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Spare Change - August 2019

Don’t worry, be happy," was the mantra of the 80’s.  I used to love that song by Bobby McFerrin, so light and happy, but it's easier sung than done.  Leaving worry behind is a difficult task, even for Christians. Sometimes our worries are founded, but many times they are not.  We worry about things that we can’t or shouldn’t control. We let it consume us until we are physically, emotionally, and spiritually stalled.  Dale Carnegie said, “Our fatigue is often caused not by work, but by worry, frustration, and resentment.” I believe this applies to our spiritual fatigue as well.  Why do we feel so dry and faithless? It's often because we let worry consume our life.

I’m pretty sure we all agree that worry is bad.  When we realize this, many times we take off on a journey of freedom from worry on our own.  We think, “If I just try harder” or “If I just refocus my thoughts”. The truth is you can’t do it on your own, because worry is not just a productivity problem. It is a faith problem. Worry is an act of faithlessness. Worry says to God that I am not willing to trust God, instead I am going to mull this thought over and over again.  Deep down we know we can’t change anything, but the act of worry is an attempt to control an uncontrollable situation.

The reality is that worry is not a biblical idea.  We are challenged to be free of worry many times in scripture.  The greatest refutation of worry is by Jesus in the sermon on the mount. Maybe you have heard this before, but try to look at it with fresh eyes.  Open your Bible and read Matthew 6:25-34.

One of the major worries of those in Jesus’ time was simple day-to-day necessities like food and clothing.  Jesus tells them to not worry about these things. In fact God knows they need them and He will help them. He points to how God cares for the flora and fauna of the world and if God takes such good care of them how much more will He care for us, His most precious creation.  Jesus is saying to trust God and have faith that God will provide. While we may not  worry about food or clothing, the same idea is true. We need to trust God in all things. Jesus says that worry will not add one hour to our life span, so why worry. Basically worry won’t change anything, so why do it.  Instead, trust the Lord, who is in control of all things.

He also says, at the end of this passage, to seek God’s kingdom first.  Jesus is telling us that worry is the equivalent of seeking our own kingdom; however, when we put God’s kingdom first we are exhibiting true faith.  This means that the next time you are tempted to worry you need to turn to the Lord. The apostles help us with some really practical  advice. Paul says in Philippians 4:6-7, that instead of worrying we should pray.  We need to change our habit of worry. When we feel ourselves begin to worry, start to pray. The Bible promises that when we give those things over to God He will fill us with a great peace. While we can change very little by worrying we can go to the God of all things and ask Him to help us.  What an amazing truth!

Peter also tells us in 1 Peter 5:7 to cast our cares on the Lord because He cares for us.  This echoes what Jesus said in the sermon on the mount. God loves and cares about every detail of your life.  So don't worry, instead look to Him, cast your burdens on Jesus. He can take it!

What fills your life with worry?  For me it’s mistakes of the past, present things that are out of my control, and     future things that haven't even happened yet.  I can control none of these things and worry only compounds my problems. Recently, I have challenged myself to let these things go and turn them over to the Lord.  By His grace, He is helping me to do that. I am much more at peace and can focus on what God wants me to do. This can happen for you as well, instead of being worry ridden, be faith filled by trusting the Lord and giving Him all your worries.

Student Ministry - August 2019

Dear Church Family,

The Summer is already drawing to an end, and as I look back, I can’t believe how much time I’ve been able to spend with our students. We’ve been on mission, gone to camp and went white water rafting, went exploring in the City Museum in St. Louis, gone canoeing, had pool parties, and will have finished our Middle School Mission Week by the time you read this. I have thoroughly enjoyed all the time spent and ministry done with our students this Summer! The Fall semester is well primed with what the Lord has been doing in the lives of our students.

One thing that I have enjoyed the most this year is that for several of our events, we have had parents involved and investing in the lives of our students. From retreat earlier this year to camp, canoeing, and pool parties this summer, parents tend to make student events much more beneficial. There’s just something about having a parent or two (or several) to bring their perspectives to the lives of the students. The biggest way parental involvement helps students is that it allows the students to see parents as normal people too. Parents were teenagers once. They grew up, made mistakes, and had to learn from them. But many students rarely see that. During student events, parents become more than just a mom or dad, though. They become an Adult Leader! As an Adult Leader, the students get to see these parents in a different light. Now they are just normal people living out the same gospel and journey of life as the kids. The students start to identify with the older generation as parents serve the students and open up about their walk with Christ. This is something we should celebrate and seek to duplicate. Here’s why:

The number one reason why students leave the church when they graduate is because they lack relationships with adults in the church. I don’t have to cite this information, because it is in every student ministry book, survey, and website out there. If this is true, then we need parents to be invested in the lives of the students of our church. This does not mean just investing in their own students… If every parent intentionally and prayerfully invested the gospel in the lives of their children, then that would be spectacular! But even more is called upon us. We are also called to intentionally and prayerfully invest the gospel into the lives of our children’s friends and acquaintances. That simply means that we are supposed to care about the salvation and growth of the other students in our church as well as our own. We all agree with this, but practically this means giving time and resources to serve and build relationships with students and include them into our lives. This looks like helping out in the Children’s Ministry and Student Ministry, serving and investing weekly. It can easily look like helping out with a Student Event! It needs to look like letting your kids invite their unsaved friends over for dinner and then to church on a Wednesday night. For a start, it might simply look like saying hello to some students on a Sunday morning and getting to know their names. Whatever it may look like in your context, the question is, are you   intentionally and prayerfully investing the gospel in the younger generation? If the answer is no, but you want that to change, come talk to me about Student Ministry or Pastor Bryan Gotcher about Children’s Ministry… we can help you get started!

Sincerely,
Brian Van Doren