The CCC Blog

Rachel Bebee Gengler 6/2/19 Rachel Bebee Gengler 6/2/19

Joy for Today

(Left to right) Caleb, Rachel, Tiffany, Megan, Paul, Nathan, and Shiloh (photos by Melissa Pennington Photography)

Step into their Omaha home and you’d think the Leaders’ life is like any other. Paul and Tiffany are parents to five kids, ranging from seventeen to six years old. Paul works as a police officer for the Omaha Police Department, while Tiffany is a stay-at-home mom who homeschools the kids: Nathan, Caleb, Rachel, Shiloh, and Megan. Their home is warm and friendly, a place where you sense that each person in the family is happy to be with each other. Dig a little deeper and you’d discover that their life is far from ordinary.

The Leaders’ story started many years ago when Paul was working as a teacher in China. On a break from school, Paul had returned to Omaha, which is when he met Tiffany, a second-grade teacher, at Christ Community Church. After dating for a month in person, they dated long-distance for a year. During that time, he and Tiffany wrote over 100 letters to each other. Paul and Tiffany married after he returned from working overseas. They both wanted to have a large family, and they also felt a pull to international missions. The two planned on having a few children and then moving overseas to work as missionaries. They also felt that perhaps adoption was in their family’s future. Their oldest Nathan was born, followed by Caleb a year later. Life seemed very normal. And then their daughter Rachel was born.

At birth, Rachel didn’t look healthy. Her skin was yellow. She had trouble breathing. Rachel was very, very sick. At four hours old, Rachel was being prepped for emergency surgery for a blockage in her intestines. The doctor’s exact words were, “She might not survive the surgery!” The surgery was very difficult and the doctor was not sure how damaged her intestines were. If too much of the intestines were dead, Rachel would not be viable, despite the surgery. Tiffany shared there were several times where they almost lost her. When Rachel was only ten days old, Tiffany received an urgent phone call from the doctor, telling her to return to the hospital. Tears streaming down her face, she drove down Dodge Street. The doctor delivered the news: Rachel had cystic fibrosis.

Tiffany called Paul to tell him. At that moment, Paul sensed the Holy Spirit tell him that their family would not be going overseas to serve in China. The following day, Rachel experienced pulmonary heart failure and her lung collapsed.

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a genetic disorder that affects the lungs, but it also affects other organs including the pancreas, liver, kidneys, and intestines. A person with CF has difficulty breathing due to increased mucus production, which is thicker than the mucus of someone without the disorder. They experience frequent lung infections, as their bodies have a harder time fighting off bacteria, including bacteria that only affect people with cystic fibrosis. Those who have CF have a shorter lifespan than those without. And because a person with cystic fibrosis is more susceptible to illness, they must avoid people with colds and coughs, as well as others with the same disease. Even the family members of someone with CF must be careful to not shake hands with or hug people who are visibly sick—coughing, sneezing, blowing their nose.

Cystic fibrosis is a disease that is very socially isolating. Though there are treatments and new medicines being developed, there is currently no known cure.

Rachel spent six weeks of her first year in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). While Rachel was there, the baby of a couple who attended Paul and Tiffany’s Sunday school class was a patient in the same NICU. The two families shared their grief and prayed together. Rachel was finally released from the hospital. Paul and Tiffany brought her home, along with bags of nebulizer treatments and other supplies to keep Rachel alive. The supplies filled their living room. It was overwhelming. Yet on that day, the other family was burying their child. As Paul and Tiffany grieved for the other family, they also offered up this prayer: “OK Lord, whatever road you give us, we’ll take a hard road over no road.”

Though the Leaders weren’t able to move overseas because of Rachel’s disorder, they still desired to adopt. God brought two daughters to their family, Shiloh and Megan.

Today, Rachel is a teenager. Life with cystic fibrosis is challenging, and Rachel’s life looks different than the life of a teen without CF. Rachel’s day is filled with different treatments to manage the disorder. Consistency in treatment is key to maintaining better health for her. When she wakes up, she starts a feeding tube, which is a tube connected to a port that goes through her belly and into her stomach. Because CF doesn’t allow the body to absorb nutrients as well as it should, Rachel used to be malnourished. The feeding tube helped Rachel gain weight when she needed it. Now, it continues to provide the additional nutrition she needs. Afterward, Rachel begins breathing treatments, which can take up to two hours a day when she is well, and up to four hours a day when she is sick. These treatments often cause her to miss out on normal life, such as playing with siblings. Multiple times throughout the day, Rachel stops what she’s doing to take her medication. She currently has eighteen different medications that she must take every day. Preparing her medications take her and her parents about thirty minutes each week. Rachel has frequent doctor’s appointments with a variety of specialists. The medical challenges she faces are significant, but there are also social and mental challenges that come with the disorder. Not only must she avoid people who have coughs or colds, she also must avoid others with cystic fibrosis. While it would be wonderful for her to have friendships with others who have the same disorder and experience the same struggles, the bacteria of another person who has CF could make her very sick, and her bacteria could make someone else with CF very sick.

Despite this extremely difficult illness, Paul and Tiffany have taught their kids to trust and rejoice in the Lord. Paul shared, “We’ve definitely been blessed by the Lord through all this. Even in the tough times, we still praise him.” The Leaders have had many tough times when it’s hard to be grateful and actually mean it, yet they still choose gratitude. They choose to thank God for the hard things, like the eighteen medications, because without them, Rachel wouldn’t be here. They thank the Lord for the stomach problems Rachel experiences, because it means that her body is working. Even when Rachel was hospitalized last fall for treatment for a bacteria she had—the bacteria that causes the most damage to the lungs of a person with cystic fibrosis—they chose to thank God. While those with CF are typically hospitalized two to three times per year, this hospitalization was Rachel’s first since she was an infant. This was also an opportunity to share the love of Jesus at the hospital. Paul shared that the respiratory therapists loved coming into Rachel’s hospital room because of all of the cards and all the people who were visiting. They were able to see and feel the love and presence of Jesus through how the Leaders reacted to the situation and through the visitors.

