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Wednesday, February 7, 2018 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
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‘Adcheerfuldheartdisdd
gooddmedicine’
By Terry Hardin
Guest Columnist
Editorial…
HelpdcreatedthedgatewaydtodSisters
Everyone in Sisters should stop by City
Hall over the next couple of weeks and weigh
in on what the gateway to Central Oregon will
look like.
Models of art installations for the Highway
20/Barclay Drive roundabout are on display in
the lobby — and public comments are invited.
It’s not a people’s choice vote on the art, but
it’s a sure bet that public comments will weigh
heavily in the ultimate city council vote on the
installation.
The three finalists for the project have
turned in very different interpretations of the
theme of a “Land of Contrasts.” If nothing
else, a visit to City Hall will enhance your
appreciation for the wild variations of the cre-
ative mind.
The artwork that ultimately graces the
roundabout will represent Sisters to millions
of travelers — and we’ll each see it just about
every day for years to come — so it behooves
us to take the opportunity to make our voices
heard as to our preference for the art.
The display will be up through February
16, and a decision by the art selection commit-
tee and the City Council is expected by the end
of the month.
Jim Cornelius
Editor in Chief
SistersdWeatherdForecast
Courtesy of the National Weather Service, Pendleton, Oregon
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In her article “Mental
illness and places of wor-
ship,” (“Your story mat-
ters,” The Nugget, January
31, page 7) Audry Van
Houweling makes some
valid points.
Throughout history,
the mentally ill typically
have not been able to find
refuge in places of wor-
ship and have instead been
faced with shame at their
presumed lack of faith or
pressure to put on a happy
face despite their internal
turmoil. However, I thank
Ms. Van Houweling for
noting that many churches
now “recognize the preva-
lence and impact of men-
tal illness” and are doing
something about it. Yes,
giving each other grace is
crucial.
I would, however, like
to explain why “there may
be a hesitation to seek
treatment and trust men-
tal-health professionals as
they may not be adhering
to the teachings of a par-
ticular faith, yet the same
may not be true when
being treated for a ruptured
appendix, diabetes, or tak-
ing pharmaceuticals.” As a
retired nurse, I know that
it is always better to men-
tally prepare a patient for
treatment and recovery.
That being said, physical
ailments have little to do
with how you think — you
just want the antibiotics to
kill that infection!
Treatment of mental ill-
ness sometimes involves
taking medication, but it
always involves helping
you to change the way
you think. A professional
counselor who does not
share my faith will not
have the same worldview
as I do; they will not help
me learn to trust God to
take care of those things
beyond my control and to
work on those things that
are within my control with
His help. They will not
help me see that the root
cause of my anger might
be an excessive, stubborn
desire to have things go
my way or that it may be
due to fear of losing some-
thing — like control —
upon which I place inor-
dinate value. They will
not see that many good
things (children, spouses,
jobs, hobbies) can become
bad things when elevated
to a place where only
God should reside in my
heart.
Learning how to think
differently, how to prayer-
fully “put off” selfish,
destructive ways of think-
ing and “put on” unselfish,
constructive, loving ways
of thinking is key to men-
tal health for persons of
faith. That is the focus of
Biblical Counseling.
Many churches across
the country offer Biblical
counseling. In Central
Oregon, Grace Bible
Church is not only a train-
ing center for Biblical
counselors, but offers
Biblical counseling with-
out charge from people
who have had extensive
training. Biblical counsel-
ors do not dismiss science.
They will not tell patients
to stop taking their medi-
cation, leaving this part
of their therapy up to their
medical professionals and
prefer, in fact, to work
with the person’s medical
professional.
I wholeheartedly agree
with Ms. Van Houweling
when she says, “there is a
need for enhanced dialogue
about mental illness among
church leaders, congrega-
tional members, and com-
munity professionals.”
Mental illness is more
and more evident in every
population — including
churches. We must learn as
much as we can about how
to deal with it, remember-
ing all the while that these
people are suffering. They
need our compassion and
help, not our judgment.
My prayer is that more and
more churches are offering
that compassion, help and
love.
“A cheerful heart is
good medicine.” Proverbs
17:22
Opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the writer and
are not necessarily shared by the Editor or The Nugget Newspaper.