Friday, April 8, 2011
Monday, March 29, 2010
About Kathy Law
Writing, for me, is both a gift and a skill. It is a gift in the sense that it comes naturally. It is a skill in the sense that I have worked hard through the years to develop it.
As a writer, my greatest strength is using written words to clearly, thoroughly, and passionately communicate the message of an individual, group, or business. I listen carefully, research what experts in the field are saying, and then sculpt original material that leaves my clients saying, "That's exactly what I wanted to communicate, but I just didn't know how to write it."
I find tremendous personal satisfaction in writing content that becomes a tool my clients are able to use to propel them and their message forward. Whether that be in a best-selling book, a website, promotional brochures or any other number of written communication pieces...I can write it all.
As a writer, my greatest strength is using written words to clearly, thoroughly, and passionately communicate the message of an individual, group, or business. I listen carefully, research what experts in the field are saying, and then sculpt original material that leaves my clients saying, "That's exactly what I wanted to communicate, but I just didn't know how to write it."
I find tremendous personal satisfaction in writing content that becomes a tool my clients are able to use to propel them and their message forward. Whether that be in a best-selling book, a website, promotional brochures or any other number of written communication pieces...I can write it all.
Ed Gungor: On Death and Dying
PHYSICAL SIGNS OF A FAILING BODY
The Death and Dying Process
A Last Resort
I wish there were a place for gracious dying
A high place with a distant view
Where we could gather for a celebration
Of life and death and friendships, old and new.
I’d like a place where there would be good music
Good food and wine—and laughter, games and fun,
And quiet talk with friends, and good discussion
Of what will happen when this life is done…
-Helen Ansley At Age Ninety
When it comes right down to it, if we’re honest and willing to go there, most of us are at least a bit curious about the manner in which we will die. Many of us would even prefer to know specific details of our final moments. And, if we are caregivers for a terminally ill loved one, the more we know, the more equipped we feel to face each uncertain day. Because we have no role models to walk with us along death’s journey, no end-of-life midwife who has personally labored through the dying process, answers can be hard to come by. Many answers are simply beyond our grasp.
“Death,” it has been said, “belongs to the dying and to those who love them.” Just as in the birth of a new baby, the moment of death is such a beautifully intense event, that if an observer were to quiet himself long enough to listen to the unseen presence in the room, he would gain a glimpse into a grand celebration. The one who has died is the guest of honor and a great cloud of witnesses is the cheering section. Such thoughts are comforting, but they won’t wipe away every tear. Saying goodbye to someone we cherish is never easy.
Nurse practitioner Joan Furman who has devoted her entire career to providing care for the dying, as a young nurse had a near death experience. While in the hospital suffering with severe laryngitis, she was exposed to a lethal gas that caused her severely irritated throat to swell and her voicebox to close. She remembers feeling terrified, gasping for air, and then suddenly watching her own resuscitation efforts from the corner of the ceiling. Here’s how she describes the moment:
"My limp, unconscious body was on a hospital bed facing me, with two doctors and a nurse on my right side…I felt so at peace, so surrounded with love and safety that I had no desire to return to my body. In fact, I had a detached curiosity about it all. I liked it there at the corner of the ceiling…I understood with all of my being, not just intellectually, that I am more than my body. My body was a vehicle, and I had literally left. Being out of it produced less sentiment than trading in an old car."
Reentering her body, Joan felt tremendous fear, desperation for air, and wondered why it had to happen…why she had to go back. She soon thereafter recovered fully and chose to dismiss her experience as a hypoxic hallucination. It was only after similar stories began to emerge in medical journals that she allowed herself to trust what really happened. Now, absolutely convinced that life continues after the death of the body, Joan shares her story in hopes of easing the fears of her dying patients. She describes the process of death as a journey toward complete wholeness and permanent healing, something that we need not fear. Although for many, this is not the case.
American surgeon, author of How We Die, and professor of bioethics and medicine at Yale University School of Medicine, Sherwin Nuland, believes that our uniqueness in life extends to the way we die. As a physician, Nuland has witnessed countless deaths, each one happening in a distinct way. Some die suddenly and unexpectedly. Some die after a prolonged battle with a disease. Others, although it is technically unacceptable to label as such, simply die from old age. “Every one of death’s diverse appearances is as distinctive as that singular face we each show the world during the days of life.” Even in death, people hold true to their personalities. It is highly probable, therefore, that we will deal with our own dying just as we have handled all other challenges in life.
When we become familiar with the wide range of diseases and the innumerable outcomes of their ways, perhaps the dying progression will become less frightening and the decision-making process less “charged with half-knowledge, anxiety, and unjustified expectations.” Although we do not know the exact details of when and in what way death will occur, we have gained sufficient wisdom through observation to state with assurance that no one need enter his final moments with fear and pain . We do recognize the physical signs of impending death, but only God knows the specifics.
How Do We Die?
If we were to categorize death, the most simplistic way of doing it would be to say there are two kinds of death—a fast death or a slow death. Having a fatal accident or heart attack would result in a fast death when one is alive, then the next minute has died. A slow death happens after a prolonged battle with a terminal illness, or as a result of old age. Thomas Jefferson, at the age of seventy-one, wrote a letter to
John Adam who was seventy-eight at the time. The letter said, “But our machines have now been running seventy or eighty years, and we must expect that, worn as they are, here a pivot, there a wheel, now a pinion, next a spring, will be giving way; and however we may tinker them up for a while, all will at length surcease motion.”
There is not one system of the body that is immune to the aging process. Even cells with the capacity to rejuvenate gradually and eventually shut down. Medical advancements are tremendous, but many in the health care community, as Nuland says, “simply miss the point.” Scientists cannot eradicate the dying process; they can only prolong the inevitable.
In centuries past, people were accustomed to death because it visited them often. The general attitude was one of acceptance and ars moriendi or belief in the “art of dying.” During those days when symptoms appeared, the only choice was to simply let dying take it’s course and to do it in the best way possible—at peace with God. Physicians were ones who practiced the art of medicine, using their skills and knowledge to guide patients with dignity to their final breaths. Today, physicians in their rescue saving efforts have, by and large, lost touch with their limitations as mortals.
The philosophy of hospice care is different. Hospice workers emphasize dignity and do what they are able to alleviate pain, offering terminally ill patients the opportunity to live their final days to the fullest. Culturally, westerners are reluctant to talk openly about death, and are certainly reticent to accept a terminal report. It is a very uncomfortable subject because something in us wants to maintain control of our destiny. We value youth, beauty, competition and individuality. Death to us represents physical weakness, loss of power and uncertainty...none of which we appreciate. Our cultural bias interprets death as a failure.
Other more traditional cultures, however, treat death as an extension of living, bearing testimony of a well-lived life and as an opportunity to begin again. The dying are given space to resolve conflicts, to celebrate, to prepare for their final journey, and to acknowledge that their life had great meaning. Fortunately, hospice care has done a tremendous job in reshaping our ideas of the dying process and how one navigates it well. It is indeed possible to die well, if we so choose.
Barbara Karnes, an award-winning hospice nurse and end-of-life educator, is considered a hospice trailblazer in America. Having walked through the dying process with countless patients and even alongside her own parents, Barbara’s observations are now considered an authority when it comes to caring for terminally ill loved ones. Barbara teaches that dying a gradual death, whether from old age or from disease, is very similar to infant development. It happens gradually and with fairly predictable markers. Time plays an important role—death from old age usually takes longer than death from disease—but ultimately, the outward physical signs of the dying process are the same. A person dying of a disease may display such signs for months; whereas, a person dying of old age may display signs for years.
The Signs
With a terminal disease or old age, significant physical changes begin to develop one to three months prior to death. Such changes are often reflected by food intake, increased sleep and decreased social interaction. These three areas are fairly reliable indicators of the amount of time a person left.
The true reason we ingest food and water is to live. If our body is dying, it will have less and less need of either, so it naturally refuses both. One to three months prior to death, the body will begin weaning itself from food by rejecting proteins such as beef, chicken and fish. Next to go are fruits and vegetables. Eventually, the only kinds of food a dying person wants to eat are ice cream, puddings and cream soups. At the end, food will be rejected entirely. Upon entering this phase, death is only weeks away.
The final element to go is fluids. At this point, no bodily system is functioning as it should and is in the process of permanently shutting down. Many assume that dehydration is painful and causes significant suffering. This is a myth. When a person becomes dehydrated, calcium levels in the blood naturally rise. When calcium becomes too high, a person will simply close his eyes to sleep and not wake up. Most people, if given a choice, would prefer to die in their sleep. Excessive calcium in the blood allows that to happen. It is a God-given anesthetic that brings comfort to the dying and enables the process to occur painlessly.
Food and water connect us to the earth. By letting them go, the body is preparing to die. It no longer wants nourishment, hydration or the energy they provide. Naturally, it is very difficult to watch a loved one die of disease but to see him waste away from starvation or dehydration feels completely unacceptable. However, force-feeding and/or hydrating actually cause the dying process to become more complicated. The best response, no matter how emotionally difficult, is to simply let it happen. It is better for your loved one.
Increased sleep is a second indicator as to where a person is in the dying process. It begins with the addition of an afternoon nap and soon progresses to both an afternoon and morning nap. Then, the dying person naps in the morning, afternoon, evening and all through the night. Eventually he is asleep more than awake and becomes non-responsive. Because he is sleeping around the clock, it is very easy for him to become confused and disoriented, unable to distinguish between reality and the dream world. It is not uncommon for him to talk about things unfamiliar to us…people and places from his dream world.
The third indicator, social withdrawal, occurs two to four months prior to death. The dying person becomes disinterested in the outside world, from current events, sports, etc. This disinterest then turns into a withdrawal from people—refusing to see visitors and limiting interaction with family or close friends. It is as if the dying person is loosening his ties to the people in his life in order to move toward a new home in eternity. It is also likely he is doing this to protect himself from the emotional pain of saying goodbye. In his final weeks, he may even become antagonistic and push people away so “it won’t hurt so much.”
Sometimes it is helpful to read how more traditional cultures view the dying process. Although we do not adhere to Buddhist teaching, it does offer an interesting perspective as to how the body gradually shuts down.
The Labor of Dying
The process of dying is often compared to the labor women endure when bringing a new baby into the world. There is no magical length to the birthing process, nor is there with dying. Some women have quick labors; others may labor for a day and a half. “So it is with the labor to leave this world. Some of us get out of our bodies more easily than others.”
Labor to leave our bodies usually takes one to three weeks. Some of the signs that your loved one is in labor are: he sleeps with his eyes partially open rather than closed (keeping eyelids closed or open requires energy); his breathing patterns change (also known as start and stop breathing); when resting, he puffs by blowing air out through his lips; he becomes restless and picks at his clothing or sheets (a sign of fear); his body may develop a fever or become cold and clammy; mottling sets in (bluish black discoloration of the hands and feet that progresses to a ring around the knees, often with splotches across the back); incontinence or loss of bladder and bowels; and non-responsiveness.
Fear, pain and unfinished business make it much more difficult for a person to die peacefully. Fear can create tension and extend one’s dying process, as can unresolved conflicts or guilt. All of these are like ropes tying our loved one to the earth and prolonging his labor. Physical pain locks up the body and does not allow the dying to relax. By alleviating pain, your loved one is able to simply rest and let go.
There is no need to worry about drug addiction when a terminally ill patient is taking strong dosages of narcotics for pain relief. It simply is best to take medications on a regular schedule, rather than wait until pain becomes severe and very challenging to get back under control. It is much more difficult to manage this way. We gain nothing by waiting and it is unnecessary to suffer when medicine is available.
In the final sacred moments of dying, your loved one will be breathing very slowly. He will be non-responsive and his eyes will be partially open. His arm or shoulder may slowly move. He may make a frown. These small movements are usually followed by one or two long breaths. It may seem as if there will be more breathing, but then he will gasp and let out one or two final breaths, expelling the last bit of air in his lungs. And, then the end has come.
In the twenty-four to thirty-six hours prior to death, after days of labor, for no known reason, your loved one may appear to temporarily recover or rally. He may wake up with energy, request food, receive visitors, and seem to be doing much better. Then, his time to die comes and the hopefulness that he has recovered is gone. No one can explain why this happens. We can only contemplate. Perhaps it is God’s way of allowing us to have a few final good days together to say the things we need to say, and to remind ourselves that the path of death leads to a new day and complete wholeness.
Walking through the painful process of watching a loved one age or battle a terminal illness is undeniably heartbreaking. Yet, in the midst of the natural emotions associated with dying, “remember, the dying process is an inevitable and largely passive one. Massive intervention at the eleventh hour will only prolong a physically and emotionally painful process. It may eke out a few extra hours or even days of suffering for your loved one, but the end will be no different.” Each person ought to have the opportunity to die well and with dignity. The more we know about the process, the more likely we will be able to achieve that end. When we clearly understand the signs, wise decisions will help us make the very most out of the time remaining…a gift to our loved one and to ourselves.
Summary of the Death and Dying Process
Timeframe: Physical Stages of Dying
One to Three Months Prior to Death
• Withdrawal from the world and from people
• Decreased food intake
• Increased sleep
• Going inside self
• Less communication
One to Two Week Prior to Death
• Disorientation
• Agitation
• Talking with Unseen
• Confusion
• Picking at Clothes
• Physical Changes
1. Decreased blood pressure
2. Pulse increase or decrease
3. Color changes; pale, bluish
4. Increased perspiration
5. Respiratory irregularities
6. Congestion
7. Sleeping but responding
8. Complaints of body feeling tired and heavy
9. Not eating, but taking few fluids
10. Fluctuating body temperature hot/cold
Days or Hours Prior to Death
• Intensification of 1-2 week signs
• Surge of energy
• Decrease in blood pressure
• Eyes glassy, tearing, half open
• Irregular breathing, stop/start
• Restlessness or no activity
• Purplish knees, feet, hands, blotchy
• Pulse weak and hard to find
• Decreased urine output
• May wet or soil the bed
Minutes Prior to Death
• Fish out of water breathing
• Cannot be awakened
The Death and Dying Process
A Last Resort
I wish there were a place for gracious dying
A high place with a distant view
Where we could gather for a celebration
Of life and death and friendships, old and new.
I’d like a place where there would be good music
Good food and wine—and laughter, games and fun,
And quiet talk with friends, and good discussion
Of what will happen when this life is done…
-Helen Ansley At Age Ninety
When it comes right down to it, if we’re honest and willing to go there, most of us are at least a bit curious about the manner in which we will die. Many of us would even prefer to know specific details of our final moments. And, if we are caregivers for a terminally ill loved one, the more we know, the more equipped we feel to face each uncertain day. Because we have no role models to walk with us along death’s journey, no end-of-life midwife who has personally labored through the dying process, answers can be hard to come by. Many answers are simply beyond our grasp.
“Death,” it has been said, “belongs to the dying and to those who love them.” Just as in the birth of a new baby, the moment of death is such a beautifully intense event, that if an observer were to quiet himself long enough to listen to the unseen presence in the room, he would gain a glimpse into a grand celebration. The one who has died is the guest of honor and a great cloud of witnesses is the cheering section. Such thoughts are comforting, but they won’t wipe away every tear. Saying goodbye to someone we cherish is never easy.
Nurse practitioner Joan Furman who has devoted her entire career to providing care for the dying, as a young nurse had a near death experience. While in the hospital suffering with severe laryngitis, she was exposed to a lethal gas that caused her severely irritated throat to swell and her voicebox to close. She remembers feeling terrified, gasping for air, and then suddenly watching her own resuscitation efforts from the corner of the ceiling. Here’s how she describes the moment:
"My limp, unconscious body was on a hospital bed facing me, with two doctors and a nurse on my right side…I felt so at peace, so surrounded with love and safety that I had no desire to return to my body. In fact, I had a detached curiosity about it all. I liked it there at the corner of the ceiling…I understood with all of my being, not just intellectually, that I am more than my body. My body was a vehicle, and I had literally left. Being out of it produced less sentiment than trading in an old car."
Reentering her body, Joan felt tremendous fear, desperation for air, and wondered why it had to happen…why she had to go back. She soon thereafter recovered fully and chose to dismiss her experience as a hypoxic hallucination. It was only after similar stories began to emerge in medical journals that she allowed herself to trust what really happened. Now, absolutely convinced that life continues after the death of the body, Joan shares her story in hopes of easing the fears of her dying patients. She describes the process of death as a journey toward complete wholeness and permanent healing, something that we need not fear. Although for many, this is not the case.
American surgeon, author of How We Die, and professor of bioethics and medicine at Yale University School of Medicine, Sherwin Nuland, believes that our uniqueness in life extends to the way we die. As a physician, Nuland has witnessed countless deaths, each one happening in a distinct way. Some die suddenly and unexpectedly. Some die after a prolonged battle with a disease. Others, although it is technically unacceptable to label as such, simply die from old age. “Every one of death’s diverse appearances is as distinctive as that singular face we each show the world during the days of life.” Even in death, people hold true to their personalities. It is highly probable, therefore, that we will deal with our own dying just as we have handled all other challenges in life.
When we become familiar with the wide range of diseases and the innumerable outcomes of their ways, perhaps the dying progression will become less frightening and the decision-making process less “charged with half-knowledge, anxiety, and unjustified expectations.” Although we do not know the exact details of when and in what way death will occur, we have gained sufficient wisdom through observation to state with assurance that no one need enter his final moments with fear and pain . We do recognize the physical signs of impending death, but only God knows the specifics.
How Do We Die?
If we were to categorize death, the most simplistic way of doing it would be to say there are two kinds of death—a fast death or a slow death. Having a fatal accident or heart attack would result in a fast death when one is alive, then the next minute has died. A slow death happens after a prolonged battle with a terminal illness, or as a result of old age. Thomas Jefferson, at the age of seventy-one, wrote a letter to
John Adam who was seventy-eight at the time. The letter said, “But our machines have now been running seventy or eighty years, and we must expect that, worn as they are, here a pivot, there a wheel, now a pinion, next a spring, will be giving way; and however we may tinker them up for a while, all will at length surcease motion.”
There is not one system of the body that is immune to the aging process. Even cells with the capacity to rejuvenate gradually and eventually shut down. Medical advancements are tremendous, but many in the health care community, as Nuland says, “simply miss the point.” Scientists cannot eradicate the dying process; they can only prolong the inevitable.
In centuries past, people were accustomed to death because it visited them often. The general attitude was one of acceptance and ars moriendi or belief in the “art of dying.” During those days when symptoms appeared, the only choice was to simply let dying take it’s course and to do it in the best way possible—at peace with God. Physicians were ones who practiced the art of medicine, using their skills and knowledge to guide patients with dignity to their final breaths. Today, physicians in their rescue saving efforts have, by and large, lost touch with their limitations as mortals.
The philosophy of hospice care is different. Hospice workers emphasize dignity and do what they are able to alleviate pain, offering terminally ill patients the opportunity to live their final days to the fullest. Culturally, westerners are reluctant to talk openly about death, and are certainly reticent to accept a terminal report. It is a very uncomfortable subject because something in us wants to maintain control of our destiny. We value youth, beauty, competition and individuality. Death to us represents physical weakness, loss of power and uncertainty...none of which we appreciate. Our cultural bias interprets death as a failure.
Other more traditional cultures, however, treat death as an extension of living, bearing testimony of a well-lived life and as an opportunity to begin again. The dying are given space to resolve conflicts, to celebrate, to prepare for their final journey, and to acknowledge that their life had great meaning. Fortunately, hospice care has done a tremendous job in reshaping our ideas of the dying process and how one navigates it well. It is indeed possible to die well, if we so choose.
Barbara Karnes, an award-winning hospice nurse and end-of-life educator, is considered a hospice trailblazer in America. Having walked through the dying process with countless patients and even alongside her own parents, Barbara’s observations are now considered an authority when it comes to caring for terminally ill loved ones. Barbara teaches that dying a gradual death, whether from old age or from disease, is very similar to infant development. It happens gradually and with fairly predictable markers. Time plays an important role—death from old age usually takes longer than death from disease—but ultimately, the outward physical signs of the dying process are the same. A person dying of a disease may display such signs for months; whereas, a person dying of old age may display signs for years.
The Signs
With a terminal disease or old age, significant physical changes begin to develop one to three months prior to death. Such changes are often reflected by food intake, increased sleep and decreased social interaction. These three areas are fairly reliable indicators of the amount of time a person left.
The true reason we ingest food and water is to live. If our body is dying, it will have less and less need of either, so it naturally refuses both. One to three months prior to death, the body will begin weaning itself from food by rejecting proteins such as beef, chicken and fish. Next to go are fruits and vegetables. Eventually, the only kinds of food a dying person wants to eat are ice cream, puddings and cream soups. At the end, food will be rejected entirely. Upon entering this phase, death is only weeks away.
The final element to go is fluids. At this point, no bodily system is functioning as it should and is in the process of permanently shutting down. Many assume that dehydration is painful and causes significant suffering. This is a myth. When a person becomes dehydrated, calcium levels in the blood naturally rise. When calcium becomes too high, a person will simply close his eyes to sleep and not wake up. Most people, if given a choice, would prefer to die in their sleep. Excessive calcium in the blood allows that to happen. It is a God-given anesthetic that brings comfort to the dying and enables the process to occur painlessly.
Food and water connect us to the earth. By letting them go, the body is preparing to die. It no longer wants nourishment, hydration or the energy they provide. Naturally, it is very difficult to watch a loved one die of disease but to see him waste away from starvation or dehydration feels completely unacceptable. However, force-feeding and/or hydrating actually cause the dying process to become more complicated. The best response, no matter how emotionally difficult, is to simply let it happen. It is better for your loved one.
