Bidwell at One Thirty One

Happy Sunday Bidwell, We are excited to get you our weekly devotional and spiritual guide called Ancient Rhythms. The purpose behind this packet is to promote your learning of Scripture, its integration into your life, and to unite Bidwell behind its vision to grow Deeper in Christ. It includes four Scripture passages with commentary to encourage you and help you in the understanding of God's word, a formation exercise for spiritual growth, a memory verse, and Life Group ques...tions from Sunday's sermon. May it encourage you and bless you as you start this new year and venture into all 2021 has to offer. With much joy and anticipation, Henry Packets are sent out each Sunday at 12:00PM via email and can be downloaded each week from our website by going to BIDWELLPRES.ORG/SEASONS/ A link to this web page is also available now on our home banner, the main menu of our website, and through the Bidwell App. Click the "Download Devotional Packets" button to navigate there.

A Call to Prayer for America Dear Bidwell, Yesterday we were all impacted by horrific images as we witnessed on national television and on our devices protestors storm the US Capitol breaching police lines and barriers during an orderly debate. It was an especially sad day for our nation as four lives were lost, and our country’s leaders were in a most precarious situation in the house chamber and throughout the building. It is hard to put into words what we saw and how we fe...el, but no matter where we fall on the political spectrum, I believe we are called as believers to kneel to Christ alone and to pray for our government, its leadership, and for our nation’s healing. I invite you today at 5:00PM to stop what you are doing and where you are and to pray. Pray for our country’s restoration. Pray for wellness and peace. I will be in prayer for thirty minutes and ask you to join me. I would also encourage you to remember your witness as a believer in Jesus Christ. The Apostle writes: But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body. (Phillippians 3:9.) Our identity and confidence are rooted in Christ; his sovereign power; and his ability to control all things and turn them for good. The business of glory therefore and boasting is for Jesus Christ alone. Let’s do our part have an obsession with continuing to bring Him glory and honor and thereby enjoying the process of exalting the only name that is worthy of praise. We can do so now by maintaining a prayerful and peaceful posture and remembering his purposes always prevail. With much hope in the Gospel of Jesus Christ our Savior and Lord, Henry Hansen Senior Pastor

MONDAY MOTIVATION DEVOTIONAL Thank you for watching this week’s Monday Motivation. This is intended to uplift your morning, afternoon, and day. We invite you to pause and enjoy the brief lesson, be invited into a moment of prayer with one of your pastors, and to consider the memory verse being introduced that is derived from our new weekly spiritual and devotional guide. Have a most wonderful and blessed week. ___________________________________________________________... Monday Motivation Devotional Videos can be viewed again using the Bidwell App, going to our Facebook, or by going to BIDWELLPRES.ORG/SEASONS. Packets are sent out each Sunday at 12:00PM via email and can be downloaded each week from our website by going to BIDWELLPRES.COM/SEASONS. A link to this web page is also available now on our home banner, the main menu of our website, and through the Bidwell App. Click the "Download Devotional Packets" button to navigate there.

Happy New Year Bidwell, We are excited to introduce to you the first edition of our weekly devotional and spiritual guide called Ancient Rhythms. The purpose behind this packet is to promote your learning of Scripture, its integration into your life, and to unite Bidwell behind its vision to grow Deeper in Christ. It includes four Scripture passages with commentary to encourage you and help you in the understanding of God's word, a formation exercise for spiritual growth, a m...emory verse, and Life Group questions from Sunday's sermon. May it encourage you and bless you as you start this new year and venture into all 2021 has to offer. Packets are sent out each Sunday at 12:00PM via email and can be downloaded each week from our website by going to https://bidwellpres.org/seasons/ A link to this web page is also available now on our home banner, the main menu of our website, and through the Bidwell App. Click the "Download Devotional Packets" button to navigate there.

