VBS Week!

How to climb Mt. Everest!

It’s time for Vacation Bible School here at Community Lutheran Church.  That means every day this week our church is filled with kids running, jumping, and singing to God.  This year one of my responsibilities is teaching Bible Stories to preschoolers, and I have really been impressed with the kids.  Sometimes I kind of wonder how much the kids are really taking away, but it’s amazing to see these kids becoming passionate for God.  Yes, they want to be silly, and they certainly want to have fun, but they also want to hear about God’s Love.  These preschoolers are also proving that they have the ability to share God’s love with others.  They’ve shown such genuine love to me that it’s been impossible for me not to turn around and share that with others! 

I know I can get caught up thinking my studies in theology somehow put me on a different level, but that’s not the case.  Yes, my seminary degree has been pretty useful over the years, but God Spirit moves inside of preschoolers as much as it moves inside of me.  We are all called, and we all have gifts!  This week I hope we can appreciate the fruits of the Spirit in everyone we meet! 

Blessings!

PB

The Art of Teaching Preschoolers...

Child of God

Many of you know that I love to ride my bike.  It doesn’t matter if it’s 0 degrees or 110 degrees outside.  You can always catch me out there riding.  However, this past week got pretty frustrating.  I had to buy two new tires, patch five flats, and I noticed I am going to have to replace the chains on two of the bicycles we have.  It’s turning out to be an expensive and annoying week for riding.  I feel like I have spent more time sweating on the side of a dirty road than I have on the bike.  Insane!

When I get home, it’s easy to take out my frustration on others.  Minor bicycle problems can really have a big effect on my attitude.  However, something struck me as I was reading Galatians chapter 4.  The verses remind us to focus on what really matters.  Yes there are things in life that annoy us, but God has called us each His children.  That is what matters!  It’s pretty incredible to think about how much we are all loved.  This week Kira and I are celebrating because we are baptizing our baby.  It’s pretty amazing that God has made each one of us a part of the family!  That is what I want to focus on.  There is nothing else that matters!

Blessings!

PB  

Who needs sleep?

As many of you may know, Kira and I have a wonderful baby.  We’ve taken him on airplanes, camping trips, and hiking adventures.  He seems to be able to go anywhere, even when that means he will be strapped to my sweaty shirt as I climb a mountain.  However, his new favorite game is trying to keep his parents up all night.  Gone are the days when he just slept.  At the moment, he just wants to kick, shout, and slobber over everything.  I guess this is what babies do, but we could seriously handle a bit more rest!

Thankful for every moment...

Children are a blessing.  However, there are certainly moments where I’ve become tired and overwhelmed.  No one ever said this would be easy.  Instead, we are promised that love would show up – even in the difficult moments.  I know this is true.  If I open my eyes, there are so many blessing spilling over in my life.  I simply need to take the time to see them.  It is my prayer that we could all believe in God’s promise of love, because we all have so much to be thankful for.

Blessings!

Brian

LA mission trip!

View from the top of the Union Rescue Mission.  Looking out
we could see downtown LA as well as skid row.  

Last week I had the privilege of traveling with the youth on their annual Los Angeles mission trip.  It’s hard to explain why I love these trips so much, but I do.  Sure there were difficult moments… I mean, I was responsible for driving a 15 passenger van with a bunch of wild teenage boys… so the LA traffic got a little weird at times! :) However, I also got to see that same group of guys, who normally only seem to care about flatulence, care for people on skid row, clean up local school yards, and speak to others who were struggling to find hope.  Watching all the kids from CLC was amazing.  Even though they came from different places, they all stood together for love, and that was inspiring.

This week in Galatians, Paul writes that there is only one thing that really matters in this world: Grace.  We find Grace and Love through Christ Jesus, and it binds us all together.  Yes, Los Angeles is crazy, but grace shows up… and that brings hope.  I hope we can all find God Love and Grace this week.  No matter what we are going through God is here, and we can all believe we are accepted and loved.

Blessings!

PB