It's So Easy to Feel Stressed

Marcel Farrington

     Getting ready for Easter at the workplace can be stressful, especially if we find ourselves in conflict with customers, colleagues or the boss. God gave us things like exercise, healthy food and vacations to help us manage everyday stress, but there is more that we can do to actually begin feeling that peace that Jesus wants for us and not just at Easter.

Faith is your best tool for defeating stress and from being or getting stuck. 

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“Work hard and cheerfully at whatever we do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.” -Colossians 3:23

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     Easter is a great reminder of Jesus power over death by resurrecting from the dead on the third day. He died a horrific death and paid the ultimate sacrifice with His life so that we could have the hope of eternal life with Him. His victory is our victory! It’s important that we remember that our lives are not our own but the Lords. This can be hard to remember at times when we’re working.

Here’s a couple of things that have helped me:

Tool #1

| Prayer |

     We develop a relationship with anyone by talking to them; Jesus is no different. Prayer helps you build your relationship with God. Bring Him your worries, concerns and stresses in daily prayer. God doesn’t want us to stress out, and we get a lot of advice to that effect in Scripture.

“Do not be anxious about anything.”

- Philippians 4:6 says,

“Can any of you by worrying add a single moment to your life-span?

- Matthew 6:27 asks

      And who can forget the story of Mary and Martha (Luke 10:41), where Jesus tells Martha to slow down? “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things. . .

 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

- Philippians 4:6-7

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Tool #2

| Gratitude |

      Stress is often caused by worrying over something you want. It’s fine to want things, but make sure to Take time to thank God for the things that you do have like your family, health, friends, work, home, clean water, Church, clothing, car, flowers, sunshine, fresh air and more. As you cultivate the virtue of gratitude, you may find yourself wanting less, and therefore stressing out less. Maybe even try smiling a little more too.. I like to call it cheesing.

And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.

- Romans 12:1

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Tool #3

| Whistling |

      What? Yes, whistling. Years ago when I worked in a machine shop on occasion I would be whistling one of my favorite spiritual songs and sometimes was asked why I was so happy. It was because Jesus changed everything for me. Who knows this might be your opening to share your hope in Jesus.

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Take a Moment to Pray

“ Father in Heaven I praise You for Your goodness and mercy that you have shown me through Your Son Jesus. Help me to continually be filled with Hope and Joy as I serve You, my Family, the work place and in my Community each and every day. May you help me to be bold in inviting people to an Easter service and to always share the hope that you have given me.”

— In Jesus Name, Amen

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Here is a link to a song. I hope you find as meaningful as I do about God’s love for us.

BEING THE CHURCH

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Only one investment will last from today until eternity and that’s the church.

     No system of government, business, or para-church organization has ever lasted as long as the church. After all, Jesus is the one who founded it and said in Matthew 16:18 that “all the powers of hell will not conquer it.”

When the local church is working right, there is nothing more powerful and breathtaking in the world.

Ultimately, the church is the people - the church is the hands and feet of Jesus. 

     It’s the place where lost people are found, where people grow to love Jesus more, where addicts are set free, where the excluded are included, where the hopeless find hope, where marriages are restored, where forgiveness is extended and where God gets the glory for it all.  However, all of this only happens when the people of the church choose to remain faithful to it. 

Yes, God is in charge. 

But we have to understand that God works through people who work, through action. There is no doubt that Fellowship Church is a church that is working right. However, it is only possible through faithful leaders and members who serve committed. 

Though the church as a whole will never be conquered, there is constantly spiritual warfare taking place within the lives of the individuals who make up the church.

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For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.

- Ephesians 6:12

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Easter is often called the Super Bowl of Christianity.

We always anticipate God showing up and lives being saved. It’s an opportunity where those who aren’t “church-goers” to be open to attend. Consequently, this time can be a time where we sense more spiritual warfare as a church. Not only for individuals in the church, but for the whole process of before, during, and after our Easter services. 

