Greg Surratt

ONE DAY WORRY FREE CHALLENGE

We all worry. If we didn't, we wouldn't worry about it 🤓. Right?

We also know what the Bible says:

”Don’t WORRY about anything; instead, PRAY about everything. TELL God what you need, and THANK him for all he has done. THEN you will experience GOD’S PEACE, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus“ ‭‭ Philippians‬ ‭4‬:‭6‬-‭7‬ ‭NLT‬‬

For some of us that feels like an impossibility. "Don't worry". That's ok. You may need the help of a doctor or a counselor or a friend to get you through a tough place. Some days it feels like it's all you can do to keep the faith, but you are doing it. One one hour or one day at a time. You are doing it. We are in your corner. No shame, just love.

For most of us, though, we just need a challenge.

HERE'S A 1 DAY CHALLENGE - Every time you are tempted to worry today (you will be, trust me) I want you to do 4 quick things:

1. Write it down
2. Pray it up
3. Thank it out
4. Breathe it in

How will it work practically? Glad you asked.

1. The moment a tempting worry inducing thought comes into your mind, grab a journal (digital or analog) and write it down.

2. When you have captured the thought on paper, immediately "pray it up". Tell God what you need. Either whisper your request out loud or journal it. It doesn’t have to be long.

3. When you are done praying it up, write down one thing you are grateful for right now. Just one. Thank it out.

4. Now, close your eyes and take a slow deep breath. On the inhale repeat in your mind "I receive". On the exhale "God's peace". Slowly do it again, "I receive (pause) God's peace". Do it as often as you need to.

That's it. There's the challenge. Just one day. Today.

Together we are going to CRUSH the first of the year!!

Tag a friend. Let's make it viral.

One more thought: It would be kind of cool to come back to the comments throughout the day with testimonies of what happened.

Who's in?

Somebody had an awesome Christmas. Got all their toilets upgraded.🤓

From our family to yours, we wish you a Merry Christmas!!

This weekend, we’ll be celebrating Christmas Eve together at Seacoast and we want you to join us! We’ve got 6 services you can attend at our Mount Pleasant campus and online. Visit seacoastchristmas.com to learn more.

Here is what I know about you this morning:

1. You were created in God's image
2. You have intrinsic value
3. You were chosen and are loved by God
4. You were created for a purpose
5. Your mistakes have been covered
6. Your future has promise
7. You don't have do anything great to be remarkable
8. You are not alone
9. You don't need what you don't have
10. Your presence makes a difference

Any thought that tells you otherwise isn't telling you the truth. Don't believe it.

Which one of these truths do you need to focus on today in order to crush ?

Let's do this.

Together.

We’ve got some openings for our January retreats out at The Retreat At Church Creek:

• Women’s retreat (pastors and pastors’ wives): Jan. 8-11
• Women’s retreat (pastors and pastors’ wives): Jan. 29 - Feb. 1
• Men’s pastor retreat: Jan. 18-21

Don’t miss out on this opportunity to experience rest and renewal in one of my favorite places. Visit ‘s bio to register.

WHAT I LOVE ABOUT MY CHURCH.

Actually, it’s just ONE of the things:

The 1st pic shows the weather at church time. It’s pretty awesome if you are a duck 🦆.

The second one shows my view from the front row. THERE’S A CLUE HERE IN WHAT I LOVE ABOUT MY CHURCH.

I awoke this morning to tropical storm like weather on a Sunday. My first thoughts were gratitude for online church, we have no responsibilities today, put a fire in the fireplace, coffee in the cup and worship from the couch. To stay home would have been a reasonable choice, and this post is not covertly aimed at those who did. That’s not the point.

Due to travel I hadn’t been to Seacoast in a month, I decided to get the rain gear out and wade through the water. Let’s do this together.

THE SECOND PIC TELLS THE STORY.

The building is less than half full and yet the front rows are packed. By choice, not assignment. In anticipation.

That’s it.

It’s not about the number of people in the house, it’s about the anticipation of those who are there.

Here’s what I have noticed in my travels: Even in a full house, often times the last to fill are the front rows. It’s not that way in a concert, or sporting event, but it’s often the case in a church. How many times have you experienced a late coming guest being reluctantly ushered to the front few rows?

Why?

I don’t know. What I do know is that when the front fills first, there is a sense of anticipation that filters up to the platform and infects even those leading the services.

HERE’S MY CHALLENGE TO YOU: You can increase the anticipation quotient in your local church by something as simple as moving to the front few rows. And inviting friends to join you.

Adam Martin, our teacher this morning challenged us at the end of his great message on joy: “If you want to learn to swim, you’ve got get closer to the water. If you want to get warm, you’ve got to get closer to the fire. If you want to have joy, you’ve got to get closer to the author and giver of joy.”

Would it be a leap too far to include: “And the closer you are to the front, the better the experience is for everyone”?

