Blog Post

Are You Freaking Kidding Me??

  • By Kim Milberg
  • •
  • 31 Jul, 2018
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Soul Restoration, Part 2

Spend 15 minutes on Facebook and chances are you’ve read something that will really tick you off. Spend a few days with a person and chances are good that they will say something that will hurt you. Deal with veteran organizations and you may be betrayed, no less by someone who is supposed to be a ‘friend’. Its natural to be tempted to get revenge. It’s just as natural to say forget it and just walk away from the situation. But let anyone say anything good about that person, group, or organization and suddenly you are feeling the anger all over again as you tell them what they did to you. Most people who have been hurt, etc. will hold a grudge. Holding a grudge actually feels good, in a weird sort of way. It feels like you’re hurting the one(s) who hurt you. That is, until that one day that you realize that you don’t have a grudge, instead, the grudge has you.

We have all been there, and all been insulted, rejected, forgotten about, pushed aside, ignored completely, hurt, or just plain gotten pissed off. These all fall under the heading of ‘offenses’. An offense is the result of, not only a direct insult, but an indirect one(something happens to a friend or family member and you are angry, both with, and for them. Example: someone is offensive to one of my kids and they’re going to have to deal with me, too). An offense can also be the result of a ‘perceived’ insult, too. Meaning you can hold a grudge against someone because of what you ‘think’ they did to you. Even if they didn’t actually do anything.

The word offense has several meanings. In the New Testament, Jesus is called a ‘rock of offense’.
Most all of the times offense is used in the New Testament it means ‘a stumbling block’.
In the Old Testament the word used is ‘skandalon’, a Greek root, and this is where we get our word ‘scandal’. The Greek has a word picture of a trap that has a piece of bait, a stick, a string, and a box. The ‘skandalon’ is the stick which, when the bait is taken, the stick is pulled and the box falls, capturing the one who went for the bait.

Offense comes in all sizes. It can be as small as an off-handed comment, or as large as having someone you care about killed. Years ago, when we attended a certain church, we took in a teenage girl whose parents also attended. The girl told us she was getting beaten by her parents. We took her in, first for the week, then she just seemed to stay. Instead of finishing school, she decided that she was going to homeschool along with us and graduate as a homeschooler. Then she starting lying to me about where she was on the weekends after I had made rules about checking in. Then she starting bad-mouthing me to my other teen-aged children. Last she attempted to play my husband against me. Believe me, I was majorly offended and I saw that I had a good reason to be. This girl’s parents saw me at church, but they were too offended to come talk to me. And I was offended that they would treat her abusively, so I didn’t speak to them.

As my trust for her disintegrated, I began to be suspicious of everyone, even my own friends, concerned that they, too, were bad-mouthing me behind my back. That’s a symptom of being offended: You tend to see many things through veil of that offense, tainting your view of people and situations. Remember that trap I mentioned? At first that box seems like you’re surrounded by a nice protective wall - offended people put a wall around themselves, protecting themselves from more hurt. But before long they realize that that box that fell over them is not protection, but deception and a prison that they can’t get out of.

What’s fascinating is to find out that that response is very normal because of what is going on in your brain. As you are exposed to new situations and new experiences, your brain builds new neural networks. Microscopic ‘threads’ that thoughts run along as electrical impulses. After you have been emotionally hurt, aka offended, and you front let it go, these neural networks develop microscopic thorn-like projections or thorns. And these projections affect your emotions the same way thorns on the stem of a rose effect your fingers. As the thought rounds along the neuron, it goes past these thorns. When it passes over the thorn, POP! It releases a microscopic amount of hormones , leaving you remembering the pain of what that person or people did to you, all over again. Ever heard someone tell the story of ‘what happened to them’ or talk about ‘what they did to me’? You might notice that while telling that story, they get ‘wound up’ and angry all aver again. Sound familiar? This happens because they are literally re-experiencing the trauma or experience all over again. The brain doesn’t understand that it is experiencing a memory. Soon those memories and emotions have created such strong neural networks, also connected to many other networks, that the memory itself begins to interrupt your other thoughts, wakes you up at night, and interferes with your work during the day. And hurt people will hurt others. One of the saddest parts of an offense is that one person’s possible or perceived offense can become our sin if we refuse to deal with it and we carry anger or hatred within our heart. It becomes sin when it violates the law of love. The AMAZING part? Those thorns on our neurons will begin to fall off after only about 3 days. They may be 3 really rough days of saying out loud ‘I forgave that person’, but after about 3 days, feelings of forgiveness will begin.

