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I was in the thick of Chicago traffic. At one intersection, both an automobile and a bicycle attempted to sneak through a red light at the end of a yellow. The bike was going straight and the car was turning left, and they collided. The car was barely moving and fortunately, the woman on the bike was not hurt….but she was mad! She jumped up off the ground and picked her bike up, ripped her helmet off, and with bike in tow, ran after the car screaming at the driver. Junior was

“I’ve tried reading the Bible but I don’t understand it and my mind wanders." I’ve heard that many, many times. But I’ve also been able to help a lot of people learn to read the Bible to get a lot out of it. King David describes a person of success as one who reads and ponders daily on the Word of God. Most Christians know there is value in reading the Bible, yet few of us do it consistently. I think mainly because they’ve never learned how. This is the fourth in a series on

Jesus’ disciples had been amazed at a lot of things about Jesus. They were blown away by his miracles. But they never asked him to teach them how to do miracles. They were astonished by his teaching as he captivated crowds of thousands. Yet they never asked him to teach them how to preach. But when they heard Jesus praying, they asked him to teach them how to pray (Luke 11:1-2). They heard Jesus really pray and they wanted to learn. That’s how we received the Lord’s Prayer.

Last week I wrote on having a plan for spiritual growth. A lot of you responded and committed to following through. But every plan begins with a time and place. If something is not scheduled, it’s not planned. Have you ever said to an acquaintance, “We should get together some time,” and it never happened? That’s because it wasn’t scheduled. Unless you specify the time and place to get together, all you have are good intentions that never come to fruition. Planning starts wit

Nothing ever get’s accomplished without a plan. That is no less true when it comes to spiritual growth. Millions of Christians have been believers for many years and have grown older without growing up. Just because you are aging does not mean you are maturing. I know a lot of very immature Christians who have professed to follow Jesus for decades. But without a plan, nothing of significance ever happens. They may have a plan to save for retirement. They may have a plan for s

My kids bought me a drone for Christmas a year and a half ago. It’s it’s one of the most enjoyable toys I’ve had as an adult. My granddaughters love being chased around the house by a flying object. My wife just smacks it out of her way.Now there is a new drone being marketed. It’s a “Selfie Drone,” designed entirely for taking selfies. Instead of holding up your smartphone at arms length or on a stick, you just let it go and it flies out and positions itself perfectly to tak

Another acquittal after an African-American was wrongfully shot and killed. I know emotions run high and most people want to take sides with everything that is politically charged in recent years. But let’s just do an honest assessment. An innocent man was killed, right in front of his little girl, without accountability. It’s horrible. There is something in all of us that has to say, “This is wrong.” The fact that it further divides liberals and conservatives and whites and

We know it is often the little things that cause great damage. The minimum lethal dose of botulism bacillus is .00003 micrograms per kilogram of body weight. That's like a mosquito derailing a 100 mile freight train. Remember it was an inexpensive O ring that took down the Space Shuttle, Challenger. And you know how your whole body can be affected by a slight pain in a key area, such as a toe or heel.But the reverse is also true. It’s the little things that make life most enj

In 1830, a man named George Wilson killed a government employee who caught him in the act of robbing the mail. He was tried and sentenced to be hanged. However, then President of the United States, Andrew Jackson, sent him a pardon. But Wilson did a strange thing. He refused to accept the pardon and no one seemed to know what to do. So the case was carried to the Supreme Court. The great Chief Justice John Marshall wrote the opinion. In it, he said, “A pardon is a slip of pap

It’s that time of year... for syrupy graduation speeches, often filled with advice that I truly hope graduates do NOT take. I’m talking about “chase your dreams” and “follow your passions” kind of advice, along with the reminders that, “You are amazing” and, “You can do anything."Sorry, but you really can’t do anything, and those who say you can are doing you a disservice. Had I believed that I could do anything when I graduated from high school, I would have pursued a career

“The Trinity,” the doctrine that there is one God who eternally exists as three persons, is foundational in Christian belief. I’m briefly referencing it in this weekend’s message at The Bridge. But since there is not time in that message to give the Biblical basis for it, I thought this would be a good place to lay out what the Scriptures teach.While we would be hard pressed to point to a single passage that clearly lays out the doctrine, we know from early church writings th

One of my favorite verses in the Bible is Micah 6:8 – “He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”To walk humbly with your God. What does it mean to walk with God? In the Old Testament, the phrase is normally worded as “walking before God” (Genesis 17:1 1Kings 2:4, 2 Kings 20:3, Psalm 56:13, 116:9). It was first used in Genesis 17 with God telling Abraham that he was to walk

Maybe you come from a tradition that practiced baptism differently than here at The Bridge. Maybe it's the one thing about our church that you’re not comfortable with. I get it. I was there at one time. But after extensive study on the history and debate surrounding baptism in Christian circles, one thing I’ve learned that everyone seems to agree on, Jesus’ earliest disciples, and the first century church, practiced baptism the way we do. That’s not a matter of debate. Whethe

In Matthew 6:16-18, Jesus told his followers to fast differently than the way a lot of people did. It seems many enjoyed attention from others for their “sacrifice” of fasting.

Poor guy. He made his dream escape! And it’s not easy to escape from the Washington State Penitentiary. It took a lot of planning, perfect timing and hard work. But he did it! However, he then had to elude authorities. After spending a day on the run, without food or shelter, he came across a cabin in the woods. Perfect! If the place is unoccupied, it would be a chance to catch up on a little sleep, maybe scrounge up some food. If someone is home, he could subdue them, get th

I don’t often go to the movies, especially Christian movies. Sorry, but in my mind they tend to be cheesy and the acting subpar.But, The Case For Christ, is an exception. I’ve been a fan of the book and of Lee Strobel for many years. I’ve read the book more than a few times, and I’ve given away dozens of copies. Strobel’s story is a compelling one, and the book makes such a strong case for Jesus’ resurrection, it’s hard to deny for an open-minded reader.The movie focuses more

Whatever your political position is on refugees in America, you probably have a good point. I personally may agree with much of it and I may personally disagree with some of it. But I really don’t care. What I do care about is what Jesus cares about. And as a member of The Bridge family, I care about how seriously you take God’s command to love, care for, provide for, and befriend those who need us. Your political position doesn’t matter to me. But your spiritual activity doe

I just read the news article of another police officer who was shot and killed. I grieve for the fallen and the families every time I read of one of these horrible incidents. This one was of particular interest to me since it happened in a small town in Wisconsin, and a place where I’ve been. Weston, Wisconsin is just outside of Wausau, and not a lot happens there. But a domestic dispute led to a shootout in an apartment complex. A police officer and three others are now dead

When the type on his printer began to grow faint, Bob called a local repair shop where a friendly clerk informed him the printer probably needed only to be cleaned. Because the store charged $50 for cleanings, he told Bob he might be better off reading the printer’s manual and trying the job himself.Surprised by his candor, Bob asked, “Does your boss know that you discourage business?”“Actually, it’s my boss’ idea,” the employee replied. “We usually make more money on repairs

Several years ago, one of our newer office assistants complained that her computer shut down and wouldn’t turn back on. I was the resident “go-to” for tech issues, so I asked, “What happened when it shut down?”“I dropped my mouse,” she said.That normally wouldn’t turn off a computer, so I assumed something else had happened. “Check all the wires behind the computer and try turning it on again.” She did, and it didn’t respond.“Where did you drop your mouse?” I asked.“Right her