Blog (Page 24)
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…
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…
What Does it Mean to be a Friend
The word friend has become so complex. What does it actually mean? In today’s culture we have work friends we only want to see at work, school friends we only see at school functions, facebook friends we only want to spy on online, and frenemies, those we socially have to pretend to like. Some people have hundreds of “friends” while others struggle to find a single person they call “friend.” Essentially, the word has lost all meaning by meaning so…
Pope Francis Keeps Making Headlines
It seems to me that Pope Francis has been in the news more often in the past month than any pope has been in recent memory. You see, he is regularly speaking out about his beliefs, beliefs which push against the traditional stance of the Catholic church for centuries. At first, I found his comments to be refreshing, pointing in the right direction. In one interview, he spoke about how he wanted the church to be more focused on what…
It’s Hard to be a Christian Teen
In a room filled with rambunctious junior highers bouncing off the walls with anticipation for our first youth meeting since May, our first meeting since creating a newly renovated youth room and rebranding with a new group name, I launched a new ministry year here at Ashworth Road Baptist Church. Our goal this year is for each youth to see the bigger picture of His story – the bigger story that takes place in the Bible. As such, I…