Enduring the Storms

FOCUS STATEMENT

There isn't a person in the world, let alone this sanctuary, t hat hasn't suffered some sort of a storm in their lives.

In tough times, we often do everything we can to survive the storm on our own power...

treading aimlessly in the stormy deep.

The truth is, however, the is only one way in which we can truly rise above the waves.

POINT OF RELATION

The year was 2004, and I had lost my job.

In the Fall of 2002, I had graduated from Chubb Institute with a diploma in Business Programming.

From there, Chubb got me a job as a Software Engineer at a Home Automation Development company located in Sparta, NJ.

Let me first explain the business.

The company I worked for specialized in building Home Theater systems that were fully automated.

These systems could control the entire theater and everything in it,

from controlling the movies played, to the lighting, to even the chairs.

At the time, one could buy theater quality chairs that vibrated with the surround sound...

just as they do in the Dolby Theaters at AMC.

This technology is common place now, so it may not seem like such a big deal;

however, at the time, it was a really huge deal.

These systems were built for the elite and I was making darn good money helping write and tweak the code in JAVA.

I was traveling to places like Indianapolis and Las Vegas, going to conventions, and working on whatever new projects were put in front of me.

It was nerve-wracking, because I was new...

still, it was absolutely exhilarating.

I was going to make something of my life.

This high school loser,

this kid that couldn’t even walk with his class,

this kid who had to graduate via Summer School,

was ready to spread his wings and show the world was potential was locked away in me.

Then it happened.

After not receiving pay for at least a pay period or two...

I ended up being laid off due to the company going bankrupt.

No what? This wasn’t a part of the plan.

I was going to make my mark in the computer programming world...

and I hadn’t lasted longer than a year.

So, what did I do?

Well, initially, I tried to start my own web development business.

Registered it and everything.

I went store to store, business to business,

looking for clientele to pick up;

however, no body was looking for web sites...

they either didn’t see the need for one, or they already had one.

My business was a failure as well.

2003 was supposed to be a great year.

I was working a great job,

Bernadette and I just bought a home in Highland Lakes,

and Lorien was born;

however, by the beginning of 2004,

I was jobless,

in a home we could no longer afford,

and LORIEN took a year and a half to sleep through the night,

so Bernadette and I were both EXTREMELY SLEEP DEPRIVED.

My own efforts had been pointless and a failure...

my self-esteem tanked...

and I began to question everything.

Add to that the fact that I have had a life-long battle with depression and anxiety,

you get the picture of the state I was in.

I had literally reached wits end and had reached a dead end.

There was NOTHING I COULD DO! I was at a complete loss.

I remember one night in February I had a little to much to drink and I had gone outside to just be myself.

I had just seen the Passion of the Christ a few nights earlier, and I was questioning why Jesus would love us THAT much to die for us.

The more I pictured that film, and reflected on Jesus’ sacrifice, the more I began to get emotional...

and I broke into tears.

I remember looking out across the night in the mountains and, crying,

I finally turned to God.

“If you are there God, if you are real, show me...show me and I will follow you.”

THINGS TO CONSIDER

While our circumstances might be different,

tough times are a part of the human experience

And I know that each of you have had your fill of challenges, tough times...storms.

That is what is being referred to when I use the term STORM.

In fact, I asked that Christie sing the Casting Crowns song, “I’ll Praise You In This Storm”

because it is a song that gives a voice to those suffering hard times.

In fact, the song itself was written after singer/songwriter Mark Hall and the band

met a mother who’s daughter was dying of terminal cancer, with nothing that could be done to save her baby girl.

We all suffer tough times, we all face life’s unexpected storms and, in those moments, how do we react.

Typically, if we are going to be honest, we flail like a fish out of water and we desperately try to change the tide...which we all know is IMPOSSIBLE.

WHAT SCRIPTURE SAYS

In the Gospel According to Mark, we find Jesus’ disciples in a LITERAL STORM.

They are not facing some metaphorical cyclone, some personal issue that isn’t physically threatening;

rather, they are in the middle of a LITERAL STORM in the middle of the Sea of Galilee.

Their lives were VERY much in jeopardy as their boat was on the verge of capsizing and sinking.

What did the disciples do?

They panicked of course! Wouldn’t you?

I mean honestly, we love ripping on the disciples for their fear and lack of understanding...

but would we have done better?

We know the truth.

The disciples panicked, as we would, and they began to do everything thing they could to keep their boat afloat.

When one looks at the Sea of Galilee, it looks like a big lake like Lake George or something like that.

It’s hard to imagine how that body of water could produce such devastatingly large waves;

however, it can get notoriously windy there as the winds come up over mountains, dip down, and tear across the water.

When those conditions are met, the Sea of Galilee becomes potential death for those caught in the fury.

So, where was Jesus when all of this chaos was happening?

He was laying on a cushion in the back of the boat...SLEEPING. No Joke.

Clearly, Jesus sleeps like me...a bomb could go off and I would not wake up.

Still, their lives were threatened and the disciples woke Jesus up, panicked and fearing for their lives.

Who knows how long Jesus was asleep for;

however, there the disciples were the whole time trying to bail themselves out...

over and over and over and over again...until it became evident the were going to die trying.

That’s when it occured to them that Jesus was asleep.

When all else had failed, that was when they realized that they had forgotten to turn to someone for help.

That’s when they woke Jesus up, wondering if he even cared that they were going to die.

Let’s pause here, momentarily. Did you catch that?

The disciples tried to bail themselves out, never turning to Jesus...

then they question his empathy even though he was asleep and never alerted.

Let’s put that another way.

They never asked for help, then wondered why help never came.

Friends, there’s a reason why God sent us a savior...and that is because we CANNOT SAVE OURSELVES.

Just as the disciples learned, we need to learn that JESUS is the ONLY TRUE way to rise above the waves and ENDURE THE STORMS.

WHAT THIS MEANS FOR YOU

I know that some here have been going through a really challenging season as of late.

Perhaps it has been with your health.

Perhaps it has been with your emotional and psychological health,

or your finances,

or your relationships.

Perhaps even your relationship with God is on the rocks, or non-existent.

Whatever the case may be, you need not suffer your storms alone.

You need not bail the water from your boat in futility.

In order to keep enduring the storms in our lives,

you need to put your trust fully in Jesus and be accepting of wherever it is Christ is leading us.

WHAT THIS MEANS FOR US

When the disciples finally turned to Jesus,

he rose up and calmed the storm and they found there way safely to their destination.

When I finally turned to Jesus,

I realized that I was pursuing the wrong vocation and was heading in the wrong direction.

Friends, the church finds itself in a storm right now.

In fact, we’ve been in the midst of a perfect storm...

you know, the kind of storm that is produced when multiple systems merge in the right conditions...

like Superstorrm Sandy.

The church in Western Civilization has found itself in decline in both attendance and giving.

We have found ourselves more and more at odds with a growing secular society

and we have found ourselves flailing about, trying to figure out how to get back into the water.

The problem is that we haven’t turned to or placed our trust in Jesus.

This, sisters and brothers, is what we need to do.

We need to reestablish our trust in God...

we need to turn to Jesus Christ to guide and lead us...

and we need to follow him wherever he leads.

Following Jesus does not mean we will avoid storms; however, we will face them with Christ…who can get us through them!

Are you ready to turn to the One who can Save you?

Are you ready to turn to him in your personal lives?

Are you ready to turn to him as the church?

There is much more mission and ministry for us to participate in and we need people who are willing to trust in Christ and follow the lead.

Those people are YOU. Let’s get to work. Amen? Amen.