Do not be fearful...

FAITH:

O LORD, be gracious unto us; we have waited for thee: be thou their arm every morning, our salvation also in the time of trouble.
Isaiah 33:2

During the building of the Golden Gate Bridge over San Francisco Bay, construction fell badly behind schedule because several workers had accidentally fallen from the scaffolding to their deaths. Engineers and administrators could find no solution to the costly delays. Finally, someone suggested a gigantic net be hung under the bridge to catch any who fell. Finally in spite of the enormous cost, the engineers opted for the net. After it was installed, progress was hardly interrupted. A worker or two fell into the net but were saved. Ultimately, all the time lost to fear was regained by replacing fear with faith in the net.

Do you have a fear of falling or failing? The Lord is always right there to be our net — to catch us when we fall. He is our salvation in time of trouble and provides the perfect safety net in Messiah!

Rest in Him and His finished work 2000 years ago. Press on full steam ahead!

FRIENDS:

Father, I cry out for help today for my brothers and sisters who are at this very moment struggling with their own individual fears. These fears are holding them back from accomplishing the very thing they were created to accomplish. I know You are standing in the gap for them before the throne of God, and You are calling out to them to come and lay their burdens down at Your feet. Be with us all, In Jesus' name, Amen.

DAILY BIBLE CHALLENGE

4. JOHN 1:35-42; JAMES 2:1-13; ECCLES. 3:1-15; JEREMIAH 7-9
5. JOHN 1:43-51; JAMES 2:14-26; ECCLES. 3:16-22; JEREMIAH 10-11
6. JOHN 2:1-11; JAMES 3:1-12; ECCLES 4 JEREMIAH 12-13

~JAMES~
Here is a story James would have liked.

Frances of Assisi once invited an apprentice to go with him to a nearby village to preach. The young monk quickly agreed, seizing an opportunity to hear his teacher speak. When they arrived in the village, St Frances began to visit with the people.

First he stopped in on the butcher. Next a visit with the cobbler. Then a short walk to the home of a woman who'd recently buried her husband. After that a stop at the school to chat with the teacher. This continued throughout the morning. After some time, Francis told his disciple that it was time to return to the abbey.

The student didn't understand. "But we came to preach," he reminded. "We haven't preached a sermon."

"Haven't we?" questioned the elder. "People have watched us, listened to us, responded to us. Every word we have spoken, every deed we have done has been a sermon. We have preached all morning."

James would have liked that. As far as he was concerned, Christianity was more action on Monday than worship on Sunday. "My brothers and sisters, if people say they have faith but do nothing, their faith is worth nothing. can faith like that save them?" (2:14)

His message is bare-knuckled; his style is bare-boned. Talk is cheap, he argues. Service is invaluable.

It's not that works save the Christian, but that works mark the Christian. In James' s book of logic, it only makes sense that we who have been given much should give much. Not just with words. But with our lives.

James would have liked that, too.

FOOD:

Peach Dumplings with Fuzzy Navel Sauce
Blanket peach filling with easy-to-use refrigerated pie crust to make these tempting dumplings. Served with peachy sauce and ice cream, they're irresistible!
Makes: 4 servings

Dumplings
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted
1 Pillsbury refrigerated pie crust (from 15-oz box), softened as directed on box
2 large fresh peaches, peeled, cut in half and pitted
1 egg white, slightly beaten
2 teaspoons sugar

Sauce
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons cornstarch
3/4 cup peach nectar
2 tablespoons peach-flavored schnapps or additional peach nectar
1 teaspoon grated orange peel

Serve-With
2 cups vanilla ice cream

Heat oven to 400F. Line 15x10x1-inch pan with foil; spray foil with cooking spray. In small bowl, stir together 1/4 cup sugar, the flour, cinnamon and butter; set aside.

Remove pie crust from pouch; unroll on lightly floured work surface. Roll into 13-inch circle. Cut crust into quarters.

Place 1 peach half, cut side up, on each crust quarter. Spoon sugar mixture evenly onto peach halves. Brush crust edges with beaten egg white. Bring sides of each crust quarter up over peach; press edges to seal, making 3 seams. Place dumplings, seam sides up, in pan. Brush crusts with egg white; sprinkle with 2 teaspoons sugar. Make small slits in top of each dumpling to allow steam to escape.

Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown. Cool at least 15 minutes before serving.

Meanwhile, in 1-quart saucepan, stir together 2 tablespoons sugar and the cornstarch. Stir in nectar. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly; boil and stir 1 to 2 minutes or until thickened. Stir in schnapps and orange peel.

To serve, place dumplings in individual dessert dishes. Top each with 1/2 cup ice cream. Serve sauce over ice cream and dumplings.

FUN:

Five years after my wife, Bridgit, and I were married, we received our final wedding gift -- an ice-cream maker. In an attempt to cover procrastination with humor, the friend who sent it included a note: "I wanted to make sure the marriage would last."

Bridgit wasn't amused, but she thought the present deserved a thank-you note anyway, which she dutifully sent five years later. Her note read: "I wanted to be sure the ice-cream maker would last."