Burn the Blanket

I love A Charlie Brown Christmas.

From Lucy’s temperamental quips to the moment when Linus drops his security blanket and says, “Fear not!” to everything in between, I love the truth and simplicity of the 25 minute-long film.

It was on TV last night actually! But guess how long the runtime was...

One hour!

Every few minutes, the story was interrupted by commercials persuading viewers not to be content with what we have. 

In the midst of these messages, after quoting the biblical story of Jesus’ birth and dropping his blanket, Linus says, “That’s what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown.”

It was such an ironic moment, but one that seemed to capture our culture so well. This battle between finding ultimate contentment in Jesus and seeking contentment through so many other things that offer empty promises of quick gratification is a struggle as old as creation itself.

The contrast is clear in Romans 8:12-17. 

So then, brothers and sisters, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as children, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.

 Scripture calls out the struggle for what it is: flesh versus Spirit. 

Our flesh is a lying, brutal master who whips us into fearful submission until we eventually die, all the while promising us freedom and life. 

Our God is a truthful, loving Father who adopts us as His own children so that we might live fearlessly, all the while granting us freedom and life.

As children of God who walk by the Spirit of God, we are able to take one step further than Linus. Rather than merely dropping the blanket, by the power of the Spirit, we burn it. We put to death the idols in which we seek comfort and satisfaction, and fearlessly say of our Father, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.” 

Father, forgive us for the ways in which we cling to our sin - our love of stuff, our harboring of anger, our fears, our desire for instant gratification, our jealousy of others, our wandering eyes and hearts, our need for control. You are our good Father! You've offered your very Son to give us freedom from our flesh as a brutal master...forgive us when we reach back out to these idols and sins that you've freed us from! Help us by the power of Your Spirit to put them to death! We long for You. We long to be fully satisfied by You this Christmas season and always. Thank you for adopting us as Your children. In Jesus' Name, Amen

Fixer Upper

Fixer Upper, Good Bones, Rehab Addict, Hidden Potential…

In recent years, these TV shows about renovating old, decrepit homes have become extremely popular! Contractors and interior designers like Chip and Joanna Gaines have attained celebrity status. We love to see abandoned, decaying homes not just restored to their former glory, but often made even better! 

Have you ever stopped to ask why?

Why do we love a good renovation story? Why do we love seeing the before and after?

In Romans 8:5-11, Paul offers us a contrast between the mind set on the flesh and the mind set on the Spirit. The first produces death, and the second produces life and peace. The first is the decaying, old house…the before. The second is the after. It’s not perfect, but the design elements of the original house that had fallen into disrepair have been restored. They’ve been loved back to life. 

The word “dwell” is mentioned three times in this short passage. It’s the same word we use to describe the type of living that makes a house a home. It involves rearranging, repainting, and cleaning, but it also involves spending time in the space…making it our own. 

Here’s the glorious truth we read in Romans 8:5-11: we are no longer at the mercy of our flesh, because the Spirit of God dwells in us. “The Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead” dwells in US! 

When you declare with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, the Spirit of God moves into your very being. His Spirit comes to DWELL in you.He makes Himself at home in you. He cleans the crown molding that was so exquisite when created but has been covered with dirt and grime for years. He kicks out the rats that had made themselves at home in the basement. He does it all – for His own pleasure and glory and for your good.

This metaphor does break down eventually…because you, as an image bearer of God Himself, have infinite more value and worth than a house. And while a house can’t respond to the loving family that lives within its walls, we can respond to the loving God who lives within us.  

So will we respond by setting our minds on the Spirit – on that which is true of God and true of us – and then loving Him and others as a result of understanding the new identity He has freely bestowed on us? Or will we respond by setting our minds on our old master – our flesh? Will we crack the door to let those rats re-enter something that has been made so beautiful?

May we be governed by the Spirit who dwells in us. May He move whatever needs to be moved in order to make Himself at home within us. May we look in the mirror and realize - because of Jesus - we are no longer the before, but the after.

With great joy & love,
Erika

No Condemnation

"There is NOW therefore no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." (Romans 8:1)

Last night I went "Black Friday" shopping on "Thanksgiving Thursday" and I bought a few gifts at a great price.  One gift was for my wife and I didn't want to wait until Christmas to give it to her.  I was excited.  I wanted her to enjoy it NOW, not later.  So, I gave her the gift.  

We are approaching the season of Advent - a time of waiting for the long expected Deliverer to come and ransom our captive hearts.  I do not wish to downplay waiting - especially when we live in a society fueled by instant gratification, but the truth is that the first Christmas already happened.  Christians are no longer held captive.  Our Deliverer has come and set us free and when I fail to see this I get "stuck."

