Christian Questions Bible Podcast

Special Guest: Kylie Odetta
Everyone at times in their life feels anxiety.  Sometimes it is a simple reaction to having to do or say something that we would rather avoid.  Other times it is a more powerful reaction that lingers and may even cause us interrupted sleep or a lack of focus.  These are feelings of anxiety.  They are common and they are solvable.  The big issue comes when the anxiety we face becomes a crippling and exhausting current of fear.  It sweeps us off our feet and pulls us away from our normal routines with an overwhelming riptide-like intensity.  For some of us this anxiety can last for months, years or a lifetime.  For a Christian, the piercing questions that may arise from this are, where is my reliance on God?  Does my crippled response to this fear prove my faith to be nothing more than words?  Am I a hypocrite?  Hard questions like these deserve strong and decisive answers and today we will find them!  We have a special interview with Kylie Odetta on this program!

For many of us, daily life is a secret struggle.  Some of us go through the motions of our daily routines while inwardly carrying overwhelming fear and anxiety.  We don’t want to share what we feel as it is not only embarrassing, it is impossible to describe.  For others of us, even our daily routines at times are themselves overwhelming.  We feel as though we are thoroughly alone and relegated to a place of gloom and darkness.  There seems to be no answer.  Often it feels like there is no hope.  I am describing anxiety and depression.  While these challenges are incredibly common, they are also incredibly misunderstood.  As Christians, we face these kinds of issues just like everyone else. The question is, what do we expect?  Do we expect our faith to be like a magic pill that can make things better?  Do we expect ourselves to be diminished in God’s eyes because we can’t “feel” our faith?  What does God expect?  What is possible for us to expect?

As Christians, we are clearly taught to live our lives in harmony with God’s will and His ways by following in the footsteps of Jesus. We all know this challenge is one we can never fulfill with perfection. We all have experienced failure along these lines. Because we are imperfect, God expects us to fail, and yet He blesses us. Does this mean He accepts us as we are? Does this mean our sinful thoughts and actions can actually be sources of blessing? How many times have you made mistakes in judgment or action, and through the experience seen God’s blessing and providence come through? How do we properly interpret our experiences to reflect what God is blessing us for and what He is leading us through?

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to wreak havoc.  The virus itself is bad enough, but for most of us the havoc comes from what has been put in place to keep it from spreading.  Jobs have been lost, social, religious and family gatherings are all on hold.  We are supposed to just stay home.  It feels like we have had enough.  Boredom, restlessness, anxiety and depression are becoming our daily companions.  Our personal desperation will likely continue to increase, as there is no clear-cut pathway yet revealed to ending this chapter of life.  What do we do?  As Christians, how do we manage the rules that hinder our worship? The over abundance of editorialized information?  The isolation, the anxiety and the fear that drags on? Let’s take a few steps back and put all these things in order so we can have a plan and work that plan!

Easter Sunday is a widely celebrated holiday. It is a day that represents life.  For Christians, it represents life in its highest form because it is about the resurrection of Jesus. It is far too easy to lose the deep meaning of Jesus’ sacrifice and victory in the commotion and fanfare of Easter eggs, the Easter Bunny and Easter chocolate. As Christians, we know Jesus’ resurrection was a world-changing experience, but was it a personal, life-changing experience for me?  How does the fact of Jesus being in heaven again with God affect me every day?  To trace the kind of changes his resurrection can have on us, we need to look at the kind of effect it had on some who were there and experienced it first-hand.  What did they see? What did they change?

Jesus is our hero. His example, his teachings, his works and his faithfulness are absolutely legendary. They provide a flood of inspiration for anyone who would want it. To think of Jesus as being troubled in mind seems to be completely contrary to what we think of our Savior. After all, the book of Hebrews says he was "holy, innocent, undefiled and separated from sinners." How could he have anxiety? The fact is, there were three recorded instances in his life where he was troubled. Were these experiences a show of weakness or doubt? Did Jesus have some flaw we never talk about? No and no! What these experiences do show us is the amazing fortitude, courage and godliness of the man Christ Jesus.

Social distancing.  Three months ago, if you heard that term you may have thought it was describing someone who was a loner or someone who swore off social media.  Now we not only all know what it means, we feel its meaning and it is frightening.  I was in the grocery store today, and on the floor of the line for self-checkout, there were tape lines six feet apart so shoppers could more easily avoid contact.  The Coronavirus – COVID-19 - has arrived.  It is potent, fearsome and sneaky.  Because of its presence the entire world has been altered socially and economically in a matter of a few months.  As Christians, what are we supposed to do with this pandemic?  What should we know, how should we act and most importantly, is this virus connected to God’s plan?

As Christians, we often talk about the necessity of forgiveness.  We need to be forgiven and to forgive others.  When it comes to talking about mercy, we always seem to focus on God’s mercy. Rightly so. God’s mercy is a resounding theme throughout the entire Bible.  His eternal wisdom and plan could not even exist unless His mercy was, is and will be in place.  So, if mercy is such an important part of God’s plan, and Jesus came and mercifully gave his life for Adam’s sin and redeemed the world, what about me?  How does mercy fit into my life?  Am I a merciful Christian?  What does mercy really mean, and how do I know how and when to use it?

Burnout is nasty.  As we found out in Part I of our two-part series, it can demoralize and diminish the efforts and quality of care from medical professionals and first responders.  But it doesn't stop there.  Even though the rest of us may not have other’s lives in our hands, burnout is more than capable of continuing to ruin lives...if we let it.  The good news about this ever-growing and worrisome phenomena is that it can be handled.  For regular people who get overly inundated with the unrelenting pressures of work, family and social issues, there are answers.  Or, if we find ourselves feeling like we are drowning under the weight of Christian responsibilities, there are answers.  The really good news is these answers have both biblical and medical foundations!