Be curious...

I love watching my kids grow up! They are are so eager to learn, and they have a sense curiosity and wonder about them. My only concern is that it all happens so quickly. Sometimes, I want my boys to stay little forever, but they are called to something more. Earlier this week, my five year old was sitting in the back seat of the car, and he asked how the sun worked. He wanted to know why it rose. How does it set? Why does it keep burning? A lot of questions that I can take for granted, but he wanted to know more about the world around him. 

In ancient times, Jesus went out of his way to teach people who had been forgotten by much of society. He allowed women to sit and learn from him. He gave fishermen and tax collectors a place of honor, and He wanted all of them to grow. When society set up a rule saying one group was inferior to another or worth less than somebody else, Jesus showed each person that they were valued. Throughout the scriptures, God is always calling people grow. Jesus loves us just as we are, but that doesn't mean we should ever stop listening and learning. Our faith is a journey.

We are in a sermon series that goes back to the core values of CLC. Every church has different gifts provided by the Holy Spirit, and we all have strengths that we are able to share with the world. Our core values represent the ways our church is called. This week we are looking at our values of wisdom and learning. We are a church that wants to grow. From children's ministry to adult Bible Study, we believe there is a path for us to grow. 

Today I hope you can all take time to listen for God's wisdom. Take time to be curious. There are too many people who want to pretend they already know everything. God wants us to become like little children and open our hearts to all the gifts around us.

Blessings!

Brian 

Worship with a fresh perspective

Last weekend I had the opportunity to travel to Camp Lutherwood in Utah. This trip has become a CLC tradition over the past few years. Youth and families are invited to experience the wonder of creation and the joy of community. Personally, I have really come to value the perspective this time brings. Instead of gathering in the basement of the church, the youth come together around a campfire to sing, eat s'mores, and share a message of hope. We also take time to go on some epic hikes. It's a wonderful trip... Even if some of the youth complained that I chose a hike that may have been just a little too long :) 

One of my favorite parts of the weekend was sitting outside together in the evening. The deer would walk by, and the stars would come out. After being surrounded by city lights, it's easy to forget how bright the stars can be. Every night we would look up to see the Milky Way, and even though the temperature dropped down to 38 degrees, we didn't want to leave the moment. We sat together, huddled in our jackets and sleeping bags, and we embraced the beauty of the world around us.  

There are so many different ways to worship. We can sing. We can read scripture. We can stand on top of a mountain or sit around a campfire. The important part of all of this is that we take time to come together and we cherish the blessings we have. There is so much to give thanks for in our lives, but sometimes we are too busy or tired to remember this. Worship is all about pushing ourselves to experience God's Grace in fresh new ways. When we come together as a community, and God shows up. 

Today I hope you can spend some time intentionally in worship. I hope you can find a community and open yourselves up to the work of the Spirit.

Blessings,

Brian Ward

Gathered in Joy

Last Wednesday we kicked off family night at CLC. It was wonderful to see preschool kids join together with older youth to play games, sing songs, and build new relationships. Even though there is quite a difference between a 20 year old and a 3 year old, I see a lot of blessings when they all come together. Kids and adults are all welcome to be who they are, and they can find there own ways to serve and experience God's Love. I believe God's Grace is best experienced when we come together.  

In the Bible, Jesus speaks of the importance of finding a community. Pharisees were called to find a place at the table with the sinners and tax collectors. The wealthy and powerful were called to sit with the the sick and the sorrowing. Everyone has a place, and everyone is valued. In our sermon series this month, we are taking a deeper look at joy. It is easy for our hearts to be filled with anxiety, fear, and even anger. However, this series asks us to fill our hearts with joy. God values each person. I hope we can let go of the fears in our past and enter into something new.

The Biblical letter to the Philippians, is a book filled with joy. It tells us that whatever we are facing, we also have a new life in Christ. We are told that if we want to let go of our past difficulties, we need to find a community. We need a place where we honor one another. We need a place where we can be honest, and we need a place where we can be united and filled with God's Love.

Today I hope you can take time for some of the relationships in your life. Perhaps you can give a family member or a friend a call. Maybe you can find a new place to serve. Maybe you can just say hi to your neighbor. God is present everywhere we go, and we are a people who share God's love when we come together.

Blessings!

Brian

A perspective of hope

There is so much pain in our world..

The tragedy that surrounds the wildfires in Hawaii is so great that it is difficult to comprehend. Canada is also facing it's own horrendous battle and devastating losses. There is war in Ukraine and rumors of war surround us. We are witnessing storms. People are battling homelessness, and I have friends and family that are in the hospital facing difficult illnesses.

It can be hard to find reasons to celebrate or give thanks. In our scripture passage this week, we are retuning to the book of Nehemiah. The people living in that time had every reason focus on the pain in their lives. There was talk of warfare, and their enemies were ridiculing their work. Life came with so many burdens, and it would have been very hard to let go of the harsh realities of the world. 

Nehemiah tried to change the people's perspective. He gave them a reason to focus on the Good News that was also present in their lives. They read from the scriptures. They took time to appreciate all the work they had done, and they gave thanks for God's work in their lives. 

