Thursday morning at the FCA International Convention began with a moving devotional by Pastor Mark Brattrud (Palm Desert, California), entitled “Where’s Daddy?” based on an incident from his childhood. As a small boy, he was to meet his father on a certain corner–but couldn’t seem to find him for more than two hours. Brattrud compared this to the biblical trials of Job, who cried out, “If only I knew where to find him; if only I could go to his dwelling!” (Job 23:3)

Said Brattrud: “There are times in the ministry today when God will seem to hide from you, and like Job, you have no idea why. But you must keep coming back to the corner.” Job’s three convictions were detailed as follows:

God is always worthy of my trust (13:15).
God’s Word is always to be treasured (23:12).
A resurrection is coming; the Redeemer will show up (19:25-27).

Immediately following this session, guest author Gary Thomas returned to the platform to speak compellingly about marriage. “Marriage is fundamentally difficult,” he asserted. “It reveals our sin to us and challenges us to grow. God designed it more to make us holy than to make us happy. If you understand this, it will change your whole perspective.”

Our struggles in marriage, Thomas explained, “are caused not so much by a lack of ‘how-to’ as they are of ‘heart-to’–having the heart to do the right thing. If you married only to better your personal life, to be served by your spouse, then you were basically selfish. God meant marriage to teach us how to love, to be a servant.”

The crowd reacted audibly when Thomas said he had come to realize that his wife, Lisa, was not only his wife but also God’s daughter. “When you think about it, that makes God my Father-in-law! One way for me to worship my Father in heaven is to spoil His daughter.”

In other convention sessions, the following FCA veterans were honored for decades of ministry:

Gordon and Gladys Erickson of Alberta
Dorene Breitkreuz in connection with her late husband, Ed, also of Alberta
Jerry Sebranke of the Seattle area

Breakout sessions on Thursday centered on:
“Encountering God through Leadership” (Matthew Thomas, India)
“Encountering God through Reconciliation” (Roger Armbruster, Canada’s Far North)
“Encountering God through Relationships” (Glenn Breitkreuz, Grande Prairie, Alta.)
The closing session Thursday night featured an inspirational message by David MacFarlane, director of national initiatives with the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association of Canada.

Audio CDs of the convention sessions will soon be available from the host church (Living Stones Church) www.livingstones.ab.ca for $8 (CAD) per session or $75 (CAD) for the entire set of 13, postage included.

Next up on the FCA convention schedule:
April 26-29, 2011 in Schaumburg, Ill. (northwest Chicago)–USA fellowship
October 18-20, 2011 in Toronto–Canadian Convention