     All the prayers we read in the New Testament are specially focused on the church. After all, most of the New Testament consists of letters written to specific churches. Within each of these letters it seems that the Apostle Paul never forgets to mention that he is praying for their church.

““Prayer is where the action is.””

— John Wesley

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We can never underestimate the

power of praying for our church. 

     As we prepare ourselves for Easter this week, may today be the day where we pray for our church. More specifically may we pray for those serving in the Easter services, our church leaders and staff, and our guests who will be joining us. 

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So we keep on praying for you, asking our God to enable you to live a life worthy of his call. May he give you the power to accomplish all the good things your faith prompts you to do.

-2 Thessalonians 1:11

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- some things to pray about -

 

• Pray for each service held at our church. 

• Pray there will be a record number of visitors.

• Pray that our guests feel welcomed and comfortable. 

• Pray lives will be saved, rededicated, and changed.

• Pray marriages will be saved and families will be restored.

• Pray for Pastor Andy as he prepares and communicates God’s Word.

• Pray for Marcel and the worship team as they prepare the worship.

• Pray for volunteers who will be serving as greeters at the doors,

in the  parking lot, and behind the coffee bar

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• Pray for those serving in the children’s ministry,

that they would clearly  communicate the message of Easter to our kids.

• Pray for the health of those who you know are sick in our church

and that  their sickness will not hinder them from joining us this Easter. 

• Pray for the technology and those controlling it.

• Pray for unity within our church.

• Pray for an effective follow-up the days and weeks after Easter.

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For further study, Click Here to read an article about how the Apostle Paul prayed for churches and discover how we can pray for our church like he did.  

Also, take a look at this spoken word video of what the Church is and isn’t. 

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SHARING OUR HOPE

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     When you go to a great movie, what do you do? Rave to everybody you know.. 

                 "You've got to see this movie!"

You buy something cool, and you submit a five-star rating on Amazon. And if you’ve ever gone to Joey Garlic’s, you're like -

"You've got to try their eggplant fries; they’ll change your life!"

   When we taste and experience something amazing, we publicize, use lots of exclamation points, and talk endlessly about it. But what about the hope within us? For those of us who are Christ-followers, we have complete forgiveness, freedom from sin, new life in Christ, and we claim it's the best thing that's ever happened to us. And yet, we're tempted to keep that part of our life private.

     Here's where many of us get hung-up. Before we share about the difference Jesus has made in out lives, we feel like we have to have all the answers, that we have to memorize some convincing verses and provide a powerful explanation of the gospel that will instantaneously sway them into faith.

     But have you ever thought to take the approach like you would with a great movie or a amazing eggplant fries? "Just go and check it out." Simple as that. No drawn-out explanation. No dissertation on prophecy, evolution, and the end times. Nothing time-consuming or in-depth. Just straightforward uncomplicated, and definitely not pushy. Just come with me to church and experience Jesus on your own. Then, you can decide for yourself if he's the One you should trust.

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Let's change our idea of what sharing our hope should look like, and just be real in our invitation. When we do, God will use our effort and do immeasurably more than we ask or imagine.

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LET THIS BE OUR PRAYER TODAY:

Thank you, God, for never giving up on me and for the truth that your love will always find me no matter what life brings. Don't let what You’ve done in my life stop with me.  I want to be a conduit of Your love so that others may experience true joy and peace that only comes from you.  Lord, use me to reach _________. They matter to You and therefore, they matter to me.

In Jesus’ name, 

Amen. 

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As a bonus, you may want to take the next few days to read about the final week of Jesus’ life.  It’s recorded in Luke 19-23. There’s a short video describing the events that you may want to view first.  I hope it makes this week and your time with God meaningful.

