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April 2019

Less Anxiety – More Peace

By |2019-04-12T04:52:30-05:00April 12th, 2019|JourneyMen Email, Living God's Word|

JourneyMen,

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. –Philippians 4:6-7

We are going to continue our journey with the goal to “worry less and live more.” We recently explored the impact that rejoicing in the Lord and letting our gentleness, or Christ-likeness, be evident to all has on us. We also explored the importance or knowing and remembering that “the Lord is near,” always. Today we are going to explore the challenge of not being anxious, but instead being at peace. Do you want to be less anxious? Do you want to have more peace? I am going to guess that most of you would like to be less anxious. I am also guessing that most of you would like to have more peace. If so, then today’s scripture reading is for you, and me! Are you ready for less anxiety and more peace?

 Today’s scripture reading contains a lot of advice and direction and I thought about several possible starting points. I decided to follow the guidance from a song in “The Sound of Music,” which was my mom’s favorite movie of all time. The song and verse that came to mind is “Let’s start at the very beginning. A very good place to start.” In our case we are not going to start with our abc’s as they did in the song. Instead, we are going to start with “Do not be anxious about anything.” Well that was easy, right? We are just not going to be anxious about anything! Problem solved! Correct?

Unfortunately, in life, as we struggle with anxiety, which often ties into worry, we know that just not doing it is not that easy. It is kind of like trying to stop eating ice cream if you really like ice cream. You say to yourself, I am not going to eat ice cream. Maybe for a while you are successful. Eventually, the day and time will come when you give in and once again eat ice cream. Soon, you are eating more ice cream than you did before you tried to stop eating ice cream! Now this example doesn’t have to be ice cream, so you can fill in the blank with whatever else you have unsuccessfully tried to stop doing on your own. Can any of you relate? If your answer is no, then you may also need to take a lie detectors test!

Fortunately, our advice from Philippians doesn’t stop with just telling us to stop being anxious, about anything! It provides us with more insight and advice. We are to “by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” Which prompts an important question. Do we do this? Do we ALWAYS come to our Almighty God in prayer and petition, and present our requests to Him, about anything and everything? Do we also come to God, with thanksgiving? If not, than this contributes greatly to why we struggle with being anxious and end up worrying more instead of worrying less. Do you think you can stop being anxious on your own? I know I thought I could stop eating sweets including ice cream on my own, but have found over the years, that on my own I end up failing. How about you? Do you need God’s help?

God knows we need his help, but he also wants our effort in the process. The scripture starts with “Do not be anxious about anything.” We have a role in not being anxious. We are also not asked to stop being anxious on our own. In fact, we can’t stop being anxious on our own. We need God’s power and help, and He wants us to come to Him, daily and ongoing, through prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, presenting our requests to Him in everything, including our anxiety. I know that was a run on sentence, but it needed to be said! Our only chance to truly win our battle with anxiety and worry is through God! On our own, we are going to eat the ice cream (fill in the blank), or become anxious, again.

Continuing on in Philippians, we are told that God has more advice and good news for us. Not only does God want to help eliminate our anxiety and worry, He wants to replace it with “the peace of God.” This is an amazing gift of peace that can only come from God. This “peace of God” transcends all understanding and guards our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. When we receive the gift of “the peace of God,” we are able to replace anxiety with peace in our hearts and minds, and worry less! This also results in our ability to “live more!”

In summary, remember and live the advice given to us in Philippians 4:6-7. Do not be anxious about anything, but instead present your requests to God for His help. When we do this, God will guard our hearts and minds, and give us His peace.

Dear Lord,

Thank You for giving us the ability to come to You in prayer and petition. We come to You today, asking for Your help with our challenge of too much anxiety and not enough peace. Help us to rely on You for anything and everything, always!

In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

In closing, please pray daily for Timothy Lutheran Church, JourneyMen, and your walk with Christ.

Your brother in Christ, Dave Smith

Questions for Self-Examination:

1)  What is the difference between anxiety and peace?

2)  What do you do in your life to try and eliminate or reduce anxiety?

3)  What can God do for your anxiety, and peace?

4)  Moving forward, how can you become less anxious, and more at peace?

