Bridgetown Audio Podcast: Recent Episodes
Bridgetown Church
In Portland as it is in Heaven. All teachings are available to stream and download at bridgetown.church.
Genesis 28v10-22 with Tyler Staton
We can have powerful encounters with God and still wake up the next morning carrying the same fears, insecurities, and patterns that shaped us before. What happens when a dream becomes a vision, and an encounter with God is converted into a life lived in participation with him?
Bridgetown.church/teaching
Genesis 27v6-10 with Tyler Staton
So much of our striving begins with the fear that God's blessing is something we have to earn, protect, or take for ourselves. Through the story of a fractured family, we are invited to let go of scarcity, trust the abundance of God's kingdom, and discover that his grace has always been a gift to receive, not a prize to grasp. Even in the midst of our failures, God remains relentless in blessing and redeeming his people.
Bridgetown.church/teaching
Genesis 25v19-26v14 with Christian Dawson
What do you do when life feels out of your control? When desire keeps telling you to take what you want, and fear keeps telling you to protect what you have? Most of us listen. We grasp, we scheme, we self-protect. That's where we find Jacob, Esau, and Isaac, a family of grabbers and liars that God blesses anyway.
bridgetown.church/teaching
Genesis 24v1-11 with Joy Schlichter
Through stories of witness, trust, and unexpected partnership, we are reminded that God's loyal love has always endured and that he continues to weave ordinary people into his work of making all things new. The invitation is to remember his faithfulness, trust his promises, and participate in the story he is still telling.
Bridgetown.church/teaching
Genesis 22v1-19 with Tim Mackie
What do we do with the good gifts in our lives when they become so precious that we cannot imagine living without them? Exploring one of Scripture's most challenging stories, we are invited to consider how surrender, loss, and trust can become the very places where God's mercy and resurrection meet us. What might God be inviting you to place back into his hands?
Bridgetown.church/teaching
Genesis 18v16-33 with Gavin Bennett
When confronted with injustice, suffering, and evil, it's easy to wonder what difference our prayers can make. God's invitation is not to bargain with him but to partner with him through intercession, trusting that his grace reaches into the darkest places and that our prayers can help bring his kingdom to earth.
Bridgetown.church/teaching
Genesis 16v1-2 with Christian Dawson
What does it look like to trust God when life is more complicated than you expected? When there are no simple people? When the promise seems to be for someone else, and you’re left wondering if you’ve been overlooked? That’s where we find Sarai, and it’s where Genesis keeps telling its story about the unlikely, messy people God partners with to bring flourishing to the world.
Bridgetown.church/teaching
Genesis 15 with Tyler Staton
Fear often shapes our decisions in ways we don't always recognize, but God meets us in our uncertainty with a promise of faithful presence. Through Abram's story, we're invited to trust God's character over our need for control and discover that God's faithfulness remains steady, even when the path ahead is unclear.
Bridgetown.church/teaching
Genesis 14v18-24 with Tyler Staton
A reflection on the mysterious figure of Melchizedek and the invitation to receive God’s blessing as a gift rather than something we strive to secure for ourselves. Through Abram’s encounter with a king of righteousness and peace, we’re invited to trust the faithfulness of God, resist the pull of control, and discover how the story of Melchizedek ultimately points to Jesus.
Bridgetown.church/teaching
Genesis 12v10-20 with Tyler Staton
Through a story marked by loss, disappointment, and unanswered questions, we’re reminded that God brings hope out of chaos and invites us to take small steps of trust, confident that His faithfulness - not our own - holds our lives together.
Bridgetown.church/teaching
Genesis 11v27-12v9 with Tim Mackie and Tyler Staton
A reflection on the tension of living between blessing and suffering, and the way God speaks hope into places that feel marked by loss, uncertainty, and unmet expectations. Through the story of Abram and Sarai, we’re invited to trust God in the midst of chaos, receive his blessing as a gift rather than something we control, and take small steps of faith toward the future he is shaping.
Bridgetown.church/teaching
John 21v1-17 with Gerald Griffin
A reflection on Peter’s restoration by the fire in John 21 and the compassionate love of Jesus that meets us in places of shame and pain. Through prayer, imagination, and the story of Peter, we’re invited to experience the healing presence of Jesus and remember that we are not defined by our failures, but by the love of God that restores and makes us whole.
Bridgetown.church/teaching
1 John 3v11, 16-18 with Pete Greig
What kind of love can carry us through suffering, disappointment, and weakness? Exploring the sacrificial love of Jesus and the work of the Holy Spirit, this message invites us into a way of life marked not by comfort or self-interest, but by forgiveness, service, and love expressed in action and truth.
Bridgetown.church/teaching
John 20v11-18 with Joy Schlichter
Hope takes shape in the voice of Jesus, the one who meets Mary Magdalene in her grief outside the empty tomb and calls her by name. Through Mary’s story, we’re invited to consider how the spirit forms resurrection hope in us. Not confidence in outcomes, but trust that even in places of loss, confusion, and disappointment, Jesus is still leading us toward life.
Bridgetown.church/teaching
Psalm 130 with Gavin Bennett
Hope is choosing to trust that God’s promises are still true, even in the middle of grief, fear, and uncertainty. Exploring resurrection, the faithfulness of God, and the Spirit’s work in our lives, this teaching invites followers of Jesus to remember the story of God, renew their trust in Him, and rehearse hope in the ordinary moments of daily life.
Bridgetown.church/teaching
John 20v24-29 with Hakeem Bradley
Doubt and belief often live side by side, especially in moments of grief, confusion, or unanswered questions. Through Thomas’ story, we see how Jesus meets us with compassion, inviting us to move toward trust while the Holy Spirit builds faith through testimony.
Bridgetown.church/teaching
Hebrews 11v1-3 with Tyler Staton
Faith is more than belief, it is a way of seeing. This teaching explores how the Spirit opens our eyes to recognize Jesus in the ordinary and to live with deeper awareness of God’s presence in everyday life. Discover how faith grows as we learn to see the unseen and participate in God’s redemptive work all around us.
Bridgetown.church/teaching
1 Corinthians 13v1-13 with Bethany Allen
Love is what makes a life truly powerful, not impressive moments or visible gifts. Faith, hope, and love are how we live that out in everyday choices, especially when it’s costly or unseen. Real power is found in becoming a person shaped by love. This is the first week in our new series as we move toward Pentecost.
Bridgetown.church/teaching
John 20v1-10 with Tyler Staton
The resurrection story comes alive as Jesus meets people in grief, doubt, and shame, restoring their lives from the inside out. Through Mary, Thomas, and Peter, we see that resurrection is not escape from the world, but God mending it and us into something new.
Bridgetown.church/teaching
John 12v24 with Tyler Staton and Bethany Allen
Using the imagery of a seed, Jesus reveals that true life comes through surrender, inviting us to release what we’re holding onto and trust God to bring new life.
bridgetown.church/teaching
Matthew 27v11-29 with Tyler Staton and Bethany Allen Jesus’ death on a tree reframes what looks like an ending into the surprising beginning of new life, inviting us to entrust what feels dead to God’s renewal. bridgetown.church/teaching
Matthew 19v4-6 with Tyler Staton
This teaching explores what the Bible says about same-sex relationships, walking through key passages and how they’ve been understood across scripture. It frames the conversation within Jesus’ vision of sexuality, rooted in creation and oriented toward love. Alongside conviction, it calls us to hold this teaching with humility, compassion, and a deep awareness of every person’s story.
bridgetown.church/teaching
Psalm 34v8 with Tyler Staton, Bethany Allen
What shapes the way we understand our desires and sexuality? This teaching explores how scripture frames our bodies not as ends in themselves, but as signs that point beyond to life with God, calling us to form our desires with intention rather than impulse. At the center is a simple question: will we let our desires lead us, or will we learn to direct them toward what truly satisfies?
bridgetown.church/teaching
Matthew 16v2-3 with Tyler Staton and Bethany Allen
What story is shaping the way we think about sexuality today? This teaching explores the cultural story of the sexual revolution alongside the story Jesus tells about our bodies, inviting us to examine the assumptions shaping our desires, identity, and sense of freedom. At the center is a deeper question: will our understanding of sexuality be formed by the self or by Jesus?
bridgetown.church/teaching
Revelation 19v6-7 with Tyler Staton
How do our bodies and our sexuality fit into the larger story of God’s redemption? This teaching traces the biblical story from creation to resurrection, showing how our bodies were designed to reveal God’s beauty, how sin distorted that design, and how Jesus restores it. In the way of Jesus, our desires are not something to ignore or indulge, but something to be redeemed and directed toward the deeper love we were made for.
Bridgetown.church/teaching
Philippians 2v5-11 with Tyler Staton
What does it mean to see my body as good when it carries illness, disability, or chronic pain? Looking to Jesus, who chose human limits and willingly suffered with us, we consider how our limitations can become places of deep encounter, where love is formed in us rather than resentment. Together, we hold onto the hope that the God who meets us in our weakness will one day renew our bodies and wipe away every tear.
Bridgetown.church/teaching
Genesis 1v27-28, Revelation 22v1-5 with Tyler Staton
From Genesis to Revelation, the biblical story reveals that we are created in God’s image to rule by working and keeping his world for the flourishing of others. Yet when work becomes a way to prove our worth or secure our identity apart from God, it turns into anxious toil instead of a blessing. This teaching invites us to rediscover our everyday work as participation in God’s renewal, shifting from success to service and learning to labor at the pleasure of the true King.
bridgetown.church/teaching
Ash Wednesday invites us to reflect on our mortality not as fear, but as formation. This teaching explores Lent as a voluntary journey into the wilderness, where we learn dependance on God, patient trust in his deliverance, and a deeper understanding of him as our true refuge.
bridgetown.church/teaching
John 6v47-58 with Christian Dawson
Gluttony is not simply about excess. This teaching invites us to consider how our habits with food and drink shape our desires and form our lives as disciples. As we examine everyday patterns of consumption, we are invited into a different way of eating and drinking that leads to gratitude, self-control, and deeper trust in God.
bridgetown.church/teaching
1 Corinthians 6v19-20 with Tyler Staton and Bethany Allen
Vanity often goes unnamed, but this teaching reveals it as a quiet, shame-driven attempt to secure identity and control through the body. Rather than managing appearance for worth or safety, we are invited into a gentler way of life - receiving our bodies as good, limited, and deeply loved. This teaching offers an honest look at how vanity forms us and points toward freedom through presence, community, and trust in God’s care.
bridgetown.church/teaching
Matthew 25v14-30 with Bethany Allen
Jesus’ parable of the talents exposes how sloth takes root through comfort, delay, and quiet disengagement from the life God entrusts to us. This teaching invites disciples to resist spiritual apathy and practice faithful participation shaped by trust, courage, and love.
Bridgetown.church/teaching
Daniel 4v4-9, 22-34 with Ken Shigematsu
Through the rise, fall, and restoration of King Nebuchadnezzar, humility is revealed as acknowledging God as the true source of power and life. The story shows how pride unravels us from the inside out, and how recognizing God’s rule restores what was lost.
bridgetown.church/teaching
Luke 12v13-34 with Tyler Staton
Jesus names greed as rooted in a mindset of scarcity and invites his disciples into a radically different imagination: a life shaped by God’s abundance. As part of our series on the seven deadly sins, this week explores the psychology, sociology, and spirituality of greed.
bridgetown.church/teaching
Jonah 4v1-9 with Christine Caine
Anger has become normalized in our world, quietly fracturing our relationships, health, and life with God. Through the story of Jonah, we’re invited to notice how unresolved anger grows, distorts our priorities, and blinds us to God’s compassion. By sitting with God’s question, Is it right for you to be angry? we’re pointed toward a better way where anger is faced honestly, healed at the root, and no longer allowed to rule us.
Bridgetown.church/teaching
Romans 7v7-12 with Tyler Staton.
This teaching begins a new series on the seven deadly sins by examining envy and the disordered desires beneath it. We explore how comparison and coveting shape our inner life and why confession in community is central to healing.
bridgetown.church/teaching
Luke 2v4-7 with Tyler Staton
At Christmas, we reflect on the birth of Jesus and what it reveals about God’s love. From Abraham to the manger, this teaching invites us to consider belief as a personal response to a God who comes near and makes his home with us
bridgetown.church/teaching
Luke 1v26-38 with Tyler Staton
Centered on Mary’s encounter with the angel in Luke 1, the story of the Annunciation shows grace interrupting darkness and God’s promises taking root in ordinary lives. It invites a posture of waiting, trust, and openness to receive what God is forming within us.
bridgetown.church/teaching
Luke 2v1–12 with Tyler Staton
In the third week of Advent, we return to the story of Jesus’ birth and consider the difference between sentiment and the joy announced by the angels. Walking through Luke 2, this teaching explores how joy enters real human chaos through costly hospitality and invites us to make room for Jesus and for one another right where we are.
bridgetown.church/teaching
Luke 1v56-66 with Tyler Staton
In the second week of Advent, we look at Zechariah and Elizabeth’s story and the quiet spaces where God meets us in disappointment and longing. Guided by Luke 1, we consider how slowing down helps us notice the first light of Jesus breaking into our ordinary lives.
bridgetown.church/teaching
Luke 2v8-20 with Lucy Peppiatt
This first teaching in our Advent series reflects on the angels and shepherds in Luke 2, showing how God draws near through messengers who reveal his character, announce his coming, and invite us into worship. It centers on the anticipation of the coming Christ and how we, like the shepherds, carry this good news into the world.
bridgetown.church/teaching
John 8v31-36 with Tyler Staton
At the end of the day, the Examen invites us to slow down, notice what shaped us, and return to the truth of Jesus. In this final teaching of the series, we look at how evening prayer helps us release what is false, remember God’s presence, and rest in the freedom He offers. This series invites us to let prayer form every part of life: morning, midday, and evening, shaping our hearts into the likeness of Jesus.
bridgetown.church/teaching
Revelation 5v8, Psalm 56v8 with Tyler Staton
Prayer is where compassion is born. As we pause in the middle of the day, we remember that God not only hears our cries but holds them. In this teaching, we explore how prayer shapes us into people who carry the burdens of others and move toward the world in love. This series invites us to let prayer form every part of life: morning, midday, and evening, shaping our hearts into the likeness of Jesus.
https://bridgetown.church/teaching
John 8v31-36 with Tyler Staton
Prayer is not only something we say, it’s a way we live. In this eight-week series, we’ll explore how prayer shapes the whole of our lives: our identity, our relationships, and our purpose in the world.
From learning to be with Jesus to cultivating daily rhythms of prayer - morning, midday, and evening. This series invites us into a life formed by prayer in every season.
https://bridgetown.church/teaching
2 Samuel 6v6-11 with Faith Eury Cho
Prayer is not only something we say, it’s a way we live. In this eight-week series, we’ll explore how prayer shapes the whole of our lives: our identity, our relationships, and our purpose in the world.
From learning to be with Jesus to cultivating daily rhythms of prayer - morning, midday, and evening. This series invites us into a life formed by prayer in every season.
https://bridgetown.church/teaching
Luke 10v25-37, 18v9-14 with Tyler Staton
Prayer is not only something we say, it’s a way we live. In this eight-week series, we’ll explore how prayer shapes the whole of our lives: our identity, our relationships, and our purpose in the world.
From learning to be with Jesus to cultivating daily rhythms of prayer - morning, midday, and evening. This series invites us into a life formed by prayer in every season.
https://bridgetown.church/teaching
Colossians 1v28-29 with Christian Dawson
Prayer is not only something we say, it’s a way we live. In this eight-week series, we’ll explore how prayer shapes the whole of our lives: our identity, our relationships, and our purpose in the world.
From learning to be with Jesus to cultivating daily rhythms of prayer - morning, midday, and evening. This series invites us into a life formed by prayer in every season.
https://bridgetown.church/teaching
Mark 1v9-13 with Tyler Staton
Prayer is not only something we say, it’s a way we live. In this eight-week series, we’ll explore how prayer shapes the whole of our lives: our identity, our relationships, and our purpose in the world.
From learning to be with Jesus to cultivating daily rhythms of prayer - morning, midday, and evening. This series invites us into a life formed by prayer in every season.
https://bridgetown.church/teaching
Matthew 5v48 with Tyler Staton
Each fall, we take a few weeks to reorient ourselves around our vision: to see God’s Kingdom come in Portland as it is in Heaven. This year, we do so with a renewed desire to deepen our practice of Community, reaffirming our commitment to one another and to the whole church.
https://bridgetown.church/teaching
Kevan Chandler is a best-selling author and the founder of a nonprofit organization called We Carry Kevan. He speaks worldwide about his life with a disability and how community and creativity are the keys to true accessibility. Through storytelling, and discussion, Kevan and Eric Wood, Pastor of Justice and Mercy, explore how our own needs can actually create space for kinship—with one another and with our neighbors—in the rhythms of our ordinary lives.
