Pastor Paul Gravrock of Ascension Lutheran Church in Thousand Oaks, California plumbs the riches of the Biblical story of Joseph, and how God saw him through life -- from the peaks to the pits to breathtaking success. God turned a bad thing into a good thing, using Joseph's brothers' treachery in selling him into slavery to place Joseph in a position in which he could save people from a coming famine.  In Genesis 50:20, he says "Even though you intended to do harm to me, God intended it for good." We often find God working the same way in our lives. 

Blessed to be a Blessing -- what does that mean? Where do those words come from? In this second week of Ascension's journey through The Story Bible study, Pastor Steve Herder preaches on this theme, a favorite passage from Genesis and the Biblical account of Abraham and Sarah. "As God is calling Abraham and Sarah, God is calling you," says Pastor Steve.  "....to cross the room and give comfort to a family member...to talk to someone who is all alone and needs a friend...to be a blessing to the people around you at work..." Listen and be inspired to be a blessing.

Ascension Lutheran Church in Thousand Oaks, California, has begun a 31-week Bible reading journey by way of The Storyabridged chronological version of the Bible. In this first week, the Reverend Dr. Paul Gravrock takes up the story of Adam and Eve and the Garden of Eden. Looking at the familiar narrative, Pastor Paul examines different facets, and even finds a bit of levity surrounding Adam throwing Eve "under the bus." 

Pastor Steve Herder of Ascension Lutheran Church in Thousand Oaks, California, takes his sermon theme from James 2:1-17, a controversial chapter that includes the famous admonition that faith without works is dead. Do we do good works in order to gain salvation? No, stresses Pastor Steve. The great gift of salvation for followers of Jesus Christ cannot be earned. No one is sin free, no one is perfect, no one is good enough -- but God forgives the whole sinner. And the good works that we do are works of praise and gratitude.

Preaching from the Gospel of Mark, the 7th Chapter, Pastor Tim Delkeskamp of Ascension Lutheran Church in Thousand Oaks, California, talks about Jesus' admonition to the pharisees -- that it isn't what goes into the mouth that defiles, but what comes out. There are parallels to this today. None of us humans is perfect, but the Lord can make a clean heart within us.

Ephesians 6:10-20 is a familiar passage, using verbiage familiar in the time to show how protected and reinforced we are by our God and faith in Him. In this sermon with many take-aways, Pastor Steve Herder of Ascension Lutheran Church in Thousand Oaks, Ca. talks about the applications of God's armor and how it strengthens and protects us today, and every day, as we put our trust in Him.

Do you understand the origin and meaning of the sacrament of communion? You will, if you listen to this two-part sermon series by Pastor Tim Delkeskamp of Ascension Lutheran Church in Thousand Oaks, California. Preaching from the Gospel of John, the 6th Chapter, Pastor Tim digs deeper into the words of Jesus and their significance across time and in our lives today.

Do you understand the origin and meaning of the sacrament of communion? You will, if you listen to this two-part sermon series by Pastor Tim Delkeskamp of Ascension Lutheran Church in Thousand Oaks, California. Preaching from the Gospel of John, the 6th Chapter, Pastor Tim digs deeper into the words of Jesus and their significance across time and in our lives today.

Wrapping up his 37 years as pastor of Ascension Lutheran Church in Thousand Oaks, California, Pastor Larry Wagner leaves the congregation with hope-filled, inspiring words. 

What was the reality of the miracle of loaves and fishes? Some Bible scholars believe that the boy's act of sharing his food inspired others in the multitude to bring out food they had hidden away to share with those who had none. In this sermon drawn from the gospel of John, Pastor Larry Wagner of Ascension Lutheran Church in Thousand Oaks, California talks about this well-known miracle, considering the possibility that Jesus multiplied the gift and the crowd was also inspired to share. We see similar amazing feats today, Pastor Larry notes. Earlier this month, the youth of the ELCA cleaned out square blocks of Detroit and performed other service projects as part of their 30,000 strong youth gathering. When we give, when we serve, we inspire others in a wonderful upward cycle.