Increased sleep is a second indicator as to where a person is in the dying process. It begins with the addition of an afternoon nap and soon progresses to both an afternoon and morning nap. Then, the dying person naps in the morning, afternoon, evening and all through the night. Eventually he is asleep more than awake and becomes non-responsive. Because he is sleeping around the clock, it is very easy for him to become confused and disoriented, unable to distinguish between reality and the dream world. It is not uncommon for him to talk about things unfamiliar to us…people and places from his dream world.
The third indicator, social withdrawal, occurs two to four months prior to death. The dying person becomes disinterested in the outside world, from current events, sports, etc. This disinterest then turns into a withdrawal from people—refusing to see visitors and limiting interaction with family or close friends. It is as if the dying person is loosening his ties to the people in his life in order to move toward a new home in eternity. It is also likely he is doing this to protect himself from the emotional pain of saying goodbye. In his final weeks, he may even become antagonistic and push people away so “it won’t hurt so much.”
Sometimes it is helpful to read how more traditional cultures view the dying process. Although we do not adhere to Buddhist teaching, it does offer an interesting perspective as to how the body gradually shuts down.
The Labor of Dying
The process of dying is often compared to the labor women endure when bringing a new baby into the world. There is no magical length to the birthing process, nor is there with dying. Some women have quick labors; others may labor for a day and a half. “So it is with the labor to leave this world. Some of us get out of our bodies more easily than others.”
Labor to leave our bodies usually takes one to three weeks. Some of the signs that your loved one is in labor are: he sleeps with his eyes partially open rather than closed (keeping eyelids closed or open requires energy); his breathing patterns change (also known as start and stop breathing); when resting, he puffs by blowing air out through his lips; he becomes restless and picks at his clothing or sheets (a sign of fear); his body may develop a fever or become cold and clammy; mottling sets in (bluish black discoloration of the hands and feet that progresses to a ring around the knees, often with splotches across the back); incontinence or loss of bladder and bowels; and non-responsiveness.
Fear, pain and unfinished business make it much more difficult for a person to die peacefully. Fear can create tension and extend one’s dying process, as can unresolved conflicts or guilt. All of these are like ropes tying our loved one to the earth and prolonging his labor. Physical pain locks up the body and does not allow the dying to relax. By alleviating pain, your loved one is able to simply rest and let go.
There is no need to worry about drug addiction when a terminally ill patient is taking strong dosages of narcotics for pain relief. It simply is best to take medications on a regular schedule, rather than wait until pain becomes severe and very challenging to get back under control. It is much more difficult to manage this way. We gain nothing by waiting and it is unnecessary to suffer when medicine is available.
In the final sacred moments of dying, your loved one will be breathing very slowly. He will be non-responsive and his eyes will be partially open. His arm or shoulder may slowly move. He may make a frown. These small movements are usually followed by one or two long breaths. It may seem as if there will be more breathing, but then he will gasp and let out one or two final breaths, expelling the last bit of air in his lungs. And, then the end has come.
In the twenty-four to thirty-six hours prior to death, after days of labor, for no known reason, your loved one may appear to temporarily recover or rally. He may wake up with energy, request food, receive visitors, and seem to be doing much better. Then, his time to die comes and the hopefulness that he has recovered is gone. No one can explain why this happens. We can only contemplate. Perhaps it is God’s way of allowing us to have a few final good days together to say the things we need to say, and to remind ourselves that the path of death leads to a new day and complete wholeness.
Walking through the painful process of watching a loved one age or battle a terminal illness is undeniably heartbreaking. Yet, in the midst of the natural emotions associated with dying, “remember, the dying process is an inevitable and largely passive one. Massive intervention at the eleventh hour will only prolong a physically and emotionally painful process. It may eke out a few extra hours or even days of suffering for your loved one, but the end will be no different.” Each person ought to have the opportunity to die well and with dignity. The more we know about the process, the more likely we will be able to achieve that end. When we clearly understand the signs, wise decisions will help us make the very most out of the time remaining…a gift to our loved one and to ourselves.
Summary of the Death and Dying Process
Timeframe: Physical Stages of Dying
One to Three Months Prior to Death
• Withdrawal from the world and from people
• Decreased food intake
• Increased sleep
• Going inside self
• Less communication
One to Two Week Prior to Death
• Disorientation
• Agitation
• Talking with Unseen
• Confusion
• Picking at Clothes
• Physical Changes
1. Decreased blood pressure
2. Pulse increase or decrease
3. Color changes; pale, bluish
4. Increased perspiration
5. Respiratory irregularities
6. Congestion
7. Sleeping but responding
8. Complaints of body feeling tired and heavy
9. Not eating, but taking few fluids
10. Fluctuating body temperature hot/cold
Days or Hours Prior to Death
• Intensification of 1-2 week signs
• Surge of energy
• Decrease in blood pressure
• Eyes glassy, tearing, half open
• Irregular breathing, stop/start
• Restlessness or no activity
• Purplish knees, feet, hands, blotchy
• Pulse weak and hard to find
• Decreased urine output
• May wet or soil the bed
Minutes Prior to Death
• Fish out of water breathing
• Cannot be awakened
Ed Gungor: On Death and Dying
The Grief Paradigm
"I tell you the truth, you will weep and mourn
while the world rejoices.
You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy.
A woman giving birth to a child has pain
because her time has come;
But when her baby is born she forgets the anguish
because of her joy that a child is born into the world.
So it is with you: Now is your time of grief,
but I will see you again and you will rejoice,
And no one will take away your joy."
John 16:20-22
A Time to Grieve
Grief is a difficult concept to comprehend because—far too simply put—it’s painful. We would prefer for it to pass by as quickly as possible, or better yet, be something more along the lines of a singular response to a loss followed by a short period of sadness. But, truth be told, grief is much more complex than that. It is as diverse as the people who bare it. It takes on many expressions and cannot always be contained in a small box of systematic phases. Rather, “grieving is the entire emotional process of coping with a loss, and can last a very long time.” It hurts.
Grief, according to scripture, is a part of the human experience. We come from the land of broken toys where we wear out, we break and we die. Loss is inevitable in our land, just as labor and delivery are inevitable to a woman full term with child. We labor through a dying process, we die, and then we, according to Christian belief, live again. This place of grieving between death and resurrection is a painful and lonely. Nevertheless, it is part of our journey. Each of us will walk through the “valley of the shadow of death” as we say goodbye to a loved one, and when we ourselves die. Yet, our hope in the midst of unwelcome grief is that our pain will one day carry us to a place of eternal and unquenchable joy…a joy no experience nor person can take from us.
Learning to grieve well is a life-long process, just as is persevering under hardship. Grieving well through a full spectrum of emotions requires gentleness and patience with our selves. We cannot expect pain to simply disappear overnight; it takes time. There is no single answer to our grief; nor is there only one way to grieve. We each process experiences differently. The common denominator though is that every one of us needs support and understanding. Attempting to go at it alone and unprepared will only prolong the process. Grief can be a very lonely road, so we need to know our loved ones are with us. And, it’s helpful to seek out knowledgeable professionals who are able to provide information and definition to our experience. These two positive elements create an environment for us to grieve well.
To clarify, it’s important to note that the terms grief, mourning and bereavement are often used interchangeably; however, each has a different meaning. Grief is one’s inner and personal experience of and response to loss. Mourning is the outward expression of that grief, in addition to cultural and religious customs and rituals surrounding death. Mourning is also defined as the process of adapting to loss and adjusting to the death of a significant person. Bereavement refers to the state of having suffered a loss and to the experiences that follow the death of a loved one. It is the time after a loss during which the person experiences grief and exhibits mourning.
Grief is a “process that occurs over time and involves a wide range of emotions, as well as thoughts, behaviors and physical sensations.” It is normal to feel “a sense of shock, emotional numbness, sadness, despair, anxiety, guilt, loneliness, helplessness, relief and yearning.” Grief affects our entire being. It would not be unusual to think that our terminal news is inaccurate, that it couldn’t possibly be happening. Or, to feel confused, disoriented, have trouble concentrating, or even temporarily think you are “going crazy.” Tightness in the chest and/or throat, nausea, dizziness, fatigue, vulnerability, trouble sleeping, uncomfortable in social settings, irritability, aggressiveness, restlessness, lack of interest in everyday affairs…all of these are very normal responses to a loss.
The Lance Armstrong Foundation, www.livestrong.org, provides an informative perspective on the concept of loss and how it affects our whole persons. Losses impact our physical bodies, our emotions, our relationships and well as, in practical terms, our finances. Such losses are spelled out in the following chart:
Physical Losses
• A part of your body or a body function
• Changes in your ability to have sex
• Energy
• An ability or skill to perform certain activities
• Physical comfort
• Fertility
Emotional Losses
• Sense of security (in your health, in your future)
• Sense of control or independence
• Self-esteem or sense of identity
• Self-confidence
• Goals, hopes or dreams
• Faith or spirituality
• Your sense of life as safe and predictable
• Habits, such as changes in daily routines, or life “the way it used to be”
Social and Relationship Losses
• Relationships with friends, family members or co-workers
• Sexual relationships
• Your ability to have your own biological child
• Loss of certain roles (For example, you can no longer earn money for your family, or you can no longer prepare all of the family meals.)
• Loss of other terminal friends
Financial Losses
• Job or job opportunities
• Financial security
• Insurance
• Ability to work
Throughout the remaining pages of this chapter, we will focus our attention on the term grief as it relates to our inner and personal experiences as patients responding to a terminal diagnosis. It is our hope that these honest, although painful, discussions will enable us to navigate through our final acts of living with dignity, peace and hope.
Elisabeth Kubler-Ross
A handful of researchers over the past 50 years or so have helped to define grief. They have given words to our experience by collecting and categorizing common responses to tragic personal loss…responses that are as innate to human beings as breathing.
Perhaps the most well known thanatologist, Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, in 1969 published a book titled On Death and Dying: What the Dying Have to Teach Doctors, Nurses, Clergy and Their Own Families. The book is a collection of research that Kubler-Ross and four theological students gathered by observing and interviewing terminally ill patients. From this research, she developed a five stage grieving paradigm, which articulates common occurrences of terminally ill patients. It also clearly communicates how other tragic personal losses—the untimely loss of a job, a divorce, drug addiction, etc.—can create instances where grief is present.
After hundreds of conversations with terminally ill people, Kubler-Ross noted five phases of grief that were frequent among the patients:
1. Stage One: Denial and Isolation
2. Stage Two: Anger
3. Stage Three: Bargaining
4. Stage Four: Depression
5. Stage Five Acceptance
These phases, she claimed, do not necessarily occur in the order listed, nor are all of the stages encountered by every patient. However, according to her observations, each patient will at the very least go through two of these stages at some point in his journey. “Often, people will experience several stages in a ‘roller coaster’ effect, switching between two or more stages, returning to one or more several times before working through it.”
Kubler-Ross described these five phases of grief as “coping mechanisms” that commonly overlap as we manage our loss. This process is a highly personal matter; therefore, words such as “you should be over this by now” or “you’re taking too long,” or “you haven’t waited long enough” ought to be cautiously and meticulously avoided. We should never feel pressured to progress through the grieving stages in a set amount of time based upon another’s opinion of what is or is not satisfactory. Instead, we need to hear words of hope—even with a terminal diagnosis—that it is possible to live to our last day with purpose and significance. Such hopefulness is the very thing that will sustain us through prolonged suffering.
The ultimate goal in the grieving process is to move into a place of peaceful acceptance of our terminal condition. This requires energy and labor. By letting go and allowing a shift to take place in our hearts and minds, we will be able redirect our energies from the struggle to survive to our struggle to end well.
Stage One: Denial and Isolation
When we first receive the news that without a miracle we will die, it is quite common to respond with “That’s impossible. You can’t be talking about ME! It cannot be true.” Kubler-Ross terms this universal reaction to devastating news the Denial and Isolation phase. Almost all patients from time to time use denial as a coping mechanism. Just as we do not have the ability to gaze at the sun for long periods without damaging our eyes, we also cannot spend every moment of every day facing death. Denial acts as a shock absorber and provides space for us to gather ourselves so that, in time, we are able to respond appropriately. We all occasionally need a break where we are able to contemplate more cheerful things, to daydream about happier places and unlikely aspirations. It just helps.
While in denial, some of us may put on a happy face to disguise our growing depression. We may briefly talk about our situation, but then abruptly change the subject. Every terminal patient at times needs denial to cope, particularly at the beginning when numbness sets in. Ultimately, though, this numbness will fade and we will begin to recuperate from the shock in order to move towards embracing our diagnosis. It helps to face our fear of death “when it is still miles away” rather than “when it is right in front of the door.”
Stage Two: Anger
Denial for the majority of people will eventually turn into anger. After questioning how this terminal illness is possible, the most natural question to ask next is “Why me?” followed by, “Why couldn’t it have been someone else?”
Anger is usually quite difficult for family members, close friends and health care providers to understand. Such individuals are frequently on the receiving end of our bursts of anger. When released, we direct our anger at the ones closest to us. It sprays out unexpectedly, like a machine gun firing in all directions without a specific target. “This doctor is no good! The treatment isn’t doing what it’s supposed to do! The nurses are lazy! Can’t they see I’m in pain here?” Every little thing makes us want to explode internally and externally for no apparent reason. Everywhere we look, we find aggravations and something to complain about.
No one is perfect. That being said, what we as terminally ill patients need most from our loved ones and caregivers when passing through our struggles with anger, is for them to remember that what we are really angry about is our sickness, not them. We need multitudes of grace because what we’re experiencing is the most difficult battle of our lives. Considerate loved ones will try to put themselves in our shoes for a time, and then perhaps understand the source of our anger. They’d be angry, too, if their plans were permanently interrupted; or, if all of their dreams for the future would never be possible. They’d also be angry if the rest of the world just seemed to carry on without them as if they had already died…but they hadn’t.
We know our anger is often irrational but by allowing us to express it, we will eventually calm down. When we receive kindness, respect and attention we feel understood and significant—still human beings who just happen to be living inside a body with a terminal sickness. Anger is a natural part of our journey.
Stage Three: Bargaining
Anger eventually will give way to a third coping mechanism called bargaining. This stage is helpful because it allows us to temporarily evade reality…but only for short periods of time. Otherwise, if prolonged, bargaining can become unhealthy to our souls. This phase comes after we have told ourselves that it is impossible for us to be terminal and after our bouts with anger…when reality has settled in. In this phase, we are very much like a child bargaining with his parents who have denied a wish. After a couple failed attempts to persuade them to change their minds, a child may rethink his strategy and try another way, such as make promises to change or to do more.
As a patient who uses bargaining, we may say something like, “If God has decided to take me from this earth and he did not respond to my angry pleas, he may be more favorable if I ask nicely.” The rationale becomes a hope that if we enter into some sort of private agreement with God that he will perhaps postpone the inevitable. Bargaining is a tactic we know is farfetched but we do it anyway, hoping to be rewarded for good behavior, granted an extension of life or a few days without pain.
From a spiritual standpoint, bargaining may be a red flag needed to draw attention to unresolved guilt in our lives. Because we view dying through the lenses of a Biblical worldview, sin, we believe, is the root cause of our death. In order to live again, we must confront it through the cross and repentance. Whether we recognize it as such, bargaining conversations with God may actually be pleas for forgiveness, in which case, a prayer like the following just may be of help:
"Jesus, something in me is nudging me to say YES to you. I want to do that. The Bible says that if I declare you as the one in charge of my life—as Lord of my life—then help from heaven will come—that I will be “saved.” I’m so open to that. Jesus, be my Lord—right here, right now, over my current set of circumstances—be my Lord. Forgive me of my sin. Cleanse me from the pursuits that I know are wrong. I surrender to you and welcome you into my life. I am yours!"
By properly addressing matters of the heart where guilt frequently buries itself, many people have been able to pass through quickly or avoid altogether the next phase, which is depression.
Stage Four: Depression
Once we have waited unsuccessfully for an answer to our bargaining pleas, when we have undergone an additional surgery or hospital stay, or when our symptoms intensify and we grow weaker, smiling is more difficult. Denial, anger and bargaining are replaced by “a sense of great loss.”
Depression, according to Elizabeth Kubler-Ross, comes in two packages: reactive depression and preparatory depression. Reactive depression is an immediate response to a past loss. A woman lost her breasts to cancer and wonders if she is as much a woman as prior to surgery. A man lost his leg in a hit-and-run accident and wonders how he will ever function normally again. A woman caring for her ailing husband reenters the workforce and grieves that her children will no longer have her best hours of attention each day. These are all examples of reactive depression—a response to a loss from a past event. The source of reactive depression is usually obvious to a considerate health care provider, friend or family member who takes time to listen. Such a person can help alleviate guilt or wrong thinking that often accompanies depression, by speaking words of objective truth or by doing small practical things to remove one’s need to worry. Elizabeth Kubler-Ross says this about how to respond reactive depression:
Our initial reaction to sad people is usually to try to cheer them up, to tell them not to look at things so grimly or so hopelessly. We encourage them to look at the bright side of life, at all the colorful, positive things around them. This is often an expression of our own needs, our own inability to tolerate a long face over an extended period of time. This can be a useful approach when dealing with the first type of depression in terminally ill patients. It will help such a mother to know that the children play quite happily in the neighbor’s garden since they stay there while their father is at work. It may help a mother to know that they continue to laugh and joke, go to parties, and bring good report cards home form school—all expressions that they function in spite of mother’s absence.
Preparatory depression is different than reactive depression. It “is one which does not occur as a result of a past loss but is taking into account impending losses.” With this kind of depression, the emotions experienced are actually tools that we use to help move us into acceptance. This kind of depression is necessary and has the capacity to spare everyone greeting an impending loss, a tremendous amount of needless suffering.
When in a state of preparatory depression, it is better that our loved ones and health care providers refrain from trying to get us to look for the silver lining in our clouds. This kind of diversion takes us away from contemplating our coming death, which we need to do. Just as it would be considered inappropriate to urge a grieving son or daughter to see the positive in his or her parent’s passing, it is equally inconsiderate to urge a terminally ill patient to focus on the bright side of things. We need this phase of depression to help carry us through the full grieving cycle and on to a place of acceptance.
Preparatory depression is a time when we are grieving the loss of everyone and everything we cherish. By allowing us to express our sadness in the manner in which we choose, the burden becomes lighter for us. We are grateful to those who will be with us, listen to our words or allow us to sit quietly for extended periods of time. When silent, we are processing our experiences internally, so please refrain from trying to cheer us up. Hold our hands, stroke our hair, pray for us and remember we are thinking primarily of the things to come, not necessarily the past. When you respect our wishes, you are helping to prepare us emotionally to die…and this graciousness is a priceless gift.
Stage Five: Acceptance
With support, we will eventually enter into a frame of mind that is neither angry nor depressed about our soon-coming end. Rather, we will have come to terms with the inevitable, and upon expressing our feelings and mourning the loss of everything meaningful in this life our contemplation will give way to what Kubler-Ross describes as “quiet expectation” or acceptance. Achieving this phase of grief is colossal.
Acceptance ought not be mistaken for happiness. If anything, it is a phase devoid of feeling for us. We have labored through the dying process and through the very painful stages of grief, and are now at a point where we’re ready to let go forever. As one patient shared, this is a time of “final rest before the long journey.” Things of this world matter very little now that we have released it all.
More importantly, at this point, focus ought to be redirected to our family members who are now in a position where they need support saying their goodbyes and contemplating life without us. It is very difficult for them to understand how our ease of dying is directly connected to our ability to disengage from significant bonds with those we care about most. This is why acceptance is so difficult for those left behind.
It is often a challenge for our health care providers and loved ones to know when to push us to keep fighting, and when to let us go. Dying wasn’t a part of the original plan, so we naturally resist it. We especially resist when we don’t want to say goodbye or admit defeat. There are those who fight for life until their last breaths. There are others who resign themselves to defeat even before a terminal diagnosis is given. Regardless, the day will eventually visit every one of us…for some, sooner than later. So, when the time does arrive for us to die, if we persist in the denial or anger phases, it will be only that more difficult to die peacefully. Acceptance is a gift from God that brings us back to the place where we first began...resting peacefully and comfortably in his hands.
Others on the Subject
The field of thanatology has developed significantly in recent years, beginning with Elizabeth Kubler-Ross—who provided a strong foundation upon which many others have built—and added to by individuals such as Bowlby and Parkes, Worden, and Wolfelt...to name a few.
In the 1980’s British psychiatrists John Bowlby, MD, and Colin Murray, MD reworked Kubler-Ross’ five stage grieving paradigm into a four stage cyclical grieving process. Those of us suffering a significant loss may successfully cycle through the stages, but then when a memory surfaces or we experience a trigger—a holiday, birthday, anniversary—we reenter the cycle once more. This can occur many times and unexpectedly.
Bowlby and Murray’s Four Phases include:
1. Initial phase: Shock and Disbelief
2. Second phase: Searching and Yearning
3. Third phase: Disorganization and Despair
4. Fourth phase: Rebuilding and Healing
Harvard Medical School psychotherapist and researcher, J. William Worden, PhD, who specializes in terminal illness, suicide and child bereavement, has created a list of four basic tasks for adapting to loss.
