Posts by Brent Clark
Preparing for Christmas Day 5
“Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you.2 See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples,but the Lord rises upon you and his glory appears over you.3 Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn.” Isaiah 60:1-3 Pray for those who will come to see the lights at Celebration of Lights Sunday evening at 5 PM that they will encounter the Light of the World.
Preparing for Christmas Day 4
How’s your soul this week? Do you feel a bit frantic? Hurried? Many things in our lives, like technology, entertainment, or activities can be great tools to be used and enjoyed. But they can quickly become tyrannical masters of our lives if we aren’t careful. What is exerting control over your life right now creating anxiety or hurriedness? If possible, find 5 minutes today to sit in silence, reflect on the birth of Christ, and BREATHE. As you sit in…
Preparing for Christmas Day 3
Listen to the song “Light of the World” by Lauren Daigle. Reflect on the lyrics especially the name Emmanuel which means God with Us.
Preparing for Christmas Day 2
Take a look at this picture and reflect on the following: The Nativity was painted by the seventeenth-century French painter Georges de La Tour. It pictures the Christ child, Mary and Mary’s mother. Take in the painting. Notice the structure, placement of people and objects, the use of light and shadow. What catches your attention? What thoughts and emotions does this image invoke within you? How does this image relate to the passage we read yesterday in Isaiah 9:2? Copied…
Preparing for Christmas Day 1
Advent is a season of waiting, expecting, and hoping. It is from the Latin word “coming.” The season of waiting gives us the opportunity to prepare our hearts for Christ. Today, read Isaiah 9:2. How has the light of Jesus impacted your life personally and your circle of influence? What areas of your life do you need the light to shine in now? Isaiah 9:2 2 The people walking in darkness have seen a great…
Welcome, Jordan!
As a part of our 2020 Ministry Plan and Budget presented in June, we shared our desire to add a new staff position in the area of worship to the church this ministry year. I am excited to announce that we have hired Jordan McDonald as our Worship Director. Jordan and his family have been a part of the Ashworth family and worship team since moving to Des Moines in August. Jordan comes to us with several years of experience…
What to Expect
As you come to church week in and week out, you may notice minor changes here and there. Artwork in the coffee area gets changed depending on the season or special emphasis. The stage is modified now and then. A sign appears telling guests where to park. The kids’ check-in station is changed. While most of the time, we try to keep the changes to a minimum, in the coming weeks and months, more noticeable changes will be coming in…
When You’re Finished Changing
Benjamin Franklin once said, “When you’re finished changing, you’re finished.” In January of this year, I wrote on this blog that 2019 would be a year of change for Ashworth Church. And it has. This year, we made changes to the leadership structure of the church and we changed denominations. These two changes were not small but will have a significant impact on our church in the future. As much as I would like to believe that we never have…
You’ve Been Lied To
No one likes to be lied to. Unfortunately, (and hopefully unintentionally) that may be what has happened with some messages you’ve heard from the church. In our excitement to be right and to please God, we have missed the heart behind God’s message to us. And we’re sorry about that! Beginning Sunday, September 15, we’ll tackle some of the messages the church has to acknowledge weren’t fully true or weren’t presented in the same spirit that Jesus or the Bible…
Be a Neighbor
Jesus told us that everyone we come in contact with is our neighbor. (Luke 10:25-37) But often, we see this as so broad, applying to so many people, that it doesn’t move us to actually care about those right across the street. When Jesus said, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” he was calling us not to feel some gooey emotion that gives us goose bumps. He was calling us to action. To actually do something tangible that would show care…
Vision and Leadership
Today marks the end of the ministry year. As we look forward to what the new ministry year holds, we pause to say Thank You to a couple of individuals who have served on our Leadership Council for the past three years. Donnie Moran and Don Peck have each served a three-year term as a deacon. Both of these men have been a huge asset to the staff team and also to our church. Their gifts and leadership have helped…
Check Your Heart*
In the message this past Sunday, we looked at Jesus and his words to the church at Ephesus as recorded in Revelation 2:1-8. It was a challenge to this church who was working hard and holding fast to the truth but had forgotten their first love. Jesus’ answer to this problem was to remember, repent, and return to the things they did at first. In prepping this message, I thought about two important principles that are taught again and again…