Posts by Brent Clark (Page 13)
From Agnosticism to Faith
I am always fascinated by the unique stories of how people come to know and follow Jesus Christ. As unique as we are as individuals, so are our stories of coming to faith and experiencing the overwhelming love and grace of God through Jesus Christ. I recently read a very interesting article where Kirsten Powers, a Democratic strategist and Fox News contributor, shared her experience of coming to faith in Christ through the ministry of Redeemer Presbyterian Church and Pastor…
Won’t You Be My Neighbor
This past Sunday, I had the opportunity to speak on the parable of the Good Samaritan. In studying the text, every time I read the question from the expert in religious law, “Who is my neighbor?” I was taken back to my childhood and a television show that had an impact on me and countless children for over 3 decades. So, to introduce the message, I shared this very familiar theme song with our congregation. To listen to the complete…
Compassion
Over and over in the New Testament we find Jesus moved with compassion, reaching out, healing, and loving those who were hurting, neglected, or in pain. As followers of Christ, compassion is one trait that should not be lacking in our lives. In 1 John 3:17, we read, “If someone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister in need but shows no compassion—how can God’s love be in that person?” (NLT) Recently, I saw a video…
Beza Threads – Helping Bring Redemption and Freedom to the Enslaved
This week, we opened our building to one of our favorite missions organizations, Beza Threads. Beza Threads needed space to sort and fold the 2,000 scarves they recently received from Ethiopia. Each scarf is hand-crafted by teenagers in their program and takes seven hours to create. Beza Threads partners with Hope for Children in Ethiopia (HCE), an on-the-ground (public) nonprofit dedicated to the rescue and transformation of enslaved children. HCE confronts the issue of slavery by freeing, educating and empowering enslaved children…
The Power of Prayer
On Wednesday evenings in our adult prayer and Bible study time, we have been studying the topic of prayer and what happen when God’s people pray. We are now half way through the study, and each week we are challenged to pray more and believe God for more when we pray. I recently ran across this video that speaks to the real power of prayer in our lives. God desires for his people to pray and delights in answering the…
It Can Wait
We’ve all heard about the dangers of it. We even know it is illegal in Iowa. And even though we are aware of the risks, texting and driving is still something many people do everyday. Recently, Ashworth Road member and ABC5 Anchor Rachel Pierce reported on a heartbreaking story of the consequences of texting and driving. Let me encourage everyone to watch both parts of this story. And don’t watch it alone. If you have teens that drive, sit down…
A Cat, a Mouse, and Giving My Best
As a kid, I loved cartoons. The excitement of waking up on a Saturday morning to watch some of the greatest cartoons ever made. My kids have cartoons 24-7 on Cartoon Network, Boomerang, Nickelodeon, and many other channels. They miss out on the anticipation we had growing up. My favorite cartoons were Scooby-Doo and Tom and Jerry. If I am completely honest, when I find the older versions of these cartoons on TV, I will stop and watch a little…
The Value of Children’s Ministry
I was saved as a child at the age of 12 at summer church camp. Through the years, I’ve come to realize that there are many people who did the same thing and decided to follow Jesus as a child. Statistics say that nearly 80% of people in church today decided to follow Jesus before the age of 18 and 50% of them came to know Him before the age of 12. It actually becomes harder and harder for a…
What’s Most Important?
As we consider religion, Christianity, the Bible, church, it is very easy for us to compartmentalize and reduce all these down to the least common denominator. We never verbalize it, but we sometimes think “What is the least I can do to still be considered a Christian?” For some it boils down even further, “What is the least I have to do to avoid hell when I die?” So we tell ourselves if I read a few Bible verses every…
Life’s Not Fair
Growing up as a middle child, I suffered from a severe case of Middle Child Syndrome. What you read about Middle Child Syndrome is very true. We ARE the mistreated, abused, neglected children in every family. And no, you may not contact my mother to confirm what I just said! Every time I felt that I was being treated unfairly as a kid, my parents would respond with the same answer…Well, life’s not fair! All of us at one time…
What’s Most Important?
Years ago, a friend of mine introduced me to an author by the name of Richard Foster. Foster has written several books and founded a ministry around the belief that spiritual renewal and spiritual formation and development can help Christ followers enjoy a closer walk with Jesus, leading to a more vibrant and fulfilling Christlike life. I recently read a quote by Foster, “The essential thing is this: Are people really growing into the life of Jesus? If they’re not, we better take a…
Getting out of the Pit
Have you ever felt like you were in a pit? The pit. A deep, dark place of isolation, helplessness, and hopelessness. A place where even God seems a million miles away. Inaccessible. Most of our lives are like roller coasters with peaks and valleys. Times on the mountaintops and times in the pits. If you are in the pit, you are not alone. We’ve all been there. David wrote Psalm 40 following a time he spent in the pit. Even…