Rachel sometimes feels anxious about getting sick or not meeting others’ expectations for her life. When she feels that anxiety, she’s reminded of her favorite verse, Matthew 6:34, which says, “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” She also has discovered encouragement and support in her small group at CCC. She shared that she can easily talk about CF with the girls in her group. While she was hospitalized, many of the girls sent cards to her.

As the Leaders family looks toward the future, they know life is uncertain. Tiffany shared that Rachel is just one cold away from becoming really sick. Yet the family looks to the future with hope—a hope that is placed firmly in Jesus. They trust God will use Rachel’s life to encourage others with the illness. While new medicines are being developed for the treatment of cystic fibrosis, they know to place their trust in God, whether that’s for today or for the future. They trust that God will guide them well, because he has never let them down.

Rachel Bebee is the Project Coordinator for the Creative/Communications Team at Christ Community Church

Chelsea Bailey 4/7/19 Chelsea Bailey 4/7/19

Refined Through Residency

Ask Keagan Blancke about his background, and you’ll discover that this Minnesota native has traveled an unconventional path to Omaha, Nebraska. As a child, Keagan dreamed of driving a garbage truck. As a preteen, he changed his mind, settling on LEGO® design. And as a college sophomore at the University of Northwestern – St. Paul, he instead started with prayer—a decision that changed everything. “I asked God what I should do for the summer,” said Keagan, now 27.

The next week at chapel, Keagan watched as different camp directors stepped on stage to spread the word about working as a camp counselor. Prayer answered. Keagan spent that summer on staff at a large Christian camp near Brainerd, Minnesota, enjoying the great outdoors with students while sharing the love of Jesus. “That was when I really discovered that I loved ministry,” he said. “It was the toughest, yet most rewarding job. I loved every ninety-hour week of it.”

After graduating with a radio broadcasting degree, Keagan expanded his camp experience, along with working a few other jobs. Before joining the CCC Church Residency, he coached men recovering from drug and alcohol abuse. “They were at rock bottom,” he said. “They were desperate for Jesus. I saw that, and it made me want to get desperate for Jesus.”

When Keagan learned about the residency and the opportunity to earn a master’s degree debt-free, he jumped at the chance. Accepted into the program, Keagan and his bride, Britt, moved to Omaha the summer of 2017 while expecting their firstborn, Roman, a few weeks later. It was a leap of faith, but it didn’t take long for them to feel at home.

“I can’t thank CCC enough for the support they’ve given me,” Keagan shared. From hosting a baby shower and delivering meals to offering babysitting, “it really was the Church in action.”

While Keagan was adjusting to fatherhood, he was also learning to juggle graduate coursework with his duties at church. In the months since, he has learned valuable leadership lessons, such as establishing healthy boundaries and empowering team members to excel. “My job is to equip those around me, not just do everything myself,” said Keagan, who has gained hands-on experience in church production as well as middle school and camp ministry. Fortunately, CCC carved out a special spot for him at Camp Rivercrest in Fremont, where he was able to contribute his experience, grow his knowledge, and confirm his passion for camp.

Keagan’s favorite memory is his December 2018 trip to Palm Springs for the Christian Camp and Conference Association (CCCA) national gathering, where he was able to network and enjoy a reprieve from the winter weather. “It’s a conference I’ve known about for years, and I’ve always wanted to go,” he said. “I felt at home in that environment; I felt like these were my people.”

Keagan also appreciates his fellow residents, noting that he always looked forward to their Thursday cohort meetings. “The relationships I’ve made here—they’re going to be lifelong friends.”

“The residency has absolutely changed my future for the better.”

Now a few weeks away from finishing the program and his master’s degree in Ministry Leadership, Keagan is looking forward, full of hope. “The residency has absolutely changed my future for the better,”
he said. “It’s put me on a path where I can see the bigger picture and take others along with me. It’s not just about me—it’s God’s economy. Things need to multiply.”

Speaking of multiplication, the Blanckes are expecting a second child this summer. Together, they’re asking God, “What’s next?” Keagan suspects it may be different from what he initially expected. “We’ve grown a family here at CCC,” Keagan says. “As a single person, camp was my calling. But now as a family person, I’m asking, what is my calling and how does camp fit into that? Where is my family going to thrive?”

Looking back, Keagan can clearly see a theme: God led him to opportunities where he didn’t immediately feel qualified, whether it was saying yes to serving at his first summer camp or supporting addicts in their quest to get clean.

In many ways, this residency is another example. Keagan pointed out that the program provides a unique “incubator” environment that encourages trial and error. “It’s a really formative time, and it’s also hard,” Keagan shared. “It’s hard to ask for support. It’s hard to balance school work on top of ministry work. As a millennial, it’s hard to stay committed to something for two years.”

Yet Keagan acknowledges the deeper work that happens during hardships. “God has really refined me. Even though it’s hard, every day there is daily bread. He provides.” With faith in God’s provision, Keagan is ready to go wherever God calls his family.

“The glory of God is man fully alive,” he says. “We are trusting God. He’s going to put us in a place where all of us can thrive.”

Chelsea Bailey is a Class of 2020 Women's Ministry Resident at Christ Community Church

Joe Jensen 4/7/19 Joe Jensen 4/7/19

When All Seems Lost

“The Lord gives and the Lord takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.” This verse was the one Dale Robinson quoted as he reflected on what happened to him and his family in March 2019. Within 48 hours, their house and everything in it were completely under water. The reality quickly set in that they had lost everything.

“The Lord gives and the Lord takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.”