John 15v9-17 with Tyler Staton
Each fall, we take a few weeks to reorient ourselves around our vision: to see God’s Kingdom come in Portland as it is in Heaven. This year, we do so with a renewed desire to deepen our practice of Community, reaffirming our commitment to one another and to the whole church.
https://bridgetown.church/teaching
Acts 2v42-47 with Bethany Allen and Gavin Bennett
Each fall, we take a few weeks to reorient ourselves around our vision: to see God’s Kingdom come in Portland as it is in Heaven. This year, we do so with a renewed desire to deepen our practice of Community, reaffirming our commitment to one another and to the whole church.
https://bridgetown.church/teaching
Matthew 7v13-14 with Tyler Staton
Each fall, we take a few weeks to reorient ourselves around our vision: to see God’s Kingdom come in Portland as it is in Heaven. This year, we do so with a renewed desire to deepen our practice of Community, reaffirming our commitment to one another and to the whole church.
https://bridgetown.church/teaching
Genesis 11V10-12V3 with Dave Lomas
Genesis is where the Scriptures begin—introducing God as Creator and laying the foundation for the rest of the biblical story. This summer, we’ll teach through the opening chapters verse by verse. These texts reveal the pattern of blessing, rebellion, and response that runs throughout the Bible. In them, we see the origins of both human failure and God’s redemptive promise.
https://bridgetown.church/teaching
Genesis 10V1-11V9 with Hakeem Bradley
Genesis is where the Scriptures begin—introducing God as Creator and laying the foundation for the rest of the biblical story. This summer, we’ll teach through the opening chapters verse by verse. These texts reveal the pattern of blessing, rebellion, and response that runs throughout the Bible. In them, we see the origins of both human failure and God’s redemptive promise.
https://bridgetown.church/teaching
Genesis 9V8-29 with Tyler Staton
Genesis is where the Scriptures begin—introducing God as Creator and laying the foundation for the rest of the biblical story. This summer, we’ll teach through the opening chapters verse by verse. These texts reveal the pattern of blessing, rebellion, and response that runs throughout the Bible. In them, we see the origins of both human failure and God’s redemptive promise.
https://bridgetown.church/teaching
Genesis 8V13 - 9V1 with Tyler Staton
Genesis is where the Scriptures begin—introducing God as Creator and laying the foundation for the rest of the biblical story. This summer, we’ll teach through the opening chapters verse by verse. These texts reveal the pattern of blessing, rebellion, and response that runs throughout the Bible. In them, we see the origins of both human failure and God’s redemptive promise.
https://bridgetown.church/teaching
Genesis 6V1-22 with Tyler Staton
Genesis is where the Scriptures begin—introducing God as Creator and laying the foundation for the rest of the biblical story. This summer, we’ll teach through the opening chapters verse by verse. These texts reveal the pattern of blessing, rebellion, and response that runs throughout the Bible. In them, we see the origins of both human failure and God’s redemptive promise.
https://bridgetown.church/teaching
Genesis 5V1-32 with Bethany Allen
Genesis is where the Scriptures begin—introducing God as Creator and laying the foundation for the rest of the biblical story. This summer, we’ll teach through the opening chapters verse by verse. These texts reveal the pattern of blessing, rebellion, and response that runs throughout the Bible. In them, we see the origins of both human failure and God’s redemptive promise.
https://bridgetown.church/teaching
Genesis 4V17-26 with Gavin Bennett
Genesis is where the Scriptures begin—introducing God as Creator and laying the foundation for the rest of the biblical story. This summer, we’ll teach through the opening chapters verse by verse. These texts reveal the pattern of blessing, rebellion, and response that runs throughout the Bible. In them, we see the origins of both human failure and God’s redemptive promise.
https://bridgetown.church/teaching
Genesis 4V1-16 with Christian Dawson
Genesis is where the Scriptures begin—introducing God as Creator and laying the foundation for the rest of the biblical story. This summer, we’ll teach through the opening chapters verse by verse. These texts reveal the pattern of blessing, rebellion, and response that runs throughout the Bible. In them, we see the origins of both human failure and God’s redemptive promise.
https://bridgetown.church/teaching
Genesis 3V1-24 with Josh Ryan Butler
Genesis is where the Scriptures begin—introducing God as Creator and laying the foundation for the rest of the biblical story. This summer, we’ll teach through the opening chapters verse by verse. These texts reveal the pattern of blessing, rebellion, and response that runs throughout the Bible. In them, we see the origins of both human failure and God’s redemptive promise.
https://bridgetown.church/teaching
Genesis 2v4-25 with Tyler Staton
Genesis is where the Scriptures begin—introducing God as Creator and laying the foundation for the rest of the biblical story. This summer, we’ll teach through the opening chapters verse by verse. These texts reveal the pattern of blessing, rebellion, and response that runs throughout the Bible. In them, we see the origins of both human failure and God’s redemptive promise.
https://bridgetown.church/teaching
Genesis 1v1-2v3 with Tyler Staton and Tim Mackie
Genesis is where the Scriptures begin—introducing God as Creator and laying the foundation for the rest of the biblical story. This summer, we’ll teach through the opening chapters verse by verse. These texts reveal the pattern of blessing, rebellion, and response that runs throughout the Bible. In them, we see the origins of both human failure and God’s redemptive promise.
https://bridgetown.church/teaching
1 John 4V7-12 with Bethany Allen
At the center of our faith is this stunning reality: God is love (1 John 4v8). This means that love isn’t just something God does—it’s who he is. Out of this very nature, God created life and sent his Son into the world. He did not do this in response to our love for him, but because he first loved us (1 John 4v9–10). As followers of Jesus, we are invited to receive that love deeply and let it shape our whole lives.
https://bridgetown.church/teaching
Acts 2V1-4 with Gerald Griffin
At the center of our faith is this stunning reality: God is love (1 John 4v8). This means that love isn’t just something God does—it’s who he is. Out of this very nature, God created life and sent his Son into the world. He did not do this in response to our love for him, but because he first loved us (1 John 4v9–10). As followers of Jesus, we are invited to receive that love deeply and let it shape our whole lives.
https://bridgetown.church/teaching
John 15v9-13 with Gavin Bennett
At the center of our faith is this stunning reality: God is love (1 John 4v8). This means that love isn’t just something God does—it’s who he is. Out of this very nature, God created life and sent his Son into the world. He did not do this in response to our love for him, but because he first loved us (1 John 4v9–10). As followers of Jesus, we are invited to receive that love deeply and let it shape our whole lives.
https://bridgetown.church/teaching
Colossians 1V13-14 with Tyler Staton
At the center of our faith is this stunning reality: God is love (1 John 4v8). This means that love isn’t just something God does—it’s who he is. Out of this very nature, God created life and sent his Son into the world. He did not do this in response to our love for him, but because he first loved us (1 John 4v9–10). As followers of Jesus, we are invited to receive that love deeply and let it shape our whole lives.
https://bridgetown.church/teaching
In this teaching, John Mark Comer reflects on Colossians 3v15, inviting Followers of Jesus to “let the peace of Christ rule” in the core of their being. He shares his personal journey with anxiety and how cultivating inner peace is essential for living a life of love in a troubled world. Through Scripture and wisdom from church history, he reminds us that true peace is not the absence of conflict but a gift from God available to us now, even amid chaos.
https://bridgetown.church/teaching
1 John 4V8-10 with Tyler Staton
At the center of our faith is this stunning reality: God is love (1 John 4v8). This means that love isn’t just something God does—it’s who he is. Out of this very nature, God created life and sent his Son into the world. He did not do this in response to our love for him, but because he first loved us (1 John 4v9–10). As followers of Jesus, we are invited to receive that love deeply and let it shape our whole lives.
https://bridgetown.church/teaching
Ephesians 3v14-19 with Ken Shigematsu
Guest speaker Ken Shigematsu teaches from Ephesians on how God's love seeks us out in all our weakness and shame.
https://bridgetown.church/teaching
Matthew 28v1-10 with Tyler Staton
This Easter we celebrate Jesus' resurrection as we reflect on the renewal we are invited into through His love.
https://bridgetown.church/teaching
Tyler Staton
Good Friday is a day of reflection on Jesus' death on the cross. In this second homily we reflect on the significance of Jesus' blood and how the love of perfect savior can lead to a sacrificial death.
https://bridgetown.church/teaching
Tyler Staton
Good Friday is a day of reflection on Jesus' death on the cross. In this first Homily we walk through the story of Judas not as an ancient story but a current story. One that we all find ourselves living in.
https://bridgetown.church/teaching
Revelation 3v14-22 with Tyler Staton
Lent is a 40-day season within the church calendar that stretches from Ash Wednesday (March 5) to Easter Sunday (April 20), mirroring Jesus’ 40-day fast in the desert. This year, we want God to use the 40 days of Lent to help us reclaim our first love.
https://bridgetown.church/teaching
Revelation 3v7-13 with Gavin Bennett
Lent is a 40-day season within the church calendar that stretches from Ash Wednesday (March 5) to Easter Sunday (April 20), mirroring Jesus’ 40-day fast in the desert. This year, we want God to use the 40 days of Lent to help us reclaim our first love.
https://bridgetown.church/teaching
Q&R with N.T. Wright, Tim Mackie, and Tyler Staton | Holy Spirit Conference February 2025
Revelation 3v1-6 with Bethany Allen
Lent is a 40-day season within the church calendar that stretches from Ash Wednesday (March 5) to Easter Sunday (April 20), mirroring Jesus’ 40-day fast in the desert. This year, we want God to use the 40 days of Lent to help us reclaim our first love.
https://bridgetown.church/teaching
From Revelation 2v18-28 with Tyler Staton
Lent is a 40-day season within the church calendar that stretches from Ash Wednesday (March 5) to Easter Sunday (April 20), mirroring Jesus’ 40-day fast in the desert. This year, we want God to use the 40 days of Lent to help us reclaim our first love.
https://bridgetown.church/teaching
From Revelation 2v12-17 with Christian Dawson
Lent is a 40-day season within the church calendar that stretches from Ash Wednesday (March 5) to Easter Sunday (April 20), mirroring Jesus’ 40-day fast in the desert. This year, we want God to use the 40 days of Lent to help us reclaim our first love.
https://bridgetown.church/teaching
From Rev. 2:8-11 with Gerald Griffin
Lent is a 40-day season within the church calendar that stretches from Ash Wednesday (March 5) to Easter Sunday (April 20), mirroring Jesus’ 40-day fast in the desert. This year, we want God to use the 40 days of Lent to help us reclaim our first love.
https://bridgetown.church/teaching
From Rev. 2:1-7 with Tyler Staton
Lent is a 40-day season within the church calendar that stretches from Ash Wednesday (March 5) to Easter Sunday (April 20), mirroring Jesus’ 40-day fast in the desert. This year, we want God to use the 40 days of Lent to help us reclaim our first love.
https://bridgetown.church/teaching
From Matthew 5v6 with David Thomas
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus introduces the upside down kingdom of God—the last will be first. His kingdom doesn’t follow a worldly structure of power, fame, or notoriety, but instead, Jesus says that the poor and meek will be blessed.
https://bridgetown.church/teaching
From Matthew 5v9 with David Bailey
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus introduces the upside down kingdom of God—the last will be first. His kingdom doesn’t follow a worldly structure of power, fame, or notoriety, but instead, Jesus says that the poor and meek will be blessed.
https://bridgetown.church/teaching
Beatitudes - Blessed are Those Who Mourn
From Matthew 5v4
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus introduces the upside down kingdom of God—the last will be first. His kingdom doesn’t follow a worldly structure of power, fame, or notoriety, but instead, Jesus says that the poor and meek will be blessed. https://bridgetown.church/teaching
Our aim, in the way of Jesus is to become a gift of sacrificial love for the sake of others. But the thing about “others” is that no matter how pure the intentions to love, we inevitably wrong and are wronged by the very people we’re trying to love. If we are to truly become a gift of sacrificial love for the sake of others, we also need to become a people of sustained forgiveness for the sake of others. From Matthew 18v21-35.
A religious expert asks Jesus a simple question, “Who is my neighbor?” But Jesus’ answer takes him somewhere unexpected, challenging everything he thought he knew about faithfulness and belonging. Through an unlikely hero, this parable invites us to wrestle with what it truly means to love God and others. From Luke 10v25-37.
In Romans, Jesus tells us to not conform to the pattern of this world, but instead, to be transformed by the renewing of our mind, positioning ourselves to bring Heaven to Portland by becoming a community of love for the sake of our city. From Romans 12v2.
In Mark 3 Jesus lays out what it means to live in the Kingdom by living and relating to one another as family. As a community we lean into Jesus's vision, to let our transformed lives, be for the sake of others, specifically for the sake of family. From Mark 3v31-35, with Bethany Allen.
Pete Greig, author and founder of 24-7 Prayer International, teaches us that through intercession and travail, we can create passionate prayers that perseveres and prevails to bring supernatural breakthrough for the sake of others. From Romans 8v22-27.
Part two of a two-part midweek lecture from author and pastor at Red Church in Melbourne, Mark Sayers, as we delve deeper into what it means to be spiritually formed for the sake of others.
Part one of a two part lecture from author and pastor at Red Church in Melbourne, Mark Sayers, as we delve deeper into what it means to be spiritually formed for the sake of others.
Jesus claims that external fruitfulness reveals the inner life of the disciple. This teaching traces that theme through Matthew’s Gospel, drawing an abstract, ancient metaphor into concrete, modern realitultimately revealing that all true spiritual formation is for the sake of others. The aim and goal of apprenticeship of Jesus is to become love. From Matthew 7v15-20.
There is a part of our Spiritual transformation and holy overflow that can only happen within Community, From Mark 12v28-31, with Bethany Allen.
“Wounds they fester, hearts withdraw, This is family? We see the flaw.” If you know the pain of Christian community, you can relate to some of what’s happening in the letter to Philemon. Pastor Paul doesn’t offer a quick fix, but rather gives Philemon and Onesimus a radical Christian practice. From Philemon v15-25.
Paul, thru Philemon, dares us through praying and asking, to truly live the Kingdom of God here on Earth. From Philemon v1-25.
Paul’s letter to Philemon invites us, in the midst of a noisy, chaotic culture, to die to self, and look up so we can truly see and take part in God’s Kingdom. From Philemon v1-25.
Jude tells us that we contend for the faith by keeping ourselves in God’s love and by showing God’s mercy to those around us, remembering that we need the help of God and our community to keep us faithful to Jesus. From Jude v20-25, with Gavin Bennett.
Dr. Nijay Gupta joins us to provide an introduction to the short but powerful exhortation of Jude who encourages the church to live in the balance of strong commitment to orthodoxy and a life of compassion.
God's redeeming love is redeeming the whole world both in Ruth then and for us now. From Ruth 4v18-22, with Bethany Allen
In the final act of Ruth, the fullness of God's redemptive power, the renewal of all things, is unveiled through the marriage of Boaz and Ruth. From Act 4, with Bethany Allen.
How God redeems his people through the unseen, and often uncelebrated, decisions of faithfulness and fidelity made in our private lives. From Ruth 3.
How God redeems his people through the honest prayers, humble obedience, and ordinary sacrifices of one another. Fro Ruth 2.
How we respond to suffering—the story we tell ourselves, the habits we engage to cope and make our way through, the company we pull in or push away in the midst of it—how we respond to suffering will profoundly influence what we believe and who we become. From Ruth 1v6-22.
An introduction into the book of Ruth; where God shows through two migrant, childless widows who cling to Him and cling to hope in spite of the chaos, He will weave the renewal of the whole world. From Ruth 1:1-5; 4:16-17.
The Gifts of the Spirit means signs, wonders, and miracles; and the greatest miracle of all just might be living in a community of love. From Genesis 11v1-9 and Acts 2v1-12.
The Gift of Tongues is a language of increase, intimacy, in-breaking and of intercession, that with right and orderly use, communally builds up the house of God. From Acts 2v1-4 and 1 Corinthians 14v1-5, 39-40; with Jonny Hughes.
A profound look on how the work of the Spirit awakens us, forms us and empowers us for the work of the Kingdom. From John 20v19-22, with Pete Hughes.
When we talk about the gifts of the Spirit, more often than not we think of the grandiose or powerful ones, like healing or prophecy, but those are only part of what the Spirit offers. Just as God enters into the beauty, he equally enters into our pain, giving us particular gifts to help us in our suffering. From Romans 8v22-27, with Gavin Bennett.
A practical exploration of the biblical gift of prophecy as hearing God both individually and communally. From 1 Corinthians 14v1-4
Discerning God’s voice in our lives begins by recognizing God’s voice in the lives of others on the pages of Scripture. From 1 Corinthians 12v1-11.
Jesus empowers His people to announce the Kingdom and heal the sick, but there’s a lot that gets in our way. From Luke 10v1-9, with Christian Dawson.
The Holy Spirit as fundamentally missional, expressed as justice, mercy, and evangelism. The Holy Spirit is a pursuing Spirit to draw the lost home, not an assisting Spirit for the entertainment of the saints. From Acts 1v1-11. With Bethany Allen.
In our final episode of this four-part series, we host a conversation with Sister Heather Kristine who will talk more specifically about how a rule of life has shaped her journey in the monastic context and as a spiritual director.
In this episode, we host a conversation with Gemma Ryan about her experience helping lead a church and what it looks like to integrate a rule of life into our individual contexts and the lives we actually live.
In episode two, we will explore the historical origins of the idea of a rule-of-life with Dr. Jerry Sittser and learn about what this has looked like throughout church history.
Introducing the Bridgetown Church Rule of Life with John Mark Comer and Tyler Staton. In this episode, we discuss the origins of Bridgetown's Rule of Life and why the future of the Church is ancient.
Learning how to wait on the Holy Spirit as we take a look at the Holy Spirit from a more practical vantage point as a community of practitioners who want to move in the gifts of the Spirit for the work of the Kingdom. From Acts 1v1-11.
From "Holy Spirit Conference January 2024." Simon Ponsby continues to share his revelation on the supernatural power of God’s love. Romans 8v12-17.
From "Holy Spirit Conference January 2024." Jordan Seng goes in depth on the meaning of and growing in supernatural healing. Acts 2v14-21.
From "Holy Spirit Conference January 2024." Jordan Seng speaks on becoming Kingdom Ministers through the power of healing. Acts 2v14-21.
From "Holy Spirit Conference January 2024". Simon Ponsby on the supernatural power of God’s love. Ephesians 3v14-21.
The 9 core practices for the way of Jesus are practiced sustainably in our lives through the ancient way of a rule of life—becoming a community of love through Covenant Community. From John 15v1-5. With Gavin Bennett.
The 9 core practices for the way of Jesus are practiced sustainably in our lives through the ancient way of a rule of life—a vow to express Jesus’ vision continuously. From Matthew 9v14-17.
A community of hospitality in a culture of hostility through the practice of witness. From Acts 1v8. With Tre' Giles.
A community of rest in a culture of hurry and exhaustion through the practice of sabbath. From Genesis 2v1-3.
A community of contentment in a culture of consumerism through the practice of generosity. From Matthew 13v44-46.
A community of justice, mercy, and reconciliation in a culture of injustice and division through the practice of Service. From Luke 10v25-37.
A community of holiness in a culture of indulgence and immorality through the practice of fasting. From Romans 12v1.
A community of love and depth in a culture of individualism and
superficiality through the practice of community. Mark 1v16-20.
A community of peace and quiet in a culture of anxiety and noise through the practice of solitude. From Psalm 131.
Becoming a community of courageous fidelity to orthodoxy in a culture of ideological compromise through the practice of scripture. From Psalm 1v1-3.
A community of communion with God in a culture of distraction and escapism through the practice of prayer. From Hebrews 5v7.
Join us as Pastor Gerald Griffin explores what it means to behold Jesus in silent prayer. When we slow down and focus our attention only on him, we are transformed by his presence. 2 Corinthians 3v7-18.