So how do we deal with offense? And how do we deal with it if it a large offense, as in the death of someone we care about? And how do we deal with it if we were the offender? And how do we deal with an offense next time? How can we be prepared?

Both large offenses and small offenses are dealt with the exact same way. (some offenses may take more time to be forgiven, kind of like an onion, by layers. And thats okay). By:
1. acknowledging what was done to us and how we feel about it
2. forgive the offender. Make the choice to forgive, and it is a choice. Turn that choice into a prayer. Then when, not if, feelings of unforgiveness return, refuse to be moved by them. Say aloud ‘I forgave that person already.’ Forgive them again if something new comes to mind.
3. give the situation to God. He is the one who can truly do something about it. We heal and are restored by doing what God asks us to in His Word. Psalm 23:3 ‘The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake.’ And Romans gives us more instructions. Romans 12:19 says ‘Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord.  Therefore If your enemy is hungry, feed him; If he is thirsty, give him a drink . .’
4. understand that an angry response to being hurt, offended, etc. does no good, and can actually make things worse. James 1:20 days that the wrath of man does not bring about the righteousness of God. And Galatians 6:8 says ‘For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.’ And if revenge needs to be taken, let God step in and do it for you. And He can only get revenge WHEN WE GET OUT OF HIS WAY.

If you were the offender, if you caused someone to stumble, and left them hurting, you are to take the responsibility of making things right: Matthew 5:23 Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.’ We do that by:
1. asking forgiveness from God: 1John 1:9 might be a verse familiar to you: 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.’
2.  2Corinthians 7:9-11 is one of my favorite verses teaching us what real sorrow is. ‘Now I rejoice, not that you were made sorry, but that your sorrow led to repentance. For you were made sorry in a godly manner, that you might suffer loss from us in nothing.  For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death.  For observe this very thing, that you sorrowed in a godly manner: What diligence it produced in you, what clearing of yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what vehement desire, what zeal, what vindication! In all things you proved yourselves to be clear in this matter.’
3.  Realize too, that Proverbs Proverbs 18:19 warns us that ‘A brother offended is harder to win than a strong city, And contentions are like the bars of a castle.’

Being aware that offenses will continue to come is important. If the school bus comes every day to pick your child up, you prepare for it. Over the course of your life, offenses will come. So why wouldn’t you plan to be prepared for them? Realize that before, during, and after each offense, you are tempted with some type of bait. James 1:12-15 says “Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.  Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone.  But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed.  Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.' And a more positive verse agrees with this one. It is: 1Peter 1:6 In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ . . ‘

Remember me telling you about the girl who had come to live with us? I had become so hurt and angry that I went to a park to get alone and pray. I wrote down the name of everyone who had hurt, offended, used, or mistreated me. Some names I wrote two or three, okay maybe four times. I made a one sentence note on what they had done. I held the paper up to God and told Him that I forgave them all. Then I forgave myself, which seemed to be the most difficult. I told God that when I stepped over the line I had drawn in the sand, that everyone would be forgiven, including myself. I even had a camera and took a photo of my feet crossing over that line. I felt so free that I cried with relief and joy. True story:And only about an hour after I got home, I was amazed to get a phone call from my oldest son, who had recently gotten out of the Marines. He told me all that our houseguest had been really been doing behind our back. He told me about the lies, etc. But I didn’t get angry, because I had forgiven her. When she got back to our home that evening, she lied to me again. I just smiled and told her that I knew what she had been doing. She argued a bit, but within 30 minutes she packed her bags and was moving to another friends’ house. And it was a few years later that the she wrote me a message saying that she was sorry for all the problems she had caused, and that she had given her life to Christ and had repaired the relationship with her parents. I am convinced that all this happened because I was able to forgive and let God do what He was wanted to do in this situation, which was heal everyone’s heart.

Now, I challenge you to take paper and pen, or get on the computer and write the names of people who have hurt, offended, pissed off, neglected, or rejected you. Then forgive them. If you have been the one to do the offending, forgive yourself. Then thank God for forgiving you, and repent, just like the verses say to do. And I’m believing that God will download into you a freedom that you might not have known possible, just like He did for me.





How To Find a New Church

By Kim Milberg • July 6, 2020

With the quarantine behind us, we have all had the opportunity to attend other churches virtually.  And if you had the slightest bit of trepidation about the church you were attending in person in the pre-quarantine, this could be your perfect opportunity to check around online to see if there is somewhere else that better meets your needs.  But before you make that move, there are some important things to know so you don’t end up at a new church yet dealing with the same old problems.

