Category Archives: Bridge Church
A Healthy Soul
Our church is wrapping up a Fall study of the New Testament book of 1 Peter. We tackled the book through the lens of Soul Care, exploring what is a healthy soul. Here’s a list of statements gleaned from the series defining a healthy soul.
- A healthy soul doesn’t get too attached to this world. 1 Peter 1:1-2
- A healthy soul has experienced the new birth. 1 Peter 1:3-12
- A healthy soul is fixated on God’s grace. 1 Peter 1:13-25
- A healthy soul grows healthier by feeding on God’s Word. 1 Peter 2:1-10
- A healthy soul trusts Christ to deal with sin. 1 Peter 2:11-25
- A healthy soul is a ready witness of God’s goodness. 1 Peter 3:1-17
- A healthy soul is friends with God. 1 Peter 3:18-22
- A healthy soul serves others through the power of God. 1 Peter 4:1-11
- A healthy soul trusts God to deal with the injustice of Christian suffering. 1 Peter 4:12-19
- A healthy soul is a gracious, humble soul. 1 Peter 5:1-7
- A healthy soul overcomes this world. 1 Peter 5:8-14
I’m grateful for our Preaching and Teaching Collaborative at Bridge Church, which works together to deliver messages to our congregation: Adam Bourne, Chris Guillott, Larry Johnson, Evan McGinty, and myself. We’ve been using a team approach for a few years now, and I love it, especially with a bi-vocational staff. You can listen to these sermons at Bridge Northshore on iTunes or here.
Understanding Proverbs
Our church started a summer study of the book of Proverbs this week. It’s one of my favorite books of the Bible. I read it every day. This book is worth a lifetime of study and reading. It’s a lot like hard candy. Takes a while to digest. Many people have suggested reading one chapter a day. With 31 chapters, you can finish the book in one month. Billy Graham suggested reading five chapters of Psalms and one chapter of Proverbs daily. He said Psalms will help you prepare to relate with God. Proverbs will help you prepare to relate to man.
Three things I love about Proverbs:
1) Wisdom Literature
Proverbs is part of a genre in scripture we call Wisdom Literature. The books of the Bible in this category are Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Songs. These books call us to righteousness, justice, godliness, and true worship of God, and give us tons of wise sayings to live by.
A proverb is defined as a general observation about how things are or how to live in God’s will. Wisdom literature and especially the book of Proverbs are full of wise, memorable sayings. They are worth memorizing and meditating on every day.
2) A Letter from Dad
Two words started jumping off the pages at me when reading Proverbs as an adult – “My son…” This book is a letter from a Dad to his sons. Knowing this makes it a very personal book. It can serve as an important tool in the toolbox for any parents seeking to raise wise and godly children.
3) Listening to the Wisest Wealthiest Man Who Ever Lived
What would you get if you crossed a Saudi Arabian prince, the President of the United States, Socrates, and Mickey Mouse? The wealthiest, most politically powerful, wisest, and most famous person in the world. That describes King Solomon. Proverbs and Ecclesiastes allow us to listen to this God-given wisdom as he seeks to guide his future generations and share lessons learned from a life building the greatest kingdom on earth in his time.
Unfortunately, Solomon didn’t always live wisely. He pursued pleasure, treasure, selfishness, and other things. His life serves as a parable as well as provides the wisdom of Proverbs. Get to know Solomon through 1 and 2 Kings, 1 and 2 Chronicles, Proverbs, and Ecclesiastes.
Follow along with Bridge Church’s trek through Proverbs this summer HERE.
Helping Kids in Transition
This year our church partnered with a couple of great organizations for Christmas On Mission Projects:
1. The Kids In Transition (KIT) Program through our local schools. KIT as the program is called helps teens who are in substandard or transitional housing. Another term is “couch surfer.” A teen without a permanent address. It also covers teens who find themselves in other situations such as teen pregnancy or fleeing from an abusive parent. We were able to fill a few wishes for some of the kids in this program. Find out more info HERE.
2. James Storehouse and Louisiana Dept of Child and Family Services. James Storehouse is a Non-Profit that mobilizes resources for foster children and families associated with foster care and adoption. Kim Bigler founded and directed the Storehouse with a lot of enthusiasm. They have many volunteer opportunities throughout the year. Bridge Church was able to provide a breakfast at their new facility on Hwy 21 in Covington for the staff of our local DCFS office.
The DCFS staff does amazing work for our community. This year alone, 192 kids were adopted through our local Covington office! Also, 107 kids were placed in a foster care home and 165 homes were certified as foster care providers. STILL MORE ARE NEEDED!
