Sanctity of Human Life Sunday is coming!

What a blessing it will be, Lord willing, to bring Psalm 139:13-16 before you this Sunday--on Sanctity of Human Life Sunday. When preparing a sermon, there is so much to say, but one cannot get to everything. I'm leaving a small portion of my sermon here on the blog in case I can't get to it on Sunday. What is below is a screenshot of my manuscript. The screenshot speaks to how to lovingly and graciously talk to our friends who may have a pro-choice standpoint. Notice I say "friends" because they are made in God's image as well. They have a soul that we want to see come to know Christ as their Savior. With that in mind, I've come across the acronym SLED. Hope it is helpful!
Ben Davidson

Opportunities & Inconveniences: Making Best Use of the Time in 2024

It was the end of the week and my paper was due on Monday. I had about 25% of my paper done; the rough draft that is. I had studied and mapped out the passage I was writing on in Ephesians chapter 5, but inevitably things came up and my laptop closed. With an appointment a few towns over - and in an effort to remove myself from distractions in my home - I decided to leave early and go to a coffee shop there.

I set up my office-away-from-home and planned to spend several uninterrupted hours writing my paper. I had roughly 3 hours to spend at the coffee shop until my appointment would necessitate I leave. I was nearly one hour in with a lot of work yet before me when I noticed a woman in front of me.

From my table I noticed her at the checkout aisle asking a lot of questions with her strong accent to the barista. After ordering, while she waited for her food, she began taking pictures of the coffee shop and menu with permission from the workers. When her food came she began taking pictures of it. I wondered if she had traveled here. I thought, I always like to have pictures of myself in places I visit, let me offer to taker her picture.

"Would you like me to take a picture of you at this coffee shop, ma'am?"

This began what would become a 2 hour conversation.

I learned that she was not visiting, rather she was a reviewer for TripAdvisor reviewing restaurants and coffee shops. She was from Russia, but she now lived in the area. She travels often and whether local or in a different country reviews the restaurants, coffee shops, and hotels she visits.

We began talking about her trips. Quickly you could tell that this woman was a storyteller. She told the stories well. She asked me what I was working on. I told her about a Bible class I was taking, and how I was writing a paper on a passage from Scripture. She shared that she's not a religious person and doesn't know much about Scripture. After discussing some more she asked me, "What does your religion say about this . . ." and she continued to detail a question about something she encountered on her trip.

"Ahh, what about . . ." and she asked another question about a topic that culture might consider polarizing. She told me about how she is a professor at a college vocationally, and then told me more fascinating stories about her trip. She was delightful to talk with, but I worried about the time I had left to write my assignment before my appointment, worrying, How am I going to get this done? I have no more time left this week with other commitments. It really should get done now . . .

After a while she said, "I've kept you so long; I've just enjoyed our discussions! I should let you get back to writing. Do you need to keep writing?"

I remember thinking to myself, Lizzy, you can write about God's exhortation in the book of Ephesians to make the best use of the time and walk wisely, or you can live it. What good is it if you write about making the most of every opportunity for the kingdom of God, but foolishly neglect an opportunity in front of you? Don't just write about it, practice it now!

"No, you're fine!", I replied, "Please, go on!" and I closed my laptop that had been sitting open. I wanted her to know that I was fully invested.

We kept talking about her travels, and she asked me if I'd traveled. I told her about a mission trip I had been on, what we did, and why we went. We chatted right up until the time that I had to leave for my appointment. As we got ready to leave and walk out together, she told me that she enjoyed talking with me, and that it was just what she needed that day. I remembered that I had a "What is the Gospel?" tract in my wallet from the Outreach Resources at Bethany, and I asked her if I could giver her something.

I handed it to her and said, "Earlier you asked me what I was writing about. This tract talks about what I'm writing about, and why I'm passionate about it. I hope you'll read it!" She said she would when she got home, and she thanked me for talking. I reciprocated that it was great to meet her and enjoy her company!

This story's outcome would have been much different if the Holy Spirit hadn't convicted me and opened my eyes and heart to see the situation rightly and make the best use of the time; namely to care more about the person before me and the opportunity He gave us both, rather than the open laptop and delay in getting my paper done. How tragically ironic would it have been to remain consumed with thoughts of getting my paper done on the subject of making the best use of the time for the kingdom, and squander the opportunity literally in front of me.