Job 1:21

“The Lord gives and the Lord takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.” This verse, Job 1:21, was the one Dale Robinson quoted to me as he reflected on what happened to him and his family on March 16 and 17, 2019. Within 48 hours, their house and everything in it were completely under water. The reality quickly set in that they had lost everything. The devastation was tremendous. The displacement was real. Their lives were turned upside down and were changed forever. Blessed be the name of the Lord. Really?

For the Robinson family, the answer to that question is yes. How is that possible? How can you bless the name of God when he allowed such pain and destruction to take place? To understand the Robinsons’ response, you have to know their story.

A River of Grace

It was the spring of 2013. Dale and Angela’s marriage was falling apart. Their kids were struggling emotionally and relationally. Dale was battling an addiction to alcohol and other destructive habits. Angela was stressed, anxious, and depressed. The perfect storm had formed and picked up speed. In its path—the Robinson family. They were on the verge of giving up and giving in. Dale and Angela were ready to call it quits and throw in the towel. Then Easter happened.

They stumbled into Christ Community Church on Easter Sunday, March 31, 2013. They didn’t know exactly what they were getting into, but they were desperate. As the sermon was preached and God’s grace was proclaimed, Dale and Angela broke down. They were asked by Pastor Mark to submit and surrender the things that were holding them down and holding them back from experiencing the love of Jesus. They placed all of those things at the feet of Jesus, gave their lives to him, and never looked back.

Since then, it hasn’t always been easy, but they have never doubted God’s grace and love for them. He slowly but deliberately began writing a new story with their lives. Their marriage grew strong. Addictions were conquered. Joy was experienced. Deep and meaningful relationships developed. They grew as a family as they grew closer to Jesus. Everything seemed to be moving up and to the right. And then the levee broke.

Flooding at the entrance to a neighborhood in Waterloo, Nebraska (photo by Nick Bradley)

Rushing Out, Rushing In

It was an ordinary Friday. Dale was off to work as usual. The kids made it to school. Angela, who works part time at Christ Community Church on the Facilities team, was enjoying a day off. She ran some errands and went to the grocery store. As she unpacked the groceries and began making plans for the weekend, the call came in—Evacuate. Immediately. You have three hours.

Like a whirlwind, Dale came home and they quickly packed up a couple changes of clothes and rushed out. There was a slight panic in their step but there were also words of comfort and assurance spoken. They were told they could return by Monday. Most likely, it would be some minor flooding but they had every expectation of returning in a couple days, cleaning up a bit, and returning to life as usual.

A Nebraska Army National Guard helicopter carrying sandbags to a levee on March 18 (photo by Nebraska National Guard / Staff Sgt. Koan Nissen)

As the news images and pictures from neighbors in the area came in, the Robinsons quickly realized they would not be going home any time soon. And as Saturday night turned to Sunday, the image came across Angela’s phone that solidified that they would never be going home at all, ever again. Their house was almost completely submerged in the flood waters. The loss of everything they owned, two of their family cats, family photos, and letters Dale and Angela wrote to each other over years of their relationship—gone. This was when it became real and when it became too much to bear. Dale and Angela both broke down and cried. They experienced the pain of loss. They felt the reality of being displaced and homeless. They cried out to God in the midst of this terrible experience. God heard their cry.

God’s answer came to the Robinsons in a few different ways. First, they all said how they experienced the overwhelming, supernatural, loving presence of God. Their mourning turned to joy and grief to peace as they heard God tell them, “I have you. You’re in my hands. I’ll take care of everything you need. Just trust me.”

That’s what the Robinsons did. They trusted that God would provide. They didn’t know how or when. But they knew he would. And he did.

Angela’s phone started to blow up with calls and texts checking in on the family. People from Christ Community Church reached out, asking how they could help. Donations of clothes, supplies, and gift cards poured in. People all over the city rallied around them and overwhelmed them with love and generosity, so much so that they took in more than they could have possibly used for themselves. So they paid it forward and began passing those donations on to other families they knew lost their homes in the flooding as well. They were blessed and began blessing others.

Suddenly, the full meaning and purpose of this experience began to crystallize and make sense. Angela and Dale realized that God allowed this to happen to them so the love of God could shine through them to others who also experienced the same loss. Dale’s exact words: “If others can come to know Jesus through our story, then it’s worth it.”

The Robinsons wouldn’t have wished this on anyone in the world. They wouldn’t have wished this upon themselves if they had the choice. But they didn’t. The only choice they had was how they would respond. They chose to trust God and have faith. They chose to learn and grow from this crazy experience. They chose to bless the name of the Lord. Why? Because of how he had abundantly blessed them. Long before the flood waters rushed in, the living waters of God’s grace washed them clean and gave them a new start and a new life.

The waters will recede. Cleanup will happen with the help of Christ-followers and relief agencies all over Iowa and Nebraska. Homes and communities will be rebuilt. Life will go on.

For the Robinsons, life will go on, but it will never be the same. They will never be the same. God has changed them through this experience and will continue to transform them. Through the valleys and through the floods, from the mountain tops and green pastures, God is good and his love endures forever. Blessed be the name of the Lord.

Joe Jensen is the Director of Strategic Projects and Church Engagement for The Barna Group

Glenn Lawson 2/3/19 Glenn Lawson 2/3/19

Alive in Christ

Meet Kyle Doerr, a 21-year-old nursing student at the University of Nebraska Omaha. Kyle loves Jesus and is committed to reading and studying his Bible… However, Kyle has not always been this man. It wasn’t long ago that Kyle was wandering and lost without a purpose and identity, and chiefly, without Jesus.

