Two Great Organizations to Support

While at the Catalyst Conference two weeks ago, I was certainly moved by two organizations that are making a difference in our world - Hope International and Compassion International.  Let me tell you a little about each.

Hope International is “a Christian faith-based, 501(c)(3) non-profit organization focused on alleviating physical and spiritual poverty through microenterprise development.”  In other words, they collect donations and then LOAN that money out to entrepreneurs in impoverished situations.  The small loans enable these men and women to grow their businesses and support their families.  The loans, of course, are paid back.  The money is then recycled into another loan to help another family.  Wow.  Great idea.  At Catalyst, Hope International gave away over $120,ooo to the Catalyst attendees (approximately 13,000 of us).  Each person received $10 and then was challenged to turn their $10 into $100 and send it back to Hope to become a loan for a needy family.  That $120,000 has the potential to become 1.2 million if all of us successfully multiply our gift.  To learn more about the microlending program, visit their site at www.neverendinghope.org.

Compassion International is an organization most of us have already heard of.  Compassion offers the opportunity to sponsor children in poverty at the cost of $38 per month.  Each sponsorships helps provide opportunitiy for education, health living, and connection with a church family that will help the child understand the love and grace of God through His Son Jesus.  At Catalyst, I had the opportunity to witness the live testimony of a young Kenyan man named Jimmy who was sponsored through Compassion and who’s life was changed.  There at Catalyst, as Jimmy shared his story, he also got to meet his sponsor there on stage in an incredible emotional exchange of tears and gratitude.  To see this powereful moment, click here.

Just two weeks ago, we collected a special offering at church.  Over $450 was donated to send $100 to Hope International and to sponsor a child through Compassion.  Our childs name is Frank January Manyanda.  He is pictured above.  He i s 7 years old and lives in Tanzania.  When we receive our sponsorship packet, I will let you know how you can contribute and support Frank through our church.

Thank you all for giving!

Things We Say – The Heartbeat

Last post I talked about “the pulse” – our Connection Cards.  But what gives the pulse life?  The heartbeat.  And the heartbeat of the Bridge is the Connection Group.  Connection Groups are otherwise known as small groups or Bible studies.  These groups come in all sorts of shapes and sizes – men’s, women’s, co-ed, youth, on Sundays, or midweek, with childcare, without childcare, etc.  Some of our Groups are ongoing, and some are close-ended. But why are they the heartbeat?

Connection Groups are the heartbeat of The Bridge b/c we believe they are the place where real life is encountered.  Sunday mornings are great, and hopefuly life-changing at times.  But Sunday mornings are a larger mass of people where we can easily blend in and get lost in a crowd.  Growth happens on Sundays, but it is only a part of the equation of how we grow and develop spiritually.  At The Bridge, we really believe that being a part of a Connection Group is essential to a healthy spiritual life.  Connect groups are a place where we are known, cared for and encouraged in our walk with God.   Connect Groups are a chance to go deeper, learn more, and put into practice what we learning.

Making the step to be a part of a Connection Group is not always an easy one.  Some people jump right in, but others aren’t as inclined.  Many of us are a little more introverted and prefer to keep it that way!  Even so, I really believe that being a part of one our groups is vital to spiritual growth.  Introverted or extroverted, we need others to help us grow.  The Bible speaks repeatedly of how followers of Christ are to “love one another” or “serve one another” or “forgive one another.”  There are TONS of these “one another’ statements!  And we can’t “one another” one another unless we are in relationships.  Connection Groups are where these “one anothers” are able to happen.

Anyway…join a Connection Group!  They are AWESOME!  If you want to make that plunge, check the box on your Connection Card Sunday or fill out a request on our website to join a group @ http://bit.ly/3VACluand write “Connection Group” in the “Comment” section!

