Pastor’s Page | Sept 17th, 2026
Sermon Prep (Read Luke 8:22-25)
When I was a kid, I had a problem with anxiety. My whole family has struggled with it where it looks like on the outside that everything is great but inside our stomachs are churning and our hearts are racing. When I was in the 6th grade, I actually had an ulcer from all the worry that I had. What did I worry about? Everything! I was worried about what people thought of me, if I was disappointing those who cared about me, but the one thing that I worried about the most may shock you. I was terrified of thunderstorms. Even if there was only a 10% chance of rain, I would begin to worry myself sick because I was convinced that a tornado was going to sweep my family away. Whenever there was a storm, I would hide in the closet with a bottle of Pepto Bismol and drink it like others drink sweet tea. And seeing how we lived in the Mississippi Delta at the time where thunderstorms were a daily occurrence, I was a nervous wreck. When it got so bad that I was bent over crying from the ulcer pain, my parents knew there was something wrong with me. The solution? No more spicy tacos. Needless to say, that didn’t fix it.
What did fix it was about a year later, my sister had started to date a guy who later would become my brother-in-law. We had moved back to Kentucky by this time, and my sister was about to go on a date. My mom was working and my dad was somewhere on the road between Kentucky and Washington State. And a little ticker came across the TV screen that said, “Severe Thunderstorm warning for Hardin County” and my panic mode set in. I told my sister that she could not leave because there was a bad storm and storms produce tornadoes and tornadoes kill family members. I had a full fledged panic attack. That was when Don, my future brother-in-law, asked me if I had ever been in a tornado. I said “No”. He said, “then how do you know it is so bad?” I hadn’t thought of it like that, and my little analytical mind began to try to work through the question. It didn’t make sense because there was plenty of data to validate my concerns, but he was convinced that there was nothing to worry about so his confidence overcame my worries. (And for the record, the storm wasn’t much of a storm, and we only got a few raindrops and one or two claps of thunder).
What are you worried about? I think about how scared the disciples must have been on the boat when the storm hit. For a sailor, one of the greatest fears is a storm at sea. Yet to look at Jesus sleeping at perfect peace during what they thought was the end of everything was concerning to them. Yet, if Jesus was at perfect peace, then why weren’t they? This Sunday, we are going to be looking at how Jesus helps us deal with our anxieties, and no matter how anxious you might be, He never is. Jesus is always at perfect peace no matter your circumstance and so we can trust that He has got everything under control. We will be looking at some of the things that cause us anxiety and more importantly the reasons that our faith gives us to not be anxious about anything.
June Sermon Series
Help My Struggles With…
09/20 — My Struggle With Anxiety — Luke 8:22-25
09/27 — My Struggle With Fear — Psalm 46:1-11
Updates, Thoughts and More
Anderia’s party! On September 20th, we are going to have a lunch after our 2nd service to celebrate one of our staff members, Anderia Lopez, who is retiring after 20 plus years of service to Acton Methodist Church. Anderia has been a bedrock of stability in this church and has helped us through some difficult times. We will miss her dearly. Make plans to come and celebrate with Anderia and her family. We will have a wonderful meal prepared for us from Massey’s in Granbury. We are also taking up a love offering for her. If you would like to donate, you can bring your gift to the church office, donate via our website, or you can bring a card for her on September 20th.
We have a new Youth Director!!! I am so happy to announce that we have hired a new youth director. His name is Jansen Monk, and he is such a great young man. He is from Stephenville but has spent the previous year living in Norway. Jansen has great plans for our youth in the church, and I can’t wait to see all that God is going to do through him. If you see him, make sure to welcome him and let him know how happy you are to have him as part of our church staff.
Table Talk. This past Wednesday we had a great introduction to our new Table Talk series on the writings of C.S. Lewis. We talked about his life, legacy, and the impact he had on Christianity as a whole but also me personally. We will begin this Wednesday with our first book of his that we are studying and that is “The Great Divorce”. You do not have to read this book in order to be a part of this study. With each book, I will be giving a summary of what the book says and then we will be discussing the general themes of the book. We will also be trying to answer any and all questions you might have about the book and the topics they address. Come join us this Wednesday at 5 pm.
Football picks
This Saturday I will be heading down to College Station to root for my beloved Kentucky Wildcats against A&M. Now, I know that Kentucky laid an egg in the 4th quarter against Alabama, but this game will be different. If I am not in church on Sunday, it is because I was brutally beat up by angry Aggie fans upset because the Wildcats pulled off the upset. That is my pick. Kentucky by 2 touchdowns!
In other SEC games of note, Bama will destroy Florida State in a revenge game. The game to watch is LSU and Ole Miss. There are so many storylines with this, but Lane Kiffen thrives on drama. LSU will get behind early, then come back and win by 3 touchdowns. The other fun game will be Louisville and SMU. Louisville is better than people think, but I cannot bring myself to pick them. I hope that SMU roasts those dirty birds.
In the NFL, the Bills and Chiefs both looked great last week. I think the Bills will be easily defeat Detroit tonight. The Lions have did not look good, even in a win. The other fun games will be to see how Dallas bounces back after losing to the Giants. Washington doesn’t look good and Jayden Daniels is looking a lot like RG3. The other game is Chicago and Minnesota. Chicago put up 59 points last week. That is a basketball score, not a football score. Let see if they can do that against a great defense.
So let it be written, so let it be done.
What’s Going On This Week
Sunday (09/20)
Worship Services — 9:00am & 10:30am
Anderia Lopez’s Retirement Celebration — 11:45am
Monday (09/21)
Alzheimer’s Support Group — 10:00am
Stitching Angels — 1:30pm
Church Council — 6:30pm
Tuesday (09/22)
Men’s Bible Study & Breakfast — 7:30am
Bassett Bible Study — 10:00am
Wednesday (09/23)
Prayer Warriors — 9:00am
Sip And Share — 10:00am
Table Talk (C.S. Lewis — The Great Divorce) — 5:00pm
JAM Youth — 5:00pm
Bell Choir Practice — 6:00pm
Choir Practice — 6:30pm
Thursday (09/24)
Davelyn Hays Study “The Wisdom Of Solomon” — 10:00am
Mystery Bus Lunch — 11:00am
Important Upcoming Dates
09/20 — Anderia Lopez’s Retirement Celebration
10/10 — Mexican Fiesta
10/24 — Fall Festival
11/01 — All Saint’s Day Service
11/14 — Lord’s Acre
Joke of the Week
A tree had been filled with anxiety and decides to see a psychologist.
"I just don't know what to do," the tree said. "Every year I feel very anxious during fall and winter."
"Hmm, interesting," the psychologist said, "And how do you feel when spring comes?"
The tree smiles, "Releaved!"
Memory Verse of the Week
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
~Philippians 4:6 (NIV84)
Quote of the Week
“When I understand that everything happening to me is to make me more Christlike, it resolves a great deal of anxiety.
~ A.W. Tozer
