Anxiety!
Good morning, Father! I am looking forward to a good day together. Though I have not written in a couple of weeks, we have nonetheless been together. Thank You for the many blessings of the season – safe travel, good fellowship with friends and family, and wonderful foods. Show me today what You would have me share. Amen.
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Anxiety. Life can easily be filled with anxiety. And the Christmas season lends itself well to cranking up our stress levels. Some things that stress others, don’t stress me.
I try to help, but I’m sure I don’t put a dent in the stress Karen experiences during the holidays. We host her family’s Thanksgiving get-together and a Christmas open house for both of our churches – that means cleaning and cooking and lots of baking!
Then there’s getting all the gifts we are giving, getting around a “Thank You” for all the wonderful gifts from students and church friends, wrapping gifts, decorating our home, etc., etc. And of course, much of that occurs when she has taught all day!
It is appreciated by all and I am so proud of the fact that she excels at it all. …but it is stressful. It brings anxiety…for her.
As I said, I try to help, but I’m sure I don’t put a dent in it.
But I do have anxiety, and many may chuckle at what stresses me. When we have a house full of people, family or friends, I stress about making sure I speak to everyone. I stress that I may interact with some more than I interact with others. I stress that I miss when some people leave and I didn’t get the chance to thank them for coming and to give them a heartfelt farewell. I so appreciate them being able to come.
Another area of stress is when Massey comes home. His coming is not stressful, it’s the fact that he will leave that’s hard. Many times, I am very good at not thinking about it. I savor each day that we have, embracing each moment. And then, like this year, I stress because I think, “This is our last week! We haven’t done this or that. Have I truly savored and cherished each moment?” It literally kept me awake last night! It is not unusual for me to get up a couple of times in the night but I can usually get back to sleep pretty quickly…but not last night…
Jesus spoke to us about anxiety in Matthew 6:25-34 (NLT),
“That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life…” v.25
He goes on to speak about not worrying about what we will eat, drink and wear but He stresses that our heavenly Father knows us and loves us. He cares about every area of our lives.
“These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.”
“So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today. vs.32-34
Lord Jesus, there is no need for worry for everything is under You. Help me to trust You in every aspect of my life. May I give it all over to You. Amen.
Jan 5th, 2020, Sun, 7:40 am
A Christmas Hiatus
I thank You once again, Father, for the snow day last Tuesday. Since then it has been steady with work, a family Christmas yesterday and today, our normal worship services this morning but with an added Candlelight Service tonight. We will be able to catch our breath for a day before Massey comes home! We are surely blessed!
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This time of year, even with a change of vocation, is still taxing – physically, mentally and even spiritually. When we are weary, the devil doubles up on his attacks, wanting us to fall.
So, as I am want to do. I will take a short hiatus from writing until sometime after the beginning of the year. I am going to take time to recharge, to spend time with family, which as Massey gets older, is something Karen and I cherish more and more.
So for my last post of the year, I thought I would share our Christmas letter that we traditionally send out with our Christmas cards. My apologies to those of you will already have read it but to all a most Merry Christmas!
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It’s hard to believe that 2019 is almost gone; flown by and drug us along with it, willing or not! Our lives, as well as yours, I am sure, continue to be full to the brim with so many things that clamor for our attention. There never seems to be enough hours in the day to get it all done.
Karen continues to impact the lives of 1st graders, finding herself in her 18th year of teaching at Highland. I’m amazed at how she can motivate them to accomplish so much in the short time she has with them. Even children who struggle find themselves far exceeding what even they thought they could accomplish! She is a role model for what a teacher should be and does not get enough credit for her care and excellence! She is not an entertainer; she is a life changer!
Massey continues to keep his nose to the grind and hopes to complete his doctorate at Texas A&M next semester. He submitted his first journal paper this August to the American Society of Mechanical Engineers: Journal of Fluids Engineering, which is currently under review. He’s currently working on his next study and will be taking his preliminary exams when he goes back in January. He’s planning to start, finish and defend his remaining work by early May next year. He just recently got back to Aggieland after presenting at the American Physical Society: Division of Fluid Dynamics annual meeting in Seattle. He was quite excited at how well the talk went and at the questions he received afterward, not to mention the exploring and hiking he and some of his labmates did in the Pacific Northwest over Thanksgiving. They had a great time and we are looking forward to seeing the 1,000+ pictures he’s told us about! Because of the seemingly unending workload, he hasn’t been home since last Christmas, though we traveled to College Station to spend some time with him this past summer. We are excited to have him home here in a couple of weeks!
