...“His disciples woke him and said, “Teacher, don't you care that we're about to drown?”

The mission of our church is “We use our resources, tangible and intangible, to minimize human suffering and enhance human well-being. This is godliness to us.”

• Suffering and Pain: Experiencing personal tragedy, illness, or loss can lead to questioning God's goodness and presence.

• Unmet Expectations: When prayers go unanswered or life doesn’t unfold as hoped, individuals may feel abandoned or let down.
• Religious Hypocrisy: Witnessing hypocrisy among religious leaders or communities can cause disillusionment with organized religion and its teachings.
• Injustice and Evil: Observing widespread suffering, injustice, and evil in the world can challenge beliefs about a benevolent and mighty God.
• Crisis of Faith: Personal crises, such as moral dilemmas or life transitions, can lead to a reevaluation of beliefs and feelings of disconnection from God.
• Conflicting Beliefs: Exposure to differing beliefs or philosophies can create cognitive dissonance, leading people to question their own faith.
• Rigidity in Dogma: Harsh or exclusionary teachings can turn individuals away from God, leading to feelings of guilt and shame rather than acceptance and love.
• Life Changes: Major life events, such as marriage, parenthood, or retirement, can prompt reassessment of one's beliefs and priorities.

• Accept What You Can't Control

• Build A Daily Grounding Practice

• Reframe Setbacks as Data
• Cultivate Selective Vulnerability
• Practice Micro-Recoveries
• Try To Maintain Forward Momentum (even tiny steps count)
• Honor Your Recovery Rhythms
• Diversify Your Identity Portfolio

Author Unknown

Lord, we will not live in a perfect world until we join you in heaven. This current situation will not be the last crisis for the world or us. Remind everyone that we cannot outrun, outpace, outdo, outsmart, or outlive trying times. It has a way of popping up even in the good and prosperous seasons in the culture, life, and the lives of those around me.

Lord Jesus, I pray for those times when the stresses of life often reach a dangerous proportion—or so it seems. We feel it in our body, mind, and spirit, and at times struggle to keep up physically, mentally, and yes, spiritually.

Some days, God, anxiety stalks like a deceitful predator, and the temptation to worry draws us in. We know better, but on some days, the challenges outweigh the truths that lie within. God, some days, our trust in You fades into the background, giving fear and concerns permission to discourage us.

Teach us to recognize stressful trials as tools for shaping, rearranging, and refining us. Through difficult times, teach patience, enlarge my faith, and help us see things we could not see before.

When an anxious thought creeps in, it helps us stop and relax, take that thought captive, and turn apprehension into a calm prayer for deliverance. Revamp our belief system, Lord. Show us a new way to handle life according to Your Way. Transform these potential sources of stress into opportunities for growth and trust.

In the name of Jesus, Amen