Leaving Space for God...

Last weekend my family had an opportunity to travel with the church’s youth group to Camp Lutherwood in Utah.  This camp is located right in between Zion and Bryce Canyon National Parks.  It was the perfect time to get a glimpse of the fall colors and escape from the heat of Las Vegas!

Ready for a weekend of adventure!

There is something mysterious about these trips that I always look forward too.  Something changes within the youth, my family, and in even in me…  Just taking a moment to breathe, hike through the canyons, and watch the stars come out at night changes the way I look at the world.

Our theme for the retreat was based on a scripture passage from Mark chapter 8.  Jesus asks, “Who do you say that I am?” It struck me on this trip that many of us never really take time to think about this question.  We may have doubt when we look at Jesus, or we may recast Christ to be whatever we want him to be.  In the end, most of us miss the true meaning of the love and forgiveness that Jesus really stood for.  Without understanding God’s love, I don’t think any of us can really understand who we truly are either. 

On this particular trip I heard kids talk about all the terrible names they had been given.  It’s easy to let these names latch on to us… and sometimes they can even destroy us.  However, I believe our job in the church is to share a different story.  We are to offer the truth of God’s Grace.  I am thankful for the opportunity this trip offered to share a new story, in spite of the evil around us…

I think we all need to be intentional about remembering that God made us all in God’s image.  I hope and pray that all of you would leave a little space to remember your true identity.  May you know you are loved, and may you feel God’s peace!

Blessings!

PB

Fish weren't really biting, but certainly a fun day out!

Lutherwood is a pretty amazing place!

Everything Changes, and it's a Blessing!

So… a lot has happened since the last time I posted! 

Welcome to the world Isaac! 

Isaac Conyers Ward came into the world on August 17, 2018.  Both mother and child are fine, and since he is our second child, the older brother is adapting as well as can be expected… J

My wife and I have spent months preparing for this moment, but personally I still feel a little dazed!  Sure I can paint a room, buy diapers, and set up about 100 different baby rockers… but in the end, I feel like I’m just winging it! 

It is impossible to prepare for all the sleeping issues, the eating issues, and the general mess that has come...  However, I was able to take a couple of weeks to just be with my family.  We had time to adjust, learn, and just soak in our blessings together.  Personally, I needed this time to really appreciate what had happened!  In many ways, I think we all need to leave space every day to feel God’s presence, whether we have kids or not.  Each day we can (and should!J) prepare to the best of our abilities, but life is really about the curve balls we aren’t expecting.  In our scripture passage this week, we are going to look at these unexpected moments and ask how we should respond.  Do we close ourselves off out of fear, or do we take a leap of faith trusting that something greater will be there to embrace us in our time of need?

Today, I hope you can take a leap of faith.  I pray you would know that there is a greater love that will never let you go.  I hope you can take time to appreciate this love.  May the unexpected bumps in the road be a blessing and adventure for you instead of a curse!  May you feel love this week!

Just for fun, here are a couple more pics...

Brothers

Not sure how he feels about all his new outfits,
but I think he looks great!

Blessings!

PB

Believing in your calling...

Looking like a pastor... :)

In the Lutheran church, there is a tradition of pastors wearing clerical collars and shirts.  In my current setting we don’t wear these all that often, and I am certainly okay with that.  I often find this uniform to be way too formal, and when I first became a pastor I really didn’t want to wear it at all.  However, over time I noticed the clerical uniform could open a few new opportunities for ministry.  People would walk up to me on the street and ask me to pray.  I was invited into several hospital rooms to sit with families I didn’t know.  These people were looking for a pastor.  In these moments, the uniform told people I was ready to serve, and that helped me to grow as a pastor.  I think there was a part of me that didn’t want to take myself seriously.  I didn’t believe I had any real gifts worthy of such a formal outfit.  However, when I was drawn into those moments, I realized God was doing something.  God was using me.  In the book of Ephesians it says:

For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

-Ephesians 2:10

We may convince ourselves that we have nothing to offer, but this verse asks us to have faith that God uses us in any situation.  This verse says ALL people, not just pastors, are called to do amazing things… Now, it does not say that we have the power to bring the exact kind of change that we may be searching for, but we do have the promise that God is working in powerful ways…

Today, I hope you can all recognize what God is doing in your life.  I hope that you can believe God is calling you to act and live in the world around you!

Peace and Blessings!

Brian

What really matters...

My family is roughly 6 weeks away from welcoming a new baby into our home.  It’s pretty exciting, but it’s also a pretty crazy!  I’ve been busy painting rooms, putting the crib back together, and digging out the old infant toys and clothes we have been storing in the garage.  Next, we’ve had to figure out everything we still have to buy:  car seats, double running strollers, all the powders and creams that seem to be necessary for babies… It’s amazing how such a tiny child needs so much! J

I know there is always going to something else I could prepare for.  However, I believe the one thing we need to offer is love.  Everything we buy is going to fall short if it’s not given in love… (Now diaper creams and burp rags will certainly have their value, but I believe love is behind it all…) Caring for infants is such a wild experience, because our love is not based on who the child is…  I don’t know what this child will look like, act like, or what his personality will be.  I don’t get to control who this child is, but I believe he is created perfectly with his own gifts, and I have the opportunity to love him and allow him to thrive.

