coming to our upcoming training here in Pittsburgh.  Splankna is a mind-body healing ministry that allows you to get directly to the root of persistent problems in your life and heal the brokenness behind those problems.  This is done by utilizing the created mechanism behind mind-body healing and utilizing Christian healing ministry, prayer, forgiveness and techniques to address spiritual warfare.  It is by far the most effective and powerful tool I have ever used in ministry and counseling.

Splankna training is for Christian counselors, pastors and others wanting to help people.  You do not have to be a licensed counselor or ordained minister to take the training and begin helping people heal.  Please contact me directly with any questions or to come to the office and see a live demonstration.  If interested please email me at sluther@thegracewellnesscenter.com.

Life is a Journey, do more than survive; choose to THRIVE!

By Stephen Luther
Executive Director of Grace Wellness Center
Licensed Professional Counselor, Therapeutic Parent Coach and Splankna Trainer

Why Can’t I Get Well?

By Stephen Luther | Blog , Counseling , Splankna Healing Ministry , Walking Wounded , Wellness

We have all had this experience; we know what is wrong, we want to get well, we may even seek help, but nothing works.  It’s frustrating and if you’re like a lot of people, you have just accepted that some things won’t change.  You’ve accepted something less than the abundant life Christ came to give you.  Or maybe you have accepted some watered down version of abundant life and become convinced there is nothing more.

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.”  John 10:10 NASB

But if Christ came so that we can have abundant life, it must be possible.  I challenge you to start believing that.  Or at least to start wanting to believe it.  Are you willing to do that?  Let’s look deeper into this issue and explore what is going on and why so many of us can’t find freedom.

Most of our issues are deeply rooted and buried in our subconscious.  They emerge when they are triggered but then they get submerged until they are “needed” again.  These issues are the result of a past wound or maybe many past experiences that hurt you.  These experiences come with a lot of negative emotion that get attached to that issue and, unless resolved, weigh it down and keep it buried in your subconscious.  You may be aware that it is there, but in your conscious mind you cannot resolve it or deal with all of its impact.  Think of something being submerged in the deep end of a pool weighed down by a lot of heavy weights.  You may dive down and try to bring it to the surface but the weights become too much and you lose your grip and it sinks to the bottom again.  This is what it is like when we try to resolve deeply rooted issues.  We try to bring it to the surface and deal with it but we can’t.  Each time we try, we begin to lose faith that it can be resolved.  It’s hard to believe something can be resolved when all your experiences tell you otherwise.  It’s hard to believe you can truly be free and have abundant life.  That’s why I challenged you, that if you can’t believe it, you can want to believe it.  That’s where it starts.  Choose to want to believe you can get well, offer that to God and ask him to fill in the gaps in your faith.

Immediately the boy’s father cried out and said, “I do believe; help my unbelief.”  Mark 9:24

Let go back to our analogy for a second.  What if you could dive down and one at a time cut the weights off of this thing that is submerged in the deep end of the pool.  With each weight that is removed it would begin to rise and eventually be floating on the surface of the water.   Could you remove it now?  absolutely!  So what if we could do that with those deeply rooted issues in our lives?  Well, you can.  This is exactly what we do in Splankna healing ministry.

At Grace Wellness Center we provide both Splankna treatment and in partnership with the Splankna Institute are now offering level 1 Splankna training to pastors, counselors and anyone else who has a passion for ministry and helping others in the Pittsburgh area.  You do not have to be a pastor or professional counselor to use this tool.  In my personal counseling practice and ministry, Splankna has become my most valuable tool and I believe once you experience it you will understand why.  Training is coming to Pittsburgh in July 2016 so don’t miss out!

Please contact me directly with any questions or to come to the office and see a live demonstration.  If interested please email me at sluther@thegracewellnesscenter.com

Life is a Journey, do more than survive; choose to THRIVE!

By Stephen Luther

Executive Director of Grace Wellness Center

Licensed Professional Counselor, Therapeutic Parent Coach and Splankna Trainer

THRIVE! – Even When Life Strikes a Blow!

