Category: Bruce Posts (Page 55 of 211)

Cool to share to +100 men of Emmanuel Baptist Church in Bloomfield. A strong, teaching based church that is producing fruit for Christ in a very difficult, liberal part of the world.

En route back to Canada we detoured thru North Carolina to visit a new friend, and end up meeting old friends from Ukraine at the CRM Conference.  This group of missional pioneers has grown over the past few years to represent quite an international network of resources and encouragement.  From books, training, coaching, as well as missionary support/pastoral care, I respect the leaders and heart to champion the emerging church around the world.

Swimming in Lake Ontario with some of the boys Noah, Clark and Tucker. So clean compared to Dnepro River.

Arriving back in Canada, we had only a few days to hug the kids, enjoy some family meals and swimming – then hit the road for 16hrs of driving to Harrisburg, PA and back.  Life Center, and in particular the Stock family has been an infusion of love, support and influence on our lives and ministry.  Their laid back approach to leadership, their focus on spiritual life that breeds freedom and joy is contagious.  We were met with a suite at the nearby hotel, complete with a fridge full of food and drink, as well as a coupon for the restaurant next door.

My girls, Bronwyn (19), Abbey (6) and Claire (almost 4). Together for a few hrs only!

Due to some changes in Bronwyn’s world this past week, she was able to board a plane and visit us in Harrisburg!  Such a joy to love on our eldest daughter, proud of her love for Christ, and the deep roots growing in her faith – the kind that come through difficulty, and her embracing of life’s challenges as nothing less than opportunity to be formed in character for the journey ahead.  Our girls came with us, so for a brief moment, daddy had all his ladies in one spot – tears in the goodbyes.

In Harrisburg, the continued “God is doing something cool” theme was affirmed in times of prayer with the leadership, as well as visiting with friends who continue to believe God is leading them closer to journeying with us in Ukraine.

Ukraine friends from Cherakassy (3hrs south of us) were in North Carolina representing missional movements with CRM.

We also had a young lady come up after the service and like in Texas, shared how God is stirring her heart to connect and possibly serve. Please pray for the emerging core community around us, that we will faithfully nourish one another with encouragement, love and wisdom collectively.  It’s a journey of faith we know very well when God calls, and yet His journey isn’t always revealed as our desired path.

Spent the afternoon with Adrienne’s family in Elizabethtown, PA

Now back in Canada, with only 2 days left, we will be sharing tomorrow at Emmanuel Church, our only Canadian church that supports us and our work in Ukraine.  I agreed to play piano tomorrow during worship, something I haven’t done in years, and in Canada perhaps 15yrs?  I have to admit, I said yes for selfish reasons – I SO MISS playing daily in Ukraine for my devotional time – for me, it’s an easy way for my heart to connect with the grace of God – something about a few soft chords to awaken my soul and move my heart to a more intimate place – even if for but a few minutes, I am parched for some emoting worship moments thru this instrument.

Thank you Mom and Dad – They have succeeded in creating a ‘basecamp’ for our entire family and the many grandkids. Generous, servants, and fun.

Deb is going to take the lead this time, we’re working on some new dynamics there and I’m excited she’s willing – we need both our voices to share what God is doing.

Meaningful prayer time with leaders from Life Center Church. Thank you Christ for your body!

We embark on Monday morning back to Ukraine.  Mixed feelings, but mostly gratitude.  I intend to post more of my heart in this next post – this is for the kids, God continually connects, refreshes, and encourages us in the journey through unexpected people and times. We can count on Christ for this.

Meet the Myers family. They believe God is calling them to join us in the near future – pray for them, we need them.

Deb, so beautiful. She’s getting the ‘you can’t be her mom’ comments regularly this trip.

Widows ministry budgets and plan looming – pray for me! It’s due next week.  Also several critical decision for the property in Minsk and needing the favor of Christ as we migrate legacy ministries to new places and also calibrate for what God has in store this new season.

Bruce & Deb

https://vimeo.com/283328682#t=1037s

Deb holding a sweet baby Tuttle!

The last several years, we’ve been able to visit North America and stay in one place long enough to rest, recover a bit and return to Ukraine. This trip however, at least for myself, it’s been pretty full out.

After finishing my week in California, I met Deb in Dallas and we spent 3 action packed days in Longview with friends and our home church.

We had a lovely evening with some of our new MIR board members and supporters – a solid time of prayer for both our family but also some strategic events and areas needing victory.

Brent and Tucker joined us in Longview.

We were also greatly blessed to meet some new friends this trip, namely Jim and Ann Mills. They have been serving as missionaries for the past 40yrs (yes, say it with me, four zero!) in Belgium. It’s hard to put into words the depth of encouragement they were to us. As both musicians/artistic people (but also incredible thinkers, he’s got a PhD on the side in theology) they have been instigating creative ministries, schools, events and investing in next generation leaders for four decades.

The result? Not a fully orbed ministry with all the bells and whistles you’d typically expect – but rather a network around the globe of meaningful relationships, history and kingdom impact.  I sense that MIR, and our family will continue working in this general direction, to instigate, but hold loosely.  To start but not control.   To allow the Holy Spirit, as much as we are gifted in, bring hope and love to the Slavic cultures by encouraging others to step up and trust Jesus themselves.  I’m less interested with building anything organizational, but invest in timeless principles and eternal things.

Pray for Rita, from Crossroads. She was moved in heart to join us in Ukraine!

