Posts by Brent Clark (Page 2)

Posts by Brent Clark (Page 2)

Quarantined: Day 25

Almighty God, When there was nothing good within me, you loved me and gave yourself for me. You have set me apart and called me to know and follow you. This calling is not to a set of rules and regulations or even a new religion but to you. To seek you. To follow you. To allow you to shape and form my heart into a pattern that looks more and more like Jesus every day. Shine your light in…

Quarantined: Extra – Compassion

Social Justice continues to be a buzz word in our culture. How does the compassion of Christ fit in with a social justice society? Compassionate Life: Extending compassion in every sphere of lifeThe Social Justice Tradition expresses the themes of justice, compassion, and peace. It emphasizes wisdom and lovingkindness to bring relationships into harmony, unity, and balance, even within our relationship to nature. Compassionate Life takes place in all arenas of life, from personal to social to global. As with…

Quarantined: Day 16

In days gone by, boys would stand on street corners, waving newspapers, shouting out the recent headlines. Today, we have the unending 24/7 news cycle to inform us of just about everything that might be happening in the world. Before, a newspaper printed daily, a newscast in the evening, and possibly a radio announcement might be the only way to hear the news of the day. Today, we are inundated with more information than we can process and left to…

Quarantined: Extra – Spirit-Empowered Living

The word “charismatic” can mean a lot of different things to different people depending on your faith background. Here is how the Charismatic Tradition is shaping your Quarantined experience. Spirit-Empowered Life: Fueling our lives from the presence and power of GodThe Charismatic Tradition focuses on the power of God’s Spirit moving in and through us. Just as a car requires fuel to run, and our bodies require food for survival, so our souls rely upon the Spirit of God for…

Quarantined: Day 14

16 So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy,…

Quarantined: Extra – Virtue

The second tradition or stream guiding our Quarantined experience is the holiness tradition. Virtuous Life: Responding with integrity The Holiness Tradition emphasizes the re-formation of our hearts so that we are able to respond appropriately to the challenges of life. The word “holiness” has some negative connotations today, but the original Greek meaning of the word virtue is simply “to function well.” Virtuous Life is not about rules or judgment, perfectionism, or some kind of merit gained by good deeds.…

Quarantined: Day 10

A Prayer for Those Who Do Not Know Jesus Today we pause to pray for those experiencing the global pandemic without knowing Jesus. Our Father, The world is upside down, and this is not how you designed it or desire it to be. From the beginning of creation, you wanted those made in your image to know you. Deeply. Intimately.  Times like this are challenging and even more so when trying to make sense of the world without a knowledge…

Midweek Minute for April 29, 2020

Video Transcript Hey, this is Pastor Brent, and this is your Ashworth midweek minute. Can you believe it’s the first of the month again? And this means that this Sunday, as a part of our online worship experience, we will take communion together.  So as you are planning to worship together this Sunday, get those communion elements ready.  Remember, what you choose to eat and drink isn’t as important as taking communion together as the community of Jesus Christ. Are…

Quarantined: Extra – Prayer

As you go through the Quarantined experience, you may begin to notice some recurring themes from week to week. We have chosen to use the six traditions from Christian history as a guide to help us grow in a more balanced spiritual life. These are the core characteristics of the life of Jesus. On Saturdays, we will define one of the six traditions or streams to help you better understand what you might find during the week. This week, we…

Quarantined: Day 5

As this new day begins, the God of healing is present in those among us who are caregivers for the sick. Together we pray: Healing God, conscious that caregivers reflect your compassion, we honor them and pray for them in a special way today. We ask you to hold them in your tenderness, give them an assurance of your spirit of strength as they minister to your people, and be for them a sign and source of hope. We are…

Midweek minute for April 22, 2020

Video Transcript Hey, this is Pastor Brent and this is your Ashworth midweek minute. First, I wanna say thank you for connecting with us every Sunday online, video zoom calls for senior adult lunch, youth, women’s ministry, and kids and for your continued generosity to the church. We have an amazing church, and it is because of each and every one of you! It is spring into action time, and we are encouraging everybody to get out of the house…