Anxiety, Faith, & Peace Plans on TTW

 Hello TTW, especially those celebrating Oscar the Grouch Appreciation Day on June 1st! Let's all take a moment to appreciate everyone's favorite green monster with no discernable nose.

Plans on Anxiety, Faith & Peace!

With the end of the school year for many (I know, the Eastern half of the country is probably all out of school by now) and the craziness of world events (if you still watch the nightly news), I wanted to take the time to remind you of a couple of our topical plans. We call them Bible Basics Explained.

If you are struggling with questions of fear, doubts, or anxiety, check out our plans on Anxiety (parts 1 & 2), Faith, and Peace! These 3-5 day plans address the attitudes and thoughts that can lead us out of anxiety and into an attitude of trust in the Lord.

You can find the new plans on the Browse page under "Bible Topics & Extras."

And there are more BBE plans on essential topics like peace, forgiveness, the Ten Commandments, marriage, and more.

Part one of the Anxiety plan was a labor of love for Pastor Kris, as he had the opportunity to work together with his daughter who has wrestled with anxiety issues for most of her life. They take the time to open the Word and talk through our experiences and trials and find God's love and understanding. The plan walks through Daisy's favorite Psalm, and Kris shares much of what God taught him - through Psalm 139, through his daughter's trials, and through his own experience with anxiety.

God Bless!

Jonathan Ferguson

A Prayer For Uvalde and Buffalo

Hello Through the Word Family,

Pastor Jonathan here with a quick note to send our love and compassion to the communities of Uvalde Texas, Buffalo, New York, and other sites of violence.  As I sit and type this message, I can't help but grieve for the loss of life with these senseless acts of violence.  

It's hard to witness such violence. It's hard to make sense of it. It is easy to blame people, politicians, or parties for these tragedies.  Today is a terrible day, and will be remembered as a day of pain for many families for the rest of their lives.  

How should we respond as believers in times like this? The Bible gives us great insight.  

Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Matthew 5:4

The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. Psalm 34:18

You have kept count of my tossings; put my tears in your bottle. Are they not in your book? Psalm 56:8

He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds. Psalm 147:3

Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Romans 12:15

As you can see from the verses above, I find solace in the Psalms during times of anguish.  David and the other songwriters poured their hearts into the songs, and we experience the full spectrum of emotions when we read them.

It's okay to be angry. It's okay to grieve.  It's okay to be confused, to be hurt, to doubt. The Lord is here for us in these times. He will comfort us, and we can in turn be a comfort to others (see 2 Cor 1). 

Will you join me in praying for the victims of these tragedies? 

Lord, we grieve the loss of life we are seeing through senseless violence.  We cry out to you, begging for your comfort for the families of these victims.  We know you oppose the proud and unjust, those that hurt and attack others. May your justice prevail in our land.  Bring us peace in these times, and help us to remember you will comfort the brokenhearted. You will bind the would of the weary soul. You will help the weary. Reveal to us how we can help bring that comfort, that healing, and that help to those hurting around us. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

May you experience God's peace during this time. 

Jonathan

Got a Story to Share?

Share your TTW Stories!

One of our favorite things about what we do is hearing the stories of people whose lives have been changed because of Through the Word. We have heard from so many of our Through the Word family over the years - and I'll tell you - it never gets old. 

During our weekly team meetings, we will share a story or two with the entire group. It has become one of the highlights of our meetings! 

Why do I bring this up? Well, we love your stories so much that we want to hear more! And we made it easy for you to share your stories! Simply send your story to story@throughtheword.org. We want to hear from you and would love to share your story with the world. There is nothing greater than an amazing testimony - so send them in! Again - story@throughtheword.org. 

New King James Coming Soon!

We are still finishing the coding necessary to bring the New King James to the app - hopefully, we will have good news for you next week.  Stay tuned!

God Bless!

Jonathan 

New King James Version - Coming Soon!

Hello TTW!

One of the most requested Bible translations, the New King James, will soon be coming to TTW!

Our programming team is currently working on the coding necessary to add the text of the NKJV to the app. The audio is ready to go already, so as soon as it is ready we will be launching!

The NKJV is a beautiful translation based on the King James Version, with updates to word order and vocabulary necessary to communicate more easily with a modern audience. Gone are the "thees" and "thous," but the poetic beauty remains.

The NKJV joins the NIV, ESV, CSB, KJV, and NLT on the app. The NASB and ERV will soon be added as well!

We hope you enjoy the app, and be on the lookout for the update with the new translation!

Jonathan Ferguson

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