Friends, we don't always hit the mark. I am saddened to think of the opportunities I have had to point others to the Gospel message and did not. In those times, thanks be to God that He does not discard us, rather He transforms our hearts and minds to more and more seek first the Kingdom as we walk with Him. He teaches us and empowers us, forgiving us when we fail, giving us new opportunities, and empowering us to proclaim as we should.

Please join me in saying a prayer for this woman. I am praying that this upcoming year the Lord would continue to grow me in walking wisely with Him and with others. That He would help me to look carefully how I walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Not being foolish, but understanding what the will of the Lord is (Ephesians 5:15-17).

- Lizzy Blanchard

Note: If you would like to grow in your outreach and evangelism efforts, Bethany is here to help you! Visit the Dutch Lane Cafe for outreach resources to help you as you seek to reach your neighbors and others with the gospel of Jesus Christ. There are free resources and some for purchase. Items include equipping books, gospel tracts, BCC business cards for inviting to church, and free evangelistic gift bags to give to people without a church home.

Christmas and Loss

For some, Christmas is a wonderful and joyful time, filled with family and friends and many fun festivities. For many, though, Christmas holds a mix of emotions including joy and pain. The mix of emotions is certainly true for our household. During the merriment and fun with our two children there is the reminder of two others who are not with us this Christmas. On our beautifully lit and decorated tree is an ornament placed annually as a testament to their absence.

Even as I'm preparing this post and writing these things out, the emotions rise and tears flow as they always do when I get close to this subject . . . 

The loss of loved ones comes in many different forms and with this holiday having such a family element to it, it is almost impossible to not experience some of the weightiness amid the joy. Honestly though, I remind myself that in some ways, this should not really be a surprise, for even the wonder and joy of the very first Christmas was the foreshadowing of suffering and death. The One Who at His birth would be named, "Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins" (Matthew 1:21) inherently was marked for death that He might be "pierced through for our transgressions, and crushed for our iniquities" (Isaiah 53:5). And yet, our own losses still hurt.

For our family, this hurt came in the form of miscarriage . . .

Two years ago, at this time of year with the holidays and after almost a year of infertility, we innocently and excitedly planning for our third child, were informed by our doctor that our little one had no heart beat and was not with us any longer.

We were hurting and I was devastated that I was wrestling with God and my feeble understanding of Him in ways I would have never dreamed before this. Two months later, certainly not done grieving, but we could at least see our way through the haze more often than not, Jennie and I had our own little memorial service together. Having no body to bury or any great entourage of people who knew to be able to comfort us, we thought this was the best way to help provide some closure and together turn this over to the Lord. As a part of that time, we each wrote up some thoughts we shared together. I chose to write mine as a letter to my departed child. It seemed most fitting to in some way recognize their personhood though they never took a breath in this world and continue to allow me to walk through much of what I had begun to process over those two months.

Below is some of what I wrote and with Jennie's permission would like to share with you. One month out and it was still raw and even rereading it for this post, I again feel it fully. My hope though in reentering into this personally and inviting you into my grief is two-fold:

First, if you are hurting during this holiday season or have experienced something similar, I want you to know you are not alone and it is okay to carry that with you. God always uses the hardest things in our life to make us the most of who He wants us to be in Christ. Rather than reject the refiners fire, it is our greatest joy and wisdom to embrace that which burns and purifies us so.

Second, for both my sake and yours, I want to bring us back to the truths we can cling to even as we suffer in loss. Psalm 119:6-7, "Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep your word. You are good and do good; Teach me your statutes . . . It is good for me that I was afflicted, That I may learn your statutes."

Memorial Thoughts (2/5/22)

What would it be like if you had been born in August 2021? You would have been just shy of three years younger than your sister. You would have been a fifth little body in a high chair around our table, a fifth joyous smiling face, a fifth loud voice adding to the chaos of our dinner table. You would have been the third hug for daddy in the morning, a third child to rock and then lean over the crib to give a kiss to each night . . . I would have loved to see you interact with your brother and sister, see them know and get to know you in ways they'll never understand or know they missed out on at their ages.

I was tempted to start this paragraph by stating, "we thought you were," but truly this is how it should be worded . . . You were the answer to Mommy and Daddy's hopes and prayers for another child we'd been trying to have for a year unsuccessfully, we just only experienced the blessing of that answer in you very briefly.

