Posts by Brent Clark
My “Pauses” Word this Week
Breathed – Day 8 “[Jesus] breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” John 20:22 I’ve read this passage many times. I’ve often wondered what it would have been like to be in the room when this happened. What would it have felt like? Would it have been awkward? Did Jesus need a breath mint? Or would the power of the moment be so mind-blowing that all you would remember is the overwhelming presence of the Spirit of God…
Congratulations
Congratulations! You did it! Even if you didn’t make all 28 days, even if you had to start the fast every Monday because the weekends were just too long without checking Instagram, even if you found your attention diverted to a different form of technology, the past 28 days gave us time to pause and rethink how we interact with our technology. For me, every time I pick up my phone to search for something online, I still think, do…
What Now?
We are fast approaching the end of our digital fast: 28 days of a new approach to our technology, social media, and digital entertainment. One of the big questions we are faced with is what now? Do you jump right back into where you were before we started? Or do you find new rhythms or habits to help keep a healthier relationship with your device and technology? The goal was never to deprive ourselves for the sake of deprivation. It…
Freedom
Congratulations! If you are doing the digital fast, you are over halfway done! What has changed for you in the last two and a half weeks? Have you noticed your desires shifting? Have you become aware of the times you do reach for your phone and stop to ask yourself, “Do I really need to do this right now?” Has God spoken to you during this time? One thing I have noticed is that some of the things that I…
Discoveries
We’ve entered the second week of the digital fast. How’s it going? What have you been noticing? This week, someone texted me that they looked at their screen time numbers, and last week’s screen time was down 56%! That’s awesome! If you’ve had a similar story of success (or even a story of struggle), we want to know! As you fast, you may notice things shifting in you. The “withdrawals” of the first week may become the urges and pangs…
Digital Fast Vs Autopilot
As we have begun a digital fast, I have started to notice a few things about my technology habits. One has been how much background noise seems to exist because I have enabled it. Another is finding myself wondering what I should do since I don’t have websites or social media to turn to during this season. One of the most fascinating things that I am discovering is just how much of my technology habits have been on autopilot. I…
Eat This!
53 Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.54 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day. 55 For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. 56 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them. 57 Just as the living Father sent me and I live…
Peace Be Still
I need time in God‘s presence today. Reading the news and what’s going on in the world has my soul troubled and anxious. Meet me here God; quiet my heart and my restlessness. Let me sit with you this morning. I feel the heaviness, the weight of the world. Others must feel it too. Divisiveness. Hatred. Murder. War. Enemies. Violence. Cancer. Sickness. Weariness. Exhaustion. Stay busy so I don’t have to face it. Keep the devices on, so I can…
My Paradigm Challenged
As I was reading John 9 this morning, I was struck by the interaction between a man healed of his blindness and the Pharisees. What an incredible story with a convicting ending. As the man who had been blind his entire life has to justify his healing, he tells the Pharisees (those with religious power), “If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.” (John 9:33 NIV) What happens next is sad and scary. Verse 34: “To this…
Coming Soon! Ashworth Learning Center
A few weeks ago, we announced that as part of an effort to be more intentional about meeting the needs in our community, we established the Ashworth Community Development Corporation, a nonprofit with the express intent of providing programs, offering services, and engaging in other activities that promote and support low and medium-income individuals in West Des Moines. To listen to a conversation between Pastor Brent and Pastor Ryan on this, click here. Our first initiative is the Ashworth Learning…
03.16.21 Feed
THE B-I-B-L-E, YES, THAT’S THE BOOK FOR ME If you grew up in church, it is likely you sang this song many times. Often, we find ourselves in a love/hate relationship with the Bible. At times we read it and feel encouraged as if the words were jumping off the page at us and guiding our steps as we live. And at other times, we feel the guilt of not picking it up because it just doesn’t seem to resonate…
A Prayer of Confession
Abba Father, Forgive us, we pray. We have sought power in politics and not in surrender and service to you and to one another. We have looked to politicians and judges for salvation and been willing to overlook and even make excuses for blatant behavior that reveals a heart far from the character of Christ. We have looked the other way so that we can grab and hold on to power. We have put down and desecrated others who have…