Things we say

Something we repeat often @ The Bridge, but not always in the same way, is that people are in need of help, hope and healing.  This goes along right along with our vision of being “outwardly-focused.”  We remind ourselves of this b/c it is so easy to forget.  It is so easy for us turn inward, and think only of our own problems, and forget that people all around us are hurting, needing hope and healing.  All of us are pretty good at putting on our masks.  We clean up pretty good on the outside, but on the inside there is often a lot of doubt, fear, self-loathing, guilt, etc, etc, etc.  I think it is our natural tendency to just blind ourselves from the reality that people we are around us are in need.  If we didn’t wear our mask or tried to see past everyone elses, it would really become overwhelming.  But it is so important that we don’t become so inwardly focused to the neglect of everyone around us.  It is to overwhelming to know about and want to help those who are hurting, needing hope and healing.  But we aren’t the savior.  It is not our job to ‘fix’ everybody. Our hope is in God.  And God is the hope we can share with those in need.

So, know this, people are hurting.  They want help.  They desire healing.  They may not show it.  They may not say it.  But a lot of them are hoping that someone cares and has that hope, help or healing from them.  Care enough today to look past someone’s mask and love them.  Lend a hand.  Pray for them.  Serve them.  Invest your life in theirs.  You may be the one that plants that seed of hope that leads that friend, neighbor, family member to put their trust in God.

Things we say @ The Bridge

If you go to The Bridge, you’ll notice that we will say the same things over and over again.  We repeatedly say and remind ourselves about what is important to us.  Like vision. The reason for this is that “Vision Leaks.”  That’s one of the things we say @ The Bridge.  Vision Leaks.   Our vision is to be an outwardly-focused church.  This means we focus on honoring God and not doing church for us, but for God and for others.  All too often, a church, which starts with a focus on God and letting others know about God’s love for them, begins to turn inward and focus on itself.  The vision has begun to leak.  We begin to create programs and opportunities that benefit the members, attenders and insiders, and lose sight of the fact that the church is “God’s Plan A’” for reaching the world (see Ephesians 3:10).  We begin to lose the healthy balance between developing our own faith and sharing that faith with a world that desperately needs, hope, help and healing. The vision is leaking.

By reminding ourselves that “Vision Leaks”, it will hopefully help us keep our vision in mind of being “outwardly-focused” – to live our lives and do church with God’s perspective and God’s heart for people.  We don’t take the best spot in the parking lot at church when it’s available.  We leave it open, so maybe, just maybe, a newcomer to church finds it open and has an easier time getting into our building for church on Sunday.  We avoid speaking Christianeze (using words that only someone who has been in church for 80 years and has a seminary degree would know) and instead use language that everyone relates to and understands.  We use the Bible not as a hammer to nail people for sin, but understand that we all struggle on a variety of levels and share God’s truth with love  (Ephesians 4:15) and grace so that we build a bridge into lives and not walls that further separate us.  We get to church early so we can greet people as they come and make a new friendship.  There are a zillion ways to be outwardly-focused.  And that’s the vision.  And it will leak.  So we will keep repeating it and hopefully fill it back up again.

Vision leaks.  What’s the vision?  Be outwardly-focused. Live a life not so inwardly and self-focused but is concerned about the lives around you.  People are hurting.  They need help.  They want hope.  We have it.  Live the vision.

And, I would love for you to comment with ways we are being, or could be more outwardly focused as a church or as an individual.

Josh Hamilton – Hypocrite or Human?