Photos by Marie Dufour at Roast Coffeehouse in Aksarben, Omaha, Nebraska

Meet Kyle Doerr, a 21-year-old nursing student at the University of Nebraska Omaha. Kyle loves Jesus and is committed to reading and studying his Bible. He regularly and prayerfully yields himself to the leading of the Holy Spirit and confesses his sin and responds in repentance and faith. He immerses himself in the family of God and has gospel-centered, Christ-exalting relationships with men and women. Kyle is burdened for lost people, both locally and globally, who don’t know the everlasting joy of salvation in Christ. Kyle is following and becoming more like Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit to the glory of God.

However, Kyle has not always been this man. It wasn’t long ago that Kyle was wandering and lost without a purpose and identity, and chiefly, without Jesus. Kyle grew up in a Christian home. He attended a local church, listened to sermons, sang songs about God, and closed his eyes and bowed his head. On the surface, like many Nebraskans, he lived the good life. He didn’t have much to worry about, didn’t fear about tomorrow, was an exceptional athlete in high school, was a good student, and had a semblance of faith in a higher power.

For all of Kyle’s goodness and success, there was something tragically wrong. He was without hope in the eyes of God. He didn’t trust in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ to free him from the penalty and power of sin and grant him new life. He was oblivious, indifferent, spiritually dead, and bound for a Christless eternity. However, God looked upon Kyle and delighted in him. He chose him, sought him, and saved him.

In the winter of 2017, Kyle reached a low point. “I had gone through a difficult breakup, felt a sense of worthlessness and emptiness, and knew I needed something more than myself. Something much bigger than me.” He reached out to his friend Morgan, who recommended Christ Community Church. Morgan connected him with Adam, an 8:08 College Ministry student leader. Adam connected with Kyle and they went to dinner and then a UNO hockey game. A friendship was born, woven by God’s sovereign grace. Despite all their similarities, Kyle noticed that he and Adam were fundamentally different. He shared, “Adam had a massive desire to chase after Jesus, while I didn’t.”

Adam invited Kyle to meet other students in the 8:08 College Community, where he was immersed in unfamiliar territory. He saw Christian students who lived as though they weren’t the most important person in their story. These students considered themselves as secondary characters in their own stories and God as the main character. Their lives showed that they trusted and delighted in Jesus Christ as their Savior and Redeemer and King. This was peculiar, but irresistible. Kyle didn’t run away, but rather found himself hungry to know more.

When I met Kyle after a Thursday night college worship gathering, I sensed an eagerness and anticipation in him. He was slowly but surely responding to the work of the Spirit in his heart. I could tell by his demeanor he wasn’t afraid to talk about God, engage in a real conversation about faith, and be honest. His hard heart was being softened, the scales were falling from his eyes. We later met in March 2018 at a coffeehouse, shared our stories, and found common ground. After some time, I asked Kyle what I ask every college student I meet. I asked him what every Christ-following, God-fearing, Spirit-filled believer should ask the people they form a relationship with: “My life has been changed by Jesus Christ—canI tell you why?”

I will never forget what happened next. I was reminded that my calling to proclaim grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone is not dependent upon my goodness or sin, my charisma or stammering, my persuasiveness, my appearance, or my intellect. I proceeded to share what mankind has regarded as foolishness for thousands of years, but what God has regarded as wisdom and truth and salvation forevermore! I shared the good news with Kyle. Author and pastor Timothy Keller summed it up this way: “We are more sinful and flawed in ourselves than we ever dared believe, yet at the very same time we are more loved and accepted in Jesus Christ than we ever dared hope.” After two hours of conversation, I invited Kyle to respond in faith to the free gift of grace extended to him in the finished work of Jesus.

“In that very moment, my heart was screaming nothing but
to accept Jesus Christ as my Savior and lay down my life for him.”

Kyle’s response was nothing short of miraculous: “In that very moment, my heart was screaming nothing but to accept Jesus Christ as my Savior and lay down my life for him. On that very afternoon, I prayed to God and surrendered my life to him. This was the greatest decision I have ever made in my entire life and I truly believe this is the best decision anybody can make in their entire life.”

After much rejoicing in his new life, Kyle experienced the struggles of sin, the trials of life, relationships, and academic performance which attempted to steal his joy. Shame and guilt were pervasive in his heart, and the default condition of Midwestern religiosity set back in. Kyle’s faith was tested and he was tempted to return to a church-attending, song-singing, head-bowing, good-feeling faith where he didn’t need constant rescuing, he was basically good if he tried hard, and God was “a little closer” than before, none of which solved his problem of spiritual death.

By his grace, God faithfully and gently ministered to Kyle’s heart in this season. He shared, “It is indescribable in words, but I realized the sufficiency of Scripture. I trusted two passages specifically. Ephesians 2:4–5 says, ‘But God, being rich in mercy because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved.’ Titus 3:4–6 says, ‘But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of the works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior.’ God has encouraged me abundantly through his Word in these passages. I’ve realized that Christianity is not people who make bad decisions making better ones. It’s not ‘bad’ people becoming ‘good’ people, or morally questionable people becoming morally flawless. No—Christianity is about God bringing dead people to life through the work of Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit.”

Kyle Doerr was brought to life in Jesus Christ. To publicly declare his new life, he was baptized on November 25, 2018. His desires, plans, and worldview are completely different, and this is not because he pulled himself up by his bootstraps and took religion a little more seriously, but because he has been reborn, redeemed, and adopted by the King of Kings. To God be the glory!

Thank you, Christ Community Church, for your love, generosity, prayer, and participation in seeing 8:08 College Community obey the Great Commission here in Omaha.

For more info about CCC's 8:08 College Ministry, visit cccomaha.org/college or follow 8:08 on social media @808CCC. If you've recently committed your life to Christ, or if you've never been baptized as an adult, learn more about baptism or sign up to get baptized at cccomaha.org/baptism.

