BCF Staff Blog

Q & A

2011-01-12T09:31:00.000-08:00

I enjoyed this weekend, and taking your questions at church. Here are the answers to most of the questions. There are a couple more that may follow in the next few days.

-Pastor Randy

Q1: How do you deal with a jealous spouse?
A: First, a couple needs to come clean with their past. “What do you want to know? I will tell you anything but realize that some info I share may be painful to you and to me?” This commitment to “full disclosure” is difficult but necessary. Then, a couple needs to be regularly forgiving one another. As I mentioned this weekend, I call this “being current.” This requires regular one on one time together. No kids, no TV, no distractions. I find that jealousy usually creeps into a relationship when intimacy and transparency have been lost.

Q2: How do you know when you are ready to marry?
A: A person is ready to be married when he is able to leave father and mother, provide a home (income and a roof over head) for his new family, and is able to unite physically, mentally, and spiritually with his spouse. Most young people are able to unite physically and will be tempted to do so prematurely. Many young people will be tempted to unite physically and mentally with someone who does not love and serve Jesus. A person is not ready to marry until he is able to unite physically (sex), mentally (shared maturity, life goals, values), and spiritually (loving and serving Jesus) as a couple.

Q3: How do I encourage my husband to be more accountable as well as myself?
A: Most husbands naturally want to be unconnected and do life alone. Men often feel no need to be connected to other men who will provide encouragement and accountability. One of the reasons I am able to be accountable is Lydia’s willingness to give up some time with me so that I can meet weekly with other men. Sometimes wives nag their husbands about being connected, but give them no freedom to be away from the home for a couple of hours to be with other brothers in Christ. I am not talking about beer and a football game. I am talking about men meeting together to pray for one another and be accountable to resist sin. MAN CHURCH is a great way to encourage you husband to be more accountable.

Q4: Is it such a bad thing for us to be cautious of when we have children?
A: We have two (among many) directives in scripture regarding raising children. I will be preaching about your relationship with your child in two weeks. So I will be brief at this point. Directive #1-God says, “Be fruitful and multiple”. Directive #2-God says, “Bring them up with the discipline and instruction approved by the Lord”. The challenge is that so many people are able to achieve the first directive but not the second. Are you able to raise children that love and serve Jesus? Then have babies!

Q5: Should my husband really come before my children?
A: I will talk about this in two weeks. If he doesn’t, he would rather live alone. Under God, you should both be each others' highest priority. If not, your marriage will be sad…and so will your children. The best gift you can give your children is to make your husband a higher priority.

Q6: Is it my job to change my spouse?
A: No, you can’t. God does not hold you accountable for your spouse's sins. You should study I Corinthians 7 and I Peter 3.

Q7: What if my husband is not seeking God for guidance to lead family? Do you still follow?
A: Take a look at I Peter 3. Yes, you should follow your husband, unless your husband is leading you to do something that clearly dishonors God.

Q8: How do I love my wife like Christ loves the church?
A: You are probably willing to take a bullet for your wife. But, are you willing to die daily…by turning off the TV, or saying “you go first,” or sacrificing your own “right” to something in order to make her happy. Are you willing to start finding your happiness in your wife rather than at the expense of your wife?

Q9: How do you stay strong when your husband is in a bad place?
A: Connect with other ladies who have gone through similar circumstances. I don’t know of any other way. One of the best ways to find those ladies is on Friday nights at Celebrate Recovery. You'll find you're not alone, and there are others that can help you through your circumstances.

Q10: IS it OK to marry a non Christian?
A: Take a look at the answer to question 2.

Q11: What if we have nothing in common?
A: I don’t quite know what this means. I married a beautiful, gentle lady who is the best wife and mother I know. In that sense, we have nothing in common. You should study your spouse. Get to know him or her better than anyone else. Become an expert. Then, you will appreciate the unique ways of your spouse. Then, you will appreciate the fact that your spouse is strong in areas that you are weak in and you will become a team.

