Friday, June 22, 2012

Overwhelm

“My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death,” he said to them. “Stay here and keep watch." Mark 14:34

You can’t do it alone. You were created to exist in community, to lean on others. There are times in everyone’s life when circumstances overwhelm us.

The etymology of the word overwhelm dates back to the 14th century, stemming from a word which, at its root meant to turn upside down. Stop and ponder how life has a way of doing just that. This should come as no surprise to us, after all, Jesus promised that in this world we would have trouble. (John 16:33) Have you ever been turned upside down by life’s circumstances?

Even Jesus, when facing the reality of the cross and all its horrific spiritual and physical ramifications was overwhelmed in his soul. Wow! But notice what he did. He accessed his horizontal community, his closest earthly friends to be with him while he interacted with his Father. Two critical overwhelm cures: Intimacy with God and accessing earthly community.

This Sunday, in all three gatherings we will be commissioning a ministry called, Stephen Ministry. These are followers of Jesus in our body who have invested over 50 hours in being trained to come alongside and provide emotional and spiritual care to people who feel overwhelmed. They are gifted, and are called to a ministry of intentional care giving. The care they give is confidential, one-on-one, ongoing and free.

You don’t need to wait until Sunday to access a Stephen Minister! If you or someone you know could benefit from the care of a Stephen Minister, or if you are interested in training to become a Stephen Minister, contact bu email, go to our website or call 650-365-8094 and ask for the Stephen Ministry confidential hotline. We were never meant to walk through life alone, with this ministry at PCC, now you will never have to!

This week, we continue Following in the Dust of the Rabbi, looking at Luke 8:16-21 and discovering the amazing benefits of living in Jesus’ definitions. Read up and come prepared to worship, serve and be transformed.

I love being your pastor!