These tasks are:
1. Accepting reality of the loss
2. Experiencing the pain of grief
3. Adjusting to an environment in which the deceased is missing
4. Withdrawing emotional energy and investing it into another relationship.
According to Worden, walking through these four basic tasks is what will restore “equilibrium” and complete the cycle of bereavement. It is not necessary that these tasks occur in the order presented. Rather “they can be concurrent, cyclical, or overlapping, and we—the grieving ones—will work on them with much effort until regaining balance.”
Dr. Alan Wolfelt is the founder and director of the Center for Loss and Life Transition (Fr. Collins, CO) and is a well-known grief care provider and educator. He offers a postmodern take on grief: each individual grieves in a manner that is unique to him, and there is therefore little predictability or phases that fairly articulate a universal grieving experience. The griever, as was the case for Kubler-Ross and her team, is the teacher and the support-giver is the learner.
Final Thoughts on Grief
When it comes to grief and it’s affects on human beings, it truly is impossible to institutionalize, categorize and apply common thoughts to every person experiencing a tragic personal loss. There is just no “one shoe fits all” for this deal called grief. As different as each of us is, the ways in which we express our pain and move toward relief, vary even that much more.
For some strange reason, though, we often expect ourselves to grieve as the textbook explains or as a role model, like a parent, instructed us. If we each give a unique expression of our innate talents through work choices—and other examples are in abundance—then, at the very least, we can strongly expect to grieve distinctively.
It does help to hear from grief professionals that there are widespread experiences with sorrow that create common bonds and tie us together. What is still necessary though, according to Darcie D. Sims, co-founder and president of Grief Inc., is to “create a new language for grief…a language that speaks honestly of grief’s pain and crushing despair. We need a language that speaks of the painful promise and of the hope that is cast by the memory of love given and received. We need to create a language of HOPE…” Most importantly, we must learn to be patient with our selves and with each other. Grief is a life-long journey. We may never fully “get over” our losses, but we can rest assuredly that we will be comforted through them. There is an outstanding promise from God that one day our grief will be replaced with never-ending joy. We all have something wonderful to anticipate, and this is the true source of our hope.
"I tell you the truth, you will weep and mourn
while the world rejoices.
You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy.
A woman giving birth to a child has pain
because her time has come;
But when her baby is born she forgets the anguish
because of her joy that a child is born into the world.
So it is with you: Now is your time of grief,
but I will see you again and you will rejoice,
And no one will take away your joy."
John 16:20-22
A Time to Grieve
Grief is a difficult concept to comprehend because—far too simply put—it’s painful. We would prefer for it to pass by as quickly as possible, or better yet, be something more along the lines of a singular response to a loss followed by a short period of sadness. But, truth be told, grief is much more complex than that. It is as diverse as the people who bare it. It takes on many expressions and cannot always be contained in a small box of systematic phases. Rather, “grieving is the entire emotional process of coping with a loss, and can last a very long time.” It hurts.
Grief, according to scripture, is a part of the human experience. We come from the land of broken toys where we wear out, we break and we die. Loss is inevitable in our land, just as labor and delivery are inevitable to a woman full term with child. We labor through a dying process, we die, and then we, according to Christian belief, live again. This place of grieving between death and resurrection is a painful and lonely. Nevertheless, it is part of our journey. Each of us will walk through the “valley of the shadow of death” as we say goodbye to a loved one, and when we ourselves die. Yet, our hope in the midst of unwelcome grief is that our pain will one day carry us to a place of eternal and unquenchable joy…a joy no experience nor person can take from us.
Learning to grieve well is a life-long process, just as is persevering under hardship. Grieving well through a full spectrum of emotions requires gentleness and patience with our selves. We cannot expect pain to simply disappear overnight; it takes time. There is no single answer to our grief; nor is there only one way to grieve. We each process experiences differently. The common denominator though is that every one of us needs support and understanding. Attempting to go at it alone and unprepared will only prolong the process. Grief can be a very lonely road, so we need to know our loved ones are with us. And, it’s helpful to seek out knowledgeable professionals who are able to provide information and definition to our experience. These two positive elements create an environment for us to grieve well.
To clarify, it’s important to note that the terms grief, mourning and bereavement are often used interchangeably; however, each has a different meaning. Grief is one’s inner and personal experience of and response to loss. Mourning is the outward expression of that grief, in addition to cultural and religious customs and rituals surrounding death. Mourning is also defined as the process of adapting to loss and adjusting to the death of a significant person. Bereavement refers to the state of having suffered a loss and to the experiences that follow the death of a loved one. It is the time after a loss during which the person experiences grief and exhibits mourning.
Grief is a “process that occurs over time and involves a wide range of emotions, as well as thoughts, behaviors and physical sensations.” It is normal to feel “a sense of shock, emotional numbness, sadness, despair, anxiety, guilt, loneliness, helplessness, relief and yearning.” Grief affects our entire being. It would not be unusual to think that our terminal news is inaccurate, that it couldn’t possibly be happening. Or, to feel confused, disoriented, have trouble concentrating, or even temporarily think you are “going crazy.” Tightness in the chest and/or throat, nausea, dizziness, fatigue, vulnerability, trouble sleeping, uncomfortable in social settings, irritability, aggressiveness, restlessness, lack of interest in everyday affairs…all of these are very normal responses to a loss.
The Lance Armstrong Foundation, www.livestrong.org, provides an informative perspective on the concept of loss and how it affects our whole persons. Losses impact our physical bodies, our emotions, our relationships and well as, in practical terms, our finances. Such losses are spelled out in the following chart:
Physical Losses
• A part of your body or a body function
• Changes in your ability to have sex
• Energy
• An ability or skill to perform certain activities
• Physical comfort
• Fertility
Emotional Losses
• Sense of security (in your health, in your future)
• Sense of control or independence
• Self-esteem or sense of identity
• Self-confidence
• Goals, hopes or dreams
• Faith or spirituality
• Your sense of life as safe and predictable
• Habits, such as changes in daily routines, or life “the way it used to be”
Social and Relationship Losses
• Relationships with friends, family members or co-workers
• Sexual relationships
• Your ability to have your own biological child
• Loss of certain roles (For example, you can no longer earn money for your family, or you can no longer prepare all of the family meals.)
• Loss of other terminal friends
Financial Losses
• Job or job opportunities
• Financial security
• Insurance
• Ability to work
Throughout the remaining pages of this chapter, we will focus our attention on the term grief as it relates to our inner and personal experiences as patients responding to a terminal diagnosis. It is our hope that these honest, although painful, discussions will enable us to navigate through our final acts of living with dignity, peace and hope.
Elisabeth Kubler-Ross
A handful of researchers over the past 50 years or so have helped to define grief. They have given words to our experience by collecting and categorizing common responses to tragic personal loss…responses that are as innate to human beings as breathing.
Perhaps the most well known thanatologist, Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, in 1969 published a book titled On Death and Dying: What the Dying Have to Teach Doctors, Nurses, Clergy and Their Own Families. The book is a collection of research that Kubler-Ross and four theological students gathered by observing and interviewing terminally ill patients. From this research, she developed a five stage grieving paradigm, which articulates common occurrences of terminally ill patients. It also clearly communicates how other tragic personal losses—the untimely loss of a job, a divorce, drug addiction, etc.—can create instances where grief is present.
After hundreds of conversations with terminally ill people, Kubler-Ross noted five phases of grief that were frequent among the patients:
1. Stage One: Denial and Isolation
2. Stage Two: Anger
3. Stage Three: Bargaining
4. Stage Four: Depression
5. Stage Five Acceptance
These phases, she claimed, do not necessarily occur in the order listed, nor are all of the stages encountered by every patient. However, according to her observations, each patient will at the very least go through two of these stages at some point in his journey. “Often, people will experience several stages in a ‘roller coaster’ effect, switching between two or more stages, returning to one or more several times before working through it.”
Kubler-Ross described these five phases of grief as “coping mechanisms” that commonly overlap as we manage our loss. This process is a highly personal matter; therefore, words such as “you should be over this by now” or “you’re taking too long,” or “you haven’t waited long enough” ought to be cautiously and meticulously avoided. We should never feel pressured to progress through the grieving stages in a set amount of time based upon another’s opinion of what is or is not satisfactory. Instead, we need to hear words of hope—even with a terminal diagnosis—that it is possible to live to our last day with purpose and significance. Such hopefulness is the very thing that will sustain us through prolonged suffering.
The ultimate goal in the grieving process is to move into a place of peaceful acceptance of our terminal condition. This requires energy and labor. By letting go and allowing a shift to take place in our hearts and minds, we will be able redirect our energies from the struggle to survive to our struggle to end well.
Stage One: Denial and Isolation
When we first receive the news that without a miracle we will die, it is quite common to respond with “That’s impossible. You can’t be talking about ME! It cannot be true.” Kubler-Ross terms this universal reaction to devastating news the Denial and Isolation phase. Almost all patients from time to time use denial as a coping mechanism. Just as we do not have the ability to gaze at the sun for long periods without damaging our eyes, we also cannot spend every moment of every day facing death. Denial acts as a shock absorber and provides space for us to gather ourselves so that, in time, we are able to respond appropriately. We all occasionally need a break where we are able to contemplate more cheerful things, to daydream about happier places and unlikely aspirations. It just helps.
While in denial, some of us may put on a happy face to disguise our growing depression. We may briefly talk about our situation, but then abruptly change the subject. Every terminal patient at times needs denial to cope, particularly at the beginning when numbness sets in. Ultimately, though, this numbness will fade and we will begin to recuperate from the shock in order to move towards embracing our diagnosis. It helps to face our fear of death “when it is still miles away” rather than “when it is right in front of the door.”
Stage Two: Anger
Denial for the majority of people will eventually turn into anger. After questioning how this terminal illness is possible, the most natural question to ask next is “Why me?” followed by, “Why couldn’t it have been someone else?”
Anger is usually quite difficult for family members, close friends and health care providers to understand. Such individuals are frequently on the receiving end of our bursts of anger. When released, we direct our anger at the ones closest to us. It sprays out unexpectedly, like a machine gun firing in all directions without a specific target. “This doctor is no good! The treatment isn’t doing what it’s supposed to do! The nurses are lazy! Can’t they see I’m in pain here?” Every little thing makes us want to explode internally and externally for no apparent reason. Everywhere we look, we find aggravations and something to complain about.
No one is perfect. That being said, what we as terminally ill patients need most from our loved ones and caregivers when passing through our struggles with anger, is for them to remember that what we are really angry about is our sickness, not them. We need multitudes of grace because what we’re experiencing is the most difficult battle of our lives. Considerate loved ones will try to put themselves in our shoes for a time, and then perhaps understand the source of our anger. They’d be angry, too, if their plans were permanently interrupted; or, if all of their dreams for the future would never be possible. They’d also be angry if the rest of the world just seemed to carry on without them as if they had already died…but they hadn’t.
We know our anger is often irrational but by allowing us to express it, we will eventually calm down. When we receive kindness, respect and attention we feel understood and significant—still human beings who just happen to be living inside a body with a terminal sickness. Anger is a natural part of our journey.
Stage Three: Bargaining
Anger eventually will give way to a third coping mechanism called bargaining. This stage is helpful because it allows us to temporarily evade reality…but only for short periods of time. Otherwise, if prolonged, bargaining can become unhealthy to our souls. This phase comes after we have told ourselves that it is impossible for us to be terminal and after our bouts with anger…when reality has settled in. In this phase, we are very much like a child bargaining with his parents who have denied a wish. After a couple failed attempts to persuade them to change their minds, a child may rethink his strategy and try another way, such as make promises to change or to do more.
As a patient who uses bargaining, we may say something like, “If God has decided to take me from this earth and he did not respond to my angry pleas, he may be more favorable if I ask nicely.” The rationale becomes a hope that if we enter into some sort of private agreement with God that he will perhaps postpone the inevitable. Bargaining is a tactic we know is farfetched but we do it anyway, hoping to be rewarded for good behavior, granted an extension of life or a few days without pain.
From a spiritual standpoint, bargaining may be a red flag needed to draw attention to unresolved guilt in our lives. Because we view dying through the lenses of a Biblical worldview, sin, we believe, is the root cause of our death. In order to live again, we must confront it through the cross and repentance. Whether we recognize it as such, bargaining conversations with God may actually be pleas for forgiveness, in which case, a prayer like the following just may be of help:
"Jesus, something in me is nudging me to say YES to you. I want to do that. The Bible says that if I declare you as the one in charge of my life—as Lord of my life—then help from heaven will come—that I will be “saved.” I’m so open to that. Jesus, be my Lord—right here, right now, over my current set of circumstances—be my Lord. Forgive me of my sin. Cleanse me from the pursuits that I know are wrong. I surrender to you and welcome you into my life. I am yours!"
By properly addressing matters of the heart where guilt frequently buries itself, many people have been able to pass through quickly or avoid altogether the next phase, which is depression.
Stage Four: Depression
Once we have waited unsuccessfully for an answer to our bargaining pleas, when we have undergone an additional surgery or hospital stay, or when our symptoms intensify and we grow weaker, smiling is more difficult. Denial, anger and bargaining are replaced by “a sense of great loss.”
Depression, according to Elizabeth Kubler-Ross, comes in two packages: reactive depression and preparatory depression. Reactive depression is an immediate response to a past loss. A woman lost her breasts to cancer and wonders if she is as much a woman as prior to surgery. A man lost his leg in a hit-and-run accident and wonders how he will ever function normally again. A woman caring for her ailing husband reenters the workforce and grieves that her children will no longer have her best hours of attention each day. These are all examples of reactive depression—a response to a loss from a past event. The source of reactive depression is usually obvious to a considerate health care provider, friend or family member who takes time to listen. Such a person can help alleviate guilt or wrong thinking that often accompanies depression, by speaking words of objective truth or by doing small practical things to remove one’s need to worry. Elizabeth Kubler-Ross says this about how to respond reactive depression:
Our initial reaction to sad people is usually to try to cheer them up, to tell them not to look at things so grimly or so hopelessly. We encourage them to look at the bright side of life, at all the colorful, positive things around them. This is often an expression of our own needs, our own inability to tolerate a long face over an extended period of time. This can be a useful approach when dealing with the first type of depression in terminally ill patients. It will help such a mother to know that the children play quite happily in the neighbor’s garden since they stay there while their father is at work. It may help a mother to know that they continue to laugh and joke, go to parties, and bring good report cards home form school—all expressions that they function in spite of mother’s absence.
Preparatory depression is different than reactive depression. It “is one which does not occur as a result of a past loss but is taking into account impending losses.” With this kind of depression, the emotions experienced are actually tools that we use to help move us into acceptance. This kind of depression is necessary and has the capacity to spare everyone greeting an impending loss, a tremendous amount of needless suffering.
When in a state of preparatory depression, it is better that our loved ones and health care providers refrain from trying to get us to look for the silver lining in our clouds. This kind of diversion takes us away from contemplating our coming death, which we need to do. Just as it would be considered inappropriate to urge a grieving son or daughter to see the positive in his or her parent’s passing, it is equally inconsiderate to urge a terminally ill patient to focus on the bright side of things. We need this phase of depression to help carry us through the full grieving cycle and on to a place of acceptance.
Preparatory depression is a time when we are grieving the loss of everyone and everything we cherish. By allowing us to express our sadness in the manner in which we choose, the burden becomes lighter for us. We are grateful to those who will be with us, listen to our words or allow us to sit quietly for extended periods of time. When silent, we are processing our experiences internally, so please refrain from trying to cheer us up. Hold our hands, stroke our hair, pray for us and remember we are thinking primarily of the things to come, not necessarily the past. When you respect our wishes, you are helping to prepare us emotionally to die…and this graciousness is a priceless gift.
Stage Five: Acceptance
With support, we will eventually enter into a frame of mind that is neither angry nor depressed about our soon-coming end. Rather, we will have come to terms with the inevitable, and upon expressing our feelings and mourning the loss of everything meaningful in this life our contemplation will give way to what Kubler-Ross describes as “quiet expectation” or acceptance. Achieving this phase of grief is colossal.
Acceptance ought not be mistaken for happiness. If anything, it is a phase devoid of feeling for us. We have labored through the dying process and through the very painful stages of grief, and are now at a point where we’re ready to let go forever. As one patient shared, this is a time of “final rest before the long journey.” Things of this world matter very little now that we have released it all.
More importantly, at this point, focus ought to be redirected to our family members who are now in a position where they need support saying their goodbyes and contemplating life without us. It is very difficult for them to understand how our ease of dying is directly connected to our ability to disengage from significant bonds with those we care about most. This is why acceptance is so difficult for those left behind.
It is often a challenge for our health care providers and loved ones to know when to push us to keep fighting, and when to let us go. Dying wasn’t a part of the original plan, so we naturally resist it. We especially resist when we don’t want to say goodbye or admit defeat. There are those who fight for life until their last breaths. There are others who resign themselves to defeat even before a terminal diagnosis is given. Regardless, the day will eventually visit every one of us…for some, sooner than later. So, when the time does arrive for us to die, if we persist in the denial or anger phases, it will be only that more difficult to die peacefully. Acceptance is a gift from God that brings us back to the place where we first began...resting peacefully and comfortably in his hands.
Others on the Subject
The field of thanatology has developed significantly in recent years, beginning with Elizabeth Kubler-Ross—who provided a strong foundation upon which many others have built—and added to by individuals such as Bowlby and Parkes, Worden, and Wolfelt...to name a few.
In the 1980’s British psychiatrists John Bowlby, MD, and Colin Murray, MD reworked Kubler-Ross’ five stage grieving paradigm into a four stage cyclical grieving process. Those of us suffering a significant loss may successfully cycle through the stages, but then when a memory surfaces or we experience a trigger—a holiday, birthday, anniversary—we reenter the cycle once more. This can occur many times and unexpectedly.
Bowlby and Murray’s Four Phases include:
1. Initial phase: Shock and Disbelief
2. Second phase: Searching and Yearning
3. Third phase: Disorganization and Despair
4. Fourth phase: Rebuilding and Healing
Harvard Medical School psychotherapist and researcher, J. William Worden, PhD, who specializes in terminal illness, suicide and child bereavement, has created a list of four basic tasks for adapting to loss.
These tasks are:
1. Accepting reality of the loss
2. Experiencing the pain of grief
3. Adjusting to an environment in which the deceased is missing
4. Withdrawing emotional energy and investing it into another relationship.
According to Worden, walking through these four basic tasks is what will restore “equilibrium” and complete the cycle of bereavement. It is not necessary that these tasks occur in the order presented. Rather “they can be concurrent, cyclical, or overlapping, and we—the grieving ones—will work on them with much effort until regaining balance.”
Dr. Alan Wolfelt is the founder and director of the Center for Loss and Life Transition (Fr. Collins, CO) and is a well-known grief care provider and educator. He offers a postmodern take on grief: each individual grieves in a manner that is unique to him, and there is therefore little predictability or phases that fairly articulate a universal grieving experience. The griever, as was the case for Kubler-Ross and her team, is the teacher and the support-giver is the learner.
Final Thoughts on Grief
When it comes to grief and it’s affects on human beings, it truly is impossible to institutionalize, categorize and apply common thoughts to every person experiencing a tragic personal loss. There is just no “one shoe fits all” for this deal called grief. As different as each of us is, the ways in which we express our pain and move toward relief, vary even that much more.
For some strange reason, though, we often expect ourselves to grieve as the textbook explains or as a role model, like a parent, instructed us. If we each give a unique expression of our innate talents through work choices—and other examples are in abundance—then, at the very least, we can strongly expect to grieve distinctively.
It does help to hear from grief professionals that there are widespread experiences with sorrow that create common bonds and tie us together. What is still necessary though, according to Darcie D. Sims, co-founder and president of Grief Inc., is to “create a new language for grief…a language that speaks honestly of grief’s pain and crushing despair. We need a language that speaks of the painful promise and of the hope that is cast by the memory of love given and received. We need to create a language of HOPE…” Most importantly, we must learn to be patient with our selves and with each other. Grief is a life-long journey. We may never fully “get over” our losses, but we can rest assuredly that we will be comforted through them. There is an outstanding promise from God that one day our grief will be replaced with never-ending joy. We all have something wonderful to anticipate, and this is the true source of our hope.
The Business Owner: Aerospace and Defense Industry Update
Aerospace and Defense M&A Trends
According to the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), the Aerospace and Defense Industry maintains its competitive edge by continually evolving and focusing on new and expanding technology. Expansion areas include but are not limited to micro/nanotechnology, network-centric warfare, intelligence gathering systems, energy optimized aircraft and equipment systems, and testing of alternative fuel sources for aircrafts. Nanotechnology, for example, in recent years has grown into one of the most well-resourced research fields with funding at over 700% of its 1997 level.
The AIAA reports:
"Active areas of research include nano-devices and -systems, nanoelectronics, nano-manufacturing, nano-materials, and nano-sensors. In addition, there is great interest in the environmental, health and safety aspects of nanotechnology. Current research activities include the ability to combine multiple 'nano' disciplines to create new, synergistic applications of nanotechnology."
Aerospace was specifically identified in the President’s FY04 budget by the U.S. National Nanotechnology Initiative as a field in which nanotechnology has the potential to enable a wealth of innovation, particularly in materials/structures and intelligent bio-nanomaterials.
The pressure for innovation in the Aerospace and Defense Industry increased significantly after 9/11 and during the subsequent wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Of course, a greater focus on national and global security was reflected in US companies as contractors reorganized in order to meet new defense department requirements.