Incredible people doing hard work for the neediest among us. Praying for these and others on the front lines of need in our communities.
Common Excuses for Not Sharing and Caring
We know we’re supposed to be witnesses for Christ. We know that people need Christ. What is it that is stopping us from being obedient and engaging the real needs of people?
Here are a few excuses that I’ve used over the years, that still plague my selfish heart today.
1. “I don’t have time.”
We make time for what’s important to us. Obeying Jesus (Matthew 28:19-20; John 14:21) and helping others (Philippians 2:3-4) find help and eternal life should be on our list somewhere. If we make time for what we care about, are we really saying “I don’t care about what Jesus wants and others need”? Let’s make time!
2. “That’s not my job.”
This is passing our Christian duty off to the person that does more harm in churches that anyone – SOMEBODY ELSE. “Somebody else will do something” – “Why didn’t somebody help them?” – “The pastor should have done something about that.” Passing off the duty of every Christian to somebody else robs you of an opportunity to see God work and it robs people in your sphere of influence of your unique witness to them. It is your job!
3. “They know where I am if they need me.”
This is the classic rearranging of Jesus’ commission to the church. Jesus said that believers should “Go into all the world…” (Matthew 28:19). It’s a commission that requires intentionality on our part. Jesus didn’t commission the lost world to find the church, but the church to find the lost and bring them to Him. Let’s not wait for them to ask! Take initiative and go and find the lost. Glad someone did that for me!
4. “They’ll never change.”
When we say “They’ll never change” about someone that needs Christ, I believe we’re saying more about what we believe about God, than what we believe about that person. Our faith is not in the ability of people to change, but in God’s power to transform. With God all things are possible (Matthew 19:26), so with God, no one is a lost cause. Change is possible for anyone that hears the gospel. It’s not our job to make final judgments about someones heart condition. It’s our job to share the message that can change their hearts (Romans 10:17). We’ll never know if they could have changed, if we withhold the gospel.
5. “I don’t know what to say.”
This can be another way of saying, “I don’t care,” because we tend to find the information that we care about. We can find and remember the best Disney deals, the stats on our favorite football teams, all the restaurants with kids eat free deals, etc. Have we taken the time to learn and understand some keys to sharing the gospel with different people. We don’t have to be Bible scholars or have seminary degrees to correctly share the gospel with people in our lives. You know enough right now most likely. And you have within you the power of the Holy Spirit who promises to help give you the words to say. Don’t hold back. Say it today!
Bridge Church‘s summer message series is designed to tackle the last excuse in this list. 
In our series What Do I Say When…? we hope to equip ourselves with what to say to people at different points of need in our lives. Join Bridge Church at 10am on Sunday’s at the Maritime Museum in Madisonville and get equipped to make an impact and engage the real needs of your world for Christ. You can also find the messages HERE or on Itunes.
If Not Today, When?
Highlights from our January Message Series at Bridge Church
In January, our church wrapped up a long study of the book of James. We took on four key topics in James that we often need to return to at the beginning of a new year in a series called If Not Today, When. The four topics were:
- Prayer
- Relationships
- Money
- Evangelism and Outreach
You can find the messages HERE or on Itunes.
Here are a few quotes or highlights from the series:
- Others should be one of the primary topics in our prayers. This is called intercession. Praying for other people. Praying for opportunities to serve and share with others.
- There is no magic in prayer. It’s a relationship.
- “If God be your partner, make your plans large.” – D.L. Moody
- You’ll never hear an on mission Christian say – “I would love to have helped but no one asked me.” They don’t wait to be asked.
- Why do we prioritize our physical needs? Because we FEEL them. Having compassion and mercy for others means we FEEL the needs of others along with our own.
- Mercy means even when I know something about them or have something I can use against them or don’t really like them or have a right to hold a grudge against them, I still am willing to love them and show them compassion and grace.
- To be a person of integrity means I am innocent in my relationships. I’m not using you, cheating you, manipulating you, or lying to you. I’m a person you can trust, because of my integrity, my commitment to purity before God.
- Wisdom listens with the intent to build up, to help, to learn. It’s solution oriented when it comes to decisions and suggestions.
- The Bible offers 500 verses on prayer, less than 500 verses on faith, but more than 2,350 verses on money and possessions. – Howard Dayton
- God is honored by funnels and dishonored by sponges. We’re to be conduits of His blessings, not cul de sacs.
- If you want financial freedom without unlimited resources, you’ve got to be able to say no to your whims and impulses and to live on what you have.
- The #1 reason for financial pressure is not that we don’t make enough but that we don’t spend it wisely. Our yearning capacity exceeds our earning capacity.