My husband and I have been saved since 1987 and have attended only 6 different churches, so we are anything but 'church hoppers'. The times that we did leave and look for a different church, it was physically, spiritually, and emotionally painful, it was something that I quickly learned to dread.  Finding a new church might be painful, but it is nothing compared to attending a spiritually dead church, or worse, attending a good church and watch it die slowly.

So I encourage you to get pen and paper and write the answers to these questions down. Get real. Put your heart into this. A good church is worth the time and energy it takes to find it. A good church can help you grow, mature, have a better understanding of the Word of God and teach you how to pray. And good planning and being led by God’s spirit can help you to find a a great church without breaking your heart in the process.


Why Change?
The first and most important thing to consider is to identify why you want to leave your current church.

1. Has someone offended you?
2. Do you feel neglected?
3. Did you goof up/sin/embarrass yourself and you feel like no one likes you/wants you there anymore?
4. Do you feel invisible or neglected or ignored?
5. Is your church preaching the Word of God or the pastor’s opinions?
6. Is the pastor living what he’s preaching?
7. Is God prompting you to go?
8.  Are all your friends moving to a certain church?
9. What if you and your spouse like different churches? Is it okay to attend separately?
10.  Is there strife, bickering, gossiping, or back-biting at your church?

Write down ALL the reasons WHY you want to leave. Even if you’re not sure why, write down some possible answers. Sometimes writing, (since it stimulates a different part of the brain that typing on the computer), can help you to realize why you are wanting to leave.

Know that your church is not responsible for your total spiritual nutrition and growth . . it is YOURS. But know, also, that a good church can foster spiritual growth, but a bad church can shipwreck your faith!! Where you choose to go really is a BIG deal! Know, also, that trying different churches will post likely be way out of your comfort zone. This could be because you have strong neural networks built up in your brain about the good memories from your previous church, and none, if any, about the new church. So take your time, relax,  and know that you WILL find a new church.

Last, and most importantly, trust God’s leading . Let Him choose where HE wants you to go. Finding a church is so much bigger than you getting fed spiritually or finding a church that meets your needs!   It’s being planted in a place that needs the gifts that only you can bring.  

Asking God to put you where HE wants you is also for your brothers and sisters in Christ! I have a dear friend who felt compelled to leave her church. She felt very used and unsupported. Her and her husband prayed and they ended up at a church that was spiritually not as mature as we all thought she should attend, but she continued to minister through her huge heart full of God’s love. That was something that the new congregation had never experienced before. And and as she showed Gods love they fell in love with her! and began to show love and support to one another! The church grew both spiritually and numerically since her and her husband joined.


If . . .Then
I want to go back to the questions that I asked you in the Why section, because I have seen people, me included, just ignore them and end up at a church they feel and stuck in and regret ever attending.  

1. First of all, if you’re tempted to leave your current church because someone has offended you, then YOU ABSOLUTELY MUST DEAL WITH ANY AND ALL OFFENSE(S)!   Otherwise, you will take your easily-offended stinky attitude with you to the next church(es). Instead of holding on to that bitterness, hurt and blame, go to God. Tell Him in prayer about EVERYTHING that hurt or offended you. Then forgive. Confess your part in the offense if that applies. Is there anything you can do to make things right? If so, then do it. Then evaluate if you’re still feeling the pull to change churches. After that, spend the next few days/weeks/months praying for the person who offended you. Pray until you truly love that person. Then see if God is still leading you away from that church. A good book to read about the danger of being offended is entitled ‘The Bait of Satan’ by John Bevere.

2. Next, what if you’re feeling neglected, invisible, or ignored?  What if you aren’t feeling appreciated for all the time you spend volunteering? Sadly, I’ve been there. At a previous church, I volunteered to fill Welcome bags for first time guests. I homeschooled my kids at the time, and was desperate for adult companionship. The thought of being around church staff members where we could talk about Jesus seemed to be the absolute BEST!! So you can imagine how hurt I was when I came in to do the bags and one of the associate pastors told me that the bags were now being put in the storeroom and I could fill them back there, and ‘by the way, close the door, because its cold back there!’

So for 2 hours every Friday, I filled bags. Alone. In a cold store room. Many times I would cry from the sheer loneliness of knowing the people I longed to spend time with were just on the other side of the wall. But I knew that God was calling me to fill those bags. And every week, God would deal with my attitude, reminding me that I was there to serve HIM, not them, and that HE would keep me company. 

