A New Year!

I love Christmas!  I love the celebration, the food, and the time with family and friends.  However, I have a confession to make… In some ways, I seem to get more joy in the anticipation of Christmas, rather than Christmas itself.  As soon a Christmas is over, I’m looking ahead to see what is next...  When I really stop and think about it, this is how I live my life.  I’m often trying to get to the next big event, and when I get there, I find myself thinking about where I could go next.   Now, I know I need to take some time to step back and just live in the joy of the season.  However, we live in a world that is constantly moving forward.  I think there is something inside each of us that is searching for something new.  We look forward to the NEW Year.  We find hope in a NEW day, and we delight in seeing something new and different.  Many times I think this is a very good thing.  However, I think it can also be pretty dangerous.

 

Throughout the Bible, God’s people are also searching for New Life.  They think they will find it in victory on the battlefield or through a bigger kingdom.   However, time after time, God’s New Life shows up in ways the people didn’t expect.  This week we are beginning a sermon series entitled “Making all things New!”   It is my prayer that we would continue to search for God, but I also pray that we might be open to seeing all the new and unexpected things that God is doing along the way!

Blessings!

Brian

Closer to Christmas...

Wow!  This week has been crazy!  There is so much stuff that needs to get taken care of before Christmas.  On a normal week, I will try to get out to the mountains or go on a long bike ride at least once.  However, there hasn’t been time for any of that this week.  I’ve got to prepare for Christmas!  There are sermons to write, people to serve, and last minute details to iron out.  Most of the time I feel like I’m barely staying above water…

Christmas is supposed to be the time where we remember God is with us.  God is here right now, and we are living in God’s New Creation!  However, in the chaos of life, there are times we can ignore the blessings that are right in front of us.  This week we are looking at the story of the Shepherds.  In the time of Jesus, the Jewish people had long lived in severe poverty and oppression… but then these ordinary Shepherds received Good News.  The Angels came to them proclaiming that God’s Kingdom had arrived!  They were called to open their eyes see that God was with them!

So often, I find myself wishing for some great new adventure or experience.  However, today’s scripture reminds me that New Life is right here… in front of my nose.  There are relationships of Grace, Hope, and Love right in front of me.  It is my prayer that in the midst of this busy season, we may all see the love that is present.  May we open our eyes and see that the Kingdom of God is here!

Sharing the News!

Christmas is just a few weeks away!  Are you spreading the Good News?  There are so many things I love about this time of year.  However, there are times I get lost simply rushing through life.  Instead of sharing in the joy of the season, I can become overwhelmed by all my concerns, worries, and frustrations.

In our services this week, we are looking at the role of Angels in the Christmas story.  Personally, I feel that Angels are very mysterious, and there are so many questions I have about them.  However, one thing is for certain:  Angels came to proclaim God’s Good News to the world!  In fact, the word “Angel” actually means “messenger.”  Angels can’t wait to share the Good News of Jesus Christ. 

Recently, Kira and I were talking about all the good things we couldn’t wait to show our new baby after he is born.  There are so many people, places, and events that will bring him so much joy… There are mountains, bike rides, and all kinds of other messes that I can’t wait to get him into!  More importantly however, there is love I can’t wait to share with this little guy!  I think God looks at each one of us with the same kind of enthusiasm, only much greater!  God can’t wait to show us all of the wonderful things this life has to offer.  I think we are all called to be messengers of this joy.  Let us share the Good News of what God is doing in the world around us!

Blessings!

PB

Unexpected Adventures!

“Oh dude!  Not good!”  That’s what a new friend of mine kept saying to me on the side of road earlier this week.  (Except he used a few more colorful adjectives to describe the situation…) 

Every time I ride, I have to be ready for some kind of chaos...

