Palm Sunday

I think Palm Sunday is one of the strangest days in the Christian Church.  It starts with shouts of “Hosanna!”  Jesus rides into Jerusalem triumphantly as a Savior.   It’s a glorious day, and I have many wonderful memories of it growing up.  However, by the end of the week, instead of shouting Hosanna, the people are calling for Christ to be crucified.  It’s amazing how fast everything changes.  In the end, Jesus would bring salvation to the world, but it would not happen the way the people expected. 

Often times, I have my own unhealthy expectations.  There are days I can’t believe anything truly new will show up in my ordinary life.  Personally, it has helped to have a newborn baby in my house.  However, there are moments, in the middle of the night, when I start to believe this baby will never stop crying… and those unhealthy expectations creep back up on me…  We can all lose sight of what really matters.  There may be miracles right in front of us, but so often we never take the time to recognize them. 

Jesus does not always save us in the way we want or expect.  However, Jesus is offering us more life than we can possibly imagine.  Jesus said the New Kingdom would be a Kingdom of Grace, where each of us will be welcomed.  I pray this week that we could all open our hearts and minds and see God’s Kingdom working in our lives today.

Blessings!

PB

He's Here!!

He’s here!!!  Cedar Michael Ward was born early in the morning on Friday, March 6.  What an adventure!  It’s crazy how much I can love someone who just sleeps, poops, and cries... I love him so much, but I have made so many mistakes already.  On our first night, I found myself waking him up, because I was worried he wasn’t breathing. (Of course, he was doing just fine… I was just nervous!) I also am horrible at trying to calm him down after he starts crying. I’ve tried rocking, bouncing, and even singing, but sometimes nothing seems to work. (Since my singing voice resembles a choking camel, I probably shouldn’t be surprised…) Finally, I have been up to my eyebrows in dirty diapers. (I think I make things messier after I am done changing him…)

Cedar Michael Ward
8lbs 4oz
Born on March 6

It’s kind of funny how something so frustrating and exhausting can be so wonderful.  It’s crazy to feel this kind of love.  I know it is going to be incredibly difficult at times, but I know I am called to be here sharing the love I have. (Even if it’s a messed up kind of love… J)

At Community, we are still reading Paul’s letter to Titus.  At times, this book can be difficult.  It seems like Paul is always telling Titus he has to “Do This,” or “Do That!”  However, in reality, Paul is telling Titus he has a Calling.  This week, I pray that you would all be able to feel God’s Call in your life – wherever we go!

Blessings!

PB

Finding Life in Lent

We are in the season of Lent, and in the Lutheran church, this season often reflects Christ’s journey to the cross.  Typically, this is a very somber time for me, but this year I feel like I am in a very different season.  I am filled with anticipation and hope for the birth of a child...  It’s actually kind of strange.  When I am at church, I often find myself focusing on themes like sin and death.  However, in the next moment, I am preparing for new life.  I am building cribs, stockpiling diapers, and trying to put these crazy forest animal stickers onto the walls of our nursery. (Even though I am terrible at any kind of decorating, I still find the process life giving.J)

Lent should be a time of renewal... We remember that life
comes from what is broken and dead.

At first, it didn't seem like these two seasons in my life were related at all.  However, at its heart, Christianity is all about bringing new life into death!  There will always be pain, suffering, and brokenness.  However, we believe that New Life is right here as well.  In the book of Titus, we see that it is never easy to follow Jesus, but we also find life in following the cross.  I don’t think we should ever forget that we are all broken and sinful, but I also pray that we would know that those things are not the end.  God’s Grace is always with us, and the cross will always lead to new life!

Blessings!

PB

Titus and facing the impossible...

The Island of Crete, just off the coast of Greece.

This week we are diving into the book of Titus.  We rarely deal with this book of the Bible, but it is filled with a lot of wonderful stuff!  According to the book, Titus was a missionary who reached out to the people on the island of Crete.  Crete was a wild place 2000 years ago, and I can only imagine how daunting a task it must have been to be a missionary at that time.  How would Titus connect to the people there?  How could he possibly bring change?  It must have seemed overwhelming for him. 

Is there something in your life that seems impossible for you to overcome?  The obvious challenge that I am facing is parenthood.  My wife could literally have our baby any day now.  We are super excited, but there is so much that I am not prepared for.  Honestly, when I think of infants, I get a little scared.  I mean, I have never changed a diaper before in my life.  I’m used to getting a ton of sleep, and I am terrified that I am going to break this tiny little guy!  Babies seem so fragile and helpless.