Q12: IS it right to have separate checking accounts?
A: I would not say that this is morally wrong. But I don’t think it is wise. Becoming one involves sharing everything. Everything. However, if one spouse is financially irresponsible and can’t be trusted with finances, there may be a short period of time when two accounts are necessary. You should sign up for Financial Peace University, which begins in February here at Brownsville Community Fellowship church.

Meeting in the TENT

2011-01-11T15:07:00.000-08:00

Randy’s responses to your marriage questions will be coming soon. In the meantime let me share this with you.

A few weeks ago on Facebook I posed the idea that, since we’re meeting in the tent, and refer to it often, that TENT should be an acronym. We combined several of the suggestions and came up with “Together Encouraging New Transformations.”

The first two words reminded me of Hebrews 10:24-25, “Think of ways to encourage one another to outbursts of love and good deeds. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage and warn each other, especially now that the day of his coming back again is drawing near.” Just because we have some adverse conditions, we shouldn’t shy away from meeting in the TENT. It might be too cold, too hot, too windy, too noisy (from traffic), but we need to meet together. Why? To encourage each other, and be encouraged. One translation suggests we’re to be almost competitive, “outdoing each other” in love and good deeds. Wouldn’t that be a beautiful church?

The second two words come from our purpose statement, “We exist to invite those who don’t normally go to church, and help them become fully transformed followers of Christ.” And we are the church of New Beginnings.

So, invite people to the TENT. Those who don’t normally go to church (it is a unique church experience!), and those who had been coming, but you haven’t seen in awhile. And if you haven’t come recently, stop in at your favorite service. Encourage, and be encouraged!

2010-10-28T08:12:00.000-07:00

The armor of God, found in Ephesians 6: 10-17, is the center of daily prayer for many Christ-followers. Several years ago I learned some interesting background to this passage. (Read the passage in your Bible first before you read the rest of this blog).

The Belt of Truth. In the Roman/Mid-Eastern thinking at the time the “loins” or stomach were the seat of emotions. If you’re nervous your get butterflies in your stomach, if you’ve done something wrong you get that sinking feeling in your gut. Truth protects against our wildly swinging emotions. If we guard ourselves with what is true and unwavering it will protect us from our actions being guided by our extremely unreliable emotions. (Have your ever really gotten worked up about something, only to find out later that it was predicated on something that wasn't true?)

The Breastplate of Righteousness. In the author’s place and time the heart was the seat of decision making. If we protect ourselves by right living, it will prevent us from making poor decisions. They will be based on God’s righteousness, and then be in line with God’s will.

The Shoes of Peace. There is a connection in the Bible between your feet and the Gospel. It probably has to do with “going” to spread the Good News (“[Jesus] said to them, ‘Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.’” Mark 16:15 NIV). An interesting verse in the Old Testament is Isaiah 52:7 “How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news of peace and salvation, the news that the God of Israel reigns!” (NLT)

Helmet of Salvation. A helmet protects your head. In the thinking of those days, the head was the seat of rational thought. The realization of our status in Christ protects our thoughts and helps us in the area of right-thinking. If we stray from this fundamental we can wander down all kinds of strange teachings and philosophies. I like what Paul said in 1 Corinthians 2:2 “For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified” (NIV). Paul and John warned many of the early believers against getting caught up in unproductive mental endeavors, such as genealogies, Gnosticism, gossip, etc.

Shield of Faith. A shield is for general protection of the whole body. Our faith helps us to press on when under attack, because we know who we belong to, and know who will ultimately win this battle.

The Sword of the Spirit. This is our only offensive weapon. Any good soldier knows everything about his weapon, its parts, how to take care of it, and how to use it in any situation. We, too, should know our offensive weapon from front to back. But not just know it, but apply it to our lives, and use it on a daily basis.

