BCNE News
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Waterbury women gather for retreat to encourage one another in loss and the faithfulness of God
"Our retreat was full of laughter, crying, praising, and praying," said Margaret, an attendee at the 2nd annual women's retreat for the ladies of Waterbury Baptist Ministries in Waterbury, CT. Spearheaded by Tamika Goldson, the September retreat occurred at the Rice Lodge, next to the BCNE building.
The faithfulness of Daniel’s God
In studying the book of Daniel this summer, I noticed that the book indirectly answers two crucial questions. They are questions that address our deepest fears about the future, the next generation, and the changes that come with every new season. They are not questions we would consciously ask, but underneath the anxiety we might experience, one of these two questions may lurk unanswered.
In the darkest times, God’s light shines brightest
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” -John 16:33
These are Jesus’ words to his disciples, including us. Our trouble is what we have just spent the last two years navigating through with God’s help. This type of trouble is no stranger to those of us who serve in New England.
God’s Church
“I don’t think this church will make it. Honestly, I don’t think I am going to make it,” I blurted out as I sobbed before my wife. The frustration and disappointment erupted violently and unexpectedly. No one had prepared me for the hardship and disappointment I would endure.
The power of persistence
I recently came across an interesting survey about prayer done during the pandemic. It was conducted by the Cultural Resource Center at Arizona Christian University on behalf of the Presidential Prayer Team. They discovered that 66% American adults pray at least once a week and another 10% reported they pray at least once a month. According to this survey, prayer is the most widely practiced religious activity today. Even with these impressive stats, people still report struggling with their prayer life. In this same survey, only 2% said they were satisfied with their prayer life.
Read carefully, you might hear yourself singing
Years ago I enjoyed the television show, “Storage Wars”. If you are unfamiliar with the show, people would bid on unclaimed storage units (and all of the contents that these unclaimed units held). Normally these storage units were unclaimed for a reason—they didn’t have anything of particular value in them. But there would be times where unexpected treasures would be uncovered in these long-forgotten storage units and the participants on the show would find that a storage unit they spent $200 to purchase actually contained $30,000 worth of goods.
Strange baggage but confident hope
My wife and I often joke about how different we are when it comes to packing for a trip. Days before we leave she meticulously makes a list of everything that will be needed on the trip, while I start to pack an hour or so before we are supposed to depart. Neither of us understands how the other one operates, but it works for us.
Yet, for as strange as we both think the other one is when it comes to packing, there’s something nestled at the very end of Genesis that would strike both of us (and probably you!) as very odd about what the people of Israel would need to pack and take with them when they leave Egypt in the exodus.
The birds of the air and the hope of your heart
As I sat down to write this article, I looked at the computer for a few moments and wondered how to start. I typed a few words, hit backspace, then tried again.
Writer’s block is part of life. Whether you are writing a paper for school or a report for work, there are often times where you stare at the computer screen and feel as if your mind is stuck in quicksand. Though our minds might struggle to find words to write, our minds rarely struggle to muster things to worry about.
From challenge to triumph
As a mom of school-aged children, I was struggling to manage all of my responsibilities. Stress, feelings of being overwhelmed and insecurity were my unwelcome companions. I turned to God for help, and He heard my cry. He answered me in a way that I did not expect – He used one of my son’s diagnoses to bring healing and hope in my life.
Faith and thanksgiving
Ever since I can remember, Thanksgiving has been my favorite annual holiday. We were a typical New England family that would prepare a typical New England Thanksgiving feast, and as we sat around the table everyone would express one thing they were thankful for. As a young boy I thought it was pretty cool that a federal government would set aside one day each year for its citizens to stop their busy lives and gather with family to give thanks for the blessings bestowed upon us. This led to a lifelong infatuation with Plymouth Rock, the Mayflower and these courageous folks that travelled across the Atlantic Ocean in the fall of 1620.
Many happy returns!
There are many things that I love about being a Christian. The forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body and the life everlasting have always been my favorites, but lately I have grown to truly appreciate the blessing of the “happy return.” That is, after I have gone astray, wandering into all kinds of worthless distractions and selfish indulgences, I then come to my senses and long to return to God. The Gospel gives me the great assurance that I can get up quickly and return happily to my heavenly Father. I don’t even need to grovel or slink back under cover of night.
An appeal to Heaven: Christ is the only hope for our nation
If we are to truly believe God’s Word, then we must realize that God created us “for such a time as this.”
We say this often, but do we live it out? These are definitely strange times in our culture, and the opportunity to serve God has never been greater. Being a Baby Boomer, I remember well the last big period of upheaval we saw in this nation. There was so much confusion during the 1960s that both a president and a godly man who preached the Gospel of Jesus Christ were assassinated in plain sight.
Eating my own crow
Most secular people don’t leave a job for a pay cut – especially a pay cut that totaled 64% of your previous total salary. But when God makes it clear that moving forward with such a large pay cut is the next step, you do it.