Glenn Lawson is CCC’s former College Pastor and is now Lead Pastor with Roy Helu Jr. at Citylight Bennington

Joe Jensen 10/7/18 Joe Jensen 10/7/18

Through the Storm

I remember getting the call from our receptionist, who said, “A man who goes to the church is in need of a pastor to speak with.” As I went out to the CCC atrium, I immediately recognized John. He was one of our Access service usher volunteers. John is hard not to notice. He has a tough-looking exterior—shaved head, long white goatee, tattoos, a guy who looks like he owns a Harley (and he actually does). As I walked up to John that day, I noticed something was wrong. I could tell by his tear-filled eyes that something terrible had happened. We sat down. John opened his mouth but no words came out. He paused and then mustered up the little strength he had left to get out the most dreaded phrase any parent could ever have to say out loud: “My daughter Mary died the day before yesterday and I don’t know what to do now.”

Two days later I was conducting Mary’s funeral, laying her to rest at Westlawn-Hillcrest Cemetery. Family and friends put their arms around John and his wife Theresa. Prayers were prayed. Scripture was read. A eulogy was given. Memories were shared. And then, one by one, people went home as the graveside service concluded, and John and Theresa were left picking up the pieces of their broken hearts.

Just a couple of days later I showed up to Sunday services at CCC, making my rounds about the church. I was surprised to see John and Theresa sitting in their usual spots in church. They had such a tough weekend that I surely thought they would be at home, closing themselves off from the outside world. On the contrary, after giving them both a hug and telling them I was a bit surprised to see them there, John leaned in and said, “There’s no other place we’d rather be during this time than with our church family.” That statement sums up the Fosters’ unwavering faith in the midst of the trials and pain they faced that year. It’s what sustained them through the storms of loss and grief and it’s what continues to give them strength today.

John and Theresa met in 1974, instantly fell in love, and got married three months later. Shortly after their wedding, John joined the Air Force, which sent them traveling the states and the world as John was stationed in places like Tuscon, Arizona, Sumter, South Carolina, and Rhaunen, Germany. Because deep friendships in the military lifestyle are hard to come by, they relied on their faith and connection with a local church to provide the relational community they both craved.

The last of John’s reassignments led them back to Omaha in July 1994. They struggled in their faith for a time and didn’t immediately get connected into a local church. However, one day their daughter came home from a church she went to with her friend and said, “Mom and Dad, you have to come check out Christ Community Church.” John and Theresa did and began attending and serving at CCC with their family on a regular basis. That decision changed the trajectory of their lives and family and had a huge impact on how they were able to face adversity, pain, and grief twenty years later.

2016: Beyond the “Valley of the Shadow of Death”

Left: John in the hospital after the motorcycle accident (image provided by Theresa Foster). Top Right: John & Theresa sharing their story at CCC's Advance Commitment Night in October 2017 (photo by Marie Dufour). Bottom Right: Photos of the Fos… — **Left:** John in the hospital after the motorcycle accident *(image provided by Theresa Foster)*.
**Top Right:** John & Theresa sharing their story at CCC's Advance Commitment Night in October 2017 *(photo by Marie Dufour).*
**Bottom Right:** Photos of the Fostersʼ late daughter Mary, who passed away in 2016 *(photo by Marie Dufour)*.

On April 14, 2016, John and Theresa were riding on John’s Harley heading west on Dodge Street in midtown when a car pulled out in front of them. They hit that car head-on going 40 mph. Theresa suffered a few broken ribs, along with many bumps and bruises. As the driver in front, John’s injuries were much worse. If it wasn’t for God using the trauma nurse who happened to be driving behind them, the praying woman eating at a restaurant nearby who was first on the scene, and a top surgeon who just so happened to be on-call, many at the hospital concurred that John probably wouldn’t have made it. After nine days in the hospital, John went home and continued to heal from his injuries.

And of course, as soon as he was able, he was back on a new Harley. “I was not going to give in to fear,” John said. That was a statement that not only got him back on his bike, it was one that defined their unwavering faith and trust in God as they endured the death of their daughter six months later.

“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me” (KJV). I read that verse along with the rest of Psalm 23 at Mary’s funeral. As John and Theresa found themselves in that valley, they held onto the same promise King David did: God was with them. Even in the darkest moments of pain and grief. Even when there were no words. Just tears. God was present. God was real. And God had a plan for their lives that brought them beyond mere belief to fully surrendered to him.

2017: Beyond Belief

A year after Mary’s passing, which just so happened to be the same week as their wedding anniversary, John took a couple days off work to spend time with Theresa. Theresa described how hard the “firsts” without Mary were—the first birthday, the first Christmas, the first Easter, the first Mother’s Day and Father’s Day—all of them were excruciatingly difficult. Of course, the first anniversary of Mary’s death was no exception.

During that week, John answered a call from his boss letting him know that they were restructuring and thus eliminating his position. So, adding to an already difficult week, John and Theresa had to process the future with no job and the idea of early retirement. To complicate matters, the Fosters, as a part of the Beyond Belief initiative at CCC, decided days earlier to make a financial commitment based on John’s previous income. The Advance Commitment Night event, where hundreds of people from the church were the first to make their commitments, was just a couple days away and they had a choice to make. Should they change their commitment? Should they not make a commitment at all?

For John and Theresa, this was an easy decision. “God has been faithful to us our entire lives, especially over the last year. He’ll continue to be faithful in the future. So we decided to trust him with the commitment we already made.” They went to the Strategic Air and Space Museum on Friday, October 27, 2017, and dropped their Beyond Belief commitment in the container, trusting that God would provide. He has. He still does today.

God has provided for the Fosters more than just financially. He has provided them with his faithful presence. He has given them a depth in their understanding of him that they would have never had if they didn’t endure the pain of a near-death experience, the loss of a child, and the loss of a job. God brought them through the storm of 2016, pulled them out of the waves of grief and loss, and gave them a story to share: one of hope, one of love, and one of faithfulness.

Whenever you ask John and Theresa to sum up their story, they usually say three simple but profound words: God is faithful.

