Seminary Update: February 8, 2016

Today officially begins my last semester in seminary. Yikes! I’m taking 17 credits this semester, one credit less than last semester but still quite busy. I’m working about 3.5 hours during the week as well, which gives me something else to do and (a little) money coming in. I am SO thankful to be here and have made some great friends! Picture below is 3 classmates and I ice skating last Saturday.

Here are my Classes for this semester:

Counseling Observations: In this class we get to watch 12 consecutive sessions between a counselor and counselee. I also took this class in January (but different people) and learned a lot.

Biblical Theology II: This is basically a New Testament Theology class.

New Testament for Ministry: This is a real practical class which more specifically looks at how we use the New Testament in ministry and counseling.

Case Study Seminar: This class takes a in-depth look at the counseling process and how change happens.

Counseling Children & Adolescences: Pretty self-explanatory.

Counseling Problems & Procedures: This one is rather self-explanatory as well. We’ll be looking at some more complex issues and how we help people who struggle with them. This one will be pretty intense, but should be very interesting!

I’m also doing an independent study where I’m writing a research paper on Issues in Post-Adoption Counseling. It’s an area I have interest in so it should be quite educational. 

So full load ahead, but I'm excited to be back in classes and looking forward to learning a lot! It will be challenging for sure though - counseling can be messy.

Prayer Requests:

1) That I will learn a lot from my classes, focus, persevere and manage my time well!

2) As of this past month I am in a relationship with a young man that I met at my church here in Philly. Things are going really well (!), but needless to say Mike and I would appreciate your prayers! And while quite exciting, it can be a bit distracting! :-D  (Picture below is of us in front of Independence Hall.)

3) Post-graduation plans. I am praying about a ministry opportunity for after graduation (here in Philly because obviously I'd like to stay!), but I’d appreciate your prayers in that regard that the Lord would make clear the way before me. 

Thank you! 

Reading List: January/February 2016

Finished this month:

Be Free: Exchange Legalism for True Spirituality (Commentary on Galatians) by Warren Wiersbe

This was a good read and I would recommended it (although I would disagree with his dispensational views on two occasions). It was a very easy read too - it didn’t feel like a “commentary”. Warren Wiersbe gives a very good explanation of what it means to be set free from the law and walk in the Spirit. If you want to read/study more about that, this is a great book for you!

“Justification is not simply ‘forgiveness,’ because a person could be forgiven and then go out and sin and become guilty. Once you have been ‘justified by faith’ you can never be held guilty before God.”

“We have been ‘raised to walk in newness of life’ (Rom 6:4), and since we live by His resurrection power, we do not need the ‘help’ of the law.”

“[This] simply means that we no longer need the external force of the law to keep us in God’s will because we have the internal leading of the Holy Spirit of God (Rom 8:1-4).” (emphasis his)

Loving the Way Jesus Loves by Phil Ryken

I loved this book! It was such a beautiful exposition on love and how Christ is the personification of perfect love. It was pretty convicting – wow how short I fall of God’s love! But as Phil writes, “What makes these verses so beautiful is that they are really a portrait of Jesus and his love” (p. 33). It is Christ and His love that must enthrall our hearts first of all. If we are to understand and grow in love, we must seek to know Jesus, for “A Christian is someone who has experienced the love of Jesus and who therefore pursues love in relationship to other people” (p. 189). In each chapter, Phil focused on a certain attribute of love and then moved to a passage of Scripture where Christ demonstrated that particular characteristic.

“We will never learn how to love by working it up in our own hearts, but only by having more of Jesus in our lives” (p. 23).

Filling Up the Afflictions of Christ by John Piper

In this fifth book in his “The Swans Are Not Silent” series (all GREAT books by the way – definitely ones you want to read!), John Piper shares from the lives of William Tyndale, Adoniram Judson and John Patton. Each of these three men suffered greatly for the cause of Christ, the true Gospel of salvation and the truth of God’s Word.

