Category Archives: Bridge Church
One Year After Isaac
Isaac was a non-newsmaker for most of the country, but devastating for a few of our communities in the Greater New Orleans area. One being the town of Madisonville where our church is currently located. I’m grateful for a strong recovery for our community, for a tremendous surge of Disaster Relief Volunteers from September-December. Then for the opportunity to bring a few folks back home January through August. A few pics:
Intersection of Hwy. 21 & Hwy. 22 in Madisonville.
As usual, tree damage was significant on the Northshore.
Volunteers pray with an elderly homeowner after cleaning up his yard.
The Jenkins family moved home January of 2013, thanks to the work of volunteers from Hosanna Lutheran, FBC Mandeville, & Bridge Church.
Laura Mae Chatallier, 97 years young, had repairs completed in March 2013.
Our last project is getting Ms. Pat Stein back in her home. Should happen any day.
Thanks to the volunteers that gave time, talent, money, materials & more to these projects. And glad the sun is shining outside on August 29th, 2013.
Generosity is About More than Money
If you leave a big tip, but act rudely toward the waitress, are you still a generous person? Probably not. Generosity is about more than money.
- It’s about our eyes – what do you see when you see the needs of the world? Potential distractions? People that need to get a grip? The generous see opportunities to help & solve problems & serve others.
- It’s about our words – How do we talk to others? Are you generous with encouragement & praise for others? Do you give or take away with how you talk to people?
- It’s about our hands – Are we willing to serve? Are we willing to give with our energy, time, strength, etc.?
- It’s about our feet – Are you willing to go to difficult places? To step out of your comfort zone? To do things that you wouldn’t choose, to strengthen a relationship with another person?
- It’s about our motives – Do you just help people that can help you in return? Do you only serve when people are looking?
“I don’t have much money” is not an excuse for a lack of generosity. There are a multitude of ways that you can give life to others today.
“…the righteous gives and does not hold back” Proverbs 21:26 NASB.
Join Bridge Church this Sunday as we continue our study through the book of Proverbs. 10:30am at the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Maritime Museum in Madisonville.
Self-Control in a Culture of Excess
I love Louisiana. It’s one of the most unique places on earth. From Mardis Gras to Duck Dynasty to Acadiana to Cafe Dumonde, you can find a lot here that you can’t find anywhere else. One thing about Louisiana is that we tend to be defined by our excesses – food, drink, parades, etc. I like this list:
You might be from Louisiana if…
- The four seasons in your year are Crawfish, Catfish, Gumbo, and King Cake.
- You judge a po-boy by the number of napkins used.
- You refer to cold temperatures as “gumbo weather.”
- The four food groups are boiled seafood, friend seafood, grilled seafood, and beer.
- You believe that purple, green, and gold look good together and you will eat things those colors.
In this culture Self-Control can almost be a dirty word – like diet, cholesterol, etc. But it’s constantly mentioned in scripture as a characteristic of a Christian.
And in the book of Proverbs, which Bridge Church is studying through this summer, self-control and wisdom could be synonymous. Proverbs gives us some great pictures of what it looks like to have & not have self-control. We talked about one of my favs yesterday at Bridge:
Proverbs 25:28 (ESV) 28 A man without self-control is like a city broken into and left without walls.
Walls were the strength of an ancient city. They provided security, defensive positions to fight from, protection, control of who came in and who went out.
The first thing to come down upon conquering a city would have been the walls.
Same is true for us. If you don’t have self-control you lack security, a place to fight temptation from, control of who influences you & who does not. You are EXPOSED to the dangers in our world & the sinful nature within.
Solomon gets specific about self-control with four areas. What’s interesting is they are no different from the areas we struggle to control today. Four areas that tend to leave us without walls in our society today, or behaviors that break into our lives and destroy our walls.
1) IMPULSIVENESS & HASTE. In spending, rushing, & decision making.
Proverbs 19:2 (ESV) 2 Desire without knowledge is not good, and whoever makes haste with his feet misses his way.
Proverbs 20:25 (ESV) 25 It is a snare to… reflect only after making vows.
Proverbs 29:20 (ESV) 20 Do you see a man who is hasty in his words? There is more hope for a fool than for him.
2) IMPATIENCE & ANGER. Anger is one step from danger.
Proverbs 14:29 (ESV) 29 Whoever is slow to anger has great understanding, but he who has a hasty temper exalts folly.
Proverbs 15:18 (ESV) 18 A hot-tempered man stirs up strife, but he who is slow to anger quiets contention.