He is. He is indeed.

Joe Jensen is the Director of Strategic Projects and Church Engagement for The Barna Group

Mark Moore 6/3/18 Mark Moore 6/3/18

Our Last Eden

“The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath” (Mark 2:27–28). In a world as frenzied as ours, rest is a rare commodity. Worker bees race to the office for a barrage of meetings and tasks.

“The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.” Mark 2:27–28

In a world as frenzied as ours, rest is a rare commodity. Worker bees race to the office for a barrage of meetings and tasks. Then they wrestle their way home through rush hour just in time to sit on the sidelines of a kid’s event before collapsing in a recliner like catatonic zombies until it’s time to repeat the cycle. We desperately need an exit off the treadmill.

Sabbath is the Only Eden We Have Left

As a culture, we are in crisis. We are so busy that we have no time for the things that matter most: worship, family, meditation, and emotional recharging. From the very beginning, God knew our need for rest and embedded a radical regulation to ensure we would enjoy it. It is called Sabbath, and we need it now more than ever.

Sabbath has its origin in Eden. Genesis 2:2–3 (ESV), “And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation.” Clearly, God didn’t rest because he was tuckered out. He rested as part of the beauty of creation and embedded the Sabbath principle into our world. The principle is simple: creation’s greatest productivity is within a cycle that includes rest. For humans, that means that we will get more done in six days of work than seven. Our mind, emotions, and body need time to marinate, clear the clutter, dream, and reorganize. Without rest, our work is impeded because our creativity is stifled. Research shows that after fifty hours of work a week our productivity drops so low that the extra hours are virtually unproductive.

The only part of Eden we still have full access to is Sabbath. If we will return to the rest of Eden, the rest of our lives would rest less under the curse of Adam’s sin.

Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath

Jesus had much to say about Sabbath. His most frequent fight with the Pharisees was over Sabbath regulations. The Jewish establishment took the simple command “Don’t work on the Sabbath” and turned it into a small encyclopedia of prohibitions. For example, an egg laid on the Sabbath was off limits. Now, you could hatch that egg and eat the chicken. Or you could eat the eggs laid by a chicken hatched from the egg that was laid on the Sabbath. But you couldn’t eat that egg laid on the Sabbath. Is it any wonder Jesus deliberately flaunted those rules that turned the blessing of rest into a fretful list of rules requiring us to walk on eggshells?

Jesus consistently rejected their Sabbath regulations: he healed a man with a shriveled hand one Sabbath (Mark 3:1–6), a woman bowed double (Luke 13:10–21), a man with dropsy (Luke 14:1–24), a lame man at Bethesda (John 5:10–18), and a man born blind (John 9:1–7). Taken as a whole, the point of each of these events could be simply summarized: humanity should be served by the Sabbath, not burdened by it. Or to use Jesus’ memorable phrase: “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. So the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath.” Jesus reclaimed the Sabbath from religion and gave it back to humanity.

By healing people, Jesus showed not how to Sabbath but who is Sabbath. The Sabbath is a blessing to bring health and healing. That’s not a thing, it’s a person. Jesus is our health, our healing, our rest. As he said in Matthew 11:28, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”

A Critical Warning About Sabbath Keeping

Under Judaism of Jesus’ day, God’s gift of Sabbath was turned into law through human regulations. These meticulous rules became a burden rather than a blessing because the principle of rest became a ruler to measure righteousness. The Sabbath is not another rule to be added to your spiritual discipline. Rather, it is a creational principle to be celebrated as a gift. This is why Paul gives this important warning about legal regulations which we should apply here to Sabbath keeping (among other religious rules): “If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the world, why, as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations—‘Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch’” (Colossians 2:20–21). Paul’s shrewd insight in Colossians 2:20–21 uncovers the empty arrogance of legalism. What you avoid doesn’t make you righteous. Nor do the religious practices you observe. What makes us righteous is the blood of Jesus. Religious activities, such as going to church, prayer, tithes, Bible reading, are only valuable in as much as they train us for serving others.

So let’s be clear—keeping the Sabbath is God’s gift to us, not our gift to him. It is a gift we receive so that we can rest from work to refresh our souls, worship God with other believers to lift our spirit, and reconnect with family and friends so we can invest in our communities. When the rhythm of rest punctuates our work, we will experience more productivity at work and more connectivity at home. This is the life God wants for you.

Mark Moore is an author and a teaching pastor at Christ’s Church of the Valley in Peoria, Arizona. If you'd like to read more of his work, visit markmoore.org.

International Worker Becky 6/3/18 International Worker Becky 6/3/18

On Mission

In 2014, Christ Community Church began a partnership with international worker Becky to launch Hands of Honor, a ministry to teenage girls who work in a large West African city as house girls. These girls, some as young as twelve years old, are sent by their parents from small villages into the big city to work 24-hour days. The girls cook, clean, and care for their employer’s children, among other things. Some families employing these girls mistreat or abuse them. There have been instances where the girls are unpaid, raped, or kicked out of their employer’s home. Becky shares about one girl whose life has been profoundly affected because of the work of Hands of Honor.

Is the Great Commission Dead?

I recently read an article by Greg Stier on The Christian Post titled “The Death of the Great Commission.” Stier referenced a recent survey conducted by the Barna Group which indicated 51 percent of American churchgoers do not know what the Great Commission is (see Matthew 28:18–20). “That's like a doctor who doesn't know what the word ‘medicine’ means,” he said.

Surely that can’t be true of our Alliance churches, I immediately thought.

Completing the Great Commission is at the Alliance core. Our mission statement says: “We desire to know Jesus Christ as Savior, Sanctifier, Healer, and Coming King and to complete His Great Commission.”