William Tyndale lived in exile for years but later was captured and burned at the stake because of his work of translating the Scriptures into English. It is mostly from his work that we have the English translations that we have today. The Catholic Church was so opposed to his work – mainly because he sought to faithful translate words like “elder” instead of “priest” and therefore undermined much of what Catholic theology actually taught! But Tyndale realized that for the sake of the life-giving Gospel, the Bible must be translated, and he gave his life for that cause.

John Patton lost his first wife and newborn shortly after arriving in the New Hebrides islands, but he remained and worked among cannibals. When one person tried to persuade him not to go for fear he would be “eaten by cannibals” John replied with remarkable courage: “I confess to you, that if I can but live and die serving and honoring the Lord Jesus, it will make no difference to me whether I am eaten by Cannibals or by worms; and in the Great Day my Resurrection body will rise as fair as yours in the likeness of our risen Redeemer” (p. 58).  What a remarkable man of prayer and perseverance! He wrote, “Whatever trials have befallen me in my Earthly Pilgrimage, I have never had the trial of doubting that perhaps, after all, Jesus had made some mistake. No! my blessed Lord Jesus makes no mistakes! When we see all His meaning, we shall understand, what now we can only trustfully believe that all is well – best for us, best for the cause most dear to us, best for the good of others, and the glory of God” (p. 76).  God give me such faith! While there was much suffering and resistance to his work after some years saw amazing fruit as one entire island turned to Christ!

Adoniram Judson lost 2 wives and multiple children to disease in the midst of missions work in Burma. 6 years it took for them to be able to baptize their first convert. At one point he was imprisoned and nearly died; the after-affect was that his wife and newborn child did die. He felt this loss greatly and struggled through some depressive times. But he wrote, “If I had not felt certain that every additional trial was ordered by infinite love and mercy, I could not have survived my accumulated sufferings” (p.87).

Talk about inspirational. John Piper ends the book with these words: “The question is not whether we will die, but whether we will die in a way that bears fruit” (p. 107). In our life and in our death, may we bring glory to God and fruitfulness to His mission.

Strangers to Fire: When Tradition Trumps Scripture edited by Robert Graves

I’m pretty much laying my cards on the table with this one; a number of my Christian brothers and sisters out there will disagree with me on this issue. But since in the last few years I have become more and more convinced that Cessationism is not Biblical I think this was a good book and an important one. It was written by various Charismatic/Pentecostal theologians in defense of Charismatic/Continuationist theology. The first half of the book has several articles/essays written in direct response to John MacArthur’s book Strange Fire. (My go-to and favorite essay in this section was the one written by Craig Keener – a really excellent defense but done with incredible humility and grace!) The second half of the book is a whole bunch of essays written defending Charismatic/Pentecostal theology or the continuation of the gifts of the Spirit – particularly focusing on prophesy, healing, miracles and tongues. I would disagree rather strongly with the Pentecostal writers on their emphasis on tongues (I’m not convinced that all Christians have that particular gift). I’m also not sure where I stand on the apostolic gift/office debate. Still, it was very interesting (and helpful) to read their perspective. Favorite chapters in this section were “Continuationism – A Redemptive-Historical Perspective” by James Hernando, and “Restoration of the Kingdom’s Miraculous Power” by J.P. Moreland.

“The meaning of ‘canon’ is not all that God has ever said, but the critically agreed-on measuring stick for evaluating other revelation… Depending on God for personal direction, sometimes through sensing an inner guidance, is not the same as inventing a new, post-Biblical doctrine… The New Testament model for believers is not to reject all prophesy but to discern what is right from what is wrong (1 Cor 14:29; 1 Thes 5:20-22).”    – Craig Keener (p. 53-54)

“Biblical faith is not a formula by which God can be manipulated but a relationship with one whose character we have come to trust… I must conform my experience to the Bible rather than the Bible to my experience. In other words, I remain committed to spiritual gifts because I am committed to Scripture.” – Craig Keener (p. 147 & 161)