I’m curious as to what some of you others think about Josh Hamilton and the recent exposure of his bar escapades in January. Apparently, Josh admitted his mistake promptly to his wife and employer – MLB and the Texas Rangers. He was honest and upfront about his failing. But now, as his mistake as been exposed publicly, I hear the guys in sports talk really demeaning Hamilton and calling him a hypocrite. Much of the berating does not seem to stem from simply his failure, but the fact that he is percieved as some type of Christian holy roller because he credits Christ with helping him in recovery from alcoholism and drug addiction. I’ve been a little shocked at how hard people have been on him and how little grace they have for him, particular because of his faith association. It seems if he had never mentioned “God” in his recovery, nobody would care so much that he had a misstep in his recovery. But, b/c he has credited God with his recovery, it seems the world leaves him no room for grace and has no regard for his faith unless he lives a perfect life after his conversion. Does the world really expect us to live perfect lives? Are we hypocrites b/c we fail our own high standard, or are we simply human? I find it hard to believe that ANYONE keeps their own standards perfectly, regardless of how low a standard they set. I don’t think we need to view everyone as hypocrites, but merely as human. Just b/c we believe in a certain standard (high or low), does not always mean we will be able to maintain that standard. We all fail. Let’s have a little grace. God knows we need it.

Am I really going to post about “Jon and Kate Plus Eight?”

Yes, due to the wonders of Cable television, I have access to all kinds of great programming like the Discovery Channel (Survivor Man, Whale Wars, Deadliest Catch, Mythbusters, etc.), TLC (Jon and Kate), The Food Network, History Channel (Band of Brothers), HGTV, and more.  And let’s not forget ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN Classic, and ESPNU.  Who needs network TV these days?

Anyway…Courtney and I have enjoyed watching Jon and Kate Plus 8, mainly because their sextuplets were close to the same age of our oldest.  They are just a little older and we could watch Jon and Kate and get a preview of where Jackson was headed.  But, as many of you know, it was announced last night that Jon and Kate were officially separating and pursuing the dissolution of their marriage.  Yep, it’s sad.  It reminds of our recent message series we did at church called “Desperate House Lives.”  It one message, we talked about how much planning, time and effort goes into the wedding.  Hour upon hour, dollar upon dollar, goes into the event of the wedding.  But a wedding does not a marriage make.  And we talked about how happy weddings are – parties, gifts, ceremonies, gatherings.  Lots of fun.  Everyone loves that.  But how sad is the separation and divorce on the back end?  No parties.  No gifts.  No celebrating.

I don’t blame either Jon or Kate.  I don’t know them or enough of what is happening with them.  Statistically, they were destined to fail.  Most marriages end in divorce.  And on the show, Kate mentioned once how parents of “multiples” were even more likely than the average couple to divorce.

But here’s an observation.  Particularly recently on the show, Jon and Kate have both stated repeatedly how they do everything for the kids.  I’d have to go back and watch, but I’m pretty sure that is the theme of their lives since they went from 2 to 8 kids in 9 months.  It’s hard not to be about the kids when you’ve got so many.  And they keep saying things like, “I do it all for my kids.  I only want what’s best for my kids.”

Do you want to know what is best for your kids (and mine)?  That their dad loves their mom and their mom loves their dad.  And that mom and dad realize that the best thing for their kids is not clothes, toys, a big house, money, etc.  The best thing for their kids is that mom and dad prioritizethe health of their relationship.  It’s not about the kids.  It’s about mom and dad being healthy and loving in their relationship.  That is what those 8 kids need.  That is what my 2 kids need.

I wish I had heard on the show, “Yeah, Kate and I are getting a3 babysitters to come over so we can go out on a date night tonight.  We need this.  We realize that the most important thing for our kids is to show them that I love mommy first and foremost, and they come next line after my relationship with her.”  And for Kate to say the same thing as Jon.

So many of Jon and Kate’s viewers are sad today.  They long to see a family survive and thrive.  Perhaps we could all say a prayer for them and hope that they will come to a point of humility where they learn how to love and serve each other instead of themselves, and the kids.

A “suped up” Donkey???

This past Sunday, Pastor Matt pointed out that at the “Last Supper”, Jesus knew that he was only hours from death.  He knew he was going to die.  Yet what did he choose to do?  He chose to serve.

The evening meal was being served, and the devil had already prompted Judas Iscariot, son of Simon, to betray Jesus. Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.  John 13:2-5

To paraphrase Pastor Matt, he didn’t throw a party or do something reckless like “find a ’suped up’ donkey and see how fast he could get it to go.”  He chose to set an example for his disciples and others by living a consistent life self-sacrifice and service to others.

