Throughout our series on Facing Life’s Storms, some version of the word “trust” came up again and again. When the rug is being ripped out from underneath us, one of the most important things we can do is keep hold of our trust in God and God’s presence.
This week we’ll conclude our fall Facing Life’s Storms worship series with “A Center of Calm in the Storm.” In this very familiar passage, Jesus and his disciples were out in a boat together and a storm was raging — and Jesus was asleep in the boat.
Linda and I recently had the privilege of caring for our granddaughters for about 5 days. It was so much fun — and exhausting. We did a lot of the grandparent things you might do with your kids: go to the zoo, the park, the museum.
I made myself think about how anxiety feels: that uneasy terrain of the mind making our steps tentative and our ears overly sensitive, so that nouns and verbs are barbed wires in our souls.
Imagine waking up tomorrow morning, getting out of bed, and feeling different. Imagine that as you greeted the day you did so with confidence and assurance, free to be completely yourself.
Are you a worrier? Most of us at some point probably are. Let’s face it — there’s a lot to worry about these days. And of course, worry does have its place. But worry can also weigh us down, can’t it? Sometimes it can even make us sick.
I once heard someone describe their worry as a persistent, gnawing at their very existence — their life feeling consumed, piece by piece and moment by moment, till their life was not theirs . . .
Over the weekend, I stumbled on to a Book Festival in a nearby town featuring authors and illustrators of every genre from all over the US. So I sat in on one session of Middle-Grade authors. And I noticed a common theme — first drafts.
What to do when it feels like everything is ending. Take a minute and think about the friends, family, and co-workers you visited with in the past week.
When I think about facing change, I am always reminded of the 100-year-old woman who, when someone said, “I bet you’ve seen a lot of changes in your life,” she replied, “Yep, and I’ve been against every one of ‘em.”
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