Breathe deeply.  Slowly exhale.  Christmas has passed and the realities of a New Year have now set in.  How are you doing?  Were the worries that dogged you from last year wiped away, just like the Christ child’s birth gave us all a new beginning?   Or not?

  Holidays have a way of allowing us to push back on our problems and hold them at bay for a brief time.  But when the holiday festivities are over we once again are forced to face our unresolved problems.

  Our worries can be carried solely within ourselves and we can seek to resolve them on our own. This way is often lonely and at times seemingly without hope.

John 14:1 says,
                              Jesus said, "Don’t let your hearts be troubled. 
                              Trust in God, and trust in me.”

So:

• reach out to God in prayer and seek His comfort & direction through your troubled times.

• but for a face to face conversation, where you can unload your burdens in strict confidence with someone who truly cares about your concerns, then this can be
  accomplished by talking to a Stephen Minister.

  Stephen Ministers provide emotional and spiritual support to those facing a variety of issues in their lives.  Just talking to someone will not only release stress but will also assist in finding a pathway through whatever problems have followed you into the New Year. Lighten your New Year load.

  Contact Stephen Ministry Leaders Cheryl Jones at 755-3388 or Celeste Plassman at 457-4841 for more information, or to request a Stephen Minister.  All Conversations and work of Stephen Ministry are confidential.