From the series "Vision Series 2023." Mark 8v34-35. Be with Jesus. Become like Jesus. Do what Jesus did.
From the series "Exodus." Exodus 34v29-35. A practical teaching on how we are all given the inheritance of Moses—to speak to God face-to-face as one speaks to a friend.
From "Various Teachings." Listen to a midweek lecture with Tyler Staton, Bethany Allen, & Gavin Bennett as they go over Bridgetown's position on women in eldership.
From "Various Teachings." Listen to a midweek lecture with Tyler Staton as he goes over Bridgetown's position on women in eldership.
From the series "Exodus." Exodus 25v1-9. The Tabernacle blueprints and construction are a blueprint of heaven on earth and a preview of the renewal of all things.
From "Various Teachings." Listen to a midweek lecture with Tyler Staton as he goes over Bridgetown's position on women in eldership.
From "Various Teachings." Listen to a midweek lecture with Tyler Staton as he goes over Bridgetown's position on women in eldership.
From the series "Exodus." Exodus 34v6-7. God has told Moses his name (in the English sense) but now reveals his name (in the Hebrew sense, with name & character).
From the series "Exodus" 28v1-12 The painstaking descriptions of the priests clothing, duties, and ordination ceremony as an image of Jesus, the Great High Priest.
From the series "Exodus." Exodus 16v2-5, 13-15. Listen to a teaching from Dr. Nijay Gupta about how God the deliverer is also God the provider, both feeding his people by hand and also teaching them to rely on Him and share with one another, an early glimpse at the King and the Kingdom.
From the series "Exodus." Exodus 11v1-10, Matthew 27v45-46. Listen to a teaching from Josh White of Door of Hope Church as he teaches on his book, Stumbling Toward Eternity, which talks about Jesus’ 7 sayings from the cross—the revelation of God to which the Passover points.
From the series "Exodus." Listen to a podcast from Tim Mackie of the Bible Project and Tyler Staton as they discuss Exodus and passover.
From the series "Exodus." Exodus 3v16-20. The 10 Plagues provoke some of Scripture’s most tense questions, deepest mysteries, and beautiful truths all at once—a rich passage that reveals the profound mercy and justice that lives equally in Yahweh.
From "Various Teachings." Listen to a Q&R with Josh Porter of Van City Church and Tyler Staton focused on deconstruction, and how we can reclaim faithfulness as an act of rebellion.
From "Various Teachings." Listen to a midweek lecture with Josh Porter of Van City Church focused on deconstruction, and how we can reclaim faithfulness as an act of rebellion.
From the series "Exodus." Exodus 3v1-15. The burning bush is the sight of God’s personal and broad intervention—intervening to heal Moses’ personal shame and commissioning Moses as the deliverer for an enslaved people.
From the series "Exodus." Exodus 1v8-14. Exodus is the story of God’s people then and now. Pharaoh and the people of Egypt work together against God’s plan for human flourishing - the same way the devil and the world do today. But God partners with unlikely people in the normal lives to bring about his redemptive purposes.
From the series "Exodus." Exodus 1v1-8. Exodus is refererred back to more frequently in Scripture than any other event in the Torah. In fact, Exodus the Exodus drama is the framing event for the ministry of Jesus. Why care about an ancient Hebrew liberation story? Because if you want to understand Jesus, you’ve gotta understand Exodus.
From the series "Race & Justice." Listen to Rich Villodas & Tyler Staton as they discuss further how we can become a reconciling community; reconciling individuals across ethnic, socio-economic, and cultural dividing lines.
From the series "Race & Justice." Hear from Rich Villodas as he discusses how we can become a reconciling community; reconciling individuals across ethnic, socio-economic, and cultural dividing lines.
From the series "Hearing God: Listening to the Still, Small Voice of the Holy Spirit." Psalm 19v1-6. How we hear God speak through creation—in nature, in wonder, and in the face of another.
From the series "Various Teachings." Acts 9v31. Listen to a special gathering with Tyler Staton & Pete Hughes of KXC to learn about the Bridgetown Story, what the Spirit is doing at Bridgetown, and how each of us can find ourselves in the story of what God is doing.
From the series "Hearing God: Listening to the Still, Small Voice of the Holy Spirit." 1 Kings 19v1-13.
From the series "Hearing God: Listening to the Still, Small Voice of the Holy Spirit." Luke 24v13-35. God speaks to us in a whisper, which invites intimacy but is also hard to hear and easy to ignore. How do we grow in discernment—the ability to distinguish God’s voice from all the competing noise?
From the series "Hearing God: Listening to the Still, Small Voice of the Holy Spirit." 1 Corinthians 14v1-4. God speaks to us through others by the gift of prophecy. This teaching is a biblical, communal, and personal introduction to prophetic listening and prayer.
From the series "Hearing God: Listening to the Still, Small Voice of the Holy Spirit." Psalms 119v103-112. How do I hear God through the written Word? In the second of a two-part teaching on hearing God in Scripture, we explore the two-sided coin of both reading and being read by the Word, culminating in a Scripture reading practice to guide us as a church over the next year.
From the series "Hearing God: Listening to the Still, Small Voice of the Holy Spirit." 2 Timothy 3v16-17. What am I holding when I'm holding the Bible? In this first of a two-part teaching on hearing God through the written Word, we explore five metaphors for understanding the power of Scripture.
From the series "Hearing God: Listening to the Still, Small Voice of the Holy Spirit." John 1v1-4, 14.
From the series "God & The Whole Person: Soul, Mind, & Body in His Image." Revelation 19v6-7.
From the series "God & The Whole Person: Soul, Mind, & Body in His Image." Revelation 19v6-7.
From the series "God & The Whole Person: Soul, Mind, & Body in His Image." Romans 12v1-2.
From the series "God & The Whole Person: Soul, Mind, & Body in His Image." Romans 12v1-2.
From the series "God & The Whole Person: Soul, Mind, & Body in His Image." Luke 7v36-50.
From the series "God & The Whole Person: Soul, Mind, & Body in His Image." John 9. “What do you want me to do for you?” That is the question Jesus posed to Bartimaeus, a question that targeted his deep desire led to his deep healing. Equally, it’s a question that, asked in Christ’s presence, uncovers our deep desire and leads to our deep healing.
From the series "Knowing God: The Seven "I Am" Statements of Jesus." John 11v25-26. Jesus is the resurrection and the life—a single theme with two expressions: healing and salvation. To live in the tension, the church (like Jesus) must become people who hold both wonder and suffering together.
From the series "Knowing God: The Seven "I Am" Statements of Jesus." John 10v9. Jesus makes the emphatic statement, “I am the Gate,” in response to the Pharisees exclusion of a healed blind man. This teaching addresses the themes of trauma and healing by the wounds of Jesus.
From the series "Knowing God: The Seven "I Am" Statements of Jesus." John 8v12. The human story is one of longing to be at rest and peace, to be safe and secure, to finally be home. But the human story is also one where we can’t seem to get home ourselves; we need someone to lead us, and it’s to that ache that Jesus declares “I Am the Light of the World.”
From the series "Advent 2022." Luke 3v7-14. How do we recognize the God who comes humbly, gently, almost disguised in our midst? John the Baptist prepared for Jesus' arrival by offering three critical instructions to the receptive crowd. In this teaching, we explore the common denominator in all three: generosity.
From the series "Advent 2022." Luke 3v7-14. How do we recognize the God who comes humbly, gently, almost disguised in our midst? John the Baptist prepared for his arrival by offering three critical instructions to the receptive crowd. In this teaching, we explore his instruction to the plentiful: simplicity.
For the month of November, we are honoring Indigenous Heritage Month. Each week, members of our church family will be sharing stories that acknowledge and celebrate Indigenous history and culture – from their lived experiences and the world at-large. Listen as Tabatha Leady and Tyler Hanns discuss the story of her ancestry and how she is passing down a legacy to her daughters.
From the series "A House of Prayer For All Nations." Luke 16v19-31. The distinguishing aspect of Justice in the way of Jesus is kinship, to start with service but end in family. In this teaching, we trace the biblical concept of justice through Hebrew language, arriving at kinship.
For the month of November, we are honoring Indigenous Heritage Month. Each week, members of our church family will be sharing stories that acknowledge and celebrate Indigenous history and culture – from their lived experiences and the world at-large. Listen as Katya and Kylee discuss learning about the importance of listening, and working toward truth and reconciliation.
From the series "Vision 2022: A House of Prayer For All Nations." Ephesians 2v11-22, Galatians 2v11-21. Reconciliation across ethnic, socio-economic, and cultural lines is a Gospel essential and a sign of heaven coming to earth through the church. This is an invitation to embody that reality more greatly as an “one new humanity."
For the month of November, we are honoring Indigenous Peoples' Heritage Month. Each week, members of our church family will be sharing stories that acknowledge and celebrate Indigenous history and culture – from their lived experience and the world at large. Listen as Tabatha Leady, Matt Leady, and Tyler Hanns discuss Oregon's past and a vision for the future.
From the series "Vision 2022: A House of Prayer For All Nations." Luke 4v16-21. The biblical story, from beginning to end, is one that insists on increased proximity to our neediest neighbors. This is an invitation to discover God’s living presence and expanding Kingdom among the marginalized.
From the series “Vision 2022: A House of Prayer For All Nations.” Listen to a time of question and response with Tyler Staton and Tim Mackie, of the BibleProject, as they further discuss prayer as life with God in the Garden based on the book of Genesis.
From the series “Vision 2022: A House of Prayer For All Nations.” Listen to a lecture from Tim Mackie, of the BibleProject, as he discusses prayer as life with God in the Garden based on the book of Genesis.
From Sept 15 to Oct 15, we are celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month. Each week, members of our church family will be sharing stories that acknowledge and honor Hispanic heritage and culture — from their lived experiences to the world at-large. Listen as Gabe Flores & Gavin Bennett discuss the creative ways his Mexican culture was redeemed, establishing a rich legacy of celebration.
From September 15th to October 15th, we are celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month. Each week, members of our church family will be sharing stories that acknowledge and honor Hispanic heritage and culture — from their lived experiences and the world at-large. Listen as Anny Ruiz, Rommel Ruiz, and Tiffany Flores discuss the Ruiz’s journey of immigration and how to navigate a new culture for themselves and their children.
From September 15th to October 15th, we are celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month. Each week, members of our church family will be sharing stories that acknowledge and honor Hispanic heritage and culture — from their lived experiences and the world at-large. Listen as Bella and Jarin discuss growing up as a first generation mixed-race Honduran-American, holding space for cultural tensions, and finding belonging.
From September 15th to October 15th, we are celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month. Each week, members of our church family will be sharing stories that acknowledge and honor Hispanic heritage and culture — from their lived experiences and the world at-large. Listen as Bella and Jarin discuss growing up as a first generation mixed-race Honduran-American, holding space for cultural tensions, and finding belonging.
From the series "Vision 2022: A House of Prayer For All Nations." John 8v2-11, 1 Thessalonians 5v17.
From the series "Vision 2022: A House of Prayer For All Nations." John 8v2-11, 1 Thessalonians 5v17.
From Sept 15 to Oct 15, we are celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month. Each week, members of our church family will be sharing stories that acknowledge and honor Hispanic heritage and culture – from their lived experiences and the world at-large. Listen as Tiffany Flores & Tyler Hanns discuss Oregon's past and vision for the future.
From Sept 15 to Oct 15, we are celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month. Each week, members of our church family will be sharing stories that acknowledge and honor Hispanic heritage and culture – from their lived experiences and the world at-large. Listen as Tiffany Flores & Tyler Hanns discuss Oregon's past and vision for the future.
From the series "Ephesians: Immeasurably More." Ephesians 6v10-24. A riot began the church in Ephesus. A few years into their journey, Paul writes to help them mature into who they really are in Christ, but his closing commissioning to them may not be what you’d expect.
From the series "Ephesians: Immeasurably More." Ephesians 4v17-5v20. If Paul wrote to our church today he might say, “You must no longer live as the Portlanders do in the futility of their thinking." He lists a number of things to say no to and then better yes.
From the series "Ephesians: Immeasurably More." Ephesians 4v1-28. Paul applies the new identity we’ve received in Christ to our daily work, an invitation to move beyond work to vocation.
From the series "Ephesians: Immeasurably More." Ephesians 2v1-10. We are dying, and unless we are rescued, we are dead. That's the claim the Scripture makes.
For the month of May, we are honoring Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month. Each week, members of our church family will be sharing stories that acknowledge and celebrate AAPI history and culture – from their lived experiences and the world at-large. Listen as Emily Gross and Kylee Logan discuss adoption and growing up in a transracial home.
For the month of May, we are honoring Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month. Each week, members of our church family will be sharing stories that acknowledge and celebrate AAPI history and culture – from their lived experiences and the world at-large. Listen as Chelsea Sound and Casey McDonald discuss Chelsea’s story and experiences of growing up in a Chuukese Micronesian home in Portland, OR.
For the month of May, we are honoring Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month. Each week, members of our church family will be sharing stories that acknowledge and celebrate AAPI history and culture – from their lived experiences and the world at-large. Listen as Steph Quint, Josh Leu, and Gavin Bennett discuss Steph and Josh’s different experiences growing up in predominantly Chinese communities in the Bay Area, their transitions into minority culture, and learning to embrace their heritage again.
From the series "The True and False Self." Genesis 3v1-10. The biblical picture of God‘s identity and our own is defined by love, but why is that love so difficult to experience and live from? Today we look at the counter-side to the true self, the false self, born not of love, but fear.
For the month of May, we are honoring Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month. Each week, members of our church family will be sharing stories that acknowledge and celebrate AAPI history and culture – from their lived experiences and the world at-large. Listen as Daniel and Tyler discuss growing up in an immigrant family, trying to fit in, and embracing identity.
For the month of May, we are honoring Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month. Each week, members of our church family will be sharing stories that acknowledge and celebrate AAPI history and culture - from their lived experiences and the world at-large. Listen as Tiffany & Kylee discuss Oregon’s past and a vision for the future.
We’re so grateful for what God has done through our 24-7 Prayer Room, which ran from Feb 1 to Easter. We commemorated this moment by hearing stories from people in our church family about their experiences in the Prayer Room and celebrating together.
From the series "The True and False Self." In the life of Peter, we are given a picture of the battle between the true and false self and an invitation to deep transformation through lived, not merely stated, belief.
From the series "In This World You Will Have Trouble." Listen to a time of question and response with Tyler Staton and Tim Mackie, of the BibleProject, as they further discuss the book of Job and human suffering. Watch the video "Job" as part of the Wisdom Series at bibleproject.com.
From the series "In This World You Will Have Trouble." Listen to a lecture from Tim Mackie, of the BibleProject, as he discusses the Book of Job and how a God of love can exist among a world of suffering. Watch the video "Job" as part of the Old Testament overviews at bibleproject.com.
We are in a season where many are sensing an invitation to greater healing. With that, we wanted to provide a few resources, as well as some best practices, in taking the next step toward that invitation.
From the series "In This World You Will Have Trouble." As we live life we will find ourselves in situations that look like the opposite of what we had hoped for or anticipated. These difficult seasons, where we have little control, often leave us disillusioned. This sermon explores what Jesus may say and do when things are not what I expected.
From the series "In This World You Will Have Trouble." Jesus and only Jesus makes suffering sufferable, and when we connect our own suffering to the larger biblical story of suffering, even our pain can become redemptive.
For the month of February, we are honoring Black History Month. Each week, members of our church family will be sharing stories that acknowledge and celebrate Black history - from their lived experiences and the world at-large. Listen as Jonathan Tremaine Thomas and Tyler Staton discuss JT's experiences growing up in the South, navigating family legacy and dynamics, and learning to own his identity.
For the month of February, we are honoring Black History Month. Each week, members of our church family will be sharing stories that acknowledge and celebrate Black history - from their lived experiences and the world at-large. Listen as Dara Bankole and Hakeem Bradley discuss Dara’s experiences being stereotyped, and how to celebrate Black History beyond adversity and the limitations of stereotypes.
For the month of February, we are honoring Black History Month. Each week, members of our church family will be sharing stories that acknowledge and celebrate Black history - from their lived experiences and the world at-large. Listen as Anthony Holton and Jarin Oda discuss Anthony’s experience living in Portland and navigating Black and White spaces.
For the month of February, we are honoring Black History Month. Each week, members of our church family will be sharing stories that acknowledge and celebrate Black history - from their lived experiences and the world at-large. Listen as Tre' Giles and Gavin Bennett discuss Tre's experience navigating racial tension in White spaces, and the redemption that can come through it.
For the month of February, we are honoring Black History Month. Each week, members of our church family will be sharing stories that acknowledge and celebrate Black history - from their lived experiences and the world at-large. Listen as Christa & Deidra discuss Oregon’s past and a vision for the future.
From "Holy Spirit Conference 2022." Pete Hughes teaches from Revelation 2v1-7 on discipleship in our cultural moment.
From "Holy Spirit Conference 2022." Katia Adams teaches the final session on receiving the Holy Spirit and leading the church into the power and presence of God.
From "Holy Spirit Conference 2022." Katia Adams, founder of Frequentsee, teaches on the expression of prophecy in the local church.
From "Holy Spirit Conference 2022." Pete Hughes, of KXC London, teaches on the weapon for praise.
From the series "Teach Us to Pray." Intercession means praying for other people, an act of love that enlists the power of heaven. Intercessory prayer is the exercise of Jesus’ victory through recovered authority.
From the series "Teach Us to Pray." Jesus teaches that the first words we speak in prayer should be adoration. But what if adoration is more for us than it is for God? What if adoration is the necessary inner work we need to pray with wide-eyed faith?
From the series "Teach Us to Pray." Contrary to popular belief, prayer doesn’t start with speaking. It starts with seeing. Stillness is the posture from which spoken prayer effortlessly flows.
From the series "Teach Us to Pray." Together as a church family we are going to spend the next 10 weeks on the mystery and invitation of prayer. Join us as we start this week with a simple invitation to pray as you can.
From the series "Advent." "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth." —John 1v14
From the series "Advent." The Gospel is an invitation to join the new world offered in the birth of Christ. And the only way for this new world to advance is through its citizens.
From the series "Advent." "There was a man sent from God whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him." —John 1v6-11
From the series "Advent." As we begin the season of Advent, we look at creation through the word and the Kingdom of God; the now and not yet. Jesus has come; darkness could not and still cannot stop Him in the world at large, our city, our church family, and in our individual lives.