Pastor Randy proposed the following prayer points in a message some time ago:

Pray on the:

Belt of Truth — I want to be a truth-teller

Body Armor of Righteousness — I want to be clean in God’s eyes

Shoes of Peace — I want to be a man/woman of peace

Shield of Faith — I don’t want to be distracted by Satan’s lies

Helmet of Salvation — I want to hope in heaven

Sword of the Spirit — I want to want Your word, God

2010-04-06T20:00:00.000-07:00

The water heater in my garage has two purposes. To hold 40 gallons of water, and make it hot. Last night it decided not to hold the water. We woke up this morning to a small stream running out the garage door.

As I drove home from the hardware store with my new water heater, I was thinking that when something decides not to do its job, things don't go well. The alternator on my car quit working once. The car didn't drive for long. The outdoor unit on our air conditioner went on strike once, and we were hot for awhile. When one of your body organs quits working, you usually end up in the hospital.

The Body of Christ, the Church, works the same way. When one part decides not to do what the Designer created it to, the results are that the Body doesn't function well. Can you imagine what BCF and Brownsville would be like if all the Christ followers acted according to the purpose God created them for? This place would be turned upside down. We would hardly be able to keep up with the BCF Fest-type events. We would have missionaries going out every month. We might even be building a new building with more seats and more parking to help more people find Jesus and become fully transformed followers of Christ.

So, what's your purpose? Are you fulfilling it to its potential? If the answer to either question is no, and you want to experience the exciting ride, let us know, and we'll help you figure it out. Email prof@bcflife.org, and we'll set up an appointment.

2009-12-14T08:33:00.000-08:00

Recently I saw there was a movement to put Christ back into Christmas. Very cool indeed.

As I thought about it I realized in some ways He never left. The cashier at the store may wish you "Happy Holidays," and your school may have "Winter Break" or winter programs and festivals. But the hard facts are that without Jesus, there wouldn't be a Christmas vacation or a happy anything this time of year.

If someone at a store wishes you "Happy Holidays," just think about the word. Holiday comes from the phrase holy day. It is a happy holy day because of Jesus. Otherwise, it wouldn't even be a holiday.

And New Years. In the last several years the PC police have implemented the designation of the dates CE, for Current Era, and BC (Before Christ) is now BCE, or Before Current Era.

OK. Call it what you want. What designates the current era? The birth of Christ. That hasn't changed. Nor has anyone suggested some other arbitrary historical event as the pivitol point in time.

So, make sure Christ is in the center of your Christmas. Wish people a Merry Christmas, and if they wish you Happy Holidays, you can tell them that they are, because of Jesus.

And The PROFFY goes to...

2009-11-30T15:58:00.000-08:00

My wife and I saw A Christmas Carol today. I went in thinking "yeah, it's in 3-D, but how many times do we have to remake this story." Besides, in my opinion, the Muppet version is the best, most accessible, most interesting version (but don't judge me).

But, as it unfolded, I thought this film wins 2009 PROFFY Awards (my own movie award) for best animation, best advancement in animation/computer graphics, best adaptation of a classic, and the best picture. I thought this film was not only exceptional in its meticulous animation, but it wasn't overdone. Neither was the use of 3D.

It followed Dicken's story very well. And being a Disney production, I was wondering how much Jesus they would leave in the script. Actually, they left it all in. My favorite line occurs when the Ghost of Christmas Present leads Scrooge to Bob Cratchet's home, just after Bob returned with his crippled son Tiny Tim from church. Cratchet's wife asked how Tim behaved,

"As good as gold," Bob replied, "and better...He told me, coming home, that he hoped people saw him at church, because he was a cripple, and it might be pleasant to them to remember on Christmas Day, who made lame beggars walk and blind men see."

The only reservation I have is, even though it carries only a PG rating, I don't think I would take anyone younger than middle school age to see it. It has some pretty intense scenes for young children. Best to get a sitter and see it yourself first. Then you get to enjoy it twice. The only other caution is, if you tend to get motion sick, you may want to take something before hand. This film immediatly goes on my list of 200 favorite films.

