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Scroll down to the part that best
describes you or Contact
Pastor Switzer directly. Remember, there are no easy answers to the
struggles of life. However, God
promises healing, joy and peace to those who come to Him through faith in His
Son Jesus Christ. This is a promise that can be trusted. It may not happen
immediately or even quickly. In fact, it will require faith every step of the
way. However, we can be assured that His promise stands strong.
Depressed?
Financially
Anxious?
Desperate
Housewife?
Religious Confusion?
Life is a waste?
Rat Race Frustration?
Rocky Marriage?
Like everyone walks all over
you?
Angry all the time?
Need Parenting Help?
Depression: Have you lost hope? Have you been let
down a lot recently? According to scripture hope deferred makes the heart
sick. Depression most often comes when we keep getting let down. What do you
hope for more than anything else? The Bible also says that, Hope is the
anchor of the soul. Do you feel like you are emotionally adrift? An important
key to finding emotional stability is being able to set your hopes on things
that can truly be trusted. Spouses, children, money, friends, jobs and family
all can let us down. On the other hand, when a person places their hope in
Christ, they begin to find that those things that Christ promises can really
be trusted. God always fulfills his promises. It may take some time to
discover what God promises and on what basis He promises those things.
Nevertheless, He will never let you down. Is today a good day to take your
dashed hopes to God, through Jesus Christ? (top of page)
Financially
Anxious: Bills! Bills! Bills! Jesus Christ had a couple of things
to say about finances. He said that we should never worry about what we will
eat or drink or what we will wear. Easy to say! However, God in heaven cares
enough about us that he will not let us go hungry. What a tremendous promise.
Then Christ went on to say that we should seek first the Kingdom of God and His way of doing things and
then all those other things will be added to us. The point is that when we do
things our own way, we end up being less than secure. God created everything.
Reading His instruction manual and following His directions makes complete
sense. If You might need some financial advice, please call me. Or you might
have made money your goal in life. Scripture is very clear that wealth made
in this life is very fleeting. Family relationship, community involvement and
knowing God are much more important goals! Perhaps it is time to re-evaluate
your priorities. (top of page)
Desperate
Housewife: So you stay at home with the kids. You are a housewife.
You feel often as if you are all alone. Does anyone else know what you are
going through? Cook, clean, diapers, laundry, dishes, vacuuming, dusting,
straightening and then he comes home and wants dinner? Is this all that life
has to offer? So much pressure to have great kids, running from this practice
to that, to the grocery store, to the bank, gotta get some toiletries. The
Bible says that God knew all of our days before one of them came to be.
Later, it says that we should bear each others burdens. The pressure to be perfect
as a housewife is simply too demanding. Find some friends, preferably
Christians, who can help you to set realistic expectations for life and with
whom you can laugh and have fun. Get out with just some lady friends now and
again. Get involved with a Bible study or some other hobby where you can
develop your God-given talents. The point is this: Refuse to be alone on your
motherhood journey. Use your life
as a housewife to build a community with others of similar interests. Do not
allow yourself to become an island. It will destroy you. Mostly, keep in the
forefront of your mind this truth: God is with you right now. He will help
you right now if you simply ask Him to do so sincerely. Reach out to God and
then reach out to others. Choose to have genuine, honest and open
relationships. Facades are a waste of life. (top of page)
Religious Confusion: Since
everyone you talk to seems to disagree about spiritual things, how can anyone
figure out what is the right thing to believe? We should be tolerant with one
another. But, there is a problem that we immediately must face when we choose
to be tolerant with one another. This is the problem: If we are all going out
of our way to not make one another uncomfortable when talking about our
religious beliefs then how can religious beliefs help us to be better people
anymore? If everyone is trying to be tolerant, then how can any of us discuss
religion on any level that can really affect us? How can we be challenged to
grow? As a result, many people, like you may be yourself, are very confused
about religion. So, no one talks about it and everyone remains confused.