 

It was within my first couple of months of ministry. In my 'amazing creativity' I came up with an idea for an obstacle course called "The Goliath" for our outside service called the Last Blast. It was a run through the woods with jumps, monkey bars and tires. Everyone seemed to love the idea. I was on cloud nine! I felt as though this really generated some enthusiasm and people really enjoyed it.....until sadly, someone got injured. One of our teens (at the time) fell off a monkey bar ladder obstacle (in retrospect, not very safe). Immediately the course is shut down, there's a crowd gathering and my 'amazing creative' idea was now 'a liability'. 

Earlier in the day, to start my 'cloud nine' feeling, I was blessed with this incredible memorable moment where I got to baptize my beautiful daughter, Sadie. I was so proud of her! Here she was at this young age, willing to go public with her faith in front of hundreds of people! What a moment! I was ecstatic! Fast forward 2 hours later, someone gets hurt and I'm deflated.

The ups and downs of this day taught me so much. First of all, this is life. This is life with Christ as well. Some of us feel as though once we accept Jesus into our hearts, life becomes easier. Not necessarily. Although deep down at our core I do believe it does. When we, as believers,  understand that through Christ this world is temporary and we have eternity to look forward to, it really should change our perspective. Our highs and lows in life are not forever and through them we learn so much.

Another thing I learned that day was the eternal outweighs the worldly. Yes, someone got hurt at this obstacle course and I did wonder if I'd lose my job or even if we'd face a lawsuit (the girl who fell is a sweetheart and handled things incredibly!) but the eternal perspective was that my daughter was just baptized! Although young, I truly felt and still do feel that she loves Jesus.  We all know that this is not easy today in a world that continues to push God away and wonders why this world is falling apart. 

Everyone of us should think with eternity in mind. Otherwise, life can certainly get you down.

Easter is coming! We get to celebrate a risen God....what other religion can boast this? A resurrected Savior! The Hope of the world. This Easter we also get to celebrate life change where others, like these pics show, go public with their faith and be baptized. There's reason to celebrate! 

2 Corinthians 5:17 This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!

What decisions are you making today based on eternity? Is this Easter the time for you to make the best decision of your life and go public with your faith through baptism? 

GUEST BLOGGER: Ed Hickman

Recently my identity was stolen and used. I have never experienced anything like this before. I would be lying if I didn’t say that I wasn’t mad....really mad. Then there was fear. How much did they get? I was also feeling violated. How far did they go?  So I decided to write them an open letter. Here it is:

To The Person(s) Who Stole My Identity,

First and foremost I would like you to know I forgive you!

This has been nothing short of a nightmare that I wish had never happened, however it did. As the smoked cleared and the dust had settled I had time to ponder what transpired. Let's start with time. It's the one thing you got from me that I will never get back. But I still forgive you. I'm starting to ask myself how could someone bring themselves to be this evil and ruthless. The answer that I got wasn’t one most would expect. You see I started to feel sorry for you. In fact, I am currently praying for you. Understand this, this praying for you wouldn't have happened years ago.  I didn’t always love the Lord like I do now. But thankfully, someone loved me enough to be praying for me. You see, you messed with the wrong guy here because I have an army of others that will be praying for you! Things are about to change for you. Jesus commands us to love our enemy and pray for the lost.

Matthew 5:44 “But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you”

You and I aren’t that different, we are both sinners and Jesus can forgive you too. I want to believe that your intent wasn’t to harm or hurt me. I believe it was more just to get things that aren’t yours. If I don’t forgive you and continue to carry the anger towards you it will become like an anchor and I would be enslaved to it. That's certainly not appealing to me. I also don’t want to be a hypocrite. 

Matthew 6: 14   For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.

Trust me I have a lot to be forgiven for. So know this, I will probably never know what drives you, but know that you are loved and forgiven. I will probably never meet you but that’s ok too. I am praying for you to make better choices. God loves you as He loves me. One of my favorite verses is (and I am sure you see it a lot) John 3:16   For God so loved the world (that includes you) that he sent his one and only son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

So I’ll leave you with this. Don’t let yesterday keep you from doing today what can’t wait till tomorrow. 

Make better choices. Choose God and watch what happens. 

