Untangling the 3 AM Knot: God, Fear, and Your Bank Account.

Alright, friends, happy Wednesday!
Let’s talk about that knot in your stomach. Yeah, that one. The one that starts small, maybe a little flutter, and then BAM! It’s full-blown, industrial-strength worry leading into the spiral that is anxiety.
It’s the kind that keeps you up at 3 AM, staring at the ceiling, wondering if you’re ever going to catch a break.

We’ve all been there, right?
The bills pile up, the job situation gets shaky, and the future looks like a blurry, anxiety-inducing mess.
And fear? Oh, fear loves to whisper those “what ifs” into your ear, painting worst-case scenarios like a twisted Picasso.
It’s like your brain is running full-speed into its own horror movie, and you’re the star, and not in a good way.

Now, here’s the thing. We live in a world that sells us solutions.
“Just work harder!” “Invest smarter!”
“Manifest your dreams!” And sure, there’s some truth in taking action, in being responsible.
But what about when you’ve done all you can, and the weight still feels crushing?
When you’re running on empty, you have blisters on the palms of your hands from holding on so tightly and doing all that you can, but it’s just not enough? What about these times?
We’ve all been here in this place, right? It’s a very unsettling place to live, let alone linger because you have no other choice.

That’s where we get to the heart of it.
That’s where we get to the wild, beautiful, utterly disruptive message of Jesus.

See, the ancient Hebrew word for “worry” is related to the word for “divided.”
Think about that.
When we’re caught in the spin cycle of worry, our attention is split.
We’re pulled in a million directions, our focus fractured, our peace shattered. We experience that unsettling place some of us call ‘limbo’ and we’re living in a state of internal civil war.

I hope that as you read this, you’re not experiencing anxiety symptoms because let me share with you the cure.
It’s not a one-shot-one-cure, it’s a gradual thing. It’s a prescription that will help to pull us back from whatever ledge we find ourselves standing on in those limbo moments. So here it is:

Jesus invites us to something different. He says, “Don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” (Matthew 6:34). Now, he’s not saying we should be irresponsible. He’s not saying we should ignore our problems. He’s pointing to something deeper, something more fundamental.

He’s saying, “Pay attention. Look around. See the birds of the air? See the lilies of the field? They don’t toil or spin, yet your heavenly Father feeds and clothes them. And aren’t you worth much more than they?” (Matthew 6:26, 28-30).

I’ve written about this topic before, and I have to admit this is still hard for me…how about you?

This isn’t about some simplistic, “just have faith” platitude. It’s not some sort of stupid mantra about “if you just pray harder…” It’s about recognizing the reality of God’s presence, the reality of God’s care.
It’s about shifting our gaze from the swirling chaos in that limbo space where we’re just treading water…shifting our gaze to the steady, unwavering love that surrounds us.

Think of it like this: you’re in a boat in the middle of a storm. The waves are crashing, the wind is howling, and you’re terrified you’re going to sink. But then, you remember that the ocean itself is held in God’s hands. (please don’t sing “He’s got the whole world in His hands”)

But seriously, the storm doesn’t change that. The fear doesn’t change that.
But KNOWING that God’s got you changes that.

And yeah, the financial burdens? They’re real.
The stress is real. The “insufficient balance notices” – they’re real.
But here’s the thing: God isn’t surprised by your bank statement.
God isn’t shocked by the state of the economy. (or the cost of eggs)
God’s bigger than all of that.

He’s invited us to a life of trust, a life of surrender. Not a blind, passive surrender, but an active, engaged surrender.
A surrender that says, “God, I’m in way over my head. I’m scared. But I trust that you’re here. I trust that you’re working, even when I can’t see it. I trust that you’re making a way, even when it looks impossible.”

And sometimes, that way might look like a new job opportunity.
Sometimes, it might look like a helping hand from a friend.
Sometimes, it might look like an appointment made with a therapist (I’m serious, your mental health is important!)
Sometimes, it might look like a deep, inexplicable peace that settles over your soul, even in the midst of the storm.

It’s not about getting everything figured out – it’s never been about that.
It’s about knowing that you’re not alone.
It’s about remembering that you’re held, you’re loved, you’re seen.
And that, dear friends, that’s enough. That’s more than enough.

