Author Steve Arterburn To Speak At Green Acres Sunday
Steve Arterburn
By PATRICK BUTLER
Religion Editor
Steve Arterburn likes to work with people who have severe life-controlling problems, such as manic depression or schizophrenia. Or unforgiveness. The best-selling author will speak during all three services at Green Acres Baptist Church on Sunday.
Religion Editor
Steve Arterburn likes to work with people who have severe life-controlling problems, such as manic depression or schizophrenia. Or unforgiveness. The best-selling author will speak during all three services at Green Acres Baptist Church on Sunday.
Whatever the problem, Arterburn wants to help deal with it and likely has in one of his 80 books.
"I try to help people with problems that prevent them for looking a life with a different perspective," Arterburn told the Tyler Morning Telegraph on Thursday. "Sometimes we have such high expectations that no one can fulfill them. If you're looking at life through the lens of unmet expectations it can be a very unhappy situation, to say the least."
Arterburn may be best known for his nationally syndicated radio program New Life Live! Or his multi-million best-selling book "Every Man's Battle." He regularly fills in for Rick Warren, author of "The Purpose Driven Life," at Warren's Saddleback Church in Southern California. Arterburn has been featured on CNN and in The New York Times, USA Today, US New & World Report and more.
"All of our emotional problems have a spiritual element," he said, "but to say all of emotional difficulties have a spiritual source would be incorrect. I do think the spiritual dimension is part of the solution, no matter what we go through because it helps put into perspective things you're not going to understand or resolve without it.
"For instance, I come from a family where my grandfather, who was a wonderful Christian, committed suicide. When a man commits suicide it doesn't really matter if he 'should have' had a problem because he was a Christian. He had a huge problem. I believe probably my mother inherited a biological predisposition just as he had, and I think I kind of have that. So I believe there are influences on people beyond just spiritual things."
Perceptions on how to deal with life-controlling problems are changing throughout the country, he said.
"And I hope we've been a part of that change at New Life," said Arterburn. "We think we have a very balanced perspective on how a person gets sick and how a person gets well. It's not an all-or-nothing kind of deal. It's a combination of so many things. You can't simply look at a person's life and make a judgment about their spiritual condition.
"I think what we're doing (at New Life) is we're infecting sick churches with healthy people. People come to our weekend seminars and they leave a different person. That's very rewarding to us."
Touching on another issue, he said an unwillingness to forgive can be rooted in misperceptions.
"I've been speaking lately about reframing life, which is essentially trying to get into the life of another person rather than just focus on your own, and by doing that gaining a perspective you might not have. Offenses by brothers, sisters, fathers and mothers can be resolved by understanding from a different perspective, why 'sick' people perhaps did a sad thing, but for the right reason. That can lead to quite a change."
Arterburn will speak at Green Acres Baptist Church, 1607 Troup Highway, on Sunday at 8:15, 9:45 and 11:15 a.m. For information visit the Green Acres Web site at www.gabc.org or New Life Ministries at www.newlife.com.
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