About Us Rick Bergen, Ph.D. in Organizational Leadership, and Deanna Bergen, M.A., bring over thirty years of cross-cultural leadership and dedication to advancing the kingdom of God. They consult and speak at conferences to train leaders and plant churches. Rick and Deanna are passionate about servant leadership, family systems theory, leadership health, conflict management, and cross-cultural issues. They believe God radiates through healthy leaders and churches, attracting people like a beacon in a storm. Rick shares insights on these topics at this site, rickbergen.net .The Bergens are blessed with four daughters, three wonderful sons-in-law, and three cherished grandchildren. Their family is a source of inspiration and joy.
This week’s newsletter explores the profound idea that God has plans for us even before we are born, as illustrated in a recent dream. We’ll also extend a heartfelt invitation to our Brazil Night event, some prison-ministry memories, and highlight key moments from the past week that continue to shape our journey.
I dreamed about an ancient manuscript that included the names of those who helped in this church-planting initiative in Northern Brazil.
The dream included a fellow leader named Clenildo. I shared the details with him and obtained his permission before publishing this video.
“Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be” (Ps 139:16).
“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations” (Jer 1:5).
“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Eph 2:10).
God’s plan is extraordinarily magnificent, reaching beyond the bounds of our imagination. His Kingdom is advancing, and we have the choice to be part of it. Understanding that we contribute to an eternal reality aligns our motivational compasses with heaven.
My friend’s baptism remains one of the great highlights of my life. The feeling of that moment still overwhelms me. I ministered to him in jail about five years ago. As you can see, he was a tough guy, and a leader. He has a Christian dad and sister, as best as I remember. I talked to them on the phone in another part of Brazil. The last I heard, he was in prison again in Southern Brazil because of previous charges. I called many times, but who knows? Maybe God will cross our paths again in the future.
I recall one of many anonymous stories I heard in those years. “I was breaking horses for a rancher way out in the bush. I was a pro, and he trusted me with his best horses. After six months, he gave me some wages and said I could visit my parents. I went to town with the roll of cash and went to the bar. I ended up in a motel room with one of the girls in the bar, but she drugged me and stole all my money. The next day, I saw her in the bar again. She flew at me in a rage when I confronted her about it. Finally, I walked over and sat at the bar. I tried to ignore her, but she kept harassing me. Finally, I flicked my bic lighter at her, just because it was something. She had a big puffy afro, and I didn’t know it was full of hairspray. It exploded, and she ran out into the inky-black, humid night, screaming and with her hair on fire… The police showed up and arrested me. Then they put me in jail on a different charge, of which I was not guilty. I have done bad things, but not the one for which I am charged.”
Another guy went to the bar with some friends. After drinking for a while, a friend he knew from school accused him of stealing his cell phone. It wasn’t accurate, but at the end of the confusion, he had cut his friend’s throat, for which he was in jail. The friend lived and didn’t press charges, so he got out after about a year.
This type of story is common where we live. In the jail, I would sometimes lose track of time and remain locked in with 25-30 guys for hours. Once, I pulled up in front of the jail with my motorbike, got my saddlebag with my Bible and stuff, and went through the police cars, reporters, and guys in handcuffs milling around the front area outside the jail. I talked through the hole in the big steel door, and the guard let me in. I also went through four more locked gates to the inner cell where my friends were. When I came out a few hours later, the guard gave me my motorcycle keys. He said I’d left my bike running in my absent-minded state. We laughed.
I am constantly amazed at how quickly humans run into unimaginable grief when we are left to our resources and choose good and evil based on our judgment. The story is as old as the Bible.
“In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as they saw fit” (Judges 21:25).
Thankfully, we now have a King and a Kingdom. We feel so honored to be ambassadors who invite others in.
“From that time on Jesus began to preach, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.'” (Matthew 4:17).
When Gil got out of jail, the guard called me to come and pick him up. We had been talking about going on a missionary trip together. I contacted another ex-inmate, Natán, who invited his friend, Yuri. They lived in a village near our city. Gil and I drove there and met Natán, his single mom, brother, and invalid grandfather. After coffee with them, we went to Yuri’s, whose grandma did not want him traveling with us jailbird. We convinced her that I was a missionary and that this was a mission trip. You can see her concerned-Grandma face.