Proverbs 19:19 (ESV) 19 A man of great wrath will pay the penalty, for if you deliver him, you will only have to do it again.
3) INTOXICATION & GLUTTONY. Food, Drink, Pleasure.
Proverbs 21:17 (ESV) 17 Whoever loves pleasure will be a poor man; he who loves wine and oil will not be rich.
4) IMMORALITY & PLEASURE. Our culture is out of God’s boundaries & out of control sexually.
Proverbs 6:32-33 (ESV) 32 He who commits adultery lacks sense; he who does it destroys himself. 33 Wounds and dishonor will he get, and his disgrace will not be wiped away.
How do I Live a Life of Self-control?
Proverbs 18:10 (ESV) 10 The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous man runs into it and is safe.
The opposite of having no walls is having a refuge to run to. Self-Control means learning to run to a safe place that is the Lord.
When tempted, run to the Lord. When you fail, run to the Lord. When others are tempted and fail, run to the Lord on their behalf or take them there.
Next Steps:
- Admit that “without the Lord, I’m without walls.” Salvation & refuge starts with recognizing your need for God’s help.
- Admit, “There’s nothing in life that can satisfy me like Jesus.” Sin is believing the lie that ________ can bring me more joy than God can in Christ.
- Admit, “What I’m mastered by will ultimately define who I am.” Be remembered for your trust in God, not your reliance on substance or sin.
“Bringing the gospel community presence of Jesus into a non-gospel community”
This is one of my favorite definitions of Church Planting and this is what Bridge Church will be doing today as we move our Worship Gathering to Oak Villa Mobile Home Park one of St. Tammany’s largest multi-housing communities. Worship, Fellowship, the Spirit’s gifts, the passions and skills of his people will be at work for some people to see for the very first time today. Praying for impact on our Faith in Action Sunday.
- 9:30am – Breakfast
- 10am – Worship, Devotion, Baptisms
- 10:30am-12noon – Faith in Action: Wheelchair ramps, tree trimming, kids club, food distribution
- 12noon – 2pm – Lunch & the Big Kahuna Water Slide
Definition is from the book Church Zero by Peyton Jones. Great read!
Being On Mission Stinks
On of my favorite Proverbs is Proverbs 14:4, “Without oxen a stable stays clean, but you need a strong ox for a large harvest.”
In other words, if you don’t have livestock, you don’t have any poop that stinks up the place & has to be scooped, but you can’t expect to have a great farm without hardworking animals.
This is true of life on mission as well. Me centered Christianity has taught us that God wants us to be happy, to give us a peace-filled life, safe from danger, & being nice & making it to church to support the pastor, cause he’s working so hard for God, is our role in the kingdom. That attitude is just like being without livestock on a farm. Don’t expect fruit, don’t expect a harvest. When people get on mission for God together it will not always be neat, clean, or smell good. It will be messy.
Life on mission will be messy, because sin is messy. And if you’re in the business of rescuing sinners, expect a foul smell. Addictions, foolishness, pain, abuse, poverty, broken relationships, hopelessness. Those are the things you’ll find out there on mission for God. Stay away & you’ll have a cleaner, neater, smell good life, but don’t expect as much spiritual fruit.
Life on mission will be messy, because relationships are messy. We will have differences of opinion & awkward moments & bad days among us. “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another” and iron on iron creates sparks. If you avoid deep, gospel centered, mission driven relationships, you might have a cleaner, neater, smell good life, but don’t expect as much spiritual growth.
Life on mission will be messy, because of the cost. You will get taken advantage of. You will find yourself outside of comfort zones. You will have seasons of fruitlessness. You will experience rejection. “All those who live godly in Christ Jesus WILL BE persecuted.” Christianity that cost you nothing is a mission-less Christianity that doesn’t find its root in the way of Jesus & the Apostles. Stay away from spending yourself for Jesus & His mission & life may be cleaner, neater, & smell better.
If you want to pursue God’s mission & produce fruit for His kingdom, give up on having a clean, neat, smell good life all of the time. It may require a shovel, old clothes, lots of hand soap, etc. But you can expect the joy of the Lord, the provision of strength from His Spirit, the promise of hearing him say “well done,” the fruit of lives changed, growth & maturity, & the peace of knowing God is using you for His purposes.
What does your stable look like? Our communities desperately need On Mission Christians that don’t shy away from the messiness of sin, relationships, or sacrifice if we’re going to have a harvest of souls.
Faith in Action Weekend: Where is the Church Not?