Paul got "stuck" too and he describes it in great detail in Romans 7.  He attempts to please God in his own strength and it becomes one exhausting failure after another.  Paul comes face to face with condemnation and apart from Christ we are rightly condemned, but Christian - in Christ you are no longer condemned.  Jesus lived a perfect life, took your condemnation by dying a death you deserved and rose again to give you the gift of the Spirit.  This gift of living by the Spirit is not something that God makes you wait for.  He intends for us to "open the gift" and use it.

So to finish the story, I bought Daria a pair of headphones.  Full disclosure - I also bought myself a pair.  What sold me on these headphones was this saying, "change the way you hear sound."  And I couldn't wait.  We put on the headphones and instantly smiled filled with joy and amazement.  We were hearing music in a whole new way!  Full disclosure - I danced.  I don't think I looked "smooth."  I didn't care.  I new this "music" wouldn't condemn me and I was free to stop condemning myself.

And that's what I believe Romans 8 is all about.  It's about living life in a whole new way.  And this whole new way is not something God intends for us to wait for!  God enthusiastically sends Jesus who enthusiastically sends the Spirit and condemns sin in us so we will no longer be condemned.  This chapter begins with no condemnation and it ends with no separation!  And, quite frankly...I don't want to wait to "open it up" with all of you and listen to the "music" of living by the Spirit in a whole new way!

May we be those who hear the Gospel in a whole new way!

See you Sunday!
Steven

Learning from a Leper

Our hearts have this crazy tendency to be tricked into thinking that the gifts of God are something we should be enamored with. (Aaron Ivey)

In Luke 17:11-19, we find Jesus walking along the border between Samaria and Galilee – not an easy path, but one fraught with unknowns and racial tension. On the outskirts of a village, from far off, ten men afflicted with leprosy yell His name.

These lepers had been deemed unclean and unfit for participation in society. They're outcasts, untouchables, the walking dead – doomed to a life of misery and poverty. 

In their wretched desperation, they shout, “JESUS, Master, have pity on us!”

When Jesus sees them, He graciously tells them to go and show themselves to the local priests, who had traditionally been tasked with examining people and providing them with a clean bill of health if truly healed.

They go, and we find out that Jesus has healed all ten. All TEN are cleansed! 

Only one, though – a Samaritan, a foreigner – returns to Jesus, falling to His feet in gratitude, praising God for His goodness. 

After questioning the response of the other nine, Jesus says to the one who has returned, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.”

Here’s the question that has pierced my heart this week: am I like the leper, cleansed by Jesus, living with unabashed thankfulness to Him, constantly returning to Him, recognizing my need for Him? 

-or-

Am I like the other nine, who begged Jesus for healing when I was desperate, and then went on my merry way, never stopping to thank Him or know Him? 

These nine were enamored with the gift of healing, rather than the Giver Himself.

This Thanksgiving, let’s not be so enamored by the gifts of God that we forget to be enamored by God Himself. Physical health, wealth, comfort, and even people, are gifts we so easily worship, and yet all of these things come and go. Rather, as we consider our lives – the good, the bad, and the ugly – may we remember this: Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. (James 1:17) 

May we be like the cleansed Samaritan leper as we gather to give thanks this week, aware of our need and amazed by God's mercy.

With love and joy,
Erika

A Thirsty Soul

As a deer pants for flowing streams,
    so pants my soul for you, O God.
My soul thirsts for God,
    for the living God 

Psalm 42:1-2

This time of year, I love to go hiking at Pere Marquette. The crispness of the air, the colors of the leaves…it’s good for the soul. But when it’s cooler outside, sometimes I forget to drink enough water. I’ll go for a few miles, and I’ll find myself losing steam, not realizing I haven’t taken a swig for a while. When I stop to drink, and I feel the cool water flow down my throat into my stomach, I realize how thirsty I truly was. 

The last few weeks have been terribly painful for many in our church family. Agonizing heartbreak over death and loss, broken relationships with family and friends, financial struggles, unexpected illness…they say when it rains, it pours, and lately, it’s been torrential. 

Something else has happened in the midst of this downpour, though…something extraordinary. 

In the midst of suffering, God has quenched thirsty souls longing for His presence, mine included. God has mobilized His people. He’s made Himself known. He’s made Himself felt. In the midst of tragedy and feelings of helplessness, He has made Himself at home, weeping with us as we weep, and offering hope. He has proved – yet, again – that the Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not and will never overcome it. 

I’ve seen His light in the faces of 8th graders as they’ve comforted their grieving classmates while they are grieving as well. I’ve seen His light in acts of kindness – large and small – each day among strangers trying to help in any way they can. I’ve seen His light in you, Bridge family.