I know we'll never know what gender you were, and yet when I think of holding your little fetal form in the palm of my hand I envision a boy, everything else I dream of is a little girl . . . a bright eyed, beautiful little one in a pink dress dancing around the kitchen with Daddy like I do with your sister. I picture tea times with you and her, I envision getting to walk you down the aisle and give you away with a big hug and kiss . . .

Early on when Mommy and I first found out we probably had lost you, one of the only things I could do as an act of prayer to God and trust in hopes of your life possibly being restored to us was to think of names for you. We (me and Mommy) want all our kids' names to have meaning, something to live toward. That's how I was raised and what I was often reminded of by Grandma. I came up with two names for you . . . maybe a first and middle name . . .

Anastasia - from the Greek "anastasis" for resurrection and thus my greatest hope while we waited for that second sono.

Teras (or maybe Teresa) - from a Greek origin, in English it is defined as "an organism (as a fetus) that is grossly abnormal in structure due to genetic or developmental causes," or "A malformed fetus with deficient, redundant, misplaced, or misshapen parts." In Greek it is also often translated as a "sign" or "wonder" like what God showed to Pharaoh in Egypt to prove His power in Exodus. That was also my prayer for you . . . that God would take your broken fetal body and make you a sign of His great power by healing, or even for the stage we were at, resurrecting you.

I so badly wanted those names to be true for you . . .

I told Mommy, maybe it would be harder to have lost you after seeing and holding you, but man, I would have loved to hold you . . . even if you'd already left us in spirit . . . right after I got off the facetime call with Mommy when we found out we'd probably lost you, I went over to the little stocking we had to give to each set of grandparents to excitedly tell them about you and I just held it and cried . . . cried so deeply from within myself . . . it hurt so much to lose you. It felt weird and wrong to think that the only thing you had to your name in this world was a $.50, tiny, poorly made, Christmas stocking bought in a pair from the dollar store. :( You are worth everything to us and we would have gladly given all our worldly possessions up if it would have meant we could have had you!

I like word pictures and plays . . . I take after your Great Grandpa Smith in that, but a few statements that strike me as so sadly picturesque as I pondered this . . .

Miscarriage Memorial

When the Womb becomes a Tomb

Then came the further medical decisions and with them an emotional deadness inside that led to great hurt at both your loss and the thoughts of all that would entail while still wanting to recognize your personhood. You are of infinite, eternal value to God and also to me and Mommy! We love you soooo much!

Overtime I've realized part of what hurt was not getting to touch you and let you know my physical love and affection, part of what hurt was not being able to protect you, especially in thinking about all that followed after initially losing you, and part of what hurt was all the hopes and dreams you had brought. . . things so subtle and subliminal I would have never realized I even had them till you were gone. I told Mommy, I don't know how it's possible to miss someone you've never really met and has only been alive for two months, but man I did, I do, and I will always miss you!

I love you my dear sweet Anastasia! I rejoice in the resurrection, trusting a good God that I will be satisfied with His actions both now and for eternity, but hoping that I will get to meet and know you . . . do life with you for eternity in ways I won't have in this lifetime.

Let me add one more thing . . . God has brought good from this. I wasn't always very sure of that, but now a little further out, can say it is true. I don't know fully what all that entails, but it has been so good to see Romans 8:28 is followed by Romans 8:32 where God has proved this is for all our good. His whole plan and every action can be trusted looking through the lens of Christ's death on our behalf. One other noticed good that has come from this is it has united me and mommy even closer. Our loss of you has forced us to grieve all the deeper with each other and find an even better companion and greater solace in each other than we would have known. 

We still miss you, but we walk by faith and are thankful for the blessing you have been, even ever so briefly in our lives!

Love always,

Daddy

This side of eternity I will never understand this loss fully, nor will I ever be able to fully separate myself from it (not that I should or even want to). There is and will always be a deep hurt there. But in the deep hurt, there is also, by God's grace, a deeper hope.

God both used and still uses His Word and His people so much now and during that time to draw me to Himself. Even in the long days and weeks where He felt so far away, the truth is, He was always drawing me closer to Himself. I would never have known Him in ways I do now outside of Him coming to me in my pain and again, how much this is embodied in Christmas . . . The Savior coming to those lost . . .

"The people who walk in darkness Will see a great light; Those who live in a dark land, The light will shine on them . . . For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace" (Isaiah 9:2 and 6).

Our Savior entered our world that He might free us and draw us out of it to true life in Him. He took on our mess, got dirty with our sin, suffered the pain we deserved, and died the death that should have been ours.

