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.
Central Lutheran Church - Elk River
#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.
The episode opens with a powerful story about a rabbi who, while lost in thought one evening, encounters a Roman guard who challenges him with these very questions. Rather than being offended, the rabbi is so moved by their profundity that he offers to pay the guard to ask him these questions every morning. This ancient wisdom sets the stage for examining how modern Western culture sweeps us along a predetermined path that many follow without question.
We explore the familiar trajectory most of us have been sold: study hard, get good grades, attend college, secure a well-paying job, make money, and finally achieve happiness. But does this formula actually deliver? Are we, collectively, happy after dutifully following these steps? Breaking free from cultural currents requires courage and self-reflection, but the alternative – living someone else's life instead of your own – carries a far greater cost.
Self-discovery isn't instantaneous but unfolds over time. For many, the decade of our twenties becomes a laboratory of trying on different identities until we find what truly resonates. To aid this journey, I share a practical evening reflection exercise that, when practiced consistently, reveals patterns about what consistently brings you life versus what drains you – providing invaluable clues about your authentic self and purpose.
As we celebrate 100 episodes together, I invite you to join our community in person at Central in Elk River or online. Share this episode with someone who might be questioning their path, and let's continue this journey of authentic living together. Who are you, and what are you doing here? The answers might just change everything.
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what is up everybody? Hey, this is ryan and welcome to episode 100. I'm in the house with olivia. We're in the's Beats Laboratory, mike is in here, but Olivia and I are here and this is episode 100. Let's celebrate. So I don't know if you're listening to this today. When you jumped onto the well, hopefully you're on the bandwagon. When you jumped onto the, awaken no Reflections, good grief. Awaken no Reflections, good grief. I do a weekly email to the congregation called Awaken, but this is Reflections. I don't know when you jumped on the bandwagon, but we're glad you're here, welcome, and this is episode 100. So, whatever you do to celebrate, celebrate today, give yourself a high five, do a dance, a jig, have a drink, whatever you got to do, do it.
Speaker 1:And I wanted to share this story. This is one of my favorite stories. I've taught at several places around, you know, I guess, minnesota and Denver and the US and I've taught a couple of classes in theology at universities. I teach at a seminary and I often will open with this story, and here it is. There is a story about this rabbi who's walking home one night and on his way home he's deep in thought and he gets lost and he takes a left when he should have gone right, doesn't realize that he's gone the wrong direction because he's so deep in thought. And this rabbi suddenly comes across, this, comes upon this Roman garrison, this Roman fortress, and he hears somebody call down from the top of this Roman fortress and say hey, who are you and what are you doing here? And the rabbi looks up and he goes what'd you say to me? And the guard up on top of the garrison says I said who are you and what are you doing here? And the rabbi says let me ask you a question how much are they paying you to be up on top of that garrison and to yell down those two questions who are you and what are you doing here? And the guard is sort of caught off. He's like two denarius a week or whatever. And the rabbi's like hey, I'll pay you double that to come over to my house every morning and ask me those two questions who are you and what are you doing here? So I want to ask you, listener, who are you and what are you doing here? So I want to ask you, listener, who are you and what are you doing here?
Speaker 1:You know the culture that we live in, especially the modern Western culture that I'm most familiar with, will generally work to push you in a certain direction. You probably feel it If you're maybe super young, maybe not yet, but the older you get you've got to recognize that there is this stream that's moving a million miles an hour that pushes us to go in a certain direction, to value certain things, to be and behave in certain ways that we just adopt without even asking why or what's going on. It's sort of like the matrix. You know what I mean.
Speaker 1:I remember when I was younger. I just remember thinking, you know, I get up and go to school every day. And why, well, to get up and go to school every day? And why, well, to get good grades. Why am I doing that? Well, I'm like, okay, to get into a good college. Why, well, to get a good job eventually one day. Why would I care about that? Well, to make money. Why. Why do I need to make money? Well, so you can be happy. And then it's like, yeah, that was kind of the end of it. I'm like, okay, so every day I get up to go to school, do my homework, so I can get good grades, so I can go to a good college, so I can get a good job, so I can make more money, and then ultimately, I guess that'll be what makes me happy. And now, of course, there's value in just doing the thing because you take pride in it.
Speaker 1:Almost I felt like I ingested this pathway, Like this is where I'm going and I'm going there no matter what. But then I'm asking is that what will make me happy? And are we as a culture? Are we happy? Like, are we a bunch of happy people? Because we're all trying to chase this thing, we're all in this stream that's moving a thousand miles an hour, and are we happy? And I don't know, the longer I live, I know the culture will do its best to co-opt us and our well-being, to fit into the certain mold and direction, and it's easier for us to just get in and go along. It's harder to fight against the stream. But who are you like? Who are you and what are you doing here? And maybe it's this very specific pathway that it seems like everybody's on, but maybe it's not, maybe it's something different. I mean, it doesn't really matter at the end of the day what other people are doing. That's not you.
