Blog (Page 4)
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…
Transgender Church Plant
In 2019, as part of our Missions Emphasis month, we sponsored a chapel plus community hall in India – India’s first chapel catering to the needs of the trans community. The project experienced delays due to the pandemic but was inaugurated around Christmas 2020. The transgender community in India is much different than the western community. While western ideas of sexuality and gender have become popular in recent years, this community is comprised exclusively of men opting to become women.…
Gospel in Color
Unfortunately, while God created a world full of beauty and diversity, we have allowed sin to stain our understanding of a person’s value based on the color of their skin. While some of us would like to think racism isn’t a big issue in our community or in 2021, too much has occurred for us to still believe that to be true. That’s why we are excited to be offering this important curriculum, “The Gospel in Color,” to our kids,…
03.09.21 Feed
GHOST STORIES Teens love to watch movies about paranormal activity and frighten their friends with scary ghost stories. It’s surprising then, that Christians have labeled the presence of God in our very lives with this same title – the Holy Ghost! Perhaps that’s why we’re not as comfortable with the workings of the Spirit as I think Jesus wanted for us. But this week’s message challenges us to step into our relationship with Holy Spirit and to trust God to…
03.02.21 Feed
SAVED… FROM WHAT? The common expression Christians use to describe their decision to follow Jesus by telling others they are “Saved” has deep roots in the Bible but fails to connect with those outside our own faith. All through scripture we see Jesus as the hero, the Savior, the Messiah who comes to rescue his people from their sin, death, and more specifically, from the flames of Hell. Unfortunately, this story seems to be uncompelling to the watching world who…
Peanut Butter Drive
At Ashworth we strive to make an impact in our community and this year we want to do that by stocking the shelves of the Des Moines Area Religious Council (DMARC) food pantry with Peanut Butter. Through COVID, peanut butter has become a popular item and so the price has increased to $1.50 a jar or $18 a case (12 jars). While the price has increased, so has the need. That’s why this year we want to purchase an entire…
02.23.21 Feed
NOBODY PUTS JESUS IN A CORNER Whether you are a Christian or not, the universal impact he made on this earth requires every single person who hears his name to make a decision. Who is he? And if he is who he says he is, what are you going to do about it yourself? This is the crux of the Christian faith. Without Jesus, we have no Christ, no Christianity, and no good news. All too often we think of…
02.16.21 Feed
MADE TO BE LIKE GOD I assume God hates the cold too, afterall, we are made in his image! This past Sunday’s message, which covered hell while most churches used Valentine’s day as an opportunity to preach on Love, showed us the full scope of what it means to be human. We learned about the incredible potential we have as God’s pinnacle of creation who are made to be like him, but unfortunately made a mess of ourselves as we…
02.09.21 Feed
UNDERSTANDING GOD While Pastor Brent gave it his best effort to cover the essential doctrine of God in 30 minutes this past Sunday, I think we can all admit, that was an impossible task. God, being infinite, is simply beyond our grasp. It doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try. And it doesn’t mean that God didn’t do all he could to show us who he is by coming to this world as Jesus. And yet, there will always be a chasm…
02.02.21 Feed
Unity and Diversity This past Sunday we launched a new message series called The Essentials where we discussed the gray areas in the Bible and how that leads thoughtful Christians to sometimes hold different beliefs. At Ashworth, we want to be a place to allow freedom on the non-essentials of our faith while still drawing lines and finding unity on those few beliefs we deem as essential to our faith. If you click only one link below, I highly encourage…
01.26.21 Feed
CHOOSE LOVE God is love. And so people who love God should love like he does. And in today’s climate we offer several articles about what it might look like to love others well. You could heal a divide between somebody with different beliefs than you through listening and empathy. Or you can pray short prayers asking God to help you stay focused on what really matters – loving him and others. Or find a way to be hospitable in…