Anxious for Nothing

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:6-7)

I don’t know about you, but verses like this can make me anxious! It can feel like an impossible standard—if I don’t have peace then I must be failing miserably. However, it is helpful to remember this is not so much a command to be obeyed but an invitation to talk to our heavenly Father (and other faithful believers) about the things that cause us stress.

It just occurred to me recently that when we arrive at the new earth, there will no longer be any fear or anxiety. We won’t worry about the things we need for daily life, that’s obvious. But we also won’t worry about what other people think about us or how they might treat us. We will feel safe being fully known and fully loved. That boggles my mind! I can spend far too much energy thinking about what I should or shouldn’t say in any particular setting. We’ve all experienced rejection or distancing from others who don’t like our opinions, don’t understand how to relate to us, or simply don’t want to be bothered. While we’d like to think the church is a safe place, it doesn’t always turn out that way because we are all sinful and broken people. So then to not worry about any of that will be a wonderful blessing.

There are plenty of things that cause us anxiety in this life, and I can attest how hard it is to turn off those thoughts. And yet the truth is that the vast majority of the things we worry about never come to pass, so we’ve been anxious for nothing! That was brought vividly to my attention this week. I had an important meeting that I’d put on the wrong date on my calendar. I thought it was next week. So, after sleeping well Wednesday night, I was a bit surprised to realize my meeting was on Thursday. If my calendar had been correct, I know I would not have slept much due to anxious thoughts running through my head. (As it was, I lost sleep after the meeting from being keyed up all day.)

What can we do to short-circuit those spiraling thoughts? The next verse in Philippians gives us a good place to start:

“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worth of praise, think about these things” (v. 8).

I heard someone point out that all those traits can be applied to Jesus, so thinking about Him and talking to Him is ideal. I’ll be the first to admit I’m not very good at redirecting my thoughts to beneficial things, especially during the night. I’m more likely to try to distract myself with a podcast or audio book. It’s probably more beneficial on the nights that I rehearse Scriptures I’ve memorized. If that doesn’t help me go to sleep, at least I’ve thought about true and good things.

Anxiety is not something we’ll fully overcome in this lifetime, though we can make progress one small step at a time. I know I’m not as anxious as I was even a few years ago, but I’ve got a long way to go. When Jesus spoke about anxiety in the Sermon on the Mount, I’m certain He didn’t do so with a rebuking tone. Instead, He was compassionate and reassuring as He reminded the people “Relax, God’s got this.” May we all learn to rest in His presence and provision.

“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life… Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? … But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? … Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble” (Matt. 6:25-26,30, 34).

© 2026 Dawn Rutan. Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture are ESV and all images copyright free from pixabay.com. The opinions stated do not necessarily reflect the views of my church or employer.

Why Believe?

This week I encountered articles with somewhat different opinions about the role of apologetics in the Christian faith.

Russell Moore wrote:

When I would ask, “How did you come to Christ?” not a single [apologetics professor], to my memory, ever pointed to an apologetic argument. Often these apologists would talk about finding faith the same way I did: growing up in a good church or having parents who shared and demonstrated their faith... We need debaters, yes, and we need experts. But more than that, we face an opportunity when people all around us are exhausted by living like machines. Many of them will keep their guard up and argue confidently, but deep down they wonder, What if there is more than this? What if, behind all this, there really is someone who knows and loves me? Apologetics is a step toward showing people Jesus, but winning arguments alone is not the kingdom of God.

J. Warner Wallace wrote:

Most people [I ask] say they were raised in the faith... Others tell me their faith rests on experience—a prayer answered, a sense of God’s presence, something miraculous that confirmed Christianity to them personally. On the surface, both of these answers sound good. But neither distinguishes Christianity as true. Think about that. My Mormon family members would give identical answers about their faith. My atheist relatives also cite upbringing and experience to justify their worldview...

We live in a culture that elevates private experience and personal truth. But the God of Scripture doesn’t ask us to believe blindly or feel our way toward Him. He calls us to examine the evidence He’s provided—to love Him not only with our hearts but with our minds. That’s why every believer must become a Christian case maker.

Moore grew up in the church and relies more heavily on the relational aspects of Christianity. Wallace came to faith as an adult after investigating the claims for himself. Both are good paths, and both are needed in our culture. All believers should have a testimony of how God has worked and continues to work in their lives, but I don’t think we can stop there. In a culture that says, “You have your truth and I have mine,” a personal testimony doesn’t necessarily give anyone else a reason to believe Christianity is true. The average church member probably wouldn’t know where to begin in defending their faith rationally, and there are limits to what can be taught in an hour or two on Sundays. That may be an area where we all need to grow.

