IBC Blog

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eLetter

A Reflection on Black History Month

In recent weeks at IBC, we’ve been discussing the importance of wrestling with our own personal past—our life story—to better understand our present and God’s intentions for our future. This is a vitally important part of our ongoing spiritual growth and development. God has made us who we are through the formative experiences and relationships of our lives: though our heritage, our heroes, our high points, and our hard times.

IBC Stories
A Profound Experience
We set up our tent, had dinner together, and got settled in for the night. There was conversation and laughter everywhere. You could feel the peace and our night was serenaded by someone in the camp who was singing beautifully and playing the guitar. Everyone signs up to help with the cooking and cleaning, so we woke up Saturday morning to a team of people preparing the famous “awesome breakfast.” The day consisted of hiking, horseback riding, kayaking, and all kinds of fun, I even took a nap!
Hope & Healing
Past Trauma May Haunt Your Future Self
A rocky childhood. A violent assault. A car accident. If these are in your past, they could be affecting your present health.
IBC Stories
Staff Stories: Shannon Lewis
All it took was a simple invite.
Shannon Lewis lived in a foster home until the age of 15. After her grandparents reached an age where they could no longer be her legal guardians, Shannon entered the foster care system at a young age. For many, the foster care system is a source of comfort and structure. For Shannon, it was a source of trauma and abuse.
“It was a very abusive home,” Shannon said as she looked back on those memories of her teenage years. “I remember just kind of feeling like there was something on the other side. It wouldn’t be like this forever.”
Faith & Belief
Not Just Ourselves
Years ago, a simple phrase guided IBC’s effort to share our resources and help fund local and global mission projects: Not Just Ourselves. As we continued to use the phrase to describe externally focused initiatives, we came to see that Not Just Ourselves shouldn’t be limited to special projects at a special time of year. We realized the Not Just Ourselves mindset should shape our ministry and sharpen our focus all year round. Everything we do at Irving Bible Church is ultimately for the sake of others, for the sake of the world—not just ourselves. As a church, Not Just Ourselves calls us to serve our congregation and our neighbors. Not Just Ourselves calls us to make missionary disciples—Christ-followers who are living out their purpose by abiding in Jesus and joining God’s mission in the world.
IBC Stories
Amy's Baptism Story
“Prison was the worst experience, but the best experience for me because I found Jesus.”
After years of struggling with addiction, Amy found herself getting into the driver’s seat of a car on a night that would change her life forever. Amy was intoxicated to a point that she still doesn’t fully remember the events of that night to this day. What the police report and eye witnesses would later tell was that she drove her car into a parked car and telephone pole before striking and injuring a pedestrian.
Hope & Healing
This Is Gonna Disqualify Me
“How can I help people when I haven’t gotten over my anxiety?” It’s a thought that hit me during my “coming to terms” with mental illness. Getting diagnosed with two disorders while starting to treat them for others was not the opportunity I asked for.