Newsletters

June 2023

I’ve heard many parents say that their kids are all opposites. You can have two children that are totally different and somehow have another that breaks the mold again. At the time of my writing this letter it is one day past the due date for our third kid, and even though they aren’t here yet, we can somehow still sense the “opposite” that is coming. We have noticed a difference in how this one moves, how Becky has carried them, but the most obvious hint is in the similarity of uncertainty. Even though we have some experience at this, the same sense of unpreparedness and the unknown seems to have us on our toes. This, at least in my mind, seems to reinforce the notion that this baby will be a complete new experience. We know only enough to know that nothing is certain, and that God alone sees what lies ahead.  That, while sometimes stressful, is exactly how it ought to be. There is peace in knowing that God is all-knowing.

This past year the NBC board has been meeting via video call for weekly prayer meetings and I have had the privilege, and I really do mean privilege, of meeting together with these other men to discuss and pray for the college and many other things. With lower freshman numbers, hiring of a president, development of the college, or other things that can seem like “problems” in any given moment, stress and fear can begin to creep in against our faith. We may wish we had more control, or think others ought to be doing more, or try to change a course of events by our own effort, or just wish we knew the future. But then we forget the One who already knows and who has the only real power. I have been encouraged to see the board, on a weekly basis, bring these things before God and commit them into His infinitely capable hands.

In Mt 6 Jesus assures his disciples that God knows about their future needs, and that they should first seek God’s kingdom. In 2 Co 12:9-10 we learn that a full realization of our weakness, as we lean on Christ, is when Christ’s power is made manifest in us. So whether it’s having a baby, or thinking about NBC, we must commit all things into the hands of Christ realizing that God already knows, and that our weakness will allow God’s power to be known.

With that, I will immediately break rank and announce some of our human plans for the future!  I am excited to share some updates for Alumni Weekend. We will get to start the weekend off together with a time of praise and worship and a few shared testimonies. Friday night will also see some full court basketball, followed by the return of a full court Saturday morning soccer tournament. For those attending workshops, look forward to choosing from either Wes Fehr, Lindsay Anderson, or one of our NBC Instructors.  As we look forward to the silent auction, we want to encourage early participation in the form of donations of awesome “stuff”, which is actually a huge help toward , and for  making the weekend a success. Wes Fehr will also speak at our Sunday morning service as we close out the weekend with a time of corporate worship.

Finally, I want to ask that you join us in prayer for this college we love, bringing everything before God in prayer. Lord willing I’ll see you in November!

Sincerely
Benjamin Thiessen