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My daughter-in-law and I were traveling by car on a rural road outside of Kozhencherry, Kerala, India, when suddenly in front of us loomed a full-sized adult elephant, munching on greenery on the edge of this jungle road. Our breath was taken away and Nicole squealed, “Aaaah! Oh my goodness! A wild elephant!"He was an impressive sight. But while he appeared at first to us to be roving free and wild, after getting out of the car to have a better look (we kept our distance), we

Most of us are still wrapping presents. Many have a list and are stressed about some things on it. We all have a gift or two waiting to go to someone we are excited about. It’s really fun to give. And it’s a lot more fun than getting.Not that receiving isn’t any fun. It is. But there is something really special about giving. What? Why does giving make us feel so good? Why would there be joy in letting go of something that either, we'd rather keep, or that cost us precious tim

I love Christmas and almost everything about it. I love the lights and decorations. I love the giving of gifts, the tree, the food, the music, and even the hustle and bustle. I loved the school and church programs. I love the Christmas themed TV shows (A Charlie Brown Christmas is my favorite).But it’s easy to love all of those things and settle for little more than winter solstice, and not really enjoy Christmas. Even with the fun of ugly sweaters, Christmas parties, Santa C

The last few days have been eye-opening. I’m writing this from India. I came to visit a ministry operated by a man who attends our church. We are in Kolkata (formerly Calcutta) and have been staying in one of the poorest sections of the city...a city that is one of the poorest in the world. We are not far from where Mother Teresa became world renown for her work among orphans and invalids. We visited the convent where she lived and the care center where she worked, and greete

The only reason Christians celebrated Jesus’ birth on December 25 was because the Romans had a pagan celebration on that day and Christians took it over. Right?

I feel awful for our Care Pastor, Joel Bradshaw. His dad had diabetes related foot surgery last week, and then he had a heart attack in recovery, and died. His funeral was the day before Thanksgiving. He was a wonderful man, devoted to God and his family. Can you imagine being them on Thanksgiving?I can. My dad passed away the day before Thanksgiving years ago. He was getting ready to come to our house for the long weekend, as we were hosting for my family. It was a Thanksgiv

Do you know of any hopeless cases? People in your world who are so far from God, you don’t even bother praying for anymore?One such case could have been Jeff. He had been witnessed to many times. He had been to church and didn't care for it. He was a major substance abuser and had been for decades. Twice divorced and virtually unable to be a positive partner in any relationship. No job. No money. Hopeless case.That’s when I met him. Better yet, that’s when he met Jesus. His b

When hiring people for a ministry staff position at The Bridge, one of the things I pay closest attention to is how the candidate converses during off-times, when not being interviewed.Who does he/she talk about? Is it always or even usually about themselves? Do they show genuine interest in others, or do they work to get people interested in them?There are some people who are very good at getting conversations back to their own thoughts, opinions, experiences, or interests.

I put a Harley Davidson sticker on the rear window of my truck. I’ve noticed some things. People tend to treat me differently on the road now. Seriously. They seem to give me a little more space. Fewer cut me off by squeezing in tight spaces in front of me. I’m wondering if it’s the reputation that old school Harley riders had. Has the sticker generated a little fear? Whatever it is, I like the respect on the road I seem to be getting.And then I began to ask myself, what kind

There are a lot of Christians who say, “No.” And there was a time when I agreed with them. I had heard their arguments…that Halloween was the devil’s holiday, that it celebrates demons, and it was entirely of pagan origin. I feel bad that when my kids were little, they didn’t go trick-or-treating.But now I take my grandkids trick-or-treating.For some reason, Christians seem to be attracted to conspiracy theories, and sometimes fear the devil where God wants us to see opportun

I was expecting some emotion…but not like that.I’m thrilled for my daughter. I officiated her wedding last Sunday afternoon. She married a really great guy who loves Jesus as much as she does. But just seeing her standing in front of me, looking so beautiful, beaming with joy, it was more than I could handle. In my mind, I was seeing the baby we brought home from the hospital…then the toddling "daddy’s girl" climbing into my lap. I remembered dancing to “Butterfly Kisses” on

God did not create us or save us only as individuals, he made us to be relational beings with others. When Adam was created, God said, “It is not good that man should be alone.” And when it comes to our faith journey, including other people is a big deal. It was for every Bible character and every strong Christian I’ve ever known. Our spiritual lives are inspired by, supported by, and strengthened by others. So we encourage everyone at The Bridge to join a group. Here’s five

I grew up being bored at church. When I later became serious about my faith and began training for ministry, I vowed never to let that happen where I have something to do with it. Too may people stay away from church because too many churches are not worth going to.I tell our staff that it’s a sin to turn church into a boring experience. At The Bridge, we work hard to bring music that reflects the excitement and depth of the Gospel. Our teachers spend a lot of time preparing

Carlos met Nicole at a local hangout at the University of Calgary last week and they hit it off. He asked for her number and she gave it to him. But he wrote it down wrong, so when he tried to call her later that evening, the number was rejected. He was heartbroken. But the guy wouldn’t give up. He pulled up his school directory and emailed every Nicole he could find, 247 of them, in a mass email, with the subject line, “Nicole from last night.” In that email, he wrote, “If y

It grieves me. It angers me. I get a stomach ache every time I hear of another one.Sadly, it is also not new to me. The preacher who spoke the night I dedicated my life to full-time ministry later left his ministry due to infidelity. The pastor who married Linda and me was fired for having an emotional affair. The first pastor I served under as a young youth pastor committed adultery. The pastor who preceded me at this church later left the ministry because of an affair. I’ve

I made a decision almost three decades ago that has taken the difficulty out of a lot of other decisions since. I decided to marry Linda. Since that decision, most of my other decisions in and around the house are pretty well taken care of. I only need to ask myself, what would be better for our marriage?So, even though my desk may be cluttered at work, I’m neat, clean, and organized at home. Why? Because Linda doesn’t really care what my desk at work looks like, but she like

This headline got my attention, Resource Officer Used Taser to Wake Sleeping Student. I couldn’t believe a police officer assigned to protect students would actually tase one to wake him up. Then I read the whole story. The officer was called into a classroom where a teacher and several students had attempted to wake a student who had fallen asleep at his desk. The officer also attempted to arouse him and couldn't, so she took the cartridge out of her taser (disarming it) and

A man in Gallatin, Tennessee walked into a Walmart dressing room with a new pair of jeans. He took off his old worn and dirty jeans, and put on the new ones from off the rack. They fit good! So, he ripped off the tags and walked out…..all the way out of the store. Thinking he got away with it, he met up with his girlfriend in the parking lot and the two of them headed to the nearby Longhorn Steakhouse. After a good dinner, they slipped out of the restaurant without paying the

Many of us need deadlines to get things done. They serve as a target, and some people describe them as freeing, because they know they have to get it done by a certain time, and when that time is over, there is a sense of finality. It feels good to meet a deadline and once you meet it, it’s done.But not all deadlines can be planned precisely. I used to tell my kids to make sure the kitchen was clean, “before mom gets home.” Sometimes, she’d get home and they would be busily i

We all have some things to work on, me included. Some of you are in church this weekend for the first time in a long time because you know you have some things to work on. Others here can think of so many things that you need to work on, that you’ve given up trying. There are just too many.But what is that ONE thing? What’s that one thing that is holding you back? What is that one thing, that if you got the victory, a lot of other things would change as well? It’s the thing t