By Pastor Tim White I love the old joke where the mountain climber falls off the mountain and is holding on to a cliff with a thousand-feet drop beneath him and he yells out… "God help me!" Suddenly he hears the audible voice of God saying, "just let go and my angels will catch you and fly you back to the top."  The man looks down and then yells back.  "Is there anybody else up there?"  I think most of us can relate to experiencing stress.   In this season when the kids are getting pictures of their first day of school, they are often somewhat nervous about meeting new friends, learning new material and getting back to school.  Teachers are often stressed getting ready for classes that have a high student teacher ratio.  Business men and women are often stressed wondering how they are going to pay all their bills.  And everyone is stressed because Equifax, without asking us, has all our personal information and half of all Americans lost their identity security as this company was compromised.  In fact, I think I just stressed us all out in promoting this sermon on moving from Stressed to Blessed.

Last week, we studied James Chapter One and learned some insightful perspective on how to move from Stressed to Blessed.  Experts say that the key to protecting our financial identity is to freeze our credit.  Well, is there a way to freeze our stress and just bring it out when we need it?  The Book of James is such a practical book.  One successful businessman told me on the way out of church last week, that they owe all their success to the lessons they have learned and re-learned from the Book of James.

God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation.  Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.  This week we are going to break it down into simple terms —how does God lift us up above the stresses of life anyway?  We all need this inspirational Bible Study this week.  So why not come and bring a friend.  The worship will be sweet.

Your friend for the rest of my life,

Pastor Tim White