(Addressing the fact that Cessationism has become an increasingly minority position…) “This means that the harshness and rigidity that sometimes characterized Cessationists advocates should be tempered not merely because all of us need to dialogue about our differences in a gracious manner, but because it may well be intellectually irresponsible to embody the sort of certainty with respect to Cessationism that sometimes fuels such harshness and rigidity. Even if you remain a solidly convinced Cessationist, however, there is still plenty of room in your theology to increase your passion for and expectation of the supernatural, miraculous aspect of new covenant life and ministry.”    – J.P. Moreland (p. 293)

Future Reading:

My spring semester will be starting up very soon, so I don’t think I’ll get to any additional reading. But I will most an update at some point about my classes and assignments. Thanks for reading! 

Reading List: January 4, 2016

What do you do on winter break? No break from reading for me! Now’s the time I can read some things that aren’t “required”!  I have so many books that I want to read so I tried to get through as many as I could while I have time. Not very many are so fortunate and I hope reading these summaries is helpful to some. In the next month I hope to get through several more – I have just 3 credits I’m taking over the J-term before the spring semester starts on February 8^th so I will have some extra time.

Resisting Gossip: Wining the War of the Wagging of the Tongue by Matthew Mitchell

This book is going on my “books every Christian should read” list. I read it on my kindle, but I am getting a print copy because it’s one of those books that I know that I want to re-read. Yes, it’s that good.

Matt Mitchell defines gossip as “bearing bad news behind someone’s back out of a bad heart”. He does a wonderful job discussing why it is that we are drawn to information/news/gossip and the different forms it can take. There are various forms of gossip and some are more harmful than others. He also discusses the heart and the motives behind why we listen to and share things about others. This book was quite convicting and yes, I’m guilty of a lot of this too! How easy it is to “vent” and share things that are completely unnecessary and are not helpful or edifying to others. When we are negative and critical towards others it certainly does say a lot about what is going on in our hearts. Ouch. It’s something we often don’t think is a big deal, or it’s something that we are so used to that we don’t realize we’re doing it. Matt writes that sometimes we do it out of unnecessary curiosity or plain boredom and that “the ‘gospel escape’ from boredom is active love, active service and active mercy for other people – including those who do not deserve it one bit.”

Matt gives practical help through stories and examples and also steps to how we can identify gossip, change our habits and also stop the spread of it. Throughout Scripture we are warned about the use of the tongue and told to love and build others up. There is of course proper times to tell information, and proper times where we need to confront others. But in all our speech may we become people known for our gracious and edifying words!

“Most, if not all, sinful gossip includes the sin of judging others…. There is an unnecessary kind of judging that leads to sinful gossip. This is the kind of judging Jesus talked about when he said ‘Do not judge, or you too will be judged’ (Matt 7:1).” “Another name for sinful judging is critical judgment. The opposite virtue is called charitable judgment.”

“It is pride when we pick and choose what is most wrong about another based upon our own self-exaltation. We are all prone to do this.”

God’s Kingdom Through God’s Covenants: A Concise Biblical Theology by Peter Gentry & Stephen Wellum

I started this a month ago on my kindle, but had to postpone finishing it until after finals. This book was an excellent treatise on the covenants in Scripture – what they are (and aren’t), how they relate to one another and most importantly, how they point to and are fulfilled in Christ and the new covenant. “...apart from properly understanding the nature of the biblical covenants and how they relate to each other, we will not correctly discern the message of the Bible and hence God’s self-disclosure which centers on and culminates in Christ.”  Biblical theology is looking at Scripture as a whole and is very important to understand if we want to rightly understand Scripture. “Our reading of Scripture and or doing of theology must attend to the historical unfolding of redemptive history that is organically related and ultimately centered on Jesus Christ.”

