Healing Word Ministries- SAFE ZONE Journal

"Therefore, if the Son shall set you free, you shall be free indeed." John 8:36

The Depressed Teacup
There was a couple who used to go to England to shop in the beautiful stores. They both liked antiques and pottery and especially teacups. This was their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary. One day in this beautiful shop they saw a beautiful teacup. They said, "May we see that? We've never seen one quite so beautiful." As the lady handed it to them, suddenly the teacup spoke.
"You don't understand," it said. "I haven't always been a teacup. There was a time when I was red and I was clay. My master took me and rolled me and patted me over and over and I yelled out, 'let me alone, but he only smiled, 'Not yet.' "Then I was placed on a spinning wheel," the teacup said, "and suddenly I was spun around and around and around. Stop it! I'm getting dizzy! I screamed. But the master only nodded and said, 'Not yet.'
Then he put me in the oven. I never felt such heat. I wondered why he wanted to burn me, and I yelled and knocked at the door. I could see him through the opening and I could read his lips as He shook his head, 'Not yet.'
Finally the door opened, he put me on the shelf, and I began to cool. 'There, that's better,' I said. And he brushed and painted me all over.
The fumes were horrible. I thought I would gag. 'Stop it, stop it!' I cried. He only nodded, 'Not yet.'
Then suddenly he put me back into the oven, not like the first one. This was twice as hot and I knew I would suffocate. I begged. I pleaded. I screamed. I cried. All the time I could see him through the opening nodding his head saying, 'Not yet.'
Then I knew there wasn't any hope. I would never make it. I was ready to give up. But the door opened and he took me out and placed me on the shelf. One hour later he handed me a mirror and said, 'Look at yourself. And I did. I said, 'That's not me; that couldn't be me. It's beautiful. I'm beautiful.'
'I want you to remember, then,' he said, 'I know it hurts to be rolled and patted, but if I had left you alone, you'd have dried up. I know it made you dizzy to spin around on the wheel, but if I had stopped, you would have crumbled. I knew it hurt and was hot and disagreeable in the oven, but if I hadn't put you there, you would have cracked. '
'I know the fumes were bad when I brushed and painted you all over, but if I hadn't done that, you never would have hardened; you would not have had any color in your life. And if I hadn't put you back in that second oven, you wouldn't survive for very long because the hardness would not have held.
Now you are a finished product. You are what I had in mind when I first began with you. ' “
THE MORAL OF THE STORY;
God knows what He's doing (for all of us). He is the Potter, and we are His clay. He will mold us and make us, so that we may be made into a flawless piece of work to fulfill His good, pleasing, and perfect will.
That's something to remember when we wake up with that “blah” and “blue” feeling. Sometimes we react to the pressures and circumstances of life in a less than healthy way. Sometimes those constant stresses cause us to feel the weight of depression.
Rather than falling into the pit of despair, how can we stay on our Bridge of Faith?
One way is to remember the story of the teacup. We are all, like the teacup, being molded and remade into the image of the One who died for us.
True, it's not always a fun process! But, as we learn to respond in a spiritually correct way to the stresses of life, those circumstances serve as powerful forces of change! God is making us who He wants us to be! And, believe Him, He knows our limits. We think we do, but the One who created us knows us better than we know ourselves!
No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not tempt you beyond what you can bear... 1 Corinthians 10:13

I like carpentry work as a hobby. As I start a new project my intentions are to make everything fit nicely- near perfectly-you know, like Norm Abrams does on his TV show.
I wanted my personal relationship with the Lord to be like that too, everything to fit perfectly and to work as the Lord intended. I looked around Norm's workshop and saw that he had lots of tools that I didn't have,. and all his tools were new and the blades sharp.
I looked at my shop and saw a bunch of old abused tools with dull blades and I didn't even know how to use my beat up tools to their best advantage. No wonder my projects didn't turn out like Norm's. My ability to use the Lords tools was in about the same state of abuse.
And along came Rob Hildenbrand, the spiritual tool-man. For you who don't know, he conducts the SAFE program. I learned that while I was not addicted to drugs or alcohol, I indeed was addicted to things much more subtle. I was addicted to thought patterns, attitudes, and responses to life's situations which really didn't work all the time. After 17 weeks in SAFE I now have a beautiful set of sharp, finely adjusted spiritual tools which I have learned how to use to shape my life.
Now let me wrap this all up by telling you about the project the Lord gave me to test my new tools on.
Following a routine physical exam a couple of months ago I got a call from the doctor saying the specimens showed that I did have cancer of the prostate. He went on to outline the possible treatments and the risks involved including even death on the operating table.
Now if this had happened a year ago I would have been sick with anxiety, depression, anger, you name it. But thanks to practical spiritual tools I received in SAFE, and thanks to the new understandings learned in Sunday school and Men's Bible Talk I was not overcome by any of those emotions. I felt a great peace come over me for God was in charge and this was but an opportunity to learn......
God selected this for me, and God's will would prevail---and what better could there be than to be in God's will even if it were going home to the Lord during the operation.
My wait for surgery could have been agonizing long but the men of Bible Talk prayed consistently for me (Alan's SS had been concluded by then). And my Life group prayed for me; and my SAFE group prayed for me. I had more oil on my forehead than a McDonnell's hamburger has fat. There was no time during the wait that I felt alone, thanks to you all. and the Lord.

