Giving Thanks!

As I write this, I am preparing for Thanksgiving, Advent, and Christmas. There are all kinds of projects and worship services that we are gearing up for as a church, and I am really starting to get into the spirit. Some years, I feel like the holidays come too fast, but this year has been exciting. I love seeing the church's Glitter Team decorate. I love putting things on the calendar and rehearsing the services with kids. 

I am also planning a quick trip to Colorado to visit my wife's family over Thanksgiving. (Hopefully we have arrived by the time you read this. :) Presently, we are trying to pack the car, find snow clothes for our kids, and praying we can all stay healthy! There are a lot of things we could worry about, but there is still a sense of excitement in our house. It is hard to know exactly how everything will work out, but we are trusting in the Spirit!

I hope we can all open ourselves up to the blessings God is offering this season. In the church, we are celebrating Thanksgiving, and we will be lighting the candle for the first week in Advent. We have set aside this time to prepare for the coming of Christ and give thanks for all that we have. Far too often I can get lost in the busyness of the world. There are just too many things to do, and I lose sight of the things that really matter. Other times, I can get bogged down by all the little things. A negative comment that shouldn't cause me any concern can rub me the wrong way for days. One of the reasons I love getting away is to notice all the blessings in my life. I am so thankful for my family and my two boys! Even in difficult moments my children can become excited over some of the smallest blessings. 

Today I am praying that you would open your hearts to the goodness of God. When we find ourselves bogged down with heavy hearts, I hope we can reflect on the things that really matter. If our hearts are burdened, I hope we can turn this over to Christ. God wants to take away our pain, but we do have to turn it over. Let's give our worries to Christ and cherish the wonder all around us.

Blessings, 

Brian

Surrounded by Blessings

This past Monday, the electricity went out for a few hours at the church. At the time, I was preparing for a funeral, and fifteen minutes before the service started, the lights went out. I realized that many of the plans we had were going to change. The sanctuary was completely dark, and the microphones and videos were not going to work. Sometimes I fall into a trap... I start to think that the church is a building. It's easy to assume that if there are no lights, no microphones, no screens, then everything has to be canceled... However, this is never the case. The church is the people. When we gather together, Christ is with us. It is very convenient to have a building with electricity, but it is the people who create the church.

The funeral turned out to be a beautiful. We had to move a piano and set up chairs in the crossroads, but we had everything we needed and more. There was an opportunity to grieve, share memories, and celebrate the life. 

There are so many moments where we lose sight of the things that really matter. The Bible says that God is bringing an abundant Kingdom of Heaven to this world. We can miss out on God's good gifts because we are too worried about our own plans falling apart. 

This week in worship we are once again going back to our core values. We are taking time to think about serving others. When we see other people as part of the body of Christ, we live more fully into God's Kingdom. Instead of living only for ourselves, Jesus asks us to consider others. If we want to become great, God calls us to be a servant to all. I hope we can all ponder what it means to be a servant this week. I hope we can listen for God's Holy Spirit, and I hope we can open our hearts to all the Love that Jesus is sharing.

Blessings!

Pastor Brian