In 2008, we were assessing the need for a potential new church in West St. Tammany Parish. One of my favorite questions in assessing the need for a new church is, “Where is the church not?” Meaning, is there places in this community where the Gospel & the body of Christ are not represented to a population segment or people group? And then, can sustainable ministry be developed through an existing or new church?
As part of this assessment, we came across Oak Villa Mobile Home Park in Covington. 150 lots, 450 people living there, 75-100 under the age of 18, 25% of the households are elderly, many with no local family, many in transition – lost job, recently divorced, just got out of jail. This became the first place of engagement for a Bible Study group that was meeting to form Bridge Church. We started by building a relationship with the management & meeting the immediate needs that she recognized, which was six households that needed food assistance. That led to ministering to one of those households in another practical way. A bed ridden elderly man was overrun with cock roaches. So our Bible Study group made the very spiritual decision to purchase him a year’s worth of pest control.
Since those first projects we’ve built porches, steps, handicap ramps, conducted regular kids activities, block parties, How to seminars, pressure washed trailers, etc. We’ve also served as Shepard to a shepard-less group of people – conducting funerals, counseling, benevolence, etc.
Then in 2010, with the help of Fairview Baptist Church, Coushatta, LA & the Louisiana Baptist Convention we were able to get our own Mobile Home in the park where today we have a Food Pantry, weekly Bible Studies, & we can call ourselves neighbors to the largest multi-housing community in West St. Tammany.
This weekend will be Bridge Church’s Faith in Action Sunday, where instead of gathering we scatter & serve our community in a variety of ways. We’ll be focusing on the needs of Oak Villa MHP. Projects will include building a couple of wheelchair ramps for elderly residents, trimming trees in the park that could damage trailers if we have a high wind event, activities & Bible stories for kids, Outdoor Worship & we’ll close out with the Big Kahuna water slide. We’ll also be baptizing several residents of the park who are ready to follow Christ.
Faith in Action Sunday is about going where the church is not. Less than 2% of multi-housing residents attend church & in low income areas like Oak Villa, many of them cannot due to lack of transportation. This is an opportunity for us to take church to them & show them the body of Christ in our area cares. And ongoing ministry demonstrates we love them because we care enough to come back.
Ask, “where is the church not?” about your community. Is there ministry that you, your small group, your church could do? You can also join Bridge Church for Faith in Action Sunday, June 30th, 9:30am at Oak Villa Mobile Home Park, 15455 Ronald Reagan Hwy., Covington.
Click here for a few shovel ready Multi-Housing Ministry Ideas. Click here for some info about starting Faith In Action as a ministry in your community.
147 Million Orphans Minus One
Excited to be a part of Evan & Angie McGinty’s adoption journey. Get one of these great t-shirts HERE. Follow the story at their ADOPTION BLOG. Other fundraising efforts HERE. Also, Bridge Church will be doing a BBQ luncheon on August 4th to raise money for them. More info soon. A baby boy from Ethiopia will be graced with an incredible family some time soon.
You Might Be Wise If…
Started a summer study through the book of Proverbs at Bridge Church yesterday. I love Proverbs because it covers every issue we face in life through the lens of God’s inspiration. And because I love hard candy that takes a while to digest. Many of the Proverbs are like that. But spend time on them and you will grow wiser and follow them and your life will be different. What does the wise life look like? Here’s a little checklist:
According to Proverbs, you might be wise if…
- You choose your friends wisely.
- You listen to others.
- You can receive correction from others.
- You fear the Lord.
- You discipline your children effectively.
- You are generous with your wealth.
- You treat the poor with care & concern.
- You are careful with your words.
- You refuse gossip & slander.
- Your words mean a lot to others.
- You save sex for marriage.
- You love your spouse enthusiastically.
- You can control your temper.
- You understand the dangers of abusing alcohol.
- You are not afraid of hard work.
- You are honest in your business dealings.
- You can be trusted as a friend.
- You can be kind to your foes.
- You rely on God’s word.
- You trust God for salvation & provision.
- You are not easily led into evil by others.
- You do not lie.
- You are humble instead of prideful.
- You stay away from flirtation & the flirtatious.
- You hate evil.
- You are more concerned about who you are that what you have.
- You can define riches without talking about money.
- You have a truly meaningful life.
- You have a good reputation with others.
- You trust God instead of yourself & others.
Wise up with us Sunday’s, 10:30am at the Lake Pontchartrain Basin Maritime Museum in Madisonville.
A Weird Sunday
When normal isn’t working, doing something weird may be necessary. Today, our church is defying normal in several ways.
Hurricane Isaac damage to an elderly widows home.
