Blog (Page 7)
Searching the Archives
Did you know our entire website is searchable, including over 5 years of blogs and messages? Perhaps you wish you knew more about a topic, but unfortunately, it’s not something we are currently teaching on Sundays. But that doesn’t mean we haven’t spoken about it in the past. Now you can see what we have said about any topic you have questions about. Below are two ways to search our website: Text Search From any page on the website, you…
09.22.20 Feed
Welcome to the Feed This is our inaugural issue of the Ashworth Feed, a weekly email full of content meant to encourage and help you move forward in your faith. Statistics show that many Christians have put their faith on pause, reading the Bible less, praying less, and attending church much less. As our new sermon series declares, it’s time for us to UNPAUSE our lives, including our lives with God. And we understand, during this pandemic, with all the restrictions and limits,…
A Response to the Injustice and Racism in our Nation
Too often, when things happen around us that we do not understand or that make us uncomfortable, our immediate response is, “Yes, but…” “Yes, George Floyd died, but he might have had a counterfeit twenty-dollar bill.” “Yes, black lives matter, but all lives matter, too.” “Yes, there are some bad cops, but we still have the greatest justice system in the world.” And while these statements may technically be true, the “Yes, but…” response is an attempt to shift the…
Quarantined: Survey
Please take a moment to share some thoughts with us to help us better create spiritual formation opportunities for our church in the future.
Quarantined: FInal Day
Sometimes life’s changes are so small that we never notice how far we have come. We feel like all our efforts are for nothing because we don’t see the difference from one day to the next. We tend to be people who want instant results, and obvious results, but that’s not how life works most of the time. Take for instance, the banner image of this post. How many of you noticed that the image changed each week, gradually moving…
Quarantined: Extra – Incarnation
Sacramental Life: Encountering the invisible God in the visible world The Incarnational Tradition focuses on the relationship between the invisible spirit and physical reality, helping us to see God’s divine presence in the material world in which we live. God manifests himself in his creation, even in the midst of mundane activities, whenever and wherever we acknowledge God. “Far from being evil, the physical is meant to be inhabited by the spiritual.” Richard Foster in Streams of Living Water copied…
Quarantined: Day 30
Today’s prayer will be a bit different than we have done on other Fridays. Today we reflect on the contemplative tradition which, “Put simply, the contemplative life is the steady gaze of the soul upon the God who loves us.” Richard Foster, Streams of Living Water So today I encourage you to find a comfortable and quiet place to sit. And close your eyes and sit in silence, focussing on the heart and attributes of God. Think about who he is,…
Quarantined: Day 29
Jesus said of himself, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.” (John 8:12) He came into the world to pierce the darkness and shine the way to life for all humanity. He went on to say, “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead…
Quarantined: Day 28
Many things are changing around us. As some of us return to work and some of those same things we did before quarantine, we need to be cautious of things we didn’t need to before. But one thing that has stayed the same is what we are called to do as followers of Jesus, and that is to continue to spread the Gospel, not for our own sake but for everyone’s lives to be changed. Take a listen to this recording…
Quarantined: Day 27
Title: Turning TablesArtist: Suki Joseph PremnathArtist Statement:This was a very emotional piece of artwork to paint. When I was asking what I should be painting for social justice, this is the image that the Holy Spirit gave me. To be honest, I was taken by surprise that He would give me this image of an angry Jesus turning tables. I was full of doubt until the very last brush stroke, but I know this is exactly what He wanted me…
Quarantined: Day 26
Congratulations on making it to the last week of the “Quarantined: Using a Season of Solitude to Connect with God.” We began this journey together five weeks ago, not knowing what the state of the world would be when we reached the final week. Would things be back to normal? Would the virus be under control? Would we feel safe venturing out and be able to worship together face to face? We now know the answer to all these questions…