It all started when I decided to ride my bike to Mountain Springs.  I’ve done this several times, and I thought I was totally prepared.  However, about 12 miles from my house I hear a BAM… and I feel my rear tire go flat.  Usually, that’s not too big of a deal, but this time the tube was so shredded it was not holding a patch.  That left me stuck a few miles outside of Blue Diamond trying to find my way back home.  That’s also where I met my new friend.  He was riding his bike the same way, and he stopped to help.  He turned out to be a really neat guy.  He was from Germany, but he talked like a surfer from California.  The two of us used our cold and numb fingers to try and glue and patch my shredded tube back together.  Each time we had the same result… “Oh dude! Not good!” 

We are in the midst of our Advent season, and this week we are taking a look at Mary and Joseph’s journey to Bethlehem.  Their trip was filled with unexpected events!  This young couple had to go on a long journey, and there was no way for them to call in any reservations.  They simply had to hope someone would open their doors to them along the way.  They didn’t know who they would run into.  They just had to hope that God’s promises for them would be realized.  In the end, their journey could be seen as a failure.  The baby is born in a manger, they are far from home, and things won’t get much better.  However, Mary and Joseph decided not to dwell on all the awful stuff.  Instead, they found hope that God was working in the unexpected.

The Journey to Bethlehem was filled with
surprises

I think we all need to keep that in mind.  In spite of the best preparation, we will all face uncertainty.  We can choose to become annoyed and frustrated, or we can find God’s blessings right where we’re at.  For me, my bike ride was not what I expected, but I got to meet my new German surfer/biker friend, and I could give thanks for all the people who helped me get me to a store to buy a new tube.  Soon enough, everything was fixed, and I was on my way back home.  Sometimes life does not work out as expected, but God is there.  That’s something I know I have to keep in mind… especially when I heard my back tire blow out for the SECOND TIME on the way back to my house! 

Keep Adventuring!

PB

Giving Thanks and Preparing for Christmas!

Happy Thanksgiving!  I love this time of year and all the excitement that surrounds it.  As a church, we are also diving into the season of Advent next week.  The holidays are here!  Christmas is coming!  Are you in the Spirit?

I guess there is somebody else who knows how to pack their
bike better than me :)

Earlier this week, I wound up shopping and running a bunch of errands.  For some people, shopping gets them into the Holiday Spirit… That has never been the case for me.  I went out early with a list of groceries and supplies I needed for the house.  A good shopper probably could have gotten them all in a couple hours, but I had no such luck.  I spent hours wandering around in Costco alone, and I was unable to find anything I was looking for.  I wound up just standing in a bunch of long lines and getting a bunch of stuff I didn't need.  Of course, I had also ridden my bike to the store, so I had to figure out how to get all of that useless stuff back to the house (By the way, I don’t think it’s ever a good idea to ride a bike to Costco, but that’s what I do…)  After that, I wound up going between Lowes and Home Depot looking for the best deals on the other supplies I needed.  At that point, I had my car, but I was still having issues.  Have you ever tried to fit a 3’ by 5’ piece of hardy board into a Toyota Corolla?  It’s kind of hard, and it makes for an interesting ride home… At the end of the day, I had acquired a bunch of things I didn't

need, I had probably found the worst deals in town, and I was not a happy camper.  It’s a great way to start off the holiday season, right?  I can’t wait to really start the holiday shopping…

Let's try and remember and give thanks for what this season
is all about

I know a lot of you are probably super excited for Thanksgiving and Christmas.  (I know a few of you who would never put the Christmas tree away if you had a choice!)  However, there are others who are struggling to get into the spirit.  All the shopping, people, and expectations can cause a lot of stress this time of year.  This week we are looking at the story of Elizabeth and her husband Zechariah from the Gospel of Luke.   Elizabeth and her husband were very old.  Both of them seem to have long ago given up on any hope that their lives could ever change.  However, Elizabeth and Zechariah received news that they were becoming parents.  God’s good news was breaking into their lives.  Zechariah couldn't believe it.  Sometimes in the midst of everyday life, it’s hard to see God’s Spirit moving.  However, Elizabeth opened her heart to the good news.  Sometimes we all become set in our ways.  We doubt anything new can bring hope.  However, today’s scripture reminds all of us to have faith that God is doing something new.  I pray we can all find a new way to celebrate and Give Thanks for all that we have!