PricewaterhouseCoopers reports that defense deal-making, which was strong during the years following 9/11, actually stalled in 2008 as new market realities became apparent. In 2007, for example, there were 77 private equity deals in the US resulting in a total value of $16 billion. In 2008, there were 31 private equity deals resulting in a mere 2.4 billion total value...a $13.6 billion difference. In 2007, there were seven $1 billion plus deals in the US; in 2008, there was only one—the General Dynamics Corp Jet Aviation deal.
Civil aviation is also took a hit in 2008 as the demand for air travel and air cargo services declined, and jet fuel costs soared in the summer months. Companies such as Boeing and Airbus responded with “modest production cuts” which trickled all the way down the chain of sub-contractors and industry workers.
PwC predicts an even lower year for 2009. Cash flow and reserves is the priority for larger companies, which may leave smaller companies in a bit of trouble, looking for buyers. “Looking forward, concerns about global capacity, cancelled orders, flatter defense spending and technological challenges associated with the manufacture of the new generation of aircraft will influence deal-making.”
Grant Thornton presents a slightly different forecast for the Aerospace and Defense Industry. In fact, it claims that M&A activity was actually strong in 2008 and maintained its position as one of the best performing industries…standing in “stark contrast to U.S. M&A activity as a whole, which declined by a third in volume terms from the prior year.” Overall, according to Thorton, the industry outlook “remains positive” as A&D industry sales grew 2% during the year, which is a new high.
Commercial and military markets showed modest growth in 2008, and sales in 2009 are predicted to increase by 7% “a result of strong backlog, a cautious approach to capacity increases and 2008 sales being depressed by work stoppages at Boeing. Longer term, Boeing remains confident of continued 5% annual growth in air travel.” And, despite reductions expected in defense spending for Iraq, military sales are predicted to increase 4% in 2009 due to a “significant lag between budget cuts and current purchases.”
With conflicting forecasts and uncertainties, perhaps the best advice we can offer our subscribers for the coming months is, as PwC suggests many companies will do, to take on a tempered yet optimistic “wait and see” attitude until concerns have an opportunity to play themselves out. The market will eventually bounce back and as the AIAA claims, the A&D Industry will remain a forerunner globally because of its commitment to research and innovation. Who knows where nanotechnology will carry us in the next decade!
According to the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), the Aerospace and Defense Industry maintains its competitive edge by continually evolving and focusing on new and expanding technology. Expansion areas include but are not limited to micro/nanotechnology, network-centric warfare, intelligence gathering systems, energy optimized aircraft and equipment systems, and testing of alternative fuel sources for aircrafts. Nanotechnology, for example, in recent years has grown into one of the most well-resourced research fields with funding at over 700% of its 1997 level.
The AIAA reports:
"Active areas of research include nano-devices and -systems, nanoelectronics, nano-manufacturing, nano-materials, and nano-sensors. In addition, there is great interest in the environmental, health and safety aspects of nanotechnology. Current research activities include the ability to combine multiple 'nano' disciplines to create new, synergistic applications of nanotechnology."
Aerospace was specifically identified in the President’s FY04 budget by the U.S. National Nanotechnology Initiative as a field in which nanotechnology has the potential to enable a wealth of innovation, particularly in materials/structures and intelligent bio-nanomaterials.
The pressure for innovation in the Aerospace and Defense Industry increased significantly after 9/11 and during the subsequent wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Of course, a greater focus on national and global security was reflected in US companies as contractors reorganized in order to meet new defense department requirements.
PricewaterhouseCoopers reports that defense deal-making, which was strong during the years following 9/11, actually stalled in 2008 as new market realities became apparent. In 2007, for example, there were 77 private equity deals in the US resulting in a total value of $16 billion. In 2008, there were 31 private equity deals resulting in a mere 2.4 billion total value...a $13.6 billion difference. In 2007, there were seven $1 billion plus deals in the US; in 2008, there was only one—the General Dynamics Corp Jet Aviation deal.
Civil aviation is also took a hit in 2008 as the demand for air travel and air cargo services declined, and jet fuel costs soared in the summer months. Companies such as Boeing and Airbus responded with “modest production cuts” which trickled all the way down the chain of sub-contractors and industry workers.
PwC predicts an even lower year for 2009. Cash flow and reserves is the priority for larger companies, which may leave smaller companies in a bit of trouble, looking for buyers. “Looking forward, concerns about global capacity, cancelled orders, flatter defense spending and technological challenges associated with the manufacture of the new generation of aircraft will influence deal-making.”
Grant Thornton presents a slightly different forecast for the Aerospace and Defense Industry. In fact, it claims that M&A activity was actually strong in 2008 and maintained its position as one of the best performing industries…standing in “stark contrast to U.S. M&A activity as a whole, which declined by a third in volume terms from the prior year.” Overall, according to Thorton, the industry outlook “remains positive” as A&D industry sales grew 2% during the year, which is a new high.
Commercial and military markets showed modest growth in 2008, and sales in 2009 are predicted to increase by 7% “a result of strong backlog, a cautious approach to capacity increases and 2008 sales being depressed by work stoppages at Boeing. Longer term, Boeing remains confident of continued 5% annual growth in air travel.” And, despite reductions expected in defense spending for Iraq, military sales are predicted to increase 4% in 2009 due to a “significant lag between budget cuts and current purchases.”
With conflicting forecasts and uncertainties, perhaps the best advice we can offer our subscribers for the coming months is, as PwC suggests many companies will do, to take on a tempered yet optimistic “wait and see” attitude until concerns have an opportunity to play themselves out. The market will eventually bounce back and as the AIAA claims, the A&D Industry will remain a forerunner globally because of its commitment to research and innovation. Who knows where nanotechnology will carry us in the next decade!
The Business Owner: Press Release
The Business Owner
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
David Perkins
Phone: 1.918.493.4900
Email: david@thebusinessowner.com
Website: www.thebusinessowner.com
The Business Owner
Tulsa-Based Award-Winning Business Publication The Business Owner Is Getting a Whole New Look and Feel and Will Soon be Available Electronically Free of Charge
Tulsa, OK, March 16, 2009 – The Business Owner, a multiple award-winning periodical, is getting a fresh new look and feel, and will soon be available in an electronic format Free of Charge to its subscribers. Awards the publication has earned include: 2008 Hermes Creative Award for Best E-Journal and Overall Writing and Publication; 2008 Apex Awards for Excellence in Writing and Best E-Journal; and 2006 US Small Business Administration Oklahoma and Region IV Publication of the Year.
The Business Owner has been in circulation since 1977. It serves as a credible source of relevant information and expert advice that is easy to read and applicable to a wide range of industries and company sizes. It is written with owners in mind—ones who are committed to growth, resistors of the status quo and who are determined to succeed even in economically challenging times. Owners are busy people who need information that is straight-to-the-point and values their time, which the publication does in an outstanding way.
The Business Owner is currently receiving an exciting new facelift, transitioning from a one-way communication tool to an interactive resource where business owners are invited to receive as well as contribute their insight, knowledge and advice on an endless range of business topics. For those who enjoy reading a hard copy of The Business Owner, it will continue to be made available for an annual subscription fee of $299. This version is also undergoing a fantastic redesign and will be printed in four-color, on heavy stock, glossy paper. It’s certainly a publication subscribers will be proud of and look forward to receiving every other month.
The Business Owner will soon have completely new branding and all the currently printed expert advice will be available on a fresh and exciting new website. The site will provide access to a wide range of information in one location and most importantly, when business owners need it. If cash flow is a concern, owners will be able to simply search for cash flow topics and read current and past publications that deal with the subject. Tax season is upon us, so by simply searching for tax advice, owners will have multiple articles on the subject available to them. Subscribers will no longer need to collect stacks of journals and wonder which issue contained the information they need today. All of the articles will now be held in one location: www.thebusinessowner.com.
In addition to a new website, David Perkins is also very excited to introduce a brand new electronic version of The Business Owner which will be made available to its subscribers Free of Charge. Qualifying business owners who subscribe to the periodical will be invited to participate in an online forum. This forum will provide a place for owners to connect with fellow owners, at times offering advice and insight to situations that arise on a day-to-day basis, as well as receive advice from others who have successfully navigated some of the challenges every business owner encounters. Qualifying participants will also be invited to attend monthly hour-long board meetings where they hear from experts on a wide range of topics, and speak to subjects where they have personally achieved success.
For more information, visit www.thebusinessowner.com or contact David Perkins at david@thebusinessowner.com or 918.493.4900.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
David Perkins
Phone: 1.918.493.4900
Email: david@thebusinessowner.com
Website: www.thebusinessowner.com
The Business Owner
Tulsa-Based Award-Winning Business Publication The Business Owner Is Getting a Whole New Look and Feel and Will Soon be Available Electronically Free of Charge
Tulsa, OK, March 16, 2009 – The Business Owner, a multiple award-winning periodical, is getting a fresh new look and feel, and will soon be available in an electronic format Free of Charge to its subscribers. Awards the publication has earned include: 2008 Hermes Creative Award for Best E-Journal and Overall Writing and Publication; 2008 Apex Awards for Excellence in Writing and Best E-Journal; and 2006 US Small Business Administration Oklahoma and Region IV Publication of the Year.
The Business Owner has been in circulation since 1977. It serves as a credible source of relevant information and expert advice that is easy to read and applicable to a wide range of industries and company sizes. It is written with owners in mind—ones who are committed to growth, resistors of the status quo and who are determined to succeed even in economically challenging times. Owners are busy people who need information that is straight-to-the-point and values their time, which the publication does in an outstanding way.
The Business Owner is currently receiving an exciting new facelift, transitioning from a one-way communication tool to an interactive resource where business owners are invited to receive as well as contribute their insight, knowledge and advice on an endless range of business topics. For those who enjoy reading a hard copy of The Business Owner, it will continue to be made available for an annual subscription fee of $299. This version is also undergoing a fantastic redesign and will be printed in four-color, on heavy stock, glossy paper. It’s certainly a publication subscribers will be proud of and look forward to receiving every other month.
The Business Owner will soon have completely new branding and all the currently printed expert advice will be available on a fresh and exciting new website. The site will provide access to a wide range of information in one location and most importantly, when business owners need it. If cash flow is a concern, owners will be able to simply search for cash flow topics and read current and past publications that deal with the subject. Tax season is upon us, so by simply searching for tax advice, owners will have multiple articles on the subject available to them. Subscribers will no longer need to collect stacks of journals and wonder which issue contained the information they need today. All of the articles will now be held in one location: www.thebusinessowner.com.
In addition to a new website, David Perkins is also very excited to introduce a brand new electronic version of The Business Owner which will be made available to its subscribers Free of Charge. Qualifying business owners who subscribe to the periodical will be invited to participate in an online forum. This forum will provide a place for owners to connect with fellow owners, at times offering advice and insight to situations that arise on a day-to-day basis, as well as receive advice from others who have successfully navigated some of the challenges every business owner encounters. Qualifying participants will also be invited to attend monthly hour-long board meetings where they hear from experts on a wide range of topics, and speak to subjects where they have personally achieved success.
For more information, visit www.thebusinessowner.com or contact David Perkins at david@thebusinessowner.com or 918.493.4900.
UMS: Sing for Peace Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Contact:
Kathy Law or Nancy Davis
Phone: 1.918.622.2890
Email: kathy.law@undercroft.org or nancy.davis@undercroft.org
Website: www.undercroft.org
UNDERCROFT MONTESSORI SCHOOL
Tulsa’s Undercroft Montessori School joins 65,000 other Montessori school children worldwide for a “Sing Peace Around the World” in recognition of the United Nations’ International Day of Peace.
Tulsa, OK, September 21, 2009 – On Monday, September 21 at 10:37am, Undercroft Montessori School children, ages 3-14, will join a global wave of Montessori children singing a song titled “Sing Peace Around the World” as participants in the United Nations International Day of Peace. 65,000 Montessori children from 31 nations in different time zones around the globe will lift their voices throughout the 24-hour period of September 21 to provide an example of how it is possible for people of great diversity worldwide to dwell and work together peacefully.
The International Day of Peace was established by the United Nations in 1981 to coincide with the opening of the General Assembly, and was first celebrated in September 1982. In 2002, the General Assembly officially declared September 21 as the permanent date for the International Day of Peace, also known as “Peace Day.” This global holiday provides an opportunity for individuals, organizations and nations to work cooperatively and to perform practical acts of peace on a shared date.
Since its inception, “Peace Day” has grown to include millions of people in all parts of the world, and each year events are organized to commemorate and celebrate this day. Events range in scale from private gatherings to public concerts and forums where hundreds of thousands of people participate. International Day of Peace is also a Day of Ceasefire – personal or political. Undercroft Montessori School is proud to participate in this very important day.
Undercroft Montessori School was founded in 1964 by a group of Tulsa parents seeking the advantages of a Montessori education for their children. Montessori is a child-centered educational method based on principles of child development established by Italian physician and educator, Dr. Maria Montessori (1870-1952). It is characterized by an emphasis on self-directed activity and the use of self-correcting materials in a peaceful environment prepared for the child’s specific level of development. Many of today’s cutting-edge educational initiatives (such as hands-on learning, multi-age classrooms and open classroom environments) mirror the philosophy developed by Dr. Montessori a century ago. Undercroft is Tulsa’s oldest and largest American Montessori Society affiliated school in the area.
For more information, visit www.kathy.law@undercroft.org or contact Kathy Law at 918.622.2890.
###
Contact:
Kathy Law or Nancy Davis
Phone: 1.918.622.2890
Email: kathy.law@undercroft.org or nancy.davis@undercroft.org
Website: www.undercroft.org
UNDERCROFT MONTESSORI SCHOOL
Tulsa’s Undercroft Montessori School joins 65,000 other Montessori school children worldwide for a “Sing Peace Around the World” in recognition of the United Nations’ International Day of Peace.
Tulsa, OK, September 21, 2009 – On Monday, September 21 at 10:37am, Undercroft Montessori School children, ages 3-14, will join a global wave of Montessori children singing a song titled “Sing Peace Around the World” as participants in the United Nations International Day of Peace. 65,000 Montessori children from 31 nations in different time zones around the globe will lift their voices throughout the 24-hour period of September 21 to provide an example of how it is possible for people of great diversity worldwide to dwell and work together peacefully.
The International Day of Peace was established by the United Nations in 1981 to coincide with the opening of the General Assembly, and was first celebrated in September 1982. In 2002, the General Assembly officially declared September 21 as the permanent date for the International Day of Peace, also known as “Peace Day.” This global holiday provides an opportunity for individuals, organizations and nations to work cooperatively and to perform practical acts of peace on a shared date.
Since its inception, “Peace Day” has grown to include millions of people in all parts of the world, and each year events are organized to commemorate and celebrate this day. Events range in scale from private gatherings to public concerts and forums where hundreds of thousands of people participate. International Day of Peace is also a Day of Ceasefire – personal or political. Undercroft Montessori School is proud to participate in this very important day.
Undercroft Montessori School was founded in 1964 by a group of Tulsa parents seeking the advantages of a Montessori education for their children. Montessori is a child-centered educational method based on principles of child development established by Italian physician and educator, Dr. Maria Montessori (1870-1952). It is characterized by an emphasis on self-directed activity and the use of self-correcting materials in a peaceful environment prepared for the child’s specific level of development. Many of today’s cutting-edge educational initiatives (such as hands-on learning, multi-age classrooms and open classroom environments) mirror the philosophy developed by Dr. Montessori a century ago. Undercroft is Tulsa’s oldest and largest American Montessori Society affiliated school in the area.
For more information, visit www.kathy.law@undercroft.org or contact Kathy Law at 918.622.2890.
###
UMS: Personal Reflection Time
*An article I wrote and published in the school's bi-monthly publication.
My family really enjoys taking walks together. It gives us the opportunity to exercise, breathe fresh air and, most importantly, be together without all of the distractions found inside our home—television, computers, dishes, laundry, etc. In the Law house, family days equal time together and most often, time in nature.
I love this quote: How often is the soul of man—especially that of the child—deprived because one does not put him into contact with nature… Maria Montessori (1945). Being in nature and with Mom and Dad, seems to calm my children and draws us closer together as family. We walk and talk…mostly we talk about what we see. My husband is a tree lover and will often have our daughters collect samples of leaves. We observe birds, squirrels, of course dogs on walks with their owners, and every now and again we’ll stumble upon larger mammals such as wild rabbits or armadillos.
Being out in nature is such an enriching experience, but with it also comes risks. As a Mom, I am often most conscious of where my children’s feet are headed and how to keep them safe. One morning this past summer we were walking along a wooded path and our daughter, Arianna, had run ahead of us. As she was skipping and consumed by the moment, she didn’t notice a big bullfrog hurriedly hopping across the path in front of her. And right on his tail was a 5ft long rattlesnake hungry for lunch. Arianna came within a few feet of the snake before she heard our screams and stopped. The rattlesnake spooked, curled up and then retreated into the woods just as we caught up with our child. Let me tell you, my heart had a workout over that encounter! To this day, our youngest daughter will retell the story: “Frog…hop, hop, hop …ssssssssnake…Ari…go away!” It was quite a traumatic moment for our entire family.
As much as I enjoy walking with my family, I also enjoy walking alone in nature. It gives me moments of silence and personal reflection time not often present in a household with small children. Walking alone helps me to re-center and to decompress. Recently, while on a solitary walk, it dawned on me that I rarely raised my eyes from the path. My focus was several feet in front of me and toward the ground…I was unconsciously looking for snakes. The rattlesnake encounter with my children had altered my focus and I didn’t realize it until I had time alone to reflect.
So often this happens to us. Slowing business, a job loss, illness, challenges with our children…the list of stress we face every day is endless. Stressful encounters along our paths tend to alter our focus, drawing our attention downward rather than forward or upwards. We are all in need personal reflection time to redirect our eyes and hearts. Without it, eventually someone will suffer, and those someones are often our children.
In Undercroft’s Middle School classroom a portion of their day is dedicated to personal reflection time. Students are given time to reflect, evaluate their goals and progress, reenergize and redirect their focus. More importantly, they have quiet moments to simply be…and in those moments discover who they are. What a wonderful example! I wonder how personal reflection time and the peace that accompanies it would impact our relationships if we simply made it a priority. And, to do it while in contact nature would make it only that much richer. Just as our vehicles only go as far as they have fuel, we too need fill ups. May each of us somehow find moments in our weeks to refuel through personal reflection time!
Kathy Law
Executive Director
My family really enjoys taking walks together. It gives us the opportunity to exercise, breathe fresh air and, most importantly, be together without all of the distractions found inside our home—television, computers, dishes, laundry, etc. In the Law house, family days equal time together and most often, time in nature.
I love this quote: How often is the soul of man—especially that of the child—deprived because one does not put him into contact with nature… Maria Montessori (1945). Being in nature and with Mom and Dad, seems to calm my children and draws us closer together as family. We walk and talk…mostly we talk about what we see. My husband is a tree lover and will often have our daughters collect samples of leaves. We observe birds, squirrels, of course dogs on walks with their owners, and every now and again we’ll stumble upon larger mammals such as wild rabbits or armadillos.
Being out in nature is such an enriching experience, but with it also comes risks. As a Mom, I am often most conscious of where my children’s feet are headed and how to keep them safe. One morning this past summer we were walking along a wooded path and our daughter, Arianna, had run ahead of us. As she was skipping and consumed by the moment, she didn’t notice a big bullfrog hurriedly hopping across the path in front of her. And right on his tail was a 5ft long rattlesnake hungry for lunch. Arianna came within a few feet of the snake before she heard our screams and stopped. The rattlesnake spooked, curled up and then retreated into the woods just as we caught up with our child. Let me tell you, my heart had a workout over that encounter! To this day, our youngest daughter will retell the story: “Frog…hop, hop, hop …ssssssssnake…Ari…go away!” It was quite a traumatic moment for our entire family.
As much as I enjoy walking with my family, I also enjoy walking alone in nature. It gives me moments of silence and personal reflection time not often present in a household with small children. Walking alone helps me to re-center and to decompress. Recently, while on a solitary walk, it dawned on me that I rarely raised my eyes from the path. My focus was several feet in front of me and toward the ground…I was unconsciously looking for snakes. The rattlesnake encounter with my children had altered my focus and I didn’t realize it until I had time alone to reflect.
So often this happens to us. Slowing business, a job loss, illness, challenges with our children…the list of stress we face every day is endless. Stressful encounters along our paths tend to alter our focus, drawing our attention downward rather than forward or upwards. We are all in need personal reflection time to redirect our eyes and hearts. Without it, eventually someone will suffer, and those someones are often our children.
In Undercroft’s Middle School classroom a portion of their day is dedicated to personal reflection time. Students are given time to reflect, evaluate their goals and progress, reenergize and redirect their focus. More importantly, they have quiet moments to simply be…and in those moments discover who they are. What a wonderful example! I wonder how personal reflection time and the peace that accompanies it would impact our relationships if we simply made it a priority. And, to do it while in contact nature would make it only that much richer. Just as our vehicles only go as far as they have fuel, we too need fill ups. May each of us somehow find moments in our weeks to refuel through personal reflection time!
Kathy Law
Executive Director
UMS: Change, Is It Really All That Bad?
Change: Is it really all that bad?
*An article I wrote and published in the school's bi-monthly publication.
Several years ago my husband and I were in Inner Mongolia, China on a development project, providing educational supplies to meagerly funded rural classrooms. The schools we adopted were in terrible shape. It was not uncommon to walk into uninsulated cinderblock rooms with broken windows, poorly hung blackboards, a few pieces of chalk and old wooden desks. Indoor plumbing was rare in rural schools, which meant that outhouses were a thing of the present, rather than a thing of the past.