In my own case, I began to believe at a very young age because I grew up in the church and a family with multiple generations of pastors. However, I didn’t really know what I believed until college and seminary. Though I knew the distinctive beliefs of the denomination my parents had grown up in, I didn’t really know the essentials of Christianity. Moving frequently, the churches of various denominations that we attended never told me about God’s great love and grace. Nor did they tell me why Christianity made sense logically. All I remember hearing was that God exists and that He expects us to live a certain way in order to be saved.

In college, I had great professors who made sense of Scripture, history, and science. But I also had a discipler who loved me and showed me that God was more than a Creator and Judge. I needed both mind and heart perspectives to tell me that Christianity was worth holding onto. If I had not gone to a Christian college, I think it’s likely that I would have walked away from the church, and perhaps from faith, when life got hard. And if I had not had that discipler, I think I would have given up on life entirely.

Is reason more important than relationship or vice versa? The two can’t really be separated, though different times of life may require different approaches. We need both truth and love to fully experience the life-changing reality of faith in Christ Jesus—

“So that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into Him who is the head, into Christ” (Eph. 4:14-15).

© 2026 Dawn Rutan. Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture are ESV and all images copyright free from pixabay.com. The opinions stated do not necessarily reflect the views of my church or employer.

In the Beginning

When I was a Biology major at a Christian college in the 1990s, we had some class discussions about creation and evolution. One Biology professor openly admitted that he did not believe Adam and Eve were two literal people. At the time I thought that was odd, but I realize now that belief is more common among Christians than one might think. I recently read Four Views on Creation, Evolution, and Intelligent Design (2017), which includes chapters from Ken Ham on Young Earth Creationism, Hugh Ross on Old Earth (Progressive) Creationism, Deborah Haarsma on Evolutionary Creation, and Stephen Meyer on Intelligent Design. I’ve also been listening to the Wonderology podcast from Christianity Today and J. Warner Wallace’s Cold-Case Christianity podcast.

I will say up front that my own beliefs vary depending on who I’m listening to. There are strong arguments on all sides, though some are better than others. My goal today is simply to provide some pointers and questions for others to consider based on the book and podcasts.

1) How we interpret the Creation narrative in Genesis 1-2 is not, in and of itself, a measure of Christian orthodoxy. It is an area where faithful Christians can and do disagree. As illustrated by the names above, there are Christians who believe Creation happened in 6 literal 24-hours days approximately 6000 years ago. There are other Christians who believe that the earth is billions of years old and humans evolved over time, and there are many other variations in between.

2) The Bible does not claim to make scientifically precise statements about the earth and its inhabitants. Although all Scripture is inspired by God, it was written down by men in a specific historical context, who would have been very confused to be told something like “God created gaseous bodies known as stars and then created single- and multi-celled organisms.” We should always interpret Scripture according to its primary purpose. The Westminster Catechism states, “The Scriptures principally teach, what man is to believe concerning God, and what duty God requires of man.” We should also take into consideration the genre of specific passages. The psalms are clearly poetic and should be read as such. Deuteronomy is historical narrative. But theologians disagree whether Genesis 1 is purely historical or somewhat poetic.

3) As you choose your interpretation of Creation, you also end up with difficult questions which that particular interpretation cannot fully answer. If the earth was created 6000 years ago, what do you do with all the fossil evidence that appears to be much older? Would God intentionally create misleading details, or is science misinterpreting what they have found? Conversely, if humans evolved over time, or if Adam and Eve were not literal people, how does the Fall in Genesis 3 come into the story? Was the Fall the source of physical death for man and animals, or is Genesis 2:17 referring only to spiritual death?

Other questions that are hotly debated include: Does the Hebrew word translated “day” necessarily mean a 24-hour period, or might it mean “age”? Second Peter 3:8 tells us that “with the Lord one day is as a thousand years,” so could that also apply to Genesis 1? Did the flood in Genesis 6 truly cover the whole globe, or just the portion that was inhabited by the biblical witnesses at that time? How can science state the half-life of certain atoms as billions of years when they can’t prove their basic assumption that conditions on earth have remained constant for that long?

Reading a book like Four Views can be helpful for a couple of reasons. It is a reminder that Christians can disagree with one another on issues like creation and evolution and yet remain brothers and sisters in Christ. (Whether they disagree graciously is a different question.) It’s also helpful to look at different positions to weigh the evidence for or against them. Unfortunately, it can also leave you feeling like you need to be an expert in biblical Hebrew, ancient cultures, biology, and physics in order to hold an informed opinion. The experts in those fields don’t even agree, so we all just do the best we can by the grace of God.

In the long run, what matters for the Christian is that God is the Creator and Sustainer of life in our universe, even if we don’t understand exactly how it came about. Those who are considering the Christian faith need not be turned away because of their scientific assumptions. If we believe Scripture, the very existence of this earth is sufficient to point people to the reality of a Creator. May we trust that He is truly in control.