I believe Christ wants each of us to look at the world with a fresh perspective. Jesus was always able to see a bigger picture. Many of us, like the early disciples, can easily get bogged down by the difficulties we face. I think God wants us to stay rooted in reality, but we also have to have faith that God's Love is always going to win.

Last Saturday, my youngest son celebrated his 5th birthday. It wound up being a birthday in the rain with all the weather we faced. However, my son had a blast. There was so much excitement and love that surrounded the moment, and he enjoyed every bit of it. Sometimes things do not go as planned, but if we take time to experience the blessings, God's Love surrounds us. 

Today I hope each of you can take time to love. Let's not become so overwhelmed that we forget the blessings that surround us. God is present in each of our lives. Let's experience the grace and peace of Christ everyday.

Blessings,

Brian Ward

Believing in the good

Have you ever felt successful?

Have you taken time to reflect on the work you have done?

Perhaps you built or fixed something. Maybe you climbed to the top of a mountain or achieved a goal at work. I hope you are taking time to celebrate your accomplishments. I think it's important to strive to do our best and set goals for our own growth and improvement. 

Right now I am making lists for the fall. I am looking at camping retreats, youth and family nights, Trunk or Treat, and even Christmas events. In our sermon series, we are looking at the prophet Nehemiah. This Old Testament prophet worked hard to achieve his goals. He was a governor of Jerusalem and his city was in ruins. He needed to create a plan for change. He utilized prayer and determination to achieve all the goals he had for his city. However, it didn't take long for others to criticize him. He was doing everything he could, but people were always pointing out the problems. 

When you are reflecting on your day, do you spend more time looking at the good, or do you see the difficulties?

Personally, I feel like it is easy to look at all the imperfections. There are always people who want to drag us down. Many times these people don't know how to deal with their own feelings of defeat, so they push it onto others. 

The book of Nehemiah tells us to focus on the good that we can create in the world. Instead of dwelling what other people think, we can share God's love. Instead of being a community that pushes others down, we can be a church that celebrates the accomplishments of others. 

Today I hope you can all reflect on God's Love. God does not see you as a failure. God sees you as full of potential. Instead of worrying about how other people may see you, let's take time to live in the hope that God provides.

Blessings!

Brian Ward

Rise up from the ashes

 When was the last time you had to start over from scratch?

When I was in college, there was a big end of the year project that disappeared off of my computer. This was going to count for a huge percentage of my grade, and I became so stressed out about it that I felt sick. I can't remember if I accidentally deleted the file or if a server went down, but I was a mess! I think I spent more time trying to recover that file than it would have taken to rewrite the whole thing. I needed a long time just to acknowledge that my previous work was gone. Then I began again... It all worked out, but I was not happy about it.

Today, I still hate the idea of having to start over. I will hold to old plans that I should have let go of a long time ago, because it feels scary to start over from scratch. 

Is there something that you need to let go of?

Perhaps you can't imagine starting a new career, moving to a new home, or living life without a loved one that you recently lost. New beginnings are hard... However, the Bible teaches us that we are people of the resurrection. We are people that are being transformed everyday by the Holy Spirit. There are times when life is going to fall apart. In those moments, we are going to need time to grieve, but we also have to have faith. There is New Life rising up from the ashes.

We are beginning a Sermon Series at CLC next week that is diving into the book of Nehemiah in the Bible. Nehemiah was written at a time when Israel needed to believe in a fresh start. The people had lost a terrible battle, and many of them had been dragged into slavery. They were living in a foreign country, and a generation of people had come and gone. It seemed like there was nothing left for the people of God. However, Nehemiah tells a story of faith. The people are told to believe that they can rise up and find a new path forward. 

Today, God is continues to call us into a new story. There are things we all need to let go. It is my prayer that we could all trust that God is in control. When we feel lost and uncertain about the future, believe that God is creating something new. God has not forgotten or forsaken you. Believe that you are loved!

Blessings!

Brian Ward

Renewal and the Holy Spirit

Last week, I returned from a vacation to Minnesota with my family. It was amazing! My kids got to spend plenty of time with their cousins and grandparents. We went fishing on a lake, and we picked black raspberries in the woods. The previous year, all our vacation plans were flipped upside down when we got Covid-19 right before we were supposed to leave. That trip wound up being cut down to a long weekend, and it made this year feel like such a blessing. We were able to cherish every drop, and we returned home feeling like we all had a new experience of love...

God's Love is an amazing gift. Christ sacrificed everything for us, and God wants you live in these blessings. Do you ever think about this kind of love? Personally, I spend way too much time looking at my own failures. I focus on all the things people don't like about me, and sometimes that can leave me feeling like God is good, but I am not...

Philippians 1:6 says:

    He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

God wants us to be transformed by love. We are called to focus on the blessings that are given to us. As much as I love my calling as a Pastor, I also need time to get away. I need time with my family, and we need time to remind ourselves of the love that is always present. This is my hope for all of you. Even if you can't get out of town this year, I hope you can be intentional about looking for God's Blessings. You are loved. Your failures do not define you or own you. May you live in God's Love.

Blessings,

Pastor Brian