You Are Not Alone

You are not Alone

“A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling. God sets the lonely in families, he leads out the prisoners with singing; but the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land.” – Psalm 68:5,6 For the next few days, we are going to be talking about something that’s (unfortunately) more and more universal in our world — loneliness.  Isn’t it interesting that when we punish a child, we give them what’s called a “time out,” which involves being alone for a period of time, often with no toys or interaction? And when a prisoner is out of line, they are further punished by going to a place of solitary confinement. Here, they are completely alone and often in the dark for a number of days or weeks. It’s a known fact that loneliness is one of the worst things for the human spirit and feeling

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Facing Your Fears

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling.” – Psalm 46:1-3 When you hear the term worry, what comes to mind? Maybe you’re thinking about a circumstance or incident that makes you scared, or maybe you’re thinking about an upcoming appointment or meeting. Whatever it is, I want to share with you today that worry has nothing to do with a specific event or situation, but rather with the desire to avoid it. Worry is the result of our attempts to avoid unpleasant feelings or events. When we are injured or burned by someone or something, our bodies and minds have a natural protection mechanism, which is to build walls and promise

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What’s Your Battle?

“Sovereign Lord, my strong deliverer, you shield my head in the day of battle.” – Psalm 140:7 The late actor Robin Williams once paraphrased Plato in saying: “Everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about, so be kind, always.” And as cliche as this expression sounds, I think it’s important to understand how true it is so that we allow it to shape our interactions with others. The reality is that life is hard, and humanity is struggling with all kinds of issues — some people are just better at hiding it. No one has it all together, and the mistaken belief that they do is what causes many of us to feel alone in our pain. Nevertheless, we’re not flawed because we’re going through stuff, and it’s important to give ourselves grace so we can heal and extend mercy to our fellow brothers and sisters. Nobody

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God Loves Gatherings

“For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.” – Matthew 18:20 Yesterday, we talked about the amazing truth that Jesus chooses to make His home in us, His followers. Thus, when two or more of us gather together, we experience His presence and see new facets of His love through others. In fact, as I write this, I can’t help but remember the wonderful get-togethers at my Grandpa and Grandma Schuller’s house as I was growing up. Though ours was a big family and we didn’t all see each other often, when we gathered at Christmas and Easter, there was a wonderful sense of warmth and worship (my Grandma even had an organ built in the dining room so we could sing together at meals). I dealt with a lot coming from a divorced household and going back and forth between two parents, but

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You Are Not Alone

“A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling. God sets the lonely in families, he leads out the prisoners with singing; but the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land.” – Psalm 68:5,6 For the next few days, we are going to talk about something that’s (unfortunately) more and more universal in our world — loneliness. Isn’t it interesting that when we punish a child, we give them what’s called a “time out,” which involves being alone for a period of time, often with no toys or interaction? And when a prisoner is out of line, they are further punished by going to a place of solitary confinement where they are completely alone and often in the dark for a number of days or weeks. This is because it’s a known fact that loneliness is one of the worst things for the human spirit, and

Read More »

You Are Not Alone

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” – Joshua 1:9 Oftentimes we feel as if we have to face the challenges in our life alone. We feel like we can’t reach out to our friends and family and sometimes we feel we can’t reach out to God. Maybe you feel like you’ve disappointed God. Or you feel like God’s abandoned you because of your mistakes or imperfections. I want you to know today that everybody’s imperfect, everybody sins, everybody makes mistakes, and everybody has regrets. But in spite of that, isn’t God so good? He will never, ever leave you. That’s the thing He wants you to hear today. That as we go through the trials of life – and there will be many – we don’t have

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