Brandon and Jennifer Bruce

Wide Open Series At Faith Church

noreply@blogger.com (About Brandon) — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 02:58:00 +0000

This past Sunday, we started a new series called, "Wide Open" at Faith Church. The outline for the three week series is: "Understanding, listening to, and following the Holy Spirit". We are learning more about Who God is and trying to become more wide open to the Spirit of God in our daily lives. If you are in the Greater Lansing area, we'd love for you to join us at one of our campuses! Locations, directions, and worship gathering times can be found at: www.lansingfaith.org

I am reading portions of three different books (one each week) to help prepare for this series, in addition to searching through a ton verses throughout the Bible. I am learning so much and just hope that I can pour out some of what is being poured into me during this series. The three books are:

Forgotten God by Francis Chan (week 1)
The Power of a Whisper by Bill Hybels (week 2)
Wild Goose Chase by Mark Batterson (week 3)

Flooded... Twice In Two Days!

noreply@blogger.com (About Brandon) — Sat, 14 May 2011 14:02:00 +0000

The Thursday before Easter, Jennifer woke up around 3:00am because she thought she heard some noise in our house. I stepped into our basement to discover it was flooding from a failed sump pump. We worked until after 6:00am trying to pull back carpet and get as much of the water out as we could. Jennifer was amazing to stay up and help me since she was 7 months pregnant at the time. Also, one of our neighbors saved us by coming over in the middle of the night with a back-up sump pump, shop-vac, and fans. The next day was a pretty long one and we hadn't gotten much sleep because we still had to wake up when the kids woke up. Then, it got really crazy...

We woke up on Friday morning to the sound of rushing water. We went downstairs into our kitchen and saw water streaming down from the ceiling. We were so confused at first. The water problem was in our basement, right? What is going on here? I ran upstairs and saw that a toilet had been overflowing while we were sleeping. We were so tired from the day before that we didn't hear the sound of the water until it was too late. We started cleaning up the water right away, but the damage had been done.

Finally, yesterday our ceiling in the kitchen started to get repaired as you can see in this picture. They will have to come back next week to finish doing the texture and paint on the ceiling of most of our first floor. The basement padding and carpet has been pulled out and our stuff is piled everywhere, our wood floors in half of the first floor are partially torn out now, and our bedroom carpet is also being torn out.

Through all of this I have been so impressed with how amazing Jennifer's attitude has been. She is now 8 months along in her pregnancy, trying to get the little girl's room set-up, and living in a construction zone. I am so impressed with her and how she is handling everything with such patience and endurance!

Tony Dungy On Leadership

noreply@blogger.com (About Brandon) — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 12:30:00 +0000

In his book, The Mentor Leader, Tony Dungy writes an excellent description of how he seeks to lead his team. Tony Dungy was the head coach of the 2007 Super Bowl champs - the Indianapolis Colts.

"As a mentor and a leader, I have found that I cannot move the ball forward with positive, nurturing leadership until I engage with those I am blessed to lead. Once I've engaged with them, I am able to educate and equip. Throughout the process, it is essential to encourage, empower, and energize in order to finally elevate the people around me" (Tony Dungy, The Mentor Leader, page 166). Tony goes on to explain these "e" words in the following pages of the book if you are interested in reading more.

Grand Canyon Trip 2011

noreply@blogger.com (About Brandon) — Sat, 09 Apr 2011 22:39:00 +0000

This past week I traveled to Arizona with Jennifer's dad (Ollie) and brother (Brent) to hike the Grand Canyon. I had hiked to the bottom of the canyon for the first time back in 1999 with my dad. I knew the canyon was beautiful, but I was reminded of how amazing the views truly were during our hike to the bottom!

We had a great crew of guys for this trip. I went with two out of Ollie's three brothers (Gary & David), Kirby (Jennifer's cousin), Ollie, and Brent.

The views were simply amazing! We hiked to the bottom and back in one day. It took us about 9 hours including breaks and we covered somewhere around 16 miles total.

