Dear Grace Family,

On February 3, 2003, Jonell and I and our 4 children loaded up in Springfield, IL and began our journey to the Brazosport area of Texas. We arrived in town 2 days later and Joined about 12 other families who made up Grace Community Bible Church (now Grace Bible Church) where I began to serve as the first Teaching Pastor. Since that time the Lord has blessed our family with 2 more children and has blessed Grace Bible Church with many more people.

We came here, because the Lord had placed an unmistakeable Call on our lives to come. We had to obey HIS Call and I am so glad we did.

Our Church has not been perfect, but we have been committed to our distinctives of Expository Preaching, Biblical Eldership, Team Leadership, a High view of God, and the Inerrancy and Sufficiency of Scripture.

For over 13 years now Jonell and I have invested our lives in this ministry and community. I have not been the perfect teaching pastor, but I have tried, by God’s grace, to be faithful to preach His Word, to love Jesus and to love you for HIS Glory.

For over 13 years I have had the privilege to serve some of the greatest people in the world here at Grace. I have prayed with, wept with, counseled with, celebrated with, believed with, been encouraged by, grown with and bragged about you to others. And I do not regret one minute of this time.

Were there some difficult times over these last 13 years? Yes, but the vast majority of times were sweet and the Lord used the difficult times to make us all more like Jesus.

When we came here we had no idea what the LORD would do, but we knew it would be good. HE has been faithful to build HIS Church here at Grace. We have seen the LORD give new life to people here at Grace in making them His sons and daughters. We have seen the LORD rescue people from the power of sin in their daily lives and relationships. We have seen the LORD use our body to get the Gospel out into our Community. We have seen the LORD provided abundantly so we could support the spread of the Gospel around the world. We have seen the LORD strengthen marriages. We have seen the LORD carry people through great pain and disappointment. We have seen the LORD do what HE does best: use HIS people for HIS Glory and their good. We knew it would be good, but it has far surpassed anything we could have asked for or imagined.

I am eternally grateful to the LORD for calling me here over 13 years ago.

2 springs ago, 3 different ministries approached me about coming to serve the LORD with them. I turned them all down. Then this past summer, one of those ministries approached me again and asked if I would commit to pray about whether the LORD was calling me to serve with them.

Jonell and I committed to pray about this opportunity. I then shared this with our Elders and asked them to pray. I also sought out counsel from other Godly men. During this process the LORD began to work in my heart to give me clear direction.

That direction has brought us to this day where I stand before you and tell you that the LORD is calling me to serve HIM in the Role of the Midwest Region’s Director of FCA Football (Fellowship of Christian Athletes).

This is one of the hardest decisions we have ever had to make, therefore we did not take it lightly – but sought the LORD with all our hearts and minds.

I know for many of you this is a shock. However, I also know that you know me and the way that the LORD has wired me. During the past few years the LORD has opened up doors here in our community for me to minister to Football Coaches and athletes at our local high school. He has also given me the opportunity to serve Football Coaches and athletes in other parts of the country through leading pre-game chapel services via Skype for Georgetown College in KY. HE also allowed me to minister to Football Coaches at one of my best friends funerals last Spring. There have also been numerous other opportunities that the LORD has given me to minister to Football Coaches as I have gone about my daily life.

All of these opportunities the LORD has used to confirm HIS new Call for me.

This position is the first of its kind in the country and the hope is as we learn how to most effectively minister “to and through” football coaches – we will be able to take it to other regions in the US.

Billy Graham once said, “One coach will impact more young people in one year than the average person does in a lifetime.”

All coaches have a tremendous influence on their athletes, but there is one coach that has more potential influence than any other coach … the Football Coach. Due to the popularity of the game of football and the sheer numbers of athletes who play the game, the football coach is exposed to more athletes than any other sport. Not only does the football coach influence those directly involved in the football program, but they influence other coaches, athletes, students and people in the community.

In the Midwest Region of which I will be serving (IL, Iowa, MO, KS & Nebraska), when you take into account all high school & College Football Coaches (head and assistants), there are 13,000 football coaches. These coaches are coaching over 130,000 football players. Obviously, the potential for Gospel impact is huge. And I believe the LORD has called me to lead this ministry.

My new supervisor, Tim Johnson, said we could live anywhere in the Midwest that we wanted. Therefore, we have chosen to live in Springfield, IL where we are already familiar with the community.