Our scripture passage today states:

You are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household

-Ephesians 2:19

Personally, I believe this passage says that God has chosen each of us.  We aren’t called to divide ourselves or think of reasons to remain distant from others.  We are called to love and to offer opportunities for all people to thrive.  Today I hope you can all share your gifts without fear, and I hope you can see those around you for the blessings they are!

Peace,

Brian

Moved by the Spirit

But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.

-John 14:26

Do you believe the Holy Spirit is calling you? 

A few years ago, I was the youth director at a small church in Minneapolis, MN.  I absolutely loved that community, but the job was a bit of a stretch for me in many ways.  I did not grow up with gang violence, drug abuse, or poverty, but many of the kids I worked with dealt with these problems every day.  Personally, I felt called by the Spirit to reach out.  I wanted to be a savior.  I wanted to break the cycle of oppression these kids lived in.  I had my plans, but the Spirit always seemed to be blowing the other way!  I remember driving to crisis situations and getting laughed at.  There were times I tried to break up fights, but everyone got mad at me.  I tried to help people run errands, but I often wound up picking up strangers and telling them they could not smoke weed in my car. I spent hours on the road, but I’m not sure I ever really helped anyone get to their destination… J

 

Life was pretty chaotic, but I know God’s Spirit was working!  In spite of all my naiveté, I built some incredible relationships during my time there.  I never became a savior… I couldn’t stop the violence, illness, or foreclosures, but I had plenty of time to talk, laugh, share meals, and love some people who needed love.  In the end, the Spirit didn’t have to use my plans to do some truly amazing things. 

Today, I hope you can think about what the Spirit is up to in your life.  Remember, God does amazing things, but God may be calling you in small ways too.  Even the smallest acts of love can bless the world in powerful ways!

Peace!

Brian

Living with Faith

“Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?”

-Matthew 6:27

What do you worry about?  In this passage, Jesus proclaimed that fear and anxiety could destroy lives.  We are called to be a people of faith.  However, faith is not escapism.  Faith should not cause us to bury our heads in the sand or run away from our problems.  My issue is that I tend to worry about the things I cannot change, and I want to avoid the problems I could actually do something about. 

For example, I am less than four months away from welcoming a new child into my family.  This is certainly something to be excited about, but it is also something that requires a lot of preparation.  When my wife mentions everything we have to buy and do to get ready, I am often tempted to say, “Don’t worry!  This will all work itself out!”  However, I am slowly learning that that is not always a helpful response… J  On the other hand, I will spend an inordinate amount of time worrying about failures or mistakes I’ve made years ago!  This does not turn out to be a great combination!

Jesus told his early followers they had the power to change the world.  We all have gifts worth sharing, and there is no amount of fear or failure that should cause us to doubt this.  At times, this means letting go of the things we have no control over.  Other times, I have to recognize that I have gifts that should be used!  Today, I pray that you would have the faith that carries you though every obstacle!

Blessings!

Brian

The Faith to get Through

“I don’t know how we’re ever going to get through this…”

That was a comment I made to my wife earlier this week.  We were in the middle of the second week of our child refusing to sleep or even stay in his room at night.  I felt like we had tried everything, and the problem was only getting worse.  He suddenly hated going to bed, and he was waking up all through the night.

Now, I know this is just part of being a parent.  However, I love to convince myself that I should be control.  I want to be the person who has all the answers, but I know nobody really has this whole thing figured out.  Personally, I think that is why we all need faith.  We are all going run into moments that we can’t control.  Now, in the grand scheme of things, this sleeping issue is not a big deal.  Other people are certainly dealing with much worse.  However, this one little issue was driving me nuts!

The Bible tells us that we will have setbacks…  We will have failures, and there will be times we make a mess of things.  However, we are told to keep our eyes on the bigger picture.  We can have faith that God is in control.  If I lose sight of that, I know even smallest of things have this ability to creep under my skin and affect me in major ways.

Now, in the case of my 3 year old, everything turned out fine.  Although we had a week or two of chaos, our son did eventually start sleeping again.  I’m not sure if my efforts along the way were more helpful or harmful, but it did pass.  At least for now…  New issues are going to come along, and in the future, the solution may not come as easily.  There will come a time when I can’t just pick my child up and put him in his room when he does something I don’t like… J However, we are told to believe God is creating something beautiful, and we are each a part of that creation.  Failure and chaos will always be a part of life, but when that passes, God’s Love will remain.  Nothing can separate us from God, and there is nothing we can do to stop the power of love.

Is there anything leaving you feeling out of control today?  Is there anything making you feel overwhelmed?  Whatever these things are, big or small, they can have a huge impact on our happiness and the way we interact with others.  Today, I hope you can believe God is making something beautiful in your life.  We don’t always see this exactly when we want to, but your life is special!  God is working in you!

Blessings!

Pastor Brian