From the series "Demonstrating the Gospel." As we end Practicing the Way we look back at the miracle of deliverance in the past decade of Bridgetown Church, and look forward to the miracle of inheritance.
From the series "Demonstrating the Gospel." A follow up conversation with Tyler Staton and Jon Thompson on deliverance.
From the series "Demonstrating the Gospel." What is the role of spiritual gifts in deliverance ministry?
From the series "Demonstrating the Gospel." What is spiritual conflict and can we be demonized as Christians?
From the series "Demonstrating the Gospel." The subtle tragedy of Nicodemus is that in scene after scene, Jesus was awakening something in his heart, but he didn't drop his robes so he could know true life.
From the series "Demonstrating the Gospel." Healing is complex and each one of us comes to it with different experiences and expectations. At times, it's awe-inducing and often breathtakingly personal. And sometimes it's gut-wrenching and feels hopeless. But still, God invites us to ask for healing. In the Scriptures and through the life of Jesus, we see that healing feels like hoping, confronting, waiting, and laughing. We simply get to ask and watch how God responds.
From the series "Demonstrating the Gospel." Deep down each of us long for a God who is not only wise or powerful but a God who is deeply personal. We long for a God who speaks. The God of the Bible is radical not only in how He meets the personal longing of every soul, but that He chooses to speak to people in a surprising way.
From the series "Demonstrating the Gospel." The Spirit of God empowers us to be sent out to who Jesus calls "the least of these." Through this we demonstrate the Gospel and reap the same harvest that Jesus did.
From the series "Demonstrating the Gospel." You have been anointed with the same Spirit as Jesus to continue the full ministry of Jesus. What gets in the way of the experience of that astounding promise?
From the series "Demonstrating the Gospel." When God created people, He filled them with His Spirit to go on creating in His image. When God redeems people, He refills us with His Spirit to go on creating in His image. This teaching explores the Spirit’s role in the Church through the words we speak.
From the series "Demonstrating the Gospel." Scripture introduces us to the person of the Holy Spirit through metaphor. Looking at the Spirit through the metaphor of water we see a real and gritty honesty about the suffering in the world, but also an unwavering and joyful hope that breaks into the world.
From the series "Demonstrating the Gospel." The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity, and yet, for many in the Modern West, the Spirit is a familiar stranger. How do we know the Holy Spirit, not as a force to be captured but as a person to know and be known by?
From "Vision Series 2021." A brief look at the vision and future of Bridgetown Church, and leaning into the idea of first century discipleship that Jesus called us to.
From the series "Preaching The Gospel." Our fifth and final best practice for preaching the gospel is to simply bear witness: to live in a way that begs the question. Most of “evangelism” in the early church was simply people living a radically different and deeply good life, and scores of people being drawn into the beauty of the gospel. Millions found Jesus so compelling they were willing to die for him. Do we?
From the series "Preaching The Gospel." In John, Jesus talks about us accomplishing even greater works than He did. But demonstrating the Kingdom of God is often more ordinary, and every day, than we expect.
From the series "Preaching The Gospel." When our methods are old and do not meet the current cultural context, how do we effectively preach the Gospel in Portland?
From the series "Preaching The Gospel." Hesitation toward evangelism is rooted in the fallacy, “God shows up when I show up,” which couldn’t be further from the truth. In this week’s teaching, we learn how to join the pursuing work of God in the lives of the lost.
From the series "Preaching The Gospel." Jesus “came eating and drinking.” If he had a “method of evangelism,” that was it: eat a meal with people far from God. And all through the New Testament, apprentices of Jesus are commanded to follow his example through the practice of hospitality. Something as radically ordinary and setting a table can create space for people far from God to experience the Father’s warm welcome into his family.
From the series "Preaching The Gospel." The word “gospel” means different things to different people in the American church, and many of them are misunderstandings of the gospel of Jesus. At their worst, these misunderstandings are obstacles to a life of discipleship. In this teaching we compare and contrast the four American gospels with Jesus’ gospel.
From the series "Preaching The Gospel." We kick off our practice of Preaching the Gospel with an honest conversation about why our generation is emotionally triggered by the idea of “evangelism,” as well as the possibility that part of the reason is because we’ve misunderstood what the gospel even is.
From the series "Gospel of Matthew." God’s plan has always been to bless all the peoples of the earth.
From the series "Gospel of Matthew." God’s people spent centuries living under the oppression of empires, waiting for Him to rescue them and set the world straight. Finally, God seems to begin that work. Jesus arrives proclaiming that God’s Kingdom is finally coming through Him and people are convinced. They put their hope in Jesus but then Rome kills Him. Days later, two stories begin to circulate. Some of those in power say that Jesus’ corpse had been stolen, but a woman claims that she saw Jesus back from the dead. Which story will you trust?
Recovering a holy imagination by seeing Pentecost from the final scene of Acts. What does the power of the Holy Spirit mean for a church under house arrest?
As followers of Jesus, we believe that God speaks to each of us today through words of encouragement and prophecy. We want to be people who are equipped to step into prophetic ministry over others, making more space for the Spirit of God to move.
From the series "Gospel of Matthew." How can we learn from the Biblical figures who came before us to navigate our current cultural moment? We must root ourselves in Jesus to avoid a failure of nerve and a failure of heart.
From the series "Gospel of Matthew." Jesus confronts hypocrisy in church leaders and calls his followers to a different way. In a time when deconstruction is the cultural tide we swim in and disillusionment with pastors is widespread and well-earned, there is a lot we can learn from Jesus.
From the series "Gospel of Matthew." In this well-known but little-understood teaching of Jesus, we discover that love is the measure of spiritual maturity. Nothing else. And that Jesus’s definition of love is very different from that of our host culture. Yet again, Jesus’ life and vision is incredibly compelling and offers us a new way to be human.
From the series "Gospel of Matthew." Jesus is confronted by those who seek to trap him. His response is not only genius but offers a new theonomy and way of doing money.
From the series "Gospel of Matthew." As we look at the story of Jesus coming into Jerusalem, we learn that moving through our disappointment uproots our limited human perspective and allows us to openhandedly receive the greater good that God is after.
From the series "Future Church." In the life of Jesus, we discover three ways in which He brings His people into the Kingdom of God; mercy, justice, and peace. How can we find the pressure points in Portland to be people of justice?
From the series "Future Church." For Easter, we examine the "gospel" of Jesus for what it is: good news. About something that happened in the past that has changed our present and altered the trajectory of our future forever.
From the series "Future Church." Our culture keeps us in the cycle of exhaustion, burnout and spiritual death. As a church community our desire is to become a culture of rest as a prophetic witness to the promise of rest that Jesus brings to us. In this teaching we explore the practice of Sabbath and how it habituates us towards the rest our souls need.
From the series "Future Church." In Western, urban culture, work for many people is far more than a way to pay rent; it’s a quasi-religion people look to for identity, community, and purpose. Against that backdrop is the biblical theology of work as an expression of love and serve to God and neighbor. In this teaching we explore the vision of work as an act of kavanah through the practice of vocation.
After a season of prayer and fasting, with deep sensitivity to the Spirit, our Elders and Board of Directors have a very important announcement about a transition in the next season of Bridgetown Church. Listen to learn all the details.
From the series "Future Church." Jesus had an uncanny ability to turn enemies into guests and guests into family. He did this through "radically ordinary hospitality," just eating meals around a table. Few practices are more important for the healing of our divided nation than hospitality.
A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.
A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.
A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.
A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.
A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.
From the series "Future Church." All around us people are angry. But behind all the vitriol and hate, people are afraid. But Jesus' vision of the church is a community of peace. A community who live from a deep place of quiet calm in God. We cultivate this inner life through the practice of silence and solitude.
A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.
From the series "Future Church." Listen to a Q&R on deconstruction and doubt with A.J. Swoboda and John Mark Comer as we ask how we can question our faith without losing it.
From the series "Future Church." Listen to a lecture from A.J. Swoboda, author of the book After Doubt: How to Question Your Faith without Losing It, as we discuss the reality of deconstruction in the church. Is there a way to walk faithfully through doubt and come out the other side with a deeper love for Jesus, the church, and its tradition? Can we question our faith without losing it?
A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.
A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.
A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.
A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.
From the series "Future Church." We live in a fascinating moment when culture is becoming both more moral (in particular around human rights) and less moral at the same time. The moral relativism of secularism cannot hold a soul (much less a society) together. In this moment, Jesus' call to holiness is more acute than ever before. While for many, the word "holiness" comes with the baggage of fear and shame, it's actually about joy. In this teaching we explore holiness, a theology of the body, and the practice of fasting as a path to joy in God.
A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.
A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.
A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.
A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.
A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.
From the series "Future Church." The zeitgeist of our generation is deconstruction. The ideologies of both the Right and the Left are operating as pseudo-religions, and drawing people away from orthodox faith. Each a political religion "with a twist of Christianity." How do we stay faithful to Jesus and not let our heart get swept away? Through the practice of reading Scripture we come to let Jesus' words abide deep in our being, and shape the trajectory of our soul.
A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.
A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.
A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.
A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.
A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.
From the series "Future Church." Future church is an act of dreaming together with God about the next chapter of our life as a church. We want to stand as an alternative society to that of our hurting city, through practicing a rule of life designed for us to flourish and thrive.
A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.
A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.
A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.
A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.
A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.
From the series "Future Church." In our new series, we explore challenges facing the post-COVID church, and dream about the future church. How could a rule of life index us toward those dreams?
A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.
A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.
A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.
A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.
A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.
From the series "Gospel of Matthew." Most of us have an agenda for Jesus, whether spoken or unspoken, but often His agenda is different than our own. Jesus shows that God's agenda is to step into suffering because He is compassionate.
A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.
A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.
A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.
A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.
A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.
From the series "Gospel of Matthew." Success in the kingdom of God is not as the world measures it. In fact, it often looks contrary to what one would anticipate and even hope for. In this teaching we will explore Godly ambition, servanthood and the call to both in the kingdom of God.
A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.
A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.
A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.
A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.
A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.
What does it look like to walk with God in a time like ours? How can we experience intimacy with God, discern his work, and contend for his purposes in a time of distraction and discouragement? Jon Tyson shares tangible ways to walk with God in our everyday lives in these extraordinary times.
A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.
A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.
A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.
A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.
A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.
From the series "31 Days Of Prayer." As part of our initiative to start the year off in prayer, in this teaching we explore the Ignatian prayer of Examen as a practice by which we slow down, become more present to love, and “find” God in our everyday life.
A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.
A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.
A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.
A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.
A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.
From the series "31 Days Of Prayer." In this podcast we discuss how and why practice fixed hour prayer. The Jews at the time of Jesus and the early church seemed to pause and pray Scripture morning, noon, and evening. We will explore what this could look like practically for us today.
From the series "31 Days Of Prayer." It's clear that Jesus' life was deeply centered in joyful prayer with the Father. Yet if we are honest, most of us don't experience prayer this way. In this teaching we investigate how we should approach prayer in our current cultural moment.
A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.
From the series "Advent 2020." We conclude our advent season with a celebration of the future Kingdom and the return of Jesus.
In this four part Bridgetown Daily special, we will lean into the season of Advent. Exploring the traditional themes of love, joy, peace, and hope. Listen along weekly for an overview and exploration of each theme.
From the series "Advent 2020." We end our Advent series with a teaching on hope in a time of disappointment.
In this four part Bridgetown Daily special, we will lean into the season of Advent. Exploring the traditional themes of love, joy, peace, and hope. Listen along weekly for an overview and exploration of each theme.
From the series "Advent 2020." In week three of our Advent series we explore the theme of peace.
In this four part Bridgetown Daily special, we will lean into the season of Advent. Exploring the traditional themes of love, joy, peace, and hope. Listen along weekly for an overview and exploration of each theme.
From the series "Advent 2020." In week two of our Advent series we explore the theme of joy.
In this four part Bridgetown Daily special, we will lean into the season of Advent. Exploring the traditional themes of love, joy, peace, and hope. Listen along weekly for an overview and exploration of each theme.
From the series "Advent 2020." Christmas is the reality that God shows up in the mess and therefore Christmas means God loves you.
Christine Caine preaches from the life of Paul and encourages us to live in the moment even if it comes with difficulty.
From the series "Gospel of Matthew." The upside down reality of the Kingdom of Heaven is that it is marked by grace and justice. The two collide and are defined for the apprentice of Jesus in the Parable of the workers in the Vineyard. In this parable he reiterates a central tenant of life in the Kingdom; that the last will be first.
From "Vision Series 2020." Following the 2020 election, with its disputed result and our divided nation, we offer a pastoral word on how to follow Jesus through the coming season.
Listen to a short pastoral word, the reading of a Psalm, and a moment of prayer for the peace and prosperity of our nation during this Election Day.
From the series "Gospel of Matthew." Jesus reveals the upside down nature of the Kingdom of God to the rich young ruler, inviting his followers to lay down anything that hinders them and to remember that it will be worth it.
Listen to a discussion from Tristen Collins, author of "Why Emotions Matter," on how to prepare for what could be a difficult end to an already long year. Emotions are important, and we want followers of Jesus to consider how to respond when feelings run high.
From "Vision Series 2020." Guest teacher Darrell Johnson is with us to discuss the prophetic vision found in the book of Daniel and what we can learn from it in our current cultural moment.
From "Vision Series 2020." As followers of Jesus, we are called to a long obedience in the same direction. But how do stay on the path of our spiritual journey in the face of such great odds? With COVID-19, racial injustice, socio-political unrest, and an economic crisis, how do we stay in this for the long haul?
From "Vision Series 2020." How are followers of Jesus meant to engage in a post-Christian culture? Is there a third way to live in this world other than merging or separating? Listen along as we continue our Vision Series and learn how to become a "creative minority" now and into the future.
From "Vision Series 2020." There is a direct link between how you live now and who you become in the future. We don’t become like Jesus by accident. So how do we change? How do we endure a global pandemic and remain on the journey of spiritual transformation? Listen along as we layout a "Rule of Life" for Covid-19.
From "Vision Series 2020." This year, we take a different approach than regular. The cascade effect of a global pandemic, recession, a summer of violence between police and protestors, wildfires, and our city on the front page of international news on a reoccurring basis has left us exhausted. Is there a way to get through 2020 without permanent damage to our soul? Or more: could there be a way to come out the other side more mature than ever before? And full of joy?
From the "Race & Justice Event with Bryan Loritts." Every New Testament point has an Old Testament picture. In Session 3, Dr. Loritts discusses the Old Testament picture of love and how it intersects with issues of race and ethnic unity.
From the "Race & Justice Event with Bryan Loritts." In Session 2, special guests Michelle Jones, Dr. Leroy Haynes, David Valenzuela, and Renjy Abraham join Dr. Bryan Loritts and John Mark Comer for a discussion about the Black and Brown experience in America, how social media has shaped the conversation on race, how to bring others into the "beloved community" and so much more.
From the "Race & Justice Event with Bryan Loritts." In Session 1, Dr. Loritts discusses Critical Race Theory and how it must be approached with nuance. He also examines the ideas of white privilege, systemic racism, reparations, and affirmative action. Listen along as we learn about what the Gospel of Jesus has to say about race and justice.
From the series "Race & Justice." Pastor and author Dr. Bryan Loritts discusses the multiethnic church of the New Testament as we learn from Ephesians 2.
For years, we have been searching and praying for a building that Bridgetown Church could call home. Now we are excited to celebrate all the work that has been accomplished, both in building renovations and your faithful generosity. Listen as church leaders from around our city speak into the life and future of Bridgetown and pray a blessing over us.
From the series "Gospel of Matthew." In this text, Jesus uses the model of the eunuch to invite his hearers to expand their vision for relational flourishing in the family of God.
From the series "Gospel of Matthew." Is marriage a contract, or a covenant? Is the love that lasts a lifetime a fiery passion of desire, or something else? Is divorce a necessary evil to “be true to yourself,” or a rupture of a deep union? Jesus’ teaching on divorce is based in his vision of marriage, which is as radical today as it was nearly two thousand years ago.
From the series "Gospel of Matthew." Jesus understands what it means to owe a debt. On the cross, he died for betrayers, deniers, hypocrites; you and me. The parable of the unmerciful servant reminds us of how forgiven we are, so that we would be liberated to forgive others.
From the series "Gospel of Matthew." What do we do when other followers of Jesus fall into sin and wander away? Let them go? Act like it’s okay? Make them our enemy? In this teaching we explore Jesus’ practice for dealing with sin in the church. It’s one of Jesus’ most used and abused teachings, and yet, it has the potential to form the church into a community where God’s will is done.
From the series "Gospel of Matthew." Jesus’ call for his apprentices to become like children is one of his most misunderstood teachings. In this message, we explore the cultural background to Jesus’ words and rediscover just how fitting and fierce they are for our culture today.
From the series "Gospel of Matthew." Jesus is slowly but surely headed for Jerusalem, where he knows he will suffer and be killed. Along the way, the collectors of the temple tax ask Peter whether his rabbi pays the tax. Through a parable about kings and through the belly of a fish, Jesus shows his disciples what it looks like to live secure and rooted in the Father’s love.
A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.
A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.
A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.
A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.
A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.
From the series "Gospel of Matthew." Guest teacher Tyler Staton, from Trinity Grace Church in Brooklyn, New York, discusses the value of prayer and fasting to the follower of Jesus. They are the humble, hidden ways we choose the tiny seed over the suit of armor. And in the upside down Kingdom of God, that seed of divine love grows and blossoms into a force of divine power.
A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.
A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.
A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.
A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.
A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.
From the series "Gospel of Matthew." At the fulcrum point in Matthew’s gospel, Jesus goes up on a high mountain where he is transfigured before his apprentices. Over their fear, the apprentices hear a voice from heaven saying, "listen to him!" Thousands of years later, in our own fears, the call to find a mountain and listen to Jesus is greater than ever.
A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.
A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.
A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.
A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.
A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.
Part 7 of the series "Simplicity" as part of Practicing The Way. Every person will at one time or another be confronted with reconciling the ache, need, and desire to feel fulfilled within—to feel satisfied and happy with what we have and who we are. In order for us to practice Simplicity in our lives, we must first confront the soul ache within; to take notice of why we are driven to consume, and then to invite God to meet us there, allowing him to show us and teach us how to be satisfied in him. It is through the discipline and practice of contentment that we extinguish the fire of “more” in our lives and ultimately find freedom to live lives of simplicity.
