Bridgeway Church: Recent Episodes
Bridgeway Church
What if “everything happens for a reason” isn’t actually the biblical truth we think it is? In this message from the Truth-ish series, we explore the difference between believing that God causes everything that happens and trusting that God can use everything that happens for good. Through Romans 8, we’re reminded that suffering, grief, and brokenness don’t get the final word — God is at work bringing redemption, hope, and restoration. And when others are hurting, sometimes the most Christlike thing we can do isn’t offer an explanation, but simply offer our presence.
Sometimes the most comforting Christian phrases aren't actually what the Bible says. In this message, we unpack the popular saying, "God won't give you more than you can handle," and discover a far better promise found in Scripture: life will bring more than we can handle, but we never have to carry it alone. Learn how God meets us in our weakness, calls us to depend on Him and one another, and gives us the strength to walk through whatever comes our way.
This week’s message explores one of the most personal images of God in Scripture: our Heavenly Father. Looking at the life of Jesus, we discover that God is not distant, disappointed, or waiting for us to earn His love. We have a Father who stays when we fail, forgives before we deserve it, and runs toward us with grace. No matter your past or the picture of God you’ve carried, Jesus invites you to experience the heart of a Father who loves you as you are and calls you to extend that same grace to others.
This week in our "What Is God Like?" series we explore God as the Master Builder – the wise Creator who designed the universe with purpose and is still building His people today. From creation to the cross, Scripture reveals God's desire to dwell with humanity and invite us to build our lives on the unshakable foundation of Jesus. Discover how God is creating something lasting through ordinary people and why the greatest thing you'll ever build isn't a career or reputation, it's a life and community rooted in Christ.
What kind of King is God? Throughout Scripture, Jesus reveals a kingdom unlike any other — one built not on power, control, or domination, but on humility, sacrifice, and love. In this message, we explore what it means to follow the Humble King, surrender the "chair" of control, and discover that true freedom isn't found in ruling our own lives, but in trusting the One who gave His life for us. If you've ever struggled to let go of worry, pride, or the need to control the outcome, this message is an invitation to step off the throne and place your life in the hands of King Jesus.
What if the picture of God you've carried isn't who He really is? This message explores the beautiful biblical image of God as a faithful Farmer – one who doesn't abandon what He plants, but patiently cultivates, nurtures, and restores it. Discover how God's unwavering commitment to His people challenges us to reject false images of Him, embrace His grace, and faithfully care for the people He has planted in our own lives.
In a world full of competing voices (fear, success, comparison, shame, and comfort) Jesus invites us to follow the voice of the Good Shepherd. This message explores what it means to truly know God's voice, trust His leadership, and experience the abundant life He offers. As we learn to listen to the One who knows us completely and loves us unconditionally, we're also called to reflect His heart by shepherding and encouraging those around us.
When life feels overwhelming, where do you run for refuge? In this message, we explore the biblical picture of God as our Rock of Refuge — a steady, unshakable source of strength in a world full of pressure, exhaustion, and uncertainty. True rest isn't found in control, productivity, or distractions, but in a relationship with Christ. Join us as we learn how God meets weary souls with His presence and how we can become a refuge for others along the way.
What is God like? In this message, we explore the beautiful biblical image of God as our Bedouin Host – one who welcomes, provides for, protects, and invites us into relationship with Him. Through stories from Scripture, we're reminded that God faithfully meets us in the wilderness of life, often through unexpected forms of provision. As recipients of His lavish hospitality, we're also challenged to reflect His heart by welcoming, caring for, and loving others with the same grace and generosity.
What is God really like? This message explores the powerful biblical image of God as the Divine Warrior – not a God driven by vengeance, but One who confronts chaos, oppression, evil, and everything that keeps people from flourishing. We should trust that God is fighting for us, and reflect His heart by fighting for people instead of fighting against them.
What comes to mind when you think about God? This message explores the powerful biblical image of God as “living water”, the true source of life, refreshment, and identity. While we often search for fulfillment in performance, possessions, or popularity, those things ultimately leave us empty. Our deepest satisfaction is found in Christ, and we're challenged not only to receive His living water but to become a source of refreshment, grace, and hope for others in life's desert seasons.
We’re challenged in this message to ask one powerful question before making decisions: am I being driven by fear or by love? Fear distorts our identity, limits our future, and keeps us from trusting God’s promises, while love calls us to faith, courage, and deeper trust in God. Wisdom isn’t just knowing the right answer – it’s choosing to walk in love, even when fear is loud.
The way of the wise is often upside down from the values of our culture. Instead of making decisions based on self-gratification, comfort, or instant happiness, Jesus invites us into a life of wisdom, sacrifice, and other-centered love. True flourishing happens when we stop asking “What benefits me most?” and start asking “What does love require of me?” Whether in big life decisions or small everyday moments, following Jesus means considering how our choices affect others and surrendering our preferences.