Then came the day of surgery. One of my last memories before being wheeled down the hall to the operating room was Jeff with his Bible in hand, standing in a circle with the doctors and nurses attending me, praying for me and for them. A final kiss from Melissa and Princess was all I remember until the recovery room nurse woke me up. And my recovery was virtually painless, and without incident.
But God, in his wisdom, did leave room for continued prayer. There was a positive margin one of the surgery specimens --- that means the possibility that there is still some cancer remaining. Concerned, Yes; worried, No. God is still in control. Thanks, Allan, Mike, Rob, Mel. Thanks to my Life Group and SAFE group. Thanks to a wonderful and faithful wife. And thanks to a Mighty God in whom rests all power and strength. Thanks for the assurance that when I close my eyes in that final rest my sky will be all bright light.
Have I finally attained to what God has planned for me? I think not---it's just a good beginning.
Gary Miller

From The Executive Director
There are great things happening in the ministry of S.A.F.E. and Healing Word Ministries! And your support, financially, prayerfully, and in many other ways is making it all possible!
I've come to learn that, with God's help, we can accomplish anything! All we have to do is take the next step. We don't have to do it all at once; We just have to take the next step. That's how we always get to our next destination; just one step at a time. The Bible tells us in Proverbs 37:23 that “The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord.” He guides our steps, and he only holds us responsible for the next step... not step three or four, but just the next step of faith!
Well, here are some “next steps” that your continued support makes possible.
One of our original goals was to create and maintain a ministry that would be truly “inter-denominational”. Our dream was to have a ministry that reached across denominational lines, and put forth a message that transcends all denominational creeds. After all, to receive the healing power of God, you can be Nazarene, Catholic, Pentecostal, Baptist, Methodist, or, like me, a “Nazabaptimethamatic”! (Figure that one out, if you want a challenge!)
A huge step forward in that direction was to find a meeting place that is independent of any particular church or denomination. Unfortunately, in the real world, if a ministry meets in the facilities of a particular church, the ministry becomes identified with that church, and the doctrinal stance of the church, whatever that may be. This can cause a reluctance on the part of other church leaders to support the ministry, or refer people to it.
This month, we will begin meeting, not in 2 area churches, but in the Coos Bay Young Life Building. This will not only merge the 2 separate S.A.F.E. groups into one body, but will also give us a “neutral” meeting place where no one can feel “doctrinally threatened.” It will also give us a place where people can feel comfortable who may not feel comfortable in a church setting. The Young Life Building is located at 515 Market Street, Coos Bay, in the downtown area.
A further benefit of this is that the leadership of Young Life will be learning to teach the S.A.F.E. principles to the young people in Young Life. When our teenagers learn how NOT to go through the lessons some of us have had to learn, they will reap the benefit of a better life. The teamwork between Coos Bay Young Life and Healing Word Ministries will impact our community in a great and beneficial; way.
Another step of faith we are taking this month is the launching of Successful Living, the radio ministry of Stable and Free Emotionally. Broadcast weekly on Sunday afternoons at 1:30 PM, this 30 minute program will feature music ministry, teaching ministry, interviews, radio drama, and any other exciting, upbeat means we can think of to spread the message that God gives us the power and ability to be free from any bondage. This program will have it's premiere broadcast on Sunday, October 25th, 1998.
We want to send out our thanks to all of you who make these steps of faith possible. Your prayer support, presence support, and financial support are helping to expand this ministry in an area which is seeking federal funds as a “High Drug activity” area. We choose not to receive federal funds, but rely completely on God's people to do God's work! Your support has been, is, and will continue to be appreciated.
Work on the release of Hand Your Paintbrush To Jesus is continuing. SST members, watch your mailboxes! It's just a small token of our appreciation. We hope the music will bless you as much as you have blessed us. And please remember, although we are a Religious Non-Profit Organization under the laws of the state of Oregon, donations to Healing Word Ministries are not yet deductible under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Service. But the eternal rewards are beyond belief!

As  children bring  their broken  toys 
with  tears for  us to  mend,   
I Brought  my broken  life to  God, 
because  he is  my friend.
  But then instead of  leaving him
 in  peace to work  alone,
I stayed  around and tried  to   help  
in  ways  that  were  my  own.   
At   last,  I  grew discouraged...
"God, how can you be so slow?"
"My child", he said, "What could I do? 
You never did  let go!"


1. Plan ahead. It wasn't raining when Noah built the ark.
2. Stay fit. When you're 600 years old, someone might  ask you to do something REALLY big.
3. Don't listen to critics -- do what has to be done.
4. Build on high ground.
5. For safety's sake, travel in pairs.
6. Two heads are better than one.
7. Speed isn't always an advantage. The cheetahs were  on board, but so were the snails.
8. If you can't fight or flee -- float!
9. Take care of your animals as if they were the last  ones on earth.
10. Don't forget that we're all in the same boat.
11. When the doo-doo gets really deep, don't sit there  and  complain ...shovel!!!
12. Stay below deck during the storm.
13. Remember that the ark was built by amateurs and  the Titanic was built by professionals.
14. If you have to start over, have a friend by your side.
15. Remember that the woodpeckers INSIDE are often a bigger  threat than the storm outside.
16. Don't miss the boat.
17. No matter how bleak it looks, there's always a rainbow  on the other side.
18. "Stop what'cha doing, and do what God says!"

Healing Word Ministries is a non-profit, faith ministry. This means that we depend upon the faithful support of our loyal friends in order to continue this ministry. As you give to the Lord through this ministry, you allow us to reach out to people in need who simply have no way of supporting this ministry. As you "partner" with us in this ministry, our prayer for you is that the words of Jesus will be true in your life. "He that receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward..." (Matthew 10:41) As you plant your seed, the Lord will supply it and multiply it so that more and more lives will be touched with God’s message of complete, total and permanent freedom.