Part 6 of the series "Simplicity" as part of Practicing The Way. God designed us to experience joy. He wired the complex chemical reactions of our brains to accommodate it. But we are broken. And so is the world. And so many corrupt the freedom of Jesus twisting and mangling it so that it becomes a license for excess. Simplicity of Pleasure declutters the mind and the soul so that we can become active channels of the Holy Spirit.
A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.
A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.
A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.
A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.
A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.
Part 5 of the series "Simplicity" as part of Practicing The Way. After laying the groundwork for the practice of simplicity, we tackle materialism head on. A truth that cuts across the human condition is: the more you get, the more you want. Many of us live in a kind of captivity to the desire for more. How do we break free? In this teaching we examine 1 Timothy 6 and explore two practices from the way of Jesus that both fall under the rubric of simplicity: 1. Limit how much you own, and 2. Practice generosity. A life of freedom is waiting for us in the kingdom of God.
A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.
A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.
A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.
A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.
A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.
We are all reeling from the last few months of life in America. The partisan divide between Right and Left, and the level of anger and acrimony, is at an all-time high, into the global pandemic of COVID-19, into a global recession, which so many out of work, or living in fear of a layoff, into a tipping point in the outcry over systemic racism in our country after George Floyd’s murder set off a wave of protest unlike anything in our nation’s history, where for the first time, the vast majority of the population is ready to do whatever it takes to change, into rioting and violence – the cascade effect has felt like wave after wave.
Song by Reality SF Music
When morning dawns and evening fades, we want to call forth songs of joy that center us on God. Listen along to the Bridgetown Morning & Evening Podcast for weekly songs of worship, meditations on scripture, and reflections on liturgy. Look forward to new episodes coming every Saturday, with one in the morning and one in the evening.
Song by Micheal Hughes Watson
When morning dawns and evening fades, we want to call forth songs of joy that center us on God. Listen along to the Bridgetown Morning & Evening Podcast for weekly songs of worship, meditations on scripture, and reflections on liturgy. Look forward to new episodes coming every Saturday, with one in the morning and one in the evening.
A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.
A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.
A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.
A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.
A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.
We are honored to have Richard Probasco, founding pastor of New Song Community Church, with us to tell the story of his life in Portland as a Black man, a pastor, a musician, and an adoptive father.
When morning dawns and evening fades, we want to call forth songs of joy that center us on God. Listen along to the Bridgetown Morning & Evening Podcast for weekly songs of worship, meditations on scripture, and reflections on liturgy. Look forward to new episodes coming every Saturday, with one in the morning and one in the evening.
When morning dawns and evening fades, we want to call forth songs of joy that center us on God. Listen along to the Bridgetown Morning & Evening Podcast for weekly songs of worship, meditations on scripture, and reflections on liturgy. Look forward to new episodes coming every Saturday, with one in the morning and one in the evening.
A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.
A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.
A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.
A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.
A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.
We want to stop and acknowledge the reality that our Black and Brown sisters and brothers experience in our country. We are honored to have Mark Strong, lead pastor of Life Change Church in North Portland, with us to share what the Gospel of Jesus has to say about race and justice.
When morning dawns and evening fades, we want to call forth songs of joy that center us on God. Listen along to the Bridgetown Morning & Evening Podcast for weekly songs of worship, meditations on scripture, and reflections on liturgy. Look forward to new episodes coming every Saturday, with one in the morning and one in the evening.
When morning dawns and evening fades, we want to call forth songs of joy that center us on God. Listen along to the Bridgetown Morning & Evening Podcast for weekly songs of worship, meditations on scripture, and reflections on liturgy. Look forward to new episodes coming every Saturday, with one in the morning and one in the evening.
As a church, a city, and a nation, we are angry and heartbroken over the murder of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd. And of the many Black men and women before them. We are in an historic moment. People are waking up. The majority culture can no longer ignore the reality of systemic racism that goes back for centuries. And we pray this is the tipping point in our nation. And in our church. Bridgetown repents for not doing more. We are sorry for not leading into what the Spirit of God is doing in our time. There is no short, easy fix to systemic racism. But we are committed to doing the work now and into the future. Discover ways to listen, learn, and give to our Black and Brown brothers and sisters as we go on the journey of racial reconciliation and healing.
http://bridgetown.church/racial-justice
A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.
A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.
A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.
A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.
A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.
John Mark sits down with Joshua Becker, one of the founders of the minimalist movement of the last decade. Josh’s blog was one of the first to hit the internet, and attracts over a million views a month. As a follower of Jesus and former pastor, Joshua is full of insight into the intersection between the way of Jesus and minimalism. You can’t not be inspired by his life story.
A short tutorial from minimalist teacher Joshua Becker, with best practices for simplifying your wardrobe.
A short tutorial from minimalist teacher Joshua Becker, with best practices for simplifying your living areas and bedrooms.
A short tutorial from minimalist teacher Joshua Becker, with best practices for simplifying the workrooms of your house - the kitchen, bathrooms, and laundry.
Part 4 of the series "Simplicity" as part of Practicing The Way. We humans have a surpassingly complex, emotional relationship to clothing. Behind the excess, waste, and vanity of modern fashion is an ancient biblical story in which clothing is a response to sin and shame. A strategy to mask our deepest fear - that we cannot be loved as we are. It comes as no surprise that the New Testament writers warn of the many ways that clothing can cause distraction and division in Jesus’ community of love, the church. In this teaching we go beyond minimalism to discover a deep internal freedom.
When morning dawns and evening fades, we want to call forth songs of joy that center us on God. Listen along to the Bridgetown Morning & Evening Podcast for weekly songs of worship, meditations on scripture, and reflections on liturgy. Look forward to new episodes coming every Saturday, with one in the morning and one in the evening.
When morning dawns and evening fades, we want to call forth songs of joy that center us on God. Listen along to the Bridgetown Morning & Evening Podcast for weekly songs of worship, meditations on scripture, and reflections on liturgy. Look forward to new episodes coming every Saturday, with one in the morning and one in the evening.
A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.
A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.
A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.
A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.
A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.
Part 3 of the series "Simplicity" as part of Practicing The Way. We explore the ancient Christian practice of simplicity of speech, a disciplined attempt to talk like Jesus. And not talk like Jesus. To become aware of all the ways we utilize speech to manipulate people to do or think what we want them to do or think. By learning to embrace silence, we deepen our confidence in God.
When morning dawns and evening fades, we want to call forth songs of joy that center us on God. Listen along to the Bridgetown Morning & Evening Podcast for weekly songs of worship, meditations on scripture, and reflections on liturgy. Look forward to new episodes coming every Saturday, with one in the morning and one in the evening.
When morning dawns and evening fades, we want to call forth songs of joy that center us on God. Listen along to the Bridgetown Morning & Evening Podcast for weekly songs of worship, meditations on scripture, and reflections on liturgy. Look forward to new episodes coming every Saturday, with one in the morning and one in the evening.
A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.
A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.
A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.
A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.
A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.
Part 2 of the series "Simplicity" as part of Practicing The Way. We begin our exploration of the practice of simplicity with what previous followers of Jesus called “simplicity of heart.” It’s not enough to simplify our possessions, we must simplify around something (or someone). And what you center your life on will define who you become, for better or worse.
When morning dawns and evening fades, we want to call forth songs of joy that center us on God. Listen along to the Bridgetown Morning & Evening Podcast for weekly songs of worship, meditations on scripture, and reflections on liturgy. Look forward to new episodes coming every Saturday, with one in the morning and one in the evening.
When morning dawns and evening fades, we want to call forth songs of joy that center us on God. Listen along to the Bridgetown Morning & Evening Podcast for weekly songs of worship, meditations on scripture, and reflections on liturgy. Look forward to new episodes coming every Saturday, with one in the morning and one in the evening.
A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.
A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.
A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.
A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.
A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.
Part 1 of the series "Simplicity". As part of Practicing the Way. We live with a nagging sense that we never have enough – enough time in the day or money in the bank. We feel torn in multiple directions. Tired of low-grade fatigue. Behind on everything. Beset by constant distraction. We all know the cliché that “the most important things in life aren’t things” is true, and yet time and again we fall for advertising’s ploy. Is there a practice from the way of Jesus that could set our heart free from what Jesus called “the deceitfulness of wealth,” the false promise that money and stuff can give us security and satisfaction? To get free of the endless cycle of desire, and find contentment, margin, and life in the kingdom with Jesus? Yes. It is the practice of simplicity.
When morning dawns and evening fades, we want to call forth songs of joy that center us on God. Listen along to the Bridgetown Morning & Evening Podcast for weekly songs of worship, meditations on scripture, and reflections on liturgy. Look forward to new episodes coming every Saturday, with one in the morning and one in the evening.
When morning dawns and evening fades, we want to call forth songs of joy that center us on God. Listen along to the Bridgetown Morning & Evening Podcast for weekly songs of worship, meditations on scripture, and reflections on liturgy. Look forward to new episodes coming every Saturday, with one in the morning and one in the evening.
A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.
A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.
A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.
A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.
A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.
From the series, "House to House". In times of great uncertainty and trauma, we can feel powerless, and our default tendency is to grasp for control. That is antithetical to the faith, hope and love of the way of Jesus. We end our series of pastoral words with a teaching on “holy uncertainty,” and a vision for the coming season in the confusing in-between. This coming year in the desert could be the defining moment for our church, and set the stage for our future.
Morning & Evening Podcast for weekly songs of worship, meditations on scripture, and reflections on liturgy. Look forward to new episodes coming every Saturday, with one in the morning and one in the evening.
When morning dawns and evening fades, we want to call forth songs of joy that center us on God. Listen along to the Bridgetown Morning & Evening Podcast for weekly songs of worship, meditations on scripture, and reflections on liturgy. Look forward to new episodes coming every Saturday, with one in the morning and one in the evening.
A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.
A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.
A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.
A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.
A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.
The metaphor of a crucible has long been used for the role that trials play in our spiritual formation. As far back as 1 Peter, writers have used the art of metallurgy as a word picture of the potential that trials have to forge us into people of love. In this teaching we explore the idea of COVID-19 and the stay home order as a crucible for our interpersonal relationship and hear from multiple leaders in our church about navigating relationships in this unique time.
A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.
A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.
A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.
A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.
A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.
From the series, "House to House." In this follow up teaching to Easter, we explore the symbiotic relationship between grief and hope, in Paul’s language to the church in Thessaly: “You do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope.” It’s easy to see our church and world are grieving right now, but harder to see what hope looks like in a time of the Coronavirus. But a biblical theology of hope is the fuel for our hearts in this trying time.
In light of our current moment, we know that many are facing new, relational, emotional and spiritual realities. Life in quarantine, social distancing, and all that comes with it is multifaceted and complex. In this one-off podcast, we offer our best in-house resources around transitions grief and loss.
In light of our current moment, we know that many are facing new, relational, emotional and spiritual realities. Life in quarantine, social distancing, and all that comes with it is multifaceted and complex. In this one-off podcast, we offer our best in-house resources around transitions, grief, and loss.
In light of our current moment, we know that many are facing new, relational, emotional and spiritual realities. Life in quarantine, social distancing, and all that comes with it is multifaceted and complex. In this one-off podcast, we offer our best in-house resources around transitions, grief, and loss.
A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.
A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.
A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.
A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.
A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.
For Easter 2020, we explore the writer John’s vision of the risen Jesus in Revelation 1, and Jesus’ two commands to not fear, and to look. We discover that the most basic posture of a disciple of Jesus is listening to and looking at Jesus.
We sit down with Tristen Collins, a trauma therapist and co-author of Why Emotions Matter. Does what we are experiencing quality as trauma? What’s the difference between trauma and grief? How do we surrender to the process of grief and come out the other side whole? We explore all this and more in this one off episode.
A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.
A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.
A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.
A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.
A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.
From the series "House to House." We often miss what we are not focused on. Undoubtedly, in light of this pandemic, our focus has shifted both as a culture and as individuals. Now more than ever, our attention has become one of our greatest commodities, which means there is an opportunity before us to learn to notice what is happening in and around us in new ways. For millennia the Church has put this reality into practice through a practice called the Discipline of Notice. This discipline that calls us to engage the present, to pause and take stock of what is happening now, and to do so with a holy purpose.
In this one off episode, we have a relaxed conversation around the ten practices in Bridgetown’s recommended rule of life for the stay at home order. We also explore the origins of a rule of life in church history, offer a short synopsis of our recent teaching series on the same subject, and talk about how to stay grounded in God in an anxious time.
A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.
A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.
A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.
A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.
A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.
From the series "House to House." The COVID-19 shutdown is a kind of involuntary desert. A time of quiet and isolation and stripping away. Yet in a culture of the “extroverted ideal,” many of us simply do not know how to be alone. In this teaching we explore a theology of the desert from the life of Jesus and consider it’s potential for our spiritual formation.
A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.
A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.
A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.
A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.
A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.
From the series "House to House". We’re living through what the writer Paul calls a “Kairos” moment, a key junction point in time, and our response to it will determine the future. It’s long been said that ever crisis is an opportunity. True. But it’s also a vulnerability. In this teaching, we explore four opportunities in the COVID19 shutdown, as well as their corresponding vulnerabilities. And we lay out a recommenced rule of life for the coming season of virtual community.
A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.
A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.
A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.
A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.
A daily meditation on scripture, a quote, or the life of a saint to ground you in God and his peace.
From the series "House to House." With Coronavirus (COVID-19) being reported in the greater Portland area, local officials have placed a restriction on public gatherings. So we are excited to introduce our new church initiative called "House to House." Listen along as John Mark Comer teaches from the Gospel of Matthew about following the way of love as we seek to be a non-anxious presence in a cultural moment of anxiety, and to love and care for those in our community.
From the Series "Gospel of Matthew." In a culture of hedonism, digital instant gratification, and postmodern propaganda, Jesus’ call to deny your self and take up for your cross sounds bizarre. But in yielding control to God in trusting love, we enter the kingdom. At first this sounds hard, but what if control is actually an illusion? What if yielding is actually the path to freedom and joy?
From the series, "Gospel of Matthew." In this teaching from chapter 16, we explore Jesus’ famous question, Who do you say that I am? As well as the background of the city of Caesarea Philippi as the city of the Greek god Pan and his gate to Hades. We imagine living a world where Jesus is far more than just a rabbi, and as a result, we move from fear to faith.
From the series, "Gospel of Matthew." Jesus critiques the religious leaders for asking for a sign and urgently warns his disciples not to fall into their way of thinking, lest it take over their mind and keep them from discipleship.
From the Series, "Gospel of Matthew." Jesus heals the sick and feeds over four thousand people. On first read, it seems as if Matthew is reiterating what he has shown about Jesus already, but as we look closer we see that there is more to this encounter and to Jesus than meets the eye.
Taught by Christian Dawson of Northwest University
Part 5 of the series "Scripture", as part of Practicing the Way. There’s no doubt the scripture played a central and essential role in both Jesus’ life and ministry. For Jesus, scripture was not as much tool, instrument, or weapon as it was part of how he viewed and interacted with both God and the world. As apprentices of Jesus, if we want to live into the fullness of the Kingdom and what God is doing in and around us – we too must be people who know and have the scriptures in us.
Part 4 of the series "Scripture", as part of Practicing the Way. We finally come to the tricky subject of biblical authority. What is authority? Where did the Western fear of authority come from? What does it mean to say the Bible is authoritative when most of it is a story? And it has contradictory commands? We explore all this and more as we pursue reading the Bible as an act of trust in Jesus and his mental maps to reality.
Part 3 of the series "Scripture", as part of Practicing the Way. We get frustrated with the Bible when we approach it as an encyclopedia—an entirely literal, linear one-size-fits-all manual for life in the modern world, but the Bible wasn't designed as a convenient reference manual or a textbook. The Bible describes itself as a library designed for a lifetime of ongoing meditation. For this, the way of Jesus proposes the ancient spiritual discipline of Lectio Divina.
Taught by Josh Porter of Van City Church
Part 2 of the series "Scripture", as part of Practicing the Way. All humans beings live by a story, a narrative by which we make sense of the big questions of life – who are we? Why are we here? What’s wrong? How do we fix it? The story we live in, is the story we live out. It comes as no surprise that most of the Bible is narrative, and that together it tells a unified story that leads us to Jesus. Scripture functions as an alternative story to the many narratives of our soul and society, and calls us to live in alignment with the real, true story of God’s world.
Part 1 of the series "Scripture", as part of Practicing the Way. In our intro teaching to the scripture practice, we approach the Bible not as critics and defenders, but as apprentices of Jesus. We explore the idea that posture is more important than technique in reading the Bible. It’s less about information and more about our spiritual formation. When read with the right heart posture, that of openness and yieldedness to God, scripture becomes one of the primary means by which the Spirit of Jesus forms us into the people we were always meant to be.
Listen to an interview with Pete Scazzero, founder of New Life Fellowship Church in Queens, New York, and founder of Emotionally Healthy Discipleship, a groundbreaking ministry that transform churches through multiplying deeply changed disciples and leaders. He is also the author of a number of bestselling books, including The Emotionally Healthy Leader and Emotionally Healthy Spirituality. Along with his wife, Geri, he is also the author of The Emotionally Healthy Discipleship Course that is being used by churches around the world.
In this passage, Jesus encounters a Canaanite woman looking for mercy. Instead of compassion and help, she’s met with silence and a cold shoulder. Yet, she persists and in a bizarre turn of events, Jesus changes his mind and heals her daughter.
Jesus constantly frustrated the religious leaders of his day by challenging their legalistic adherence to the Scriptures. Today Jesus frustrates his modern-day disciples by challenging any hesitation to take the Scriptures seriously.
Taught by Josh Porter of Van City Church
At Christmas, apprentices of Jesus celebrate his first coming. We tell the story of the manger; a story we know well. But often it is that reality that keeps us from truly experiencing its message. The story of the manger is about much more than a baby being born; it is a story of promises fulfilled, darkness being overcome, and peace having the final word.
Part 8 of the series "Unhurrying with a Rule of Life", as part of Practicing the Way. This week we continue our two-part teaching on joy as we explore the question, How do we become more joyful? We have far more agency than we realize when it comes to living a happy life. With that agency comes responsibility before God to “rejoice.” We do this through the spiritual discipline of celebration.