Goodness, you have risen to the moment. You have responded to heartbreak by gathering to pray – with tear-stained faces and full-throated requests for healing. You have responded to desperation by singing songs of praise to a Father we trust, even in our confusion. You have responded to practical needs by making meals and giving sacrificially. You have met people in their pain and willingly entered into their sorrow. You have pointed to the only One who can save. You have been the CHURCH.

And I am thanking God for you today. 

In awe,
Erika

Core Values: Engagement

In Matthew 22, a lawyer among the Pharisees asked Jesus a question intended to trick Him. He said, “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”

Jesus replied, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”

This Sunday is the last in our Core Values series. The grand finale? Engagement. In other words, it all comes down to this: loving God and people with everything we have. This is how we connect people to God’s indelible grace, and it’s how we are reminded of our own need for His all-encompassing grace time and time again.

You and I carry the Holy Spirit and the aroma of Jesus everywhere we go - our homes, our neighborhoods, our cities, and our world. What does it look like for you and for me, in our context, to truly engage with people, to live missionally, to make much of Jesus, to make disciples...to BE salt and light in our world? 

In other words, how do we live out Jesus’ greatest commandment? How on earth do we love like this?

It feels overwhelming, doesn’t it? It feels like it requires so much effort. I mean, do I need to go halfway around the world to do this? Do I need to create some grand ministry that reaches as many people as possible? 

If God is calling you to these things, absolutely. Let us know how we can partner with you!

But truthfully? The vast majority of ministry happens in the seemingly mundane. The vast majority of mission happens in the ordinary spaces of the day to day. The great lie the enemy wants you believe – the one he whispers over and over again is this: you are irrelevant. There’s no way you can have a real impact where you are. He gets you to look at people around you and think, “Why can’t I go there, or be like that, or do those BIG things for the Lord?” And we get lulled into complacency. We miss out on the opportunities right in front of us.

Here’s the truth, Christian: you have purpose because God’s indelible grace has imbued your life with meaning. 

Look around you. 

Put down the phone. 

Look past the distractions.

Love God, and love the people in front of you intentionally.

This is engagement. This is mission. This is the whole point of life.

Sometimes it looks like wrangling your kiddos in the midst of chaos. 

Sometimes it looks like welcoming a foster child into your home. 

Sometimes it looks like caring for an aging parent. 

Sometimes it looks like asking your server at lunch how she is truly doing.

Sometimes it looks like laboring at the same job, day after day, year after year.

Sometimes it looks like refusing to give up on a spouse who has betrayed your trust.

Sometimes it looks like sitting in a hospital waiting room with friends who are grieving.

No matter where you are, or what season you’re in, God has placed people right in front of you and promises to bring hope in the midst of hopelessness. Your role? To love them as He does. He is glorified in this simple, yet sacrificial act.

So let’s love, Bridge family. Let’s love people into God’s indelible grace, from Alton to Africa and everywhere in between, for our good and for His glory.

With great joy and love,
Erika

Core Values: Simplicity

“Martha was distracted with much serving…but one thing is necessary...Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:40,42)

Busyness is an idol.

My heart has often worshipped at the idol of busyness in search of self-worth, importance in the eyes of the people around me, a distraction from hard things…the list goes on and on. 

Our culture idolizes busyness. Perhaps more disturbingly, American church culture tends to idolize busyness as well. 

It’s easy to clutter our schedules with so many meetings, activities, and programs that we choke out any semblance of rest and joy. Sometimes we get so busy "living our lives" that we forget to truly live our lives. Sometimes we get so busy serving, we forget why we serve in the first place. 

One of my favorite sayings is, "Even a good thing can become a bad thing when it becomes a substitute for the best thing."

Serving is a good, beautiful, necessary thing. But it becomes a bad thing when it becomes a substitute for listening to Jesus. It becomes an idol when it morphs into busyness.

The antidote for the idol of busyness – the wrecking ball that demolishes it and unmasks it for the damage it truly does – is Psalm 46:10. “Be still and know that I am God.” The simplicity of this command catches us off guard. It is a blow across the bow of our busyness-obsessed culture.

Simplicity is one of our core values as a church family. 

We desire to be like Mary, sitting at the feet of Jesus, speechless at His magnificence and wisdom, in awe of His kindness, moved into stillness by His very existence. 

We desire to be ready and willing to lay aside our agendas, our busyness, and our distractions to follow the prompting of the Holy Spirit. 

We desire to serve purposefully from a place of awe, wonder, and love, rather than from a place of mindless repetition and obligation.

