The CLC Commute

Why do so many of us know what the Bible says about joy and still don't have it? This week, our lead pastors reflect on Sunday's message from guest speaker Dr. Gary Oliver and talk about how joy isn't something you feel your way into but something you choose. They look at joy as a fruit of the Spirit that grows over time, how to handle the "squirrel thoughts" that steal it, and why our emotions are meant to be indicators, not dictators. If you're heading into the holidays carrying grief or heaviness, stay to the end for Dr. Oliver's seven-day challenge to choose joy, starting today.

Daniel served four kings across three empires over 65 years, in a culture that never shared his faith, so how did he stay faithful, and what does it really mean to be “loud” about our faith? This week on The CLC Commute, Pastor Grant and Pastor Reggie unpack Daniel 6, the tension between quiet integrity and the moment a line has to be drawn, and a simple two-part test for discernment: does it express love for God, and does it express love for people? They break down shalom, peace as “all components working together,” and what it takes to carry that peace into workplaces and cultures bent on disruption. Then they tackle the hardest question of all: how do you keep showing up when the promise may take 70 years, and why Psalm 137’s temptation to hang up the harp matters for your hardest season. If you’re living in Babylon right now, keep the window open, keep singing, and don’t hang up the harp.

What do you do when you’re stuck in a season you never wanted, and someone promises you’ll be out in two years? In this episode, Pastors Grant and Afsaneh Roe dig into Jeremiah 28 and 29 and the false prophet whose word of hope sounded great but never came from God. They give practical ways to test what you’re hearing: check it against Scripture, look at the fruit of the messenger, and weigh it in community. They also talk about the God who doesn’t only deliver but also walks with us through the valley. If you’re waiting on God right now, this conversation is a reminder not to live your life in the waiting room.

Launching the new series Faithful in Babylon, Pastors Grant and Afsaneh unpack what it means to live in exile.

They define Babylon—from the Tower of Babel to Daniel’s captivity to the New Testament’s metaphor for a world system that causes “spiritual amnesia.” Drawing from Daniel 1, they reveal Babylon’s three tactics: retrain the mind, reward the appetite, and rename your identity.

The invitation? Resolve, like Daniel, to seek the world’s good without bowing to its gods—and live as a faithful presence rather than isolating, assimilating, or dominating.\

Sermon Study Guide: https://page.church/clcstudyguidewk41-26

Pastor Danny (with Pastor Chad) shares from Sunday about the power of a simple prayer: “I love you, God.”

Sparked by a tender moment with his own son and a personal conviction from the Father, Danny unpacks how easy it is to forget to simply tell God we love Him—and offers practical ways to keep Him first in busy seasons. Plus rapid-fire questions from CLC youth on control, doubt, surrender, and more.

On Reach Sunday, Pastors Grant and Afsaneh celebrate CLC’s local and global ministry partners—and dig into a tension that has long divided the church.

They call it “the great divorce”: the separation of gospel proclamation (loving God) from gospel demonstration (loving neighbor). Drawing from the Great Commandment and real-life stories, they show why the full witness of the gospel requires both—and invite us to ask a simple but powerful question: “What’s in your hand, and how is God inviting you to make a difference?”

Sermon Study Guide: https://page.church/clcstudyguidewk39-26

Coming out of a week of prayer and fasting, Pastors Grant and Afsaneh unpack Paul’s short but powerful letter to Philemon.

Paul could have demanded justice—but instead he chooses the way of Christ: appealing in love, speaking to the heart, and even offering to pay the debt himself. It’s a stunning picture of the gospel and a practical model for how we handle conflict, injustice, and reconciliation.

Are we willing to leave room for God to do even more?

Sermon Study Guide: https://page.church/clcstudyguidewk37-26

In this special midweek CLC Commute, Pastors Grant and Afsaneh encourage you mid-fast with a powerful invitation: get gut-level honest with God.

Drawing from Psalm 139:23-24 and 1 John 1:9, they unpack why honesty in prayer isn’t scary—it’s the pathway to freedom, purity of heart, and renewed intimacy with the Father. Plus a beautiful reframe of repentance as a “joy word” and invitation home.

Push past day three. You’ve got this!

Resources & prayer guide: clcnwa.com/prayer
Join us Sunday, Sept 13 at 5pm for worship + Break-Fast potluck!

In this episode of the CLC Commute, we continue the new series on prayer and fasting as the church prepares for the Global Week of Prayer and Fasting (September 6–13) in partnership with 24/7 Prayer. Pastor Grant Roe shares the message “Lord, Teach Us How to Pray,” offering practical ways to deepen everyday communion with God.

The conversation explores the freedom to be gut-level honest with God (drawing from the raw honesty of the Psalms), praying with an open Bible, finding a quiet place free from distractions, practicing listening prayer, and inviting the Holy Spirit to intercede when we reach the end of our own words. A helpful resource guide for the week of fasting is also highlighted, available at clcnwa.com/prayer.

Join Pastor Grant and Afsaneh as they detail fasting best practices!