{"id":314,"date":"2017-04-18T10:00:11","date_gmt":"2017-04-18T09:00:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.prayerscapes.com\/blog\/?p=314"},"modified":"2017-04-17T14:18:50","modified_gmt":"2017-04-17T13:18:50","slug":"time-for-physio","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.prayerscapes.com\/blog\/time-for-physio\/","title":{"rendered":"Time for physio!"},"content":{"rendered":"

I love being part of a church, mixing with people of different ages, backgrounds, gifts and temperaments. We are the body of Christ<\/a>, each playing a part, life-giving and unique!<\/p>\n

But what happens when a part of the body becomes so broken that it can no longer function? This is something that we need to be aware of in our church families.<\/p>\n

If we are physically\u00a0injured, several different types of cells work together in the human body to restore the broken part back to life, rather like a house being rebuilt<\/a> with all the different trades (plumbers, electricians etc) working together as a team. We as\u00a0church, the body of Christ can mirror this restorative work amongst ourselves! Life is complicated, and just as our physical bodies go through trauma, strain and illness, so do we suffer in our emotional, mental and spiritual lives. There are times when it is clear why a person may be broken, and I love the way in which church families re-arrange themselves to care for, protect and minister to the vulnerable. However sometimes wounds are not so obvious, so it is essential\u00a0that the love of God reigns supreme,\u00a0that the grace of God is flowing bountifully amongst us. It must flow before understanding, before judgement and before resentment.\u00a0\u00a0We may need to allow people to step back from a role without knowing why they have left it, forgive others abundantly when they seem troubled\u00a0and\u00a0release and support each other without questioning.<\/p>\n

As we gather together, we release\u00a0the Holy Spirit to move amongst us as comforter, healer and\u00a0friend. I am always aware of the need to be guided by the spirit as I minister to others in a church service. To watch out for those whom need rest, to be aware of the wounded, sensitive to the weary, soft to those who feel hurt, and to be shelter to the broken. And I also\u00a0believe God is into physiotherapy! He is into seeing our restoration right through to his children being strong, fit and released once again! That’s where the beauty of new hope needs to be proclaimed like a balm, where a message of understanding and truth can release the captive, and when\u00a0a word of encouragement can breathe new vision into our hearts! \u00a0Just like our physical bodies, there comes a time when\u00a0we are strong enough to begin to re-exercise a gifting or re-activate giving. Sometimes we need to re-train ourselves to trust, care and love again, or to reclaim the power of forgiveness in our lives.<\/p>\n

I have\u00a0found myself on ‘the benches’ recently. I have not been able to be a major team player as I have been navigating family troubles. I am so thankful for others who have stepped in to take the strain, blessed by those who allow\u00a0me to cry and see my hurt, and\u00a0very grateful for the living body of Christ around\u00a0me. So there is before us all a wonderful opportunity to be a part of this body! \u00a0Could it be that you are needing rest, healing or ministry? Or\u00a0possibly the rehabilitation of\u00a0encouragement or in need of support to move into freedom again?<\/p>\n

When the body of\u00a0Christ moves as one, wrapped up in the grace of God, there lies a truly wonderful testimony and\u00a0an amazing\u00a0witness! Let’s be alive as a body! Who needs rest? Who needs a massage of hope? Who needs to start exercising those love, forgiveness or skill muscles again? Who needs some gentle support to do so? Who has recovered and is ready to go back into the team again? Who needs vision for the next step?<\/p>\n