Brent made the trip extra fun for everyone as he was constantly finding something unique to do like playing in a waterfall he discovered or doing push-ups on top of a high rock.

When we got to the bottom of the South Kaibab Trail (which only took about two and a half hours), we crossed this bridge (below) that stretches over the Colorado River. We took the Bright Angel Trail on the way back up.

I took the following picture for my dad. When we went to the Grand Canyon as kids, my dad took a picture like this that I still remember...

Below is a brief video summary of our hike to the bottom of the canyon...

Another highlight of the trip was visiting one of our favorite places to eat... In N Out Burger. We also enjoyed playing in the water at one of Brent's uncle's house. It was so fun to see the palm trees and enjoy the sunshine! It was a great trip and I'm so thankful that I was invited to go along. However, I really missed Jennifer and our kids, so it was great to get back to the Midwest!

Life Change

noreply@blogger.com (About Brandon) — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 23:14:00 +0000

I love to see God change a life! At Faith Church, this is what we're all about... seeing lives changed for Jesus Christ! This video shares a powerful story about how the people of Faith Church came alongside Stephanie when she really needed it.

There is no other group of people better positioned to help people in their time of greatest need (in any community) than the Church! Right on!

Coming Summer Fun

noreply@blogger.com (About Brandon) — Sat, 26 Mar 2011 01:43:00 +0000

Summer is coming! Last year, Jaylon was pretty surprised when Papa helped him catch this huge fish at their house.

Speaking At Winter Blast 2011

noreply@blogger.com (About Brandon) — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 18:03:00 +0000

I love speaking about Jesus any time that I get the chance! It is especially exciting to watch students respond to the message of Jesus Christ because of the way they so often passionately give their lives to Jesus! We saw 27 students make a commitment to Christ at this Winter Blast at Grace Adventures!

Grace Adventures brought in a great up-and-coming band, Finding Favour, and they did a phenomenal job. I enjoyed meeting and serving with these guys. The picture below is with their lead singer, Blake NeeSmith.

The staff at Grace Adventures put on a black light show that included glow-in-the-dark bowling. I also enjoyed playing in their basketball tournament and doing some night tubing.

I've been a guest speaker at Grace Adventures since around 2001 and have really enjoyed the relationships I have built with some of their staff. They have a great team of people at Grace Adventures that love God and love to serve people. I highly recommend this camp if you are looking for a Christian adventure summer camp or winter retreat.

Worship Arts Pastor/Director Opening

noreply@blogger.com (About Brandon) — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 20:03:00 +0000

Worship Arts Pastor/Director

Faith Church is a rapidly growing multi-site church with 6 worship gatherings on two campuses in the Greater Lansing (Michigan) Area, with current weekly attendance around 600+. There is a lot of momentum currently in the church and dozens of people have been making commitments to Jesus Christ. The church is rallying around their vision which states, “Our vision is to transform our community and world through the changed lives of thousands of people for Jesus Christ. We imagine Faith Church worship gatherings at multiple locations, starting at Lake Lansing Road.”

We are looking for a Worship Arts Pastor/Director who can primarily lead worship at our Central Campus and provide leadership and mentoring to staff and volunteer worship leaders at other campuses as well. The current Worship Arts Ministry has 4 worship teams with more than 40 people involved, a desire for excellence, and a heart to lift up the name of Jesus through modern worship music. The Worship Arts Pastor/Director is also a part of the Faith Church Creative Team, which helps shape message series shared at all campuses and provides leadership to Ministry Leaders in areas such as Stage Design and Audio/Media Teams. This full-time position (great benefits) has a flexible job description and may be adapted if an individual is only seeking part-time service and/or is interested in gaining experience in another ministry within the church as well.

