Standing Strong

Dear Churches, I have been sad to see how many people are leaving your buildings. You say that the reason people are leaving is because they are not hungry for spiritual food. Instead they are seeking out what the world has to give them. I regret to inform you that I think you are wrong. While some may be seeking the world instead of God, not all are. I believe people are hungry spiritually, but unfortunately, they are not being fed properly by your "church." You say that the reason people are leaving is the rest of the world's fault. The world is feeding people garbage, and these people are falling into that trap. They are not hungry spiritually anymore because they are being fed garbage. But you are wrong. While the world is feeding us garbage, not everyone is falling into this trap. Just because someone is not attending your "church" does not mean they are stepping away from their faith. You say that it is the media's fault. The media is painting

Anxiety. It pulls at you. It pulls with all its strength. You feel like you are being pulled down, down, down, into a never ending dark pit, like Alice falling down the rabbit hole. Anxiety.  The word itself makes my palms sweaty, and puts butterflies in my stomach. I get all jittery. I have come to realize that I deal with anxiety a lot. And instead of hiding it, I have decided to just come out with it, because hiding it makes me even more anxious. I become anxious over the big things and the small things. I get anxious about making decisions. I get anxious about buying things. I get anxious over money. I get anxious in certain social interactions, when I start believing the other person is thinking judgmental things about me. I get anxious about the future. I get anxious about almost everything. Anxiety is just fear. That's all it is. Well, I get tired of being anxious all the time. Letting anxiety take over is exhausting. I'm always overthinking things, inst