REAL PEOPLE

REAL PEOPLE
INCLUSIVE GOD
RADICAL GRACE
INSPIRED GROWTH

These eight words declare who we are as a congregation at Community Lutheran Church. Each of these phrases share a little bit of our DNA, and they are woven into everything that we do. Over the next four weeks, we will be taking a little bit of time to explore each of these, and we will ponder how they are impacting our lives. This weekend we will consider what it means to be REAL PEOPLE.

A congregation of Real People understands that everyone is broken, but everyone is also welcome. There are times in my life that I have spent a crazy amount of time trying to show the world that I was perfect. I didn't want anyone to see my cracks or flaws. I thought that if people knew of my failures they would cast me away. However, I learned some of the best relationships and success stories in my life came from vulnerable and broken moments.

Earlier this week, I asked my kids what had happened in our living room. Toys were thrown everywhere, coloring supplies were left out, and one boy was crying. They responded by looking at me and saying, "It wasn't me! My brother did it!" They tried to pretend they were completely innocent of the whole situation. It was better to blame it all on somebody else. Honestly, I wasn't that upset by the mess itself. There was nothing in that room that we couldn't fix. My real concern was the lying... When someone is refuses to be honest and real, it is really hard to grow and learn. 

Today, we may not get into fights over who messed up the living room, but we still can easily become trapped in a web of lies if we refuse to look at our own failures. I hope we are all able to let go of the facades we put on, and I pray that we are able to see ourselves just as we are. We are imperfect, but can grow. God sees our true heart, and God Loves us anyway. Let's share this good news and live with hope and grace!

Blessings!

Brian