Of course, you could read the story to your kids. Some other great Christmas stories to read include:

The Gift of the Magi, by O Henry

The Best Christmas Pagent Ever, by Barbara Robinson

How The Grinch Stole Christmas, by Dr. Seuss

And don't forget the Bible Reading plan in your program, or on the Family page: http://www.bcflife.org/family.asp

Yours for a Christ-filled Chrismas,

Ken Erickson -Tech Director and Film Critic

2009-11-25T08:43:00.000-08:00

BCF Church family,
What are you thankful for this season? We would appreciate it if, while you are reflecting, you would post a comment here. It would be a blessing to our church family and others who drop by this blog.

Eating Out

2009-10-17T10:57:00.001-07:00

I'm sitting in the sound booth at BCF Church, listening to Phil & Heather Joel on the "Heart of a Great Marriage" simulcast. Phil said that at a time in their lives they were "getting a Happy Meal every weekend, but not eating during the week," talking about spiritually getting all the input from Sunday services.

He went on to say that the decided to set their alarms earlier and get up every morning and connect with God.

How many of us are doing just that. We're connecting with each other on Facebook and Twitter and e-mail, but not connecting with God through Bible reading and prayer. Would you agree that this is our most important relationship? Would you agree that this will be our longest lasting relationship? Yet we are feeding it with one Happy Meal a week. Don't we need the nutrition of good food all week? The balanced diet that will make this relationship take off and be the best thing that's ever happened to you is based on the Bible, prayer, and also being around other believers that can help you move ahead.

So, have a great week, and eat good food.

Ken
BCF Tech Director

A Tree Is Known By It's Fruit

2009-10-06T14:44:00.000-07:00

This weekend Pastor Randy said something that was really new to me. I became a Christ follower in 1982, so I've been around awhile. I learned early on that there are disciplines in the Christian life that we are to practice to become more like Christ. But the focus has always been on the disciplines, the growth habits, not on the outcome, becoming like Jesus.

This weekend he said that the growth habits are the nutrition that will help us to live the life of joy Jesus made us for. Like an athlete eating the right things so she can be at the peak of her competitiveness. As children, if we eat right and are healthy, we will grow in height and strength, more and more look like an adult man or woman, and become smarter and wiser. Those are the indications that we are maturing and becoming adults.

The indications we are maturing and becoming more like Jesus is having more of His characteristics. I also must improve in each of His characteristics. I can never say that I love like Jesus loved. I can start, but I have to keep growing so I get closer, and that, by the growth habits.

I encourage you to review your notes from Oct. 3rd or 4th, or, go to the website and listen to the message www.bcflife.org/listen/broadcasts.html. Look in the menu to the left under "Current Series." If you want you can download the message after you click on it by clicking the "i" at the bottom right.

Growing with you,

Ken Erickson

BCF Tech Director

TAWG

2009-09-28T20:15:00.000-07:00

At BCF Student Ministries we used to use the acronym TAWG, short for Time Alone With God. In this hurried world you probably won't even read this if it's too long, and finding time to set aside to be with God and listen to Him is more and more uncommon. We feel that this is the best thing you can do, though. So, here's some tips.

If you aren't reading your Bible, find it, put it in a place where you will see it often. Make an appointment with yourself and God to read it. Try 5 minutes a day at first and increase it as you get used to it.

After you get done reading, spend a couple minutes praying. Ask God to speak to you today, and help you in everything you have to do. Commit to giving God credit for everything He does for you today.

After you start building those habits, you can expand them. In prayer, you might use CATS to help you pray. It stands for Confession, Adoration, Thanksgiving, and Supplication (asking God for requests on the behalf of others). You might also make a list of people to pray for, and divide it up among the days of the week.

If you have a different routine, post a comment here and tell others about it. If you're just starting out, let us know how it's going. Tell us how God has shown up as you become obedient to Him. -Ken

spend some time thinking

2009-09-11T16:34:00.000-07:00

What comes to mind when you see or hear the words "Ground Zero." For some it's instant anger. For others it may be sorrow, or perhaps fear or helplessness.