I took my friends to another town. One pastor said we could not stay at his place because of who my friends were. It was understandable. But another took us in. They made us a feast, and we tied our hammocks on the porch. They locked the house doors at night, with us on the outside. My friends asked me about it. I said, “They probably do that all the time.”
I had a leadership retreat planned. They participated in the Discovery Bible studies, which we had already done many times together in jail.
We prayed together, and the guys were accepted and welcomed by the group, many of whom had been in similar situations or had relatives in those situations. That weekend led to the baptism above.
We had a lot of fun on that trip. The guys felt pretty awesome. But when we went into restaurants, the people looked at us strangely. The guys said often in scenarios like this, when an older guy with a nice vehicle has three guys like them, it is a rancher or logger on a mission.
I look forward to the day these guys, or guys like these, are on a single focused mission for the King of kings, creating disciples and communities of believers who delight in pushing back the darkness.
Today
The jail situation deteriorated significantly before covid, resulting in a much-needed reform. However, the process included no visitors for a long season and significant bureaucracy, which I never could get through with my foreigner status and all my travels. Even now, I don’t know how to help substantially, though social-transition-training farms may be effective. I pray for my friends and watch for an opportunity.
Yuri, on the right, messaged me through WhatsApp this week that Natán, on the left, committed suicide and informed me of the funeral. When I told him I was in Canada, he said, “I am just telling you because Natán really liked you. He always spoke highly of you.” It is hard to imagine a life of hopelessness without God, and when things start to slide, it is difficult to turn around. My best idea about a solution is to form as many communities of believers as possible.
Last week, I wrote, “Happy Birthday, Deanna.” It was on the morning of her birthday. Here are some photos of the special day.
Bella’s birthday gift to Deanna was to come to church with us, where we could show the twins to many people who prayed for them through their 66 days in the NICU and onward.
I found the odd red berry still hanging on to a tree in full winter mode.
Anni leads a ministry called Mommy and Me at the Central Heights Church in Abbotsford. It’s for housebound mom’s to have a social outing. Notice how both twins are drawing assurance about the strangness from Bella’s eyes.
Watch a two-minute video to explore the idea of the “good gold” outside the Garden of Eden.Genesis 2 describes how the River of God flowed out of the Garden to the chaos land.And in those rivers, good gold, rare perfume, and onyx stones exist.”The gold of that land is good; aromatic resin and onyx are also there” (NIV, Ge 2:12).Outside of the Garden of Eden exist essential ingredients for the Tabernacle.
Venturing outside the safety of the Garden leads to another question, “Can we be hurt without being harmed?”
1. Start Your Day with the Word: Begin each morning by prioritizing your Bible reading. Let it be the first thing that welcomes you into a new day.
2. Seek Nuggets of Wisdom: Approach your reading as a search for gold nuggets. You’re not trying to mine the whole creek or process every word. Look for one or two insights that resonate deeply with you.
3. Embrace a Flowing Reading Style: Train your eyes to drift over the words effortlessly, absorbing the essence without getting bogged down. The experience is more like drinking from a fire hydrant than savoring each morsel at a Brazilian churrasqueria. This helps you stay on track and capture more meaning.
4. Prepare Your Heart and Mind: Invite the author, the Holy Spirit, to guide you in understanding the passages and revealing their relevance to your life. Ask for insight and clarity.
5. Consistent Timing and Place: Establish a routine by finding a comfortable spot and dedicating the same time each day to your reading. Create a sacred space for this practice.
6. Savor the Moments: Consider planning other times to delve deeper into some stories or texts. Both methods enrich your spiritual journey, and I find it helpful to keep them separate.
7. Share and Reflect: Share your learning with others to increase your understanding and make the truth more meaningful. Don’t let your discoveries evaporate.
8. Make it Enjoyable: Turn this time into a delightful experience. For example, I brew a strong cup of coffee and use the preparation time to express gratitude and eager anticipation for the day ahead to the Holy Spirit.
9. Clear Your Mind: I do my quiet time before sampling the delicious distractions of emails or social media because I want an uncluttered mind as I chart a clear course for the next leg of my journey to heaven.
10. Celebrate Your Devotions: Let your personal devotions be the highlight of your day, a special time with Jesus as you walk together on your uniquely designed path to heaven.
May your mornings be brightened and your soul enriched as you start each day with this precious Bible time. You can enhance it further with Centering Prayer, praying through lists, or other disciplines. 🌟📖✨ Your thoughts?