"And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us," (John 1:14)

"He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him" (2 Corinthians 5:21) 

"For He rescued us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins . . . For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities - all things have been created through Him and for Him . . . He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything. For it was the Father's good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; . . . " (Colossians 1:13-20).

That is and has to be my hope this and every Christmas in both the joy and the pain. Christ the babe, my Savior and King.

So here I, and hopefully you with me, stand having tasted of loss in the midst of a season of joy. Able through our great God to hurt and yet rejoice in the midst of pain because of Him.

This song came to mind as I was writing this and so I will close with the lyrics to it: 

Come Thou Long Expected Jesus 

Come, Thou long expected Jesus
Born to set Thy people free;
From our fears and sins release us,
Let us find our rest in Thee.
Israel's strength and consolation,
Hope of all the earth Thou art;
Dear desire of every nation,
Joy of every longing heart.

Born thy people to deliver,

Born a child and yet a King, 

Born to reign in us forever,

Now Thy gracious kingdom bring.

By Thine own eternal Spirit

Rule in all our hearts alone;

By Thine all sufficient merit,

Raises us to Thy glorious throne.

May the Lord grant you the fullness of His joy and peace as you enter into this season and all it entails in your life!

- Phil

P.S. As a point of hope for us after all this, God has again decided to bless us with a little one in the womb over this season this year . . . a girl :). We are encouraged and excited, yet holding far more loosely to this child, seeing her as the Lord's (like all our kids) and trusting Him to do what is good and best whether we get a few more days and weeks or the rest of our lives with her.

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

Pizza and Neighbors

A couple of years ago, Jeff decided to get a pizza oven - his mid-life crisis purchase. He has enjoyed learning how to make pizzas and sharing his new found love with family and friends.

This summer we prayerfully decided to do a once a month neighborhood pizza night in our driveway as a way to get to know our neighbors. We have lived in our home for 11 years and shamefully had not met many of our neighbors. We invited everyone on our street and those behind us on the other street. We put flyers in their doors not knowing if anyone would be interested. The first night, as we were setting up chairs and tables, we were anxious and felt a bit silly wondering if anyone would come. We were shocked to have 8 households show up and several we had never met before. We were surprised at how much they enjoyed meeting each other. We had neighbors and even their children asking us when the next pizza night was. The last pizza night of the summer, so many came that we ran out of pizza. I think Jeff made around 20. AND that final night, the rain that had lasted throughout the day stopped an hour before we started and began again an hour after we ended. Thank you Lord!

We have been able to build on some relationships since then which is what we had been praying for. Our desire is to be a light, presence and a blessing within our neighborhood.

If we could offer any encouragement, it would be this. We were blown away with the desire people had to know their neighbors. People do want community. We are grateful for the relationships that have continued and deepened since the pizza nights. Lastly, we did nothing fancy...just chairs and tables in our driveway, pizza and water to drink. By the end, people were bringing their own dishes to share! Now we have names and faces with houses in order to better pray for them.

-Janet Leman 

An Honest Question to Ask Yourself in Evangelism

I stared down at my growing to-do list wondering, "How will this all be accomplished this week?"

I reviewed the tasks, both big and small, that filled the lined paper on the counter before me. Maybe you can relate to strategizing when you will run errands, get the groceries, arrive at the events, practices, or meetings, pay the bills, and more.

Conveniently for us, there are some things that enable us to spend less time engaging in some of these activities. We can do things like setting up recurring payments for bills, opting for store pickup for our groceries, choosing autoship and door deliveries, mobile ordering our coffee for pickup and more. This allows us to make pit stops rather than full blown excursions before turning to the next thing on our list.

Before you think to yourself, "I know what's about to come next; "but... "that precedes the condemnation of our modern conveniences and full schedules." Allow me to share a few points of clarification before we proceed:

1. Modern convenience isn't inherently evil (I'm thankful for the convenience of sharing this blog on the internet where you can opt to read it at any time on your laptop or smartphone)

2. Having a full schedule for God-glorifying reasons - in obedience and response to the opportunities and responsibilities that God has given us - isn't bad (I think of Paul's day and night labor and in toil in 1 Thessalonians 2:9)

With this clarification in mind, I do not aim to critique avenues - which can be a great aid in efficiency - rather to healthily inspect our greatest aim. It is worth examining what our chief aim is, which informs our every other aim and action. 

What is our chief aim as Christ-followers while we are yet in the land of the living? What has God Himself commissioned us to do while we go about our everyday living?