Part 7 of the series "Unhurrying with a Rule of Life", as part of Practicing the Way. The twentieth century spiritual director Evelyne Underhill once said, “The spirit of Joy and the spirit of Hurry cannot live in the same house.” In part one of this two-part teaching, we explore a biblical theology of joy, and all the ways it is incompatible with hurry.
Our annual lecture on shopping habits and how they affect human rights and the environment. Taught by Josh Porter of Van City Church.
Part 6 of the series "Unhurrying with a Rule of Life", as part of Practicing the Way. Most of us live with low-grade fatigue, depression, stress, and a feeling of chronic burnout that rarely goes away. Tired is the new normal. The concept of margin – the space between our load and our limits – is alien in a secular world that is obsessed with time and efficiency, but has no vision of eternity. In this teaching we explore a biblical theology of limits, as well as the practice of simplicity as a way to live within our God-given limits and become people of love.
Part 5 of the series "Unhurrying with a Rule of Life", as part of Practicing the Way. Ultimately nothing in this life, apart from God, can satisfy our desires. But tragically we continue to chase desire in a chronic state of restlessness, coupled with underlying anxiety driving us increasingly into a life of hurry. In this teaching we take a look at sabbath as a means to fight hurry and tap into the deep soul rest Jesus offers.
Part 4 of the series "Unhurrying with a Rule of Life", as part of Practicing the Way. Richard Foster once said, “Our adversary, the devil, majors in three things: noise, hurry, and crowds.” It’s not just the hurry of the modern, secular world that’s at odds with the life we crave, but the noise. For millennia, master teachers of the way of Jesus have said that silence and solitude are indispensable to the spiritual life. In this teaching, we explore the practice and power of quiet in a world that can’t stop talking.
Part 3 of the series " Unhurrying with a Rule of Life", as part of Practicing the Way. The odds are high that even if we come up with a healthy, wise, thoughtful rule of life, our digital devices will likely sabotage our best intentions. In this teaching we make the case for a digital asceticism, or a digital rule of life, as well as explore the key role attention plays in our spiritual formation.
Part 2 of the series " Unhurrying with a Rule of Life", as part of Practicing the Way. Jesus said the secret to experiencing the life and joy He has for us is to “abide in the vine.” But how do we do this in the day and age of smartphones and news alerts and urban noise and the demands of adulthood? The answer from the ancient church is to develop a rule of life. In this teaching we explore this ancient, yet incredibly helpful idea.
Part 1 of the series " Unhurrying with a Rule of Life", as part of Practicing the Way. Dallas Willard once called hurry, “the great enemy of spiritual life in our day,” and said followers of Jesus (who was rarely, if ever, in a hurry) must “ruthlessly eliminate hurry.” In this teaching, we kick off our fall practice with the pyscho-spiritual case against hurry as incompatible with love, and touch on the ancient practice of a rule of life as a way to slow down to the speed of love.
Generosity is a lifestyle. In this teaching, we explore how to leverage all that we have been given for God‘s kingdom even in the age to come.
This teaching began with a video on the theology of generosity from The Bible Project. Watch the video here.
The cultural current of our day moves us on a trajectory toward greed, materialism, hurry, and discontentment. But Jesus said that generosity is the key to living a happy, content, free life. In this teaching, we explore Jesus’ teaching in Luke 11 on generosity and the inner architecture of our hearts.
“Love is the acid test of spiritual formation.” If the telos of the spiritual journey is to become the kind of people who receive and give the love of God, the question is, How do we become people who are pervaded by love? In this annual update to our learnings around spiritual formation, we explore a very simple idea and practice that has the potential to transform us into people of love.
Even when we're asking God for what we want, we're giving him what he wants: our heats. In this teaching, we learn practical steps on a lifelong, and life-giving practice; Prayer
Taught by Pete Greig (Emmaus Rd. & 24-7 Prayer)
How do we tell others about Jesus with confidence and without fear in an increasingly hostile culture?
Taught by Ger Jones of Vintage Church
We are over half way into our building campaign and continue to be so encouraged by your generosity. Since the campaign began, our church has given more than ever before. We are confident that God is at work in the hearts of our church family. Our goal is to raise $3 million by December, 2019 for the purchase of Holladay Park Church of God, in Northeast Portland. And with $1 million already in savings from previous years of giving, our hope was to pay for all the needed renovations within that saved budget. Unfortunately, we have learned the required renovations will cost more money and take more time than anticipated.
bridgetown.church/give
In our annual vision series, we lay out a paradigm for what it means to apprentice under Jesus. To follow Jesus is to organize your entire life around three goals: to be with Jesus, to become like Jesus, and do what Jesus would do if he were you. This is our vision of practicing the way of Jesus, together.
What does the heart of a disciple look like? It is the heart to die to self and leave the resurrection up to God. Jesus not only lives this lifestyle but teaches us to have it by giving us the metaphor of pruning and producing fruit in John 15. It is God's desire that we bear fruit, as he is glorified by it and heaven comes through it.
Taught by Alex Rhettmann of Saints Hill Church
In this well known, but often missed-out-on story of Jesus walking on the water, we notice the writer Matthew’s key insights from Jesus life and teaching about to become a “non-anxious presence” in a world caught in a vicious cycle of anxiety. We have faith and release control.
Facing rejection and grief Jesus retreats from the busyness of his work to find a quiet place to be alone. When he gets there he's faced, not by silence, but by need.
What can we as modern disciples of Jesus learn from one strange story of how Jesus turns a little bit of food into a lot more?
In the middle of Matthew's biography of Jesus, we learn the awful fate of John the Baptist. If this is what happens to the one who prepares the way for the Messiah, what will happen to the Messiah himself? This haunting story acts as an enduring reminder that the way of Jesus will always be an affront to the powers that be.
Part 5 from the series "Community", as part of Practicing the Way. Dave Lomas teaches from the life of Mary, the wisdom of Proverbs, and the 9th Commandment: “Do not give false testimony.” In this we learn one of the foundational practices for emotionally healthy relationships - the need to stop mind reading and start clarifying expectations.
Part 4 from the series "Community", as part of Practicing the Way. We are relational beings because we are created in the image of a relational God. As we look at how God Father, Son, and Spirit relate to one another we learn about how true community is marked by hospitality.
Part 3 from the series "Community", as part of Practicing the Way. For most Westerners, honor is a foreign concept. Ours is a culture of sarcasm, irreverence, ungrateful entitlement, of “othering” – a culture of contempt. In this teaching we explore Paul’s command to “honor one another above yourselves,” and just how life-changing (and life-bringing) it could be for our community.
Part 2 from the series "Community", as part of Practicing the Way. Jesus likened his community to a family. At first this sounds nice and even sentimental, but this was actually one of Jesus’ most radical ideas, one that got him killed. It was radical in the first century, and it’s just as radical in the 21st century. In this teaching we discover why.
Part 1 from the series "Community", as part of Practicing the Way. We kick off our summer practice with a teaching on the fallout of individualism in the Western world – loneliness, and its dark twin: tribalism. Is there a practice from the way of Jesus that would set us up to live in a rich web of relationships where we grow and mature into Christlikeness? Yes, it’s community, Jesus’ school of love.
When Jesus returns to the familiarity of his home and his family he is met not with a celebratory welcome, but with skepticism and rejection. The divisive nature of Jesus’ person and teachings serves as both warning and encouragement for all who would follow in his footsteps: Rejection is inevitable.
Throngs of people crowded around Jesus on a lakeshore. The question on their minds was, “what is the coming Kingdom going to be like?” Jesus’ answer is surprising, frustrating, and seemingly foolish: God’s rule is like good people and bad people growing together.
Matthew 13 begins a series of teachings of parables. These common stories are meant to surprise us and invite us to re-evaluate our lives from the ground up. Jesus begins his parabolic teachings with a story about a farmer sowing seed, encouraging his audience to think and re-think whether or not they have truly heard the message of the kingdom.
Part 10 from the series "Naming Your Stage of Apprenticeship" as part of Practicing the Way. We end our spring practice on stage theory with a case study from the story of Rachel and Leah. At first glance, it’s just a story about patriarchy and sex and power dynamics in family, but upon closer inspection, we realize it’s actually story about the ideas from the last two months of teaching – first and second half of life, the wall, the dark night, and the tragedy of what happens when people don’t make the transition to maturity, as well as the invitation and hope for those who do.
Part 9 from the series, "Naming Your Stage of Apprenticeship", as part of Practicing the Way. In this follow up teaching on the dark night of the soul, we explore St. John of the Cross and St. Teresa of Avila’s paradigm of the “dark night of the senses” and the “dark night of the spirit,” and they fit into the ancient stage theory paradigm of the “three ways.” Whether you agree with their view or not, and regardless of whether you’re in a dark night, or a season of the felt-presence of God, the spiritual journey is always one from attachment and anxiety to freedom to love, and into a growing sense of union with God.
Part 8 from the series, "Naming Your Stage of Apprenticeship", as part of Practicing the Way. At some point in the spiritual journey, we come to what St. John of the Cross called “the dark night of the soul” – a season in which our experience of God feels more like absence than presence. God intentionally withdraws the felt-sense of his presence to do a work of purgation and preparation for a deeper intimacy. But few of us have a category of this, so we misdiagnosis the phenomena and often run aground in our journey. In part one of a two-part teaching on the dark night, we explore Jesus’ invitations to us in seasons of darkness and dryness.
Part 7 from the series, "Naming Your Stage of Apprenticeship", as part of Practicing the Way. America is a first half of life culture. As a result, most of our spirituality focuses on the first half and very little is offered about how to navigate the shifts that occur during the second half of life. In this teaching with Morris Dirks we highlight the spiritual challenges as well as the opportunities as we climb the “second mountain.” It’s never to early to ask the question, “What kind of an old person do I want to be?” If we want to go the distance Jesus calls us to move from the “identity journey” to “wisdom journey”. Listen in to learn more about following Jesus in the second half of life.
Part 6 from the series, "Naming Your Stage of Apprenticeship", as part of Practicing the Way. In this teaching we introduce an ancient paradigm called “active and passive spirituality,” a key idea in spiritual formation that we’ve lost in the modern, Western church. We mature by a combination of practicing the way of Jesus (active spirituality) and accepting the invitations of Jesus in our pain. A key question we must ask daily is: What is Jesus trying to do in my life, and how do I cooperate?
Part 5 from the series, "Naming Your Stage of Apprenticeship", as part of Practicing the Way. The most basic stage theory paradigm is the two halves of life, which even Jesus gives a nod to in a post-resurrection conversation with Peter. Many find this simple frame of the spiritual journey to be enormously helpful, especially if they are in the arduous middle passage from first to second. In this teaching, we explore the dangers and invitations for us as followers of Jesus in Portland, whether we find ourselves in the first half, the middle passage, or the second half of life.
Part 4 from the series, "Naming Your Stage of Apprenticeship", as part of Practicing the Way. We overview a stage theory paradigm called “The Critical Journey,” a six-stage journey to a life of love. We then talk about getting stuck, transitions, our culture’s conspiracy against the depth and maturity, and the wall.
Part 3 from the series, "Naming Your Stage of Apprenticeship", as part of Practicing the Way. In every stage of our formation journey we must awaken to engage all dimensions of our being. This core truth—rooted in the sacred text from Deuteronomy 6v4—guided the ancient Israelites, and is just as imperative for us to apply to our formation today.
From Easter 2019 and Part 2 of the series, "Naming Your Stage of Apprenticeship" as part of Practicing the Way. We summarize Bernard of Clairvaux’s stage theory paradigm of love and reiterate that the end goal of the spiritual journey is love. As Paul said, “Now remain these three: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.” However, love cannot grow outside the soil of faith and hope, and our Western culture is hemorrhaging both faith (or meaning) and hope. What does the good news of Easter have to say to our cultural moment of meaninglessness and hopelessness?
Part 1 from the series, "Naming Your Stage of Apprenticeship", as part of Practicing the Way. If apprenticeship to Jesus is a journey, is there a map? Or at least some landmarks to navigate by? Have any older, wiser followers of Jesus left behind insights on how to stay on the path? Avoid detours and pitfalls? Continue to progress, and not plateau, or worse, regress? It turns out, the answer is a resounding yes. Since the very beginning of the church, teachers of the way of Jesus have made an attempt to map the spiritual journey. And while all journeys are different, it turns out, all journeys are similar too. In the first teaching in our series, we explore an ancient paradigm called “The Three Ways,” which charts a course from purgation through illumination to union.
A sit down conversation with Luke & Anna Hellebronth from Worship Central and Gas Street Church.
Live Q&R from the Holy Spirit Conference with Luke & Anna Hellebronth, Alan Scott, & John Mark Comer
Session 3 of the 2019 Holy Spirit Conference with special guest Alan Scott from Vinyard Anaheim
Session 2 of the 2019 Holy Spirit Conference with special guest Alan Scott from Vinyard Anaheim
Session 1 of the 2019 Holy Spirit Conference with special guest Alan Scott from Vinyard Anaheim
The religious leaders challenge Jesus and demand a sign from him. Like them, many of us have asked Jesus for a sign, demanding that he proves himself and that he is worth following. Yet, Jesus’ will not play the leaders games and he will not play ours. Instead, Jesus invites us to draw near, to listen, and embrace the posture of discipleship at his feet.
From the series "God & Sexuality." Author and teacher Jon Tyson leads us through in-depth sessions on how to thoughtfully explore and celebrate the purpose and design for human sexuality.
From the series "God & Sexuality." Author and teacher Jon Tyson leads us through in-depth sessions on how to thoughtfully explore and celebrate the purpose and design for human sexuality.
From the series "God & Sexuality." Author and teacher Jon Tyson leads us through in-depth sessions on how to thoughtfully explore and celebrate the purpose and design for human sexuality.
From the series "God & Sexuality." Author and teacher Jon Tyson leads us through in-depth sessions on how to thoughtfully explore and celebrate the purpose and design for human sexuality.
From the series "God & Sexuality." Author and teacher Jon Tyson leads us through in-depth sessions on how to thoughtfully explore and celebrate the purpose and design for human sexuality.
From the series "God & Sexuality." Human beings are 'narrative animals' – we all live from a story that makes sense of what life is all about. In this teaching, we compare and contrast the secular story of sexuality to the Scripture story, and end with an invitation to trust that Jesus knows better than us what will lead to our deepest happiness.
From the series "Gospel of Matthew." Jesus is accused of being a glutton, a drunkard, a criminal, a fake, even an evil sorcerer. What his accusers seem to overlook are the powerful consequences of loose talk. This is more than a little sobering for disciples of Jesus some 2,000 years later. Our words have the power to steward faith in Jesus, or to stamp it out. To lift others up, or to bring them down.
In an age of entertainment & scepticism, where we have been culturally conditioned to simply consume, how do we cultivate biblical habits of worship? This week is an exploration of public & private praise and the ways in which we experience an eternal reality through worship.
Part 7 from the series, "Sabbath" as part of Practicing the Way. As we near the end of our Sabbath series, we finally come to Jesus’ relationship with the seventh day. People often misread Jesus’ teachings on the Sabbath as negative, but nothing could be further from the truth. In Jesus biography, we see him set every seventh day to stop, rest, delight, and worship.
Part 6 from the series, "Sabbath" as part of Practicing the Way. As we are learning about Sabbath, this week we create a restful experience in our Sunday gathering. With Psalm 23 as a framework, we explore what it means to rest with God as our Shepherd.
Part 5 from the series, "Sabbath" as part of Practicing the Way. We live in a 24/7 culture of endless productivity, workaholism, distraction, burnout, and anxiety--a way of life to which we've sadly grown accustomed. This tired system of "life" ultimately destroys our souls, our bodies, our relationships, our society, and the rest of God's creation. The whole world grows exhausted because humanity has forgotten to enter into God's rest.
Part 4 from the series, "Sabbath" as part of Practicing the Way. In Sabbath we bring to God our whole selves, believing that he meets us where we are. As we acknowledge our humanity and aches, we create space to encounter the God who longs to meet with us.
Part 3 from the series, "Sabbath" as part of Practicing the Way. In a society addicted to the twin drugs of accomplishment and accumulation, the Sabbath is an act of resistance. A way of saying, Enough. Pharaoh and his empire are alive and well. Like the Israelites, we must live into our own Exodus, our own freedom.
Part 2 from the series, "Sabbath" as part of Practicing the Way. In the Genesis story, God worked for six days, and then he rested on the Sabbath. In doing so, he built a rhythm into the fabric of creation. But over the years, we’ve lost this dynamic interplay between work and rest, to our own peril. As H.H. Farmer said, “If you go against the grain of the universe you get splinters.” In this teaching, we begin to lay out a biblical theology of Sabbath, noting six ideas: 1. The Sabbath is built into the rhythm of creation, 2. Blessed, 3. Holy, 4. Not a day off, but a day for worship, 5. Both a command and a gift, and 6. A day we are to remember.
Part 1 from the series "Sabbath" as part of Practicing the Way. We begin one of the most important practices of Jesus with a big picture look at the restlessness of the human condition, and how it’s exacerbated by the digital age and our consumeristic culture. We contrast that with the restfulness of Jesus, which is more than just a day, but is a spirit we live by all week long.
To be human is to have longings. We long for transcendence, for beauty, for love, and for a story in which we belong; and everyone finds a story to satisfy explain the longings and the world we find ourselves in. Yet, the way of Jesus presents us with the most compelling story of what it means to be human.
From the series "Fighting The World, The Flesh, & The Devil" as part of Practicing The Way. At the center of the way of Jesus is a symbol: the cross. Yet all too often we see it as a sentimental song or piece of jewelry, rather than a way of life. The way to resurrection life has always been through Golgotha death. Self-denial is the entry point to the life of Jesus.
From the series "Fighting The World, The Flesh, & The Devil" as part of Practicing The Way. Much of what our generation calls “culture,” Jesus and the writers of the Bible call “the world” – a system of ideas, values, practices and social norms that are institutionalized into a culture that is organized around rebellion against God and the redefinition of good and evil. How do we keeping from getting assimilated by the world?
From the series, "Fighting the World, the Flesh, & the Devil" as part of Practicing the Way. In this follow up message on the flesh, we dive deep into the fields of psychology, philosophy, and theology, to see how they add color to Paul’s teaching in Galatians on the law of returns. Our acts and habits of mind and body either sow to the flesh, and reap slavery to sin and death, or the spirit, and yield a character and destiny of life and freedom.