- Our clear mission from God throughout the Bible is to seek out the wanderer and do all we can to turn them or return them to the truth of the Gospel.
Connect with Bridge Church if you’re in West St. Tammany Parish on Sunday’s at 10am at the Maritime Museum in Madisonville.
Christmas Wish List: ForGIVEness
One of the many promises of Christmas was that Jesus would “give his people knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins” (Luke 1:77).
Forgiveness is a gift of God paid for by the work of Jesus Christ on the cross (see Ephesians 1:7). It’s given freely to those who put faith in His finished work for their salvation (Acts 10:43). Further defining this word gets us to the reason its such a great gift. The word can actually mean pardon, release from captivity, and freedom and is translated like this in other Biblical passages (Luke 4:18; Colossians 1:13-14). When we put our faith in Christ, forgiveness of our sins becomes reality, releasing us from the bondage of sin and setting us free to walk in newness of life (Romans 6:3-4).
Many of us don’t have a problem with God’s forgiveness and our need of it. The problems come when we have to live this out in our relationships. And we must!
“if you forgive others their offenses, your heavenly Father will forgive you as well. 15 But if you don’t forgive others, your Father will not forgive your offenses.” Matthew 6:14-15
“be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving one another, just as God also forgave you in Christ.” Ephesians 4:32
“bearing with one another and forgiving one another if anyone has a grievance against another. Just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you are also to forgive.” Colossians 3:13
This past Sunday, as part of our Grace and Truth Message series at Bridge Church, we proposed an exercise to get free, or begin to get free, from relational conflict through forgiveness. This was a personal challenge as this year has been a tough year relationally for me. This challenge has helped me gain freedom from the onset of bitterness.
Steps to Forgiveness:
“forgive as God forgave you” Colossians 1:13
>> List three sins that God has forgiven me for:
>> List three sins that others have forgiven me for:
>> Make a list of people I’m harboring resentment, anger, or unforgiveness towards:
Love… pray for…” Matthew 5:44 “do good to…” John 6:27
>> What good can I do for them? How can I pray for them this week?
Resentment, anger, unforgiveness grows in marriages, in churches, in extended families, in workplaces. Identifying and extending the gift of release to others sets us free to love and live.
Get the audio from last week’s Bridge Gathering here or on Itunes. Join us Sunday, 10am, at the Maritime Museum in Madisonville for the conclusion of our Grace and Truth Message Series
Highlights from the Fluent Series
Last week we wrapped up our Summer Message series at Bridge Church Madisonville called Fluent. The series was designed to challenge us as believers to think about our understanding and communication of the gospel. We tackled common cliches that Christians use to define their faith, but are not always clearly understood by us or those around us. These statements/cliches are:
- “I Got Saved!”
- “Jesus Changed My Life.”
- “I asked Jesus to come into my heart.”
- “I am Free In Christ”
- “I’m On My Way to Heaven.”
- “I’m growing in my faith.”
- “I’m living for Jesus.”
Here’s a few highlights from the series. Download these and other Bridge Sermons HERE.
- God has tied salvation to the spoken and heard message about Jesus Christ.
- We live in a BROKEN WORLD. Beautiful but broken. We can’t FIX the BROKENNESS ourselves. Jesus REDEEMS, RECONCILES, and REGENERATES. Jesus Changes our lives and mends the brokenness caused by sin.
- What do you do with a gift? You ACCEPT it. And salvation is offered by God and accepted in repentance by people on this earth.
- Salvation is not just a thought I had one time at camp, but it’s a change of life and a radical reorientation of our hearts and minds to a new center of gravity – the Lord Jesus Christ.
- If Jesus is in your heart, He’s displaying His glory in and through your life. Don’t rest your salvation on any cliche. Follow Jesus. Get close to His word. Do what it says. Display his gift!
- freedom in Christ is not a justification for questionable behavior. And there are guardrails on our freedom in Christ that are put there by the Holy Spirit’s work in the life of each individual believer.
- Nobody in the bible ever said, “Don’t you want to go to heaven when you die?” The desired outcome of life is ETERNAL LIFE. And that doesn’t start at death, it starts when you begin a relationship with Jesus Christ. Life and Eternity is about RELATIONSHIP.
- We are not marked by our perfection, but how we respond in our imperfections.
- Missional living is living with a hammer in our hands and the truth of God in our hearts.
- We don’t live missionally for the light to shine on us. Everything we do should draw attention to Christ.
- Works CONFIRM our salvation, not secure it. Works DISPLAY our new life IN CHRIST. Works are a RESPONSE, not an obligation.
