Battle Tested

Kelly Horn April 26, 2016

Bad things happen. People do unthinkable, horrible things. We see earthquakes, floods, droughts, and other natural disasters all of the time. Our families face sicknesses, hardships, depression, and death. If we allow ourselves to focus on the bad for long enough, it starts to feel like not much good happens in the world anymore. It seems as if God is nowhere to be found in the time we most need His presence.

In these trying times we often, and unfairly, blame God. We can question God. It is even understandable to get mad at God. But, we shouldn’t blame Him. Tragedies are not a product of God’s absence or apathy. In fact the opposite is true. Tragedy is a function of God’s amazing love for us. When God created us we are offered the choice to love. This choice, however, opens the door for darkness. But, without our free will, we could never feel true love. If we were simply programmed to love without choice, then it would not be the kind of unconditional and overflowing love we know in Christ. We would be robotic beings, going through motions, but never coming as close to God as He intended. To love (or not to love) is a choice we make freely. That’s just the way it works.

The world, if we allow it, can evoke anxiety, fear and desperation. These feelings offer us choices. We can choose to run to God or to run from Him. There really is no middle ground for those of us with faith. If we choose to run from God, we lead ourselves into despair and loneliness. However, if we lean on faith and run to God we see the opposite. Yes, the suffering and pain may still exist, but God promises peace to help us deal with the present; strength to lead us into the future; and, an eternal life shared with Him. Where we see tragedy and disaster, God sees opportunities for us to know a deeper kind of love. When we want to hide in fear from the world, God calls us to go into the world and spread the message of love and hope. In good times, or in bad, God tells us to trust in Him and share His love and grace.

In John 16:33 Jesus reminds his followers of the big picture. “I have said this to you, so that in me you may have peace. In the world you face persecution. But take courage; I have conquered the world!” Jesus already won the battle. He experienced the worst the world has to offer and is victorious. He suffered so we don’t have to. So why would we choose to go it alone, to live in fear, or even to doubt God’s very presence in times of trouble? As Christ followers, we believe there is something more. Keep that faith in the darkest hours because we know a new dawn is always just on the horizon. God will fulfill His promises, if not in this life, then in eternity.

Category: Anxiety, Faith, Fear, Hope, Peace

Anger

Grace Wins

Rev. Kelsy Brown March 16, 2016

Sometimes it feels like hate wins. Sometimes it feels like bullies beat down all signs of innocence. Sometimes forgiveness gets lost. Sometimes it feels like fear takes over.

Each time we turn on the TV, listen to the radio, or read the newspaper our world is discussing divisions, scores, and lines that have been drawn in the sand. Why is it that hurting others is winning? Why do hate and violence seem to be the answer?

I am not suggesting that one side or the other is right or wrong in any one event, but the tenor of conversation has strayed, resulting in violence, hate, worry, rage and even fear like the crowds during Holy Week.

The community was wondering who was right—the Pharisees, whom they knew and trusted, or Jesus? They had to take sides between Barabbas, who was a known criminal but something they understood, versus Jesus, who described a world that was beyond their understanding of grace and truth.

The crowds had to choose between something known and something unknown. And whenever we are faced with decisions that are filled with unknowns, the feeling of fear wells up.

All of us, in every time and place, feel fear. Brene Brown, a leading psychologist, says that we all feel fear and want to know who to blame for it—so we seek out answers. We are afraid of world wars, so we find a place or person to blame. We are afraid of politics, so we find someone to blame. We are afraid of what might happen with our health, so we find blame. We are afraid of the future, so we find blame. Fear is expressed in many different ways—jealousy, anxiety, eating too much chocolate, anger or stress. Fear drives many decisions, often not in the right direction, which is why we end up with violence, hate, war, rage, prejudice, and even Jesus’ death on the cross.

But fear doesn’t have to own us. Instead, Jesus’ grace can. Grace is a new way of living. It means being brave in the midst of seasons in our lives when we are afraid, trusting when we are unsure how we got to this place or what will come next, loving others even when we don’t always understand.

As we approach Holy Week, where can grace show up in your life? Hate never wins, God’s forgiveness is never lost and grace is the only thing that takes over. Let Jesus’ grace pour upon you so that you might see God’s grace no matter what it is happening in your life today.