I have been out of retail for a year now and so enjoy my new occupation! It most certainly has its challenges, but I love the kids and I am coming to truly appreciate my fellow drivers and leadership – another family to love and another “church” to which to minister. I have never been a “crack you over the head with a Bible” kind of person, but my faith is there for all to see. I pray that the Lord will continue to use me in the midst of it all.
I continue my “part-time” responsibilities as pastor of the Beulah and Liberty Chapel congregations. Participating in an interactive group with pastors of other like-size United Methodist churches, I have recently challenged myself to ‘dream again’. We have done so much in the past through our ministry and in the last few years, it seems that I’ve just been able to keep up with the bare necessities. With the Lord’s help, I pray that he will let this old man “dream dreams” (Joel 2:28). Only He knows where He will lead us!
I continue to blog (morethanuseless.com) and have now made over 1,200 posts! Altogether I’ve had almost 38,000 views by nearly 18,000 visitors from 134 countries across the globe! God continues to bless my efforts. I claim Isaiah 55:11 NLT for its impact, “It is the same with my word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it.”
We pray that you have sought out God in your life – if not He is diligently reaching out to you. We pray that His love and compassion fill you as you strive to fulfill His calling upon you – for nothing is more important. Merry CHRISTmas!
With a never-ceasing love! Thom, Karen, and Massey
Dec 22nd, 2019, Sun, 4:21 pm
Impossible Possible
Thank You for the opportunities You give me, Father. May I pay attention to what is of You that is before me and not distracted by the petty things of this world. Open my eyes that I may see. Amen.
Luke 4:38-41 (<<click to read the passage)
How many times do we feel that God…
…can’t handle our issues because they’re too big for Him? Or…
…won’t handle our issues because they’re not big enough for Him? Or…
…doesn’t have time to handle our issues because He’s too busy? Or…
…you fill in the blank with your reason.
I love the what is said is at the end of verse 40,
No matter what their diseases were, the touch of his hand healed every one. NLT
No matter what…healed every one!
I have written before about God’s ability to handle each and every circumstance that we bring before him. I wrote A Cheeseburger Answer to Prayer back in April and MIGHTY! Not Just Meek and Mild in October, as well as, Nothing Is Impossible back in May 2018.
Scripture – His word – gives me ample opportunity to praise my God for what He can do.
“For with God nothing [is or ever] shall be impossible.” Luke 1:37 (AMP)
“With people [as far as it depends on them] it is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Matthew 19:26 (AMP)
I have a tie that in fact, I wore just this past Sunday with that verse on it!
We used to sing a song written by Eugene Clark way back in 1966 that is entitled, Nothing Is Impossible. (<<click on the title if you’d like to listen to it!) Here are the lyrics,
Nothing is impossible when you put your trust in God
Nothing is impossible when you’re trusting in His Word
Hearken to the voice of God to thee:
“Is there anything too hard for Me?”
Then put your trust in God alone and rest upon His Word
For ev’rything, o ev’rything
Yes, ev’rything is possible with God!
Why am I belaboring this? Way too many of us live defeated lives. And we are defeated for a multitude of reasons. We feel stuck in all kinds of situations. Some things we could change and others we cannot but God can work in and through absolutely any matter in which we find ourselves – No matter what!
But we must surrender ourselves to Him – many, many things are impossible for us – remember “With people [as far as it depends on them] it is impossible…” He will work on our behalf but He honors His gift of free will. He will not impose Himself but waits until we yield ourselves to Him.
Do. Not. Wait! Giving ourselves over to Him results in blessing upon blessing! We can then withstand any storm for then we stand upon an immovable Rock! May it be so! Amen!
Dec 19th, 2019, Thurs, 7:55 pm
The Reality of Evil
Well, Father, I have so little pain and discomfort in my right hand that I have canceled the surgery I was to have tomorrow on my thumb. It would not heal itself so, Father, the credit most assuredly goes to You! Praise Your Holy Name!
