The Periodically

Do you ever wake up in the middle of the night overwhelmed by what needs done the next day? Do you find it hard to get to sleep wondering what lies ahead? Do you get panic/anxiety attacks or have moments where you feel frozen by fear or worry? Recently I was talking with a friend about similar issues and have recognized some of these instances in my own life as well. This has lead me to thinking more about this topic of anxiety focusing on what it is and then, what we can do about it. What Is Anxiety? The New Testament uses the same word for both "worry" and "anxiety." Some of the ways lexicons define it are, "care for, be concerned about, be anxious, be overly concerned about, be worried about, think earnestly upon, to be disturbed, annoyed in spirit,   distracted" [1] [2] [3] I think those cover the spectrum well. Anxiety may be demonstrated in outward actions like sleeplessness, inability to breathe, nausea, depression, apathy, frantic working...

Recently, I had the opportunity to talk with some church leaders who are ministering in a difficult environment. I won’t go into all the details of what they shared with me, but essentially these are brothers and sisters whose lives are in danger because of their love for the Lord Jesus Christ. Furthermore, the dangers they face are partly due to policies enacted or at least tacitly encouraged by their government. I asked them how they planned on responding to these dangers. “We are going to stay here and do what we always do. This is normal. We are here to share the gospel.” What a great understanding of purpose...and a perspective that those of us in Central Illinois would do well to adopt. The temptation to want to leave Illinois due to frustration with leadership in Springfield or a poor economy is understandable. The failures of our state leadership are overwhelming. No other state in the union has mangled their budget this badly. But our brothers and sisters in hard ...

Grace and peace to you our brothers, you saints of God, we give thanks for you. Your hope laid up in heaven waiting, the gospel message bearing fruit. By God’s grace continue walking in a manner worthy of Him. Praise Him for His kind deliverance from death and darkness, the power of sin. Extol the One who grants salvation, the image of the invisible God. He’s the firstborn of creation, He’s reconciled us by His blood. We must continue in the faith, shifting not, but stable in, The gospel hope, which we have heard, proclaiming Christ, He’s coming again! Abounding in thanksgiving, yes, we who’ve received the Lord, Walking in Him, built up in Him, but my brothers be forewarned, There are those who’d take you captive by the cunning craft of man, Those who hold onto tradition, the grace of God don’t understand. For in the body of our Lord dwells all Deity, And in Him we find our fullness, He’s o’er all authority. Though at one time we were dead in ...