Maybe so, but is something I love about our church.

Who needs a fancy setup for a zoom call?🤓

It's so let's look at the classic verse on worry:

”Don't worry about anything, but in all your prayers ask God for what you need, always asking him with a thankful heart.“ Philippians‬ ‭4‬:‭6‬ ‭GNT‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/68/php.4.6.GNT

Some questions I have:

Is he serious about not worrying about anything? Worry is our national pastime. We worry about:

- The weather
- Our kids
- Finances
- Politics
- The future
- Our health
- Work
- Relationships
- Acceptance
- Chat GPT

You name it, we worry about it. Everyday. All the time.

But he says: "Don't". "Ever".

What would that feel like? (I'm asking for a friend 🤓)

How do you ask God for what you need "with a thankful heart?

There's a great pattern in Psalm 126:

”When the Lord brought us back to Jerusalem, it was like a dream! How we laughed, how we sang for joy! Then the other nations said about us, “The Lord did great things for them.” Indeed he did great things for us; how happy we were!

Lord, make us prosperous again, just as the rain brings water back to dry riverbeds. Let those who wept as they planted their crops, gather the harvest with joy! Those who wept as they went out carrying the seed will come back singing for joy, as they bring in the harvest.“
‭‭Psalm‬ ‭126‬:‭1‬-‭6‬ ‭GNT‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/68/psa.126.1-6.GNT

If you are tempted to worry about something today (raise your hand if that's you 🤚🏼), do the following exercise:

1. Close your eyes and remember a time when an answer to prayer was like a dream: A house sold that shouldn't have; provision came from an unexpected source; God showed up when you had almost given up.

2. Remember how it felt: you laughed, you cried, you couldn't wait to tell a friend. Just take time to remember the feelings.

3. Now ask God to do it again.

4. Visualize what it would be like sometime in the future to have the same joy about God's provision in your current circumstance.

Let's crush together.

PS If you've got a testimony of God's dreamlike provision, put it in the comments to build someone else's faith.

Psalm 126:1-6 When the LORD brought us back to Jerusalem, it was like a dream! How we laughed, how we sang for joy! Then the other nations said about us, “The LORD did great things for them.” Indeed he did great th | Good News Translation (GNT) | When the LORD brought us back to Jerusalem, it was like a dream! How we laughed, how we sang for joy! Then the other nations said about us, “The LORD did great things for them.” Indeed he did great th

Community is vital to our spiritual health. That’s why we created Circle Communities as part of Pastors Collective for ministry leaders to connect with others, championing each other in all seasons of life. Visit pastorscollective.com/join to get involved.

Pastors Collective is now on social media! I started this organization back in 2018 to address and solve the mental health crisis among our pastors. Make sure to follow them to see how we’re reaching ministry leaders across the world.

Last night and had the privilege of speaking at the commencement ceremony for the 2023 graduates of Southeastern University. They also conveyed an honorary doctorate degree for lifetime achievements. Some of my grandkids were watching online at home.

While, I in no way equate this with those who have put the work in for advanced degrees, I am beyond honored for the recognition by the team of academics at the University.

On a sidenote, asked if I could look at a rash for him now that I am a “Doctor”. I told him that as long as it was an honorary rash, I would be happy to help.🤓

What to do with a broken thought

Here's what popped up in my calendar to think about today:

“You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!” ‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭26‬:‭3‬ ‭NLT‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/116/isa.26.3.NLT

A couple of thoughts:

- Perfect peace is a rare commodity.
- Everybody wants it
- Very few find it
- God loves to give it

- Perfect peace is directly connected to reasonable trust.
- Trust believes that God is good and that he rewards those who diligently seek him.
- Perfect peace is one of a good God's rewards.

- If I'm having trust issues, my thoughts need fixed.

Broken thoughts are at the root of illusive peace.

In our book, "The Endurance Factor: How ministry leaders can avoid burnout, live well and finish strong", my co-author Chip Judd calls the process of fixing broken thoughts "killing A.N.T.s". "Ants" are an acrostic for "automatic negative thoughts".

Do you have an ant problem?

- “I’m such a stupid fool!”
- “I can’t do anything right!”
- “I can’t afford to fail, or else.”
- “I can’t let people know what’s really going on with me, or they’ll leave me or make fun of me.”
- “I’m worthless, flawed, and unlovable.”
- “I’m not as smart as, not as handsome as, not as gifted as . . .”

A picnic isn't the only thing that ants can ruin.

2 Corinthians 10:6 says that we’ve got to capture rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ.

We see killing ants as a 3 part process:

1. Capture the thought: Write it down.
2. Question the thought: “Who told you that?”
3. Replace the thought: What does God say about it?

Don’t let unwanted A.N.T.s spoil your picnic.