Category: Anger, Fear, Grace, Rage

Fear

In Response to Terror

Dr. Wesley Avram November 18, 2015

Again one in human form touched me and strengthened me. He said, “Do not fear, greatly beloved, you are safe. Be strong and courageous!” When he spoke to me, I was strengthened and said, “Let my lord speak, for you have strengthened me.”~Daniel 10: 18-19

(c) Free pictures of cities"One in human form" came from God to Daniel in the Old Testament book named for Daniel and said these words: "Do not fear, loved one, you are safe. Be strong and courageous!"

In times like these, aren't these the words we long to hear? Don't we long to hear them with authority, and power, and a loving promise for all of our loved ones' safety? Too many dying in random acts to create terror. Too many natural disasters, too. Too many things we can't control. And too many selling us fear instead of hope.

And yet we are told so often in the Bible to not be afraid. From angels to Jesus himself, and Daniel's "One in human form," God's people are told to not fear the power of the world--even the power that can do them harm.

Wow. How? How do we actually live without fear when there's the sneaking and haunting feeling around that everything's really fragile, that safety's a chancy thing, and that no one is really in charge?

A wise young Palestinian friend once taught me that on this side of heaven, the trick is to be more afraid of losing your dignity than your freedom. If you can do that, even a little bit, then your fear of worldly power or rage or violence can quiet down. You can keep your head while everyone around you might be losing theirs. Because, you see, our dignity is from a power far greater than whatever pretends to control us. It's from the very power that made us. And so if you're more afraid of losing God than losing life, then maybe life will stay worth living no matter what--because God made life, and because in God there is nothing to fear.

It's not magic. But it can still come. You can feel a little bit of strength inside you, like Daniel did when facing lions, like Jesus did when facing Pilot, like you and I can when facing enemies we'll never understand--strangely close or far away. We can respond out of reason and not panic, love and not terror. It's all by God.

Category: Fear, Terror

Anxiety

Being Still

Rev. Kelsy Brown September 23, 2014

This past summer I had the pleasure of going to one of my favorite spots, the Galatian Canyon near Bozeman, Montana. The canyon has meadows, a beautiful flowing river, small waterfalls when snow pack pours into the river, and the delicious smell of pine trees. I believe that when God was thinking about places He might live on earth, He created this amazing canyon. For those of you who haven’t had the pleasure of seeing this place in person, you might know it from the movie, A River Runs Through it where Brad Pitt, Craig Sheffer and Tom Skerritt fly fish throughout the movie.

Too often I find myself, and maybe you do too, in the midst of a hunt for the clues and answers in how to make life a little simpler; where I am not running from one thing to the next, worrying about what this means or how I will handle that situation. Somehow, I feel like there must be a formula that puts all this stuff into an orderly and organized manner.

But then I remember this place. The forest is full of life and energy but it doesn’t feel the same as the rush from one meeting to the next, carpooling children and family around, and trying to complete the to-do list that always seems longer than is possible to complete. Instead, the only rushing that exists is the tender breeze blowing the scent of pine my way.

The forest seems to have no anxiety, worry or fear that plagues it. Things happen, they keep going, but the weights that continue to press upon us don’t seem to exist. Instead, the forest seems to say, ‘life will keep going, the river will continue to flow. Trust in the beauty God created.’

Every time I come to this place all I can hear are the words of the Psalmist, “Be still, and know that I am God.” The beauty of this place begs you to pause for just a moment and the rest of the world seems to fade away. The stillness invites us to feel the presence of God even though life seems to be a little overwhelming.

This when I realized that the formula or answers to the mystery of life aren’t found in the right order of getting things completed, nor is it found in the things we do or don’t do. It is found in being still and knowing that God has it under control.

This is hard, and that is why we have to find the place that reminds us to rest. Whatever it is that is going on - meetings, test results, worries, fears and pain - God has it under control. The only answer we have is rest in God and we will make it through.

It is extra hard to remember this when schedules are full and life seems chaotic, but that is why I keep a picture of the Galatian Canyon on my desktop background and screen saver - so that I can be constantly reminded of the place that brings about complete rest and trust in God.

Where is that place for you? Maybe you have the place where you believe God would live. If not, I am happy to share mine. Remember, whatever is going on in your life today, be at peace with the words of Psalm 46, “Be still and know that I am God.”

Category: Anxiety, Fear, Rev. Kelsy Brown, Trust