Think for a moment about the word "Calvary." What comes to mind? I won't put any thoughts in your head by suggesting particular words. Take about 5 or 10 minutes and think about that word, and anything it could mean to you.

Feel free to respond by commenting here.

Life Preserver

2009-08-28T12:14:00.001-07:00

Our dog loves the beach and generally hanging around people. When people are sitting around the fire, Haylee’s with them. When people are on the dunes, she’s with them. When people are in the water, she’s in the water. The only problem is that people legs are longer than Labrador legs. She gets tired of trying to stay on top of the water and tries to climb on people, who then get scratched and it’s not cool.

So, last weekend before we headed out to the beach we bought haylee her own life jacket. She quickly learned that it doesn’t require a lot of effort to float, so she can just paddle around in the water.

Don’t we all need a little help staying afloat? Life tries to drag us under the waves and sometimes we just get too tired to keep our head above water.

What’s your life preserver? Is it your weekend service? Is it your small group (this could be the best one)? Is it Celebrate Recovery? Is it the team you serve with each week?

Having a lifejacket is one thing, wearing it is another. God designed us to be in relationships, in community with other believers. If we say we are connected in these groups but never go, or never participate, it’s like jumping into the ocean with no flotation device, no security.

I invite you to comment to this posting. Tell us about how being connected has helped you stay afloat in life. And we’ll see you this weekend in community!

-Ken

Created to Serve

2009-08-26T10:41:00.000-07:00

I’ve been thinking for a couple weeks about a certain topic. It’s kind of sensitive, and I’ve been mulling over how to communicate it without offending. Then Pastor Jim taught last weekend and his conclusion was very close to what I’ve been thinking. So, here it is, plain and blunt:

I believe a large number of Christ followers are living far below their potential.

There it is.

Here’s why I think that. God created each of us uniquely and for a unique purpose. We all have talents and skills we’ve developed over the years, along with passions and things that bring us joy. The Holy Spirit has gifted each one of His children with a spiritual gift, something only He can do, and it is to be used for His service.

Here’s the rub. How many Christ-followers do you know who are using their God given gifts and abilities (at all, much less than to their potential).

A couple weeks before Easter some men volunteered for a Work Day to spruce up the building and grounds of our church. One man really wanted to work in the flower beds around the Worship Center, so I let him go at it. He’s been working on it ever since. He has a passion to see it look nice and the skills and experience to do it. He put flags out for 4th of July, and has been replacing dead and ugly stuff with pretty flowers. He is living up to how God made him.

Almost every week one of our ladies bakes cookies and things that are fabulous for the hospitality table. God created her with those skills, desire and vision to welcome those who don’t know Christ with wonderful home baked goods.

There are many others who are musicians, work with children and other ministry positions that require a sacrifice of time and energy, but they are serving God the way He made them.

The flip side of this is there are 1,400 families in the BCF mailing list. Around 900 attend each weekend. What would BCF look like if every believer served according to God’s design for them? What would Brownsville look like?

Are you living to your potential? I hope the answer is yes. If not, write down what you enjoy doing, what kind of skills you have, and how you believe God has gifted you. If you need help, contact the office and we’ll be glad to help you figure out where God wants you to serve. There is no greater joy than being in the center of His will!

-Ken

Climbing the Mountain

2009-07-30T10:05:00.000-07:00

I’m back from an incredible two week vacation to Washington State. One of the highlights was leading an “expedition” up to the top of the highest mountain in that area that can be conquered in one day. While the trail is only 4 miles, the elevation gain is a grueling 3500’. If that doesn’t mean much to you, it’s like having a meeting on the top floor of a 350 story building and saying, “we’ll take the stairs.” Just so you know, the tallest man made structure so far is in Dubai, and is only 2,684 ft.