Father, still our hearts and our minds. Show us what it is to sit at the feet of Jesus, listen to His voice, and then live out His final words on this earth… “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth…” We want to serve, we want to be about your business…but please help us not to overcomplicate or clutter your cause! Demolish our idol of busyness. Help us to understand rest and work as You do. Father, YOU transform hearts, You give grace, You give life, You change people, towns, and nations. You do. Apart from You, our work is futile. With You, there’s no limit to what will happen. Focus us on You, Lord. Focus our hearts. Focus our minds. Focus our calendars. Focus our church family. On knowing and loving You, which enables us to know and love each other. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

With great joy and love,
Erika

Core Values: Gospel Community

Are you lonely?

Recent studies suggest that loneliness is on the rise in our culture…so much so, in fact, that psychologists have called its horrific escalation the “Loneliness Epidemic.”

Lonesome means “sad from being alone.” There’s a reason we associate sadness with loneliness. We weren’t created for it. It’s a result of the fall and a part of the brokenness of our world. 

God didn’t create us to be solitary. He didn’t create us to be cut off from others. He created us for relationship – with Him and with the people around us. 

When we confess with our mouths that Jesus is Lord and believe in our hearts that God raised Him from the dead, something astonishing happens. The loneliness we were subject to while we were separated from God by our sin is decimated. He wraps His arms around us as His children. He adopts us as His sons and daughters. 

But I’m not His only daughter.

You’re not His only son. 

You’re not His only daughter.

When we become believers, we are adopted into a family of every tribe and every tongue that stretches across generations. It’s a family against which the gates of hell cannot prevail. It isn’t a perfect family yet, but one day it will be. 

Our invitation in this life is to participate in the family of God in a way that causes the watching world to stop and stare. We are to love each other through, over, and above struggles, differences of opinion, brokenness…the good, the bad, and the ugly. We experience a taste of heaven on earth through gospel community…and when the kingdom comes, the world isn’t left the same.

In this epidemic of loneliness, the world should be looking at the church and saying, “Wow. They love people who disagree with them. They love people who don’t look like them. They love people who don’t think like them. What on earth is uniting them?”

The thing is, it isn’t a “what.” Jesus is a “Who.” And He said the watching world would know we are Christians by our love for one another.

Jesus wants to meet you in your loneliness through His people. If you know Him, you have brothers and sisters. The Bridge is a local expression of a global family. 

I beg of you, don’t miss out on this family. Don’t try to do the Christian thing alone. I’ve tried. It’s impossible. You miss out on the best parts of who God is and what He is doing. It’s lonely. It’s sad. Not only do you need your brothers and sisters, but, hear me on this, Christian, they need you. 

Gospel community isn’t easy, but it’s so, so good. 

Tomorrow at 10 AM and 6 PM the family is getting together. We’re praying we experience a taste of heaven. I hope you’ll join us. 

With great joy and love,
Erika

Core Values: Grace

Grace is the thread that weaves together the tapestry of the story of God’s relationship with humanity. From creation through the present day, his unmerited love and favor has been consistently and generously lavished on human beings - on you and on me. We are recipients of the greatest gift in eternity, but our hearts are painfully fickle at times, aren’t they? We grumble and we complain, we lack gratitude, we covet that which we do not have, all while God has gifted us with the incomparable riches of His grace. 

Incomparable riches.

If we have been blessed with – indeed, lavished – with a gift that is incomparable, why do we continue to seek out satisfaction in things that cannot come close to matching the richness of God Himself?

Sometimes we forget how sinful and broken our hearts truly are apart from Christ. We don’t fully comprehend our own helplessness and desperation we are when left to our own devices. So our view of grace is cheap. Because after all, if I’m not that bad, Jesus didn’t really have to go to the cross, and I don't have to give up anything to accept a gift that isn't particularly remarkable.

On the other hand, sometimes we get so caught up in our sinfulness and helplessness, we forget we have been saved by grace. We forget we are saints! We forget we have been made alive, and there is no condemnation in Christ! Our view of grace is distant. We fail to claim it as our own. 

The truth is, grace was and is costly. And yet it is lavished upon us. 

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a German pastor and anti-Nazi dissident who gave his life for his role in the resistance, once wrote, “Such grace is costly because it calls us to follow, and it is grace because it calls us to follow Jesus Christ. It is costly because it costs a man his life, and it is grace because it gives a man the only true life. It is costly because it condemns sin, and grace because it justifies the sinner. Above all, it is costly because it cost God the life of his Son: 'You were bought at a price', and what has cost God much cannot be cheap for us. Above all, it is grace because God did not reckon his Son too dear a price to pay for our life, but delivered him up for us.”

When we grasp grace – when we understand the depth of our sin and the unfathomable depth of God’s love and favor lavished upon us through Jesus Christ – we are fundamentally transformed by the Spirit, and we begin to walk in the works and ways that He has prepared for us, out of sheer amazement and gratitude at His invitation to us to do so. 