From the series, "Fighting the World, the Flesh, & the Devil" as part of Practicing the Way. In this teaching we lay out a Biblical theology of the flesh, this animalistic, primal drive in all of us, that wars against the Spirit in our heart. We talk Augustine, Freud, evolutionary psychology, coyotes, and the radical redefinition of freedom and slavery in the West.
From the series, "Fighting the World, the Flesh, & the Devil" as part of Practicing the Way. The Devil doesn't overpower or coerce us with his lies, instead he utilizes the seductive allure of influence. The authors of the Scriptures call this "giving the Devil a foothold." As apprentices of Jesus, how should we navigate our life and relationships without opening ourselves to the pull of the enemy?
From the series "Fighting the World, the Flesh, & the Devil" as part of Practicing the Way. Our lives and the world around us are often riddled with all kinds of evil, injustice, and suffering. Is God ever to blame, or is the devil capable of more than just lying? How do we, as apprentices of Jesus, learn to identify the work of the evil one with confidence?
From the series, "Fighting the World, the Flesh, & the Devil" as part of Practicing the Way. Guest speaker, Sarah Deutscher from Red Church in Melbourne, unpacks the humanity of Jesus, the devil's tactics and how we can follow Jesus in spiritual warfare.
From the series, "Fighting the World, the Flesh, & the Devil" as part of Practicing the Way. In this teaching, guest speaker Mark Sayers joins us from Red Church in Melbourne, Australia to unpack what the Scriptures mean by "Elemental Forces."
From the series, "Fighting the World, the Flesh, & the Devil" as part of Practicing the Way. This audio is taken from a video interview with Dr. Tim Mackie on God, the “gods”, and the spiritual backdrop of the Bible.
From the series, "Fighting the World, the Flesh, & the Devil" as part of Practicing the Way. For Jesus, the devil’s primary strategy to ruin the soul and society isn’t what most of us expect. It’s lies. More specifically, it’s deceptive ideas that play to disordered desires that are normalized in a sinful society. In this teaching, we explore how we are transformed by Spirit and truth, and deformed by isolation and lies. And we look to Jesus’ example of spiritual disciplines as spiritual warfare.
From the series, "Fighting the World, the Flesh, & the Devil" as part of Practicing the Way. The modern, secular world laughs off the idea of the devil as a relic from the pre-scientific age. “Now we know better” is the mantra of the progressive west. And yet, secular theories that attempt to explain evil fall flat of the human experience. For Jesus, there is an invisible but intelligent evil at work in the world, but his primary strategy isn’t what most of us expect. It’s lies. Fighting the devil is first and foremost about the war to believe truth over lies.
From our Vision Series 2018. In this teaching we put forward our vision of practicing the way of Jesus, together, in Portland at Bridgetown Church.
From our Vision Series 2018. In this extended version, we kick off with some recommended reading and end with upcoming highlights for the communities at Bridgetown Church. Practicing the way of Jesus is all about creating space for love. Making room to be with Jesus, become like Jesus, and do what he did. In this vision Sunday teaching, we lay out a vision for apprenticeship to Jesus, as well as the year ahead at Bridgetown Church.
From our Vision Series 2018. Practicing the way of Jesus is all about creating space for love. Making room to be with Jesus, become like Jesus, and do what he did. In this vision Sunday teaching, we lay out a vision for apprenticeship to Jesus, as well as the year ahead at Bridgetown Church.
From our Vision Series 2018, Guest speaker Jason Ballard of Alpha Canada casts vision for how our church can partner together to host those who are seeking. Alpha is structured around an open and informal dialogue about faith, the person of Jesus and what it all means. For those who do not identify as followers of jesus, we want to hear your thoughts and questions as we explore these themes without the pressured atmosphere that usually accompanies these conversations. Come enjoy a meal with good company and engage important conversation about life. No cost. Follow the link to register bridgetown.church/alpha
From the series, "Gospel of Matthew." As Jesus continues his work, he stirs up controversy with religious leaders by doing good at the expense of formal rule-keeping. And in normal fashion, Jesus is constantly challenging our desire for a black and white world by offering us something unexpectedly better. What does it mean for us, as disciples of Jesus, to understand the value in tradition without lapsing into ritualism?
From the series, "Eating & Drinking" as part of Practicing the Way. In the last teaching on the practice of eating and drinking, we go back to the Hebrew ideas of animal sacrifice and covenant meals to better understand God's design and intention for communion. Since the fall, God has been longing for intimacy with his creation and through the altar he provided a way to the table.
From the series, "Eating & Drinking" as part of Practicing the Way. The Lord’s supper, communion, the eucharist – whatever you call eating and drinking with God, this practice is at the very center of the church. And yet it’s changed over the years. What started out as a full meal, around a table, in a home, with a spirit of gratitude, joy and celebration, has since become a quiet, contemplative, individualistic meditation on our sin and its cost to Jesus. How did this practice evolve? Or devolve? And how could we re-imagine this practice as a meal?
From the Series, "Eating & Drinking" as part of Practicing the Way. We near the end of our practice of eating and drinking with the third dimension: eating and drinking with God. The Lord’s supper was originally exactly what it sounds like, a supper. A meal around a table with Jesus and his community. This core practice changed the Roman Empire. Could it change our world yet again?
From the series, "Gospel of Matthew." As apprentices of Jesus, we are just as capable of following Jesus in some aspects of our lives as we are to completely reject him in others. What does it mean to fully accept the easy yoke Jesus offered?
From the series, "Gospel of Matthew." In a secular society, doubt is the new normal. But doubt is nothing new; we see it in John the Baptizer, a prophet that Jesus called the greatest man to ever live. And in this story of John’s wrestle with doubt, we see that Jesus’ invitation isn’t to certainty, but to trust.
From the series, "Gospel of Matthew." Jesus warns and encourages his disciples about what will come as they live into his Kingdom mission. What would it look like to live as a disciple, free of all fear, fully alive to his power?
From the series, "Eating and Drinking" as part of Practicing the Way. Jesus was the happiest person alive, and he prayed that his apprentices would have “the full measure of my joy within them.” Joy is more than just an emotion; it is an overall condition of the heart. But how do we become joyful people? Through the spiritual discipline of celebration. And the best way to do that is to eat together as a family…
From the series, "Eating and Drinking" as part of Practicing the Way. Long before followers of Jesus ever built cathedrals, they met in homes, around a table, eating and drinking as brothers and sisters. As family. This is a very simple idea that tragically, we’ve lost over the millennia, at great cost to the church. What if we were to recapture the shared meal as the center of gravity in our church?
From the series, "Gospel of Matthew." In a post-Christian world, followers of Jesus are not the majority. If we are to reach a world like ours, what posture are we to take? In our time and place, Jesus invites us to follow him and become like him. The harvest is plenty, but the workers are few.
From the series, "Gospel of Matthew." Jesus is proclaiming a gospel where the foundation is on the glory of what God has done, not the righteous effort of man. A religious spirit has no place in his kingdom, he is doing a new thing, offering a new wine. will we value the wine over the wineskin and drink of his new covenant?
From the series "Gospel of Matthew." In this teaching we learn Matthew's origin story and meet the Pharisees at a lively dinner party.
From the series, "Eating & Drinking" as part of Practicing the Way. One dimension of the ancient art of hospitality is using food to do justice. Though Jesus’s ambition was to use the dinner table as a tool to do good, he was well aware that it was also being used to do injustice. The same is true today: Everything you eat has a story. How can we, as disciples of Jesus, break our food’s relationship with injustice in order to do good, eating and drinking?
From the series, "Eating & Drinking" as part of Practicing the Way. Jesus said we are to “love your neighbor as yourself.” What if he meant our actual neighbors? What if we were to reimagine our homes not as a castle to hide in, but as an outpost for the kingdom of God? And our tables as a tangible expression of love? Our meals as the setting where strangers become neighbors and neighbors become brothers and sisters?
From the series, "Eating & Drinking" as part of Practicing The Way. Jesus “came eating and drinking.” If he had a “method of evangelism,” that was it: eat a meal with people far from God. And all through the New Testament, apprentices of Jesus are commanded to follow his example through the practice of hospitality. Something as radically ordinary and setting a table can create space for people far from God to experience the Father’s warm welcome into his family.
Does God still use dreams to speak to us? As strange and bizarre as they seem at times? The bible is full of examples where God has used dreams to speak to his people. Guest speaker Jeannine Rodriguez-Everard uses these stories to lay out a biblical theology of dreams as well as an intro to interpretation.
From the series, "Gospel of Matthew." In this teaching, we cover three stories that point to Jesus's authority, given by the Father and a glimpse of what it means to truly make him Lord of our lives.
The journey of great faith often begins with what guest speaker, Pete Hughes, calls a threshold moment. The point where you are standing in between what you can control and what God is calling you into. How do we know when to step out? How do we follow God into the unknown?
Session 4 of Holy Spirit Conference 2018 with special guests Mike Pilavachi and Tom Smith of Soul Survivor Church in the UK.
Session 3 of Holy Spirit Conference 2018 with special guests Mike Pilavachi and Tom Smith of Soul Survivor Church in the UK.
Session 2 of Holy Spirit Conference 2018 with special guests Mike Pilavachi and Tom Smith of Soul Survivor Church in the UK.
Session 1 of Holy Spirit Conference 2018 with special guests Mike Pilavachi and Tom Smith of Soul Survivor Church in the UK.
From the series, "Gospel of Matthew." What does it look like to have heaven invade earth? How do we receive the kingdom and how do we give it to others? Jesus shows us what this looks like when he confronts people on the margins of his society through the miracle of healing.
From the series, "Gospel of Matthew." Jesus ends his manifesto of life in the kingdom of the heavens, not with a pep talk or feel-good story, but with a warning about what happens when we don’t put his teachings into practice. In the “information age” and a cultural moment where hearing something and then doing nothing about it is the new normal, this is a warning we need to hear and heed.
From the series, "Gospel of Matthew." The modern world is a terribly confusing place to call home. We need luminaries to speak on behalf of reality and point the way to the good life. First century Jews called these luminaries "prophets." We might call them philosophers or psychologists or podcasters or pastors. But Jesus issued a stern warning: beware of false prophets. A warning we need to hear and heed in the modern church.
Every day we hear two clashing narratives: 1. The world is coming apart at the seams. Or: 2. Welcome to utopia. Both have data to back up their point. But both fall short of reality. In Romans 8, Paul tells a third story about one world that is dying off, and another that is coming to birth. His metaphor for the felt-experience of life this side of our resurrection is that of birth pangs.
From the series, "Forgiving As We Have Been Forgiven" as part of Practicing the Way. In our final teaching, we flip it around from forgiving people who have hurt us, to reconciling with people we have hurt. In a cultural moment of victimization, it's all to easy to blame shift and make excuses, but the invitation of Jesus is to journey down the long, slow road of reconciliation.
From the series, "Forgiving As We Have Been Forgiven" as part of Practicing the Way. One of, if not the greatest, gifts we receive as apprentices of Jesus is forgiveness. But to Jesus, this is a gift we are to pass on to others. His end goal is for his apprentices to grow and mature into the kind of people who are forgiving by nature. But this is hard to do! In this teaching, we move from the idea of teaching to the practice of it. Using a five stage process called R.E.A.C.H., we aim to replace the emotions attached to our wounds.
From the series, "Forgiving As We Have Been Forgiven" as part of Practicing the Way. Many of us get stuck in unforgiveness over the many ways we’ve been wounded. The key to healing and freedom isn’t just to release somebody from the debt owed; but to find a way to transform out pain into something beautiful.
From the series "Forgiving As We Have Been Forgiven" as part of Practicing The Way. Forgiveness is integral in our discipleship with Jesus. We live in a world polluted by sin and shame, and relationships in this broken world are often marked by disappointment, loss, and pain. God is calling us to forgive because Jesus himself chose to forgive.
From the series, "Gospel of Matthew." If we're going to practice the way of Jesus, we must recognize that the way of our city and the way of Jesus are not the same. In a culture where the mantra is, "Do whatever feels good", Jesus invites his followers through the narrow gate and on the hard way because it alone leads to life.
From the series, "Gospel of Matthew." As we near the end of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus summarizes his set of teachings with a now famous one-line aphorism – the Golden Rule. In this teaching we explore the power of treating people the way you would want to be treated. So simple, yet so very hard to live by.
Guest teacher Chris Wienand explores Matthew 4 with a specific focus on the tactics of satan. Understanding the way our enemy operates can help us to press further in to the protection of our community and our Savior, Jesus.
We are excited to introduce This Cultural Moment, a new podcast about following Jesus in the post-christian world. In the very first episode, This Cultural Moment explores the secular, progressive, post-christian world in which we live and asks how followers of Jesus are meant to engage. This Cultural Moment is a collaboration of John Mark Comer of Bridgetown Church in Portland, USA and Mark Sayers of Red Church in Melbourne, Australia. Be sure to subscribe and listen along each week as the discussion continues. thisculturalmoment.com
From the series, "Gospel of Matthew." The foundation of prayer is relationship with God. Do we believe that God is actually good and will respond to our requests? The journey of asking is dynamic, laced with beauty and sometimes disappointment, but always revealing God’s goodness towards us.
From the series, "Fasting" as part of Practicing the Way. Fasting isn’t just about us; it’s about standing in solidarity with the poor, who regularly go without food. Fasting trains our hearts in compassion, and opens up money and time to serve those in need. Regular fasting tied to generosity is a small, but surprisingly effective way to see justice come to our city.
From the series "Fasting" as part of Practicing the Way. Do you ever feel stuck in prayer? Like there’s a wall between you and heaven you just can’t break through? You’re not alone. The practice of fasting is an aid and amplifier to prayer. A way of expressing whole-person hunger to God. In this teaching we explore the situations in which an apprentice of Jesus might couple fasting with prayer.
From the series "Fasting" as part of Practicing the Way. How do you fast if you’ve had an unhealthy relationship with food? Listen along as we discuss eating disorders, body image, and Jesus’ call to health and wholeness. We interview a woman who has overcome an eating disorder in her own life and hear how she interacts with fasting now.
From the series "Fasting" as part of Practicing the Way. In our hedonistic culture, most over-abused and under-used of all the practices of Jesus is fasting. So many people are confused over what fasting even is, much less the reasons we fast. In Part 1 of our series on fasting, we explore one of three reasons: to starve the flesh and feed the spirit. Fasting, it turns out, is about freedom.
From the series, "Gospel of Matthew." To apprentice under Jesus means to live free from judgement. Jesus knows that the Father will ultimately judge all things. Our posture as apprentices is to embrace others, as well as ourselves, with our true identity: loved children of God.
From the series, "Gospel of Matthew." Jesus claims that Gods love and care for you can rid you of anxiety. To focus your life on the King and his kingdom, is to live with all that you need.
From the series, "Gospel of Matthew." Jesus teaches that whatever we set our hearts on we give power to. That thing will have influence in our lives, and even become our master. But in his great love for us, God invites us to set our hearts rightly, where we will be truly satisfied.
From the series, "Gospel of Matthew." In a world of excess, luxury, and the showcasing of possessions, Jesus commands that his disciples choose a lifestyle of simplicity. How do those of us who are rich by a global standard emulate a teacher who was poor? In The Sermon on the Mount, Jesus teaches what it means to reject our deeply held notions of treasure so that we may embody a better way.
"A disciple is someone who is leaning back on Jesus, hearing his heartbeat, and from that perspective, looking out into the world.”
- Dave Lomas
From the series “Discovering Your Identity & Calling” as part of Practicing The Way. We close out our series with a few thoughts on dreams. God’s people have always been dreamers. And dreams are often God’s catalyst to propel us into his vision for our identity and calling. But when those dreams finally come to pass, they are usually different, harder, and longer… but also better.
Every fall, as people are gearing up for the insanity of Christmas consumerism, we host a lecture around the fashion industry and it’s connection to injustice, environmental harm, and materialism. This year we host Maxine Bédat, the CEO of Zady, a new clothing company challenging the status quo. Maxine lays out the historical shift from citizen to consumer, and the problems it’s created, as well as solutions for a better kind of world. In a world where over a billion people work on the garment industry, and only 2% of them make a living wage, as the people of Jesus we want to tell an alternative story.
From the series “Discovering Your Identity & Calling” as part of Practicing The Way. It’s one thing to discover your identity and calling; it’s a whole other thing to actually grow and mature into the somebody who is like Jesus, and in doing so, your real, true self. In this teaching, we end a two-part teaching on the “how-to” of spiritual formation.
From the series “Discovering Your Identity & Calling” as part of Practicing The Way. It’s one thing to discover your identity and calling; it’s a whole other thing to actually grow and mature into the somebody who is like Jesus, and in doing so, your real, true self. In this teaching, we begin a two-part teaching on the “how” of spiritual formation.
From the series “Discovering Your Identity & Calling” as part of Practicing The Way. We often think of work as a means to an end, to get what we need to do what we want. Our work environment tends to be overlooked when we think of true ministry. But what if we could discover ways to have our inner calling as Jesus followers move it’s way outward and into our vocation? In this teaching, guest speaker Alan Scott unpacks the value of a kingdom-minded work ethic.
From the series “Discovering Your Identity & Calling” as part of Practicing The Way. You can’t get very far down the path of transformation until you discover your identity and calling, but this journey of self-discovery takes us straight into the maw of the beast: our sin. And even more: what some call our “shadow side.” But until we expose our blind spots to the light, we will never experience the life that Jesus has for all his followers.
From the series “Discovering Your Identity & Calling” as part of Practicing The Way. For most of us, our identity is rooted in earth - what we do, what we have, what other people think of us, etc. But for followers of Jesus our identity is rooted in who we are becoming in him. In this teaching, we explore a theology of identity from Ephesians.
From the series “Discovering Your Identity & Calling” as part of Practicing The Way. We kick of our series and practice of discovering your identity and calling with an overview of the journey all followers of Jesus are invited to go on. In ways that few people recognize, the journey into self-awareness is also the road to spiritual formation. As we become more like Jesus, we become more like our real, true self. It takes courage to go on this journey, but it’s worth every harrowing, beautiful step.
In Part 4 of the vision series we land the plan by talking about community as family, and the seven cultural markers of a healthy family.