- Legalism is following the rules instead of following God.
- If we’re not obligated, the why do we serve? Because it’s what we’re created for (Ephesians 2:10).
Join Bridge Church, 10am on Sunday’s at the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Maritime Museum in Madisonville. Find us at BridgeNorthshore.com and Facebook.com/Bridgenorthshore.
The Journey to Change
Christianity has never had a more dangerous enemy than Saul of Tarsus, or a more dedicated friend that Paul the Apostle; both are the same man.”
~ Johnny Hunt
Yesterday, Bridge Church began a series called Changed. We’ll follow the life of the Apostle Paul from Acts 9 through Acts 28. Paul not only gave us 12 books of the Bible, but his life shows us the power of the Gospel and Jesus’ life within to bring change and transformation to the life of a person, no matter their hostility or sinfulness.
Follow this series by subscribing to our Podcast. Download some notes and discussion questions from the Intro to the series called The Journey to Change HERE.
“When you pray… When you fast…” ~ Jesus
Jesus seemed to assume that prayer and fasting would be a part of the lives of his followers. He didn’t say “if” but “when.” With his assumptions we see again that spiritual disciplines were not just meant for the clergy, but for everyone. In January, our church typically participates in a 21-Day Prayer & Fasting plan. With that in mind, here’s some basics on fasting from a few of my favorite books on the subject of prayer.
From Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster:
- Fasting refers to abstaining from food for spiritual purposes. It’s not a hunger strike or a form of dieting. Biblical fasting always centers on spiritual purposes.
- Fasting must forever center on God. It must be God-initiated and God-ordained.
- More than any other discipline, fasting reveals the things that controls us. We cover up what is inside us with food and other good things, but in fasting these things surface.
- In Scripture the normal means of fasting involves abstaining from all food, solid or liquid, but not from water (Luke 4:2).
- Sometimes a partial fast is described. Like Daniel, “I ate no delicacies, no meat or wine entered my mouth” (Daniel 10:3).
Isaiah 58 is one of the best resources on fasting in the Bible. Tom Eliff in his great book, A Passion for Prayer shares an outline with us on improper and proper motivations for and the promised benefits of fasting:
Four Improper Reasons for Fasting:
- Fasting to get God’s attention (Isaiah 58:3a).
- Fasting w/o focusing on the Lord (Isaiah 58:3b).
- Fasting w/o humility of heart (Isaiah 58:4).
- Fasting for a brief external show of piety (Isaiah 58:5). Jesus spoke against this as well in Matthew 6:16-18.
Proper motivations for fasting (Isaiah 58:6-7):
- To bring spiritual liberation and freedom.
- To relieve heavy burdens.
- To increase our awareness of the needs of others.
God’s promised benefits for those who fast sincerely and seriously:
- Insight and understanding (v. 8)
- Physical well-being (v. 8)
- A deep sense of what is right (v.8)
- God’s presence to protect and provide (v. 8)
- A sense of immediate access to God (v. 9)
- Release from spiritual oppression (v. 10)
- Real-time guidance from God (v. 11)
- Satisfaction and joy during difficult times (v. 11)
- Increased strength to accomplish the Lord’s work (v. 11)
- Fruitfulness (v. 11)
- Recovering and restoring culture (v. 12)
- Rebuilding what was destroyed (v. 12)
Some Options for introducing fasting into your life:
As you consider fasting, before conducting an extended, lengthy complete or total fast from all food, consider your past health and conditioning and some of you may want to consult a doctor. Consider your work. If your work is rigorous then you need food for energy to give your best to your employer. A complete fast may not be for you at this point. Here are a few other options:
- One meal each day—The fast is not about only giving up food, but also includes praying during mealtime. Jesus said, “Could you not watch with me one hour?” (Matthew 26:40). It takes about an hour to prepare a meal or travel to a restaurant or get ready to eat. So this time is a perfect opportunity to pray. Those who work in hot exhausting jobs cannot fast completely because they need their strength and stamina for physical exertion. However, they can sacrifice one meal a day for the Lord.
- Two meals each day—Some people can pray for two hours each day, sacrificing two meals to the Lord.
- Eat only veggies—The Daniel Fast involves giving up meats, desserts and snacks, eating only the food that Daniel most likely ate. While the fast doesn’t give extra time to pray, it is a commitment of the heart that when joined with prayer, moves the heart of God.
- Give up television—Secular people might laugh at “fasting television” or “sacrificing television” but it is a commitment to God to place loyalty to Christ first above all else. This is a spiritual choice in response to Christ, who promises, “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you” (Matthew 6:33).