Grace changes everything. Has it changed you? Have you grasped its depth? 

Let yourself swim in its limitlessness this week. Be loved. Be amazed. Be thankful. Be transformed. Then let us live fearlessly in light of the incomparable riches of God’s grace!

See you Sunday,
Erika

Stay Current

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Bridge Family - This is the local sourcing campaign for the Haiti team we mentioned last Sunday! Thank you for your constant generosity and support of our teams as they travel beyond our borders to serve, love, and learn in the name of Jesus.

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Core Values: Prayer

My prayer life is not what it should be. 

It’s not that I don’t pray. But when I do, too often I hide the desires of my heart. 

Too often I forget who God is. 

Too often I forget who I am to God.

So my prayers lack ambition. I say to God, “Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven,” but I secretly (or not-so-secretly, because our God knows and sees all) wonder if His will includes a handful of things I deeply desire – for others and for my life on this earth. 

Psalm 37:4 says, “Delight yourself in the LORD, and He will give you the desires of your heart.” 

James 4:2-3 says, “You do not have because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.”

I think sometimes I’m afraid to ask God for the desires of my heart because I know my own humanity. I know that in my humanness, the desires of my heart might not be perfectly aligned with His heart. I know I might ask for something from a wrong motive…from a selfish motive. And this reluctance to be vulnerable before the Lord leads to distance between us  - distance I’ve created because of my own insecurities and unwillingness to lay bare my soul before Him!

And so, in some areas of my life, I have not because I ask not.  

Because I need this reminder, and I think you might too, I want to offer some truth from God’s Word about who God is, who you are and who I am, and His invitation to us today.

God is holy. He runs the universe, which He created. He has the power to do ANYTHING He desires. He is bigger than we can comprehend. And He loves you. He loves me. 

You are beloved. I am beloved. We pray to a Father who calls us His own, in the name of Jesus, who loves us so fully He gave His life for us and lives to intercede for us, by the power of the Spirit who gives us words to pray when we have none. We go to the Creator of the universe not as strangers, but as beloved sons and daughters.

God yearns for us to be fully honest and transparent before Him when we pray. When we come with sinful motives – and we will, because we are human – He graciously and lovingly molds our desires into His desires. Our hearts become one. We see that His glory and our good always coexist.

As we delight in Him, we are invited to ask, knock, and seek. Like children longing for all their parents have to offer, we are invited to run into His arms and plead with Him for miracles big and small! 

He offers immeasurably more than all we can ask or think or imagine, and yet so often, in fear or sometimes apathy, we think in measurable terms, and we don’t ask for the immeasurably more for those around us and for ourselves. 

Will you join me in praying boldly and fervently this week, as those beloved by our Father? In delighting in Him and trusting in His goodness?

Only God knows what could happen!

With joy, love, and expectancy,
Erika

Core Values: Spirit of God

Not long ago, I was having a conversation with a wise woman in our church, and we were talking about how uncomfortable the American church often becomes when it comes to talking about the Holy Spirit. 

Our culture is comfortable with a general belief in God the Father. Belief in God feels non-threatening. It feels like something we can sort of wrap our minds and hearts  around. 

In the church, we are pretty comfortable talking about Jesus too. After all, He is our Redeemer and our Savior, and most of our songs and preaching centers on Him in some way.

Where it gets mysterious, though, is the Holy Spirit. The unknown seems frightening sometimes, doesn’t it? So often, we talk vaguely and fearfully about the Holy Spirit. We relegate Him to third wheel of the Trinity, and in doing so, we miss out on so much of what God intends for us and for those around us.

Acts 1:8 says, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Micah describes being filled with the Spirit of God as being filled with power, justice, and might. Romans calls the mind governed by the Spirit one of “life and peace.” Jesus Himself told the disciples it was to their advantage that He was leaving, because they would receive the gift of the Spirit! 

The Greek word for Spirit, pneuma, literally means, “breath.” God breathes life into our dry bones when we come to know Christ. This breath, this life, is His Spirit. The Spirit is the animating force that makes it possible for us to live the lives God intends for us – for our good and for His glory. It is by the Spirit that we are able to see God work miracles in the everyday. It is the Spirit who empowers us to love well, live boldly, put sin to death as we build His kingdom, and be His witnesses in this world. It is the Spirit who fills us with power, justice, might, and peace. And it is the Spirit who makes us more and more like Jesus. 

John Piper describes being filled with the Spirit as being, "caught into the joy that flows among the Holy Trinity.” Sounds pretty incredible, doesn't it?

