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Happy Tuesday, Reader You looked fine this week. You hit your goals. Showed up for the people who needed you. Handled everything on the calendar. But the whole ride home, the voice in your head was running a different story. It replayed Tuesday's mistake. It built the worst-case scenario for something that has not happened yet. It rehearsed the conversation you have been avoiding and gave you three versions of how it goes wrong. You were at the dinner table, but half of you was somewhere else. That is not stress. That is an unguarded room. This is Week 3 of PREPARE THE HOUSE. We went into the Mind. Not the prayer room. Not the relationship room. The room that runs every other room in your life. And what we found is that most high-achieving, spiritually serious people are not struggling with a faith problem. They are struggling with a wiring problem. This week's email has the sermon recap, this week's one assignment, and a resource to go deeper. 🎙️ Sermon RecapPREPARE THE HOUSE — THE HOUSE IS UNSAFE Romans 12:2; Isaiah 26:3; 2 Corinthians 10:5; Proverbs 23:7a The Big Idea: The house becomes unsafe when the mind is wired wrong. We renew the mind so the Owner comes home to peace, not panic. This week's three takeaways: ⓵ Anxiety is not a personality type. Shame is not a spiritual gift. Fear is not discernment. They are symptoms of a room that has never been inspected. You have been calling bad wiring "just how I think." It is not identity. It is wiring. And wiring can be changed. ⓶ There is a difference between thinking and hosting. Thinking is when a thought moves through you. Hosting is when you give it a seat, a name, and a meal. Most people have no idea how many thoughts they are hosting that they never chose to invite. ⓷ Paul told the Corinthians to capture rebellious thoughts. That is combat language. You were never meant to negotiate with the thoughts running your life. You were meant to take them captive. This Week's Practice: Pick the Mind. Set a timer for 15 minutes. Write the main thought you keep agreeing with. Name it. Replace it with truth. Repeat it daily.
Featured ContentSUBSTACK: YOU DON'T HAVE AN ANXIETY PROBLEM. YOU HAVE A WIRING PROBLEM. If Sunday's message stirred something, this article goes deeper. Most people think anxiety is a personality trait they manage. It is not. For high-performing, high-functioning people, it becomes a system, a set of agreements with thoughts they never chose to invite. This article unpacks the neuroscience behind why your brain keeps choosing the worst-case scenario, why "think positive" misses the point, and the specific 4-step rewiring protocol you can start today. Your strongest problems are not coming from your circumstances. They are coming from your mind. 🗓️ AnnouncementsWe will stream This Sunday we are online only. Join us live at 10:30 AM CST. Watch on YouTube @ClarenceStowersTV or Facebook Live: Mars Hill Chicago. Can't make it live? The replay goes up the same day. simultaneously: Watch on YouTube | Watch on Facebook Support Mars HillEverything we do the online services, the resources, the community runs because people like you choose to invest in it. Give SecurelySupport the mission securely at marshillchicago.org/giving, in our mobile app, or by texting MHGIVE to 33777. You can also mail checks to: Mars Hill Baptist Church I meant what I said Sunday: God is not the one who created the distance. This week, I am asking you to take the 15 minutes. Not to have a perfect prayer time. Not to feel something dramatic. Just to show up and let Him find you. That is how the house gets prepared. One room at a time. One decision at a time. Walking with you, Pastor Clarence E. Stowers, Jr. P.S. Here is what I have learned about high-capacity people and their minds: the thought they are most afraid to name is the one that has been running their life the longest. It sounds like their voice. It uses their logic. It feels like the truth. But feeling true and being true are not the same thing.Two questions for you this week: What is the loudest thought running your life right now? And how long have you been agreeing with it instead of inspecting it? You do not have to answer publicly. But if you want to, hit reply. Tell me what the voice has been saying. I read every response. This is a conversation, not a broadcast. Hit reply. Let's talk about it. |