After a few Fridays, I started to pray as I filled the bags. I’d pray for the people who would be getting those bags and how God would use it to change lives. Every week it got easier to fill those bags until I began to look forward to it.   In this time of hurt, God taught me compassion.  He taught me to actively thank the people who I work with, who volunteer, and who lead.  And it was that very same church that God directed me to start a Military Ministry that ministered to up to 60 families!!! The point is, if you feel neglected, ignored, etc. first realize you are led by the Spirit of God, NOT by your emotions. Next know that you are there to serve GOD! Sometimes that means serving people too, but not always. Let God do His work in you! Seek God; don’t dare walk in self-pity!! It can also mean that God desires YOU to be the healing balm that is otherwise neglected in that specific church.  Ask Him what HE wants you to get out of this experience, and then be open to His teaching and leading. Read Hebrews 12:4.

3. Let’s approach the question about the very touchy subject of what to do if you or a family member have sinned: I had a dear friend who got offended by a staff member AND her son was selling drugs at church before youth group.  How in the world do you recover from something like that?  Leave?  Maybe.  Endure the icy stares every Sunday making it nearly unbearable to attend church?   My friend had to do some real soul-searching.  But she finally came to the realization that her family was not the star of the show, God was .

Church is where we go to get away from the world and re-focus on God.  We, by choice, make God the star.  But in a situation where you or a family member has sinned publicly, it it VITAL to go to God in prayer and  ask God if He will release you to look for another church.  He may, or He may have you just stick it out where you are.  No matter which it is, please take the time to pray for healing for everyone involved . Pray for total restoration for you and others, even if God calls you to leave. You also must realize that Ephesians 6:12 applies here: ‘For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.’

Being in church does not mean that you are immune to spiritual attacks from within the church. The church can truly be the enemy’s playground because the most harm can be done to many by wounding just a few. Many times, to stay even though you’ve been embarrassed or humiliated by something that you, or a family member have done, is one of the bravest, most healing, best things you can do. But you MUST be led by God, no matter if you leave or stay.

4-7. Next, what about the preaching. Is the pastor preaching the Word of God, or is he preaching his or other peoples’ opinions?  Does he take the Bible out of context?  If so, is it done often? Does he live what he preaches? And - this is important - does he tell cool stories, but they happened 10 or 20 years ago instead of recently?

We attended one church where the pastor had to work a second job to make ends meet, which gave him little time to study the Bible and prepare sermons. When he preached, it was from books other than they Bible, secular opinions and research and statistics. We watched our little church go from a growing and thriving place that was open anytime you needed to go and pray to a church that was dying before our eyes. It was horrible and literally painful to watch.

Because it was a small church, we invited him to dinner and politely asked about it.  He admitted that he was no longer in the Bible and it it saddened and surprised him to know that those in the pews could tell a difference. We offered any help he might need if it could free him up to study and better prepare. We closed out that evening feeling assured and hopeful that things would change. Instead things got worse. I wanted to leave and we asked God if we could.  Within 10 days, a friend invited me to a church that I had secretly wanted to go to for years. 

But one of the mistakes that I did make as we were leaving is not praying for the pastor. In retrospect, that that was a big mistake.  20 years later and that same little church was still struggling. In my opinion, and pertaining to what the Bible says, it is the Word of God honored, preached, taught, and carried out that gives a church light and life. When the word of God is given supreme authority, many other things will fall into place also.

8. On the subject of friends, when you have a close knit group of friends who you attend church with, it can be difficult when they start going somewhere else. Peer pressure is not just hard for kids to deal with. When we experienced this, I would go to God, and ask why they were leaving, and if we should leave, too. But when I thought about going somewhere else, it didn’t feel right. It felt foreign. According to Isaiah 55:12, we are to be led by God’s peace. If you have peace where you’re attending, then don’t leave. If you don’t have peace, ask God where He would like you to attend. The times that we have left a church, God would put the desire to leave in our heart long before He called us to actually walk out the doors and not go back and we always did our very best to leave on good terms with as many people as possible. We are brothers and sisters in Christ. It shouldn’t cause a break in fellowship for someone to go to a different church. If your friends have a right heart, they’ll support your decision. But if they are treating you badly because you haven’t left to go to church with them, then maybe it’s time to question the friendship. Matthew 16:26 asks ‘For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?’