Father, we don’t want to be those who grieve Your Spirit.  Rather, may we be people who embrace the beautiful gift of Your Spirit. May we embrace the powerful mystery of how He breathes new life into our dry bones. May we walk in and by the Spirit as we live, pray, and worship, knowing that we desperately need the power, peace, and joy You offer through the Holy Spirit. May we drop our self-sufficiency, stubbornness, and fear and allow Him to guide our steps. In Jesus’ Name, Amen. 

See you tomorrow!
Erika

Core Values: The Word of God

Oh how I love your law!  It is my meditation all the day." Psalm 119:97

"How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!" Psalm 119:103

"My eyes are awake before the watches of the night, that I may meditate on your promise." Psalm 119:148

Do not speed read these verses from the Bible.  

Speed reading the Bible robs us of joy and strength and hope.

Pause.

Ask God to help you slow down. 

Read them again.

Slowly.

When was the last time the Holy Spirit filled you in such a way that you found yourself meditating joyfully on the Word of God all day?  When did the Word of God keep you up at night because you could not stop meditating on the promises of God?  

It's been awhile for me.  I read the Bible a lot.  I seek to know God better through being a "student of the Word."  But what if God's intention every time we read the Bible is for us to approach it like this: 

"God...I can't wait to hear what you are going to say to me today!"  

And then after we read the Word we meditate on it all day and all night with joy.

As I type these words I know this is the AIM.  We do not read the Bible to become "good Bible students."  We read the Bible in order to know and worship God.  And when we read the Bible for any other reason we need to ask God for the gift of repentance.

May we be those who ask for supernatural grace to repent and supernatural power from on High to read the Bible in a way that leads to loving and worshipping Jesus, the Word Incarnate.

See you Sunday,
Steven

This is who we are.

What are your core values?

What drives you, motivates you, to wake up each morning and begin afresh?

What are the beliefs that form the bedrock of the foundation for your life?

Sometimes it’s helpful to pause and reflect on the answers to these questions. We can become so busy in our day-to-day lives that we forget why we do what we do! At times we even forget who we are.

Over the next eight weeks, as a Bridge family, we’re going to walk through our core values. We’re going to pause and reflect on who we are, why we exist, for whom we exist, and how we’re called to live our lives. We’re going to celebrate the way we’ve been invited in to God’s plan for our neighbors, city, nation, and world, and the many lives He has already radically transformed!

We’ll begin this week with our cornerstone and shepherd, Jesus Christ. Without Him, we would not exist as a church! We’ll look at three main Scripture passages, all centered around the idea of what difference Christ can make in our lives – individually and collectively – when He is “in our boat.” 

In subsequent weeks, we’ll continue through the rest of our core values: the Spirit of God, the Word of God, prayer, grace, Gospel community, simplicity, and engagement. As we do so, our prayer is that our love for God and each other will deepen and grow, and that the Spirit will ignite our passion for connecting people to God’s indelible grace. 

Can’t wait to gather with you all tomorrow morning at 10!

For Better or For Worse

My little sister is getting married in two weeks. This morning I wrote the first draft of my toast for the reception. Tears soaked my journal as I wrote out line after line about my love and prayers for her and her soon-to-be husband. 

The tears weren’t from a place of sadness, though; they were from a place of joy, and this is why: I know my sister and her husband love one another deeply, love our God passionately, and love others thoroughly. Though there may be challenges along the way, God has equipped them with everything they need to live life well together, for as long as they both shall live. They are ready– as ready as any human being can be – to prayerfully enter into this beautiful thing called marriage. 

Our time in Hebrews comes to a close this week. And how the author ends the letter is extraordinary.

Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen…Grace be with all of you. Hebrews 13:20-21;25

The original readers of Hebrews are entering into a season of known challenges. Persecution is fast approaching. Struggles have begun. And yet our author ends this letter with resounding joy. 

Why? 

Because our God – who breathes life into dry bones, who sent the Great Shepherd to earth to buy us back from death and shepherd us as we walk in the light – has equipped us with everything we could ever possibly need to live life on mission for Him. 

Christianity, like marriage, is not a guarantee of smooth sailing. But it IS an eternal covenant, in which we have a God who works His will out in and through us – not out of obligation, but because He delights in doing so! 

He has promised promise to love us, comfort us, honor and keep us for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and health, for the rest of eternity. 

If you know Jesus, you have everything you need to do His will.  You have a hope and a future. 

The world longs for hope. The world questions the future. The world is waiting for a Shepherd. 

You know Him.

What are you waiting for?

As we close the book of Hebrews for now, let’s walk in His will. Together. 

With love and great joy,
Erika

This Fall at The Bridge

Strengthened by Grace

How is it with your soul? 

