Several staff members and leaders of the church attended Catalyst last week. It is an annual leadership conference for Christians that is held on the east and west coasts. The conference has amazing worship, inspiring talks by nationally recognized leaders, and compelling Bible study. The theme this year was "Of Good Courage." We seem to be on the same page with our No Fear study aimed at overcoming fear so we may live with courage and hope.
One of the speakers was Bob Goff. After 25 years of practicing law, Bob gave it all up to write books and speak at conferences. He is both gregarious and hilarious. Bob was one of our group's favorite presenters. The point he continually emphasized was that God always sees us as the person we are going to become, not who we are now or who we were in the past. These are encouraging words for us as we begin to wrestle with fear of failure and fear of disappointing others, this Sunday in worship.
Who hasn't struggled with these fears at various times in our lives? The fear of failure brings out feelings of inadequacy and can prevent us from even trying to achieve our goals. The fear of disappointing others can make us into overachievers who lose sight of our own needs. Either one of these fears can lead us to an unhealthy view of ourselves and counterproductive behaviors. One antidote is found in scripture.
The focus scripture at Catalyst was Joshua 1:9. Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. Good courage bubbles to the surface as we decide to live by faith and put our trust in God who is able to do more than we can ask or imagine. That's why we call it good news!
See you on Sunday!
Pastor Mary