I had been to the top of this particular mountain at least 8 times, and have backpacked and climbed quite a bit when I was younger and lived in the Northwest. My son Daniel had been to the top when he was 10 years old, but the other 6 in our party were new to this.

At the beginning it was beautiful lowland forest with large trees and lush vegetation. A stream could be heard a ways away rushing down the course it had cut on its way to a larger river. I’m pretty sure the trail doesn’t become steeper, but every step uphill adds a small but incremental amount of fatigue on muscles that aren’t accustomed to going uphill.

One significance of this story is that I must have heard a thousand times, “I wish there were a ski lift/tram/bus up to the top.” Every time I replied, “but then it wouldn’t be special, would it?” The party was doubting how special it would be, and whether it was worth it no matter what the top was like.

When we finally got to the top each one was overwhelmed by the view. It was special. And the effort to get there was quickly being replaced by the incredible reward that awaited us at the top.

A couple days later my son-in-law, Ben, was relating how Christians are much like our expedition party. Spiritual challenges are presented, but most who claim to be Christ followers think they would like the reward, but don’t want to put out the effort to get there. There are great rewards for those who develop integrity, the habit of daily Bible reading, prayer, serving, tithing and giving generously, and being connected in a small group. There are even greater rewards for those who will develop the disciplines of spending quality time contemplating Bible passages they’ve read, memorizing verses, fasting, obeying promptings from the Holy Spirit, and personal worship.

I say those who “claim” to be Christ followers because I believe most who make that claim are unwilling to follow where He is leading. If those on my expedition said, “I’ll follow Ken on this hike,” but decided to stop after one mile and sit in the forest by the nice stream, then they would never have experienced the elation of the mountain top.

To be honest, even the most mature believers fall short, but they also have developed these disciplines to the point that they have seen vistas that are beyond description. They would like you to experience them as well. Just because I had been to the top of this mountain didn’t make it easier, except I knew the landmarks and how far it was to the end. It has also helped encourage me on other mountains, knowing what the reward would be, and there is an end, and it’s worth it.

So, take one step at a time and, no matter how hard it gets, take one more step. It’s even easier if you do it with a group, like your small group.

Ken

Where Is Hope

2009-04-28T10:01:00.000-07:00

The other day I was purchasing some items at the store from a guy I’ll call "Jeff." I asked him if he went to church, and he said, “No, I don’t.” I followed up with I’ve got a great church just for you. He replied that he wasn’t religious. I said, “It isn’t about religion. It’s about our relationship with God.” His response set me back in my tracks. “I don’t care about God,” he said.

How do you respond to someone with that view? Jeff was polite and probably a genuinely nice guy. I believe one day, if things don’t change, he will wish he did care about God. After our short conversation I thought a lot about the few things he said. One thing I keep thinking about is what must have happened in his life that brought him to this point. I find myself wishing we could do lunch. I wouldn’t preach. I wouldn’t promote my agenda. I would ask questions about his journey thus far and try to understand where he’s coming from. I doubt it will happen, but there are more "Jeff's" out there.

At the end of our brief time I told him, “God cares about you.” I handed him an invitation that said “HOPE” on the front. I told him I didn’t want to “sell” him anything, just to invite him to explore what we are about. And that was the end. I’m praying that one word, HOPE, will gnaw on his mind, and he will seek why God cares so much about Jeff that Jesus sacrificed His life for him. Not just to buy him a ticket to heaven, but to free Jeff from all the chains that led him to the point where he doesn’t care about the One who created him and loves him to death. Literally.

-Ken Erickson, Tech Director

Vital Body Parts

2009-02-25T13:33:00.000-08:00

"There will always be more people willing to do ‘great’ things for God than there are people willing to do the little things. The race to be a leader is crowded, but the field is wide open for those willing to be servants."

