Church Blog

Church Blog

Eat This!

53 Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.54 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day. 55 For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. 56 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them. 57 Just as the living Father sent me and I live…

Options

Who doesn’t feel under the pressure of the noise and endless options that seem to be the norm for our modern lives? Is there ever a moment when there is not a list of things taking up space and wanting our attention? It’s the harassment of obligation and worry that drives us to twitch, stomp, and run like horses plagued by bot flies. Horses will group together, tails swishing, or roll in the dirt to find relief. We look for…

Brunch Club

At Ashworth, we believe we’re better together. As we share our faiths and lives with one another, we experience the support and encouragement necessary to live lives of love and grace. If you’d like to connect with others in our church community, sign up for Ashworth’s Brunch Club! We’ll put together groups of 6 to 8 people interested in connecting outside of our regular Sunday morning services. Each group will gather once for a meal at a restaurant or member’s…

To Be Honest

Recorded in numerous places in both the Hebrew section and Christian section of the library we call the Holy Bible are accounts of people who in raw emotion poured out their hearts to God. We read of deep pain, anger, and an anguish of soul expressed to the Almighty with the desperation of nowhere else to turn. Prompted by the death of a loved one, or starvation, or defeat in battle, or persecution and injustice, we see it demonstrated in…

A Word About Help

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” Psalm 46:1 Recent events in my life have gotten me thinking about the help that comes our way when needed. It comes from varying directions and sources, ranging from family, friends, medical professionals, inspirational readings and meditations, and more. Some that can go unrecognized are provided from a desk and computer in an insurance claim processing place somewhere. Just because I had a bad gall bladder, a whole…

Peace Be Still

I need time in God‘s presence today. Reading the news and what’s going on in the world has my soul troubled and anxious. Meet me here God; quiet my heart and my restlessness. Let me sit with you this morning.  I feel the heaviness, the weight of the world. Others must feel it too. Divisiveness. Hatred. Murder. War. Enemies. Violence. Cancer. Sickness. Weariness. Exhaustion. Stay busy so I don’t have to face it. Keep the devices on, so I can…

Liturgy of Prayer

Spend 40 days in prayer and intimacy with Jesus. We encourage you to read the following prayers each morning, reflecting upon the faithfulness of Jesus as you pray. For more information on our current sermon series and the liturgies below, click here to watch a video from Pastor Brent! Prayer of Approach Oh God, gather me now to be with you as you are with me. Soothe my tiredness; quiet my fretfulness; curb my aimlessness; relieve my compulsiveness; let me…

A Warning

Judas and the other disciples were in agreement. That expensive bottle of ointment the woman poured over Jesus’ head in Bethany had been wasted. It should have been sold with the money given to the poor. After all, wasn’t care for the poor a central theme of Jesus’ message? Matthew tells the story. “Now when Jesus was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, a woman came up to him with an alabaster flask of very expensive ointment,…

Ashes to Ashes

The low church Protestant tradition I was raised in did not follow the traditional church calendar and Lectionary. We did not observe Lent and thought those folks walking around with ash crosses on their heads on Ash Wednesday were a bit weird. I have come to believe that was my loss. Once I took the time and care to learn the history and meaning of such observances, I have come to appreciate the symbolism and devotional meaning of them. Today…

My Paradigm Challenged

As I was reading John 9 this morning, I was struck by the interaction between a man healed of his blindness and the Pharisees. What an incredible story with a convicting ending. As the man who had been blind his entire life has to justify his healing, he tells the Pharisees (those with religious power), “If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.” (John 9:33 NIV) What happens next is sad and scary. Verse 34: “To this…

Delight Yourself

Psalm 37 is one of my favorite Psalms. It appeals to my sense of fairness and gives counsel for how to keep my head on straight and my heart in the right place when things seem not to be going as they should. “Fret not yourself because of evildoers; be not envious of wrongdoers! For they will soon fade like the grass and wither like the green herb. Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land and…

Who Let the Peace Out?

One of my favorite words of wisdom in the Scriptures is: “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful (Colossians 3:15 NIV).” It’s the word rule that grabs my attention. It means “to be in charge” or “to make the call,” much like the umpire in a baseball game I watched recently. Whenever I am faced with a difficult decision, it is the choice that…