Young children who lived too far to travel to and from school each day were able to board in dorms. Dorm conditions were even less desirable than the classrooms—small rooms with bunk beds, shabby blankets and coal burning stoves centrally located to provide heat. One would pray for a bunk in the middle of the dorm. Winter months in Inner Mongolia are bitterly cold and these rooms provided little shield from the elements.
Those in development work will tell you that one really needs to keep his/her sense of humor; otherwise, the conditions can start to get to you…especially when you know the difference. So, when driving from school to school, our team would look for reasons to laugh by telling each other funny stories in broken English (our Chinese partner spoke little English and we spoke even less Chinese).
Our Chinese partner and friend, whom we called John, is one of the most jovial guys we’ve ever met. On one of our long drives in Inner Mongolia, John told us a story that I will never forget. He claimed it was absolutely a true. I wasn’t there when it happened, so I had no choice but to believe him. The story goes something like this:
There was once an elderly Chinese lady from Inner Mongolia who spent the whole of her life growing and selling vegetables at a local market. This elderly lady had a daughter who, when of age, attended a distant boarding school. The elderly lady was very proud of her daughter, but of course, missed her dearly as the two saw each other very little throughout the girl’s youth.
Upon completion of high school, the girl did what all devoted Chinese daughters do—she returned home to care for her mother. The two quickly realized that they did not see eye-to-eye on everything, especially since one had received an education and the other had not. One such discovery came the first summer of the daughter’s return home. As was the custom while in school, the daughter made plans to go to a local bathhouse for her seasonal bath. The daughter had saved a few coins to pay for her mother and herself to bathe after a long winter.
When news came to the elderly lady that her daughter had made arrangements for the two of them to go to the local bathhouse, she immediately began to protest. “I will not go with you…I WILL NOT!” The daughter did not understand and responded by saying, “Well, of course you will, Mother. Everyone does it. Don’t you wish to be clean?” Once more the elderly woman declared adamantly, “I WILL NOT do it…I WILL NOT! One only bathes THREE times in her life—when she is born, when she marries and when she dies. I am NOT GOING TO DIE! I may be old, but I am not dead YET!”
The daughter, equally as stubborn as her mother, devised a scheme. One morning on their way to market, she tricked her mother into going to the bathhouse. When the elderly lady realized where she was, it was too late. Bath attendants were removing her outer clothing until all she had on was her long underwear (even the summers in Inner Mongolia are chilly!). Like an unhappy and protesting child, she fought, kicked and screamed: “You can’t do this to me! STOP! STOP! STOP! You can’t dooooo this to meeeee!”
Before the elderly woman knew it, her bath had ended and she was leaving the bathhouse with her daughter. At first she was very angry with her daughter, but when she finally calmed down, she began to notice how nice her body felt to be clean. “Mother, how do you feel?” asked her daughter. “I feel like a new woman,” she said. Thank you for tricking me into bathing. I wish I had done this years ago!” And, from that summer forward, the elderly woman never missed a seasonal bath…nor the wonderful feeling of being clean. The End.
And the moral of the story? For us, there are two. First, may we never forget how wonderfully blessed we are to have such a beautiful campus where our children are able to attend school. And, secondly, change can actually be a good thing. It may not always feel comfortable at the time, but ultimately, change can bring new beauty and joy to us.
When my daughter first came to Undercroft, driving through carpool and releasing her into the very capable hands of someone other than myself, was one of the hardest things I had ever done. In fact, it was hard every day for a while. Each time she whined, “Mommy, I don’t want to go to school,” for a brief moment, I wondered if I had pushed her to go to school too early. I had to keep reminding myself, “No, Kathy. You made the right decision. She is doing well and is in the very best place. Trust the process.” I am so glad I made that decision (many times over, might I add). It was a major change in our lives that eventually led me to where I am today.
Perhaps you are one of those parents who questions your decision to send your child to a private school. My encouragement to you is to watch and wait. Come to the observation room (or schedule a time in the classroom) and see your child at work. Observe how truly joyful he or she is while immersed in meaningful work, and just how much everyone in classroom community truly matters. I’m confident this will calm your questions just as it did mine.
If we’re honest, few of us enjoy change at the time of it’s happening, but when things are all said and done, often we look back and wonder why all the fuss. Change is like a nice warm bath after a long cold hard-working winter…oh so refreshing and NECESSARY.
Let change do its thing. It may just surprise you.
*An article I wrote and published in the school's bi-monthly publication.
Several years ago my husband and I were in Inner Mongolia, China on a development project, providing educational supplies to meagerly funded rural classrooms. The schools we adopted were in terrible shape. It was not uncommon to walk into uninsulated cinderblock rooms with broken windows, poorly hung blackboards, a few pieces of chalk and old wooden desks. Indoor plumbing was rare in rural schools, which meant that outhouses were a thing of the present, rather than a thing of the past.
Young children who lived too far to travel to and from school each day were able to board in dorms. Dorm conditions were even less desirable than the classrooms—small rooms with bunk beds, shabby blankets and coal burning stoves centrally located to provide heat. One would pray for a bunk in the middle of the dorm. Winter months in Inner Mongolia are bitterly cold and these rooms provided little shield from the elements.
Those in development work will tell you that one really needs to keep his/her sense of humor; otherwise, the conditions can start to get to you…especially when you know the difference. So, when driving from school to school, our team would look for reasons to laugh by telling each other funny stories in broken English (our Chinese partner spoke little English and we spoke even less Chinese).
Our Chinese partner and friend, whom we called John, is one of the most jovial guys we’ve ever met. On one of our long drives in Inner Mongolia, John told us a story that I will never forget. He claimed it was absolutely a true. I wasn’t there when it happened, so I had no choice but to believe him. The story goes something like this:
There was once an elderly Chinese lady from Inner Mongolia who spent the whole of her life growing and selling vegetables at a local market. This elderly lady had a daughter who, when of age, attended a distant boarding school. The elderly lady was very proud of her daughter, but of course, missed her dearly as the two saw each other very little throughout the girl’s youth.
Upon completion of high school, the girl did what all devoted Chinese daughters do—she returned home to care for her mother. The two quickly realized that they did not see eye-to-eye on everything, especially since one had received an education and the other had not. One such discovery came the first summer of the daughter’s return home. As was the custom while in school, the daughter made plans to go to a local bathhouse for her seasonal bath. The daughter had saved a few coins to pay for her mother and herself to bathe after a long winter.
When news came to the elderly lady that her daughter had made arrangements for the two of them to go to the local bathhouse, she immediately began to protest. “I will not go with you…I WILL NOT!” The daughter did not understand and responded by saying, “Well, of course you will, Mother. Everyone does it. Don’t you wish to be clean?” Once more the elderly woman declared adamantly, “I WILL NOT do it…I WILL NOT! One only bathes THREE times in her life—when she is born, when she marries and when she dies. I am NOT GOING TO DIE! I may be old, but I am not dead YET!”
The daughter, equally as stubborn as her mother, devised a scheme. One morning on their way to market, she tricked her mother into going to the bathhouse. When the elderly lady realized where she was, it was too late. Bath attendants were removing her outer clothing until all she had on was her long underwear (even the summers in Inner Mongolia are chilly!). Like an unhappy and protesting child, she fought, kicked and screamed: “You can’t do this to me! STOP! STOP! STOP! You can’t dooooo this to meeeee!”
Before the elderly woman knew it, her bath had ended and she was leaving the bathhouse with her daughter. At first she was very angry with her daughter, but when she finally calmed down, she began to notice how nice her body felt to be clean. “Mother, how do you feel?” asked her daughter. “I feel like a new woman,” she said. Thank you for tricking me into bathing. I wish I had done this years ago!” And, from that summer forward, the elderly woman never missed a seasonal bath…nor the wonderful feeling of being clean. The End.
And the moral of the story? For us, there are two. First, may we never forget how wonderfully blessed we are to have such a beautiful campus where our children are able to attend school. And, secondly, change can actually be a good thing. It may not always feel comfortable at the time, but ultimately, change can bring new beauty and joy to us.
When my daughter first came to Undercroft, driving through carpool and releasing her into the very capable hands of someone other than myself, was one of the hardest things I had ever done. In fact, it was hard every day for a while. Each time she whined, “Mommy, I don’t want to go to school,” for a brief moment, I wondered if I had pushed her to go to school too early. I had to keep reminding myself, “No, Kathy. You made the right decision. She is doing well and is in the very best place. Trust the process.” I am so glad I made that decision (many times over, might I add). It was a major change in our lives that eventually led me to where I am today.
Perhaps you are one of those parents who questions your decision to send your child to a private school. My encouragement to you is to watch and wait. Come to the observation room (or schedule a time in the classroom) and see your child at work. Observe how truly joyful he or she is while immersed in meaningful work, and just how much everyone in classroom community truly matters. I’m confident this will calm your questions just as it did mine.
If we’re honest, few of us enjoy change at the time of it’s happening, but when things are all said and done, often we look back and wonder why all the fuss. Change is like a nice warm bath after a long cold hard-working winter…oh so refreshing and NECESSARY.
Let change do its thing. It may just surprise you.
UMS: Will You Meet Me at the Peace Table, Please?
*An article I wrote and published in the school's bi-monthly publication.
In 1995, a man named Daniel Goleman, Ph.D., authored a book titled Emotional Intelligence. In the book, Goleman explained that one’s emotional intelligence is what he/she draws upon to properly handle feelings (anxiety, anger, fear), empathize with others (put oneself in someone else’s shoes) and to get along well socially (peacefully resolve problems). Emotional intelligence is built upon the acquisition of key relationship skills needed for success in life. It is not necessarily something we are born with; it is something we must learn and acquire through practice.
Studies have shown that children who have strong emotional intelligences are able to focus, take in new information and draw upon their long-term memories more easily than those children who do not. Simply stated, emotional intelligence is a key component to a child’s academic experience, and is a strong indicator of how well he/she will do in school and ultimately in life.
I am very proud that Undercroft is an authentic Montessori School. We provide children a meticulously prepared learning environment and concrete educational tools that form a life-long foundation in math, language and culture. Our Guides truly understand the developmental stages of children and how to tap into their natural interests that typically occur during key sensitive periods in their lives. Academically, Undercroft is top notch.
What we don’t often celebrate, however, is how our children are ever increasing in their emotional intelligences through conflict resolution skills taught in the Undercroft classrooms. Unlike many adults, our children have been given tools that empower them to independently manage their emotions and resolve conflicts that naturally arise when sharing a classroom with other children...tools that make academic achievement possible.
The next time you visit your child’s classroom, I would encourage you to chat with your Guide about Undercroft’s Peace Curriculum and how your child is growing in his/her emotional intelligence through this very important element of our school. At each level, children engage the concept of peace as it is developmentally appropriate for them. Children in Lower Elementary, for example, use the Peace Rose Ritual as a tool to resolve conflicts with their friends.
For those of you who often ask what you can do to bring Montessori into the home, here’s one way:
Choose a quiet location in the home that can be designated as the peace area. If a small table is available, this is a nice element, but not necessary. Purchase a single silk rose that will be a permanent part of the peace space. Have a conversation with your children about the peace area and instruct them to invite one another, including you, into the peace area whenever something is bothering them. Then follow the steps of The Peace Rose Ritual.
The Peace Rose Ritual
1. The child who is asking for a resolution to a conflict begins by holding the peace rose. He/she says the other child’s name, tells what has happened and how he/she feels about what happened. The other child must listen without speaking.
2. When the first child is finished, the second child holds the peace rose and repeats what the first child says. Then the second child says the first child’s name, tells what has happened and how he/she feels. The first child must listen without speaking.
3. The first child takes the peace rose again and repeats what the second child has said. They continue to talk this way, passing the peace rose back and forth and repeating what they’ve heard until a resolution is found.
4. Once a resolution is reached, both children can shake hands as a sign of peace or both hold the peace rose and say, “We have made peace.”
In all of my school experiences, I have never seen such a ritual practiced. In fact, as an adult, it is rare to find other adults with the ability to resolve conflict as effectively as our children do. Perhaps if we make a choice to go directly to the one with whom we have a conflict and use a similar concept as the Peace Rose Ritual, we may sleep easier at night as our troubles are more quickly resolved.
At Undercroft, we value our families. We know you have a choice when it comes to schools, and we greatly appreciate that you have entrusted your precious children to us.
Kathy Law
Executive Director
Thursday, August 21, 2008
World Compassion Terry Law Ministries: April 2007 Newsletter
Writing, editing and working with the designers on newsletters was one of my monthly duties at World Compassion Terry Law Ministries. This is a sample of one such newsletter.
Spring in Afghanistan holds a mysterious beauty for me. Across the Afghan landscape, the cold steel hardness of winter begins to slip away into a whole new moment of life. Even the jagged cliffs of the Hindu Kush seem to soften in the gentle spring rains. It’s a time when Afghans become alive again.
But, it can also be a time of burgeoning violence and unrest. This ancient land has seen its share of war and bloodshed, and tragically, this year is no different. In fact, both NATO forces and the Afghan government have long been gearing up for a brutal spring offensive from Taliban forces desperate to regain control over the heart of this nation.
The Taliban has already struck hard. In fact, you may have heard about the attempted assassination of Vice-President Cheney last month. Media reports stated that a suicide bomber attacked the main gate of a US military base in Kabul, where he was visiting, killing 23 people, including two Americans. It also reported a boasting Taliban calling the mission a success and a real propaganda blow to US forces and the fledgling Afghan government. It has vowed to inflict even more casualties in the coming months.
Standing in their way are freedom-loving nations around the world making tremendous sacrifices to bring peace to Afghanistan. We need to thank God for these troops who willingly sacrifice so much for the hope and peace of many. My travels occasionally put me in contact with these devoted men and women, so I’m well aware of the commitment they make. There can be no doubt that if foreign troops leave Afghanistan, the country will fall into bloody chaos and become a “forgotten war” to many in the West.
Not only are Taliban forces attempting to attack troops, they continue to spread terror among ordinary Afghans. In 2006, Taliban rebels killed at least 41 teachers and students, while security concerns forced 208 schools across Afghanistan to close. In the first week of 2007, insurgents torched a newly built school provided by the UN children’s fund for refugee children in eastern Afghanistan.
Such attacks on innocent Afghans are meant to impede the reconstruction process and perpetuate a mindset of mistrust among Afghans toward their government. Most Afghans (and much of the world for that matter) are unaware that since the Taliban was driven from power, almost 5 million children—a third of them girls—have gone back to school. Twelve thousand villages now have clean drinking water, and almost 4 million refugees have returned home.
Despite the success, strategists believe that more must be done toward the reconstruction and development of Afghan society. It could be the only way to shift an attitude of despair to hope. Merely fighting the Taliban through military force is not enough. There must be true change in the nation’s conscience for peace to thrive.
That’s why World Compassion is there.
Last month, my colleague and friend, Joel Vesanen made a trip to the region to meet our new Afghanistan directors, Ville and Johanna Mannisto. Ville is a gifted musician with strong leadership skills. He has a bachelor’s degree in International Business from Vaasa University in Finland. Johanna has a master’s degree in Elementary Education from Turku University—the oldest university in Finland.
Word of Life in Uppsala, Sweden has commissioned them together to “build the Church in Afghanistan.” Both take this directive to heart. They have a contagious excitement for the job ahead, setting their shoulders to it with all their energy, faith, and strength.
The Body of Christ in Afghanistan has been driven underground because of harsh religious persecution. Officially, the government does not recognize any Christians in Afghanistan. There are 48,000 mosques but not one single church building! In fact, the recent arrest and expulsion of the Afghan man, Abdul Rahman, who confessed publicly that he had converted to Christianity from Islam frightened many new believers, and church attendance has suffered because of it.
Evangelism in any form is strictly prohibited in Afghanistan, so we have had to do our work there differently than in other nations. Over the past five years we have built homes for widows and their children, and are now using them for training centers. These homes are built on a piece of land deeded to us by the elders of a village near Kabul called Qilay Badr Khan. Literacy, English and computer courses are now in full session in the village.
We’re seeing tremendous success with these courses. They’re even beginning to receive significant recognition in Kabul as each year more women and young people receive training. In 2006 we trained 63 students in a nine-month literacy program and 150 students in English and computer courses. Our total number of students for the year was 213 with ages ranging from 9 to 41.
Further away from the capital in a place called Bamiyan, God has given us the opportunity to participate in a project completely led by church planters. We currently teach literacy courses in 20 different villages among the Hazara people throughout the province. Seven of these courses are in forest villages that can only be reached by foot.
The 600 women and young people who benefit from our courses in Bamiyan are overjoyed with the opportunity they have to learn to read. To many, it’s almost like learning to see for the first time. They are now able to read street signs, shop signs, menus, newspapers, and other things we often take for granted. One graduate of the program now works as a health professional, giving injections to patients. Without the training, she never would have had this opportunity. What freedom women are gaining through these wonderful programs!
Most importantly, the church planters working in Bamiyan believe the Hazara people are very open to the Gospel and will soon respond to an invitation to receive Jesus Christ as Savior. They have already shown The Jesus Film and have shared the Gospel with many of those who attend our training sessions. We’ve even heard stories of baptisms happening high in the mountains.
In 2007, World Compassion is firmly committed to continue our support of church planters working in Qilay Bahr Khan and in Bamiyan Province. We believe their ongoing efforts are certain to produce fruit for the Kingdom of God in coming months and years.
Currently, we fund courses for 800 women and young people in three locations—Kabul, Qilay Badr Khan and Bamiyan. Our monthly budget for these courses is $8000 or $10 per student. This year we believe God has given us the opportunity to expand our programs to reach an additional 200 students living in the poorest districts of Kabul.
We know we have the potential to reach more than 1,000 women and young people, but we need your help to do it.
To accomplish our goal of reaching 200 additional women and young people, we are looking for sponsors. $10 per month will sponsor one Afghan woman or young person and give her the opportunity to learn to read and to use a computer. $100 per month will sponsor the education of 10 women or young people. What a tremendous impact this will have—World Compassion can train 200 Afghans for an entire year for $24,000.
For a mere $10 per month, we have the opportunity to make a radical difference in the lives of many Afghan women and young people. Not only are we opening eyes by teaching people to read, but we are also opening the eyes of their hearts to the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
This month and in months to come, will you consider partnering with us in this wonderful opportunity we have in Afghanistan? Will you please join us in bringing Afghans this new message of hope and salvation?
Thank you for your partnership.
Together, we are transforming Afghanistan and the world with the loving touch of Jesus Christ.
Spring in Afghanistan holds a mysterious beauty for me. Across the Afghan landscape, the cold steel hardness of winter begins to slip away into a whole new moment of life. Even the jagged cliffs of the Hindu Kush seem to soften in the gentle spring rains. It’s a time when Afghans become alive again.
But, it can also be a time of burgeoning violence and unrest. This ancient land has seen its share of war and bloodshed, and tragically, this year is no different. In fact, both NATO forces and the Afghan government have long been gearing up for a brutal spring offensive from Taliban forces desperate to regain control over the heart of this nation.
The Taliban has already struck hard. In fact, you may have heard about the attempted assassination of Vice-President Cheney last month. Media reports stated that a suicide bomber attacked the main gate of a US military base in Kabul, where he was visiting, killing 23 people, including two Americans. It also reported a boasting Taliban calling the mission a success and a real propaganda blow to US forces and the fledgling Afghan government. It has vowed to inflict even more casualties in the coming months.
Standing in their way are freedom-loving nations around the world making tremendous sacrifices to bring peace to Afghanistan. We need to thank God for these troops who willingly sacrifice so much for the hope and peace of many. My travels occasionally put me in contact with these devoted men and women, so I’m well aware of the commitment they make. There can be no doubt that if foreign troops leave Afghanistan, the country will fall into bloody chaos and become a “forgotten war” to many in the West.
Not only are Taliban forces attempting to attack troops, they continue to spread terror among ordinary Afghans. In 2006, Taliban rebels killed at least 41 teachers and students, while security concerns forced 208 schools across Afghanistan to close. In the first week of 2007, insurgents torched a newly built school provided by the UN children’s fund for refugee children in eastern Afghanistan.
Such attacks on innocent Afghans are meant to impede the reconstruction process and perpetuate a mindset of mistrust among Afghans toward their government. Most Afghans (and much of the world for that matter) are unaware that since the Taliban was driven from power, almost 5 million children—a third of them girls—have gone back to school. Twelve thousand villages now have clean drinking water, and almost 4 million refugees have returned home.
Despite the success, strategists believe that more must be done toward the reconstruction and development of Afghan society. It could be the only way to shift an attitude of despair to hope. Merely fighting the Taliban through military force is not enough. There must be true change in the nation’s conscience for peace to thrive.
That’s why World Compassion is there.
Last month, my colleague and friend, Joel Vesanen made a trip to the region to meet our new Afghanistan directors, Ville and Johanna Mannisto. Ville is a gifted musician with strong leadership skills. He has a bachelor’s degree in International Business from Vaasa University in Finland. Johanna has a master’s degree in Elementary Education from Turku University—the oldest university in Finland.
Word of Life in Uppsala, Sweden has commissioned them together to “build the Church in Afghanistan.” Both take this directive to heart. They have a contagious excitement for the job ahead, setting their shoulders to it with all their energy, faith, and strength.
