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In our Life Apps series at The Bridge this summer, we are taking questions via texting and answering them with a panel. Because we could not get to all of the questions this last week, I am blogging all week to respond to some of the submitted questions that were not addressed in the service     Temptation to overspend on the internet is similar to temptations to overspend in other ways. When we give in to any temptation repeatedly, the activity becomes a habit and in

I think its really important that couples come to a place of agreement on their giving. Often, this kind of disagreement comes when one is a committed Christian and involved in the church, and the spouse is not. We wouldn’t expect a non-Christian or someone who does not regularly attend our church to give towards its ministries. Your spouse might be thinking that this is your thing but not theirs, but its taking money from the family budget.      My suggestion would be to pra

It’s not really accurate to say that our Federal and state taxes are similar to the Old Testament tithe. Most of our taxes, while we may not agree how all of the money is spent or with the efficiency of its use, goes towards benefits and services that we receive ourselves. For example, we drive on the roads that are built and maintained by our tax dollars. We enjoy security afforded by police and fire, as well as the nation’s military. Only 13% of our federal tax dollars are

I couldn’t even tell you how many times I’ve been asked something like, “Before we go after more people, shouldn’t we take better care of who we have?”     I think it’s an honest question, but in my humble opinion, it is fed by the devil himself. I really mean that. At the least, it betrays a complete misunderstanding of what it means to be in the Body of Christ.  Everything in the Bible about the church tells us that the church was put here to spread the Gospel to lost peopl

“Pastor, I miss the old days when we knew everyone at church. I’m glad for the people getting saved, but we’re getting too big. Last week I met some people at a school function and found out they go to our church. I didn’t even know them!”     That was part of just one conversation I’ve had over the years with concerned church members over the changing atmosphere of the church as it grows. I’ve had many over the years in two different churches.     I usually respond with an i

I had a conversation with a guy a while back, who had a defeatist mentality. His life wasn’t really that bad. He grew up in a stable family, had a good wife and a couple of happy kids. He had a decent job, drove a newer car, and lived in a nicer house than I had ever lived in, and he was healthy. But to him, everything was wrong. His parents were nags, his wife wasn’t perfect, his kids misbehaved, his job was stressful, his car used too much gas, his house needed repairs, and

A dating couple rented a bicycle built for two and went out for a ride. After a few miles, they came to a long steep hill. It took a great deal of struggle for the the two of them to complete what proved to be a very stiff climb. When they got to the top the guy in front turned to his girlfriend and said, “Man, that was a hard climb.” The young girl in back innocently replied, “Yes it was! I was so afraid we’d roll back down that I kept the brakes on all the way up!”     Are

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.”      I could make a number of observations from the verse, but would like to focus on the last phrase, “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” (Ge 17:1 1Ki 2:4 2Ki 20:3

Next week is Memorial weekend and summer is here. What do you have planned?     In previous cultures, summertime was a time of hard work and production. Schools break for summer even today because in the old days, families needed their kids at home when farm chores were especially work intensive (that and the hot days with no air conditioning made school unpleasant). But as we have become less and less dependent on the family farm for our economic well-being, summers have shi

If you’re reading my blog, you don’t want to do that. You wouldn’t be on this page if you didn’t have some interest in church things. Even people who do not go to church are usually happy when their kids do. Church people...church people say they want more than anything for their kids to know and love God, and to be a part of a good church. But the trouble is, too many church people are turning their kids away. How?
 By attending when it is convenient. Kids can be fooled for

Laptops, iPads & Android tablets, smartphones and GPS navigators, what would we do without them? You’d think with all these time saving devices, life would slow down. But I’ve never seen so many restless and hurried people. If our technology delivered what it promised, and did what we purchased these gadgets to do (at least the excuses we used when we bought them), we’d have the time to spend on the things we say matter.     But I’m afraid all we’ve done is added speed and no

It’s been two and a half weeks since Easter (at this writing). With all the prayer time and energy invested in the weeks leading up to our “Christian Super Bowl,” it’s too easy for me to fail in giving time to enjoy the victories in the aftermath. But maybe it’s time to revel in what God did.     I can’t help but recall my earliest conversations with John Knautz five years ago, who was then the chairman of the search committee charged with finding and recommending the next le