I marveled at their depth, humility and sense of humor. They ministered not only to Deb and I, but to all who were around them this past weekend – missionaries not in name only, but heartbeat of Christ. I am blessed to know them and now have the ear and heart of such a mentor.

Some of our Mir leaders crew and Mills family.As I type this entry, I’m now outside Charlotte, North Carolina at a huge Christian camp facility in the mountains called Ridgeport or something.  CRM (https://www.crmleaders.org/) is hosting their ‘every four years’ conference for pioneering missional leaders.  Over 700 are here, including a lot of families and kids.  Around 100 of them are from overseas.  We know the Ukrainian delegates from Cherkassy, good friends that helped us get a vision for starting a cafe and the many logistics it required.

Aaron and Amanda have been journeying, praying, and trusting that God will make it clear when they should join us in Ukraine someday. We would love it!

While at Fuller I men inspiring fellow pioneer Christiana.  She’s here with her husband Derek, the worship leader for the conference.  We’re here only until tomorrow, just a quick hop over on our way back to Canada to rejoin our family.

Great quick meeting in Dallas with Bryan and Larry from Christ for the Nations. More soon!

Missing my girls incredibly… I miss the crazy boys, but something about a dad and his little girls.  Once we return, we’re only there for a couple days, sharing to a group of men, then driving 8hrs to Life Center church to share in PA.  Then we’ll start packing for our August 20 return.

When God called us to full time mission work, He also prepared men like Bo Bolding to invest in my spiritual formation. Thankful for he and Beth!

Deb reconnecting in person with her skype friends from Texas – Tracy and Dana

I’m exhausted.  Filled.  Optimistic.  Ready to rest.  This has been a really fast paced quick pit stop trip but God has been working and forming my heart in good ways.

Thankful for my parents holding down the fort with all those kids the past week, I owe them big-time.

Thank you also Bradshaws for hosting us in Texas, and letting us (mostly Brent) eat all your food.   Send us a bill! 🙂

Bruce

To pause, reflect, ponder. Who has time, especially in the west?

Being back in the matrix of the US brings back memories of stress and strain. Life is lived at a different pace and resulting quality. You can see it on peoples faces. They are tired, their souls are weary.

Creating space for our soul to breath, to wait on the Lord, is a gift.

Beautiful southern California at this retreat center.

I’ve been considering the word ‘behold’ in scripture. It’s been unfortunately replaced in most translations but in Greek specifically speaks to our responsibility to stop, reflect, consider and apply.  It’s usually preceding something very important, like when an angel shows up to proclaim, “Behold, I bring you great news”.. we’d be well to stop, reflect and consider what is about to be spoken.

To behold, to step back and take a deep breath and receive, is a choice.

This was a moving scene. Jesus praying in Garden while in the background the disciples sleeping.

Interesting how the enemy of our soul will do anything to keep us from our source of strength and peace, including portraying prayer as a laborious religious thing. For many years in my own life, prayer was something that made me feel good for the wrong reasons – it made me ‘feel’ spiritual when in reality, I wasn’t spiritual at all.

To pray is to come to God as a hungry, thirsty, and tired soul and simply be.

Fuller MAGL classmates hanging out tonight with course designer & author Dr. Bob Freeman.

“With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation,” said Isaiah as he proclaimed prophetically the coming Savior, 2,700 years ago.  I don’t know about you, but I want to stay near my source, the unending fount of spiritual renewal.

Like I faithfully nourish my body several times a day, I need to pause, reflect, and behold Jesus. As Dallas Willard says, “Our greatest need is spiritual formation” and yet how many of us “purposefully interact with the grace of God?”

What brings you grace? A walk through a forest, a quiet moment on the edge of your bed?  We need to silence the demanding and relentless voices of our world.  Come up to the well, open your heart and receive the love of God in a fresh way.  Then do it again tomorrow.

One of the prayer stations included a replica tomb – the resurrection and hope in Christ!

Some reflections from my week so far at Fuller in Pasadena, California.

Today we spent the morning at a monastery dedicated to providing ‘space’ for those needing to listen and receive.  It reminded me how blessed we are in Ukraine to live in a slower pace where silence is the ‘pause’ is more readily available – but we still need to take it.

This week, in addition to some lectures and group tasks, we’ve been blessed to hear from over 25 of the students in the cohort.  We each had to present a 10 minute timed history of our personal salvation experience, current ministry context and hopes.

I, like always, became oblivious of the time and didn’t even get to current ministry context beyond a quick clip on Lighthouse.  It was a good lesson in how spaced out I get and how I need to, one of these days, actually try and read from a script.  It’s how Spurgeon did it!  I’ll never do it.

Big logo on side of arena, go leafs haha.

I’m excited to be sharing on this more next Sunday, August 5t at Crossroads Church in Longview, Texas. I hope to see you there!

Missing my sweet Deb and family, cramming in 8hr classroom days here with 4 more to go!  Side note, went for a walk yesterday and found an ice rink, was fun to sit and watch some little kids (mostly Asian) learn to play!

Hockey in summer, in California, who would have thought?

Plus it was free air conditioning, it’s 80-90’s here in day.  No thanks.

Deb and kids doing well.  So fun to see them tonight on video.  Claire tried to give me her blanket through the screen, and I almost convinced her I was eating her snacks.

We are planning a Saturday afternoon drive to the coast with some of our friends.  It’s the only free time I believe we’ll have to just chill and enjoy one another outside of classroom.

Bruce