The Body of Christ in Afghanistan has been driven underground because of harsh religious persecution. Officially, the government does not recognize any Christians in Afghanistan. There are 48,000 mosques but not one single church building! In fact, the recent arrest and expulsion of the Afghan man, Abdul Rahman, who confessed publicly that he had converted to Christianity from Islam frightened many new believers, and church attendance has suffered because of it.
Evangelism in any form is strictly prohibited in Afghanistan, so we have had to do our work there differently than in other nations. Over the past five years we have built homes for widows and their children, and are now using them for training centers. These homes are built on a piece of land deeded to us by the elders of a village near Kabul called Qilay Badr Khan. Literacy, English and computer courses are now in full session in the village.
We’re seeing tremendous success with these courses. They’re even beginning to receive significant recognition in Kabul as each year more women and young people receive training. In 2006 we trained 63 students in a nine-month literacy program and 150 students in English and computer courses. Our total number of students for the year was 213 with ages ranging from 9 to 41.
Further away from the capital in a place called Bamiyan, God has given us the opportunity to participate in a project completely led by church planters. We currently teach literacy courses in 20 different villages among the Hazara people throughout the province. Seven of these courses are in forest villages that can only be reached by foot.
The 600 women and young people who benefit from our courses in Bamiyan are overjoyed with the opportunity they have to learn to read. To many, it’s almost like learning to see for the first time. They are now able to read street signs, shop signs, menus, newspapers, and other things we often take for granted. One graduate of the program now works as a health professional, giving injections to patients. Without the training, she never would have had this opportunity. What freedom women are gaining through these wonderful programs!
Most importantly, the church planters working in Bamiyan believe the Hazara people are very open to the Gospel and will soon respond to an invitation to receive Jesus Christ as Savior. They have already shown The Jesus Film and have shared the Gospel with many of those who attend our training sessions. We’ve even heard stories of baptisms happening high in the mountains.
In 2007, World Compassion is firmly committed to continue our support of church planters working in Qilay Bahr Khan and in Bamiyan Province. We believe their ongoing efforts are certain to produce fruit for the Kingdom of God in coming months and years.
Currently, we fund courses for 800 women and young people in three locations—Kabul, Qilay Badr Khan and Bamiyan. Our monthly budget for these courses is $8000 or $10 per student. This year we believe God has given us the opportunity to expand our programs to reach an additional 200 students living in the poorest districts of Kabul.
We know we have the potential to reach more than 1,000 women and young people, but we need your help to do it.
To accomplish our goal of reaching 200 additional women and young people, we are looking for sponsors. $10 per month will sponsor one Afghan woman or young person and give her the opportunity to learn to read and to use a computer. $100 per month will sponsor the education of 10 women or young people. What a tremendous impact this will have—World Compassion can train 200 Afghans for an entire year for $24,000.
For a mere $10 per month, we have the opportunity to make a radical difference in the lives of many Afghan women and young people. Not only are we opening eyes by teaching people to read, but we are also opening the eyes of their hearts to the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
This month and in months to come, will you consider partnering with us in this wonderful opportunity we have in Afghanistan? Will you please join us in bringing Afghans this new message of hope and salvation?
Thank you for your partnership.
Together, we are transforming Afghanistan and the world with the loving touch of Jesus Christ.
World Compassion Terry Law Ministries: March 2007 Newsletter
Writing, editing and working with the designers on newsletters was one of my monthly duties at World Compassion Terry Law Ministries. This is a sample of one such newsletter.
I have some wonderful news to share with you. My son, Scot, his wife Kathy and my granddaughter Arianna just returned from an incredible trip to China and brought with them some amazing stories you won’t believe. In this letter, they’ll tell you about their trip and how God is leading our ministry in China this year. It’s a story you don’t want to miss:
Every time we go to China we are amazed by the growth happening at lightning speed. This was our 10th trip to this vast country, and we departed from our normal routine by stopping over for the first few days in Shanghai. Initially, one might be tempted to think Shanghai is a western city—with its sharply dressed business men and women, Times Square Shanghai, beautiful art galleries, all types of cuisine imaginable, and of course, Starbucks (we never thought the Chinese would enjoy anything but chrysanthemum tea!)
It only takes a few days and a few minutes drive outside of this bustling city, however, to quickly realize that initial impressions aren’t always completely accurate. China is a very big country and the lack of privileges such as the opportunity to gather together in communities for worship (apart from the government sanctioned Church) or to print non-government approved books, is often easy to hide from visiting eyes. For Christians living here, however, this is a reality they endure daily.
As you may well know, WCTLM has been involved with the Underground House Church Movements (HCM) in China for more than a decade now. Our goals have remained consistent throughout all of these years—to get God’s Word and other Christian literature into the hands of believers. We began in the early years by smuggling Bibles into the country. This led to many open doors with the HCM’s, particularly its leaders.
They told us of their struggle to disciple the masses of people coming to Christ, many of whom are illiterate, and also their desperate need to train local pastors. They asked us to prayerfully consider helping them locate foundational training materials that simply did not exist for people of the HCM (80% of all believers in China are part of the HCM). They needed our help, and we had to respond.
But, it was no easy task.
This project was unlike any we had ever undertaken as a ministry. However, we knew we had made a promise to these church leaders, and we fully intended on fulfilling it.
It has taken more than ten years to complete our promise, but what we now have to offer the Chinese HCM is a 300-hour discipleship program in Mandarin called ABC (the Audio Bible Curriculum). Over the past several years we have distributed sections of ABC as they were finished; however, it was only this past year that we completed the entire curriculum. Hallelujah!
One dear friend of WCTLM who for the sake of this letter we will call Joel, has lived in China for the past six years and has a passion to see ABC used in all 31 provinces of the nation. He and his staff are responsible for taking ABC to the finish line, and are now creating a tremendous network of distribution channels for us.
In 2006, Joel duplicated 363 complete sets of ABC and registered a total of 300 ABC students in 15 provinces in China. A complete kit of ABC consists of the following:
19 CDs, a CD case, an mp3 player, 16 study books and one instruction manual.
Joel reported to us that our registered ABC students come from many different backgrounds, including future ABC teachers currently living in cities, illiterate minority unreached people groups, university students, farmers, business people, church leaders from all over China, and even newly converted Muslims and Tibetan Buddhists. Politicians represent the only facet of Chinese society not studying ABC today. But, according to Joel, that will also change soon.
Never before have we been so excited about the potential of ABC in China. When Joel told us that newly converted Tibetan Buddhists were studying ABC, we couldn’t believe our ears! He explained that not long ago, he asked for volunteers among a group of ABC Bible school graduates to take the Gospel to Lhasa, Tibet. To his surprise, three young girls boldly raised their hands and offered to go. Later, they made the journey to Tibet, led three Buddhists to Jesus Christ, and are now using ABC materials to disciple them.
ABC has undergone several formatting changes through the years. At first, all of the lessons were recorded onto cassette tape. Then, with the popularity and convenience of CDs, we converted ABC from tape to CD. Now, the most recent format is mp3. As recently as two years ago, one complete ABC curriculum consisted of 300 CDs. Now, all 300 hours of teaching can fit onto 19 CDs in the mp3 format. We imagine our next format will be something similar to an iPod, where the entire audio program is stored on a device smaller than a cell phone. It’s amazing what technology can do!
In Shanghai, a pastor working with young professionals has requested 1,500 sets of ABC. He said that most of his people spend two or more hours a day commuting to and from work, so listening to ABC on their iPod or mp3 player is exactly what they need. He also said that his people are hungry to learn foundational teachings and taking advantage of their commuting time will fit well into their busy schedules. ABC seems to be the perfect way for believers living in cities to grow in their Christian walk.
We have also seen a tremendous increase of Bible schools all over China, which is a fairly recent development (within the past five years or so). Such schools are completely underground and flexible enough to change locations at a moment’s notice, whenever local officials become suspicious of “illegal” activity and come knocking. Because getting effective teaching material is a constant challenge for these types of schools, we have transcribed all of ABC this past year and made this curriculum available to them, not only in audio format, but also in 16 study books.
Joel and his staff are taking quite a risk to distribute ABC. While we were with them, we were unable to visit the office where ABC is duplicated and stored, due to sudden and frequent inspections by local PSB officials. On the first day the officials visited, Joel’s staff had just shipped 240 ABC kits to several provinces while 60 additional kits remained in an upstairs room ready to be shipped the next day. Once the officials left, the staff quickly moved all of the kits to a new storage location and waited several more days before shipping. This is risky business!
Our goal for 2007 is to register an additional 700 students and to provide them complete ABC kits for their study. Each ABC kit costs $84 not including related costs, such as shipping and travel expenses for teachers to follow-up with our registered students.
The following budget represents our 2007 ABC ministry goals and opportunities in China:
700 ABC kits ($84/kit) $58,800
10 full-time teachers to oversee students ($300/month) $36,000
Travel expenses for 10 full-time teachers ($120/month/teacher) $14,400
Rental of one secure storage location for ABC materials $2,760
Monthly support for Joel’s staff ($1200/month) $14,400
Total ABC Budget for ministry expansion in 2007 $126,360
This month, would you consider partnering with us to bring life-changing discipleship materials to the nation of China? The Audio Bible Curriculum is a tremendous tool that has taken years to create and now holds the potential for changing lives all over China. Your gift of $84 today can train and equip a Chinese evangelist for effective ministry for many years to come. What a tremendous life-long investment.
Joel told us that if he had 5,000 copies today, he would have no trouble getting them to believers. Our goal is to distribute 700 sets this year, and with your continued partnership, we can do it! Thank you for standing with us as we change the heart of a nation.
Together we are transforming China with the loving touch of Jesus Christ.
I have some wonderful news to share with you. My son, Scot, his wife Kathy and my granddaughter Arianna just returned from an incredible trip to China and brought with them some amazing stories you won’t believe. In this letter, they’ll tell you about their trip and how God is leading our ministry in China this year. It’s a story you don’t want to miss:
Every time we go to China we are amazed by the growth happening at lightning speed. This was our 10th trip to this vast country, and we departed from our normal routine by stopping over for the first few days in Shanghai. Initially, one might be tempted to think Shanghai is a western city—with its sharply dressed business men and women, Times Square Shanghai, beautiful art galleries, all types of cuisine imaginable, and of course, Starbucks (we never thought the Chinese would enjoy anything but chrysanthemum tea!)
It only takes a few days and a few minutes drive outside of this bustling city, however, to quickly realize that initial impressions aren’t always completely accurate. China is a very big country and the lack of privileges such as the opportunity to gather together in communities for worship (apart from the government sanctioned Church) or to print non-government approved books, is often easy to hide from visiting eyes. For Christians living here, however, this is a reality they endure daily.
As you may well know, WCTLM has been involved with the Underground House Church Movements (HCM) in China for more than a decade now. Our goals have remained consistent throughout all of these years—to get God’s Word and other Christian literature into the hands of believers. We began in the early years by smuggling Bibles into the country. This led to many open doors with the HCM’s, particularly its leaders.
They told us of their struggle to disciple the masses of people coming to Christ, many of whom are illiterate, and also their desperate need to train local pastors. They asked us to prayerfully consider helping them locate foundational training materials that simply did not exist for people of the HCM (80% of all believers in China are part of the HCM). They needed our help, and we had to respond.
But, it was no easy task.
This project was unlike any we had ever undertaken as a ministry. However, we knew we had made a promise to these church leaders, and we fully intended on fulfilling it.
It has taken more than ten years to complete our promise, but what we now have to offer the Chinese HCM is a 300-hour discipleship program in Mandarin called ABC (the Audio Bible Curriculum). Over the past several years we have distributed sections of ABC as they were finished; however, it was only this past year that we completed the entire curriculum. Hallelujah!
One dear friend of WCTLM who for the sake of this letter we will call Joel, has lived in China for the past six years and has a passion to see ABC used in all 31 provinces of the nation. He and his staff are responsible for taking ABC to the finish line, and are now creating a tremendous network of distribution channels for us.
In 2006, Joel duplicated 363 complete sets of ABC and registered a total of 300 ABC students in 15 provinces in China. A complete kit of ABC consists of the following:
19 CDs, a CD case, an mp3 player, 16 study books and one instruction manual.
Joel reported to us that our registered ABC students come from many different backgrounds, including future ABC teachers currently living in cities, illiterate minority unreached people groups, university students, farmers, business people, church leaders from all over China, and even newly converted Muslims and Tibetan Buddhists. Politicians represent the only facet of Chinese society not studying ABC today. But, according to Joel, that will also change soon.
Never before have we been so excited about the potential of ABC in China. When Joel told us that newly converted Tibetan Buddhists were studying ABC, we couldn’t believe our ears! He explained that not long ago, he asked for volunteers among a group of ABC Bible school graduates to take the Gospel to Lhasa, Tibet. To his surprise, three young girls boldly raised their hands and offered to go. Later, they made the journey to Tibet, led three Buddhists to Jesus Christ, and are now using ABC materials to disciple them.
ABC has undergone several formatting changes through the years. At first, all of the lessons were recorded onto cassette tape. Then, with the popularity and convenience of CDs, we converted ABC from tape to CD. Now, the most recent format is mp3. As recently as two years ago, one complete ABC curriculum consisted of 300 CDs. Now, all 300 hours of teaching can fit onto 19 CDs in the mp3 format. We imagine our next format will be something similar to an iPod, where the entire audio program is stored on a device smaller than a cell phone. It’s amazing what technology can do!
In Shanghai, a pastor working with young professionals has requested 1,500 sets of ABC. He said that most of his people spend two or more hours a day commuting to and from work, so listening to ABC on their iPod or mp3 player is exactly what they need. He also said that his people are hungry to learn foundational teachings and taking advantage of their commuting time will fit well into their busy schedules. ABC seems to be the perfect way for believers living in cities to grow in their Christian walk.
We have also seen a tremendous increase of Bible schools all over China, which is a fairly recent development (within the past five years or so). Such schools are completely underground and flexible enough to change locations at a moment’s notice, whenever local officials become suspicious of “illegal” activity and come knocking. Because getting effective teaching material is a constant challenge for these types of schools, we have transcribed all of ABC this past year and made this curriculum available to them, not only in audio format, but also in 16 study books.
Joel and his staff are taking quite a risk to distribute ABC. While we were with them, we were unable to visit the office where ABC is duplicated and stored, due to sudden and frequent inspections by local PSB officials. On the first day the officials visited, Joel’s staff had just shipped 240 ABC kits to several provinces while 60 additional kits remained in an upstairs room ready to be shipped the next day. Once the officials left, the staff quickly moved all of the kits to a new storage location and waited several more days before shipping. This is risky business!
Our goal for 2007 is to register an additional 700 students and to provide them complete ABC kits for their study. Each ABC kit costs $84 not including related costs, such as shipping and travel expenses for teachers to follow-up with our registered students.
The following budget represents our 2007 ABC ministry goals and opportunities in China:
700 ABC kits ($84/kit) $58,800
10 full-time teachers to oversee students ($300/month) $36,000
Travel expenses for 10 full-time teachers ($120/month/teacher) $14,400
Rental of one secure storage location for ABC materials $2,760
Monthly support for Joel’s staff ($1200/month) $14,400
Total ABC Budget for ministry expansion in 2007 $126,360
This month, would you consider partnering with us to bring life-changing discipleship materials to the nation of China? The Audio Bible Curriculum is a tremendous tool that has taken years to create and now holds the potential for changing lives all over China. Your gift of $84 today can train and equip a Chinese evangelist for effective ministry for many years to come. What a tremendous life-long investment.
Joel told us that if he had 5,000 copies today, he would have no trouble getting them to believers. Our goal is to distribute 700 sets this year, and with your continued partnership, we can do it! Thank you for standing with us as we change the heart of a nation.
Together we are transforming China with the loving touch of Jesus Christ.
Kathy Law, Resume
Kathleen R. Law
9949 East 124th Street South
Bixby, Oklahoma 74008
918.760.3160
scotandkathy@hotmail.com
SUMMARY
I have a wide range of valuable writing, editing and research experience. I have contributed to the research and editing of several non-fiction books, written and edited monthly newsletters for donors of a non-profit organization, created compelling content for promotional materials, and sculpted scripts used in video presentations and commercials. I have prepared annual field reports for donors and for use in grant and appropriation proposals. I have also written copy for several program booklets, press releases, and segmented donor correspondence.
As an instructor, I researched, compiled, wrote and implemented two Spanish curriculums and two English Language curriculums. As a volunteer, I wrote a summer program used by Western students tutoring South African students in their core disciplines.
My primary work over the past five years has been the creation of a cross-cultural training curriculum that was translated into Chinese, and is now being used by educators in China. Additionally, I have written and presented various teacher enrichment lectures in Iraq, China and South Africa.
INTRODUCTORY INFORMATION
I hold a Master’s degree in Education and have 13 years of curriculum development experience coupled with 8 years of classroom experience as an English and Spanish instructor. I am a very disciplined, deadline-conscious individual, who through work in the classroom as well as in the non-profit sector has gained considerable knowledge in the subjects of language, geography, history, culture, religion and national and international current events. I am also an avid reader who genuinely enjoys acquiring new information and any writing opportunity.
EDUCATION
Masters of Education, Oral Roberts University May 2002 - April 2004
BA Spanish Education, Oral Roberts University August 1990 - April 1994
Independence High School, Independence, Kansas August 1986 - May1990
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Freelance Writer and Editor January 2008 - Present
Since January of 2008, I have worked part-time as a freelance copywriter and editor. A few of my clients include: Hampton Creative, Don Moen, Ed Gungor and Nexus Imagery.
Manager of Editorial Department
World Compassion Terry Law Ministries June 2002 - December 2007
Supervised the Editorial Department, which included the following responsibilities:
• Compiled and wrote a 1,500 page cross-cultural training curriculum, which was later translated into Chinese.
• Responsible for routinely composing the following items: Monthly partner newsletters, monthly high donor correspondence, specialized communication pieces for segmented mailing list, film scripts, promotional materials, annual reports, and grant and appropriation proposals.
• Wrote and/or edited content for ministry website.
• Wrote and/or edited more than 5,000 pages of material during tenure.
Additional responsibilities outside of the Editorial Department:
• Director of Education and Women’s Services
• Director of China Operations
• International Operations Team Member/Leader
Spanish Instructor
Monte Cassino Elementary School August 1999 - May 2002
• Lead Spanish Instructor for Kindergarten through 4th Grade
• Oversaw the writing and implementation of a new Spanish curriculum for all students.
English Instructor
Sekolah Pelita Harapan, Jakarta, Indonesia July 1997 - June 1999
• Compiled, wrote and implemented a new English curriculum for grades 5-8
• Responsible for teaching English as a Second Language to grades 5-12
• Conducted English Language tutoring sessions for students
Spanish Instructor
Victory Christian School August 1994 - May 1997
• Compiled, wrote and implemented a new curriculum for all Spanish courses
• Secondary Spanish Instructor for levels I, II, III and IV
INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE
World Compassion Terry Law Ministries June 2002 - December 2007
Team Member/Leader in Afghanistan, China, Iraq, Thailand, India, Indonesia, Nepal and Bhutan
Teen Mania Ministries Summer Volunteer June 1994 - July 2001
Team Leader/Project Director in South Africa, Guatemala, Eastern Europe, Albania, India and Mexico
Oral Roberts University Summer Study Abroad Program in Spain and France June 1990
People to People International Student Ambassador to Russia July 1989
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SEMINARS AND MEMBERSHIP
• Executive Course in Volunteer Ministry Development, Colorado Springs
• China Challenge Seminars in Minneapolis, Los Angeles, Atlanta and Colorado Springs
• Integrated Thematic Instruction Seminars, Tulsa
• Oral Roberts University Educational Fellowship, Tulsa
GENERAL SKILLS
Three years ago, I converted from PC to MAC and have never looked back. I am quite proficient in Word, Excel, and Photoshop and have some experience with Quark. Navigating the Internet as a means of research and communication is no problem for me, and is something I do everyday.
Additionally, I am able to speak and write fluently in Spanish, and have had limited exposure to French, Indonesian, Chinese and Arabic languages during my travels and work abroad. I am an experienced team member and leader, and am naturally organized, detailed and excellent with logistics.
INTERESTS
Health and nutrition, exercise, food, gardening, theatre, movies, sports, travel, history, culture, world religions and current events are all topics I thoroughly enjoy.
9949 East 124th Street South
Bixby, Oklahoma 74008
918.760.3160
scotandkathy@hotmail.com
SUMMARY
I have a wide range of valuable writing, editing and research experience. I have contributed to the research and editing of several non-fiction books, written and edited monthly newsletters for donors of a non-profit organization, created compelling content for promotional materials, and sculpted scripts used in video presentations and commercials. I have prepared annual field reports for donors and for use in grant and appropriation proposals. I have also written copy for several program booklets, press releases, and segmented donor correspondence.
As an instructor, I researched, compiled, wrote and implemented two Spanish curriculums and two English Language curriculums. As a volunteer, I wrote a summer program used by Western students tutoring South African students in their core disciplines.
My primary work over the past five years has been the creation of a cross-cultural training curriculum that was translated into Chinese, and is now being used by educators in China. Additionally, I have written and presented various teacher enrichment lectures in Iraq, China and South Africa.
INTRODUCTORY INFORMATION
I hold a Master’s degree in Education and have 13 years of curriculum development experience coupled with 8 years of classroom experience as an English and Spanish instructor. I am a very disciplined, deadline-conscious individual, who through work in the classroom as well as in the non-profit sector has gained considerable knowledge in the subjects of language, geography, history, culture, religion and national and international current events. I am also an avid reader who genuinely enjoys acquiring new information and any writing opportunity.
