What are you praying for that only God can pull off? What has God been doing? What have you seen? We know God is at work in all things, whether you are in the middle of a battle, going through what feels like a defeat, experiencing a victory, or have witnessed a miracle... we want to hear about it and celebrate with you. 100-Word Stories are a way to share what God is doing in your life as you continue your faith journey. We experience hope, inspiration, and joy when we share our stories with each other.
Recently I got the opportunity to go on a prayer walk with some people from church and before we started I prayed that as we got to a new house that God would put on my heart what that home needed so that I could pray over it. Everytime we got to a new house a word or a phrase would come through my head like “relationships” or “work” or “struggling with _____” and I knew that that’s what God wanted me to pray about. So it was really cool to see how God knows those people so intimately and knows exactly what they need even when I had no idea. Natalie Our group was blessed by having a pizza lunch for the church after the 2nd service. This was the same meal we had shared as a closed group many times in the past. The Lord allowed us to share this idea with the whole congregation, who had been challenged to invite each other out for lunch earlier in the month. I was so proud of the way our group shared their desserts, their pizza, and their hospitality. To my mind it was a great experience for all who took part.
Keith
I recently moved to Bettendorf from Arizona with my son and his family. The transition has been very stressful. It took us several months before we found BCC. In the meantime, I knew no one here for fellowship. Then I came to a Young at Heart dinner and meant two wonderful ladies who invited me to join the Care and Share hangout. The kind, loving folks in those two groups have made a huge difference in my life! When I'm with them I feel accepted, liked and included. I praise God for leading us to BCC. The people I've met have truly demonstrated the scripture "By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." (John 13:36)
Pat
My 14 year old grandson‘s girlfriend probably heard the gospel for the first time this morning… She said she thought Pastor Derik was just talking directly to her…
Pastor Derik
I have been retired for over 10 years and have undergone four occurrences of Mantle Cell Lymphoma (MCL), which is classified as an incurable blood cancer. God has been very gracious and merciful to me and provided new treatments when previous ones have failed to keep it in remission. I have benefited from many prayerful friends who have interceded for me. Last fall the MCL turned into an aggressive form, that was in stage 4, that involved 90% of my bone marrow, and an urgent treatment was needed. God opened the doors to a new clinical trial at the University of Iowa that was not yet FDA approved. After a week of treatment, some tenuous days and about 5 weeks in the hospital, I was in 100% remission. Praise God-again.
Vic
Ken Fu was baptized last weekend and he reached out to me and thanked me. He then shared that he has been asked to share his story with his family’s church this coming Sunday in China via Zoom! Ken also has been traveling from Bettendorf to Iowa City and back each Sunday to pick up his girlfriend Lexi, who is also originally from China and is currently a student at the university and is exploring Christianity. She was raised a Buddhist but is becoming more open to Jesus because Ken has been sharing his faith with her and she loves BCC! They discuss the message each week on their car ride back to Iowa City. God is using this young man! The weekend he was baptized, he had two family members who are not believers in Jesus show up to support him! He is being used to share Christ with so many! Pray for him to continue to be used by God and others hearts to be open to the love and truth of Jesus!
Pastor Derik
In a world where I have faced battle after battle, the Lord continues to provide peace and draws me closer to him reminding me that He is in control. He continues to pour out blessings and takes every hardship to shape into a story that can be shared to provide hope and encouragement for others. He takes my brokenness and darkness and uses it as a light for others to see that even during all the suffering He will find you and use you. As the lyrics say, “The Enemy thought he had me, but Jesus says you are mine.”
Lauren
This past year was filled with an immense amount of heartache and loss. I can see now God preparing me in advance. Putting people in my life to remind me God is always faithful; we can't choose when He is and isn't. Before our second miscarriage was confirmed we had to wait a week. I didn't like how God's faithfulness was looking. In the wait God showed me even though I was terrified He wouldn't answer my prayers to save our baby, I would need Him desperately in either outcome. In December we had to wait another week to see if my brother would wake up from a coma. I cried out to God to save him. We lost my brother before Christmas. It was way too soon, he was way too young. I have been asking God, 'Why?!?' while holding on to God's promises like Romans 8:28. God will use this brokenness and sorrow. It is hard to see God's faithfulness in my current sorrow but it is there.
Amy
My family moved from a comfortable life in the Chicago suburbs last summer because we believed God was calling us to the Quad Cities. Connecting with BCC was natural because we have family in the area that has called BCC home for years. But nearly every other aspect of the move has been challenging - new jobs for my wife and I, as well as a new high school for our twin daughters. Pastor Derik’s recent sermons have been good reminders that following God’s call is not always easy, but God has been and will continue to be faithful.
Mark
God works in me through the Holy Spirit. It is not me but the Holy Spirit using me to show God's glory! I am being used through the children's ministry as a teacher for 5-year-olds, as a Bible study leader at One Eighty Prison Ministry, and to help our seniors at BCC. I love to go visit the elderly in the hospitals and nursing homes.
Pattie
I spent sixty-six years with my back turned to God. Then the Holy Spirit challenged me to read the Old Testament. Despite a loving, steadfast, patient, merciful God who declared them his “Chosen People” and provided everything for them, I saw the Israelites as sinful, disobedient, 'stiff-necked', ungrateful people. Then I looked in the mirror and saw the world and myself...today, just like the Israelites. So I read the New Testament, looked around and pondered all creation, wondering why it had taken me so long. He was patient, but now I am 'chosen', I praise and I serve Him.
Tom