Does the study of the covenants in Scripture matter? Yes because “it is the interpretation of the relation of the old covenant to the new that is the basis of all the major divisions among Christians; i.e., all denominational differences derive ultimately from different understandings of how the covenant at Sinai relates to us today.” Whether you think there is one covenant, or two, or multiple ones (which is what this book argues for) makes a big difference in how you view Scripture and the relationship between the old and new testaments.  If you are not sure, or even if you think you disagree, I’d invite you to read this and examine it carefully in light of what Scripture itself teaches.

“Because Christ is the last Adam and the true Israel, the true and literal seed of Abraham (Gal. 3:16), all of God’s promises to Israel (which includes the nations) are fulfilled in Christ and inaugurated in the church. God has not replaced Israel by the church; instead he has brought Israel’s role to its fulfillment in Christ and to Christ’s people.”

True Worshipers: Seeking What Matters To God by Bob Kauflin

This was a really great book too. As a Christian who loves the Lord worship had been something I have sought (and I don’t just mean singing), but Bob Kauflin takes a real deep look at what true worship looks like and it was both convicting and encouraging to my soul. He begins with our inability and the truth that true worship begins with us receiving from God. He writes, “worship is a gift we receive before it’s a task we perform” (p. 122). Also, there’s the fact that we need God in order to worship God and that the Word of God and the work of the Holy Spirit are the means to experiencing His presence. Truth is the only proper avenue to true worship and so we must know the truth, read/study the Bible and hear good preaching. “We cannot worship God apart from his Word” (p. 41). Music and singing play a role in worship, but there is so much more to it than that. Worship is our hearts being redirected to God. It’s exalting God. Bob also refers to worship and edification as “two sides of the same coin” (p. 86) for we were not made to worship God on our own, we were made to worship as a body and “one of the most important ways we worship God is by building up other members of the body” (p. 85).

Bob also gives some misconceptions about worship and answers a lot of questions about our words and behavior, about gathering as a church, about singing and music, and about serving within the church, for all of these are expressions of worship. What does it mean to worship? What does it look like to exalt God? What if you don’t feel like singing? What about distractions? What does it mean to experience and seek God’s presence? Despite the various difficulties we need to pursue God in desperate dependence, eager expectation, and humble responsiveness (p. 137).

“Some of us say we want to encounter God, but we aren’t expecting him to show up. We don’t really think he’ll do or say anything. We’re like a parent opening a closet door to check whether the monster our child heard is really there. We appear to be expecting something, but we’d faint or scream if we found anything.” (p. 139)

“[Worship is] an all-of-life response to the forgiveness we’ve received through the gospel… Worship begins in our hearts, but always works its way out into visible actions.” (p. 53)

Holding Hands, Holding Hearts: Recovering a Biblical view Christian Dating by Richard & Sharon Phillips

This was a really good book! When it comes to the topic of guy/girl relationships this was a real practical book with a beautiful Bible-based foundation. Whether you call it “dating “ or “courting” or something else, I would say this is a great resource for establishing a Biblical perspective on relationships. They start off building a Biblical framework for godly relationships and how God intended men and women to function. Then they address the characteristics men and women should be seeking in a spouse and seeking to develop in themselves. Richard and Sharon share their own experiences as well and discuss what men and women usually tend to focus on and what they should be focusing on instead, mainly, godly character. When getting to know someone and/or pursuing a relationship how should you be communicating? How should you approach a (first) date? What is the appropriate way to go about growing a relationship? They emphasized that marriage should not be built on compatibility. Compatibility is certainly important to a degree (especially on essential things like doctrine, raising children, etc.), but being overly focused on that is not what will make marriage succeed. Instead marriage should be built on a willingness to love – no matter what. One key to marriage is repentance, forgiveness, and renewed obedience to God, “and if Christians can live in such a way, then they can be happily married.” (p. 165) Richard & Sharon give 3 main things that they see as central in a relationship: commitment, intimacy and interdependence. Commitment should grow first (and be clearly communicated), followed by a growth in intimacy and then more and more interdependence. The goal in our relationships (as Christians) should be to honor, encourage and build up our brother/sister and guard their hearts. We should be striving for honor and holiness in our relationships and to ultimately bring glory to God. Three important tools in this process are counsel, prayer and accountability.