- Rick Warren

The military general came down with leprosy. The prophet told him to go dip in the Jordan River seven times. The general was both discouraged and furious for this answer. Finally his servant spoke up and asked him, “if he asked you to do a very difficult thing, wouldn’t you have done it?” The general was finally convinced, and followed the prophet’s instructions, and was immediately healed.* I believe that the cure was something silly and simple for two reasons, to show that the general would be obedient, and to show that the miracle comes from God, not the things we do.

Isn’t it the same with us? We want to do the great things for God. I’m confident that on some level, we want the glory, or at least the glory of being a part of the great thing God is doing. But are we willing to do the simple and silly? Clean a restroom, pick up garbage in the parking lot, paint a wall that needs it, stack some chairs, mop a spill. New people come every week, and God is being judged by how they see Him in His people. Is this a family they want to be part of? Are they going to change their lives to add God’s family into their schedule?

Are we satisfied being a vital but unseen part, and God gets ALL the glory? Several times the Apostle Paul describes the Church as a body, with different parts that are all important, even though some aren't as glorious as a nose or as pretty as an eye. We wouldn't live long without a liver or kidneys, or a lung. God designed each of us with a function, and we need to exercise that function. People will be coming to Christ if we do, and give God all the glory.

*2 Kings 5:1-14

Grace

2009-01-18T09:00:00.000-08:00

I just heard a very interesting description of grace.

As Christians, we know that grace is a free, undeserved gift given to us by God. We have all, at one time or another, messed up, failed, made a mistake, or simply chosen to do something we knew was wrong. Yet, after we ask forgiveness from God (with right motives and sincere regret), we find that His love, mercy, and grace are there for us. For some reason, that’s always surprising to us. It shouldn’t be. We should know God is perfectly just, infinitely loving and merciful. God even takes it a step further and helps make us better for our mistakes.

Grace is also something that can come from God through other people. Some people, God bless them, have a wonderful capacity for grace, while others, bless their hearts, simply don’t. We were all made differently. One man, who has a great capacity for grace, likened it to something that is still blowing my mind.

Imagine this: A suicide bomber comes into your home while your entire family is in it and explodes. You and your family survive, but the man is severely wounded. Grace is being able to go to that man, help him care for his wounds, and, although you’re ticked off at him for trying to kill your family, tell him you love and forgive him.

!!!

Imagine what that man had to go through in order to make the decision to be a suicide bomber. Think about the subtle choices and decisions that had to be made before he took that step. Imagine how brainwashed he would have to be. How completely fooled and duped. And, although he made the final choice to bomb your house and the consequences are on him, imagine there was an even more sinister and diabolical force leading him.

That is what it’s like in our world. We know that Satan is real, hates us, and wants to destroy us. We’ve all heard his lies, seen his work, and experienced sin in one way or another. Those of us who have seriously messed up and returned to God can understand the depth of thankfulness and completely heartbreaking love the suicide bomber felt when that person forgave him and loved him through his mess.

We’re all different. We all have a certain capacity for one thing or another. But we’re all given the choice to love people with God’s love. It’s so easy to react, to get caught up in our feelings. Those feelings are good. They let us know we were hurt, that a line was crossed, and that we have been wronged. But God wants us to respond in love. He tells us that in the same way He forgave us, so we should forgive others. It’s definitely a lot harder to do that than it is to lash out.

-Aaron Galvan, Intern Worship Leader

2009-01-09T10:36:00.000-08:00

I was on may way to the office and noticed this sign. I had never noticed it before, but what brought it to my attention was that it had been run over.

Then I realized how ironic that is; especially since the sign is in the straight part of the road. (I’m a big fan of irony)

Somehow I connected this sign to what I’ve been working on for the last several days. The purpose of this blog page, our website, BCF Church and all its ministries is to help you navigate the curvy road that life takes you down. Evidently some people have problems navigating the straight parts of the road; we’re here for them too.

We hope to have several of the staff contributing their thoughts to this page and having new stuff every couple days. This may take some time to get into the rhythm of doing something new like this consistently, but we hope you check it regularly and get something out of it.

-Ken Erickson, Tech Director