FROM THE PASTOR
I wish you all well as we move into the Fall and please know that I keep each and every one of you in my thoughts and prayers. There is much being planned for our Parish in the upcoming months, and one of the first coming up is a seven-week series on the subject of fear and how we can overcome that by our faith and trust in God. This series will start on Sunday, October 15. We will meet in the parish hall after morning services and will meet from 11:15 to Noon, which is our adult forum time. The topic will be around Fearing Not: Fighting Fear, Wrestling Worry,
and Overcoming Anxiety.
The discussion is based on the book: Fierce Faith by Alli Worthington. You do not have to read the book to join us, but I do recommend it. It is a very good and easy read.
An outline of the series is:
Week #1 – Fighting Fear
Week #2 – Prepare a Battle Plan/Fear of Rejection
Week #3 – Fear for Our Children
Week #4 – Fear of Failure
Week #5 – Fear of the Future
Week #6 – Fear of Not Being Enough
Week #7 – Fear that We Are on Our Own
Join us for the introductory session when we will look at fear and how it affects us:
Fear turns your what-ifs into certainties (liar)
Fear causes you to doubt God
Fear keeps you focused on yourself
Fear keeps you from enjoying life
And we will discuss why we can trust God.
Trusting God is a process – unfortunately we can only trust God from experiences that require us to trust Him.
We can’t trust someone we don’t know, right – so we need to get to know God again – who He is, His heart, and His nature.
Scripture tells us that…
God lavishes us with love:
See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! 1 John 3:1
God is all-knowing:
… we know that God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything. 1 John 3:20
God is loving and wants only good for us:
But you, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness. Psalm 86:15
God works things out for our good:
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28
God is with us:
Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Deuteronomy 31:6
God is our helper:
So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:10
We are to be reminded of Two Truths
God has a plan for your life:
For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11
For the Lord Almighty has purposed, and who can thwart him? His hand is stretched out, and who can turn it back? Isaiah 14:27
We can trust Him because we know Him.
Please join us for this provocative and powerful study and discussion.
In His Name.
Bob
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