This book will give you some real practical advice not just on relationships but on how you can grow personally to be the man/women that God is calling you to be. Godliness is expressed through a life lived in trust in the Lord and a desire to serve others not seeking what you can gain. True feminine beauty is trust and peace in the Lord. True manly confidence is built on godly character and trust in God not self-confidence. I was reminded of how much I still need to grow in my relationship with the Lord and how much character I can still grow in. The last chapter speaks about singleness as a trial and how we should strive for contentment, joy and purpose in this season just like in any other trial. It is indeed true that if you cannot be content while single you will not be content married either.

“We would gladly settle for mere happiness in life. But God is determined that we should be holy, and through holiness partake of his own glory.” (p. 168)

 “Many men think of the call to give themselves for a women solely in terms of her protection… But they fail to realize that when a women enters a dating relationship, she mainly needs to be protected from the sins of the very man to whom she is offering her heart.” (p. 72)

Jesus, Justice & Gender Roles by Kathy Keller

This was such a great little book, it was recommended to me by a friend and I was super happy to discover it! If you want to read a book on gender roles this would be my go-to! It’s short (39 pages) but Kathy does a great job of answering the question about gender roles in the church. There are two main views: Egalitarianism says that there are no differences in roles at all, complementarianism says that while the genders are equal there are differences in role. Kathy takes what I would call a more liberal complementarian view which I personally would consider very balanced. She shows from Scripture that men are given the unique role of authoritative leadership in the church in that they alone can be elders (or have a position in the church that is overseeing the pastor, involved in church discipline, etc.). However, there is evidence in Scripture as well that women can still lead and do as much as any other layman in the church.

“Having an open mind doesn’t mean leaving it open on both ends.” (p. 29)

“Justice, in the end, is whatever God decrees. So whether or not you are able to see justice in divinely created gender roles depends largely on how much trust you have in God’s character.” (p. 38)

What’s the Difference by John Piper

This shorter book was kind of an excerpt from Piper & Grudem’s longer book “Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood”. It was a very good essay that does a good job defining manhood and womanhood according to Scriptural principles. He is very clear and very balanced in his approach and how he defines the characteristics of manhood and womanhood and I found the book refreshing and encouraging.

“In the home when a husband leads like Christ and a wife responds like the bride of Christ, there is harmony and mutuality that is more beautiful and more satisfying than any pattern of marriage created by man.” (p. 66)

Men and Women, Equal Yet Different: A Brief Study of the Biblical Passages on Gender by Alexander Strauch

Maybe you’ve noticed a theme here. I got into some discussions on gender role over the last few months so have been reading books on this subject. Holding Hands, Holding Hearts (above) actually discusses this as well and does a really great job! This one was good, although I’d probably recommend the above books before this one. But still, he beautifully lays out God’s design for roles in marriage. Loving leadership (headship) by the husband and submissive support & help by the wife is God’s design and when you see how it was intended to be it is indeed beautiful.

“…the distinguishing mark of the Christian home should be selfless, self-sacrificing love initiated by the husband.” (p. 60)

“Christlike love adds a divine and mutually beneficial character to the role differences between Christian men and women.” (p. 11)

Thoughts & Goals for the New Year

This past year was one of real suffering, of physical, emotional and spiritual weakness, but it was also a display of God's faithfulness and ability to bring healing to my body and soul. As difficult as the first half of this past year was I am thankful for the experience and for all that God taught me through it. It's been a really amazing last few months with me heading to seminary in September and it will be exciting in this next year to see how God leads me as I graduate this spring!