We Need Both

The article’s point was that those churches focusing on social justice issues have overshadowed the primary mandate Jesus gave his followers to “go and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19). In the command to love our neighbors, some have not incorporated the importance of verbalizing the good news of Jesus.

As a thirteen-year veteran of CAMA—the relief and development arm of the Alliance—my work among vulnerable female child-laborers is a compassion and justice ministry. So this article gave me considerable pause. Am I a part of the Great Commission’s death in our Alliance churches?

Please don’t misunderstand me. My heart and God-given calling is to advocate for people facing injustices in this world. If you ever want to hear me up on my soapbox, just ask me about the realities women face in my region of the world.

Aisha when she first entered the Hands of Honor program (photo provided by Becky) — Aisha when she first entered the Hands of Honor program (*photo provided by Becky*)

**Aisha’s* Story**

Yet, if in my ministry and relationships I don’t move beyond acts of compassion to verbally proclaim the good news, the people I serve will never encounter Jesus and experience true transformation. Aisha is an example.

Her life was a mess when we first met. Aisha came from a broken home. Her father was an alcoholic. Her older sister had two children out of wedlock with two different daddies; hardly a good example for her little sister.

Aisha’s mother, a devout follower of the majority religion, came to our Alliance pastor’s wife asking for help. She’d heard our church-based Hands of Honor program worked with vulnerable teen girls. She was concerned about her daughter, who had recently started hanging out by the river at night. Everyone knew that meant Aisha was dabbling in prostitution.

As you can see from this picture, Aisha was sullen, angry, and bitter when she first joined us. Nothing worked to bring a smile to her face.

One day, she came to class with a black eye. We asked her about it, but she didn’t respond. My teammate, a nurse, was concerned that Aisha might have retinal damage. We talked her into visiting a doctor, but she never showed up for the scheduled appointment.

It took months of responding to her scowls with our smiles, caring for her, praying for and with her until we began to see a softening of her heart.

“It took months of responding to her scowls with our smiles, caring for her, praying for and with her until we began to see a softening of her heart.”

Before and After

The day arrived when Aisha was with our pastor’s wife and surrendered her life to Jesus. You would hardly recognize the “before Jesus” Aisha in the sweet, loving teen she is now. Today she is thriving in a girls’ vocational school—she even sang in the church Christmas choir this year. A life transformed through the power of the gospel!

We need to take the whole gospel to a hurting world. Did Aisha need us to demonstrate Jesus’ compassion? Are we biblically mandated to care for the brokenness in her life and family (see Matthew 25:31–46)? Yes and yes!

But only in encountering Jesus—and understanding salvation and forgiveness through a relationship with him—did Aisha find wholeness and healing.

We need to take the whole gospel to a hurting world.

Since coming to know Jesus, Aisha is thriving at the girls' vocational school (photo provided by Becky) — Since coming to know Jesus, Aisha is thriving at the girls' vocational school (*photo provided by Becky*)

Alliance Missions for Today’s World

The world needs Jesus like never before. There are people in our local communities and around the world who will never encounter Jesus unless we reach out to meet them at their point of need and demonstrate Christ-centered compassion. But they won’t understand how to have a life-transforming relationship with him unless we, his followers, explain it and model it for them.

Alliance family, let’s love our neighbors in every tangible way possible. Let’s take a stand against injustice, care for the widow and the orphan, serve the poor, and feed the hungry.

And, let’s not forget that the most life-transforming way we can love our neighbors is through sharing the gospel with them, testifying to how Jesus has changed our lives.

In the words of previous CAMA president Phil Skellie, “Why would we work tirelessly to see people’s lives on earth improved only to see them spend an eternity in hell?”

*Aisha's name has been changed for her protection.

Becky is an International Worker serving in West Africa with Compassion and Mercy Associates (CAMA).

Joe Jensen 5/3/18 Joe Jensen 5/3/18

Jesus. No Other Name.

Above image: Photo of art by Philip Cacka. Russian icon, Christ with hand raised, 19th Century (iStockphoto.com). Header/thumbnail image: El Greco. Christ Carrying the Cross. ca. 1577–87. Oil on canvas. Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC, New York.

No other name has formed governments, influenced leaders, and shaped culture like the name of Jesus. No other name has inspired as many artists, composers, and writers throughout history as the name of Jesus. You can’t walk through the Louvre or Library of Congress without seeing the fingerprints of Jesus stamped throughout. You can’t visit a hospital or step foot onto many of the world’s finest universities without seeing the marks of Jesus and his followers in the halls. You could say the name of Jesus has not only inspired history—it has defined it.

Unfortunately, there have been many who have taken this beautiful and precious name and twisted or tainted it for selfish gain. As a result, the name of Jesus has become a source of pain, suffering, and disbelief for some people. Some have waged war in the name of Jesus. Others have wielded the yoke of slavery in the name of Jesus. Many have hurled insults, labeled people, and cast judgment—all in the name of Jesus. Because of these acts, we find ourselves in a time of history where there is much confusion about who Jesus really was and is. Since the Jesus of the gospels doesn’t appear to line up with the Jesus they’ve seen portrayed in history and in the lives of those around them, many people have decided to give up on him altogether.

In fact, this reality is manifesting itself in the next generation. As Generation Z (born between 1999–2015) emerges into young adulthood, they are more confused and disillusioned with Jesus and Christianity than previous generations. According to the Barna Group, Gen Z “are the first truly ‘post-Christian’ generation. More than any other generation before them, Gen Z does not assert a religious identity.” As a result of this, Barna states, “The percentage of Gen Z that identifies as atheist is double that of the U.S. adult population.”*

So where do we go from here? Well, if we want to reverse the post-Christian trend and redeem the perception of the name of Jesus, we must first be reminded of what the name of Jesus truly is and what it represents.

What’s in a Name?

When a name is used frequently, it’s easy to overlook its true meaning. Such is the case with Jesus, perhaps more so than with any other name.