Let’s be active in caring for the body of Christ. And let’s be honest when we are the ones who are in need of physio for our hearts, minds or bodies. Let’s be real, wonderfully imperfect, yet amazing united as we join together to be the body of Christ.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I love being part of a church, mixing with people of different ages, backgrounds, gifts and temperaments. We are the body of Christ, each playing a part, life-giving and unique! But what happens when a part of the body becomes so broken that it can no longer function? This is something that we need to Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":324,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true},"categories":[13],"tags":[16,14],"class_list":["post-314","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-reflections","tag-church","tag-reflection"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.prayerscapes.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/rest_600.jpg?fit=600%2C338&ssl=1","jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7bKxI-54","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":393,"url":"https:\/\/www.prayerscapes.com\/blog\/the-nicene-creed\/","url_meta":{"origin":314,"position":0},"title":"The Nicene Creed","date":"September 25, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"In August of this year, our church asked us if we might create a film recording of the Nicene Creed (this creed is an ancient declaration of the Christian faith dating back to A.D.325 and the early church communities). We decided to record many different voices because we wanted to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Films"","img":{"alt_text":"White dove with hands raised","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.prayerscapes.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/09\/The_Nicene_Creed_600.jpg?fit=600%2C338&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":229,"url":"https:\/\/www.prayerscapes.com\/blog\/love-came-at-christmas\/","url_meta":{"origin":314,"position":1},"title":"Love Came at Christmas","date":"December 1, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"I wrote the following poem that you can see in the video below for a church nativity service. I love these moments in our lives, the ones that distill everything that we hold dear! Lights shining in the darkness, heaven filled with music, cherished moments watching our little ones and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Films"","img":{"alt_text":"The shepherds, wise men and angel gather around the new born Christ.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.prayerscapes.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/More_Than_A_Story_600.jpg?fit=600%2C337&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":574,"url":"https:\/\/www.prayerscapes.com\/blog\/closing-prayer\/","url_meta":{"origin":314,"position":2},"title":"Closing Prayer","date":"October 8, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"I find that there is a unity that arises through worship that it is difficult to express in words. We sometimes encounter glimpses of this when we are joined together in hymns and worship songs, as we fix our eyes on eternal things and are in awe again of Jesus,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Films"","img":{"alt_text":"birds flying over water round a modern bridge","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.prayerscapes.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/Closing_Prayer_Blog_600.jpg?fit=600%2C337&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":92,"url":"https:\/\/www.prayerscapes.com\/blog\/prayer-darts\/","url_meta":{"origin":314,"position":3},"title":"Prayer Darts","date":"June 20, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"I have a simple way of praying when I feel overwhelmed by the amount of people I have a heart for, and find that I am \"going under\" trying to pray for so many different needs. It is this. I write all their names on a sheet of paper and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Prayer"","img":{"alt_text":"dartboard with dart in the centre","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.prayerscapes.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/MG_Darts_600.jpg?fit=600%2C338&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":485,"url":"https:\/\/www.prayerscapes.com\/blog\/living-stones\/","url_meta":{"origin":314,"position":4},"title":"Living Stones","date":"May 9, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"I love the metaphor that the Apostle Peter uses in his first letter, that each of us are \u201clike living stones\u201d. I have been thinking about this passage a lot recently.\u00a0 For the believer, we can place our lives on the foundation of Christ, and we are blessed by the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Prayer"","img":{"alt_text":"Stone wall","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.prayerscapes.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/rgb_stones_800.jpg?fit=800%2C532&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":673,"url":"https:\/\/www.prayerscapes.com\/blog\/how-to-pray-for-friends\/","url_meta":{"origin":314,"position":5},"title":"How to Pray for Friends","date":"September 24, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Hi, today we\u2019re going to be looking at different creative ways that we can pray for our friends and loved ones. If you know someone at the moment that is going through a difficult time you might find these tips especially useful. https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/playlist?list=PLIojy7PfSmO7aEzVZVGwnbrHlDLKawL09 Praying for friends or loved ones is\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Films"","img":{"alt_text":"Julie Palmer on Prayer","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.prayerscapes.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/Julie_Palmer_on_Prayer_800.jpg?fit=800%2C450&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.prayerscapes.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/314","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.prayerscapes.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.prayerscapes.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.prayerscapes.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.prayerscapes.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=314"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.prayerscapes.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/314\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":326,"href":"https:\/\/www.prayerscapes.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/314\/revisions\/326"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.prayerscapes.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/324"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.prayerscapes.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=314"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.prayerscapes.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=314"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.prayerscapes.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=314"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}