If you are interested, please submit a resume as soon as possible to brandon.faithchurch@gmail.com

Faith Church

517.482.8660 (Central Office)

2300 Lake Lansing Rd.

Lansing, MI 48912

www.lansingfaith.org

Classic Family Pictures

noreply@blogger.com (About Brandon) — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 03:43:00 +0000

I found some older pictures of our family that I really enjoyed and wanted to share. I hope you also enjoy...

After This...

noreply@blogger.com (About Brandon) — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 20:15:00 +0000

Do you remember the last time you felt really sick? How about the day you woke up after the last day you were sick? Wasn't it a great feeling to not feel sick anymore? Perhaps the sunshine was beaming in through the windows and you sat there with a peace that was inexplainable. How do you thank God for that overwhelming sense of gratitude and joy that you have in those kind of moments? No longer sick... you are now able to function at a normal pace after a few days of sluggishness. What words can express this new found sense of freedom?

I have a really good suggestion that you may find helpful at other even more pivotal times in your life as well.

Photo by Brent Dongell

I've rediscovered a word that describes that feeling of praise and gratefulness that is so hard to put into words. I found it when I was reading through the book of Revelation recently. As you may know, this particular book of the Bible is filled with some wild stories about God's final judgement. There are many intense descriptions of God's wrath and the devastation that resulted from our sins. Then... suddenly and almost out of nowhere at the beginning of chapter 19, things change...

"After this I heard what sounded like the roar of a great multitude in heaven shouting: 'Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God, for true and just are his judgments.'"

It says, "After this..." After all the devastation and judgement... after all the sickness and pain... after all this... there was praise. Not only was there praise, but there was amazing praise. It flooded in "like the roar of a great multitude." That's awesome! In that moment of beauty and relief, what word was used to describe the feeling? "Hallelujah!"

My Archaeological Study Bible says, "'Hallelujah' is a word of praise found in most of the languages into which the Bible has been translated. The word, often rendered 'Praise the Lord,' was used by the writers of various psalms to invite all to join them in praising God..."

Hallelujah... Praise the Lord! For life... for forgiveness... for grace and mercy... for peace and joy... for love... for all of the beauty found in the face of Jesus! Hallelujah! Praise our Lord!

Family Picture

noreply@blogger.com (About Brandon) — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 01:39:00 +0000

Our family will be changing soon with the addition of our little girl, but these are some of our favorite pictures at the moment.

Our Boys

noreply@blogger.com (About Brandon) — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 21:11:00 +0000

For those of you who are parents... never forget that your first ministry is to your family. There are a lot of important projects and opportunities you can be busy with, but they are not as important as investing in the people that God has placed in your life. Thank you Brad Bruce for capturing these pictures of our boys!

Follow-Up On DeWitt Campus Grand Opening

noreply@blogger.com (About Brandon) — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 20:49:00 +0000

The DeWitt Campus of Faith Church is now open every Sunday (worship gatherings at 9:00 and 10:20am). I included a follow-up letter below that I sent out to our team to update everyone on this past Sunday.

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What a great Sunday! Psalm 71:8 sums up well how a lot of us are feeling today... "My mouth is filled with your praise, declaring your splendor all day long." Praise God for leading us to this incredible opportunity about 1 year and 3 months ago and for His incredible faithfulness in seeing us through to the opening of the DeWitt Campus on Sunday. God is so good!

Thank you for your hard work and concern for this ministry initiative! I know that the special fasting and prayer that many of our leaders joined in on over this past week made all the difference! Here are just a few of the ways that God was moving on Sunday...

Lots of new people and a steady stream of great feedback all day long (things went very smooth)

Most importantly, at least 25 people made a commitment to Jesus Christ (19 at the Central Campus and 6 at the DeWitt Campus)

625 people in attendance at our 6 worship gatherings on Sunday (includes attendance at both campuses)

168 people in attendance at the DeWitt Campus (ushers actually counted north of 200, but we subtracted a lot from the total to count for people staying for both gatherings)

Once again, thank you for your investment in this Kingdom work and praise God for touching and changing so many lives! Greater things have yet to come...