“For His invisible attributes, namely, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse” (Rom. 1:20).

© 2026 Dawn Rutan. Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture are ESV and all images copyright free from pixabay.com. The opinions stated do not necessarily reflect the views of my church or employer.

Imago Dei vs. AI

Recently I listened to the audiobook version of Non-Computable You: What You Do That Artificial Intelligence Never Will, by Robert J. Marks. (Thankfully, it was read by a real person, mispronunciations and all!) I don’t often encounter books that stretch my thinking and stir up the analytical part of my brain like this one did. The foundational idea is that information technologies can only do what they are programmed to do, and they cannot do anything that can’t be recorded as an algorithm. So if an idea can’t be broken down into some kind of formula or concrete process, a computer will never be able to do it. AI might be able to mimic the appearance of emotions, or to do things that the average human might not expect, but it cannot have an original thought or any emotion.

I was reminded of my childhood. I was in early elementary school when we bought our first computer— a VIC20, then later a Commodore 64. My brother and I quickly learned BASIC programming, because we wanted to play games that had to be typed in and then saved to cassette tapes. I still think of the many IF-THEN commands, especially when I’m creating new Excel formulas at work. Despite technological advances, computer logic still boils down to “If x is true, then do y, otherwise do z.”

The most alarming part of the book, and of AI in general, is that computers are being programmed by fallen and sinful human beings. Sometimes dangerous code is written by accident, through failure to consider all the possible outcomes. And sometimes it is written intentionally, by people with evil designs for the world. The results range anywhere from computer viruses that merely cripple computers or steal money, to devices intended to kill for no reason. Ethics and regulations only work for those who are willing to abide by the law.

Although the author focuses primarily on science and technology, he does bring a Christian perspective as well. The final line of the book is “Non-computable you are fearfully and wonderfully made.” In Creation, “God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them… The Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living creature” (Gen. 1:27, 2:7). Whether or not we understand all the implications of those scriptural truths, the fact is that we cannot replicate humanity through mechanical inventions. Artificial intelligence will always be exactly that— artificial.

As much as I enjoy watching Commander Data on Star Trek and his desire to become human, it’s actually quite reassuring that androids with that kind of independent thought will never exist. One ST:TNG episode asked whether Data had a soul, and the investigator couldn’t even prove that humans have souls. At some point, faith must come into play, and that’s something AI will never understand.

To add further mystery, not only are humans made in the image of God, but Christians also have God dwelling in us! The best that AI can say is that it was made by a man. But we can say, “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me” (Gal. 2:20). “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body” (1 Cor. 6:19-20). We were made by God, enlivened by God, redeemed by God, indwelt by God, and one day will enjoy eternity with God. No computer or human invention can ever compare!

“Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be His people, and God Himself will be with them as their God” (Rev. 21:3).

© 2026 Dawn Rutan. Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture are ESV and all images copyright free from pixabay.com. The opinions stated do not necessarily reflect the views of my church or employer.

Faithful Hope

In the March/April issue of Christianity Today, Russell Moore shares an interaction he had with a person from a prosperity gospel background who had been told it was her lack of faith that was the reason for her sickness and poverty. Because of the misconception of what faith means, he told her, “Why don’t we forget faith for a little while and just trust Jesus?” The article then goes on to clarify a similar misconception about the word hope. “When pressed to define what they mean, [many] ultimately describe what they’re seeking as measurable reassurance—the calming word from an authority that everything will turn out okay… The problem, though, is that this kind of hope disappoints.”

Faith and hope both require trusting Jesus to do what He has promised—nothing more and nothing less. It’s true that “God will supply every need of yours according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:19), but it is also true that we often fail to accurately discern between wants and needs (as I noted in my last post). We hope to see churches that are growing in numbers and activity, but it may be that God’s work is not quite that evident or tangible. We love freedom of religion, but God loves sufferers and sinners.

I’m reminded of the Bob Marley song “Three Little Birds” that says, “Don’t worry about a thing, ‘cause every little thing gonna be alright.” While that is an appealing idea, it’s balderdash from a human perspective. Everything is not going to be alright in this world. There will be sickness, suffering, destruction, deception, wars and rumors of wars. Jesus said, “All these are but the beginning of the birth pains” (Matt. 24:8), and Paul added, “the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies” (Rom. 8:22-23). All the pains won’t dissipate until Christ returns, so we can’t pin our hope on measurable results or make those results the proof of our faith.

Ultimately, what matters is not statistical growth or visible results, but the fact that Jesus died, rose from the dead, and is coming again. That’s where our faith and hope must dwell. Everything will be alright only after Jesus has returned, the final judgment is completed, and we have access to the new heavens and new earth in which righteousness dwells (2 Pet. 3:13).

“Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful” (Heb. 10:23).

