Mexico!!!

I just had an amazing week with our youth group in Rosarito, Mexico.  Our youth teamed up with Amor Missions to build a house for a family in need.  The family had a two year old girl who had been very sick.  The doctors were saying this girl was unable to stay in their current home because of the black mold that was all over their house. 

The whole group and the family!

Our small group from CLC was able to build a new house for the family in just 3 days.  It wasn’t much by U.S. standards, but it offered a bit of hope to this family.  It was a powerful experience that pushed each one of us, and I believe we all walked away with a deeper sense of ourselves.  We discovered what Christ was doing in the people there, and we began to see God in so many new ways.  I love these trips, not just for the service we do, but also for the change and grace we receive from the people we meet.

Today it is my hope and prayer that you could look for Christ when you face moments of difficulty.  In moments when you feel overwhelmed, or like you are facing the impossible, I pray you could discover Christ working in your life!

Peace and Blessings!

Pastor Brian

We put the frame up on the first day!

Finishing up the Stucco on day 3.  In the background you can
see the home the family was living in at the time.

Sing for Joy!

It has been twenty years since I first joined my high school cross country team, and running has been a big part of my life ever since.  Early on I loved the simplicity of this sport.  I could just throw on a pair of shoes and hit the road, but today things aren’t that easy.  I have to wake up by 5am to beat the heat, and even then it can still be 90 degrees out there.  Next, I have to get our child up, change his clothes, wrestle him in the running stroller, give him an acceptable snack, fill his water bottle, and find him a book that he wants to take along.  Sometimes I feel like half the workout is just getting out the door!

However, I still love running, and I love sharing each of these mornings with my son.  He loves to point out all the rabbits, quail, and ducks along the trail.  He also loves to sing as he rolls along.  For the past few months, his favorite songs have been the ABC’s and Jesus Loves Me, and he doesn’t just softly mumble the words.  He shouts as loud as he can, “JESUS LOVES ME THIS I KNOW…!”  Then he proclaims, “I love this song daddy…”  It’s pretty fun to be a part of!  It also makes me realize that I should spend more time sharing the joy that is on my heart.  What a wonder way to live!

I think every human being needs to believe they are loved.  I also think we need to take time every day to appreciate the love we experience.  It is my hope and prayer that each one of you may open your eyes to the love that is in your life, and may you feel free to share the joy that is on your heart!

Blessings!

Brian

Summer Fun

I’ve always loved summer.  As a kid, I thought this season was all about getting away from school, and that certainly was a big part of it!  However, I learned a lot over those vacations.  I had amazing parents and other people in my life who helped me gain a bigger picture of the world.  I went on trips, experienced Bible camps, and I explored new parts of the world around me.  The summer was a time of exploration and adventure, and I will always cherish those moments!

Today, summer is slightly different.  For one, I live in Las Vegas, and it is a lot harder to get outside and enjoy the world when it is 115 degrees out there!  I also have responsibilities at home and at work that simply cannot go away.  However, I still feel summer offers a new perspective.  There is Vacation Bible School at the church, my family and I went on a trip to see relatives in Minnesota, and I am looking forward to some amazing mission trips coming up.  Our lives may change, but I believe there are always opportunities to see the world anew…

In our scripture passage today Jesus says, “Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.”  I think it is easy to get caught in a world that is so busy we can’t take a break to see all the wonder around us.  Today, I think Jesus is calling us to let go of the anxiety and embrace a childlike enthusiasm for life.  It is my hope and prayer that we would be able to do just that!

Blessings!

Brian

A Relational God

Have you ever been lost? 

A few years ago, I was hiking up a mountain with some friends.  As we were getting closer to the top, we ran into some tricky conditions. The snow had obscured our trail, and some people in the group were ready to turn around.  The smart idea would have been to go back with the group, but I really wanted to keep going.  I usually have a rule that nobody should split up in the mountains.  It’s just a bad idea to leave other people.  However, I knew the top couldn’t be much more than a mile away… and I really wanted to go for it.  I told everyone I would be back in flash, and I set off, leaving everyone else behind.  I quickly scrambled over snow, ice, and scree to reach the top.  I remember feeling pretty proud of myself in that moment… However, in my effort to reach the top, I realized I hadn’t paid close enough attention to the route I took. There was no path, and it was impossible to follow my tracks back over the ice and scree.  Pretty soon I realized I was lost. 

