Do not fear

Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.

-Jesus in Matthew 14:27

When was the last time you were afraid? Do you believe that Christ walks with you in the darkest valleys?

There have been times I have let fear get the best of me. In high school, I could worry about some pretty mild things:  Did I have enough friends? Could I run fast enough? Was I getting the best grades? These can be interesting questions, but some of these little things can consume us if we allow them to. If we aren’t careful some of these mild fears can destroy us. Rational fear is one thing. This kind of fear can push us into action. Irrational fear can leave us feeling sick, and it can pull us away from the people we need to move toward.  

In the Bible, we are told over and over again not to be afraid.  Jesus repeatedly warned his followers not to let fear rule their hearts, but over and over again the disciples succumbed to the powers of fear, anxiety, and desperation…

Over the last five years, my wife and I have noticed that it has become much easier to build friendships in our neighborhood.  Now this is not because we are trying harder.  In fact when we first arrived we would do everything we could to meet our neighbors, but everyone seemed so busy. In general, there seems to be a fear of people we don’t know.  However, since we had our two kids, we’ve somehow managed to meet everyone. The kids love meeting other children and adults, and the neighbors seem to love meeting us – even as crazy as we are… As far as time goes, we have actually been much busier, but we have found more time for what really matters. It certainly doesn’t make sense to fear each other.  I am so grateful for the other people in my neighborhood. I am thankful that my kids love getting to know the people around them.

Today I hope you can all think about the fear in your life.  I hope you can take the time to understand your fear.  Perhaps you need to use it rationally, but I hope you can also let go of the irrational and move forward into this beautiful world God has created!

Blessings!

Pastor Brian

Have Faith in Love

Yesterday Pastor Ben shared a poem in the 3pm online gathering time.  It was titled:

Anyway

It struck me how easy it is to find reasons not to give your very best. 

Other people could do a better job.

No one will pay attention to me.

People may not like me.

I may be rejected.

I may be hated.

I may fail.

I can always find reasons to give a subpar effort.  However, we are in a sermon series where we are taking a look at the miracles of Jesus.  Jesus went out of his way to stand up for justice.  Heal people in their time of need and rescue the oppressed.  Even when he was criticized for his work, he kept fighting for love.  When his friends left him, he chose to love them anyway. 

Today as I look at all the fear, animosity, and chaos in our society, I believe Jesus is calling us into action.  How is God calling you?  I serve as a pastor, but we all have a calling.  When I go home, I am also a husband and father, and I feel pretty ineffective at times! The kids are totally out of control when I’m watching, and I’m still scrambling to figure out what I need to do to celebrate my 10^th wedding anniversary.  (Our anniversary is on June 12^th. Is that coming up soon? :) 

Even though I am not perfect, my family needs the love I have to offer.  I want to be the person who will stop and be present fully with the people around me.  I want to cherish these moments.  I want to take time to celebrate and give thanks with love.  Today I hope you can all find every excuse to give the love you have!

Blessings!

Brian