Blogging toward Sunday

Peace Be Still, by He, Qi from Art in the Christian Tradition, a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville, TN. http://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu/act-imagelink.pl?RC=46102

Our readings for Sunday include 1 Samuel 17:1a, 4-11, 19-23, 32-49 which is the story of young David bringing down the the giant. The New Testament reading comes from Mark 4:35-41 which is the story of Jesus calming the storm. Read through both texts at least once and consider how fear is a factor in each of the stories.

Once again, read Mark 4:35-41. Now, take a few moments to prayerfully meditate upon the image provided above. What thoughts and feelings do you experience?

Finally, reflect on the following statistic:

Stress management experts say that only two percent of our "worrying time" is spent on things that might actually be helped by worrying. The figures below illustrate how the other 98 percent of this time is spent:

-40% on things that never happen

-35% on things that can't be changed

-15% on things that turn out better than expected

-8% on useless, petty worries

What is your response to this analysis? Is worry and fear an ongoing challenge in your life? If so, how might the power of God working in the life of David and in the life of Jesus help you to see things differently.

I pray you have a worry-free week as you journey toward worship on Sunday.

Shalom,

Glenda