John Wesley used to ask this question of those in his small group. It’s a bit harder to evade than, “How are you?”

So I ask you today, “How is it with your soul?”

How are you doing at your very core – the inner workings of your heart, your mind, your affections, your relationships, and your will? When you peel back the layers of the onion, how are you, really? How is your spirit?

If this question feels overwhelming to you, you’re not alone. It has felt overwhelming to me in past weeks as well. As I was preparing to write this email, though, I read a phrase in Hebrews 13 that the Spirit has quietly but persistently repeated in my heart and mind. 

“It is good for our hearts to be strengthened by grace.”

There are a lot of challenging commands in Hebrews 13, all of which have only ever been modeled perfectly by Jesus Himself. By the time we get to verse 9, the responsibility of the believer can seem too massive. Admittedly, there have been countless times when I have seen the needs around me – when my heart has been broken – when my spirit has felt broken. But do you know what our God’s response is?

Allow your heart to be strengthened – established – solidified – built upon the grace that only God can give. 

Feast upon grace. Be sustained by grace.

What does it look like for you to feast upon grace  - to be nourished by grace - this week? 

Father, You are the great Creator, Giver, and Sustainer of grace. Thank you for Jesus, who – robed in humanity – came to change everything, from the course of history to our day-to-day lives. As we continue looking at our lives and unveiling our hearts before You this week, please help us to understand what it means to truly be nourished by grace. Forgive us for our constant consumption of other thoughts and behaviors that make us hungry and thirsty. You alone satisfy. Your grace alone nourishes. When we feel tired, help us to draw near to You and Your grace. Thank you for inviting us to the table to feast. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Joyfully,
Erika

Quakes Renew the Planet

“Deadly and Yet Necessary, Quakes Renew the Planet”

As I read this headline in the New York Times, I couldn’t help but think of Hebrews 12:26-29: His voice shook the earth at that time, but now he has promised, Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens. 27 This expression, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of what can be shaken—that is, created things—so that what is not shaken might remain. 28 Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful. By it, we may serve God acceptably, with reverence and awe, 29 for our God is a consuming fire.

The first paragraph of the NYT article reads like this: “Scientists argue that in the very long view, the global process behind great earthquakes is quite advantageous for life on earth — especially human life.”

Earthquakes often result in death.

Earthquakes often result in destruction. 

But earthquakes also build mountains, enrich soil (to make possible the growth of coffee, tea, rubber, etc.), regulate the planet’s temperature, concentrate gold and other rare metals, and maintain the sea’s chemical balance.

Earthquakes constantly recycle the earth’s crust and thus produce a lush planet that is actually livable.

Some experts even refer to the regular quakes — hundreds a day — as the planet’s heartbeat!

When we read headlines of death and destruction in the midst of earthquakes, though, it’s hard to think of anything but the horrific tragedy that has just occurred. 

Similarly, when we find ourselves in the midst of brokenness and darkness on this earth, it’s hard to think of anything but the overwhelming nature of it all. 

Like the readers of Hebrews, who were looking at the future, realizing their faith would likely result in earthly suffering and persecution, and questioning whether they should stick with it or abandon ship, we are faced with the same decision.

When we experience the earthquakes of life, do we succumb to dwelling on the death and destruction — the brokenness and darkness — around us? 

Or do we believe in the depths of our being that we are part of a kingdom that cannot be shaken and abide in the steadfast One? 

Do we believe in our guts that while everything is shaking around us, and one day when God will shake everything once and for all, that those who are in Christ are eternally secure and immovable because of His grace and love? That He will finish the good work He began?

Don’t allow the enemy to render you ineffective because you’ve believed the lie that God’s kingdom can be shaken. 

Just as earthquakes bring renewal and life and even precious metals out of death and destruction, we possess the same promise. We’ve been promised, “a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.” (Isaiah 61:3)

Beloved, you will not be shaken. You are being renewed. You will live. Like a piece of precious gold, you are being refined. Because a Savior was shaken on your behalf. When your life feels like it’s on shifting ground because everything is shaking around you, remember this truth: if you know Jesus Christ, you are standing on bedrock. You have a solid foundation. And He will never fail you.

May we serve Him with thankful hearts, with reverence and awe, because He is worthy of all of our praise!

Hope to see you Sunday,
Erika

Drooping Hands & Weak Knees

For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

12 Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees, 13 and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but rather be healed.

Hebrews 12:11-13

There is so much glorious relief in verses 12 and 13 of Hebrews 12. 

Last week we talked about God’s discipline as a loving Father – the way He rearranges our lives in a way that may momentarily feel painful, but produces peaceful righteousness once we believe that He is good and His loving will for our lives is actually for our good. 