So, take a deep breath today in whatever limbo you find yourself in.
Let go of the knot in your stomach.
And remember, you’re not divided.
You’re held. You’re whole. You’re loved.
And that changes everything.

Grace & Peace,
-Pastor Scott.

February 26, 2025 0

Peace, Trouble, and Courage in the Chaos…

There’s this moment in John 16:33 that I keep coming back to. Jesus’ words echo like they’re meant to vibrate through the centuries, landing in our ears right when we need them most: “I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. In this world, you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

What a line. It’s like Jesus drops this truth bomb right into the middle of everything. And it’s not fluffy, feel-good talk—he’s telling it like it is. This world, it’s full of trouble. Chaos, pain, uncertainty. You don’t need me to list it out because you already know it, right? It’s the breaking news that scrolls across your screen. It’s the hard conversations you’ve had this week. It’s the weight you’ve felt pressing on your chest when you wonder if you’re going to make it through.

But Jesus doesn’t stop with the trouble. He says, take heart. Which isn’t just a gentle pat on the back. It’s a rallying cry. A declaration. It’s like he’s saying, “Yes, it’s hard. Yes, it’s heavy. But don’t let that be the end of the story.”

Because here’s the kicker: I have overcome the world.

And you start to feel the weight of those words, don’t you? This isn’t just some vague optimism. It’s Jesus saying, “I’ve faced it all. Every ounce of pain, betrayal, and darkness. And I’ve come out the other side.”

Now, this isn’t a promise that all your troubles will vanish, like some magic trick. It’s not Jesus saying, “Follow me and life will be smooth sailing.” No, it’s deeper than that. It’s a promise that trouble doesn’t get the final word. That the darkness doesn’t win. That whatever you’re facing right now doesn’t have the power to undo the hope and peace that’s found in him.

So, what does it mean for us to take heart? Maybe it’s leaning into the truth that we’re not alone in this. That we’re held by a love that’s stronger than any storm we’re weathering. Maybe it’s a reminder that peace isn’t found in everything going perfectly, but in the presence of the one who’s already conquered the chaos.

Taking heart looks like courage, doesn’t it? But not the kind of courage that pretends everything’s fine. It’s the courage to admit that things are hard and still trust that hope is real. It’s finding peace, not because the world is trouble-free, but because Jesus has overcome the trouble.

And let’s not miss this—“I have overcome the world” is a now-and-not-yet kind of promise. There’s a victory that’s already happened, and there’s a renewal we’re still waiting for. We live in that tension, don’t we? But even in the tension, there’s peace to be found.

So wherever you are today, whatever trouble you’re carrying, hear these words: Take heart. Take heart because you’re not alone. Take heart because the story isn’t over. Take heart because Jesus has overcome, and that changes everything.

May you find courage in the chaos, hope in the heartbreak, and peace in the presence of the one who’s with you every step of the way.

Grace and Peace.
-Pastorsponderings.

January 17, 2025 0

“Risk, Trust, Multiply: The Kingdom Math of the Talents”

I used the word Math…please don’t leave. Check this out:

The Parable of the Talents is one of those stories Jesus tells that cuts right to the heart of how we live, doesn’t it? You can find it in Matthew 25:14-30. It’s a tale about a man, his servants, and an outrageous amount of money—talents, as they called them back then. But this story isn’t just about economics; it’s about something far more profound.

Let’s dive in.

A wealthy man is going on a journey. Before he leaves, he entrusts his property to his servants. To one, he gives five talents. To another, two talents. And to the last, one talent. Now, a talent was no small thing. It was a unit of currency worth about 20 years of wages for a laborer. Imagine being handed 20, 40, or 100 years’ worth of earnings all at once. Can you feel the weight of that responsibility?

The man’s instructions? Not explicitly stated, but implied: Do something with it.

The first two servants get to work. They invest, trade, create, risk. And they double what they were given. But the third servant? He digs a hole. He buries the talent. He hides it.

When the master returns, there’s a reckoning. The first two servants present their doubled investments, and the master’s response is ecstatic: “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!”

But the third servant? He’s afraid. He tells the master, “I knew you were a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.”