Speaker 1:There's this great saying that one of the rabbis said hey, when I go to heaven, god won't ask me. Hey, why weren't you Moses? Instead, god will ask you why weren't you you? So for me, god might be like oh, god won't ask me, why weren't you such and such good preacher, good pastor, why weren't you that guy? God will ask me Ryan, why weren't you Ryan? Yeah, why weren't you you? How can I be me unless I know who I am? Who are you and what are you doing here? Now, this takes time to figure out.
Speaker 1:Of course, I love talking to high school kids when they're graduating, because they're right on the tipping point there of having ingested this message of hey, go to school, work hard so that you can then go to college, so that you can get a good job, so you can make money, so you can be happy. You know what I mean. And some of them are like right about to go into college, and they realize well, maybe college isn't for me, or I don't want to go to the college my parents want me to go to, or I don't want that job that my parents want me to have, or that the culture tells me I should have. And so I say to them listen. How could you know what you want and who you are and what you're doing? You're only 18. Maybe you know, but a lot of them don't know because they're only 18. And that's okay, because it takes time to figure out who you are and what you're doing here. And so if you know and have a sense, yeah, go to whatever your plan is. If you're like I'm going to go be an electrician, okay, great. Or I'm going to go to this college and study law, great. But don't be surprised either if you get in there and you're like I don't think this is for me, that happens In many ways.
Speaker 1:I think it takes a long, a good decade for many of us in our 20s to figure out what I'm doing, what I'm good at, where I want to go, what I feel like a sense of calling to and who I am and what I'm doing here. And you might have to in that time, when you're younger, you might have to kind of enter into places that really aren't you and you don't even know it yet. Or you have to try on clothes that aren't really yours, and so you can know what you're doing and what you want and where you're going and what you feel like you're called to do and how you can make this world a better place and contribute and be a part of the mission of God of renewing the world. Now here's a practice I want to give you, and I'm going to get out of your hair and wish you all a happy 100th episode, but there's this great practice, it goes, but it's a way of at the end of every day, and if you did this for like, I think, three months and took notes, I think you would find some very fascinating things. But this is one of the ways you can find out who you are and what you're doing here. So here's what you can do Every night before bed take about five minutes and, you know, kind of enter into this time of reflection and quiet and you can give thanks to God for all the things in your life that happened that day.
Speaker 1:Good, you know the big and small gifts you received and the moments of beauty and wonder and awe and all that kind of thing, and then examine your day like go over your day like almost every moment, from the time you woke up through to breakfast to lunch, and then who you met with. And did you go out for a coffee, did you work out at the gym, did you go play whatever disc golf, and then you came home and met with your, you know. Go over all those things and ask yourself two questions, and the first one is hey, what did you do today that was life-giving? You could phrase it like this what did you do today that, if you had to relive this day over, you'd do that moment again? Or you could say it like this what in today's day, what are you the most grateful for? Like what made you come alive today? Not maybe it's like oh, I got a free car, that'd be awesome.
Speaker 1:But write it down whatever it is, it doesn't matter how shallow or deep it might seem, just write it down. And like I mean, like what was the most life where you felt like you were able to give and receive love, or you felt like you were living in tune with who you really are and you just felt life-giving, it felt fun and incredibly connected and all those kinds of things. The second question is what in your day are you the least grateful for? So just the converse question like, what did you do today that you felt disconnected, or where did you feel like you couldn't give or receive love. You felt like you weren't really yourself or you just you weren't grateful for that moment. It felt like there was something just kind of off. You were off of center.
Speaker 1:And write that down as well, and then do this for three months, I would say, and you don't have to do it every single night, but I think I'd encourage you to do that and watch what happens. My guess is, the things that bring you life. You'll start to see a trend Like, oh, these are the same three, two, three things that keep bringing me life. You know, like for me, I did this for a long time, for about a year, and I noticed whenever I would hang out with people and when I would talk about god, I'm this true story I'm like those always brought me life. And like here I am, I'm a pastor, like there's something about my life. I'm sort of wired, I think, internally to like be with people and to encourage them and to talk about deep things, about God and faith and life and meaning. I love doing that. And then, on the flip side, the things that kind of drain life. You can address those as well, but do it over the course of a large chunk of time and see what it is and what those things are, and that might give you some clues about who you are and what you're doing here.
Speaker 1:So, friends, for our 100th anniversary of Reflections Podcast. It's been a good ride, olivia, it's been fun having you here over the last month, a couple weeks. But I want to ask you this question, at least two again who are you and what are you doing here? All right, love you guys. Peace. Are you and what are you doing here? All right, love you guys. Peace. Hey, if you enjoy this show, I'd love to have you share it with some friends. And don't forget, you are always welcome to join us in person at Central in Elk River at 830, which is our liturgical gathering, or at 10 o'clock, our modern gathering, or you can check us out online at clcelkriverorg. Peace.
