"And so it happened just as the Scriptures say: "Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith." He was even called the friend of God." - James 2:23 NLT
Recently I was sharing something pretty unbelievable with my friends. This was the kind of thing that some call, "a God thing" that you share only with the people you trust. And despite the "unbelievable" nature of what I was sharing with my friends, a surprising and yet sweet thing happened: they believed me. I'm not going to lie: it meant a lot to me. In fact, it made me trust them as friends more than ever!
As I prepare to preach from Genesis 15 this weekend, I would like for you to prepare to receive the Word by reading through Genesis 15 and prayerfully considering some areas of your life where you trust God the way friends trust each other. I would also encourage you to contemplate some areas where you struggle with trusting God. And if I may share a "decisive prayer" with you: please pray specifically for me to "trust God" with the message he gives me!
Speaking of trust: on every dollar are the words, "In God We Trust." This morning, one of my Young Life friends shared a video with me. I don't often share or speak about things that have strong political overtones. However, I don't think this makes a political statement as much as it makes a prophetic statement. I found it to both historically accurate and presently alarming. I highly encourage you to watch it.
I would love to hear your thoughts on it if you have the time. Feel free to shoot me an email: joel@barachurch.com.
I love you, Bara! Know this: Before I ever talk to you about God, I talk to God about you! I'm praying that we all will pray trusting prayers! After all, that's what God's friends do.
I'll see you on Sunday ... early, prayed up and with a friend by your side.
That all might know Christ and make Him known,
BSM: Happy Mother's Day
This Sunday is Mother's Day and we want our students to do nothing less than sing to, hug, kiss, shower with love, and spoil their mother. We all know moms do more than we could ever repay so we want to encourage our students to enjoy this day with the one who brought them into this world. We'll be back to meeting as usual next Sunday night! Happy Mother's Day to all you moms!
If you have any questions about Bara Student Ministries (BSM), please contact our Youth Pastor, Ryan Bradley at Ryan@barachurch.com. For more information on BSM, please visit www.barachurch.com/bsm.
B-Kids
This week in B-Kids we will celebrate Mother’s Day by learning about what it means to honor our mothers and show appreciation toward them. We will also learn about mothers and children from the Bible and play a matching card game. In Wee Kids we will talk about what it means to honor our mother and ways to make them feel special.
bGroups
bGroups are small groups that meet regularly. They help people build community and grow in their faith. If you are interested or have questions, visit barachurch.com/b-groups. Contact: groups@barachurch.com.
G E N E S I S
This is your beginning with Bara. See who we are, our mission, vision and core commitments. Hear about our journey, our past, present and future. Learn what we do, how we connect and serve. You will be able to get your questions answered and much more. For more information click here.
Arise and Build
If you love accomplishing a lot at one time (think: one stop shopping) then you need to come check out our Arise and Build Prayer Nights every Tuesday evening at 7:00pm at the BARA offices. In less than an hour, you can praise The Lord for all He is doing in and through Arise and Build while you answer His call to pray audaciously for what is to come and if that wasn't enough: you will get to build new relationships with your BARA family!! One of the sweet byproducts of our Prayer Nights for those of us that have been participating is that we have experienced the joy of getting to know each other better in ways that can only happen by praying and spending time together. Give it a try and see how God can use a time of prayer devoted to building a building to actually build His church! For directions to the Bara Church office click here. For additional information click here.
Automate the Important
Would you be willing to set up an online giving profile on our website and automate the important? Not only will you not have to bring a checkbook to church, you will help us grow our ministries during all seasons of the year. If you miss a Sunday gathering or you like to do your finances with a debit or credit card. You might be interested to know that you can go to our website and make an offering online. Any offering you give will be entered into the barabase, which you can look at any time to see the up to date amount given by you or a family member. At the end of the year we will send you a year end giving statement for tax purposes. So jump in today and Automate the Important! To give right now, simply click here.
Stay Connected
To listen to and watch a sermon click here. Visit us on facebook. Check the Website. Download the Bara Church App. Use the Barabase.
