We all have fears, right?  I mean fear is normal, isn’t it?  After all, there are many things that can cause us to feel afraid or anxious.  Just turning on the TV or radio or opening the morning paper exposes us to a variety of things of which we can be afraid.  There are countless opportunities every day to experience fear.   Every snowstorm has the potential to stop “life as we know it.” Every heat wave is sure to strike us down if we so much as step into the yard.  Fear is such a part of our world.   And the media knows that fear is a powerful sales approach.  Basically, fear sells.

But fear is not all bad.  It is a normal emotion. Fear keeps us alert.  Fear warns us of potential danger. The Dictionary defines fear as an unpleasant feeling of apprehension or distress caused by the presence or anticipation of danger. Fear is future driven.  It really has nothing to do with the past.  Depression, guilt, and sadness are past driven emotions.  Fear and anxiety are always about the future.

E. Stanley Jones, a missionary to India in the 1930’s calls worry, anxiety and fear, “the greatest single trinity of evils man can take into his life.” Think about it, what would that mean in your life if you could choose not to fear, not to worry, not to be consumed with anxiety? It could be life changing.

It is 5:30 am Thanksgiving morning and I’m thinking about Joe Hawkins and the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame. Joe’s team is once again in the national spotlight and will soon play USC for a spot in the BCS championship game. Tammy and I met Joe and Diane and their beautiful family through our dear [...]

Are we there yet? A recent trip to Florida resurrected this question that I hadn’t heard since the days of summer vacations with our children, Stephanie and Ryan. Our most recent journey to the sunshine state included our three oldest grandsons Caleb, Luke, and Isaac (Stephanie and youngest grandson Jude met us in Orlando). Needless [...]

We all have fears, right?  I mean fear is normal, isn’t it?  After all, there are many things that can cause us to feel afraid or anxious.  Just turning on the TV or radio or opening the morning paper exposes us to a variety of things of which we can be afraid.  There are countless [...]