Sincerely,

One Who Understands God's Love For People

Ed Hickman 

"I can never forgive them!" 

All of us have been hurt in some capacity. It seems as though everyone has a story of someone hurting them so bad they feel as though forgiveness may never come. In fact, I've heard many stories where I wondered just how they could even think of forgiving that person.......that is, until I realized how forgiven I am.

When someone hurts us (and they will!), we often hold onto resentment, bitterness and unforgiveness in our heart towards them. But if we want to truly experience freedom and healing from these feelings, then it starts with us handing all of that over to Jesus, the ultimate example of forgiveness. Many of you know the story: Upon Him being nailed to a cross, spit at, mocked, beaten, and ridiculed, He responds with, "Father, forgive them, for they don't know what they are doing." (Luke 23:34) That is crazy! 

I recently shared a story of myself (along with many friends in our neighborhood) dealing with sexual abuse by a pedophile in the late 70's. I would often look back with hate and anger when I think of this guy having the capability to do something so destructive. I share in the story of my mom's willingness to actually want to kill this man. Everyone was angry and we would all hold on to this for many many years. The holding on to it never helped, making me angry and making me question how something like this could happen. But what I learned later in my life was that true freedom can come to me (and you) when you choose to hand it over to Jesus. Sounds churchy, huh? But really, He is the ultimate judge and He will bring justice for everyone either at the cross or in eternity. In my effort of forgiving this guy, I had to look at a different angle: Just what happened to this person in his life where he is actually capable of doing something like this? 

I am so excited for this Sunday at our church. My good friend, Jason Romano (pictured above with his Emmy, not mine) will be speaking on this topic of forgiveness. This is a guy who left a successful job at ESPN to go into ministry and serve God. I've heard so many people struggle with forgiveness and too many that are not even aware they struggle, "I FORGIVE THEM!!" Doesn't sound like it with that tone. 

If you are in Christ, then Jesus has forgiven you of your sins – past, present, and future – and He no longer holds them against you (Hebrews 10:17). Amazing! As followers of Christ, we should give people the same grace when they sin against us. This does not mean that we pretend like it didn’t happen. We still have to use wisdom and discernment as not provide people an opportunity to repetitively sin against us. We can, in fact, love from afar. 

Holding a grudge against someone will only end up hurting you more. It's been said, "Not forgiving someone is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die."

Join us this Sunday at Fellowship Church 9:00 and 10:30 to hear from Jason regarding this topic. His story is amazing. Because of our friendship, I knew a bit of the story, but when I read his book, Live to Forgive, I was shocked at just how much pain he had to endure and how amazing his faith was in taking him out of this unforgiving pit. 

Do you feel a pull to go to church but for some reason you don't go? 

I've written about this before but attending church weekly is becoming less and less of a thing. There's plenty of reasons. Most are pretty common. I've heard them all. Here's a response to some of them that I hope resonates with you. 

You've been hurt from previous church experiences - I'm sure everyone of you reading this have some great stories to share about previous church experiences! In fact, if you have the time and want to share some, email me here. I'm always amazed by these stories but have come to the conclusion that it's gonna happen. The church (every church) is full of imperfect people. Sadly, becoming a Christian doesn't always take away the 'crazy'. My biggest concern here would always be you taking out on God what a human did to you. Christ died for the church. (Ephesians 5:25) Clearly, He wants us to be here.

Your children are involved in recreational activities (sports/scouts) - I get this. You want your children involved. It's good for them. For me, sports changed my life. The friendships and thrill of competing are so memorable. They never used to have these all of these events on Sundays.  Everything today competes with church. For me, (I know, I now work at a church so my take is a bit personal) I want to communicate to my children the importance of God in our lives by making Sunday attendance high on my priority list. 

It's the only day you can sleep in - go to bed earlier. Ok, that's harsh. But for some of us that is all it takes. I have some friends who come here to FC following a 3rd shift job. They're exhausted but they're still here. Church for most, including FC, is one hour long. 

