God Says..."Cast all your cares on me."

By Jason V (Ponderings of a Pilgrim Pastor)

"Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you." (1 Peter 5:7)

As a husband, father and pastor, I face the constant temptation to worry.  At our church, with our church members and leaders, in our home, in my marriage- everywhere I face almost constant fears and anxieties.

I am tempted to worry about my children: Will they grow up to love the Lord?  Will they fall into trials and temptations that seem to plague so many “pastor’s kids”?  Have I messed up in my parenting? Am I too restrictive? Am I too permissive?

I am tempted to worry about our marriage and our household: Will we have enough money to pay for all of life’s expenses? Am I spending enough time with my wife?  Am I showing her how much I love her?  Is she feeling pressured and overwhelmed by the task of being a “pastor’s wife”?  Am I praying for her as much as I should?

At church, I am tempted to anxiety at every turn: Did the visitors like our church?  Was my sermon really any good?  Will our church grow?  Will giving increase?  Will we meet our budget?  Are our people really growing spiritually?  Are we reaching our community?  Should we be doing more?  How can we?

If I tried to carry the weight of all of these concerns and expectations, they would crush me.  Honestly, on some days, I carry too much and I do feel overwhelmed.  So what am I supposed to do?

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God Says... "I have not given you a spirit of fear."

By Dusty (Reflections on the Life of a Christian)

I have been afraid of a lot of things in my life. They range from the common to the unusual. Some fears cripple while others nag. Every one of them has kept me from doing or enjoying something in my life.

I believe most everyone has suffered from such fears. While some may deny it or hide it, everyone is afraid of something. Here is a list of common fears:

• Disappointment
• Failure
• Ridicule
• Rejection
• Injury/Death
• Unknown
• Abandonment

None of those have ever applied to you? Are you sure?

Well then, maybe I am the oddball (but I think not!) because I can think of a lot of instances where I suffered from one or more of those. For a guy, a lot of them might come into play when seeing a girl we like and wanting to ask them out. For a child, they may surface in their desire to please their parents or other authority figures. But fear is not limited to gender relations or age.

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God Is Paying Attention

By Pat

Sometimes it's really hard to get through each day maintaining our diligence in serving God. We see so much pain in the world around us. We hear so many cries for help, for healing. We see terrible injustice. We ourselves struggle with our own burdens and problems, and we yearn for God's answers. We beg for His mercy. We are impatient. We want God's immediate intervention, and we want to know when it's coming. How long must we wait? It's easy to become frustrated, and Satan whispers into our ears that God isn't paying attention, doesn't care. but He IS paying attention and He DOES care and He WILL take action...in His time, not ours.

We live in such an "instant" world these days that it's becoming more and more difficult to wait, and our patience fades quickly. But as we grow older, we learn that those things we wait for are usually the ones most worth waiting for. God never promised there would be continual perfection in the world, but He did promise that His word is true, and He knows what He's doing, even when it seems He doesn't. We must remain steadfast in the struggles and bring His light into the dark corners of the world so that He can allow us to be the change He wants to happen. His word is true, His timing is perfect. He wants us to have faith that, in HIS time, He will prevail.

"As the rain and the snow come down from Heaven and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth; it will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it." (Isaiah 55:10-11)

Pat is a good friend who is passionate about her faith and her family. She works from home supporting a family business, and loves to read, write and garden when she can, and spends every spare moment with her grandkids.

Walking With Me

By Pat

A few days ago I was playing outside on the swings with my little granddaughter, Annie, who just turned two. She wanted to go down the sliding board, so as I lifted her to help her up the steps, she said, "No, me do it myself!" I said, "Okay, you do it!" and removed my hands from her. She carefully made her way up to the top, not knowing my hards had been there only inches away to catch her at the slightest slip. When she finally got to the top, she broke into a big smile and victoriously said, "ME DID IT"!

It reminded me so much of my relationship with God. I am very quick to say, "I did it!" Whatever successes I may have, hurdles I jump, mountains I climb, or victories I achieve, I sometimes say I did it, forgetting that I didn't really do it at all...God did it! God gives me everything I need, every moment or every day. Whatever I'm doing, God is right there with me, hands and arms outstretched, ready to catch my every fall and protect me from danger...able to boost me along and give me the strength and courage to forge ahead.

Just as Annie couldn't see me behind her keeping watch over her, I can't see God, but I know He's there/He told me so, and I believe it! And so, I will try to be more mindful and remember that without God, I can do nothing. I AM nothing. With Him, I can say say, "God and I did it!"

"The Lord watches over you-the Lord is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord will keep you from all harm-he will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore." (Psalm 121:5-8)

Pat is a good friend who is passionate about her faith and her family. She works from home supporting a family business, and loves to read, write and garden when she can, and spends every spare moment with her grandkids.