Welcome to church this Awana Sunday! More than 3 million kids around the globe are impacted every week by Awana -- from Bangladesh to Berkley! Today we will celebrate just some of the many great things that God has done through the Awana ministry this year. Once again, I would like to thank the many volunteers that make this ministry possible at BCC! What is love? Such a familiar question and yet the answer can be hard to capture. As we continue in our sermon series, Don't Waste Your Life, we will see the ultimate answer to love in Philippians 1.

"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it." (Matthew 13:45-46) It's spring time - which means garage sales will be popping up everywhere! Now is the time to buy an old dresser or seldom-used kitchen gadgets. The hunt is on for that thing that you must have that you never knew you needed! Jesus tells this story or a merchant searching high and low to find some fine pearls. When he finds them he sells everything in order to buy them. The story doesn't imply what he had before didn't matter or didn't have any value. The purpose was to point to the exceeding value of the fine pearls. The answer to Jesus story is connecting the allegory of the fine pearls to trusting Jesus as your Savior. The question is, do you see the value? We'll talk about this today in Philippians 3.

It's easy to slip through life without taking risks - without making your life count. We are busy raising kids, staying afloat, working a job. All of these are good and noble things. But is that really life as God intended? Life ought not to be wasted. You have one chance to do this life well.One chance at eternal significance - living for what matters most. You don't need to know a lot of things to make a lasting difference in the world, but you do need a few, great, unchanging, and glorious truths from God's Word. We start this series today look at 2 Timothy 2.

Happy Palm Sunday! As Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey, people had gathered to greet him. They cheered and shouted, "Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!" (Luke 19:38) What a moment this would have been! A multitude of disciples gathered together praising God and laying palm branches along their path. Yet, Jesus is... ... ... weeping. Why? The answer is clear seen at the end of Romans 8.

I am excited that Troy Cleland, camp director at Michiana Camp and Larry Carter, President of Great Lakes Christian College will join us during our morning worship service! We are a church that cares deeply about families! I hope you will be encouraged to hear of the many opportunities that your child, teenager, or grandkid could be impacted by these ministries. I know you will be blessed as Larry preaches from 1 John 5:19!

Is salvation through Jesus Christ the only way to heaven? Is Satan real? Is the Bible accurate in all of its teachings? Did Jesus live a sinless life? A recent national survey by Barna Research Group found that only 4% of Americans believe these central truths to the Bible. Shockingly only 1 out of 10 "Christians" claimed they were absolutely true! Barna's survey also connected an individual's worldview with his or her moral beliefs and actions. Barna says, "Although most people own a Bible and know some of its content, our research found that most Americans have little idea how to integrate core biblical principles to form a unified and meaningful response to the challenges and opportunities of life." No where is this more true than when times of suffering come. We will all face seasons of difficulties. How can your faith remain unshakable when life crashes around you? We'll find out today as we continue through Romans 8.