Broken but willing to Love

“Feed my Sheep”

-John 21:17

Things can get out of hand on these mission trips...

Throughout the Bible we are called to serve others.  When we share God’s Love, the Word comes alive.  However, I am one of those people who will try to help someone, but I often wind up making things worse.  I remember on one of my mission trips to Mexico, I was supposed to be a youth leader.  However, the work site I was organizing was a disaster.  We wound up trying to build a house on a hill of fire ants and wasps.  The kids kept stepping on broken bits of trash sticking out of the ground.  I forgot to give a child his medication to treat diabetes, and I was pulled over by the Mexican Federal Police for driving too fast.  Finally, the other leaders and I had made a decision to take a kid on the mission trip even though he hadn’t provided the proper paperwork.  The child’s parents and his youth director had promised there wouldn’t be any problem.  (This was back in a simpler time when the border patrol never bothered to check documentation.  They just waved you through.)  However, on this day, the guards asked to see everyone’s passport or birth certificate.  Part of me wondered if I would have been better off staying home in bed instead of trying to share God’s love….

Those trips I took over the summer should have been a disaster!  However, we always walked away with an amazing experience… (Thankfully, the police did not ticket me or throw me into jail, and the border guards didn’t look close enough at our paperwork to realize there was a problem.)  All our kids made it home safely.  We built a house, and God was present.  In this world, we will never be able to serve someone perfectly.  However, if we love, God will still bring hope.  Today, I hope you are inspired to breathe life into the world around you.  Let’s take risks and share God’s Good News!

Blessings!

PB

Snow, Ice, and friendship...

Last week, Kira and I made it out to Red Rock to explore Black Velvet Canyon.  It had been far too long since we were last in the mountains, and we really wanted to make this day count.  We scrambled up icy waterfalls and snow covered rocks to some really amazing places.  It was a perfect trip for a perfect day. 

I love exploring the world around me.  However, I think the best part of any trip is always the companionship I have along the way.  It’s the people who I’m with that really make the trip great.  We may disagree on whether or not we should try and scramble to the top or not, but in the end, other people always make the trip.

Today, we remember that life itself is an adventure, and the companionship we have really matters.  Other people allow us to enjoy in the good times and overcome the dark times.  This week, I hope you find time to appreciate all those around you.  May you be comforted by their grace inspired by their love!

Blessings!

PB

A very incredible place, but not easy to climb up that icy fall...

Ok, some hiking companions are better than others!

The right Teacher...

When I think of studying, my mind often goes back to my college days, when I prepared for exams.  I would sit at a desk on the 3^rd floor of the library, and I would try to stay awake as I memorized different equations and formulas for my classes.  At times, I felt like the only reason I studied was to get a good grade.  In other words, I was just jumping through a hoop.  However, there were a few classes where I left the room inspired to learn more.  The right professor could make anything interesting… even Organic Chemistry or Calculus. Looking back, there have always been teachers who really inspired me to grow, and these people have changed my life forever.

This week, we remember that Jesus was called a Rabbi, or Teacher.  Jesus was an inspiring person, and he opened up his disciples’ eyes to all kinds of new possibilities.  Today, we are still disciples, and Christ is still calling us into new levels of understanding.  We are called to continue learning and studying.  I hope you can be inspired, wherever you are, to continue growing and learning in your faith.

Blessings!

PB  

New Year... New Blessings

Christmas is such a busy time of year!  I love the season, but I know in my life I can get so overwhelmed with the preparations that I can forget to enjoy the moment.  It struck me, earlier this week, when I was looking around my house.  I realized I would soon be putting all the decorations away, and I really hadn’t taken any time to enjoy them.  There were so many things to worry about and stress over that I really didn’t pay attention to the joy of the season as much as I should have. 

However, in the midst of all the chaos, God still shows up.  I hope as you look back over this past year you can take time to remember the blessings.  Think about how you have changed.  You’re not the same person you were a year ago...  Can you feel God’s love today?  How will that Love change you in the year to come? 

Peace!

Pastor Brian

Do you believe in Love?

Things are really gearing up as we get closer to Christmas!  However, in this midst of all this excitement, our nine month old baby, is getting sick.  Thankfully, he still has the energy to run, play, and scream with delight, but he is super congested, and his nose is running all the time. (Seriously, I didn’t think that much snot could come out of such a tiny nose!) The baby is also having trouble sleeping, which means we’re even more exhausted than usual…  However, in addition to bringing fourth snot, our child has also been able to bring fourth an incredible amount of love.  He makes me want to share love that I didn’t know that I had.  This week in Advent we are celebrating Love and the relationships it creates.  Today, I wonder if you feel loved?  Do you have relationships in your life that give you strength and hope even when your life is extra messy? 

I was reminded this week that in Greek the word for love is Agape.  Agape is unconditional love, but it is also so much more.  Agape can be translated charity.  Agape is the unconditional love that binds all relationships together, but it also sends us forth.  It drives us to want to reach out to others with charity and grace.  As we prepare for Christmas this week, I hope we can all find a way to be driven by love to serve the world. 

Blessings!

PB

Living in fear... or preparing for Christ

I love the Christmas season.  However, this year it has been particularly hard for me to get into the spirit.  There is so much chaos overseas.  More refugees exist in our world than at any other time since World War II.   In our own nation, there have been so many shootings.  Violence, pain, and fear seem to be everywhere.  As we gather each week around the Advent Wreath, it seems almost wrong to lite candles of Hope, Joy, Love or Peace… Honestly, it seems like I am preparing for evil, fear, and chaos more than I am preparing for the coming of Christ. 

Today, we ARE preparing for Christmas, even though it seems like the world is falling apart.  The Bible says that God chose to come to a people living in deep darkness to bring light.  As we gather together this week, we are part of something radical.  We are protesting the darkness.  We will not be controlled by evil.  We believe God is still working in this world, and we believe we can actually be a part of the Good News.  This week I hope you can find hope to reach out and share God’s Joy in some way with the world around you!

Blessings!

PB

It's time to prepare!

The ring bearer was ready... He did a great job riding down the
aisle, but he tried to crawl away as soon as the wagon stopped!

I know some pastors who really don’t like doing weddings.  They say there are just too many expectations and ideas from the bride and groom that will drive them crazy.  However, I personally love working with people who are passionate about a service, and even though the day may be stressful, I love seeing so much energy and love.  A couple weeks ago, I had the honor of officiating at my brother in law’s wedding.  It was amazing to see the whole family come out early to prepare for that busy day.  Everyone was stepping up to handle a different task.  Some people prepared the reception area.  Others readied the food, and even our 8 month old baby got into the spirit by riding around in a wagon. (He would ride in the wagon to deliver the rings.  Pretty fun, right?) It was a busy day, but everyone wanted to be there and help in one way or another.  In the end it turned out great.  The bride and groom’s preparations made for a great day, and we all had a blast.

In the church, we are in a season of preparation.  Sometimes, I think it’s weird to prepare for Christmas.  What’s the point of preparing for something that already happened 2000 years ago?  Can’t we just celebrate the day?  Well, it’s true that God is already here, and Jesus has already been born as a Savior.  However, I believe God is still breaking into our world today.  Whatever you may think of yourself, God loves you enough to want to enter into your life.  That is powerful news, and although it’s possible just to say God is here… end of story.  I think we all need to take some time to prepare our hearts and minds to understand this news and to share it.  I hope you can dive into this season and find all kinds of new ways to share God’s love!

Blessings!

PB