When I was a kid I remember a lot of fearful talk about razor blades in apples and drug-laced candy. I never was given any apples when I went door-to-door (thankfully!), but I remember looking closely at the candy bars to determine whether the holes I saw were simply from the candy-making process or if they were caused by a hypodermic needle! (I took the risk and ate 'em anyway).
I've known over-protective parents who were afraid to let their children do much of anything unless they were personally supervising them and had made sure that there were no risks involved in the activity. Some of those parents refused to allow their teenagers to go on youth mission trips because of these fears. Yes, their child was protected from the risk of getting Montezuma's Revenge or being kidnapped by drug lords... but they also missed out on what would have been an amazing time of spiritual growth and impact. And the parents missed out on an opportunity to trust in God's faithfulness.
This Sunday, November 1st, we'll be talking about faith. How big is our individual faith? How big is our faith as a congregation? In what ways may God be calling us to leave the place of small faith in which we feel safe and in control and step out into the place of BIG faith where we have to rely completely on Him? I hope you'll be able to join us!