The answer to this is that we must not only be tolerant but also choose
to encourage an environment where honest and kind people can discuss and
challenge differences between what people believe. There must be a place
where people can challenge each others basic spiritual assumptions. Let me
give an extreme example: Someone needed to ask Hitler hard questions about
his basic worldview. No one ever did and he was allowed to rise to leadership
without ever having his basic spiritual assumptions challenged. This should
not be. Thomas Jefferson said that the clash of ideas was the sound of
freedom. If we are to have religious freedom then we must not let our
commitment to tolerance cause us to be afraid of deep discussions that
challenge our basic spiritual assumptions. We have to have the courage to
strongly challenge one another spiritually. If we do not our cowardice will
allow tyranny to reign. If you want this type of honest, courageous and
unapologetic spiritual environment, then call Pastor Switzer at (301)
620-0209 or come to one of our Bible studies. (top of page)
Life is a waste: You wake
up in the morning. But you wish you had not. The way people treat you makes
no sense. The way people treat each other in general just makes no sense. You
try to get motivated to work a job or get an education but why bother? No one
else seems to be happy. Materialistic greed can not motivate. You see right
through that. Politics; power and money are nothing but corruption and
vanity. Further, you do not have any, or at least few, relationships that
seem to matter.
So, why bother?
This is a
great question. I can only tell you what has made me think there is hope that
my life is not a waste. While trying to be brief, I will also try to not be
trite and simplistic. There are no easy answers. However, to put it simply,
God created you for a specific reason and loves you beyond your wildest
imagination. He has things for you to do that are so important, meaningful
and purposeful that you might think you had died and gone to heaven (things
that will change the lives of people around you; making them feel loved and
helping them to reconnect with each other). However, all these things will
not be easy to do. God sent His Son, Jesus, (that would be the one and only
Son of God) to die on a cross because He was so interested in showing you how
He can turn your wasted life into a genuinely noble existence. He gives back
dignity to people like you. I know it is hard to hope that such a thing might
be true. I only offer my sincerest guarantee: Put your hope in Jesus he does
not let people down. He is the real deal. He says your life matters. (top of page)
Rat Race Frustration: Everyday
you wake up, shower and jump in the car to head off down road to work. Like a
bunch of rats scurrying down the road (road rats) you wonder if there is any
end to the grind. Is this all that life has to offer? Is there any higher
purpose to it all? Well, this is a common frustration for those who live in
the United States in the
new millennium. It is particularly painful for those who live in Frederick, MD. All the
good jobs seem to be about 30-50 minutes away. That means a daily commute of
1-3 hours for many. First, I would like to recommend a book. The book The
Purpose Driven Life has been a best seller for over a year now (I
recommend this book). The point is clear: many in our nation sense a lack of
larger purpose to life. You too, sense this. The grind has clouded any larger
perspective. You feel that there must be more.
There is more! According to the Bible, we were created for a purpose
that God knew from before we were even born. It teaches that God has a
purpose both for your specific life and for all of history. Countless
millions around the planet have found a new passion for life as they began to
explore the promises God makes in scripture, specifically in His Son Jesus Christ.
If you want this, please call me. Don’t waste a
minute.
In the meantime, think about taking some time off by yourself. Get away
somewhere that you will not be interrupted. Take a weekend, just a day or if
you can not get more at least 3 hours. Ask yourself this simple question:
what about life seems to be the most important? Mentally push away everything
that is not MOST important and focus in on only what you know deep in your
heart really matters. Then make yourself a promise: That you will take time
at least once a week to make sure that one thing gets the kind of attention
that it deserves. It will not change everything, but it will bring a sense of
purpose back. (top of page)
Rocky Marriage: How did
things get so bad? You felt like you were in love when you got married.(or,
well, the fact is that some of you married because you felt like you should
and not for love). But things are bad. Every time you talk you argue.
Finances, miscommunication, unmet expectations, sex and just plain
frustration. Marriage is so complex that I am almost tempted to just say to
give me a call and let us talk.
