The whirlwind of the Spirit

These past few weeks have been a whirlwind. Earlier this month, our congregation celebrated Vacation Bible School. Our church was filled with children and volunteers, and we shared the wonderful news of Jesus Christ! After this, we celebrated the day of Pentecost and the arrival of the Holy Spirit in the church. This is always an important celebration and we also took time to lift up our confirmation students. These kids made a decision to let the Holy Spirit work. Confirmation gives these students a chance to confirm their faith, and it allows the church to stand beside them and embrace the journey that they are on... with all of its ups and downs.

After all of this, we welcomed pastors and leaders from all over Arizona, Nevada, and Utah into our church for a Synod conference last week. This gathering gave space to churches from all over to share stories of hope. It was such a blessing, but it was also a lot of work for everyone involved. 

When everyone from our synod went home, the church didn't stop. We pulled out a number of chairs from our sanctuary and we began our carpeting project. All of this is wonderful stuff, but the schedule is not slowing down. I am still looking forward to a couple of big trips for the youth group. They are heading off to leadership lab and their mission trip in just a few days. It is a lot, but good things are happening. (However, I feel like before I know it we are going to be getting ready for Christmas!)

As I look over everything that is happening, I am excited about all the ministry that is taking place. There is so much good news to share. However, I am also mindful that there are a lot of problems in our world. Over this past week, our church grieved the loss of Arthur Bergren our Senior Pastor's brother. This news was difficult to hear, and it reminds that there is always darkness to face. However, Christ is going to walk with us.

Today, I hope you can all remember that Christ is with you. It does not matter if you are in a busy season or a slow season. You may be in a season of hope or a season of despair, but Christ is walking with you. I pray that we would all open our eyes and see Christ's presence.

Blessings,

Pastor Brian

VBS Week!

This is a fun week at Community Lutheran! We are celebrating Vacation Bible School. If you never attended a VBS week, it is a time that welcomes all elementary age kids into the church. The kids have a chance to sing, hear a Bible lesson, do science experiments, and play games. The church has been transformed into an Alaskan wilderness, and we do our best to make everything extra special for each child. 

Every year we welcome all kinds of people into the church. Many of these kids do not have any religious experience, and they each are dealing with something in their lives. However, we make sure that each child feels that they are welcomed and loved. Jesus wanted his disciples to experience grace everyday, and he is still encouraging us to share these blessings with the world. I love these opportunities to reach out to others. I love seeing kids light up with joy. I love seeing our volunteers smile and make everyday special. Sometimes little acts of love will make a big difference in a child's life.

Today I hope each and every one of you can experience God's Grace. I hope you can appreciate the love around you, and believe that God loves you!

Blessings!

Pastor Brian