Brandon

I Hope It Becomes A Classic

noreply@blogger.com (About Brandon) — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 04:01:00 +0000

I recently heard the song "Lifesong" (Casting Crowns) played at Faith Church and I found myself drawn into the lyrics again. I hope this song becomes a classic because of how well its lyrics depict what it means to worship God and live for Him. Here are a few of the lyrics...

May the words I say
And the things I do
Make my lifesong sing
Bring a smile to You

Let my lifesong sing to You
Let my lifesong sing to You
I want to sign Your name to the end of this day
Knowing that my heart was true
Let my lifesong sing to You

Lord I give my life
A living sacrifice
To reach a world in need
To be Your hands and feet

So may the words I say
And the things I do
Make my lifesong sing
Bring a smile to You

It's A Girl!

noreply@blogger.com (About Brandon) — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 04:03:00 +0000

We just found out this week that Baby Bruce #3 is a girl! She is due on June 15 and we are so excited! This video captured our boys' reactions to the news...

It's A Girl! from Brandon Bruce on Vimeo.

Speaking And Ice Climbing At Cran-Hill Ranch

noreply@blogger.com (About Brandon) — Sun, 30 Jan 2011 03:12:00 +0000

I had the opportunity to speak at Cran-Hill Ranch for the first time in January. I was really impressed with the camp and their staff. It was a great experience that combined several of my greatest passions such as speaking about Jesus, making a difference in the lives of others, and exploring new adventures!

I was so happy that my family was able to go along with me on this trip! Jaylon and Kylan joined in with me on our first adventure of downhill tubing! Jaylon got lots of snow in his eyes the first time down the hill, but after that they both handled it like champs! Jennifer was so nice to give of her weekend to come along and invest more time watching our boys so that I could speak in the four different sessions between Friday and Sunday.

I can't say enough good things about the staff at Cran-Hill Ranch! They went out of their way to take care of us and put us up in this beautiful "prayer cabin". Every day we awoke to an inspiring view of the snow-drenched woods and an ice-covered lake.

One of the coolest adventures I experienced at Cran-Hill Ranch was ice climbing! I’ve never been ice climbing before so this was a completely new adventure and one that I would definitely recommend if you get the chance. It was both challenging and thrilling!

In addition to connecting with students and youth leaders, exploring new adventures, and quality family time, the absolute highlight for me was to see about 40 high school students make a commitment to Jesus Christ!

Right on!

My Beautiful Bride

noreply@blogger.com (About Brandon) — Sat, 08 Jan 2011 04:46:00 +0000

In June, Jennifer and I celebrated 8 years of marriage! We went out on a dinner boat cruise in Lake Michigan to celebrate. I've been so blessed with such an amazing wife who is exceptionally beautiful inside and out! Thank you Jennifer for being the most amazing wife I can possibly imagine!

The light house below is called "Big Red" and brings back good memories from my middle/high school years growing up in Holland!

Crossroads Christmas Village 2009

noreply@blogger.com (About Brandon) — Fri, 07 Jan 2011 03:27:00 +0000

Back in December we visited Crossroads Christmas Village for the third time. It's quickly becoming a family tradition each year to visit sometime between Thanksgiving and Christmas. I want to post pictures from out trip this year (2010), but also realized that I didn't yet post pictures from 2009. You can also CLICK HERE if you want to read about our first trip to Crossroads back in 2008.

There is a lot to do at Crossroads Christmas Village (Flint area) and we'd highly recommend it! We have never visited during the summer, but it is right on the water and I think they have things to do at other times during the year as well.

John Ball Zoo

noreply@blogger.com (About Brandon) — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 01:14:00 +0000

Last summer we took a trip to the John Ball Zoo in Grand Rapids with my parents. Animals are amazing - especially from the vantage point of a child. Animals just seem so much bigger and more amazing when you watch the way a three year old's eyes light up as he goes from exhibit to exhibit.

As I've said before, I'm kind of a tourist at heart! I love this kind of stuff!

