Anxiety is a terrible thing.  You feel SO alone, but you aren’t.  Today, I want to unpack some truth into your life as well as things people who don’t struggle with anxiety can do to be more present.  Take time today to listen and be encouraged. You can also download the letter that was read at the end of today’s message by visiting http://www.oswegochristian.com/breaking-the-grip-of-anxiety/

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WELCOME:I wouldn’t categorize myself as an anxious person, but I do have some anxiety.  Like for instance, I hate calling doctors offices to set up appointments.  I could be having a heart attack and I would still be like, “Jenni, will you call for me?”  It’s just something that I have an irrational response to.  I think we all have things like that.  Today, we are going to look at the ways that we respond with anxiety and look at how God wants to give you some freedom in that experience.  OPENING ILLUSTRATION:Do you guys remember Tuesday?  Remember when the news took over the tv stations and tornado’s were coming our way?  In Kansas, we all know, there are two responses to a tornado…  1.  You freak out, grab all your kids, dogs, pictures, and toilet paper and run to your tornado shelter.  2.  Or you grab your binoculars, open your garage door and stand out in the storm looking for a funnel cloud.  That’s it.  Those are your two options.  Well, there’s a third option, you move to Canada, but none of us in here are that chicken hearted…Which one are you?  tornado shelter or binoculars?  There aren’t any canadians in here are there?  Phew… Ok…This week we are talking about anxiety.  You might be surprised that Anxiety is something that scripture actually deals with.  There’s quite a bit about it and passages that apply to it. But as I was thinking about anxiety I thought, there are really two kinds of people. There are people that are gripped by it and people that are affected by it. And of course, there’s Canadians…Now, before we go very far, we need to explain what we mean by anxiety.the reality is, all of us face anxiety at some point. -When you see your child climbing 40 feet up in a tree and your heart skips a beat, that’s a reasonable anxiety-When there are flashing lights behind you after you’ve been driving 90 mph, that’s reasonable anxiety-when your boss says, “Later today, I need to speak to you in my office alone”  that’s reasonable anxiety.Anxiety is a natural, God given response to create a heightened state of alertness in dangerous or fearful situations.BThe problem is for some of us our brains have a disproportionate response to the inputs we experience.  This can lead to excessive nervousness, fear, apprehension, and worry.Now here’s the deal.  If you are gripped with anxiety, you get this. ILLUSTRATION:You know what it’s like to walk into a room full of strangers and feel like the walls are closing in on you, dreading every interaction.  You’re thinking, “you’re lucky I’m even here Kent!”You know what it’s like to be immobilized by a deadline, feeling the weight of it hanging over you like 100lbs barbell.You know what it’s like run the events of the day over and over again, rethinking every situation to the nth degree.You are gripped by anxiety.  It can feel desperate and hopeless.Here’s the problem.  Others of you are like the binoculars people with the tornado – you go through life pretty care free and don’t get it.You’re not gripped by anxiety – you are affected by it.People who are affected by anxiety are the people who are trying to manage the anxiety of their loved ones and coworkers – they need extra patience and struggle trying to understand why the other person can’t just get over it.ILLUSTRATION:I am a little of both

Sometimes I think Bruce Banner doesn’t have anything on me. I can be going along in my day, everything fine only to end up blowing up in anger. Sound familiar?  If so, tune in to hear the secret that has been making a HUGE difference in my life!   Subscribe to our podcast on your phone to automatically have new messages downloaded weekly: in iTunes (http://my.oswegochristian.com/iTunes) or Android (http://my.oswegochristian.com/Google)

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What gets you angry?  I mean, really angry?  This morning, we are going to tamper with our emotions and take a deep dive into anger.  I feel like anger is one of the most prevailing emotions in our world.  People are angry all the time, angry at politics, angry at leaders, angry at spouses and kids.  We’re angry at bosses and more.  This morning, if you are someone who struggles with anger I want you to know, I’m praying for you and hope todays message helps you get a handle on your anger. OPENING ILLUSTRATION:Top 10 list of insults you can use when talking about co-workers1.She’s 3 slices short of a loaf.2.He likes to play the dumb card.3.His brain is like a BB in box car. just rolling around.4.He comes from a shallow gene pool.5.Even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in a whilethese are funny, but for most of us,our anger takes us to places we never wanted to goListen, before we go on – you need to know – not all anger is badEphesians 4:2626 “In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry,-it’s not wrong to get angry – there are actually really good things to get angry about…Jesus got angry…Mark 3:3-63 Another time Jesus went into the synagogue, and a man with a shriveled hand was there. 2 Some of them were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal him on the Sabbath. 3 Jesus said to the man with the shriveled hand, “Stand up in front of everyone.”4 Then Jesus asked them, “Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” But they remained silent.5 He looked around at them in anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts, said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was completely restored. 6 Then the Pharisees went out and began to plot with the Herodians how they might kill Jesus.Two times Jesus went into the temple and found money changers – they were kind of the loan sharks of the day – taking advantage of poor people, scamming them out of their money.  And both times, Jesus flips over their tables and makes a whip out of ropes and drives them out.  He says:Matthew 21:13“It is written,” he said to them, “‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’ but you are making it ‘a den of robbers.'”Anger that defends doesn’t lead to sin-it is completely appropriate to be angry because marginalized people are being taken advantage of.-anger is a gift from God, that allows you to stick up for people, to respond to injusticeThe problem is when our anger is ongoing and never resolvedBThe problem is when anger becomes a base response to situations.ILLUSTRATION: A few weeks back – Jenni and I were driving back from visiting our foster sons at their new families house.  I had gotten some disappointing news about something I was hoping would go a different way.  I was already secretly fuming inside.  Jenni had wanted italian food, so we had ordered ahead at this restaruant on our road home.  I got a calzone.  Jenni wrapped it up in the foil.  My kids are all fighting in the back of the car.  and I start driving.  I’m thinking about how upset I am that at this disappointment.  I’m wanting my kids to just for once stop fighting.  And I go to take a bite of this calzone.  As I bring it to my mouth, the calzone just starts taking a leak all over me.  Turns out, if you are making a calzone for people driving, you load it