In Part 3 of the vision series we retell the history of Bridgetown Church through seven shifts, each one leading to a value: biblical theology, mission, context, community, Holy Spirit, emotional health, and spiritual formation.
In Part 2 of our yearly Vision Series, guest speaker and author, Mark Sayers, pulls back the veneer of a post-christian culture and uncovers not only the danger of fitting in but the powerful presence of being formed into the likeness of Jesus.
Vision Series 2017: We kick off our annual vision series with a teaching on the heartbeat of our church: the idea that the way of Jesus is just that, a way of life. And one that takes practice, and community.
From the series, "Gospel of Matthew." For many of us, when it comes to fasting, our belief system can be distorted by subtle misconceptions. That in some way we get to control God by how we treat our body. Or, simply confusing it with the practice of abstinence. But just like prayer and giving to the poor, fasting can unlock a greater intimacy with the heart of God and welcome a deeper connection with the Father.
From the series, "Gospel of Matthew." Our heavenly Father knows our needs before we ask. Understanding the gravity of this truth can make or break our chance at a healthy motivation for prayer. In Matthew 6, Jesus calls us out of a religious routine and into a beautiful exchange of genuine love for God and others.
In our final interview we talk with pastor and author Bruxy Cavey about anabaptism, Christians killing other Christians in the name of their “Christian” nation, the 16th century persecution of non-violent followers of Jesus, and a pastoral word to those wrestling with Jesus’ teachings on enemy love. Listen to all the interviews with various theologians and experts on the subject of non-violence and enemy love, as we work out some of the implications of Jesus' teaching in Matthew 5.
We talk with author and theologian Greg Boyd about Romans 12 and 13, the separation of church and state, and a Christians’ relationship to the government. Are there things that government should do that followers of Jesus should not? Listen along all this week as we interview various theologians and experts on the subject of non-violence and enemy love, in order to work out some of the implications of Jesus' teaching in Matthew 5.
In this interview we talk with author and professor Dr. Gerry Breshears about self defense, home invasion, Christians as police officers, and, naturally, pepper spray.. Listen along all this week as we interview various theologians and experts on the subject of non-violence and enemy love, in order to work out some of the implications of Jesus' teaching in Matthew 5.
In our next interview, we talk with Sister Rosemary, a Catholic nun and the Head of Saint Monica Girls’ Tailoring Centre in Gulu, Uganda, about the persecuted church and loving your enemy even in the aftermath of the Lord’s Resistance Army lead by Joseph Kony. Listen along all this week as we interview various theologians and experts on the subject of non-violence and enemy love, in order to work out some of the implications of Jesus' teaching in Matthew 5.
We talk with professor Dr. Tim Mackie about violence in the book of Revelation and the Old Testament, and how to read the Bible. Listen along all this week as we interview various theologians and experts on the subject of non-violence and enemy love, in order to work out some of the implications of Jesus' teaching in Matthew 5.
This week we will be interviewing various theologians and experts on the subject of non-violence and enemy love, in order to work out some of the implications of Jesus' teaching in Matthew 5. In this first interview, we speak with author and professor Dr. Preston Sprinkle about church history, Just War Theory, and followers of Jesus in the military.
From the series, "Gospel of Matthew." So many of us live under the suffocating weight of the approval (or disapproval) of other people. Draining our already-low energy reserves in an attempt to look good, rather than be good. Jesus tackles this head on, calling his apprentices to a life of self-forgetful service of the needy, simply for the reward of our Father’s pleasure.
From the series, "Gospel of Matthew." We finally come to the last, and most radical, of Jesus’ six examples of his way: enemy love. For Jesus, it’s not enough to reject the flight or fight options, and look for a creative alternative to violence. He’s actually after love for our enemy. If we only love people we like, how are we any different from the world?
From the series, "Gospel of Matthew." Few of Jesus’ teachings are more thought-provoking and jarring to our culture than what he has to say on nonviolence and enemy love. To follow Jesus is to reject the either/or option of flight or fight, and to look for a third way, a creative, wise, intelligent, bold, and at times risky way to fight evil in a nonviolent way. The way of Jesus.
What does it look like for God to move? How do we bless what he is already up to in our place and time? Maybe even more important is how do we encourage God to move among us? Join us as Alex Rettmann looks at three key things for the family of God to do to bless his movement.
From the series, "Gospel of Matthew." It can be easy to skim the surface of what Jesus has to say about oaths. Our culture doesn't work the same way anymore. We don't really take oaths in our day-to-day lives. Jesus is getting at something deeper; living in complete honesty and integrity. If we are people living out the reflection of our creator, we should be a community of truth-tellers, understanding that our lives are predicated on Jesus' commitment to tell the truth and then fulfill it.
From the series, "Gospel of Matthew." When Jesus recounts the Laws from the Torah, he doesn't simply address the behavior, he gets to the heart of sin. His insight to the human condition and our need for God is monumental. Our weakness in lust creates a wake of objectification and oppression in the lives of others. Jesus is calling us to take drastic measures to eradicate the poison of lust from our lives.
From the series, "Gospel of Matthew." We live in a culture that says anger is good, that we should use it as the fuel for fighting injustice; anger can motivate us to finally get past our indifference. But the way of Jesus, as always, is different. Jesus reveals the vicious cycle of anger we all get sucked into, and more importantly, how to break it and live into his vision of the kingdom.
From the series, "Gospel of Matthew." What exactly does Jesus think about the Bible? In a time where the Bible is under assault, from both the right and the left, is there an option C? A new, creative way forward based on Jesus’ teachings on the Bible?
From the series "Prayer" as part of Practicing The Way. We tie off our series on prayer with Paul’s command to “pray constantly.” What exactly does he mean? Go join a monastery? Or is he inviting us to a life of “the practice of the presence of God”? John Mark Comer teaches out of his own life journey: to slow down, open up to the flow of the Spirit, and arrange each day around abiding.
In this teaching, Alex Rettmann leads our Church through the theology of prayer as outlined by the life and teaching of Jesus. This is a great resource for bringing the Kingdom to your community or church by understanding different types of prayer as well as practical steps for engaging the Spirit of God.
From the series "Prayer" as part of Practicing The Way. When Paul says that we have "the mind of Christ" he's getting at something profound: We can actually know the thoughts of God. Through the practice of listening prayer we can begin to distinguish God's voice and heart from everything else that can occupy our minds.
From the series "Prayer" as part of Practicing The Way. Our brains are highly complex, wired for intense imagery and emotional connectedness. So why, during prayer, do we work so hard to clear our minds simply to recite a few predetermined lines in God’s direction? Could God use our imaginations for greater intimacy with him? The practice of Imaginative prayer may help you unlock untapped potential in your relationship with the Father.
From the series "Prayer" as part of Practicing The Way. Our view of prayer can be inherently narrow: kneeling by the bed at the end of the day or by giving thanks before a meal. It’s not less than those things but it can be so much more. This teaching explores the concept of prayer by worship. Augustine says, “The man who sings prays twice.” There is something powerful that happens in an act of worship by singing and at it’s core, we discover prayer.
From the series "Prayer" as part of Practicing The Way. Unanswered prayer is the source of doubt and despair for millions of people. And for good reason, it’s confusing. Why is it that some prayers go unanswered? And how do we live with that?
From the series "Prayer" as part of Practicing The Way. Often when we think about “prayer,” what comes to mind is asking God for stuff. Prayer is so much more than that; but it’s not less! In this teaching, we look at Jesus’ commands to “ask,” and wrap our head around why Jesus thinks this kind of prayer is so important.
From the series "Prayer" as part of Practicing The Way. Prayer is not another experience we have in life; it's how we process all of our experiences with our heavenly Father. In this teaching, we hear many examples of the power of prayer as well as the practice of the Daily Examination of Consciousness.
From the series "Prayer" as part of Practicing The Way. Prayer was the center point of Jesus’ relationship with the Father. It was woven into the fabric of his daily life, and it seems like it wasn’t a chore for him - he really enjoyed his Father’s company. Most of us can’t relate to that. Prayer feels boring or awkward or hard. Could it be that we have yet to experience prayer like Jesus? In Luke 11, Jesus’ disciples ask, Teach us to pray! Jesus’ answer is a framework for prayer that has the potential to open up a whole new dimension to our life with the Father.
We are reeling from the moral decay and social disorder that has been exposed in the world. Are we experiencing something new in an age of self-discovery and godlessness? John Mark Comer interviews teacher and author Mark Sayers on the social, political, and religious climate of our progressive culture and what role the church should fulfill as we move forward.
From the series "Gospel of Matthew." As we continue in the sermon on the mount Jesus teaches his followers what it means to be salt of the earth and the light of the world. The God of Israel has always had a plan for his people to permeate all of society and bring his light and love.
From the final day of the Holy Spirit Conference 2017. Guest speaker Nick Drake teaches on the significance of singing together in worship and how that relates to the fullness of the Spirit and what God wants to do in us and through us.
From Easter Sunday, 2017. For more and more people in our city, the story of secularism just isn’t working. There’s a hopelessness to the cold, hard story of the modern world. Yet still, our society is haunted by the memory of another story, one full of meaning and purpose. The resurrection of Jesus changed the narrative arc of human history, and infused hope into the world. It’s time we recover this ancient story and base our lives around its reality.
From the series "Gospel of Matthew." In this teaching, we kick off “The Sermon on the Mount” – the most important teachings of Jesus all in one place. It’s Jesus' manifesto for a whole new way to be human in the kingdom of God. In the opening lines of the Sermon, Jesus radically redefines who is blessed around the least likely candidates. It’s one of the most important, and most misunderstood, of all Jesus’ teachings.
From the series "Gospel of Matthew." Contrary to popular opinion, the central message of Jesus wasn’t social justice, community, or even love. It was the kingdom of God. But what is the kingdom? And how do we live into it’s reality? And what will the kingdom do to reshape our life from the ground up?
From the series "God Has A Name." Many of us ache for relationship with God, yet feel distant and disconnected from him. As if he’s more of an idea we believe in our head than a person we relate to. In this series, we discover that Exodus 34v6-7, is God's self-disclosure of Himself. It is the most quoted verse in the Bible, by the Bible, and the epicenter for a theology of God. This series was originally recorded in 2013 and is now being re-release with the introduction of the new book “God Has A Name” from John Mark Comer.
From the series "God Has A Name." Many of us ache for relationship with God, yet feel distant and disconnected from him. As if he’s more of an idea we believe in our head than a person we relate to. In this series, we discover that Exodus 34v6-7, is God's self-disclosure of Himself. It is the most quoted verse in the Bible, by the Bible, and the epicenter for a theology of God. This series was originally recorded in 2013 and is now being re-release with the introduction of the new book “God Has A Name” from John Mark Comer.
From the series "God Has A Name." Many of us ache for relationship with God, yet feel distant and disconnected from him. As if he’s more of an idea we believe in our head than a person we relate to. In this series, we discover that Exodus 34v6-7, is God's self-disclosure of Himself. It is the most quoted verse in the Bible, by the Bible, and the epicenter for a theology of God. This series was originally recorded in 2013 and is now being re-release with the introduction of the new book “God Has A Name” from John Mark Comer.
From the series "God Has A Name." Many of us ache for relationship with God, yet feel distant and disconnected from him. As if he’s more of an idea we believe in our head than a person we relate to. In this series, we discover that Exodus 34v6-7, is God's self-disclosure of Himself. It is the most quoted verse in the Bible, by the Bible, and the epicenter for a theology of God. This series was originally recorded in 2013 and is now being re-release with the introduction of the new book “God Has A Name” from John Mark Comer.
From the series "God Has A Name." Many of us ache for relationship with God, yet feel distant and disconnected from him. As if he’s more of an idea we believe in our head than a person we relate to. In this series, we discover that Exodus 34v6-7, is God's self-disclosure of Himself. It is the most quoted verse in the Bible, by the Bible, and the epicenter for a theology of God. This series was originally recorded in 2013 and is now being re-release with the introduction of the new book “God Has A Name” from John Mark Comer.
From the series "God Has A Name." Many of us ache for relationship with God, yet feel distant and disconnected from him. As if he’s more of an idea we believe in our head than a person we relate to. In this series, we discover that Exodus 34v6-7, is God's self-disclosure of Himself. It is the most quoted verse in the Bible, by the Bible, and the epicenter for a theology of God. This series was originally recorded in 2013 and is now being re-release with the introduction of the new book “God Has A Name” from John Mark Comer.
From the series "God Has A Name." Many of us ache for relationship with God, yet feel distant and disconnected from him. As if he’s more of an idea we believe in our head than a person we relate to. In this series, we discover that Exodus 34v6-7, is God's self-disclosure of Himself. It is the most quoted verse in the Bible, by the Bible, and the epicenter for a theology of God. This series was originally recorded in 2013 and is now being re-release with the introduction of the new book "God Has A Name" from John Mark Comer.
We are excited to announce the new book from John Mark Comer, titled “God has a name.” Many of us ache for relationship with God, yet feel distant and disconnected from him. As if he’s more of an idea we believe in our head than a person we relate to. What if the real, true God is different, but far better than we could ever imagine? Available now in all major bookstores.
From the series "Dealing With Your Past" as part of Practicing The Way. In part 5, we finish up the practice of Dealing With Your Past by reflecting on specific memories and confronting our emotions and interpretations. By shining light on what happened, we can ask Jesus what he says about it. In the words of C.S. Lewis, "A sum can be put right: but only by going back till you find the error and working it afresh from that point, never by simply going on." To participate, visit practicingtheway.org/past.
From the series "Dealing With Your Past" as part of Practicing The Way. We all inherited patterns from our family of origin and culture. Some of those patterns are unhealthy and out of line with the way of Jesus, and we need to break them in order to move forward. But others are a generational blessing that we need to celebrate. One of the key tasks of our apprenticeship to Jesus is to identify the ways in which our family line is blessed, and pass that blessing on to the next generation.
From the series "Dealing With Your Past" as part of Practicing The Way. Narrative scripts are the messages we’ve received during the course of our lives. They shape the way we think and act. Even though some of our internal narratives are untrue, we can ultimately be shaped by a God who creates a new and better narrative for his people.
From the series "Dealing With Your Past" as part of Practicing The Way. When we press into our past, we discover patterns in our family of origin that have great influence in our lives. Identifying generational sin and brokenness is not a task for the faint of heart. But the ultimate goal is to uncover a framework for your life that will help you identify where you come from, so that you can better understand who you are, and where you’re going.
From the series "Dealing With Your Past" as part of Practicing The Way. Our present is shaped by our past. Who we are is shaped by where we come from. In particular, our family of origin and culture have curated how we see ourselves and the world around us, for better and for worse. A key task in our apprenticeship to Jesus is being re-parented into the family of God to experience healing and freedom. Join us as we go back to go forward.
From the series "Gospel of Matthew." The scriptures teach us that our high priest, Jesus, is able to empathize with us in our humanity in every way. This also means that, just like us, he needed to hear the Father define his true identity. We are not alone in the search for meaning and purpose but just like Jesus, that identity is only fully realized when we look to our heavenly Father.
From the series "Gospel of Matthew." Often, the hardest moments in our journey as a Jesus follower is when what He requires of us is contrary to our tradition, our family, our culture and our heritage. We will be called into the wilderness at some point. Will we, like John, embrace our God-given story or will we distract ourselves and focus on the stories and lives of others?
From the series "Gospel of Matthew." Who we are is shaped by where we come from. For this reason, Matthew tells us the story of Jesus’ family of origin. But it turns out, the Christmas story is far more provocative and subversive to the modern world than most of us realize.
From the series "Gospel of Matthew." Jesus: radical rabbi – teacher of a new way to be human. But more, Messiah – long awaited king of Israel and the world, come to usher in a new era of human history that he called the kingdom of God. But more, “Immanuel” – God with us.
From the series "Silence & Solitude" as part of a mini-series with Practicing The Way. Now we want to stretch ourselves and try something longer. We want to do what we’re calling a "retreat."
From the series "Silence & Solitude" as part of a mini-series with Practicing The Way. Lectio divina, or “spiritual reading,” is not a new method of Bible Study. Whereas study of the Bible sets its focus on learning, lectio divina is an ancient time-tested method of meeting God in the Scriptures.
From the series "Silence & Solitude" as part of a mini-series with Practicing The Way. When conversations work well they are usually two-sided. Likewise, prayer is to be a conversation where both parties share openly and listen carefully to each other.
From the series "Silence & Solitude" as part of a mini-series with Practicing The Way. Most people, whether they are aware of it or not, are living with some form of low-grade anxiety. Between digital distraction, relational pain, and daily stress, many of us are carrying burdens much larger than we often choose to acknowledge. We must learn to cast our cares on God.
From the Race & Justice Lecture Series. As racial tension continues to build, this is the beginning of an ongoing conversation about how we, as followers of Jesus, can best respond. Listen to the lecture from writer and speaker Mark Charles, in partnership with Imago Dei Community, as we lament the racial injustice that continues to haunt this nation.
From the series "Silence & Solitude" as part of Practicing The Way. One of the foundational goals of silence and solitude is to get to the place where we know who we are in God. The truth. In this story of Elijah we see a pattern emerge; seven stages that define not only his journey but his experience with God in silence and solitude.
From the series "Silence & Soliltude" as part of Practicing The Way. Silence and solitude isn’t for the faint of heart. Often when we slow down long enough to get alone with ourselves and God, we feel all sorts of emotions that we’ve been frantically trying to outrun in the busyness of our lives. Elijah’s story in 1 Kings 19 is a seven-stage pattern for how to move through fear and emotional pain into freedom and joy.
From the series "Silence & Soliltude" as part of Practicing The Way. Is there a practice from the life of Jesus that could set us up to thrive in the chaos of the overbusy, digitally distracted, noisy, urban world? Yes. It’s the practice of silence and solitude. Put simply, it’s intentional time in the quiet to be alone with ourselves and God.
The fear of man is a deadly thing. It can keep us rooted in insecurity and powerlessness. So, how do we move from fear to freedom? In this teaching, we discuss how God calls us to live for Him and how to identify and release ourselves from the fear of man.
From the series: Practicing The Way. We wrap up our visions series with what the philosopher Dallas Willard called “the great enemy of spiritual life” - hurry. To live the way of Jesus, we have to slow down. But this is hard to do in the urban, digital world we call home. In this teaching from Matthew 11, we teach on “the secret of the easy yoke.” When we slow down and match our pace of life to that of Jesus, the way of Jesus becomes easy.