optimizing

Mike Bertelsen

Academy and Compassion Pastor

Favorite Bible Verses: “Therefore, I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to  present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual  service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the  renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good  and acceptable and perfect.”
-Romans 12:1-2.  
I love this verse because, as a new believer, I found Jesus to be so absolutely amazing  that I wanted to follow Him with my life. But I had been so tainted by the world that my  mind needed to be completely renewed by His Word. I’m still working on renewing my  mind and laying down my life. After all, we are all a work in progress.

Favorite worship songs: All I Can Say, by David Crowder
– It reminds me that I may  get tired while serving the Lord, but I never get tired of the good work of serving Jesus  and His people. It also reminds me that He is close to me when I weep and washes my  feet when I mess up.  

Favorite quotes from Pastor Pat’s Sermons: “Hi! How are ya?” I love it because it’s  personal and it’s also short and said often, so it was easy to memorize.  

How long I’ve been attending CCFS and my role here: Our family has been coming  to CCFS since October of 2022. At the church I serve the various compassion and  healing ministries. I also get to be the campus pastor for our K-12 Christian Academy. I  enjoy working with adults and have always had a heart for young people, so I get the  best of both worlds. My incredible wife also serves in both of those areas, so I get to  work with my Lord and my best friend while serving people that I love. I am truly  blessed.  

How I came to know the Lord: I didn’t grow up in a Christian home. I grew up in Utah,  in a town that is about 70-90% Mormon. Religion had left a bad impression on me, and I  was avoiding God and making a mess of my life. I had been working alongside  Christians who constantly talked about Jesus. When I was 23, at a business convention,  the main speaker held a Sunday Service and said, “I may be a millionaire, but I would  be a poor man without Jesus.”  That rocked my world. I had thought that money would fix my problems, and he said the  answer was Jesus. He told us that everyone sins and that Jesus died for our sins and  asked us to come forward if we wanted to accept Jesus as Savior. I went down, prayed  to receive Christ and instantly felt the need to quit (repent) of all my garbage. It was a  rough year, but God was faithful.  I have walked with the Lord since 1993 and served in a pastoral role for most of the  years since then. I have had many great years and a few rough years since then, but  God has always been faithful and has never left me. He is still picking me up and  washing my feet.

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