By Stephen Luther | Blog , Coaching , Counseling , Wellness

We are children of the most high God and we were called to THRIVE!  This calling is undeniable when one reads the scripture.  We are to have abundant life, be overcomers, be free, walk in love and bear much fruit.  This gospel of just enduring until we can reap our benefits in heaven is toxic and it’s time we as Christians but it to death once and for all.  Don’t get me wrong, we have rewards in heaven but we are to Thrive here on earth as well.  Thriving in this life is not about being rich and successful by the world’s standards although some will.  Thriving means that we walk in the power God provides and we have abundant life regardless of our circumstances; even when the world strikes a blow.  Jesus was being questioned after his arrest when the following scene took place.
22 When Jesus said this, one of the officials nearby slapped him in the face. “Is this the way you answer the high priest?” he demanded.
23 “If I said something wrong,” Jesus replied, “testify as to what is wrong. But if I spoke the truth, why did you strike me?”    John 18:22, 23
When I read these verses today I pictured a little insignificant ant striking a mighty worrier. The official acted as though he had authority, superiority and power but does he?  Look at Jesus’ response.  He is unmoved by this attack; it had no power over him.  Why?  Because he had the truth; He already had the victory.  You see, Christ’s victory was already accomplished in Genesis 3:15 where it says “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.”  The outcome has never been in question.  However, we often live as though it is.
What if we lived as though we already had the victory?  What if we stopped living on the defensive and started living victoriously?  What if when the world strikes a blow, we saw it as Christ did, as insignificant compared to the love and power of our heavenly father?  What if we recognized that we live with the same power Christ lived with, the Holy Spirit within us?

We would live victorious lives!  We would thrive no matter what our circumstances were.  Are you ready to do that?

Life is a Journey, do more than survive; choose to THRIVE!

Vision, Decision, Provision

By Stephen Luther | Blog , Coaching , Counseling , Thrive , Wellness

I was once asked if, as Christians, we should be plan makers or order followers.  How are we suppose to Thrive as Christians?  Do we create visions, make plans, or wait for orders?  As I thought about this and what scripture says, it was clear that we are to be both plan makers and order followers.  We need to find our calling, create visions and be obedient even when we feel ill equipped.

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.  Matthew 16:24

Without counsel plans fail, but with many advisers they succeed.  Proverbs 15:22

God desires our partnership in carrying out his work.  He wants us to rely on Him and do extraordinary things in his name.

Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father.  John 14:12

Ok so how does this work?  How do I THRIVE as a believer?

When people hear that my wife and I have 13 kids, many of whom have been severely abused and neglected before they came to us, we get very interesting reaction.  Most are very affirming and encouraging but usually somewhere in the discussion they say that it is great that God has equipped us for that calling but they know they haven’t been equipped for something like that.  Ok so let’s first look at the calling.  God calls us to be more than conquerors, to overcome and to have abundant life.  He calls believers to do the works that He did and in fact to do “greater works.”   How about this?  In James 1:27 God calls us to take care of widows and orphans.  So all believers are called to do God sized things; extraordinary things.  Every believer has been called to THRIVE!  

Ok so now let’s look at this idea of equipping.  Every time I have taken in another abused child I have felt ill equipped; because I am.  We recently had two children placed with us temporarily and the option to make it permanent came up.  Initially I said “absolutely not, we can’t handle any more kids.”  Well one day I was sitting next to one of the kids and felt an undeniable call from God that this was my child.  That was it.  I wasn’t equipped but God called me.  I can either be obedient and trust Him to do it through me or I can be disobedient because I don’t feel equipped.

So I believe the process of Thriving, of taking on God sized challenges, looks like this.  First we have the vision.  We look at how God has designed us and what passions He has placed in our hearts and we allow ourselves to dream BIG.  We wake up every day and, like Isaiah, say “here I am God, send me.”  Then we EXPECT him to do big things because he is a big God.  After seeking God’s direction with these visions, we then make a decision.  We decide whether we are going to be obedient and trust God or not.  If we decide to wait until we are equipped, we are deciding to not trust God.  Then once we trust Him, He gives us the provisions to carry out the vision.  If we wait to be equipped we miss it.  Dream big, decide to follow God and then watch Him equip you and do it through you.

Vision – Decision – Provision

God is calling you to THRIVE!  We are here to come along side you, meet you right where you are and help you get there.

Life is a Journey, do more than survive; choose to THRIVE!