The name “Jesus” is actually the Greek representation (Iesous) of the Hebrew name Yeshua, which in English is Joshua. In Hebrew, Yeshua literally means, “The Lord Saves.” In ancient Judaism, there was great significance to the name given to you by your parents. A name didn’t merely identify a person, but told a story of who the person was.

Names often communicated a blessing or a curse and were a proclamation of a person’s destiny. In Matthew 1:21, when we read what the angel said to Joseph, that “She (Mary) will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus (Yeshua), for he will save his people from their sins,” we see how from his very birth, Jesus was destined to be the Savior and Messiah. Just as Joshua would lead the Israelites into the promised land, Jesus would lead those who would choose to follow him into eternal life with God the Father. He did this by living the perfect life, performing divine miracles, dying a painful death on the cross, and then rising from the grave three days later. How Jesus lived on earth gave his name credibility. Matthew 1:21 wasn’t an empty proclamation, but it was prophetic fulfillment! His name wasn’t a cheesy bumper sticker, it was absolute truth: Yeshua, “The Lord Saves.”

Where Do We Go From Here?

So again, where do we go from here? If there is salvation and hope in the name of Jesus, how does that translate to a world that’s confused and often apathetic to it? The answer lies in those who carry and communicate the name of Jesus—you and me. In Philippians 2:5–8, Paul tells believers to “have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross!”

When we follow and imitate the ways of Jesus, we show people what the name of Jesus is really all about.

When we follow and imitate the ways of Jesus (love, humility, kindness, self-sacrifice), we show people what the name of Jesus is really all about. We demonstrate how Jesus gave up everything and endured death, even death on a cross, for the salvation of mankind. When the world sees us, may they see Jesus in us and through us. When the world hears us, may they hear the promises of Jesus ring true for their own lives. When this begins to happen more and more, we’ll see generational trends begin to reverse. Those with misguided ideas of who Jesus was and is will start to see him as he truly is: Lord and Savior.

Ultimately, the promise Paul gave next in Philippians 2 will become more evident in our world and in our lives: “Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:9–11).

*Source: Barna Group, 2018. Full article available online at barna.com/research/atheism-doubles-among-generation-z

Joe Jensen is the Director of Strategic Projects and Church Engagement for The Barna Group

Alex Ehly 2/14/18 Alex Ehly 2/14/18

A New Identity

Three words: Who am I? These words play on a continuous loop as the background track in the life of a middle school student. Perceived answers to that question come from all different directions: school, social media, movies, relationships, entertainment, and other activities. As Christ Community Church's Student Ministry, we believe the answer to the question, “Who am I?” can only be found in knowing Whose you are: a beloved child of the God who created you and is crazy about you.

As students begin to discover that their identity is found in Jesus and they make decisions to trust in Him, we celebrate that! We also realize that such a big decision is always a culmination of scores of small decisions along the way. For many students at CCC, the first and most critical decisions are made by their parents. When a parent makes a decision to introduce their kids to Jesus at an early age and get them plugged into the church community, the chance of that student knowing Jesus dramatically increases.

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God."

Philippians 4:6

For Annie and Sophie DelSenno, their journey to knowing Jesus began at an early age. A mom and dad who made church a priority and brothers who modeled their faith led the sisters to place their faith in Jesus. As the girls became more familiar with the Bible in elementary school, they began to understand the relationship that Jesus was inviting them into. Sophie shared, “I have known about Jesus and God all my life, and from an early age I would go to Sunday school and learn Bible stories. I knew that Jesus died on the cross and rose again.” In addition to the weekly church programming, special church events can also impact how a student understands the gospel. “At Summer U, I realized that a relationship with God is life-changing, and it was. That happened when I was in third grade. When I was about ten or eleven, I began to own my faith and take it seriously,” shared Sophie.

As students begin to own their faith and make decisions to place their trust in Jesus, we challenge them to take steps of going public with their new identity. One of those first steps is to follow the model of Jesus through public baptism. Seeing students make a courageous public statement about their identity in Christ is always incredible.

Going public together with this new identity was a great experience for Annie and Sophie, who are identical twins. Annie said, “Getting baptized with Sophie was special because it was a special moment in our walk of faith. I got to be baptized with my twin sister and best friend by my side.” The girls were able to choose who baptized them—their older brother Josh and their Journey Group leader Erin. “I requested my brother Josh because he has been a huge role model to me and I look up to him so much, as well as my journey group leader Erin. I look up to them both—they have helped me grow closer to Jesus,” Sophie stated.

The DelSenno twins were baptized September 10, 2017, at a huge all-church baptism party called Baptism on the Green. Over a thousand people showed up to witness Annie, Sophie, and over 100 other people get baptized. “Before I was baptized I was really nervous but also super excited, because I knew everyone would be cheering me on and that my friends and family were supporting me. When I came out of the water and everyone was cheering, I felt overjoyed because I knew at that moment my life would not be the same again.”

Since their baptisms, it has been a joy to witness God at work through Annie and Sophie in the midst of a difficult season in life. Annie has sensed that her trust in Jesus is making an impact in her life. “My trust in Jesus has really helped me in tough times. If ever I am going through a tough time or am struggling, I always pray and lift all my worries to God, like it says in Philippians 4:6. Jesus has helped me through lots of hard things. He shows me that I am not alone and I have Him and other people that will help me get through it,” she said. Annie shared how she has become more sensitive to hearing from God: “I notice that I hear God more and I feel Him leading me. I read my Bible more often and have grown a deeper relationship with Him. I also notice that He puts me in uncomfortable situations and teaches me so much out of every situation.”

As the background track continues to loop, both girls are continuing to discover that the answer to the question, “Who am I?” can only be found by knowing Whose you are.

Alex Ehly is the Assistant Director of Discipleship—Young Adults at Christ Community Church.