This message challenges the idea that life is about having the right answers and instead teaches that true wisdom is learning how to live and make decisions that align with God’s will over time. By shifting our focus from short-term desires to long-term impact, we can resist the pull of immediate satisfaction and begin to live with intention, clarity, and wisdom that leads to a fuller, more meaningful life.
God doesn’t want us to merely survive in our relationships, but to truly thrive and flourish in them. True love isn’t just a feeling or attraction; it’s the kind of sacrificial, action-oriented love Jesus modeled. To stay in love for the long haul, we must make love a verb by fighting for the relationship instead of just winning arguments, choosing to believe the best in others when expectations aren’t met, and serving one another selflessly even in the everyday moments.
Thriving in life is deeply connected to the quality of our relationships, and healthy relationships require ongoing effort, not autopilot. Relationships must be continually practiced, refined, and nurtured – especially through communication. Jesus modeled healthy communication through empathy, presence, and intentional listening, even in interruptions. The challenge is to grow as “relational artists”, because when we stop working on our relationships, they stop working too.
Relationships are an art that requires intentionality, vulnerability, and growth. We were created for deep, shame-free connection with God and others, but sin introduced fear, shame, and the instinct to hide, which still affects our relationships today. Even though we long to be fully known and loved, we often protect ourselves instead of opening up. We are already fully known and loved by God, we don’t have to hide, and the path to deeper connection begins with one brave step toward honesty and intimacy.
This Easter message centers on the powerful truth that the resurrection of Jesus Christ is not just a past event or a symbol of hope, but the beginning of God’s new creation breaking into our present world. It challenges the idea that faith is about self-improvement or escaping earth, instead revealing that God is actively restoring all things. God can bring new life, healing, and transformation when you're facing pain, doubt, or uncertainty.
True genius isn’t just intelligence, but the power to see and transform the world through love, empathy, and ultimately grace. While our culture is built on merit, Jesus introduces a radically different way: grace that is undeserved, freely given, and transformative. Through the parable of the prodigal son and His own actions, Jesus reveals a God who restores identity before behavior, forgives before it’s earned, and welcomes people at their lowest without condemnation. Grace doesn’t ignore brokenness but overcomes it with love.
Jesus redefines “genius” not through intellect, but through empathy – entering into others’ pain, listening deeply, and responding with love. Through stories like Jesus weeping with grieving friends, showing compassion without condemnation, and listening to those overlooked, this message from Niko emphasizes that empathy doesn’t require fixing problems or agreeing with everything. It simply requires presence, understanding, and dignity.
This sermon reframes “genius” not as high intelligence but as a powerful blend of creativity, originality, and transformative impact – traits that Jesus embodies more fully than anyone. Jesus is presented as a genius not only because of how He changed history, but because of how He redefined power. Through His teachings and actions, Jesus modeled a radically different way of living: responding to enemies without becoming like them, breaking cycles of retaliation, and demonstrating that true strength is found in love, sacrifice, and servant leadership.
We're celebrating our 6th Birthday this week! God, through these years, hasn't just calling us to hold weekly church services, but to be a family on mission to partner with God in bringing “the up there down here.” As followers of Jesus, we’re called to be signposts of His coming kingdom — living out glimpses of God’s love, justice, and restoration through community, serving others, welcoming the marginalized, and sharing life together! Listen to this message to reflect on all the ways we've been able to be signposts and celebrate these past 6 years together.
Money isn’t a secular issue but a deeply spiritual one, and Jesus talks about it more than we often realize. While money itself isn’t evil, the love of money and an ownership mindset can trap us. Through the parable of the shrewd manager, we’re called to think beyond the here and now and invest in “true riches” that last forever. Because we can’t take our money with us, but we can send it ahead. Jesus invites us to manage God’s money on God’s timeline by giving first, saving wisely, and living on the rest.
Money is not just practical – it’s deeply spiritual. While our culture leans into an ownership mindset fueled by consumerism, Jesus calls us to a manager mindset, recognizing that everything we have belongs to God and is entrusted to us for a season. Through the story of Zacchaeus, we see the danger of hoarding for ourselves and the freedom that comes from open-handed generosity. Where our treasure is, our heart follows. True life isn’t found in an abundance of possessions, but in trusting God, loosening our grip, and being rich toward Him.
