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Central Lutheran Church - Elk River
Weekly sermons from our Central Lutheran Church preaching team plus quick reflections from Pastor Ryan Braley.
Real talk, ancient wisdom, and honest questions — all designed to help you learn, grow, and find encouragement when you need it most.
At Central, our mission is simple: FOLLOW Jesus together, be a community where you BELONG, and LOVE our neighbors across the street and around the world.
Think deeper. Live freer. Share an episode with a friend and visit us in person anytime — you’re always welcome here in Elk River, MN.
Episodes
239 episodes
#110 - What I Learned When my Dad Died {Reflections}
The moment that voicemail played in the dark car, everything we’d been holding back broke open. Grief hit like weather—sudden, total, impossible to outthink—and what followed became a lesson we didn’t know we needed about how to let emotions mo...
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10:24
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Where Should We Buy the Bread? with Pastor Ryan Braley
Hungry crowds, tired disciples, and one audacious question: where should we buy bread? We walk through John’s vivid retelling of the loaves and fish to see how Jesus moves a community from cost-counting to courageous offering. The setup is fami...
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35:08
#109 - What is Yours to Carry? {Reflections}
A scoop of creatine goes down the wrong pipe and suddenly there’s panic, coughing, and no air. That small scare becomes the clearest picture of modern life: we’re breathing in more tragedy than our souls can process. Violent headlines, viral cl...
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11:24
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What Good Is It? with Pastor Ryan Braley
What would you trade for “the whole world”—and how would you know if the price was your soul? We dive into Jesus’ most piercing question and discover it’s not about a distant afterlife, but about the texture of our days: what we attend to, what...
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31:59
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#108 - Rituals That Shape Us {Reflections}
A river, three rocks, and a kiss—sometimes the smallest acts carry the most weight. We mark twenty-five years of marriage at Minnehaha Falls with a simple, handmade ritual and open a wider conversation about how ordinary people can create sacre...
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10:00
Do You Love Me? 1, 2, 3 with Pastor Ryan Braley
A charcoal fire, the smell of fish, and a question that won’t let go: Do you love me? We walk the shoreline with Peter from the night of denial to a dawn of restoration, and we discover why Jesus asks three times—not to shame, but to heal, refr...
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35:41
#107 - How to Pray {Reflections}
What if prayer didn’t feel like a performance, but a place to breathe? We’re sharing a three-part rhythm built around a single word—here—that makes space for presence, release, and direction. It starts with “Here I am,” a small, courageous act ...
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8:24
Still you do not know me? with Guest Pastor Lorraine Daley
What if your soul is carrying more than it was made to hold? Between constant headlines and endless scrolling, we’re all feeling the weight of a world that never powers down. Today we slow the tide and step into John 14, where Jesus speaks stra...
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22:21
#106 - Should I Go to Church? (Part 3) {Reflections}
What if church wasn’t a product but a countercurrent—something that pulls us out of the cultural river and teaches us to live differently? We open up a candid look at why a healthy church community still matters: not as a perfect institution, b...
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9:48
Why Worry? with Sonja Knuston
What if the most peaceful season of your life still made room for worry—and that became your greatest teacher? Coming back from a seven-week sabbatical, I share the highs and hiccups: hiking the Dolomites on breathless trails, a tense comedy of...
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28:00
#105 - Should I Go to Church (Part 2) {Reflections}
Ever wondered why rituals matter? In this thought-provoking exploration, Ryan dives into the transformative power of church community and how it fundamentally shapes who we become.Drawing from Aristotle's wisdom that "we are what we rep...
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9:38
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Who Touched Me? with Pastor Ryan Braley
In this episode, Pastor Ryan unpacks the powerful story of the bleeding woman in the Gospels—the moment she reaches out to touch Jesus’ garment and is instantly healed. What seems like a simple act of desperation is actually a profound display ...
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32:09
#104 - Should I Go to Church? (Part 1) {Reflections}
Ever wonder why church still matters in our digital age? This episode tackles the profound human need for meaning and belonging that church uniquely addresses. Through personal stories and thoughtful reflection, we explore how the church provid...
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10:14
What Are You After? with Pastor Ryan Braley
What if the most powerful spiritual practice isn't finding answers, but asking better questions? When Jesus encountered his first followers, he didn't greet them with a sermon or statement of faith. Instead, he asked a deceptively ...
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30:03
#103 - How to Read Revelation {Reflections}
Revelation might be the most misinterpreted book in the Bible. Far from being a cryptic code predicting modern events or a Rubik's cube of end-times prophecy, this mysterious text reveals something far more powerful: a vision of hope for believ...
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15:14
Not Done Yet with Pastor Ryan Braley
What happens when our lives don't unfold according to plan? When we make mistakes or choose wrong paths? The ancient metaphor of a potter and clay offers profound insight into how God works with our imperfections and redirections.Throug...
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28:48
#102 - You Mad Bro? (Part 2) {Reflections}
Ever found yourself on the brink of becoming a "voracious monster" after a stressful day? You're not alone. This profound exploration of emotional regulation delves into the fundamental question: how do we behave according to our values when ev...
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8:40
Guard the Gar with Pastor Ryan Braley
What happens when we truly see one another? Not as objects, categories, or problems to solve, but as living souls bearing the divine image? In this thought-provoking exploration of Leviticus 19, we discover the ancient command to "guard the ger...
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34:38
#101 - You Mad Bro? (Part 1) {Reflections}
Ever wonder why you sometimes act completely out of character? Those moments when you snap at a coworker or make an impulsive decision that leaves you thinking, "That wasn't like me at all"? This episode dives deep into the hidden emotional for...
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8:00
Just Kidding with Ben Carruthers
What does it mean when Paul warns against "obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking" in Ephesians 5:4? Contrary to some interpretations, this isn't a blanket prohibition against humor and joy - God clearly has a sense of humor! Just look at the...
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28:10
#100 - Two Questions for Life {Reflections}
Have you ever stopped to ask yourself who you truly are and what you're really doing here? In our milestone 100th episode of Reflections, we dive deep into these two deceptively simple questions that have the power to transform your entire life...
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10:14
The Resurrection of the Dead and Why We Can Trust the Gospels with Pastor Ryan Braley
What if the most extraordinary claim in human history—that a man died and rose from the grave—was actually true? And what if we could examine the evidence for this claim the same way we evaluate any other historical document?The Gospels...
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37:56
#99 - Should Christians Drink? Exploring Faith's Gray Areas {Reflections}
Ever found yourself wondering about the boundaries of Christian living? In this thought-provoking episode, Ryan tackles the frequently asked question "Should Christians drink alcohol?" – but quickly reveals that the real issue runs much deeper ...
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10:34
#98 - Kill Your Guru: The Journey from Dependency to Maturity {Reflections}
Growing pains aren't just physical – they're relational too. That moment when you realize someone doesn't need you the way they once did can be simultaneously heartbreaking and beautiful.Ryan opens up about watching his 21-year-old son ...
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7:56
Before the Beginning Begins with Pastor Ryan Braley
What if the most profound theological concept in Christianity was actually an invitation to the most beautiful relationship in existence? When a community member asked "What is the Trinity?", it opened the door to exploring not just a doctrine,...
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37:59