EDUCATION
Masters of Education, Oral Roberts University May 2002 - April 2004
BA Spanish Education, Oral Roberts University August 1990 - April 1994
Independence High School, Independence, Kansas August 1986 - May1990
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Freelance Writer and Editor January 2008 - Present
Since January of 2008, I have worked part-time as a freelance copywriter and editor. A few of my clients include: Hampton Creative, Don Moen, Ed Gungor and Nexus Imagery.
Manager of Editorial Department
World Compassion Terry Law Ministries June 2002 - December 2007
Supervised the Editorial Department, which included the following responsibilities:
• Compiled and wrote a 1,500 page cross-cultural training curriculum, which was later translated into Chinese.
• Responsible for routinely composing the following items: Monthly partner newsletters, monthly high donor correspondence, specialized communication pieces for segmented mailing list, film scripts, promotional materials, annual reports, and grant and appropriation proposals.
• Wrote and/or edited content for ministry website.
• Wrote and/or edited more than 5,000 pages of material during tenure.
Additional responsibilities outside of the Editorial Department:
• Director of Education and Women’s Services
• Director of China Operations
• International Operations Team Member/Leader
Spanish Instructor
Monte Cassino Elementary School August 1999 - May 2002
• Lead Spanish Instructor for Kindergarten through 4th Grade
• Oversaw the writing and implementation of a new Spanish curriculum for all students.
English Instructor
Sekolah Pelita Harapan, Jakarta, Indonesia July 1997 - June 1999
• Compiled, wrote and implemented a new English curriculum for grades 5-8
• Responsible for teaching English as a Second Language to grades 5-12
• Conducted English Language tutoring sessions for students
Spanish Instructor
Victory Christian School August 1994 - May 1997
• Compiled, wrote and implemented a new curriculum for all Spanish courses
• Secondary Spanish Instructor for levels I, II, III and IV
INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE
World Compassion Terry Law Ministries June 2002 - December 2007
Team Member/Leader in Afghanistan, China, Iraq, Thailand, India, Indonesia, Nepal and Bhutan
Teen Mania Ministries Summer Volunteer June 1994 - July 2001
Team Leader/Project Director in South Africa, Guatemala, Eastern Europe, Albania, India and Mexico
Oral Roberts University Summer Study Abroad Program in Spain and France June 1990
People to People International Student Ambassador to Russia July 1989
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SEMINARS AND MEMBERSHIP
• Executive Course in Volunteer Ministry Development, Colorado Springs
• China Challenge Seminars in Minneapolis, Los Angeles, Atlanta and Colorado Springs
• Integrated Thematic Instruction Seminars, Tulsa
• Oral Roberts University Educational Fellowship, Tulsa
GENERAL SKILLS
Three years ago, I converted from PC to MAC and have never looked back. I am quite proficient in Word, Excel, and Photoshop and have some experience with Quark. Navigating the Internet as a means of research and communication is no problem for me, and is something I do everyday.
Additionally, I am able to speak and write fluently in Spanish, and have had limited exposure to French, Indonesian, Chinese and Arabic languages during my travels and work abroad. I am an experienced team member and leader, and am naturally organized, detailed and excellent with logistics.
INTERESTS
Health and nutrition, exercise, food, gardening, theatre, movies, sports, travel, history, culture, world religions and current events are all topics I thoroughly enjoy.
World Compassion Terry Law Ministries: China Mission School
The following is an overview of the 1,500 missionary training curriculum I have spent five years researching, compiling, writing, editing and overseeing the translation. Included are course summaries, module summaries and module outlines.
China Mission School
Program Overview
Course One: World Missions
In the Garden of Eden, God demonstrated His missionary heart when He sought Adam and Eve after the Fall, calling out, “Where are you?” Though some say Paul was the first missionary, missions really began with God, and it continues today through His Church.
We live in an exciting time for missions, because there are more people on the Earth today than have ever lived before. However, modern tools make these people more accessible than they have been in the past, enabling the missionary of today to cross the globe to witness of the saving love of Jesus Christ to the people of far away lands.
Many missionaries have given their lives for the spread of the Gospel, though not all of them died. In laying down their lives for Christ, however, they found something better. Many left behind the comforts and conveniences of home as well as family and friends to share the love of God with others, setting aside what they knew to take up the call. They crossed rivers and valleys, mountains and deserts, suffered from diseases, and endured without—all for the sake of individuals who, without a preacher, would not know the Good News about Christ.
In this course, we seek to cover missions work’s generalities, the history and philosophy behind it, and the types of people to whom missionaries reach out. It is our prayer that the knowledge within this course will enrich your life and build a foundation of learning for every successive lesson hereafter.
Module One Summary: Introduction to Missions
When Adam and Eve sinned, they immediately hid from God. He, in turn, came into the Garden calling out, “Where are you?” Missions began with God and it continues today through the Church. This module primarily studies the biblical foundation for all missionary endeavors. It also covers topics such as missionary motivations of the heart, stages of services, strategy, and how to relate compassionately to lost people.
Module One Lesson Outline: Introduction to Missions
1. God: The Source of Missions
2. Jesus Christ: The Message of Missions
3. The Holy Spirit: The Power of Missions
4. The Church: The Vessel of Missions
5. The World: The Target of Missions
6. Who will be a Missionary? God’s Will for Reaching the Lost
7. Missionary Motivations of the Heart: A Personal Reflection
8. Stages of Missionary Service
9. Personally and Compassionately Relating to the Lost: Identification verses Withdrawal
10. Sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ Cross-Culturally: The Nature of Cross-Cultural Communications
11. Planning for the Future: The Role of Strategy in Missions
12. Planting New Churches: The First Task of Missionary Work
13. Nurturing New Believers: The Second Task of Missionary Work
14. Training Leaders: The Third Task of Missionary Work
15. Building Responsible Churches: Establishment of Spiritually and Materially Independent Churches
Module Two Summary: The History and Philosophy of Missions
Why is it that men and women willingly sacrifice their own lives to be missionaries? Why were men such as William Cary willing to defy their leaders who said, “When God chooses to win the heathen, He will do it without your help or ours”? History is filled with stories of inspiration, nuggets of truth and words of priceless wisdom from those who have taken the missionary journey. This second module of CMS introduces the missionary to these stories and describes how willing men and women of God touched many lives through their obedience.
Module Two Lesson Outline: The History and Philosophy of Missions
1. The Apostle Paul and the Missionary Task by Arthur Glasser
2. Church History Part I
3. Church History Part II
4. Church History Part III
5. Four Men, Three Eras, Two Transitions: Modern Missions by Ralph Winter
6. Who (Really) was William Carey? by Vishal and Ruth Mangalwadi
7. The Obligation of Christians to Use Means for the Conversion of the Heathens by William Carey
8. The Call to Service by J. Hudson Taylor
9. China’s Spiritual Needs and Claims by J. Hudson Taylor
10. Tribes, Tongues and Translators by Cameron Townsend
11. Learner, Trader, Story Teller by Donald Larson
12. Redemptive Analogy by Don Richardson
13. Women in Mission by Marguerite Kraft and Meg Crossman
14. If I Perish by Brother Andrew
15. Ten Reasons Why I Am A World Christian by Terry Law
16. The Lausanne Covenant
Module Three Summary: The World and its People
When Paul began his missionary journeys, there were two things that significantly contributed to the rapid spread of the Gospel: a common language and a very sophisticated system of roads and maps for easy travel. As missionaries we need to know as much about the world as possible, so that like Paul, we can use modern technology and conveniences to ignite a rapid spread of the Gospel throughout the earth. This third module is an introduction to the biblical concept of nations or people groups. It includes topics such as the 10/40 Window and a brief study of the continents and people groups of the world.
Module Three Lesson Outline: The World and Its People
1. The Nations I: A Biblical Perspective of the Nations
2. The Nations II: God’s Redemptive Plan for the Nations Fulfilled in Jesus Christ
3. The Nations III: God’s Blessing for the Nations: A Fulfillment of His Promise to Abraham
4. The 10/40 Window
5. The Continent of Asia
6. The Continent of Africa
7. The Continent of Europe
8. The Continent of North America
9. The Continent of South America
10. The Continent of Australia
Course Two: World Religions
We live in a diverse world. In fact, new religions and philosophies seem to be born every minute. In most of these man-inspired religions truth becomes a relative and sometimes rather confusing thing. Many misguided worldviews declare that there are many paths to God and certainly no absolute rules to moral conduct. While others only focus on these absolute rules and disregard man’s personal relationship with God.
For Christians, Jesus Christ represents the absolute truth and the only way to God, yet He is also our personal savior. Certainly, our belief in and love of Christ colors our entire worldview. But, it is also essential, that we understand the worldviews of those around us. When we understand the mindset of others, we leap over the largest barrier that keeps us from establishing a relationship and ultimately sharing God’s message of hope with them.
This course focuses on worldview and the four major religions of the unreached world: Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Judaism. These four represent many of the false worldviews that missionaries are sure to encounter. The missionary must seek to understand these worldviews, but he must also remember his purpose—to share the Good News. He must reveal to them that God longs to open the doors for all people to come into His eternal family; and that He has also made a new way for them to find forgiveness, healing, and permanent acceptance into the family of God through Jesus. This good news is based on grace, not birthright or the deeds of men.
Within these lessons, the student will come to understand the history and beliefs of these religions as well as the vast spiritual problems attached to them. He will come to know the unique quality of the people, their hunger for spiritual truth, and their similarities (and differences) with Christians. These lessons will also encourage missionaries to build bridges between themselves and others of different faiths so that, in time, they may reveal Christ as the sole fulfillment of their long spiritual search for God.
Module One Summary: Worldview
Whether we realize it, each of us has a worldview. Our families, cultures, religions, and personal experiences shape and form our worldviews. As missionaries, we must be aware of the effect worldviews have on people and how they often hinder the Gospel. This module teaches us how to recognize false worldviews, and most importantly, how to clearly articulate our biblical worldview to others.
Module One Lesson Outline: Worldview
1. What is a Worldview?
2. How Does Worldview Affect a Person’s Life?
3. What is Your Worldview?
4. How Does Worldview Influence Communities?
5. How Do Worldviews Differ?
6. Who is God? A Biblical Understanding of God Part I
7. Who is God? A Biblical Understanding of God Part II
8. What is Truth?
9. How Did the World Come to Be?
10. What is the Nature of Man?
11. What is the Meaning of Time?
12. What Will Happen to Those Who Do Not Have a Biblical Worldview?
13. Who is Satan?
14. How Does One Change His Worldview?
Module Two Summary: Islam
God wants each of us to be a part of his eternal family. He has made a way for people of all nations to find forgiveness, healing, and permanent acceptance into His family through Jesus Christ. This acceptance is no longer based on birthright or the deeds of men but rather on grace and one’s willingness to receive it. God longs to heal the hearts of Muslims along with all lost people groups of the world. This module will help explain the history Islam, Islamic culture and how to witness to Muslims, so those who are called to serve Muslim peoples will have the knowledge necessary to win them to Christ.
Module Two Lesson Outline: Islam
1. Introduction to Islam
2. Spiritual Authority in Islam
3. Two Majority Stumbling Blocks
4. Sin and Salvation in Islam
5. History of Islam, Part I
6. History of Islam, Part II
7. How to Work With Muslims, Part I
8. How to Work With Muslims, Part II
9. How to Work With Muslims, Part III
Module Three Summary: Hinduism
Inherent within the Hindu religion is a psychology of failure that permeates the Indian society. Throughout this module on Hinduism, the student will come to understand the history and beliefs of the religion as well as the various problems that often lead to a sense of desperation in the hearts of the Hindu people. Hindus have a unique capacity for understanding profound and complex spiritual ideas. Missionaries must help them see past their conflicting beliefs and find complete knowledge and revelation through Jesus Christ.
Module Lesson Outline: Hinduism
1. History of Hinduism, Part I
2. History of Hinduism, Part II
3. Beliefs and Practices of Hinduism
4. Hindu Gods
5. Literature of Hinduism
6. Fulfillment of the Vedic Quest through Jesus Christ
Module Four Summary: Buddhism
Today we live in a world of religious diversity, where people of differing beliefs live side by side. We cannot escape this fact. If we are to reach Buddhists with the Gospel, we must first start where they are (how they live and what they believe) and build bridges to Christ from there. This course will help the student understand the history and beliefs of Buddhism. It will also explain the differences between the teachings of Buddhism and the teachings of the Bible, as well as suggest effective and diverse ways of sharing Christ with a Buddhist.
Module Four Lesson Outline: Buddhism
1. 21st Century Buddhism
2. Historical Background of Buddhism
3. Core Beliefs of Buddhism
4. The Expansion of Buddhism
5. Christianity and Buddhism: Contrasts in Concepts
6. Social/Religious/Racial Identity with Buddhism
7. Blessing the Buddhist World through Prayer
8. Witnessing in Practical Ways to Buddhists
Module Five Summary: Judaism
The Bible instructs us on how we should view the Jewish people. This module discusses the history of the Jews, their desire to return to Israel and the obstacles they have encountered along their journey. It also discusses God’s hope for the Jewish people to come to the knowledge of His Son, Jesus Christ.
Module Five Lesson Outline: Judaism
1. The Biblical History of the Jewish People
2. Who are the Jews?
3. Jewish Beliefs
4. A Fulfillment of Prophecy
5. The British Administration of Palestine
6. A Time of War
7. The State of Israel
8. The Peace Process
9. Salvation for the Jews
Course Three: Missionary Skills
God Himself loves variety and diversity. Like Him, we should honor all of God’s creation especially in regards to other cultures. If we truly love all people like God, then we will seek to understand them. To do this, we must be willing to put aside our way of doing things in order to be effective in communicating the love of Christ and the message of the Gospel. Part of this act of self-denial involves putting ourselves out on a limb. When we learn about a new culture, particularly that culture’s language, we become vulnerable as human beings. This makes us real and sincere before the people we are trying to win to Christ.
Missionaries are very limited in their ministry if they only minister to those who know their language. If they accept God’s global call to missions on their life, then they will seek to communicate with others in their native tongue. Language learning is ministry and can help one create relationships and open doors for witnessing to others. When the doors are open, people are more willing to listen to God’s message of hope for them.
One of the most essential part of mission’s work is planting churches. In Matthew 16:18, Jesus said, “…I will build my church and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.” As we go forward in ministry, we must understand that for the Kingdom of God to advance in this world, the local church must be established in every community.
Our goal as missionaries should be to spread the Gospel of Christ throughout the nations by developing sound leaders and thriving churches. It is not enough to be mere social workers; we must move the people to repent and confess Christ as Savior and Lord.
The missionary’s ultimate goal is a limited one: to win new souls to Christ. How he does this is up to him. But to become the most effective witness for the Gospel, he must learn how to enteract with the people to whom he is sent. In this endeavor, he will need some rather essential skills to help him along the way. This course will discuss the skills that all effective missionaries must cultivate, detailed in the following modules: Cross Cultural Communications, Language Acquisition, Church Planting Strategies, and Christian Leadership. Indeed, a sincere heart is not enough to win others to Christ. We must also have a strategy to do it. With God’s grace, what you learn in these lessons will give you the practical side of mission’s work along with some valuable knowledge that one can only get from others’ experiences.
Module One Summary: Cross Cultural Communications
God Himself is the author of cultural diversity. His plan from the beginning was that people would be fruitful and multiply throughout the earth. This module encourages missionaries to acknowledge their need to change and adapt when living in a new culture, in order to effectively communicate the love of Christ and the message of the Gospel. In this module, we will learn to be effective cross-cultural communicators by putting down our prejudice, ethnocentrism, and cultural pride. We will also learn to approach new cultures as learners and servants, sensitive to cultural differences and eager to communicate with the people.
Module One Lesson Outline: Cross Cultural Communications
1. Foundations of Cross Cultural Communication
2. Beliefs about Culture and Ministry
3. Communication
4. What is Culture? Part I
5. What is Culture? Part II
6. What is Culture? Part III
7. What is Culture? Part IV
8. What is Culture? Part V
9. Understanding Your Own Culture
10. Ethnocentrism
11. Freedom from Ethnocentrism
12. Cultural Adjustment, Part I
13. Cultural Adjustment, Part II
14. Conclusion
Module Two Summary: Language Acquisition
Some missionaries try to minister through the use of an interpreter or limit ministry to those who speak their language. However, if missionaries truly want to see the body of Christ established among the unreached peoples of the earth, then they must learn to communicate in the heart language of the people God calls them to serve. This module will introduce simple steps to learning a new language, as well as why and how language learning is ministry. The language learning process itself is often what establishes a missionary’s place in a foreign community and opens many doors for the Gospel.
Module Two Lesson Outline: Language Acquisition
1. Introduction to the Course
2. Language Acquisition
3. Becoming a Language Learner
4. What Language Learners Do
5. Language Learning as Ministry
6. The Daily Lesson Plan
7. Numbers and Transport
8. Shopping
9. Pronunciation
10. Questions and Answers
Module Three Summary: Church Planting Strategies
Planting churches is the most critical part of fulfilling the Great Commission. In Matthew 16:18, Jesus said, “…I will build my church and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.” As we go forward in ministry, we must understand that for the Kingdom of God to advance in this world, the local church must be established in every community.
Our goal as church planters is to spread the Gospel message throughout the nations of the earth and to make true disciples of Jesus Christ.
Module Three Lesson Outline: Church Planting Strategies
1. God’s Purpose for His Church
2. God Calls Us to Join Hands with Him & One Another in His Work
3. Be A Disciple to Make Disciples
4. Lift Up Your Eyes, Look at the Fields
5. Look for Bridges, Pray for the Harvest
6. Go Out in Dependence on God
7. Look for People of Peace
8. What to Do with a New Believer
9. Prayer, the Word, Baptism & the Church
10. Baptism in the Holy Spirit, Sharing Good News
11. Two or Three Gathered in His Name—The Church
12. Leadership, Transformation and Commitment
Module Four Summary: Christian Leadership
Jesus Christ is the Christian’s ultimate example of leadership. As a leader, He corrected and encouraged His disciples in their faith. To be effective leaders, we must be intimately familiar with Christ’s model of leadership. In this module, we begin by discussing basic leadership principles. Then, we move into more advanced material to prepare you to teach others how to remain intimate with Jesus Christ as they grow in leadership responsibilities.
Module Four Lesson Outline: Christian Leadership
1. What is Leadership?
2. Why Do People Follow You?
3. The Five-Element Module
4. Christ in the Life of a Leader
5. Community in the Life of a Leader
6. Character in the Life of a Leader
7. Calling in the Life of a Leader
8. Competencies in the Life of a Leader
9. What Do Leaders Do? Part I
10. What Do Leaders Do? Part II
11. What Do Leaders Do? Part III
12. What Do Leaders Do? Part IV
13. What Do Leaders Do? Part V
14. Building Leaders, Part I
15. Building Leaders, Part II
16. Building Leaders, Part III
17. Building Leaders, Part IV
18. Building Leaders, Part V
19. Building Leaders, Part VI
20. Building Leaders, Part VII
Course Four: Discipleship
Experienced leaders father disciples. Just as we desire spiritual leaders to mentor us so we can grow from their walk with God and experiences, we too must in turn love people while they are still sinners. We must let them see God’s change in our lives and then show them how they too can experience this new life.
The people we seek to disciple are in bondage to their sins before they come to the Lord, yet they have been born into their life of sin and know nothing else. They often have no concept of the freedom awaiting them in Christ. As we disciple the lost souls around us, we must first ensure that these people have experienced the life-changing power of new life through Christ Jesus to free them from their past and sinful existence.
Just as we are concerned with the growth and discipleship of those to whom we seek to minister, we must not neglect our families. Our children often see the truth of our Christian lives more clearly than those to whom we minister, and we must not overlook their relationship with Christ or the importance of our family lives. We must look only as far as a man of God with children not living for Him to understand the consequences of neglecting our families. We may save souls abroad, but what of those at home?
Really, without the Holy Spirit inside of us and without a healthy spiritual life, we are unequipped to disciple anyone—our families or others. Even healthy Christian walks can drift away from Christ if we ignore them. Learning to feed ourselves on the Word and understanding the basic tenants of Christianity is vital for a missionary to continue God’s work among the lost. When we disciple others, we must remember where our model ultimately comes from—Jesus Christ. We must look to Him continually, learning and growing as He disciples us. Without Him, we will lack the oil that keeps our own lamps burning brightly. And if we lack God’s fire in our lives, how will others see it and desire it as well? Join us in this course as we consider both the practical and the spiritual aspects of discipleship.
Module One Summary: Making Disciples
Disciples are not made through lessons and programs. They are spiritually fathered. Classes and lessons are useful to a point; however, God wants more. He desires to have sons and daughters. This course is not designed to teach you methods, but to help you live the kind of life that new believers will want to imitate. Making disciples is primarily a matter of loving people while they are still sinners, letting them see the fruit of God’s Spirit in your life, and inviting them to join you.
Module One Lesson Outline: Making Disciples
1. The Importance of Fathers and Mothers
2. Teach Them to Love God
3. Teach Them to Love Their Families
4. Teach Them to Love Christ’s Church
5. Teach Them to Love God’s Will
6. Teach Them to Love God’s Judgment
7. Teach Them to Love God’s World
Module Two Summary: Freedom in Christ
Many people, even sincere followers of Jesus Christ, live in bondage and never move into a level of freedom that God longs to give His children. This module reveals from a biblical perspective our identity in Christ and describes how He desires to heal our damaged emotions. Through these lessons, the student will learn how to bring life to those bound by sin and set them free through the power of Jesus Christ.
