Blog (Page 23)
Welcome Pastor Amy Becker!
It is with great excitement that I announce the addition of a new staff position at Ashworth Road. Our new part-time Team Pastor for Missions and Outreach is Amy Becker. Amy has been the Campus Staff Minister for Intervarsity Christian Fellowship at Drake University since 2006 and has served as the Des Moines Team Leader for InterVarsity since 2011. She graduated from Drake University in 2006 with her Bachelors degree in Sociology. It doesn’t take long listening to Amy to…
Pirates Have Invaded Ashworth Road!
Pirates have invaded Ashworth Road. Every Sunday, our kids will set sail aboard the Penny Poor in search of great treasure. Kids will learn that when we follow Jesus we can become more like Him, which is the greatest treasure we could ever have. Check out these pictures from week one. \
Let’s Party!
When we think of spiritual disciplines, we usually think of work, boring, drudgery. But, when done correctly, spiritual disciplines can bring us great joy and be a great reason for celebration. In the Old Testament book of Nehemiah, the people had rebuilt the wall and began a time of spiritual renewal. It was during this time that Nehemiah and Ezra called the people to celebrate. “Then Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who were interpreting…
Out with the Old
Many times, we talk about advancements, improvements, enhancements as if everything from “the old days” has no value in todays society. We even use the phrase, “Out with the old and in with the new.” Sometimes this is because we feel we are beyond it. We are too sophisticated now. We are so much smarter now. But all too often we throw the baby out with the bath water. I believe this to be especially true in the area of…
God’s Gift to YOU!
“Salvation is a free gift from God to all people” That is the first line of our church’s belief statement on the subject of salvation, which was the topic of our youth study last night. As I read that line, one teen asked, “But how can you say salvation is for all people if we believe that some people are never saved from their sin?” Herein lies the issue which people often get confused about. When you mistakenly believe that…
Sin is Sneaky
Most of us who have attended church for awhile have heard the story of Adam and Eve being tempted by the serpent and eating the apple, thus committing the first sin of humanity (Genesis 3). It’s an important story to know and most of us like to imagine that story in our minds. But rarely do we take the time to really think about what it teaches us about sin. Sin is Sneaky The serpent told Eve that if she…
Why Creation Matters… And so Do You!
Most people, at some point in life, have to wrestle with the question of whether their life holds any value. For some, you question if you are worth anything because of how other people abuse and misuses you, and for others, because of the things you have done to mess up your lives. The good news of the Gospel of Jesus, however, is that it doesn’t matter why you are doubting if your life has value, but that your dignity,…
Get Some Rest!
Photo copyright 2004 Elaine Baird This past week, we began a new worship series at Ashworth Road entitled “The Lost Art: Recapturing spiritual disciplines that strengthen faith.” We started this with a message about Sabbath, the importance of finding times of rest. In our society, it is not uncommon for us to run ourselves ragged, way past the point of exhaustion, to show our value to an organization, to keep others from showing us up, to provide stuff we think…
A Designed World
There are some today that try to convince us that the random chance of the universe and the chaos from which everything came proves there is no God. But when I see pictures and videos like from the website linked below, I must admit I do not understand how they can miss something that seems so obvious to me. The grand design of the universe. The laws of nature, science, physics, etc. If we look, we really can see the…
Can Faith and Science Coexist?
It is not uncommon to hear people make the claim that religion and science are mutually exclusive, that in order to believe in God or Christianity, you must “check your brain at the door.” But is that true? Are all Christians nut jobs that have given up completely on all rational thought for the sake of “faith?” Or can you believe in God and Jesus Christ and still be an intelligent, rational, individual who understands how science and faith work…
A Circle of Friends
I have a friend whose son has been diagnosed with autism. He is in the 10th grade. If you met my friend’s son somewhere out in the community, you would not recognize that he has been diagnosed with autism. After you have talked with him, you would think he is different from other teenagers, but you still would not realize that he has autism. One of the many challenges my friend’s son faces is not having any friends. Can you…
When Politics Get in the Way
In a blog post earlier this week, I shared the story of Kirsten Powers, a Democratic strategist and Fox News contributor, who came to know Christ and left behind her life of agnosticism and atheism. Here is another interview Ms. Powers did about the article in Christianity Today. What I find intriguing about this interview, is what I referenced in the footnote of my previous post; our assumptions about one’s faith based on their political affiliation. Republicans don’t think Democrats…