What a powerful life lesson.  Hopefully, none of us have just a few hours to live, but many, many years.  But we still have a choice.  How are we going to live?  For ourselves?  For others?   For God?  As a servant?

If you haven’t yet learned the life lesson that “It’s not about you”, I hope you’ll learn it today.  As Jesus is credited with saying, “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35).  Give your life away today.  Give it to God.  Don’t take it back.  You’ll never regret living for Him.

Also, don’t forget to check out Pastor Matt’s new blog!

What are you devoted to?

My Connection Group, which meets on Wednesday evenings, just finished doing a study on the book of Colossians.  In chapter 4, the author, Paul, challenges us to “Devote yourselves to prayer.”  It got me thinking about my own prayer life.  How “devoted” am I?  Which made me think, “What things in life do I know that I am devoted to?”  Once I made that list, I could then compare how I pray to these and assess my level of devotion.  So, what am I devoted to?  The quick list is easy to form: my wife, my kids, my job.  And then there are the other obvious things that we all do with devotion – hygiene, eating, sleeping.  And from there are the other individualized things we devote ourselves to.  For me it would be things like softball games, watching “The Biggest Loser” when it’s in season, etc.  Essentially, our devotion is measured by our loyalty.  The things we do consistently are the things we are devoted to.

So where does that leave me (us) and prayer?  If most of us are honest, we would rate our “prayer life” very low on a scale of 1 – 10.  There isn’t much consistency.  In fact, prayer is a foreign concept we understand little of and see very little benefit from.  When we think of prayer we usually think of memorized prayers or phrases we’ve been trained to say, and we see little value in using thing.

So where does that leave us?  It would seem that devotion to prayer would be highly unlikely.  Does this have to be the case?  I don’t think so.  Prayer is much less complex than we tend to make it out to be, and is not so much about memorized formulas as it is about learning to simply talk with a God who is more than ready to listen and respond.

This Sunday at The Bridge, Pastor Tim is going to lead us into the Living Room of our hearts where we learn the simplicity of prayer.  I hope you will come with an open heart to what God wants to reveal to you about how you can learn to make prayer as natural as breathing and an added area of devotion in your life.

New Sermon Series – My Heart, Christ’s Home

Have you ever had “house guests?”  You know – the in-laws come to stay for a week, or that weird friend who needs a place to crash for a few days?  For that time period, your life is not the same.  Someone has invaded your space, your home.  Generally, we have to make some adjustments to accommodate our guest(s).

The same is true for those of us who choose to become followers of Jesus.  The Bible says, “Then Christ will make his home in your heart…”   (Ephesians 3:17, NLT)  The faith life begins as Jesus enters the “home of our hearts.”  At first, it can be a really easy decision to make the short-term, necessary adjustments for Jesus to feel at home in our lives.  But as time goes on, we sometimes become uncomfortable with our new houseguest.   Does he really expect us to open our entire lives to Him?  What does it mean for Him to be truly at home in our hearts?  How can we find alignment between his desires and our own?

In this new message series, we will take a look at what it can be like for Jesus to become our permanent houseguest.  What are the adjustments that we can make?  How we make these adjustments?  Will He really ask me to make THAT adjustment?!?  These are questions we will answer as Jesus settles into the home of our hearts and we introduce him to the different rooms of our lives: the study, the living room, the dining room, the bedroom, the workshop, the rec room and the hall closet.

Should be fun!

Great deal on a book I’ve been recommending!

I am constantly recommending to people the Bible commentary called “The Bible Knowledge Commentary.”  Well, it’s on sale at www.christianbook.com.  Click here to go directly to the special.  You may have to sign up in order to get the best price, but it is going for $32.99 right now (normally $90).  Great deal.  Don’t miss.