Instead of doing the normal Sunday morning routine – dressing up, singing, telling everybody we’re fine, etc. – we’ll be out serving neighbors who have normal’s that are not working for them. We call it Faith in Action Sunday.
Like a 97 year old Madisonville resident. Normal for her has meant since Hurricane Isaac she’s lived with a gutted house, no doors, no insulation, and no help or resources to get these things fixed.
Like a family of four with disabilities in Madisonville, who’s normal has become holes in the floor and a lot of unsafe conditions in their home.
Like several elderly widows on fixed incomes around Madisonville. Normal means having no man around to take care of little things, so they become big things. And now they’re facing fines from local government until they are repaired.
Madisonville residents.
Like inmates and their families at our local jail. Normal is wondering about what happens when they get out, will family forgive them, does God care, does anyone care.
So, let’s be weird. Let’s create some new normals. For these individuals and for how our community thinks about Christians. That’s what the Gospel is all about isn’t it? I think when Jesus (who people identified as weird) announced, “Repent for the kingdom of heaven is near” Matthew 4:17, He was saying, “There’s a new normal coming to earth.” When He prayed, “Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” Matthew 6:10, He had a new normal in mind. When he taught, healed, had compassion on the crowds (Matthew 9:35-36) He was displaying what the new normal should look like for every Christian. And He ask us to pray for more weird people, “Ask the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into his harvest field” Matthew 9:38.
And let’s face it, normal Christianity is not working for many in our world. And many times, Biblical Christianity seems weird to us, because we’ve created a normal that depends upon our disobedience. Because to obey would be weird.
A local inmate says the tears represent the pain his kids feel.
- Normal Christianity sets out to serve instead of be served (Matthew 20:28).
- Normal Christianity sets out to take care of widows and orphans in distress (James 1:27).
- Normal Christianity puts others ahead of self, to a fault and no matter what (Philippians 2:3-8).
- Normal Christianity means sharing the Gospel, not just hearing it on Sunday (Matthew 28:18-20).
- Normal Christianity means churches SEND, not just sit (Romans 10:14-15).
How does your community need you to be weird? Who in your community has a normal that’s unacceptable? Have you allowed normal to be about what other people think instead of what God says and people need? What would people in the community say if you asked them what the normal member of your church looked like?
Gospel: God Gets Explicit
Explicit lyrics in the 80’s, brought on the Parental Advisory labels for cassettes and then CD’s in the 90’s. So, I’ve always considered the word
explicit to mean naughty. Then while reading Matt Chandler’s 2012 book Explicit Gospel, I used my handy “look up in dictionary” feature on the Mac toolbar and learned the definition had little to do with potty words. Explicit is defined as “stated clearly and in detail, leaving no room for confusion or doubt.” That’s actually a great adjective for the message of God. Though there is a lot of confusion about what Christianity, religion, the Gospel is all about (see my last post), God has laid it out where anyone can grasp his desire. So in an effort to be explicit this morning, here’s a few of my fav verses, definitions, links and resources to remove doubt and confusion and state it clearly and in detail. I’ll be adding to this post over the next few weeks as our church studies the Explicit Gospel. Get to know the Gospel!!!
- 1 Corinthians 15:1-8 – “Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel… that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures…”
- John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”
- Romans 6:23 – “the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
- Ephesians 2:1, 4-5 – “And you were dead in the trespasses and sins… But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved”
Definitions:
- Gospel comes from the word “Evangel” which means Good News. “Evangel” was news of a great historical event that changed the listeners condition and required response. So the gospel is news of what God has done to accomplish salvation through Jesus Christ in history.
- Martin Luther: “The gospel is a story about Christ, God’s and David’s son, who died and was raised, and is established as Lord. This is the gospel in a nutshell.”
- Tim Keller: “Through the person and work of Jesus Christ, God fully accomplishes salvation for us, rescuing us from judgment for sin into fellowship with him, and then restores the creation in which we can enjoy our new life together with him forever.”
- John Piper: “The Gospel is the good news of our final and full enjoyment of the glory of God in the face of Christ.”
- Ed Stetzer: “The gospel is the good news that God, who is more holy than we can imagine, looked upon with compassion, people, who are more sinful than we would possibly admit, and sent Jesus into history to establish his Kingdom and reconcile people and the world to himself. Jesus, whose love is more extravagant than we can measure, came to sacrificially die for us so that, by His death and resurrection, we might gain through His grace what the Bible defines as new and eternal life.”
- Tullian Tchividjian: ”The Gospel is the the good news that in and through Christ’s life, death, and resurrection, God makes all things new.”
Links:
Lane Corley 