MOTIVATION I live as though Jesus Christ had been crucified yesterday, had risen this morning and was coming again tomorrow. Martin Luther, 16th C. VERSE We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life, (Romans 6:4).... PRAYER Lord Jesus Christ, your grace is enough. Your cross, resurrection, and the assurance that you will return again, is more than enough. God, I pray you'd help me walk in confidence. Lead me Lord that I would grow aware of your amazing grace and sufficiency. To live as though you died yesterday were raised this morning, and will return tomorrow is a tall order. But God I want my life to be accountable to you and your promises. May your gospel of grace and truth compel me to live according to the measure of love I’ve received. Take this day and consecrate it for your good and holy purposes. The glory be yours, Amen.

Reopening Bidwell Indoors, Sunday November 1 Dear Bidwell, I love these verses from 1 Thessalonians 2: 17-18 where Paul says to the church in Thessalonica: ... But since we were torn away from you for a short time, in person not in heart, we endeavored the more eagerly and with great desire to see you face to face, because we wanted to come to youI, Paul, again and again. Those verses remind me of Paul’s great big heart. And it reminds me also of how much you’ve been missed and the longing your pastors have to see you face to face, as well as the desire you have to see each other in person. It’s been a joy to see you on the patio if you’ve joined us that way. And it’ll be wonderful visiting with you at our upcoming services indoors beginning Sunday, November 1. You’ll be receiving more information about our service schedule next week. In the meantime, I want you to know we will be providing three services at 8:15 (Traditional), 9:30 (Contemporary), and 10:45 (Modern). We intend to provide childcare and Sunday School at one of the service hours. And we will be utilizing both the 131 and sanctuary as worship spaces, in addition to providing live streaming at all three. We will require registration in advance for attendees, including for Sunday School, childcare, and worshippers. And I want you to know we will be taking every precaution to provide a safe environment for you including the wiping down of surfaces and having an overall sanitizing between services so that you feel comfortable in and confident about the space you’re worshipping in. Butte County recently moved from the purple to red tier for COVID-19 tracking, and we will be conducting our services within the guidelines provided by the state for worshipping communities. Assuming we move from red to orange in the coming weeks, we will be allowed to increase our numbers in accordance with the less-restrictive category. For those of you who won’t be able to join us in person, we will continue to offer services online via streaming, YouTube (through the website) and Zoom. We will have outdoor patio services the upcoming weekends October 18 and 25. I want to invite you to attend these to see the quality of service we’re providing and gain confidence in how mindful we are being in looking out for your safety. Thank you. And can’t wait to see you face to face. Yours in Christ, Henry Hansen Senior Pastor

MOTIVATION An ancient story goes as follows: Three masons were building a cathedral. When asked about what they were doing, the first mason answered: I am putting one stone upon another in order to build a wall. The second mason said: I am working so that I can purchase food and clothing for myself and my family. But the third mason replied: I am building a house of God so that people may know God’s presence and be joyful. Three attitudes toward everyda...y tasks and occupations are reflected in this simple story. We can live and work mechanically, putting one stone upon the other, day after day, until the wall is built; or we can live and work solely for ourselves and our loved ones without thought for others and their needs; or we can offer up our daily work to God. Whether it be washing dishes or selling insurance or being a doctor, and so build a world in which the Divine Presence is made manifest and where people can find joy. Think for a moment through your own daily schedule. Make a mental list of those routine and regular tasks that occupy most of your waking time. If my guess is accurate, most of these activities are neither very pious nor churchy. Yet it is my firm belief that Paul had tasks like them in mind when he offered the following nugget of spiritual direction to the Corinthian church: So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God. Trevor Hudson, Discovering Our Spiritual Identity Verse So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God. 1 Corinthians 10: 31 Prayer Lord, sometimes I forget it’s all about you and that everything has meaning and purpose when I live in the light of your presence. And therefore I pray to you this simply prayer: In your Spirit, Lord, may I glorify you today. Amen.