Do you know that feeling?  At that moment I wasn’t worried that I would be stuck up in the mountains… I knew I could get down.  However, I became very concerned that I would be unable to find the group I left behind.  I knew I made a stupid mistake, and now I was paying for it! 

I wound up going back up to the top and trying to retrace my steps down.  This time things looked a little more familiar, but I still couldn’t find the group.  I was just starting to feel that pit in my stomach when I heard my wife call my name.  It was so good to hear a familiar voice and to know that I was not going to be alone. 

How do you feel today?  You don’t have to be on a mountain to feel lost.  You may be surrounded by other people, and you may have a busy schedule, but loneliness can still creep into your life.  This week we are taking a look at relationships.  I believe God shows up in the people around us.  We are not alone.  God is calling each of us into a deeper love, and I hope we can all experience His grace.

Blessings!

Brian 

Enjoy the surprises!

He did very well for a sick guy...

The last week in May is usually pretty exciting in my house.  My wife’s birthday is on the 27^th, and we also celebrate Memorial Day around that same time.  As a couple, we love to make plans to cherish every drop of the unofficial beginning of summer!  However, last Friday I got a call from our childcare center informing us that our two year old boy wasn’t doing so well.  He was super congested, and he was running a low fever.  When we got him home, he was miserable.  It seemed like all of our carefully laid out plans were going to be thrown out the window, and we were at our wits end...  Nevertheless, after an exhausting night, he seemed to be feeling better, and we decided to try and get him outside.  We did not fit in any crazy Memorial Day hikes, but we did have a ton of fun at the park.  As it turned out, all the rest of our carefully laid out plans wound up changing as well, but we were able to enjoy what we had.

I believe even the greatest plans can fall though… and that is pretty frustrating to me.  However, I also believe we are called to learn, enjoy, and grow through every moment.  Every day we have is a gift, and we get to choose if we enjoy it or not.  Jesus said that God’s Spirit is like the wind:  “it blows where it chooses…”  Our plans will never work out perfectly, but we can trust that the Holy Spirit is with us wherever we go!

Blessings!

Brian Ward

It's fun to be chased by dinosaurs on your birthday!

God is here...

Over the past couple of weeks I’ve spent a fair amount of time at Home Depot.  It seemed like every time I turned around I noticed a new project that needed to be completed.  I started by fixing a leaky faucet, that led to repairing the irrigation system, and then I started working on the garbage disposal.  It’s been one thing after another.  Thankfully, nothing has been too hard to handle.  However, I have this ability to turn the simplest project turn into a pretty big mess!  I was forever running back and forth to the store, buying the wrong piece of equipment, and second guessing my choices. 

When I make mistakes, I can get pretty frustrated with myself.  However, I’ve learned to keep the bigger picture in mind.  Each week I have the opportunity to visit people who are stuck in their homes, sick in the hospital, or even locked in a prison cell.  Taking time to visit these people is an important reminder that there are bigger problems in the world.  I can get so frustrated when things don’t go my way, but the Bible tells us that in this world we will always have troubles.  We can either choose to let these things overwhelm us, or we can stand with each other, support each other, and love each other through the pain. 

Whatever you are going through, I hope you can feel the love of other people, and I hope you can feel the love of God. 

Blessings!

PB

Do you believe in Love?

God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them.

1 John 4:16

Personally, I find this to be an incredibly powerful scripture passage.  In the moments when it is hard to believe in God, this verse allows us to believe in Love.  When we see compassion, kindness, and generosity in the world, we are looking at God.  I love how God becomes so much more tangible in this verse.  However, simply stating, “God is Love” will not solve all of our problems.  In fact, I think it takes a lot of faith to believe in love…

I’ve visited a number of people who have felt so overwhelmed that they were ready to give up on life.  Whether it was because of sickness, depression, or isolation, they felt like their lives were broken and worthless.  I also have seen plenty of people who are haunted by mistakes they have made.  Love can become a pretty hard concept for anyone to believe in. 

I see the story of Jesus as the real hope that we all have.  Jesus embraced the sick.  He shared meals the sinner, and he restored hope to the broken.  Today I hope we can share a tangible sign of love to the world.  I hope we can give people a faith in the love that binds all things together.

Blessings!

PB