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February 2019

1 Peter 1:13-25 Be Holy

By |2019-02-20T04:59:40-06:00February 20th, 2019|JourneyMen Email, Living God's Word|

1 Peter 1:13-25 Be Holy
13 Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming. 14 As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. 15 But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; 16 for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.” w
17 Since you call on a Father who judges each person’s work impartially, live out your time as foreigners here in reverent fear. 18 For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. 20 He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. 21 Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God.
22 Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart. 23 For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. 24 For,
“All people are like grass,
and all their glory is like the flowers of the field;
the grass withers and the flowers fall,
25 but the word of the Lord endures forever.”

Living God’s Word: 
Christ was revealed for our sake, to reassure us and to stabilize our faith. In our daily life, we constantly “check out” other people to see where we stand. We worry about how others regard us.
A wife wonders whether or not her husband still loves her, or if he loves his work or something else more. A child wonders if she is loved when her father is too busy to spend time with her. A young man wonders about his date, and the wonder escalates as dating grows serious.
Do you ever wonder about God? What does he think of you?
If so, look at the evidence: God sent his Son for you and raised his Son as sure evidence that you are loved. “Checking out” this relationship gives you every reason for hope and faith.

Words to Live By: 
Even before creation, God knew that mankind would fall into sin, reject His ways, live only for themselves, and lead lives that result in death and alienation from Him. In His love, before the world was made, He determined to send His Son, the unblemished Lamb, to be our sacrifice. Now through His Word, He calls us to life and sets us apart to His glory and for the service of our neighbor. God shows us our value: He was willing to send His Son for us. Now He calls us to share the Savior with others.

Prayer:
Heavenly Father, thank You for the gift of Your Gospel, that through Your Son we are born again, forgiven, and given life everlasting. May we rightly praise You for Your infinite mercy. Amen

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JourneyMen Event and Bible Study Update

By |2022-04-12T09:02:37-05:00February 16th, 2019|JourneyMen Email, Living God's Word|

Take the Lead Event

JourneyMen Take the LeadDo you Walk the Walk, then Talk the Talk? Christians sometimes perform in reverse order. The Bible speaks to how we, as Christian men, are to live our lives in our daily walk of life. Jesus is bold about how we are to go and share with others wheat He has done. Jesus didn’t come to us to be served, rather he came to serve us. We to are called to do more than just lip sync. We are called to action.
Join us for an awesome BBQ meal to kick off the evening, followed by Bible study, a faith story and worship music. It’s an evening to reenergize you faith and put it into action. READ MORE

Thursday, March 14 at 6:30 PM

Registration & Information for Take the Lead – CLICK HERE

Men’s Overnight Retreat
Heit’s Point Lutheran Camp 

JourneyMen Overnight RetreatGod was on the move in the beginning creating all and then leading man to move with Him, sometimes even as a cloud. God was on the move when he raised Jesus back to life, and gave us His promised Holy Spirit to help sustain and guide us, daily. God was on the move giving us His Word, and continues to be on the move today through His living scriptures, speaking to us as we read and hear them. God is on the move in us, impacting our daily life, even when we don’t recognize or acknowledge it. God is on the move! The key question is, ARE YOU? Is God not only working in you, but also through you? Are you on the move, with God? If you are on the move with God, then keep moving! If you are not, then Now is the time to move, with God! READ MORE

April 26-27, 2019 –
Registration & Information for Men’s Overnight Retreat – CLICK HERE

Thursday Men’s Bible Study

Book of James
Led by Pastor Mark Wenger
7pm -8pm (2nd and 4th Thursday’s) – Due to Valentine Day, this class will meet this Thursday in room 102
Room 302, R.D. Mize Campus

Saturday Morning Men’s Bible Study

“When God’s Spirit Moves”
Led by Jon Kraft and David Escobar,
8am – 9am,
Room 501, R.D. Mize Campus


Tuesday Morning Bible Study

Men’s Devo – Life Application Study
Led by various leaders
6:30am-7:30am
Wyatt Rd. Campus (Next to the coffee machine!)


Save The Dates

Upcoming events to mark on your calendar…

  • Take the Lead, Thursday, March 14, 2019
  • Engage Worship and Praise, Saturday, March 16, 2019
  • Heit’s Point Spring Retreat, Friday and Saturday, April 26-27, 2019
  • Heit’s Point Fall Retreat, Friday and Saturday, October 11-12, 2019
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