I want to assure you that I am as committed to the local church as much now as ever. I know the LORD has given me the gift to preach and teach HIS Word. Not only will I get to do this with FCA Football, but I will use these gifts in the local church as well. We have a few good options as to local churches in Springfield where we can put down roots and serve in the Fulfilling of the Mission of the Church.

I also want to assure you that the rest of the Elders and myself will be seeking the LORD as to who HE is calling to come and serve Grace as your new Teaching Pastor. Just as I believe that the LORD has called me to FCA Football, I also believe HE is already Calling the right man to come and serve here at Grace as the Teaching Pastor.

Just like when we came over 13 years ago, the Lord has placed an unmistakeable Call on our lives to Go and serve with FC Football. We must obey HIS Call, trusting HIM all the way.

Jonell has had the privilege of being loved by the people of this great family here at grace. She loves you all so much and brags about you every chance she gets. Thank You for treating my bride with love and grace.

Our children have been the beneficiaries of being loved and served by the family here at Grace. For that I am eternally grateful. They have seen what a loving and dedicated local church should be like. Thank you.

I have been loved so well here at Grace and am confident that I got the better end of this deal. I could not have asked for a better local Church Family to serve as Teaching Pastor than the Family here at Grace. Thank you for loving me, being patient with me, exhorting me, befriending me, teaching me and for being used by God to make me more like Jesus.

Please pray for us as we make this transition some time in June. Pray the LORD will make it clear as to which local church to serve in. Pray the LORD will provide us a house. Pray the LORD will raise the funds we need to come on FCA staff. Pray the LORD will proved godly friendships for our children. Pray that the LORD would empower us to faithfully proclaim the Gospel to all whom we come into contact. Pray the LORD will comfort our hearts as we miss our wonderful family here at Grace.

I will close with the following words from the Letter of Jude: Jude 24–25

24 Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy, 25 to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.

Grace to You All, Bryan

In Matthew 7, Jesus teaches on judging others rightly, persistent prayer, the wide and narrow gate, the necessity of a change in nature to produce godly fruit and building your life on doing the Word of God.  The thing that sticks out to me is Jesus’ warning about those who profess to know Him, but in reality do not.  Only those who have a new heart/nature as evidenced by trusting Jesus as Savior and Lord will inherit the Kingdom of heaven and produce godly fruit.  Thank You Lord for giving me a new heart that has the desire and power to honor You.  May all that I do and say bring honor to You.

– Bryan McKenzie

In Matthew 6 Jesus teaches on giving, prayer, fasting and money/possessions.  He makes a big emphasis on not doing these things to be noticed by others.  These are things that are to be done unto the Lord, for His glory. Jesus also says the way a person looks at their possessions, says a lot about their heart.  If gaining more stuff is their goal and causes them to worry then that is where their treasure is, therefore He is not their treasure.  He encourages people to seek His Kingdom and righteousness first, and their needs will be met.  Lord, protect me from doing things to impress others and help me make Your Kingdom and Your righteousness my greatest treasure at all times.

– Bryan McKenzie

Jesus delivers the Sermon on the Mount to his disciples right after they were chosen to follow him. I’m struck today by the ideas that must have been swirling around in their heads. These guys were working their trades and then dropped it all to follow Jesus. The fact that they were working means that they had already quit their formal education. They were no longer in the Jewish educational system and would have never even been considered as disciples for any other rabbi. When Jesus calls them, he changed everything. Traditionally a student approached a rabbi to ask if he could follow him, but Jesus turn the whole thing around. The disciples had to be thinking things like: “What is this guy thinking? I’m not smart enough to be a disciple. I’m just a regular ole fisherman.” The scribes and Pharisees liked to make all the people feel these things too. No one could fulfill the law and they loved to point it out. So with this understanding, I’m struck be Jesus’ first official words to his disciples. “Blessed are the poor in spirit…Blessed are the pure in heart….Blessed are the those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake…You are the salt of the earth.” I can almost hear the disciples responding, “You ain’t kiddin’. You don’t get any saltier than us.” But Jesus reassures them and lays out a crazy idea. “For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” He believed in them. He was calling them to live out something more than they ever imagined. He raises the bar in regards to adultery, calls them to “turn the other cheek” and to “love your enemies.” This is the foundation that Jesus lays out for them – for what will become the next few years of their lives. One commentary even relates it to an ordination of sorts. The disciples were feeling honored for sure, but probably also inadequate and confused a bit as well. I can relate. I feel the same way – honored, inadequate, confused.

The good news is that He is with me. Even though he’s calling me to impossible tasks, He is also going with me (and will go before me too) and will empower me by His Spirit.

