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Does it seem like you are just going through the motions? You get up and go to work, rush to some activity, then go home, watch a little TV, and go to bed. And you do that day after day. On weekends there are Saturday chores, activities, and church. Then Monday.Has life lost its luster? Is it feeling monotonous?It happens to just about everyone. But there are some key ingredients that God wrote into the Law for the Israelites to guard against the monotony of life. Work hard.

This could be your year.We are all up against challenges. Maybe it’s a relationship. Maybe it’s work or school. Maybe it’s a personal habit that needs to be changed.You’ve been struggling for a while. Maybe you’ve even taken some initial steps to overcome, but feel like you’ve failed. Now’s the time to make it happen. 2019 is your year.That’s why we are studying 2 Timothy at The Bridge these next 2 months. We’re calling this upcoming series, GRIT. It’s about overcoming the c

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

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?Wrong.Serious scholars do not believe that. There’s no evidence for it. We have nothing in writing from early church fathers or ancient historians that indicate that Christmas was a takeover of an already Roman holiday. It’s just something that historians assumed hundreds of years later and passed on as fact, though th

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