Over the weekend, Baptist Camping Victoria's Mill Valley Ranch was under threat as intense fires rage across the area. All Staff left the Ranch safely on Saturday and over 60 CFA trucks battled the unpredictable fires. The photo above shows how close the fires came to the grounds of the Ranch.

We are thankful to God for the safety of our staff, neighbours and His protection on our buildings and animals. As the cool change sweeps in today, please continue to pray:
– for the Ranch, our staff, the CFA and surrounding neighbours

– for schools and support of our Christian Camping family

– for all the up-coming ministry camps in the April school holidays

Source: BUV News

It has come to our attention that the National Redress Scheme has listed the BUV and some other State Baptist Unions on a list of institutions that have not joined the Scheme nor acted to do so.

As you are aware, the BUV has resolved to join the Scheme and for some time has been working with the Scheme’s staff to finalize our application to join as a participating group, comprising the BUV and a large number of our churches. This is an administratively demanding process that is nearing completion. 

We have spoken to the Scheme and they have have now updated the status as "Intending to join by second quarter of 2019". If your church has not yet opted into the BUV’s participating group, we encourage you to do so. Click here for more information.

Source: BUV News

What was your first reaction when you read that title, ‘Love is a habit’?

It’s possible you disagreed. That you might have thought, “No, no. Love is much more than that. Love is action, sure, but it’s not mindless… it comes from the heart. You feel love”.

And that’s the problem with a word like ‘habit’. It sounds unfeeling, unthinking, and even insincere. Because, if a habit is just a knee-jerk reaction – something we do on autopilot – isn’t it worth much less than something we feel convicted or moved to do?

Some habits fit that idea of thoughtless action, but I would argue that they’re often the bad habits… or the subconscious ones – the biting of your nails or saying “ummm…” at every pause.

The good, important habits are different.

A habit of love for the stranger, a habit of generosity, or a habit of service to those in need – these are all responses that live far from the realm of autopilot. In fact, they are about forcing that autopilot switch to ‘off’ and changing direction completely!

Such a counter-cultural habit as love for the stranger begins with an understanding of our broken world and our broken selves and develops into a personal conviction to love one’s neighbor as oneself… but I believe it goes further still, beyond even that.

To be known by our love for others – to love daily, to love instinctively – we must first choose to break old habits and build, in their place, a new one. We must move beyond a life of good intentions and of random kind acts and, instead, create a habit of really seeing the stranger, the poor, the oppressed. We must be prepared to get our hands dirty and our hearts involved.

While it sounds like a big and scary task, I also know it’s a habit built like any other. It is a practised habit of compassionate response. It’s built with easy, small steps that fit into daily life… and that’s what has been created for you in The 60/40 Challenge!

So… are you up for the challenge? Register today, and you’ll begin the habit building.

And because (for many of us) reaching for a smartphone is already a habit in our day-to-day lives… The 60/40 Challenge has been planned so you can do it all from this very app! Along with others from across Australia, you’ll receive daily tasks that encourage you to learn, reflect, pray, and do – easy, small steps which you can fit into your daily life.

And with every one of the varied 60 actions over the course of 40 days, you’ll build new habits of practical love.

In truth, love is not as present as it should be in our world today. At least not that love for the stranger, the rejected, or the vulnerable. But ending poverty starts with the heart of God in us. A heart of love which leads to the crafting of a life of love – those big moments, those prayerful considerations, those costly sacrifices… but first we need to be faithful in the small steps; those daily acts.

We must build a habit of love.

This article was first published by Baptist World Aid – Feb 2019

Source: BUV News