Prayer: Jesus, I have chosen to follow you. I am your disciple. Teach me. I want to serve You in all that I do. Make Your presence known to me and push me into situations where I can be an instrument for Your glory. AMEN.    

– Steve Corn

In Matthew 3-4, John the Baptist and his ministry are introduced, Jesus is baptized, Jesus is tempted in the wilderness by Satan, Jesus defeats Satan’s temptation by using the Word of God, Jesus begins His public ministry and calls some of His first disciples.  The thing that stood out to me this morning was the fact that John the Baptist fulfilled his calling.  He was called to prepare the world to receive the Messiah and he did not hesitate or back down from this calling.  All people who have placed their faith in Jesus as their Savior and Lord have been called to be a part of the Lord’s plan of redemption.  Lord, by Your grace empower me to fulfill what You have called me to do in Your great plan of redemption. Keep me focused and faithful.

– Bryan McKenzie

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”

The first verse in the Bible answers the question of the origin of the universe.

The “beginning” spoken of here is the beginning of the universe.  God is eternal and was before the “beginning” of the universe. It was “God” who “created the heavens and the earth.” Moses assumes the existence of God, for there was no reason to defend the obvious.  The word “created” is only used in connection with God and in context points to a creation out of no pre-existing materials.  The “heavens and the earth” is a summary statement of the 6 days of creation that follow in Genesis 1.  These beginning words of the Bible point to the fact that God is Gracious, for He did not have to create the world nor human beings.  These words also speak to the fact that God is Omnipotent (all-powerful) in that He created out of nothing.  Another important truth these words point to concerning God is the fact that He is Sovereign.  He has absolute authority over all His creation. The fact that He is Creator and therefore Sovereign makes all mankind accountable to Him. This should bring His people great peace knowing that He rules over the big events in History and the little details of each of their lives.

– Bryan McKenzie

In Matthew 1, Matthew gives us Jesus genealogy through his legal father, Joseph. It linked Jesus to both Abraham and David showing HE indeed was the Messiah.  Matthew also lists 5 women in Jesus genealogy, which was uncommon. All of these women would have been considered unworthy to be part of the Messiah’s family tree.  Verse 3 – Tamar (posed as a prostitute to fool Judah), Verse 5 – Rahab (Gentile and prostitute), Verse 5 – Ruth (Moabite, therefore forbidden to enter the assembly of the Lord for 10 generations, Verse 6 – Bathsheba (committed adultery with David), & Verse 16 – Mary (thought to be with child while unmarried).  This points to the fact that the LORD is not limited by sin to bring about His plan of redemption.  It also points to the fact that Jesus came to redeem the unworthy, for all are unworthy of grace.  In Matthew 2, Matthew records the coming of the Magi to worship Jesus, Joseph, Mary and Jesus’ flight to Egypt to escape Herod’s wrath and their settling down in Nazareth in Galilee.  The worship of the Magi stands out to me and reminds me of my only poster before the LORD.  LORD, remind me that it is by grace alone that I am called your son and by your grace empower me to be one who extends grace to others.

– Bryan McKenzie

In Psalm 132 the Psalmist points to a time when David desired and vowed to bring the tabernacle and ark to Jerusalem.  The Psalm also points to God’s promise that David’s descendants would continue to reign forever.  The ultimate fulfillment of God’s promise to David is found in the Messiah, Jesus.  Jesus’ reign as Messiah brings forgiveness, righteousness and perfect peace to His people.  The 2nd coming of Jesus and the set up of the new heavens and earth will usher in the fulfillment of God’s plan to redeem people from every tribe, tongue and nation for all eternity.  Lord, may I live in humility and with grace, because of the grace you have shown me by redeeming me through Jesus.

– Bryan McKenzie

Psalm 118 is a Psalm of Thanksgiving for the Lord’s goodness.  It is also the most quoted Psalm in the New Testament.  One of the verses quoted a few times in the New Testament is verse  22, “The stone which the builders rejected, Has become the chief cornerstone.”  The New Testament identifies Jesus as the stone the builders rejected who became the chief cornerstone.  Jesus was the one on whom the Father builds His kingdom and the Jewish leaders of Jesus’ day rejected Him.  Those who reject Him will be left out of the Kingdom of God.  Lord, thank you for opening my eyes to see that Jesus is the chief cornerstone and truly this is “Marvelous in my eyes.” (v. 23)  By Your grace enable me to tell others about Jesus, the chief cornerstone.

– Bryan McKenzie