In verse 12, we get a, “therefore.”

We get a, “If you embrace and believe what I’ve just said – that God is a good and loving Father who knows you better than you know yourself, this the benefit. This is what happens.”

When we believe God is the Father He promises He is, we are finally able to lift not only our drooping hands and strengthen our weak knees, but the drooping hands and weak knees of others as well. This is a collective exhortation. You all.

When you hit a wall – when you consider turning back or throwing in the towel – remember who God is. Remember the struggles of this life are temporary, even when terribly painful. Allow the Holy Spirit to whisper truth to your heart that lifts your tired hands and allows your feeble legs to walk again. Do the same for your brothers and sisters in Christ. As you are able to walk, lift their hands and strengthen their knees as well. 

As you put one strengthened foot in front of the other, walking the path that Jesus Himself has prepared tirelessly and sacrificially, be encouraged. This is not your trail to blaze. That work has been done. At one time, there was brush so thick and overwhelming that only One could cut through it. But now the trail has been blazed. It’s not without it’s steep hills and cavernous valleys, but the views along the way are tremendous. Your final destination? Glory unlike anything you’ve ever seen. 

If you veer off path of this trail, the thorns you find yourself caught in promise to be more painful and damaging than anything on the trail. What’s more, the trail is the only one that will lead you to your destination. 

The other amazing feature of this hike is this: you're following countless people who have walked this trail before, and you’re leaving footprints for countless people who will follow you, all of whom have been instructed to have your back. If you stumble, they don’t throw you off the trail. Empowered by the Holy Spirit, they pick you up, dust you off, and offer to walk alongside you until you can stand again. This is not survival of the fittest. This is the perseverance of the saints – and experiencing the reality of it has been one of the greatest joys of my life. 

Hope to see you Sunday, and I’m praying even now, that if your shoulders are slumped, your hands are drooping, and your knees are failing, you are strengthened and encouraged by God Himself and by His people this week. 

Joyfully,
Erika

Hard Things

The beginning of Hebrews 12 is an invitation to hard things. It’s an invitation to discipline. It’s even an invitation to pain - or at least an invitation to understand pain through a different lens.

Before you pack up and go home out of despair, though, hold on a second! Because it’s an invitation to the kind of purposeful pain that leads to growth. It’s an invitation to the kind of throbbing pain our muscles feel on the second day after an intense workout – pain that leads to increased strength and endurance. It’s an invitation to the kind of pain our bodies feel when enduring physical therapy – pain that leads to healing. 

The message of Hebrews 12 is good one. A needed one. A freeing one. Pain is not for naught. When understood in view of the cross, pain leads to strength, endurance, and healing. It doesn’t necessarily make it easier. Sometimes life is just plain hard! But if Hebrews 11 was a heartening and humbling reminder of all those who have gone before us, made mistakes, experienced pain and suffering, and yet trusted in God’s faithfulness, Hebrews 12 is the passing of the baton. Hebrews 12 is the, “Ok, church, what say you? If Jesus is the founder and perfecter of our faith, who endured more pain and suffering than we can imagine and gave His very life for us, we too can ENDURE. What will your race – your life – look like in light of this? How will you respond to hard things, knowing God Himself has promised to guide us through?” 

Endurance doesn’t happen overnight. It requires effort. It requires pain. It requires perseverance. It requires toughness. It requires discipline. (A note: sometimes "toughness" means just keeping your head above water, or like Moses, allowing others to lift your arms...)

But oh the joy – the glory – of experiencing the victory of enduring! 

I had the gift of watching Daria Helfrich’s brother and friend - and thousands of other runners - compete in the Boston Marathon a few months ago. I’ve never witnessed a more inspiring sporting event. In the pelting, frigid, wind-tossed rain, their months and months of sacrifice and training paid off. In the worst of conditions, they finished and victoriously collected their medals. They endured. And it was beautiful to behold. The exhaustion and exhilaration on their faces, arms raised victoriously in the air, believing that every minute of training was worth it for THIS moment. 

What if we lived our lives on earth fully believing our endurance here and now will result in a moment infinitely better than crossing the finish line at the Boston Marathon? A moment of extravagant joy that never ends? Not because of our hard work, but because of God's infinite grace?

This week, Jon Davis will preach on the next section of Hebrews 12 – and we’ll learn about discipline. Here’s a hint: when a loving Father with purely good and holy intentions disciplines us, it may feel painful, but it leads to peaceful goodness. 

May we see God as the loving Father He truly is this week, and may we see ourselves as beloved sons and daughters of the Most High, embracing hard things and discipline, with our eyes on Jesus, knowing His ultimate goal is not our harm, but our greatest good.

Joyfully,
Erika