However, let me say this: scripture claims that marriage is intended by
God to teach us about our relationship with Him. (No wonder religion seems as
hard as marriage). The basic principle is this: God, who is quite different
from and stronger than us, loves us and wants to be with us, despite our
failings and weaknesses. Obviously this is true with a husband and wife as
well. A Husband and wife, who are quite different from one another and have
different strengths and weaknesses, have a most difficult task. They are
encouraged to learn to love what they do not completely understand despite
their own weaknesses and those they see in their spouse. Apparently, this is
what it is like to love God. He is different and yet has so much to offer us
if we will let Him. We must learn to let Him love us despite our weaknesses.
All I know is that marriage for me and my wife is exactly that. We do
not love one another because we feel like doing so or because we are perfect.
Rather, we love one another because we have committed to do so. Sometimes,
the feelings are there and sometimes they are not. If they are at all, it is
because we have chosen to fan them to flame patiently and persistently. When
they are not (and this is true for every marriage out there) it is our
wedding day vow to love for better, worse, rich, poor, sickness and in health
that keeps us going.
Barring physical abuse or marital unfaithfulness it is worth fighting
for your marriage. Give me a call. (top of page)
Everyone Walks All
Over You: I must tell you that it angers God that people do this to you. Much of
scripture commands that we not be this way toward one another. But, clearly
it has happened to you. I assure you that God will one day set the record
straight. If the Bible says anything, it says that!
Though you are tired of it, you probably are very confused about how to
be kind and yet set some clear boundaries about what people are allowed to do
in their relationships with you and what they are not; and so you get walked
on.
Your struggle requires changing some habits. However, a simple
perspective change is helpful. The Bible views your heart like a city. A city
has walls and gates. Enemies are kept out of the gates of the city. Enemies
will try to come over the walls and through the cracks. A real friend,
though, always comes to the gate of your heart and asks permission to come
in. Then they are careful to abide by your rules in your city. It is okay to
let people into your city, your heart, but if they cannot behave themselves
then you must put them out until they are ready to behave. Scripture is very
clear that we must be very choosy with our closest friends. We will end up
like them.
If you do not guard your heart, you will ultimately find yourself
depressed and sucked dry. If, however, you do guard your heart, you will find
a bubbling spring of life continually flowing forth from it. Then you will
really be able to help other people.
Above all else guard your heart, for out of it flows your very life. (top of page)
Always Angry: Does it
seem like everything seems to bug you these days? Almost like your temper is
constantly ablaze? You just wish people would leave you alone. Or at least,
figure out how to get things right! Simply put, most anger in our lives comes
from a sense that something is not right. Something is wrong. As a result life
is harder than it should have to be. Whether it is money, close
relationships, romance, children or work something is wrong. The good news is
this: You have a lot to be angry about. (or maybe that is the bad news).
According to scripture life really is a lot worse than it should be. The
problem is something you probably face in your own life: people are selfish
(you and I included). As a result, we do things to one another that are not
right. The Bible has a simple word for this: sin. Apparently, there is so
much of it that you and I will never live in a world without it. And we
should be angry about it. Lack of resources, rudeness, unkindness, stealing,
lying, cheating, tiredness. All of
those things are the result of humans doing things the way they want to do
them instead of doing them the way that God created us to do them.
However, God has created a solution to this sin problem. When we put
our faith in Jesus Christ and His death and resurrection on our behalf, God
sends us a massive gift. He sends His Spirit to live in our hearts. The
result is that we have the ability to no longer live life angry at
everything. We learn to forgive. We learn to be kind and gentle to others no
matter how they treat us. We learn to trust God to make things right and keep
us safe. We will not be forever free from anger, but anger will no longer
control us. Rather we will control it.
It may seem too simple but is that not the whole point!? Life should
not be so wrong. God has made a way for it to be right. It should be
accessible to all of us. It should help us to live right. Give me a call. I
would be glad to talk to you about this.
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Depressed?
Financially Anxious?
Desperate Housewife?
Religious Confusion?
Life is a waste?
Rat Race Frustration?
Rocky Marriage?
Like everyone walks all over
you?
Angry all the time?
Need Parenting Help?
God has promised guidance, healing
and strength for those who come to him in faith. Click on one of the links
for help.
Contact
Pastor Switzer
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