Luke 4:31-37 (<<click to read the passage)
Our “modern” world seems to scoff at the main focus of this passage – “a man possessed by a demon – an evil (unclean) spirit”. Hollywood will run with it on occasion but the common person on the street probably doesn’t put much stock into its reality.
Let me relay a story from my time at Kohl’s. Several years ago, we had a family pass through in the vicinity of my department and with them was a small child. She was around two years of age and her interaction with her father (I presume) was shocking. They had a crossing of the wills and she was none too happy with the outcome and made it very clear how she felt. But it was not just your run-of-the-mill yelling, screaming, crying child in the midst of a tantrum. I have never seen such hatred and loathing come from anyone! Even at the time, my thought was that there was no way that a child that young could project so much evil verbally and physically! I was literally shocked! My reaction to the whole ordeal was that she must be the victim of demon possession.
Even now, I imagine many of you reading this are very likely rolling your eyes, exclaiming, “Really? That’s a little extreme don’t you think?” As I said, this incident took place several years ago and I can still picture her face in my mind.
We may jeer and sneer but the presence of evil in our world is most certainly real. And that evil can most assuredly be the result of demonic influence in people’s lives.
This passage is just one record of demons being cast out by Jesus and His followers. And just because we scoff or just because it makes us uncomfortable does not mean we can disregard its authenticity.
If there is one thing we can take away from this reading is that though our spiritual adversaries may be formidable, Jesus always has the upper hand. He is the one with unsurpassable authority and power.
Lord Jesus, I pray that we might never come in contact with such a level of evil personified but if we do may we never forget that You are sovereign and before You every knee shall bow both in the physical and the spiritual realm. Amen!
Dec 18th, 2019, Wed, 7:12 pm
With Authority
Father, today was a gift. Due to icy roads, we ended up with no school. Karen and I both had productive days getting things done and then had a nice evening with family. Thank You for the blessings that so freely come from Your almighty hand!
Luke 4:31-37 (<<click to read the passage)
The first thing that grabbed my attention as I read through this passage of Luke’s Gospel was verse 32 when Jesus had moved on from Nazareth to teach in the synagogue at Capernaum.
“…the people were amazed at his teaching, for he spoke with authority.” NLT
“…they were surprised [almost overwhelmed] at His teaching, because His message was [given] with authority and power and great ability.” AMP
Words that jump out at me are amazed, surprised, and overwhelmed, then the words authority, power, and ability.
And as I sit here, I wonder, “Does what I do on Sunday mornings and at Monday night Bible studies even come close to any of the words? Does my daily interaction with friends and loved ones reflect these words?” Now I am not whining or wallowing in self-pity. I am honestly just looking at myself…and wondering, “Am I in any way like Jesus in those situations?”
I realize that I am not the author of the words I proclaim. I have not had the ability to watch every instance of human interaction from the beginning of time so as to understand every single nuance of interaction and communication that has transpired between these frail vessels of clay.
No, I am most certainly not God but…I am His child. I most definitely believe that because He is my Savior, my Guide, and my Comforter that His Spirit resides within me. In my imperfection, I strive for His perfection. I fall and fail and stumble but He is gracious and kind and merciful and compassionate. He forgives and lifts me up when I take a faceplant on the dusty paths of life.
And I know He uses me, in spite of my weakness. He takes the pittance that I have to offer and multiplies it beyond my comprehension to impact those to whom He is reaching out. I am truly but a vessel that He uses at every opportune time to touch lives that He has been touching all along. Whispering into ears deafened by the raging screams of life. Caressing the cheeks of those who have been beaten by hatred and perversion and disappointment. Opening the eyes of those who have been blinded by the acidic effects of self-righteousness and self-loathing. He. uses. me. to accomplish His will in a world resistant to His very existence.
So, in and of myself, I am useless. But in Christ, I am far more than useless. Through me, He still amazes people with His teaching. He amazes them, almost to the point of overwhelming them. Though I am weak, He is strong and speaks through me with authority and power and great ability! For He is God! And absolutely nothing shall inhibit Him in growing His Kingdom! Amen and amen!
Dec 17th, 2019, Tues, 9:00 pm