“Many things about tomorrow
I don’t seem to understand
But I know who holds tomorrow
And I know who holds my hand”
It was a lovely way to end his testimony account, this brother in Christ, reciting from a song verse from the song “I know who holds tomorrow.”
As a result this one verse has stuck with me since then. And it’s helped remind me:
Tomorrow, we don’t know what will happen.
Tomorrow things might change.
Tomorrow might be good or it might be bad.
Tomorrow is a new day yes.
But tomorrow God is there.
After all, He is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. And with this knowledge that our God is there tomorrow, I really can trust God wholeheartedly, and have faith in Him.
This year, here at the BCEC, we’re exploring the topic of FAITH. Although it’s not a particular verse per say. But what I will say is this, I am extremely excited about this, because it appears so often in the bible, and therefore there’s so much to learn and explore on this topic.
With it being February now, one month in, already we’ve heard some excellent stories of faith, heard some challenging faith sermons–some hard hitting, some encouraging, and some that open our eyes in awe and wonder of what God can and is able to do, or has done. I’m actually super thrilled to be going down this path, in an exploration of FAITH.
When Bert shared it with us on staff back in December, he gave some great examples of how we can explore so much of this topic. Lots of verbs.
Walk in faith. Pray in faith. Grow. Work. Trust… I’m sure there’s more. And he even shared the imagery of how it’d be so cool to have a lovely mixture of words as magnets, much like the poetry magnet sets that were once very popular. but instead, _____ in faith. [blank] in faith. insert a verb.
I liked it already! And tasked with designing the annual theme design for this year–I was excited to see what can be done (I’ll probably blog about that process another time though!)
So this year… it seems like such an excellent idea to explore a 40-Day series:
“40 Days Of Faith”
Although for some older veteran church members, it’s recycling old material, from 2004 and 2009… For some of us, it’s good to revisit, or go through for the first time!
It’s a 40 Day devotional that we’ll be going through together in our congregation, during the season of Lent. Starting this coming Wednesday 14th February, and finishing up on Saturday 31st March, leading perfectly to Easter Sunday 1st April. There are Grace Days on Sundays during this season, for people to catch up, or just simply to reflect on something they’ve been challenged or learnt (or just have a day of rest!)
In case you missed your chance to grab a paper copy today at church (we printed and bound a limited number unfortunately), you can download a PDF version. Or simply follow us everyday online, as new posts will be scheduled each day, at midnight from 14th Feb to 31st March.
Join us on the website to be part of the conversation. And join us together as we all study the gospel of Mark passage, read some “points of interest” on the passage and do some “taking it home” tasks together. I’m excited for what God will do within BCEC, within the lives of my fellow brothers and sisters, and in my own faith journey too! Excited and prayerfully waiting with eager anticipation for what God has in store! I hope you are too! Let’s commit this time of Lent to the Lord, in prayer, fasting, and in His word, embarking on 40 days of faith.
Links below:
– PDF download
(suitable for most devices, i.e. iPads, tablets, laptops, preview, adobe acrobat, and other PDF viewing apps. But might appear small on mobile phone screens.)
– Website: www.40daysfaith.wordpress.com
(more advisable for mobile phone users, print is bigger and easier to read. Also great for web browsers, or ipads/tablets too.
Also has google translate option for those wishing to read in a different language, i.e. traditional or simplified chinese!–although translations may or may not be accurate. it should be fine for the scripture passages.)
(ps. special thanks to Vineyard Christian Fellowship of Cambridge, Massachusetts originally written by Dave Schmelzer and Brian Housman, and used with permission. Thank you to Pastor Bert for adapting the content it to fit our BCEC context. And thank you to Steph L and Jess C for helping with the repackaging and designing of the 2018 PDF material.)