Module Two Lesson Outline: Freedom in Christ
1. Our Identity in Christ
2. Healing Damaged Emotions
3. Steps to Freedom in Christ, Part I
4. Steps to Freedom in Christ, Part II
Module Three Summary: Marriage and Family
As surely as God provides for our needs, we also must care for the needs of our families. To do this, they must be a top priority, even above the demands of ministry. Children who see this example in their parents grow up to be devoted parents and followers of Christ themselves. This module encourages believers, particularly those called to some form of full time Christian service, to put their God first, their families second, and ministry third.
Module Three Lesson Outline: Marriage and Family
1. Salvation and Call to Ministry
2. The Covenant of Marriage
3. Spiritual Successors
4. Training Our Children to Hear the Voice of God
5. The Power of Our Words
Module Four Summary: Personal Spiritual Development
Before any missionary can attempt to lead others to Jesus Christ and disciple them, he must first have a firm understanding of his own faith. This module contains foundational principles of the Christian faith, such as righteousness, salvation, baptism of the Holy Spirit and prayer. It is meant to encourage and equip the missionary for the task of discipling nations.
Module Four Lesson Outline: Personal Spiritual Development
1. Righteousness With God
2. Initial Effects of God’s Word
3. The Nature of Faith
4. The Uniqueness of Faith
5. Faith for Salvation
6. The Baptism in the Holy Spirit
7. Receive the Holy Spirit
8. How to Receive the Holy Spirit
9. Liberty Under Control
10. Conviction of Eternal Issues
11. Supernatural Attestation
12. Your Authority as a Believer
13. Why Pray?
14. Seven Basic Conditions for Answered Prayer
China Mission School
Program Overview
Course One: World Missions
In the Garden of Eden, God demonstrated His missionary heart when He sought Adam and Eve after the Fall, calling out, “Where are you?” Though some say Paul was the first missionary, missions really began with God, and it continues today through His Church.
We live in an exciting time for missions, because there are more people on the Earth today than have ever lived before. However, modern tools make these people more accessible than they have been in the past, enabling the missionary of today to cross the globe to witness of the saving love of Jesus Christ to the people of far away lands.
Many missionaries have given their lives for the spread of the Gospel, though not all of them died. In laying down their lives for Christ, however, they found something better. Many left behind the comforts and conveniences of home as well as family and friends to share the love of God with others, setting aside what they knew to take up the call. They crossed rivers and valleys, mountains and deserts, suffered from diseases, and endured without—all for the sake of individuals who, without a preacher, would not know the Good News about Christ.
In this course, we seek to cover missions work’s generalities, the history and philosophy behind it, and the types of people to whom missionaries reach out. It is our prayer that the knowledge within this course will enrich your life and build a foundation of learning for every successive lesson hereafter.
Module One Summary: Introduction to Missions
When Adam and Eve sinned, they immediately hid from God. He, in turn, came into the Garden calling out, “Where are you?” Missions began with God and it continues today through the Church. This module primarily studies the biblical foundation for all missionary endeavors. It also covers topics such as missionary motivations of the heart, stages of services, strategy, and how to relate compassionately to lost people.
Module One Lesson Outline: Introduction to Missions
1. God: The Source of Missions
2. Jesus Christ: The Message of Missions
3. The Holy Spirit: The Power of Missions
4. The Church: The Vessel of Missions
5. The World: The Target of Missions
6. Who will be a Missionary? God’s Will for Reaching the Lost
7. Missionary Motivations of the Heart: A Personal Reflection
8. Stages of Missionary Service
9. Personally and Compassionately Relating to the Lost: Identification verses Withdrawal
10. Sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ Cross-Culturally: The Nature of Cross-Cultural Communications
11. Planning for the Future: The Role of Strategy in Missions
12. Planting New Churches: The First Task of Missionary Work
13. Nurturing New Believers: The Second Task of Missionary Work
14. Training Leaders: The Third Task of Missionary Work
15. Building Responsible Churches: Establishment of Spiritually and Materially Independent Churches
Module Two Summary: The History and Philosophy of Missions
Why is it that men and women willingly sacrifice their own lives to be missionaries? Why were men such as William Cary willing to defy their leaders who said, “When God chooses to win the heathen, He will do it without your help or ours”? History is filled with stories of inspiration, nuggets of truth and words of priceless wisdom from those who have taken the missionary journey. This second module of CMS introduces the missionary to these stories and describes how willing men and women of God touched many lives through their obedience.
Module Two Lesson Outline: The History and Philosophy of Missions
1. The Apostle Paul and the Missionary Task by Arthur Glasser
2. Church History Part I
3. Church History Part II
4. Church History Part III
5. Four Men, Three Eras, Two Transitions: Modern Missions by Ralph Winter
6. Who (Really) was William Carey? by Vishal and Ruth Mangalwadi
7. The Obligation of Christians to Use Means for the Conversion of the Heathens by William Carey
8. The Call to Service by J. Hudson Taylor
9. China’s Spiritual Needs and Claims by J. Hudson Taylor
10. Tribes, Tongues and Translators by Cameron Townsend
11. Learner, Trader, Story Teller by Donald Larson
12. Redemptive Analogy by Don Richardson
13. Women in Mission by Marguerite Kraft and Meg Crossman
14. If I Perish by Brother Andrew
15. Ten Reasons Why I Am A World Christian by Terry Law
16. The Lausanne Covenant
Module Three Summary: The World and its People
When Paul began his missionary journeys, there were two things that significantly contributed to the rapid spread of the Gospel: a common language and a very sophisticated system of roads and maps for easy travel. As missionaries we need to know as much about the world as possible, so that like Paul, we can use modern technology and conveniences to ignite a rapid spread of the Gospel throughout the earth. This third module is an introduction to the biblical concept of nations or people groups. It includes topics such as the 10/40 Window and a brief study of the continents and people groups of the world.
Module Three Lesson Outline: The World and Its People
1. The Nations I: A Biblical Perspective of the Nations
2. The Nations II: God’s Redemptive Plan for the Nations Fulfilled in Jesus Christ
3. The Nations III: God’s Blessing for the Nations: A Fulfillment of His Promise to Abraham
4. The 10/40 Window
5. The Continent of Asia
6. The Continent of Africa
7. The Continent of Europe
8. The Continent of North America
9. The Continent of South America
10. The Continent of Australia
Course Two: World Religions
We live in a diverse world. In fact, new religions and philosophies seem to be born every minute. In most of these man-inspired religions truth becomes a relative and sometimes rather confusing thing. Many misguided worldviews declare that there are many paths to God and certainly no absolute rules to moral conduct. While others only focus on these absolute rules and disregard man’s personal relationship with God.
For Christians, Jesus Christ represents the absolute truth and the only way to God, yet He is also our personal savior. Certainly, our belief in and love of Christ colors our entire worldview. But, it is also essential, that we understand the worldviews of those around us. When we understand the mindset of others, we leap over the largest barrier that keeps us from establishing a relationship and ultimately sharing God’s message of hope with them.
This course focuses on worldview and the four major religions of the unreached world: Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Judaism. These four represent many of the false worldviews that missionaries are sure to encounter. The missionary must seek to understand these worldviews, but he must also remember his purpose—to share the Good News. He must reveal to them that God longs to open the doors for all people to come into His eternal family; and that He has also made a new way for them to find forgiveness, healing, and permanent acceptance into the family of God through Jesus. This good news is based on grace, not birthright or the deeds of men.
Within these lessons, the student will come to understand the history and beliefs of these religions as well as the vast spiritual problems attached to them. He will come to know the unique quality of the people, their hunger for spiritual truth, and their similarities (and differences) with Christians. These lessons will also encourage missionaries to build bridges between themselves and others of different faiths so that, in time, they may reveal Christ as the sole fulfillment of their long spiritual search for God.
Module One Summary: Worldview
Whether we realize it, each of us has a worldview. Our families, cultures, religions, and personal experiences shape and form our worldviews. As missionaries, we must be aware of the effect worldviews have on people and how they often hinder the Gospel. This module teaches us how to recognize false worldviews, and most importantly, how to clearly articulate our biblical worldview to others.
Module One Lesson Outline: Worldview
1. What is a Worldview?
2. How Does Worldview Affect a Person’s Life?
3. What is Your Worldview?
4. How Does Worldview Influence Communities?
5. How Do Worldviews Differ?
6. Who is God? A Biblical Understanding of God Part I
7. Who is God? A Biblical Understanding of God Part II
8. What is Truth?
9. How Did the World Come to Be?
10. What is the Nature of Man?
11. What is the Meaning of Time?
12. What Will Happen to Those Who Do Not Have a Biblical Worldview?
13. Who is Satan?
14. How Does One Change His Worldview?
Module Two Summary: Islam
God wants each of us to be a part of his eternal family. He has made a way for people of all nations to find forgiveness, healing, and permanent acceptance into His family through Jesus Christ. This acceptance is no longer based on birthright or the deeds of men but rather on grace and one’s willingness to receive it. God longs to heal the hearts of Muslims along with all lost people groups of the world. This module will help explain the history Islam, Islamic culture and how to witness to Muslims, so those who are called to serve Muslim peoples will have the knowledge necessary to win them to Christ.
Module Two Lesson Outline: Islam
1. Introduction to Islam
2. Spiritual Authority in Islam
3. Two Majority Stumbling Blocks
4. Sin and Salvation in Islam
5. History of Islam, Part I
6. History of Islam, Part II
7. How to Work With Muslims, Part I
8. How to Work With Muslims, Part II
9. How to Work With Muslims, Part III
Module Three Summary: Hinduism
Inherent within the Hindu religion is a psychology of failure that permeates the Indian society. Throughout this module on Hinduism, the student will come to understand the history and beliefs of the religion as well as the various problems that often lead to a sense of desperation in the hearts of the Hindu people. Hindus have a unique capacity for understanding profound and complex spiritual ideas. Missionaries must help them see past their conflicting beliefs and find complete knowledge and revelation through Jesus Christ.
Module Lesson Outline: Hinduism
1. History of Hinduism, Part I
2. History of Hinduism, Part II
3. Beliefs and Practices of Hinduism
4. Hindu Gods
5. Literature of Hinduism
6. Fulfillment of the Vedic Quest through Jesus Christ
Module Four Summary: Buddhism
Today we live in a world of religious diversity, where people of differing beliefs live side by side. We cannot escape this fact. If we are to reach Buddhists with the Gospel, we must first start where they are (how they live and what they believe) and build bridges to Christ from there. This course will help the student understand the history and beliefs of Buddhism. It will also explain the differences between the teachings of Buddhism and the teachings of the Bible, as well as suggest effective and diverse ways of sharing Christ with a Buddhist.
Module Four Lesson Outline: Buddhism
1. 21st Century Buddhism
2. Historical Background of Buddhism
3. Core Beliefs of Buddhism
4. The Expansion of Buddhism
5. Christianity and Buddhism: Contrasts in Concepts
6. Social/Religious/Racial Identity with Buddhism
7. Blessing the Buddhist World through Prayer
8. Witnessing in Practical Ways to Buddhists
Module Five Summary: Judaism
The Bible instructs us on how we should view the Jewish people. This module discusses the history of the Jews, their desire to return to Israel and the obstacles they have encountered along their journey. It also discusses God’s hope for the Jewish people to come to the knowledge of His Son, Jesus Christ.
Module Five Lesson Outline: Judaism
1. The Biblical History of the Jewish People
2. Who are the Jews?
3. Jewish Beliefs
4. A Fulfillment of Prophecy
5. The British Administration of Palestine
6. A Time of War
7. The State of Israel
8. The Peace Process
9. Salvation for the Jews
Course Three: Missionary Skills
God Himself loves variety and diversity. Like Him, we should honor all of God’s creation especially in regards to other cultures. If we truly love all people like God, then we will seek to understand them. To do this, we must be willing to put aside our way of doing things in order to be effective in communicating the love of Christ and the message of the Gospel. Part of this act of self-denial involves putting ourselves out on a limb. When we learn about a new culture, particularly that culture’s language, we become vulnerable as human beings. This makes us real and sincere before the people we are trying to win to Christ.
Missionaries are very limited in their ministry if they only minister to those who know their language. If they accept God’s global call to missions on their life, then they will seek to communicate with others in their native tongue. Language learning is ministry and can help one create relationships and open doors for witnessing to others. When the doors are open, people are more willing to listen to God’s message of hope for them.
One of the most essential part of mission’s work is planting churches. In Matthew 16:18, Jesus said, “…I will build my church and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.” As we go forward in ministry, we must understand that for the Kingdom of God to advance in this world, the local church must be established in every community.
Our goal as missionaries should be to spread the Gospel of Christ throughout the nations by developing sound leaders and thriving churches. It is not enough to be mere social workers; we must move the people to repent and confess Christ as Savior and Lord.
The missionary’s ultimate goal is a limited one: to win new souls to Christ. How he does this is up to him. But to become the most effective witness for the Gospel, he must learn how to enteract with the people to whom he is sent. In this endeavor, he will need some rather essential skills to help him along the way. This course will discuss the skills that all effective missionaries must cultivate, detailed in the following modules: Cross Cultural Communications, Language Acquisition, Church Planting Strategies, and Christian Leadership. Indeed, a sincere heart is not enough to win others to Christ. We must also have a strategy to do it. With God’s grace, what you learn in these lessons will give you the practical side of mission’s work along with some valuable knowledge that one can only get from others’ experiences.
Module One Summary: Cross Cultural Communications
God Himself is the author of cultural diversity. His plan from the beginning was that people would be fruitful and multiply throughout the earth. This module encourages missionaries to acknowledge their need to change and adapt when living in a new culture, in order to effectively communicate the love of Christ and the message of the Gospel. In this module, we will learn to be effective cross-cultural communicators by putting down our prejudice, ethnocentrism, and cultural pride. We will also learn to approach new cultures as learners and servants, sensitive to cultural differences and eager to communicate with the people.
Module One Lesson Outline: Cross Cultural Communications
1. Foundations of Cross Cultural Communication
2. Beliefs about Culture and Ministry
3. Communication
4. What is Culture? Part I
5. What is Culture? Part II
6. What is Culture? Part III
7. What is Culture? Part IV
8. What is Culture? Part V
9. Understanding Your Own Culture
10. Ethnocentrism
11. Freedom from Ethnocentrism
12. Cultural Adjustment, Part I
13. Cultural Adjustment, Part II
14. Conclusion
Module Two Summary: Language Acquisition
Some missionaries try to minister through the use of an interpreter or limit ministry to those who speak their language. However, if missionaries truly want to see the body of Christ established among the unreached peoples of the earth, then they must learn to communicate in the heart language of the people God calls them to serve. This module will introduce simple steps to learning a new language, as well as why and how language learning is ministry. The language learning process itself is often what establishes a missionary’s place in a foreign community and opens many doors for the Gospel.
Module Two Lesson Outline: Language Acquisition
1. Introduction to the Course
2. Language Acquisition
3. Becoming a Language Learner
4. What Language Learners Do
5. Language Learning as Ministry
6. The Daily Lesson Plan
7. Numbers and Transport
8. Shopping
9. Pronunciation
10. Questions and Answers
Module Three Summary: Church Planting Strategies
Planting churches is the most critical part of fulfilling the Great Commission. In Matthew 16:18, Jesus said, “…I will build my church and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.” As we go forward in ministry, we must understand that for the Kingdom of God to advance in this world, the local church must be established in every community.
Our goal as church planters is to spread the Gospel message throughout the nations of the earth and to make true disciples of Jesus Christ.
Module Three Lesson Outline: Church Planting Strategies
1. God’s Purpose for His Church
2. God Calls Us to Join Hands with Him & One Another in His Work
3. Be A Disciple to Make Disciples
4. Lift Up Your Eyes, Look at the Fields
5. Look for Bridges, Pray for the Harvest
6. Go Out in Dependence on God
7. Look for People of Peace
8. What to Do with a New Believer
9. Prayer, the Word, Baptism & the Church
10. Baptism in the Holy Spirit, Sharing Good News
11. Two or Three Gathered in His Name—The Church
12. Leadership, Transformation and Commitment
Module Four Summary: Christian Leadership
Jesus Christ is the Christian’s ultimate example of leadership. As a leader, He corrected and encouraged His disciples in their faith. To be effective leaders, we must be intimately familiar with Christ’s model of leadership. In this module, we begin by discussing basic leadership principles. Then, we move into more advanced material to prepare you to teach others how to remain intimate with Jesus Christ as they grow in leadership responsibilities.
Module Four Lesson Outline: Christian Leadership
1. What is Leadership?
2. Why Do People Follow You?
3. The Five-Element Module
4. Christ in the Life of a Leader
5. Community in the Life of a Leader
6. Character in the Life of a Leader
7. Calling in the Life of a Leader
8. Competencies in the Life of a Leader
9. What Do Leaders Do? Part I
10. What Do Leaders Do? Part II
11. What Do Leaders Do? Part III
12. What Do Leaders Do? Part IV
13. What Do Leaders Do? Part V
14. Building Leaders, Part I
15. Building Leaders, Part II
16. Building Leaders, Part III
17. Building Leaders, Part IV
18. Building Leaders, Part V
19. Building Leaders, Part VI
20. Building Leaders, Part VII
Course Four: Discipleship
Experienced leaders father disciples. Just as we desire spiritual leaders to mentor us so we can grow from their walk with God and experiences, we too must in turn love people while they are still sinners. We must let them see God’s change in our lives and then show them how they too can experience this new life.
The people we seek to disciple are in bondage to their sins before they come to the Lord, yet they have been born into their life of sin and know nothing else. They often have no concept of the freedom awaiting them in Christ. As we disciple the lost souls around us, we must first ensure that these people have experienced the life-changing power of new life through Christ Jesus to free them from their past and sinful existence.
Just as we are concerned with the growth and discipleship of those to whom we seek to minister, we must not neglect our families. Our children often see the truth of our Christian lives more clearly than those to whom we minister, and we must not overlook their relationship with Christ or the importance of our family lives. We must look only as far as a man of God with children not living for Him to understand the consequences of neglecting our families. We may save souls abroad, but what of those at home?
Really, without the Holy Spirit inside of us and without a healthy spiritual life, we are unequipped to disciple anyone—our families or others. Even healthy Christian walks can drift away from Christ if we ignore them. Learning to feed ourselves on the Word and understanding the basic tenants of Christianity is vital for a missionary to continue God’s work among the lost. When we disciple others, we must remember where our model ultimately comes from—Jesus Christ. We must look to Him continually, learning and growing as He disciples us. Without Him, we will lack the oil that keeps our own lamps burning brightly. And if we lack God’s fire in our lives, how will others see it and desire it as well? Join us in this course as we consider both the practical and the spiritual aspects of discipleship.
Module One Summary: Making Disciples
Disciples are not made through lessons and programs. They are spiritually fathered. Classes and lessons are useful to a point; however, God wants more. He desires to have sons and daughters. This course is not designed to teach you methods, but to help you live the kind of life that new believers will want to imitate. Making disciples is primarily a matter of loving people while they are still sinners, letting them see the fruit of God’s Spirit in your life, and inviting them to join you.
Module One Lesson Outline: Making Disciples
1. The Importance of Fathers and Mothers
2. Teach Them to Love God
3. Teach Them to Love Their Families
4. Teach Them to Love Christ’s Church
5. Teach Them to Love God’s Will
6. Teach Them to Love God’s Judgment
7. Teach Them to Love God’s World
Module Two Summary: Freedom in Christ
Many people, even sincere followers of Jesus Christ, live in bondage and never move into a level of freedom that God longs to give His children. This module reveals from a biblical perspective our identity in Christ and describes how He desires to heal our damaged emotions. Through these lessons, the student will learn how to bring life to those bound by sin and set them free through the power of Jesus Christ.
Module Two Lesson Outline: Freedom in Christ
1. Our Identity in Christ
2. Healing Damaged Emotions
3. Steps to Freedom in Christ, Part I
4. Steps to Freedom in Christ, Part II
Module Three Summary: Marriage and Family
As surely as God provides for our needs, we also must care for the needs of our families. To do this, they must be a top priority, even above the demands of ministry. Children who see this example in their parents grow up to be devoted parents and followers of Christ themselves. This module encourages believers, particularly those called to some form of full time Christian service, to put their God first, their families second, and ministry third.
Module Three Lesson Outline: Marriage and Family
1. Salvation and Call to Ministry
2. The Covenant of Marriage
3. Spiritual Successors
4. Training Our Children to Hear the Voice of God
5. The Power of Our Words
Module Four Summary: Personal Spiritual Development
Before any missionary can attempt to lead others to Jesus Christ and disciple them, he must first have a firm understanding of his own faith. This module contains foundational principles of the Christian faith, such as righteousness, salvation, baptism of the Holy Spirit and prayer. It is meant to encourage and equip the missionary for the task of discipling nations.
Module Four Lesson Outline: Personal Spiritual Development
1. Righteousness With God
2. Initial Effects of God’s Word
3. The Nature of Faith
4. The Uniqueness of Faith
5. Faith for Salvation
6. The Baptism in the Holy Spirit
7. Receive the Holy Spirit
8. How to Receive the Holy Spirit
9. Liberty Under Control
10. Conviction of Eternal Issues
11. Supernatural Attestation
12. Your Authority as a Believer
13. Why Pray?
14. Seven Basic Conditions for Answered Prayer
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