9. What if you find a great church but your spouse doesn’t like it? What if it meets your needs, but not your spouses needs? Thats a difficult question and it is something you really need to seek God about. God delights in unity. the closest verse I could find on the issue is Matthew 18:19: ‘“Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.” If you go to different churches and come back home and teach each other what you’ve learned with an open heart, that would be a great thing. But it is so easy to get competitive having a ‘my church is better than your church’ attitude that things could go off the rails quickly and it could cause strife between the two of you.

10. Lastly, and speaking of strife, if you are in a church where strife(bickering, arguing, back-biting) is not dealt with, then pray about leaving. Strife is poison. It can kill a church. It will cause a Christian to backslide and turn away from God. It can destroy a family and ruin a marriage. James 4:1, 1Timothy 6:4, 1Corinthians 3:3 and Romans 1:29 and 13:13 are some great verses about the dangers of strife. James 3:16 says that where there is envy and strife, and self-seeking, there is also confusion and every evil thing.’ Strife is also a barometer of other things going on. Leave None Behind Ministries also offers an in-depth teaching on strife and how to deal with it, which is entitled ‘ The Key’.

Now that we looked at some of the negatives, let’s look at what good things to look for in a church. Realize that you are an individual,  and your worship style, gifts, and personal preferences do come into play. So ask yourself:

-do you prefer a choir, or a praise and worship band?
-do you feel comfortable with dance in church, or are you against it?
-do you like a pastor who wears specific clothes to preach in? A suit? Or are jeans and a shirt okay?
-do you prefer a formal church or a spirit led service?
-do you prefer preaching that is topical or do you like it to be straight from the Bible, verse on verse?
-do you desire Sunday school classes?
-are you comfortable attending small groups in someones home?
-what are the volunteer opportunities?
-do you want a church that specifically support missionaries?
-do you prefer a small church or a large one?
-how many miles are you willing to drive or go to this new church?
-do you need a children’s program? What about a youth camp?
-do you want your children to be in church with you during service?
-are you uncomfortable if the pastor talks about money? Satan?
-are you comfortable in a church which is very evangelistic?
-do you desire to do street witnessing?
-what does this church do for the poor?
-how friendly are you and is this church? Is it a good match on that level? Are they huggers? Are you comfortable with that?
-how far away is the church?  'A church alive is worth the drive, but the farther the drive the less chance you might have to really get involved.
-are you comfortable if there are satellite churches attached to the main church?
Does the lead pastor preach most of the services or are there multiple pastors preaching each week?

I encourage you to write down your answers all these questions that I have posed to you. When we were searching there were some churches I knew 10 minutes into the service that it wouldn’t work for us. What surprised me is just how many churches that I felt completely at home in. That is part of being the body of Christ.  We are one.  We have, or share, one spirit. If the spirit of the Lord is at that particular church, you will feel comfortable there.  

The best next step is to listen to an online sermon. Enjoy each sermon as if it’s from your favorite pastor. Try not to be critical or defensive as you listen for the first time. Then consider giving each church a rating as simple as ‘yes’ or ‘no’. Then note all the churches you gave a yes to, and over the next weeks, listen to more sermons from those churches. When you have it narrowed down to just a few, consider - if you are able - to visit in person each of the churches.

When you go, be ready with any questions you might have. Can you talk one-on-one with the lead pastor, or do you need to talk to an Assistant pastor? My hubby and I never felt the need to, but I have friends who wouldn’t attend a church unless they could meet with the pastor first. Then, before you go all in, you might want to consider attending for a few weeks just to get the feel for the church. In the meantime, all along, be praying, asking and thanking God that He is placing you right where He wants you to serve.

If you do find a church that you absolutely love online, but it is in a different state or simply too far away to attend, great! Then continue to watch it online. But also find a LOCAL church to attend regularly and serve at. A church is a big investment in time, heart, and your family, too, but always remember that every church is led by imperfect people. Treat it as such, and trust God to lead youth the place HE has for you to go!

Healed

By Kim Milberg • March 27, 2020
Find the 40 Scriptures that this woman stood on for healing for terminal cancer

77 Functions of the Holy Spirit

By Kim Milberg • January 22, 2020
I knew the Holy Spirit did a lot, but I had no idea that He did all this!! Here are 77 functions of the Holy Spirit that will surprise you and have you checking the Bible and saying 'I had no idea that the Holy Spirit did that!'

He's My Husband . .  I Should Be Able To Tell Him Everything, Right?

By Kim Milberg • May 21, 2019
Communication is much more than simply talking to someone.