And the master’s response? Not what we might expect from a story that starts with such generosity. The master calls the servant wicked and lazy. He takes the one talent and gives it to the one who has ten. And the servant is cast out, into the darkness.

Whew. Heavy, right? So, what’s going on here?

First, let’s talk about the fear. That third servant? He was so paralyzed by fear—fear of failure, fear of judgment, fear of the master—that he did nothing. And isn’t that what fear does? It locks us up. It convinces us to play small, to play safe, to not risk, to not create, to not step out, not to speak up. Fear whispers, “What if you fail? What if you’re not good enough? What if it all goes wrong?” And so we bury our talents. We hide what we’ve been given. We stop ourselves from speaking up with the grains of wisdom God has given us.

But the other two servants? They get it. They understand that the talents aren’t just resources; they’re opportunities. Opportunities to participate in the work of the master. Opportunities to create something, to build something, to grow something. And sure, there’s risk involved. But there’s also trust. Trust that what they’ve been given is enough. Trust that the master’s joy is found in their faithfulness, not their perfection. It’s never been about being perfect.

This parable invites us to ask some big, uncomfortable questions: What have I been given? What opportunities, resources, gifts, passions, abilities, relationships are in my hands right now? And what am I doing with them? Am I investing them, risking them, using them for something bigger than myself? Or am I burying them, hiding them, letting fear call the shots? This isn’t about inflating our egos, or making us look important, it’s about using what God has entrusted to us. All of it is Gods.

And here’s the twist that we can’t miss: The master’s joy isn’t about the amount returned. It’s about the fact that the servants were faithful with what they had. The first servant had five talents, and the second had two. Different amounts, but the exact same affirmation: “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

You see, the parable isn’t about how much you have. It’s about what you do with what you’ve been given. It’s about the courage to show up, to risk, to trust, to invest, to create. It’s about participating in the work of the Kingdom, right here and right now.

So, what if we lived like the first two servants? What if we stepped out of our fear and into faith? What if we trusted that the gifts we’ve been given—no matter how big or small—are enough? What if we stopped burying our talents and started using them to bring light, love, and hope into the world?

Maybe that’s what Jesus is inviting us to in this parable. Not just to see what we’ve been given, but to step into the joy of using it. To risk. To create. To trust. To live fully into the Kingdom work we’ve been called to. And that Kingdom is right here and right now. With us.

Because when we do, we’re not just holding onto what we’ve been given. We’re multiplying it. And that’s where the joy is.

Grace and Peace.
-PastorsPonderings.

January 15, 2025 0

Facing The Wall – A Pondering On Problems

“If you think of a problem as being like a medieval walled city, then a lot of people will attack it head on, like a battering ram. They will storm the gates and try to smash through the defenses with sheer intellectual power and brilliance. I just camp outside the city. I wait. And I think. Until one day – maybe after I’ve turned to a completely different problem – the drawbridge comes down and the defenders say, “We surrender.” The answer to the problem comes all at once.” -Arthur McKinsey

We all face the wall from time to time.
No, not like a child being placed in “time-out”, but like the insurmountable walls of our problems and stresses. The kind of wall that seem to effortlessly and ominously climb into the sky and cause us to panic at the sheer magnitude of our problems.

You know the old saying, “making a mountain out of a mole hill” – this is the mountain becoming a super mountain. This is the small speed bump in the road of life becoming a sink-hole. Sometimes we can do nothing but watch the city burn as we attempt to blow on the flames. I don’t wish to paint a dark gloomy picture today for you, but I would be lying if I said walls of this magnitude never come our way. They do. These types of problems will come knocking on our doors. They will just show up sometimes. Other times they have been cresting on the horizon for a while…perhaps we just ignored the warning signs.

Are you facing the wall today?
Does it seem insurmountable?
Do you feel heavy with burdens and heart sick with these problems you are attempting to carry?

I won’t sugar coat it for you today.
There isn’t some magical pray for you to recite and *poof* all of your problems will fade away, but I would like to offer you some perspective on your walls.

The Truth:
We all face walls.
We all endure heartache, stress, hardships…and sometimes more hardships. Life isn’t easy…this we know all too well.
BUT – We aren’t alone.
We should all know that each of us carries difficulties, we carry stress, we face walls together.

