From The Pastor's Desk - July 2016

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.   ….But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”  -Matthew 6

I have to mow the lawn, pay some bills, write a sermon and a newsletter article. There are phone calls to make and visits people expect me to do. Then there are plans for vacation and summer to make, figuring out how we will connect with family and friends this summer and how to get my crazy schedule under control. Somewhere I will need to get something to eat for my family and another pair of pants needs replacing.

I am writing this while sitting in the surgical waiting room of the hospital. My daughter just went in for emergency surgery. All of a sudden, everything that seemed so important doesn’t really matter at all. Who cares about dinner? I have more than enough clothes. All the troubles about tomorrow…. can wait until tomorrow. Right now, Lord, just take care of my little girl….

Day-to-day living is important. All these things matter, they are things we need to give attention to. They are the little building blocks of our lives. But when they are pressed up against the real concerns of life, we start to gain a little perspective. God holds every day in his hands, and every one of us. If we seek God, when we are faced with a life-pausing crisis, we will know where to turn. He cares for the birds of the air, the flowers in the fields, He is holding my daughter and He is holding me… and He is holding you.

Worry doesn’t gain us anything but health problems, fights with people we love, and a great deal of wasted emotions. Faith, hope, trust, believing, and seeking God give us strength and renew our life. 

If you are facing things that won’t really matter in a couple months, stop worrying and just work on them the best you can. If you are facing life-pausing concerns, may God bless you with a peace that passes all understanding and hold you close to His promise.

Have to go before the doctor comes out. See you at church,

Pastor Tom