Bedford Community Church

I'm usually a pretty happy person. At least until my situation changes. A good night's sleep, a productive day, a nice run with some sunshine, and I’m feeling good. But throw me bad night's sleep, an sick kid, a frustrating conversation, or too many meetings, and suddenly my happiness can disappear pretty quickly. Is your happiness dependent on your circumstances as much as mine? While I spend a lot of time trying to maximize the good and minimize the bad, life doesn't always cooperate.

But what if maximizing happiness isn’t really possible? What if it’s not even the point? What if we’re not supposed to remove or ignore the pain, disappointment, and sorrow that are inevitably part of life? This Sunday, in The Kingdom of This & That, we'll explore Joy & Sorrow and discover how we may be created to hold both together, even when life isn't going according to plan.

 Join us on Sunday at 9:15 am.

www.bedfordcommunitychurch.org

Anybody love Les Misérables as much as I do? The story of a criminal who to save a straving child, but then steals silver from the church. When the police catch him, the bishop does something extraordinary: he tells them the silver was a gift and has Valjean freed.

But throughout the story, the question remains: Is Valjean a bad man who does good things, or a good man who has done bad things? And what about Inspector Javert, who does everything by the book but seems incapable of compassion? Who is actually the good man in this story? And where is God in all of the suffering, confusion, hope, and revolutionary ferver?

This Sunday, in The Kingdom of This & That, we'll explore Good & Bad, what Jesus teaches about the contradictions of the human heart, and how the cross transforms the way we understand ourselves and one another.

 Join us on Sunday at 9:15 am.

www.bedfordcommunitychurch.org

Life & Dignity

Is it enough simply to be alive? We spend enormous resources trying to preserve and extend life. And rightly so, life is precious. But what about the quality of that life? What about someone who is alive but isolated, suffering, or stripped of the things that make life feel meaningful? On the other hand, if dignity is measured by independence, productivity, or quality of life, what happens to those who cannot achieve those things? Does their life somehow become less valuable?

We often find ourselves caught between protecting life and preserving dignity, as though we have to choose. This Sunday, we'll explore Life & Dignity. Why every life has inherent worth, how simply being alive isn't the whole story, and how Jesus makes a way for This&That.

 Join us on Sunday at 9:15 am.

www.bedfordcommunitychurch.org

The LORD who calls you Friend

Jesus is the LORD who calls us to follow him and the Friend who invites us to know him deeply. This Sunday, we’ll explore John 15 and discover what it means to trust his authority, remain in his love, and bring our real selves into a relationship with him.

 Join us on Sunday at 9:15 am.

www.bedfordcommunitychurch.org

For decades, Barry and Patty Jordan have followed God’s call in Indonesia. Along the way, that calling has taken some unexpected turns. They have taught future church leaders and become spiritual parents to young people carrying deep wounds and burdens. Through it all, God has continued to show them just how wide His mission really is.

This Sunday, Barry joins us to share some of the defining moments that have shaped his life and ministry. As we continue The Kingdom of This & That, his story will help us wrestle with one of the easiest divisions we make: us OR them. What happens when we begin to believe that every person is someone God sees, loves, and can call and use—including them and us? Come hear what God has done through Barry and Patty—and consider what He might want to do through US & THEM.

 Join us on Sunday at 9:15 am.

www.bedfordcommunitychurch.org

I have a friend who makes the greatest chocolate chip cookies on Earth. They come from an old family recipe. It’s been passed down, treasured, and is deeply personal. But here’s the great thing: when she bakes them, she doesn’t keep them to herself. She shares them, and suddenly, here I am, getting to share in something personal, meaningful, and absolutely delicious. Sometimes sharing what is personal allows it to become even more meaningful. And who knows, you might even discover someone with an amazing hot cocoa recipe that makes the perfect pairing.

Faith isn’t so different. Our relationship with Jesus is meant to be deeply personal, but it was never meant to be private. We bring our stories and our faith into a community and discover what others bring to the table too. This Sunday in The Kingdom of This & That, we’ll learn what it means that following Jesus is both personal & corporate.

 Join us on Sunday at 9:15 am.

www.bedfordcommunitychurch.org

Carrying Both

Last week, one of my kids did something my wife had explicitly told them not to do. The result? They got hurt, not seriously but tears were flowing. Suddenly we were caught in one of those parenting moments where two things were true at same time. This was a moment to learn. There needed to be discipline and a, “This is exactly why Mom told you not to do that.” Still, our kid was hurting. They needed a hug, some comfort, and parents who cared about the pain they were experiencing…even if the result of their disobedience.

Life is full of moments like that, where the right response isn’t this OR that, but somehow this AND that. If fact, faith is full of these tensions too. That’s why, this week we are beginning a new series called, The Kingdom of This & That, exploring how people trying to live faith filled and faithful lives are often pulled between competing ideas. Join us as we discover what it means to follow Jesus in This & That.

 Join us on Sunday at 9:15 am.

www.bedfordcommunitychurch.org

For me, there’s something irresistible about Thanksgiving dinner. Just thinking about it brings me back to walking into Grandma’s house and smelling the symphony of delicious foods in the oven, the turkey roasting, yams baking, cranberry’s boiling, and the pies on the window sill. Besides the scents, there was the sounds. Grandma greeting from the kitchen, aunts and uncles laughing in the next room, cousins running around. In every way, it was simply good. And something that good is hard to resist.

But I wonder if that’s how we tend to view God’s work in the world? As something so deeply good that we, and those around us, can’t resist but be a part of it. This week, as we conclude Mission Impossible, we’ll encounter a vision of God’s Mission as not only inevitable, but irresistible.

 Join us on Sunday at 9:15 am.

www.bedfordcommunitychurch.org

Are you longing for a day with no more pain? Revelation promises us a new heaven and a new earth where every tear will be wiped away. One day, God's presence will dwell with us perfectly, and all our brokenness will be made right. Who can you share this beautiful hope with today? #NewCreation #EternalHope #Revelation21

 Join us on Sunday at 9:15 am.

www.bedfordcommunitychurch.org

This week, we’re kicking off a brand-new series called Mission Impossible, exploring what happens when the people, places, and situations around us seem too big, too broken, or too far gone. When the challenge is beyond us, we’re invited to trust in a God for whom the impossible is never the end of the story.

Join us this Sunday as we discover how God can bring life where we only see impossibility—and why what you’ve almost given up on may not be as hopeless as it seems.

 Join us on Sunday at 9:15 am.

www.bedfordcommunitychurch.org