Blessings!

Brian 

Sheep and Goats!

"He will separate the people one from another as a
shepherd separates the sheep from the goats" :)

Ok, so I have spent way too much time on this week’s blog post!  I have researched, questioned, and stayed up late thinking about it.  However, after all of that, I’m still not getting anywhere.  (It’s been pretty annoying!)  This week our scripture passage is once again from Matthew 25.  Jesus is telling his disciples that one day the Son of Man will return in all His glory.  On that day, Jesus says He will separate the people, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.  He will take those at his right hand (the sheep) and welcome them into His kingdom.  However, to those on his left (the goats) he will say, “Depart from me, you accursed, into the eternal fire that has been prepared for the devil and his angels!”

Umm… Yikes!

As much as I try and make sense of that, it’s just not working for me...  People have used this image of Jesus as a Judge to persecute and discriminate against all kind of individuals.  Other people have faced judgment from others their entire lives, and they may wonder if Christ will now condemn them too…  However, I wonder if we may be missing the point.  Throughout the Gospel, Jesus has tried to teach us that we are already His sheep.  There is nothing that can change that!  We are a part of His flock, and He loves us just as we are.  Yes, there are times when Jesus tells us we will get lost, or we will stray away from the fold.  However, we are His sheep, and we belong to Him. 

We are all just Sheep!  Let's live happily 
in the arms of our Shepherd!

It’s easy to spend our time focusing on the evil that is in the world.  However, the parable makes it clear that it is not up to us to judge.  It’s not our job to decide who is in and who is out.  Our job is just to be sheep.  We follow the shepherd, and we live out our faith.  Sure, we will get lost, but we have a shepherd who will always come back for us.  In the end, I think that is a message we all need to hear!

Blessings!

Pastor Brian

Cherishing our Gifts!

We met a the Jackaroo Ranch!  It's a Bed and Breakfast that is owned by some
of Kira's family members.  It is an amazing place!

Last weekend, both of Kira’s parents celebrated their birthdays.  Usually, it’s pretty hard for her whole family to get together, since everyone is spread out across the nation.  However, this year we all decided to make an effort to meet up, if only for a short time.  We met at a home near Wimberley, Texas – the hill country...  Much of Kira’s family still lives in that area, and it was a great place to get together.  I had never been to this particular place before, and I had no idea what it was going to be like, but I have to say, I was pretty impressed!  Just looking outside the door, we saw rolling hills, a beautiful river, and all kinds of animals.  I couldn't wait for my morning runs to go out and explore everything.  I ran close to 9 miles a day, and I had to force myself to turn around to make sure I made it back in time for breakfast.  I loved it!

However, the scenery was only a small part of the trip.  This was the first time in years so much of the family had the chance to get together.  It was also a chance to meet new people and celebrate together.  The only problem was the trip was too short.  It’s amazing how much we packed into that weekend!  Every day we were walking or running through the hills, exploring the nearby towns, playing games, sitting around a bonfire, and just laughing like crazy.  Of course, we also ate a ton of food!  We stayed up late, and we woke up early just to enjoy every moment together!  Kira and I came back from the trip totally exhausted, but we were also completely fulfilled at the same time!  Beautiful!

This week our Scripture passage is once again from Matthew 25.  This time we are looking at the Parable of the Talents.  This parable asks us if we are going to use all the gifts and treasures God has given us… or are we going to simply ignore and squander these gifts?  The trip to Texas helped me to give thanks for all the gifts that we have in this world.  I really hope and pray we can all take time to live life to the last drop.  May we always see the blessings around us, and may we take advantage of every second!

Peace and Blessings!

Brian

Another Picture of the Jackroo Ranch looking down toward the River

One of the many amazing meals that were prepared
while we were there!

While everyone one else was working hard I was busy breaking things
in the kitchen...

We filled this place with a lot of wonderful people and we will
take away so many memories!