There’s a lot being said about now about New Year’s resolutions and if/how we should make them. I do think it is good to periodically evaluate your life and see where you need to grow and change, and this takes humility. You have to be honest and willing to admit where you have failed or where you are weak. But we also need to realize that it’s not always enough to just “resolve”. There needs to be true commitment and a plan towards the changes you want to make. And let us echo the words of Elisabeth Elliot below and seek to make our growth into the likeness of Christ our primary goal!

But as we make resolutions or set goals the first step towards change must be prayer. We cannot change apart from the work of the Holy Spirit, at least it won’t be real, long-lasting change. I’ve been thinking and praying over the last week about areas in my life where the Lord is showing me that I need to grow and change and came up with the following four. I have committed to daily praying specifically about each of these and evaluating my progress. To my close friends, as you are able please do pray for me and assuming you are able to offer constructive criticism (see my posts on that maybe if you're not sure!) then you have my permission to ask me about these areas and how I am doing… as Christians we are part of a body for a reason; we need each other.

So, four areas where I need to and want to grow and change this year:

I want to be more focused on the Lord and on the present in my thought life.

I put this one first, because the truth is if you want to change in ANY area, the first thing that needs to change is your thought patterns. But thinking patterns are hard to change and there are limits to practical steps you can take towards change. But I am seeking to try to be more aware of my thinking patterns and be more spiritual minded and focused on the present (as opposed to thinking about things that aren’t relevant or helpful or are distracting or where I’m over-thinking the future that I have no control over). Prayer is going to be crucial here, and I will be seeking to have more of an attitude of prayer.

I want to quit eating sugar and “extra” sides or snacks.

Oh boy. I cannot tell you how many times I have tried to do this and failed or not lasted very long. Quite honestly, I am not strong enough which shows me even more that I need to press towards growth and change in this area. On the other hand, there have been times where I have been successful so I know that it IS possible – especially since I have the Holy Spirit and a new nature within me that enables me to resist temptation! But this is a difficult area for me because I have SUCH a sweet tooth and it’s hard for me to resist things that I like. It can be small like a piece of bread with dinner or snacking on nuts when I’m not hungry. Or it can be bigger like wanting some ice cream or chocolate. Also, how often do we eat just to be social when we really don’t need to and it’s not really helpful to our bodies?

So… (here it goes, Lord help me!) I will be seeking to not eat sugar and avoid unnecessary snacks and “sides”. But to be realistic sugar is in almost everything so it’s acceptable to have things like salad dressing or if it’s in something that I can’t really help.

I want to become more grace-filled in my speech.

To put it negatively, I want to be less negative and critical in my speech (and my thoughts too). Most people that know me probably would say that I don’t have a problem with this at all, but still the Lord has convicted me about this. I do find myself being critical of others and I desire to grow in graciousness and love towards others.

I want to spend less time with social media/entertainment.

It can be super easy to take a break from school work and “just check Facebook” or watch a movie. This easily becomes a bad habit and a big time waster. To put this positively, I want to pray more and read more. This is also a matter of self-control and saying no to something I want to do at a given moment. This will be a difficult one as well, but it’s an area I do want to work on.

Specific goals in this area are that I will seek to at most, watch 1 movie per week and that only on Friday/Saturday (although exceptions may be made if I’m with friends/family). In regards to limiting my time on Facebook, I’m still not sure how to best do this so that it will be most effective for me. I probably need to get a timer to keep track of my time. Also, I will seek to not be on at all in the morning hours.   

I decided also to pick a verse for the year, Psalm 19:14: "May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD my strength and my Redeemer."

Thanks for reading my blog this year... I don't really know who all does, but I wish you all a very happy and blessed year ahead!

Is Anxiety Sinful?