Jesus says this still to us today –
“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?” -Matthew 6:25-27

Another Truth:
God will show up for us!
He will be there when we call.
Sometimes He provides a means to overcome these walls.
Sometimes He provides us the endurance to wait it out.
All of the time – WE AREN’T ALONE!

“Cast your cares on the LORD
and he will sustain you;
he will never let the righteous fall.” -Psalm 55:22

Waiting is the hardest part…but, we can either hem and haw about it or find the resolve to be patient. Many times I have opted to hem and haw – (gripe and complain) about my situation instead of waiting patiently. Did it help? No. Was it the best use of my time? Absolutely not.

“Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.” -Psalm 27:14

I don’t know what wall you’re facing today.
It might be a small fence, or it could be a fortified city.
Either way, you will survive this!
You matter to God!
This life we live has it trials and troubles…but I believe in the One who overcame the world…do you?

Something more to ponder today.
To God be the glory!

November 10, 2015 3

The Sentinel (Poem)

His mother,

Like a sentinel

Watches over him

Catching each breath

With her eyes

Never growing weary

of seeing him sleep…

each inflation of the lungs

and exhaling only to repeat again-

a gift, a treasured hope!

With wings unfurled,

alabaster gleaming

In the soft moonlit room,

So that while the darkness

creeps and leans in

with its shadows

she knows how to pull

him in and hold him close

again.

There will be no rest

this night as the sentinel

watches, waits, anticipates

never closing her eyes

for but a second,

lending all of her strength

to the dreaming toddler

at her side.

Such love.

An example, a reflected

beauty from the heavens…

As if God himself were there

Holding fast to the night,

holding shadows and its

Darkness away…

A sentinel, a rock

a safe harbor for those

seeking refuge in the darkness.

May 1, 2013 0

Here comes the pitch…

“Cast your cares on the Lord and He will sustain you”

Psalm 55:22

I always get this image in my mind when I think of this passage of some guy throwing this big heap of cares in the general direction of Jesus like a pitcher would a ball to home plate. Yet when I pause and truly consider the implications of such a passage however, I quickly realize that this passage is about my cares, my concerns, my frustrations. Everyone who reads this passage ought to find some peace of mind in the knowledge that this verse is for us!

Do you have cares? Concerns? I know I do, and what I am reminded of is that I don’t have to carry these concerns and troubles alone. I am reminded of the promise at the end of this verse, not only do we find peace of mind in that we can cast our worries, concerns and cares onto Him, but the verse promises that He will sustain us through it all! The word sustain is an interesting word to me it means to support, to keep something in position and also to nourish. With so many descriptive definitions of this one solitary word I can begin to find more comfort in what it is that He will do for me when I relinquish control of my cares and concerns.

He will hold me steadfast, support me and also nourish my feeble strength…now that’s a promise worth checking out today! I’m at the pitcher’s mound…here goes.

February 12, 2013 0

See you on December 22nd?

Well some of you might be reading this from a bunker today…ok probably not. Chances are you’re still working, attending school, or whatever you’re doing in your ordinary day. Isn’t it interesting how a calendar created by a long dead civilization has caused so much panic in our world? It probably hasn’t impacted your small corner of the world, but it’s impacted others – just look at the news today to confirm that! But the fact of the matter still remains that most people get a little concerned in the face of complete and total annihilation. I suppose it makes sense, but to me it just seems like needless panic about something none of us has any control over…so why get bent out of shape about it?

Matthew 6:25-34 says; “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? ²⁶Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.Are you not much more valuable than they? ²⁷Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?”

These were the words of Jesus, and if he had something to say about worry then I think everyone should pay attention. No matter if it is the impending “end of the world”, or that bill that you’re not sure how is going to get paid. Stop adding worry to your life. Of course Jesus was speaking to the people of His day, the living “worry” was different than it is today but it is still applicable to us here at “doomsday”.

In the old hymn “What a friend we have in Jesus”, there’s a part in the song that say; “Take it to the Lord in Prayer”. Perhaps that’s what you need to do today if there is worry in your life, whether it’s big or small. Take it to Him in prayer, and allow that peace that passes all understanding to break through your worry…and it will.

Enjoy your day…and we’ll see you on December 22nd…right? 😉

December 21, 2012 0

Tag: Worry