You work on Sundays - quit your job....ok, don't do that. There are some employers that, if asked, would actually allow you to change your schedule so you can attend church.....some. My answer here is to watch online and, more importantly, get involved in a small group....we call them Growth Groups. It is so important to get together with other people who are on similar journeys. 

You watch it church online - Isolation is dangerous. We are all called to do life together. We is better than me. Sure, we love when people watch Sunday's message online but you could never put a price tag on relationships. There are many people here in my church who have mentored me, guided me and helped me along the way that I would've never met watching church online.

Your kids don't like it so you don't go - My kids don't like vegetables, going to sleep at night, waking up early in the morning or, at times, going to school but guess what they do? If we allowed our kids to make the decisions around the house, we'd be eating candy for breakfast, McDonalds for lunch and ice cream for dinner. Until they move out, we, as parents, are still in charge. That being said, we do not want to force them to go to a church that is not investing in them or providing ways for them to learn about God on their level.  

We live in a country that gets to worship in community. We get to go to any church on any given Sunday. There is no persecution here. This is our freedom. So many countries can't do this. In fact, in some countries you will be killed. 

If you do not attend a local church, I would encourage you today to shop around for one. There are some great ones out there. If you're close by come check us out here at Fellowship Church. We'd love to have you. Imperfect? That's perfect for us. Come as you are. 

I don't know what I think. I'm certainly more proud than anyone could ever explain. But I'm also scared, very much so.....she's my wife, my best friend, my rock. She's the peanut butter to my jelly, the milk with my chocolate chip cookies, and the bread of my sandwich. 

Here's the story: Back in August Vicki and I learned of a dear friend (Deb Howley) who is in need of a kidney. Right away, I (being the super Christian I claim to be) pray for her. But my wife, clearly the more super Christian, begins a process that I know nothing about. She is actually considering donating her kidney! In the next week, Vicki begins praying about this. We go on a vacation where Vicki proceeds to tell me that she is considering donating her kidney. My daughter Sadie overhears and immediately says "No!". That weekend Vicki and I go to our friends Connor and Katy's wedding. Here Vicki meets this wonderful lady named Vanessa who said "I saw you from afar and somehow knew I wanted to meet you". She said Vicki had this glow about her. It turns out she (Vanessa) is seated right next to Vicki for dinner. They hit it off and talk as if they knew each other forever. Then this woman proceeds to tell Vicki that she would not be here (the wedding) had the bride's mom not donated a kidney to her. Of all the people to sit next to my wife! Vicki feels more inspired than ever. She arrives at church the next morning and who is the first person she sees? Deb! On this particular Sunday I have the privilege to speak (I do this once every 6-8 weeks). It's in this message that I ask: What is God telling you to do today that you need to do? She clearly sees God telling her that she should do this. The reason she knows it's God and not me is because I wouldn't tell her to do this! At this time, I was still not quite onboard. So for God to use my words to reassure Vicki to do this goes way beyond anything I could've imagined. 

I am now completely at ease with this whole thing. I love Deb. If anyone deserves a blessing, it's her. She is an amazing God-loving woman who would do anything for anyone. She loves Jesus and it shows. God has orchestrated some crazy stuff in these last 6-7 months. In looking back, I don't think I took this too seriously. I knew they both would have to go through a lot of hoops (and they did!) to even start the process, but I had no idea they would be a match. But it is a match and it is happening. To God be the glory. 

So here's my point. Listen to God. If you follow Him (like my wife does) He may just have you doing something you never thought you would. Here's the other thing: Although this story is great, my wife would want all of you to know that it's all God. God orchestrated this whole thing. Satan intervened quite a bit but God always controlled the process. My wife would want anyone reading this to know that this is all about Him. Despite the fact that my wife is by far the most amazing person I know, she wouldn't do this without His promptings. There could be no other explanation. She truly wants all the glory to go to Him. 

Today's the day. We don't know where this whole thing will end up but we do know Who is in control and for now, that will get us through.