© 2026 Dawn Rutan. Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture are ESV and all images copyright free from pixabay.com. The opinions stated do not necessarily reflect the views of my church or employer.

Now and Then

Happiness. Contentment. Belonging. Acceptance. Ability. Productivity. Confidence. Those are all good things, right? Things we ought to pursue? Maybe not. As many have said, when good things become “god things” we’ve got a problem, and that problem is idolatry. Most of us would agree that our modern culture pursues all those things by focusing on self. Many think “If it makes me feel good, it must be good.” And a parallel thought is, “If you make me feel bad about myself, you must be bad.”

Sometimes I wonder if God is shaking His head and saying, “Why do you think you are in charge?” From Genesis 3 onward, mankind has assumed that we know what’s best for ourselves. Even some segments of the Church have decided they can pick and choose what parts of Scripture they can discard, because surely “God wants me to be happy!” Jesus had a different perspective:

“If anyone would come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it. For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul? For what can a man give in return for his soul?” (Mark 8:34-37).

God didn’t promise us happiness, acceptance, or self-confidence in this life. Quite the opposite, in fact. Jesus said the truly blessed are those who mourn the state of this world, who recognize their limitations, who pursue righteousness, and may be persecuted for the sake of righteousness (Matt. 5:3-12).

Unfortunately, there are many people in the world who are pursuing temporal satisfaction at the expense of eternal joy and peace, and who will one day hear “Depart from Me, I never knew you.” Christians can, and must, point to God as the ultimate authority over every life and to Jesus Christ as the only One who can redeem us from our sinful state. At the same time, we recognize that we cannot change hearts and minds by our own abilities. It is up to the Holy Spirit to open blind eyes and bring about conviction, repentance, and true belief. The Apostle Paul reminds us:

“But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies” (2 Cor. 4:7-10).

One day we will enjoy perfect joy, contentment, belonging, love, peace, and rest, but that Day has not yet come in its fullness. For the time being, we remind one another that “this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison” (2 Cor. 4:17). Every sacrifice, suffering, and struggle for holiness in this life will be more than worthwhile when that final Day comes. Keep holding on to what you know is true in Christ!

“And this is eternal life, that they know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent” (John 17:3).

© 2026 Dawn Rutan. Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture are ESV and all images copyright free from pixabay.com. The opinions stated do not necessarily reflect the views of my church or employer.

Our Father

In recent years I’ve been listening fairly regularly to the Daily Office Podcast based on the Anglican Book of Common Prayer. I used to think that the rote repetition of the Lord’s Prayer and other prayers was kind of a waste of time since it can be done without engaging our minds. However, my perspective is changing, in part because I noticed that my mom can still sing some hymns even though she can’t really communicate due to dementia.

As I mentioned in my last post, the things we think about repeatedly can literally reshape our brains. We need regular doses of truth and goodness to offset the many negative influences of our culture and habits. And when our thoughts start to slip away, the most-traveled mental paths will last longer.

There have been many times when phrases from the Lord’s Prayer have come to mind when I needed them, which has resulted in the following meditation.

“Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name,” You are the Creator, Sustainer, and Redeemer, and yet You invite us into Your family. You have supreme power, but we can call You “Abba, Father.” What a privilege it is to belong to You! Why would we ever want to turn to anyone else?

“Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” In these troubled times and this broken world, we desire Your kingdom more than ever. We don’t know why You allow sin and destruction to continue, but we ask for You to change hearts and lives to follow You. Limit the impact of those who rebel against You and Your will. May we see how You are at work.

“Give us this day our daily bread.” Most of us don’t feel our neediness, because You have blessed us with the ability to earn a living to sustain us. Yet every good gift comes from You, and apart from Your provision we would have nothing. Keep us conscious of that fact so that we would be quick to share with those who need aid, whether next door or around the world.

“And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.” It’s hard to admit when we’ve sinned or even just made a mistake, and yet we’re inclined to judge those around us for every perceived infraction. Help us to forgive everything from harsh words, rudeness, poor choices, emotional and physical attacks, to even persecution and senseless murder. While we were yet sinners Christ died for us, so we are enabled to forgive others as You have forgiven us.

“And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” Thank You that You don’t just forgive us when we sin, but You actively lead us away from temptation. We don’t have the strength in ourselves to resist all the schemes of the world, the flesh, and the devil, but by Your Spirit we can find the way of escape. Remind us to look to You for that grace.

“For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever and ever.” It is not our kingdom or power that will prevail in the end. Help us to remember Who is really in charge. Because You are sovereign, we submit to Your power so that You will be glorified now and forever. Amen.

© 2026 Dawn Rutan. Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture are ESV and all images copyright free from pixabay.com. The opinions stated do not necessarily reflect the views of my church or employer.