With the help of God, the church, and my face mask, I know I
can face any diaper that may await me...

Special thanks to all those people who are preparing
me to be a dad :) 

So, how am I supposed to do this?  Honestly, on my own, I don’t think I could.  However, I am not raising this kid by myself.  I have my wife, I have my family, and I have all the church families that I have been a part of…  No one has seen this little guy before, but there are so many people who already love him! (Pretty Amazing!) As we dive into the Book of Titus in the Bible, I am reminded that Titus couldn't do it all on his own either.  He had help from the greater church, and he had help from God.  That is something we are all called to remember.  We are never alone!  We have a community of love, and we have God’s love everywhere we go.

Blessings!

PB

Adventures in Kingman...

Last weekend, I led worship services at a church in Kingman Arizona.  I love going to other places and supporting colleagues when they need another pastor.  However, when I agreed to preach there, I forgot it was Valentine’s Day…  (Oops!) When I remembered, I knew I had messed up.  First of all, Kira is 8 months pregnant, and she has a hard time traveling anywhere.  Secondly, I had no idea where to make reservations to celebrate – and I worked that evening anyway...  In spite of this, Kira came with me, and we had a great time.  Instead of going out to eat, we had ice cream, and we watched a documentary on genocide. (A little unorthodox, but it worked. J)  We also met a bunch wonderful people, and we went away feeling God’s love… As much as I try to mess things up, it’s great to know God is always there.

This week we are taking a deeper look at the Greek word Agape.  Agape is the most powerful word for love in the New Testament.  It describes how deeply God loves us - even when we mess up.  This week, I pray we may know that nothing (No sin, trial, or failure) can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus!

Blessings!

PB

God can take something terrible
and use it to bring Love to all people

Living with Love

In the past couple of weeks, I’ve had some really amazing days.  I explored peaks of the Sheep Mountain Range.  I went on a 70 mile bike ride to the town of Mountain Springs, and I took a couple people scrambling to the top of Frenchman Mountain.  I’ve seen fossils, climbed a sketchy ridgeline, and run over a ton of loose rocks… It’s been a blast! 

It always feels good to accomplish something, but in the end, I don’t believe that’s what life is all about.  For me, the most meaningful moments came from sharing love with others.  Now, I am no romantic.  (My idea of a great date is dragging Kira outside to get sunburnt and scraped up in the mountains.)  However, I know the best adventures simply came from spending time with the people I love. 

In 1 John 4:12, it says:

No one has ever seen God, but if we love one another, God lives in us, and his love is perfected in us.

Our lives are fleeting, but each moment we have is a gift.  It is also a chance to share God’s love with others.  I hope this Valentine’s Day is not just about commercialism. I hope this year you can really share the love you have inside of you.  Love is a gift.  It makes us come alive, and it brings us hope.  I pray we would all find ways to share that love and bring life to the world!

Blessings!

PB

Brotherly Love

Be devoted to one another in brotherly love, and excel in showing honor to others.

Romans 12:10

In our sermon series this month we are taking a deeper look at how love is used in the Scriptures.  This week, we will be looking at Brotherly Love.  In Greek, the word is Philadelphia.  (Phileo: means love, and Adelphia: means brother) This is a powerful word used in the Bible to describe the bond that ties all Christians together – regardless of who they are or where they came from. 

Recently, I started to think about all the different kinds of love.  Brotherly love, or love between peers, is very different from romantic love, or the love between a parent and a child.  All are incredibly important, but they are different.  Growing up, my peers could challenge and influence me in a way that no one else could.  It was my friends who made me want to get better grades and take harder classes.  My friends got me up a 5am to go running and work out.  My friends encouraged me to volunteer at church, and later in life, they even encouraged me to become a pastor.  Brotherly love has an incredible amount of power.  However, it can also become problematic.  As we become closer to a group of people, it becomes easy to see all the little things that annoy us.  It’s easy to become competitive and angry.  Now, deep down there is something incredibly powerful that can bind us together…  we just open our eyes and see it.

 

That’s the thing with brotherly love… It has the power challenge us, make us better, and bring us hope in the darkest situations.  However, as we work closely with others, we are going to get frustrated.  This week, I pray we may be able to share the love that is right in front of us.  We don’t always take the time to appreciate it, but it is always there.

Blessings!

PB