As a part of our purpose to worship and glorify God, we have been commissioned to "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" (Matthew 28:19 ESV)

Read with me Matthew 28:16-20 in which Matthew records Jesus' instruction to the disciples that extend to us today, "Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."

Our aim as we glorify God and prepare to worship Him forever is to help others do the same as we go and make disciples. This requires sharing our faith as ambassadors (evangelism) and contending for the faith.

Similarly, in Acts chapter 1 Jesus tells the disciples before His ascension of how they will be witnesses to the world, "So when they had come together, they asked him, 'Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?' He said to them, 'It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea an Samaria, and to the end of the earth.' And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. And while they were gazing in to heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, and said, 'Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven'" (Acts 1:6-11).

Praise God that the Holy Spirit will aid His disciples, including us today, in doing what He has commanded: witnessing to the world of the Gospel, until the day of Christ's return. As I think about how - by the power of the Spirit - I might prayerfully accomplish this, I find myself first asking this honest question:

Is my life conducive to achieving the great commission or my greatest convenience?

Making the best use of my time as it relates to my calendar can be a good and wise thing, but not if it comes at the expense of making the best use of my time in these evil days pertaining to the great commission.

Are there times where I have opted out of personal interaction with someone in line at a store because I didn't "feel like it"?

Are there times when I have put my comfort and convenience as a priority over the gospel mission of making disciples?

Have I sought opportunities to get involved in the lives of others I might encounter, or have I limited easy opportunities to interact with others for the sake of convenience?

Do I ask God in prayer for opportunities for His plan, or to optimize mine?

I pray that you'll join me in asking God to open our eyes to those around us, to engage in the opportunities He has already given us, and to rightly see people around us as souls with eternal destinations before worrying about how quickly we can get to our next one.

What a privilege it is to be a part of God's plan of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:18)! Consider reaching out to a friend or care group member for encouragement and accountability and for ways that you can actively engage in this ministry this week. Here are some ideas:

Go into the grocery store or coffee shop to order if you might normally order online

Strike up a conversation with the person next to you at your child's sporting event

Bake a treat to deliver to your neighbor and ask how you might be praying for them

Stop into a local store that you've never visited and begin forming a relationship with the person behind the counter

Say "hi" when you see someone on your next walk around your neighborhood

Get creative and see how many interactions you can have in a week with individuals and continue from there!

I hope you will join me in prayerfully putting this question before us and adjusting accordingly:

Is my life conducive to achieve the great commission or my greatest convenience? 

- Lizzy Blanchard 

 

 

 

 

Your Neighbors

The article below is a great encouragement as you consider ministering to your neighbors--whether you live in the country, an apartment, or in a subdivision! Click here to read. 

Take care,
Pastor Ben 

PS-Our outreach team is looking at the website blesseveryhome.com as a resource for BCC. Take a look and let us know what you think!

Thankful in Prayer When It Comes to Suffering

On Sunday, Pastor Ben mentioned the following as it relates to being thankful in prayer when it comes to suffering . . .

1. To perfect us and grow us in spiritual maturity
Romans 8:28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. 29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, 
Romans 5:3 More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 

2. To display His faithfulness
1 Corinthians 10:13 No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.
Psalm 119:75 I know, O Lord, that your rules are righteous, and that in faithfulness you have afflicted me. 76 Let your steadfast love comfort me according to your promise to your servant.

3. To teach us our own weakness and to cause us to depend more on Him
2 Corinthians 1:8 For we do not want you to be ignorant, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. 9 Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead.

4. God wants to increase our usefulness
2 Corinthians 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. 5 For as we share abundantly in Christ's sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too.

5. To keep us from becoming too comfortable in this world
Romans 8:18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. 19 For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God.
Philippians 3:20 But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.

6. To create opportunities for being a witness for Christ
Philippians 1:12 I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel,

7. To cause us as Christians to recognize our need of one another and to cause us to draw closer to one another
Romans 12:15 Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.

8. His infinite wisdom
Psalm 147:4 He determines the number of the stars; he gives to all of them their names. 5 Great is our Lord, and abundant in power; his understanding is beyond measure. 
Romans 11:33 Oh, the depths of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! 34 "For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?"

Summary - To what does Paul relate suffering
Philippians 1:29 For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake,

Pastor Ben mentioned a few prayer apps and they are listed here:

Five Psalms

PrayerMate

Bless Every Home

Unreached of the Day