Toward the end of 2009, I was able to visit the Georgia Aquarium with some friends which you can see if you CLICK HERE.

When we lived in Rapid City, South Dakota we enjoyed Reptile Gardens which you can see if you CLICK HERE.

They also had an amazing place called Bear Country in Rapid City which you can see if you CLICK HERE.

One of my favorite adventures at the John Ball Zoo was riding on a camel for the first time. Jaylon rode with me and we had a great time! We love the Potter Park Zoo in Lansing, but I'd also recommend traveling over to the John Ball Zoo in Grand Rapids sometime as well. In the future, I'd also love to check out the Detroit Zoo!

What Are Your Life Dreams?

noreply@blogger.com (About Brandon) — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 21:11:00 +0000

On Sunday at Faith Church I mentioned my greatest life dream is to experience God deeply every day. Someone sent me a message curious about the other four, so I wanted to share those with you as well. If you are interested - CLICK HERE.

Have you ever thought and prayed about what dreams God has created you for?

MSU Football

noreply@blogger.com (About Brandon) — Wed, 22 Dec 2010 00:38:00 +0000

One of the things that we have really enjoyed about living in the Lansing area over the last three years is being in a college town. It's so fun to watch how excited most people get about Michigan State University sports - especially during the football and basketball seasons. And there's good reason to be excited after back to back years in the Final Four for our men's basketball team and this year's regular season football record of 11-1. We enjoyed going to one of the games this year together which made for a fun date night!

Random Family Pictures

noreply@blogger.com (About Brandon) — Sat, 11 Dec 2010 18:21:00 +0000

Jennifer's Nanna traveled from North Carolina to visit us this fall and we were able to watch the Silver Bells fireworks with her in downtown Lansing from an amazing location! Jennifer's parents and cousin Becca also traveled up to see us - it was a really enjoyable time!

We love having our parents so close and our boys love it as well!

My brothers Brock and Brad are always fun to see and they also live close by in Zeeland and Grand Rapids.

It is such a blessing that we are close enough to go visit both of our parents at special times like Christmas. Here are a couple older pictures from last Christmas.

Kicking Field Goals At Ford Field

noreply@blogger.com (About Brandon) — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 02:11:00 +0000

In October, I had the chance to visit the home of the Detroit Lions at Ford Field. It turned into quite the experience!

A friend from Faith Church, Chuck Toner, invited me to tag along with him on a trip to Ford Field. We were able to play catch on the field and kick some field goals. I may have missed more field goals than I made, but I had an amazing time. It was so much fun - especially catching passes in the end zone!

Another highlight was getting to walk through the locker rooms. After visiting the Michigan State University men's basketball locker room (CLICK HERE TO SEE THAT POST), it wasn't overly impressive in comparison. However, it was a great experience to tour Ford Field and it made me more of a Detroit Lions fan... which is a big deal in light of our current season record!

My Little Helpers

noreply@blogger.com (About Brandon) — Mon, 06 Dec 2010 00:56:00 +0000

I needed to replace a leaky kitchen faucet for a long time. I finally got it taken care of back in October. My little helpers made it a lot more fun!

Day Trip To Detroit

noreply@blogger.com (About Brandon) — Sat, 04 Dec 2010 23:49:00 +0000

We really enjoy traveling over to the Detroit area which is only an hour and a half east from where we live. We've always had fun taking day trips and exploring together. It takes a little more preparation these days when you factor in nap times, packing diaper bags, and planning meals for the kids, but the extra effort is always a good trade for the amazing memories that we create together.

I (Brandon) especially thought the views were stunning...

One of our favorite spots to hang out in the Detroit area is near the Renaissance Center downtown. Our kids love playing in these fountains!

Of course, when we spotted the "Hot Now" sign on at Krispy Kreme we had to stop! We sure miss this place since it closed in Lansing. It used to be located right across the street from Faith Church!

You can read about more adventures we've had in Detroit by clicking HERE.