Today's challenge:

- Fix your thoughts
- Trust God
- Receive the rare gift of perfect peace



https://www.amazon.com/Endurance-Factor-ministry-leaders-burnout-ebook/dp/B0CD87F37W

The Endurance Factor: How ministry leaders can avoid burnout, live well, and finish strong The Endurance Factor: How ministry leaders can avoid burnout, live well, and finish strong

Heading into the new year, we’ve got exciting plans for The Retreat. We’ve been blessed to host thousands of leaders over the last few years and we’re just getting started. With that, we’re going to be renovating our main house on the property. This allows us to host and serve more people as our ministry continues to grow. Stay tuned to hear more about this project and how you can help.

Heading into the new year, we’ve got exciting plans for The Retreat. We’ve been blessed to host thousands of leaders over the last few years and we’re just getting started. With that, we’re going to be renovating our main house on the property. This allows us to host and serve more people as our ministry continues to grow. Stay tuned to hear more about this project and how you can help.

Surely

Surely you've heard the story of the boy digging through poo. You have haven't you?

An old farmer and his wife have twin boys. One is an extreme pessimist, the other an extreme optimist.

One day they take them to a child psychologist. In an attempt to level them out, the doctor puts the pessimist in a roomful of toys and the optimist in a roomful of horse manure.

After an hour alone, they find the little pessimist sitting in a corner pouting, not playing with the toys because he was afraid he would break them.

The little optimist is quite busy digging through the pile of poo because he is confident that, with that much manure, there must be a pony in there somewhere.

(Insert chuckle).

Surely you've heard it?

While it's old and dusty, and just a bit corny, there is a kernel of truth in it: Our lives are often made better or worse by the stories we tell ourselves about the circumstances we walk through.

There's another "surely" I'm thinking about today. It goes like this:

"Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the Lord Forever.” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭23‬:‭6‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Is it possible that goodness and mercy is following you, but you are either to busy to notice, or so focused on the poo that you're not looking for the pony?

Ask yourself: "What is good in my life today?" Or "Where is there evidence of God's goodness and mercy following me?"

Maybe take a goodness walk and observe all the goodness you see, or sit down at the end of the day and make a goodness list, chronicling all the goodness you may have otherwise missed.

You may have to dig through a bit of poo, but surely it will be worth it. 🤓

Today is the day. It has been incredible to see so many pastors transformed through The Retreat and can’t wait to see what God has in store. We’re only $270,000 away from our goal of sponsoring 1000 pastors to attend a retreat.

Support our goal by donating through the donation page at retreatatchurchcreek.org.

We are a house divided, but we both like Skoogies

There’s only one week ‘till GivingTuesday. Will you join us in supporting pastors and ministry leaders across the country?

Still crazy after all these years…

My friend Toby was diagnosed with acute anxiety and panic disorder. Today he is living well and determined to finish strong. Join our conversation live at 8:30pm.

https://community.theendurancefactor.com/live/getting-real-about-mental-health-anxiety-w-toby-slough/public

(Share it with a friend or link them in the comments)

GivingTuesday is two weeks away! We were overwhelmed by the support received last year in sponsoring pastors to attend a retreat and are grateful to have the opportunity to fund even more pastors this year.

Learn more over at

My prayer for you today is simple:

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭15‬:‭13‬ ‭NIV‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/111/rom.15.13.NIV

I’m praying that you are trusting God today in such a way that people around you are living in the overflow of your joy and peace. **They are getting soaked by your hope**.

“Our hope is built on nothing less than Jesus blood and righteousness. I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus name.”

Think about that:

- Our hope is not built on the economy
- Our hope is not built on politics
- Our hope is not built on our own abilities and ingenuity
- Our hope is not built on the reactions of others

If our hope is built on anything but Jesus, we’ve got no shot at joy and peace today.

Trust means really believing that God is good and that he is working behind the scenes for your good and his glory.

C. S. Lewis says it like this:

“Hope is one of the theological virtues. This means that a continual looking forward to the eternal world is not (as some modern people think) a form of escapism or wishful thinking, but one of the things a Christian is meant to do. It does not mean that we are to leave the present world as it is. If you read history you will find that the Christians who did most for the present world were just those who thought most of the next.”

Let’s do this!!

Let’s swim in hope today.

Romans 15:13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. | New International Version (NIV) | Download The Bible App Now May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Chip and I sit down to discuss important topics in our new book on The Endurance Factor Podcast. Stay tuned.

LAST MINUTE OPENINGS!!

We have three FREE spots available for pastors at the Retreat At Church Creek Nov 13-16

All you have to do is say yes and text (315) 663-5365

Some scenes from our 35th anniversary celebration this weekend at Seacoast. My favorite is the first one. It’s two sisters, 85 & 90 years old going up for prayer on their 1st time in the church. Come on somebody. I love our church. I love THE church.

““You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden…let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” Matthew‬ ‭5‬:‭14‬, ‭16‬ ‭NIV‬‬