- Give up sports—Giving up bowling league, golfing, fishing, jogging or other activity for a season (such as 40 days) to pray during that time is a choice. It places spiritual exercise above physical exercise.“Bodily exercise profits little, but godliness is profitable for all things” (1Timothy 4:8).
- Give up pleasure reading—Beyond what you must read for your work or preparing for teaching the Word of God, pleasure reading could be turned into prayer time. You could consider laying aside reading the daily newspaper too.
- Restrict mobile phone use and text messaging—While some of these communication devices are necessary, they are serious time robbers that could be placed aside for praying.
- Facebook and other social media—These activities can consume huge chunks of time. Part of a fast could be to cease social media and use the time for prayer and intercession.
- Other—There may be something that the Holy Spirit brings to mind that you could place aside for a season while you focus on more prayer.
The Daniel Food Fast
Also check out www.ultimatedanielfast.com & www.danielplan.com/ for info, recipes, & more.
The Daniel Food Fast is a very healthy way to eat. So health professionals will support this eating plan but might suggest a few modifications if you have health issues that need special attention. For example, pregnant and nursing mothers might get instructions to add fish, chicken and cheese into the Daniel Food Fast but otherwise stay the course. Diabetics may need to add more carbohydrates or include chicken and fish. Also, those who are especially active either through sports, bodybuilding or vocation may need to slightly alter the eating plan. I encourage you to check with your doctor . . . and by the way, being addicted to Snickers and Coke don’t count as a special need!
What is the Daniel Food Fast?
The Daniel Food Fast is a biblically based partial fast. It is a method of fasting that men, women and young people all over the world are using as they enter into the spiritual discipline of prayer and fasting.
There are two anchoring scriptures for the Daniel Food Fast. In Daniel 1, the Prophet ate only vegetables (that would have included fruits) and drank only water. So from these scriptures we get two of the guidelines for the fast:
1. Only fruits and vegetables
2. Only water for a beverage
Then in Daniel 10, we read that the Prophet ate no meat nor any precious breads or foods and he drank no wine for 21 days. So from this scripture, we get a third guideline:
3. No sweeteners and no breads
Another important guideline is drawn from Jewish fasting principles, where no leaven is used during the fast. So that’s why yeast, baking powder and the like are not allowed on the Daniel Food Fast.
Check out www.danielplan.com & www.ultimatedanielfast.com for more info, including recipes.
Other resources for your 21 Day’s of Prayer & Fasting:
Celebrating Small Group Life
Round tabled with our Bridge Church Small Group Leaders this week for a seasonal troubleshooting and celebrating session. Proud moment for the church planter, when you realize that what started as one small group in 2011, has now grown to 10 groups! We celebrated new groups and first time group engagements. We trouble shot consistency, communication, pastoral care issues. A few of the highlights and developing strategies from our journey to effective group ministry:
- Seasonal Rhythm. We’ve adopted three seasons as opportunities to start new groups, for groups to take natural breaks, and to emphasize new connections. This includes a Small Group Leader round table, one month prior to each new seasons kickoff. A rhythm is a system that can give natural start and stops for groups.
- Geaux Projects for Groups. Each group is encouraged to organize around the strategy Gather-Grow-Geaux. How are we going to gather this season (where, how often, how long, etc.)? How are we going to grow this season (track with sermon series, marriage study, financial study, etc.)? How are we going to geaux this season (how will we serve and make a difference in our community together)? This seasons Geaux Projects have included projects for local widows, helping flood victims, serving local children’s home, shared date nights for couples, neighborhood block parties, etc.
- Putting our Money Where our Mouth Is. A few years ago it hit me that we talk about how important groups are but our budget doesn’t back that up. So now, each group gets $1,000 per year to make magic happen with group life. This is turned into incredible impact through the opportunity for groups to be responsive to the needs around them and creatively serve one another and their communities. This year, we were able to do that twice. Love hearing the stories of how this money is spent.
Capacity for making disciples is best expanded at the group level. Churches that grow must find ways to multiply gatherings (rows), groups (circles), and teams (strengths).
If you go to a church, but are not involved in a group, get involved ASAP. We like to say,
“Life change happens best in circles, not rows.”
Getting involved in a group that forms in a circle is different than sitting in a church with rows.
– In a circle you look someone in the face.
– In a circle there is dialogue & conversation.
– In a circle, you let down your defenses & engage.
These are critical elements of the kinds of relationships that bring life change.
If you’re in West St. Tammany Parish, and want to connect with one of our Bridge groups, sign up here.
Lane Corley 