This post is based on a session given at the 2015 CCEF National Conference. This particular session was titled “Six Ways to Help and Anxious Person” and was presented by David Powlison. For more information please visit http://www.ccef.org/

The reality is that in this fallen, uncertain world we have good reason to be afraid. We should not be surprised of the abundant reasons we have to be concerned. However, there are better reasons to not be afraid, the main one being that we have a God who is in control of the world and every detail of our lives. But despite this hope-giving truth, I for one have struggled with anxiety. There was a time where my body and mind were both working against me to overwhelm me with feelings of stress and anxiety. At times I didn’t even have a good reason to feel anxious, but I still was. Sometimes I couldn’t even explain how I was feeling or why I was feeling that way. How is one to understand these feelings? Are those feelings of anxiety, as some preachers and writers have said, sinful in and of themselves? Do I need to repent of what I feel?

The answer, I would argue, is no. Feelings of anxiety are not sinful. Feelings and thoughts of worry are not sin and one should not feel guilt concerning them. Feelings cannot be sinful in and of themselves, for they are just indicators of what is going on in our mind, body and heart. Feelings and thoughts are not sinful, but they may be a temptation, and it is the response that can be sinful. This is a very important distinction; those who are anxious are not necessarily sinning! There are bodily weakness that can contribute, or it may be the result of other suffering. Those struggling need others to ask questions and understand their struggle. They need help to respond well to this temptation. There is usually much more going on below the surface that even they realize.

As we seek to help those who struggle with anxiety David Powlison gives us four questions we can ask. First we should help them ask “What’s going on with me?” We need to help them understand what they are feeling. This was such a great point because when you’re feeling anxious often you are not really sure what you are actually feeling. Also, they need to get to the root of their feelings – what is underneath their anxiety. Often there is fear, and they need to realize and face that fear. Second, “Who’s here with me?” They need to be reminded that God is with them and they can trust Him. Often in times of suffering it is hard to feel loved by God and they may need to be reassured of this truth. During my own personal struggle with anxiety and depression something that helped so much was people reminding me over and over that God loved me - because my circumstances and feelings were telling me otherwise. Third, “What’s pressing in on me?” Anxiety reveals what’s important to us, what we can’t control. We need to face those things and bring them to God. This leads to the fourth question which is “What’s hijacking my heart?” We easily forget who God is and fear man or circumstances more; we need to realize what is ruling our heart.

Then there are two action steps we can present to those who are struggling with anxiety. First, we need to help them have an honest conversation and be transparent about their struggles. Their feelings are not just going to disappear, they need to deal with them! We cannot hide, we need to be open. I love how he talked about how our prayers are worries, but they are God-oriented. We take our concerns to God in prayer, and to others to help us. Secondly, we need to help them focus on doing what needs doing today. God has things for them to do now; He has a mission and a purpose right now, even though life seems really overwhelming. Often we just need to focus on taking small steps of obedience and not on the bigger, distant things that we have no control over anyway! Repentance indeed may be needed. We may need to repent of our desire to control or of our self-centeredness. These are the actual sins that need to be dealt with; feelings of anxiety are simply the overflow.

For some anxiety may be a long-term struggle. This is a trial and a suffering that God has allowed in your life but He is in the one in control and will carry you through. But also remember that in it He also calls you to seek to persevere through it in faith. Throughout Scripture we meet men and women who were beset by circumstances that left them overwhelmed, anxious and weary. But they also give examples of how we should respond -David wrote the words on the picture below as he sought to bring his anxieties to the Lord. By all means seek medical counsel and remember that just because you feel anxiety doesn't mean you are sinning. But you do need to pay attention to how you are responding to those feelings. The beautiful thing is that anxiety can be a door to faith; it’s an opportunity to trust God. In fact, you have a responsibility to seek to trust God no matter what you feel. You are not a victim of your feelings, they do not have to control you; they do not define who you are. Also, this is an opportunity for the church community to love and pray for others. We need to be open and honest about our struggles, and we need to seek to know how people are really doing. As we learn to really get to know others and what’s going on in their heart we can better minister and love them. That is what the Church is supposed to be all about.