 Really High Expectations

By Kim Milberg • July 22, 2018
Being judgmental - everyone is at some time or another. But it can also start a cascade of issues that can interfere with life, marriage, relationships, and healing as well as add to the emotional burden of PTSD.

4 Alternatives to Pain Medication

By Kim Milberg • July 2, 2018
From a TENS Unit to something relatively new, to a way to put a complete STOP to PTSD, learn that you do have alternatives to prescription pain pills!

You Are Valid

By Kim Milberg • June 17, 2018
In this world, each of us makes an impact on one another. Our nation needs it's veterans now more than ever. You can make a positive impact if you understand that you really do matter. That you really are important.

After You Hang Up the Phone

By Kim Milberg • June 5, 2018
If you are someone who helps veterans who are struggling, you need to do more than just cope with the stress that the middle of the night phone calls can bring. Find out how to strengthen your spirit, soul, and body and how to stay strong.

A Solid Foundation

By Kim Milberg • April 18, 2018
For my first blog, I'll glance back and looking forward. In 2005, I see my oldest child, Alex, joining the Marines at only 18 years old. He proudly became an 0331 (machine gunner). By 2006 and 2007, he was deploying to western Iraq. He returned from his first deployment, loosing 6 of his buddies. And I hadn’t held up too well, which was noted when my dentist saw that I had fractured all my jaw teeth due to gritting my teeth from the stress of having my son in a foreign country fighting in a war that we had heard about on the car radio when we had been driving together.

Alex was honorably discharged in 2009 and returned to live with us for almost a year while he started on the g.i. program at Lindenwood University. During those nearly 5 years, I started Collection of Veterans Internet Support Sites. And I, along with my husband, was asked by our Pastor to start a Military Ministry at our church. I had the honor of becoming friends with several Marine snipers, an Air Force F-15 and F-22 pilot, Army Rangers, and several Purple Heart recipients and all their spouses. I was the least likely person to start the group, but I had the joy of leading it for 7 years before God called us to move on so I could start LNBM. The Military Ministry is still going strong (and I so love and miss everyone, especially during October when I think of all the fun we would have getting together in the driveway of our house for the Annual Chili Party and Cook-Off!)

During that time span between 2007 and 2013, I spent a lot of time praying for all of you who would eventually be a part of Leave None Behind Ministries. If you are reading this, please know that you are not here by accident; you are a result of hours of heartfelt prayer to the God who desires to help and restore you. I also spent a lot of time studying. I found that as I learned about the brain, that it was literally so exciting that I would have to take a break to call a friend and tell them what I was learning! Now I have the opportunity to share the fascinating info with all of you. And when I learned that the brain was now found to be ‘neuroplastic’, or changeable, I saw how that could apply to those with PTSD. But those concepts were just words in a book until I had the opportunity to apply what I was learning to my own life. I wont go into details now, but look for a blog later called ‘The Bunny Situation’. It was something really bad that happened that God used for good.

In 2010, when LNBM was first conceived, I got ahold of material about Blood Covenant. I had been a Christian for 23 years, but there was so much of the Bible that still just didn’t make sense. Sure, my husband and I had taught Sunday School and led home Bible studies and prayer groups, but there was still something that I just wasn’t getting. But one day, I heard a sermon about having strong faith. Tucked in that sermon among all the verses and facts and exhortation was something I heard loud and clear. I came home ordered old books and new cds from as many different authors as I could find on the topic of the Blood Covenant. And I can honestly say that I have been studying, pondering, or praying about the Blood Covenant every day since then. It has changed my walk with God, it has changed my marriage, and it has changed my life. Out of all that birthed the teaching called Covenant With A King, which is the cornerstone of this ministry.

For the future, Leave None Behind Ministries hopes to expand. It’s my hearts desire to do my teachings and speak publicly all over this great nation to our veterans and their spouses as well as First Responders. I have the possibility of offering my teachings to other organizations. And I have had it in the beginning stages of having a nationwide Veterans Networking Organization. I also have spent time dreaming of gathering many of the support organizations that I spotlight, as well as some others to come together in a small town in southern Missouri, and invite veterans to do a sort of one-stop shopping. They could get lots of help in one place. Sounds far-fetched, but I have appointments with a few people to talk more about it. Whatever happens, you’ll find it here first!

So thank you for stoping by and taking the time to read this blog. And remember, you are not here by accident!

The Amazing Heart/Brain Connection

By Kim Milberg • April 10, 2018
What do you really mean when you say you know something 'by heart'?
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