VBS 2020!

We were sad not to be together for VBS this summer but we were thankful to be able to provide an at-home option where kids could grow in faith, learn and have fun! BOLT VBS was a great option for many of our Light of Christ families! It was wonderful seeing pictures of all the kids participating along with their parents, neighbors, and even some grandparents. Who knew that you could use crackers to stack on somebody's forehead to initiate some major "belly laughing"?.  We are very grateful for this opportunity to still provide VBS even though we could not all be together.  Not only was BOLT VBS for our kids but it was a great way to grow in faith together as a family.  We would like to share a personal story of a member of Light of Christ and how BOLT VBS helped him during this very trying time.

Good Morning,
   I wanted to share a personal experience I received while teaching my kids VBS at home. I never thought I would learn more than my kids did in this experience. Thank you for continuing to provide great resources in a time of great need. It was very needed and I hope that this story will help others feeling the same pressure.

It's no doubt that this current world we live in is beyond difficult. Some people are handling it better than others. I used to think I was handling it well until the past month. I guess since having kids I've naturally become a more cautious person and noticed dangers I may have otherwise ignored. Lately these feelings have began to multiply. I blame the media partially and myself for not seeing through it. I like to describe it as when you see a series of lottery winners on the tv every day you are more likely to go buy a lottery ticket even through your odds of winning are no different than if they never reported on it. By showing it to you every day it feels real and then it happens to someone you know then it's even more real. Again, all of that stuff doesn't change the odds of it happening to you. The sickness they are putting on TV these days is having the same effect on people in other ways, anxiety is going up, more visitors to the dr for mild reasons and so on. I handled this well until lately where my worries just started to mount. My anxiety has been 100x worse than it was a month ago and I've even tried meds which the first shot they went horribly bad. I've been really self centered and not present with my family it's been a bad few weeks.

That all changed today. After a bad day then a worse day on meds then a slightly better day off meds but still not a good start to the day. Little sleep and constant nausea, I found myself reading a bible verse to my son for his bible study class Heather signed him up for. The scripture talked about when Jesus walked on water and Peter said to him "Lord if that is you call me out" so Jesus did and Peter began to walk on water then he was distracted by the wind and started to worry and began to sink. "Help me lord!" Peter cried out Jesus said reaching out his had "You of little faith, Why did you doubt" when I read that verse to my son I nearly broke down in tears. I realized that I had lost my faith and that was why I was sinking. I stopped trusting in the Lord and tried to figure things out on my own as if I knew better, ha! What was I thinking? No wonder I've felt so awful lately. I lost trust. "Why do you doubt?" Those words were being spoken right at me today and I almost instantly felt better after hours of agony this morning. I excused myself in the back room and cried more than I have cried in years. Heather didn't know what was wrong she thought I was having another "episode" of anxiety like I've had many for the last three days. After composing myself I came back for the rest of the teaching and to top it off, God driving his point home, In case I didn't get it the first time. The verse we recited was Proverbs 3:5 "Trust in the lord with all your heart, don't depend on your own understanding" It was then when it sunk in with Heather why I got so worked up reading the verse. That is exactly what I was doing! I was obsessed with trying to figure everything out myself and I should have just trusted in the lord with my heart and not "trusting" him like a slacker.  I was slowly sinking like Peter for a while now, I just didn't realize it until I was gasping for air. I pray now that I will notice the "sinking" feeling earlier and return my trust in him.  This is going to be something I consistently deal with. Jesus is amazing no doubt but he just doesn't say "Bam! your're healed" and lets you move on. He wants to to work on it because if you don't you will find yourself sinking all over again.

It is more than just a coincidence that Heather signed our son up for this virtual bible study class for me to read the exact verse I needed to read in the depths of my worst days.  That was God doing his work, Its so crazy how it works out sometimes. It works too, this is the best I've felt in over a week! Its great! I feel called to share this story to so many others who are likely experiencing the same. Remember what God said to Peter as he was sinking "You of little faith, why did you doubt?" Matthew 14:31

 

Verses to remember:

Matthew 14:22-32

Matthew 7:25-34 (Jesus teaches us about worry)

Proverbs 3:5

-Steven