Focus

Last night, Becky and I were able to attend the second midweek Focus service. I thought it was great. We came early for the convenience meal, and what a great time we had hanging out as a family in the atrium and getting to talk to folks. we saw some "old" friends we rarely get to see because we attend different weekend services, so it was great to catch up. And we also keep meeting new people too, so that's always cool.

I am consistently amazed by how much this little blog seems to mean to people. I get the "Are you Jared Wilson? I love your blog!" thing just about every time I go to church now, and I'm still not used to it. It keeps startling me and humbling me. I guess as long as folks continue to get something, however meager, out of what I'm writing here, I will keep doing it. Lots of God-bloggers like to think of their blogging as a ministry -- it keeps us from the fear that we are wasting time ;-) -- but even after receiving countless kudos over three years of posting on five different sites, I never really felt the wonderful weight of blogging as ministry until starting BCC is Broken two months ago.

Speaking of ministry, can I just say -- again -- that Bill West is doing an incredible job? His brief journey through the second chapter of Romans last night was fantastic, and it really felt like he felt like he was in his element. The closing application session, with Pastor Dennis doing a theological Q&A on stage with elders Mike Hueneke and Randy Holland was an innovative idea, as well. I've never seen that done before, and I thought it was a really creative way to make the passage Bill had just explicated for us take on some real-world implications.

I also just want to mention how awesome it was to see so many people at a midweek service. Wow! BCC used to not be able to maintain a midweek service, and I don't think it was because people didn't hunger for more biblical knowledge and spiritual depth, but because we never cultivated the importance of such things at other times. If the shake up has done anything, it has made folks reevaluate their values as they pertain to church and to faith, and now that Community and Discipleship are values championed at all other times the church "speaks," we have in just a few short weeks developed an eager audience for a midweek exploration of those values. The last Wednesday night service I attended was a couple of years ago, and there were (maybe) about 50 people there. Last night's attendance looked like a Saturday evening service attendance -- not packed out, but arguably "big."

I'm so excited about the future of Bellevue Community Church. With committed leaders, a reenergized staff, and a joyful, eager church family, we are really preparing for and feeling the freedom to reach the unchurched and the overchurched with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. As the prophet Tom Petty once said, "The future's wide open . . ."