The first Saturday of October (Oct 3), we had a crew of college and young adults who dared to serve the Jesus Center on Saturday morning! They helped Ali the farmer clear up the Jesus Center’s organic veggie garden! Several said afterward that it felt good to do good and experience the Holy Spirit at work through work! The college and young adult ministry is planning to head back the first Saturday in November, 9-11am. #daretoserve

MOTIVATION How’s your life working for the people who are closest to you? I am always in a hurry. I put on my socks two at a time. I lace up my tennis shoes while I run to save a couple of minutes. I order sushi at restaurants so I don’t have to wait for them to cook the fishand I don’t even like sushi. When I’m not in a hurry, I spend my time being impatient. It’s so extreme, sometimes I think I make coffee nervous. While living my life this way has been working out great ...Continue reading

Kidwell Scavenger Hunt 2020!!! So fun to have 18 Teams compete today!! Everyone enjoy ur PIZZA!!

This Sunday we are privileged to have Greg Cootsona as our guest preacher! Greg is a former Bidwell Pastor (from 2002-14) and author of several books as well as a Lecturer at Chico State. Greg began teaching at Chico State in Fall 2014 with Science and Religion and has continued with other courses in humanities, philosophy, and various topics in religious studies. He completed his M.Div. at Princeton Seminary and his Ph. D. at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley. Greg ...also co-directs Science for the Church (scienceforthechurch.org), a project designed to bring science to Christian congregations as a resource for spiritual growth. He blogs weekly at cootsona.blogspot.com. He has written for several periodicals such as The Wall Street Journal and Christianity Today. He and his wife, Laura have two emerging adult daughters (22 and 25). Besides hanging out with his family, he loves to bike, read, write, and drink good coffee. Source: csuchico.edu BOOKS: "C.S. Lewis and the Crisis of a Christian" "Mere Science and Christian Faith: Bridging the Divide with Emerging Adults" "The Time for Yes: Enjoying What's Best in Life, Work, and Love" "Negotiating Science and Religion in America: Past, Present, and Future" "Say Yes To No: Using The Power Of No To Create The Best In Life, Work, and Love." Source: amazon.com

YOU ARE INVITED TO JOIN US FOR SUNDAY WORSHIP! IN-PERSON SERVICES: Registration is now available for in-person services on the patio, Sunday, Oct 4 at 8:00AM (Traditional) or 9:30AM (Contemporary). Registration is required and can be found under the "Worship" section at BIDWELLPRES.ORG. Please wear a mask and bring your own chairs. Social distancing will be observed throughout each service. We look forward to seeing you!

MOTIVATION Whenever you want to cheer yourself, think of the qualities of your fellows the energy of one, for example, the decency of another, the generosity of a third, some other merit in a fourth. There is nothing so cheering as the stamp of virtues manifest in the character of colleagues and the greater the collective incidence, the better. So keep them ready to hand, Marcus Aurelius, Roman Emperor 2nd C. BCE, Meditations VERSE Finally, brothers, whatever is true, ...whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. Philippians 4:8 PRAYER Lord, as I begin this day, I’m calibrating my thought life. I name before you those who model positive energy, goodness, generosity, and amazing acts of love. God as I think about them, I am aware you have put them in my life for a reason. I pray that these models of virtue would manifest themselves in my own life. Lord, grant me the humility to know I can’t do it all on my own and I can look to the model of others. And to their strength too. I thank you for them in my life, their virtue, and how they’ve shaped my character. It reminds me of you! Help me walk in your path today that I also might be someone others think of when they too are in need of cheer. May I be a light as others have been to me. To your name be honor and glory and praise. In Christ’s name, Amen.

Dear Bidwell, Last week amidst the fires, I decided to go on a walk on our family’s treadmill. It sits in our garage and is located next to a window that looks out onto the landscape of (ash-covered) trees, grass and flowers. As I took in the view of the yard and a light billow of smoke encroaching, my phone that was playing music on my headphones suddenly shifted from high energy music to a more relaxed favorite The summer wind, came blowin' in from across the sea...Continue reading