Donald Standeford

A Discordant String in God's Harp Donald Standeford

Each essay in this book, 'A Discordant String in God's Harp', investigates a different aspect of Poverty in today's church. Poverty arrives in many types of packages. The focus here is on Physical and Mental Illness. Fissures or cracks in the foundation of Christ's church wear away the strength and integrity of the Church as a whole. Ministries in their infancy are far more vulnerable than those already established. The impoverished, physically weak, and mentally ill are especially vulnerable to disruptions in the flow of the church. Flatterers, who disrupt the unity of Christ's Church by chasing their own goals, can hurt the impoverished or mentally ill especially. Satan uses flatterers to walk right over those in the body of Christ who lack money, power, and social influence. Flattery is a shallow means of dealing with the world. It strikes those in the church hard, and it opposes church unity and coherence. Many of Satan's most disruptive influences on mankind came at the beginnings of civilization and the church. As one who has suffered extremely with Manic Depression, Migraines, and Social Anxiety Disorder, I open up my life to you, as a window into the hurts, thoughts, and realities of those hindered by Mental Illness in the Church today. I hope you grow in love and discernment as you look into the world of those burdened by poverty or Mental Illness. Thanks: Donald Standeford