Instead of swinging between the extremes of the “poverty gospel” (money is bad) and the “prosperity gospel” (more money means more blessing), we’re invited into a better way: a manager mindset. Scripture reminds us that God owns it all – our income, possessions, investments, even our abilities. And we are entrusted as stewards of our things, not owners. Through the Parable of the Talents, Jesus challenges us to faithfully manage what He’s placed in our hands, not with fear or self-indulgence, but with purpose, gratitude, and kingdom vision.
James reminds us that faith isn’t just something we believe, but something we live. Throughout the letter, he challenges us to be doers of the word, to reject favoritism, to steward our words wisely, to confront pride in our conflicts, and now, in chapter 5, to wrestle honestly with money. James pushes us to see that wealth isn’t a curse but a dangerous responsibility, revealing what’s really going on in our hearts. How we handle our money, possessions, and resources shows whether we’re living open-handed lives of generosity and justice – or clinging to comfort and excess. In the end, James invites us to let Jesus lead every part of our lives, including our finances, so that our faith moves from talk to action in the world around us.
In this message, we’re reminded that following Jesus was never meant to be a passive belief but an active, lived-out faith... especially when life is hard. James challenges us to move beyond just hearing God’s Word and instead put it into practice: showing favor to everyone, watching our words, and confronting the subtle but destructive power of pride. James exposes how pride fuels conflict, fractures relationships, and keeps us focused on ourselves, while humility opens our hands to receive God’s grace. The invitation is clear and deeply practical – submit ourselves to Jesus.
In this message from James 3, we explore how real, lived-out faith shows up in one of the most powerful and dangerous places: our words. James reminds us that faith isn’t just what we believe but how we speak, especially under pressure. Our words may be small, but they have the power to steer lives, spark conflict, or bring healing and hope. This teaching challenges us to pause before we speak, shift our goal from winning to building, speak life intentionally, and let prayer interrupt criticism. When God transforms our hearts, our words begin to reflect His kingdom – turning small sparks into forces that build rather than burn.
This message reminds us that real life change doesn’t happen through good intentions alone, but when faith is put into action. Drawing from the book of James, it challenges us to move beyond comfortable, “New Year, new me” resolutions and live out a faith that’s active, visible, and under pressure. James calls us not only to active faith, but also to reject favoritism and discrimination, valuing every person as Jesus does.
In this message, we dive into James 1 and discover that real change, real faith, and real growth only happen when belief turns into action. James reminds us that faith without action is dead, that God does His deepest work in us through pressure and perseverance, and that wisdom isn’t just knowing what’s right but obediently moving toward the future God desires.
Exploring the original context of “good news” (euangelion), this message reveals how the angels’ announcement to the shepherds wasn’t just a sweet, nostalgic moment, but a bold declaration of a new King and a different kingdom. A kingdom one that offers joy for all people and true peace. As we navigate the many “gospels” competing for our allegiance today, this sermon challenges us to ask: which gospel are we actually living, and are we aligning our lives with the good news of Jesus that truly delivers hope, joy, and peace this Christmas?
This week we kicked off our Christmas series, Songs of Christmas, by exploring how the first Christmas was filled with real people, real struggles, and real songs of hope. From Zechariah and Elizabeth’s story to the origin of “Silent Night,” we looked at how God often meets us in the middle of chaos and disappointment – turning pain into praise.
This message explores what happens when life doesn’t go according to plan and how our instinct to grasp for control can pull us away from trusting God. Through a humorous but honest story about a disaster-filled student ministry trip and the biblical account of the Israelites forming a golden calf, Niko's message shows how fear and uncertainty often drive us back to familiar habits, false comforts, and “golden calves” of our own making – things we cling to for a sense of security. But God invites us to loosen our grip, release our illusions of control, and trust Him even when the path feels unclear.
In this message, we explore why the way out of life’s hardest moments is often straight through them. Using Jacob’s story as a guide, we see a God who meets us in the struggle – not after it. Instead of numbing, avoiding, or outrunning our pain, God invites us to bring our questions and fears directly to Him. Just as Jacob’s encounter led to a new identity, our own honest struggles can become the very places where God transforms us. This sermon encourages us to stop running, face the darkness, and walk through it with God, where healing and growth are found.
Have you ever felt the weight of loss so heavy it seemed impossible to move forward? Facing grief head-on, rather than avoiding it, can lead to profound transformation. Through the story of Naomi and Ruth, and the moving testimony of Tim and Renee Roberts, we discover that God doesn't just rescue us from pain – He walks with us through it.
Have you ever felt like your world was crumbling beneath your feet? We can't avoid life's shocking moments – those unexpected events that leave us reeling. Both receiving help and crying out to God are essential pathways through our pain. Whether you're in the midst of shock now or supporting someone who is, this message offers practical wisdom for navigating life's most challenging seasons with authenticity and hope.
Jesus' teaching transforms our spiritual vision from blurry to crystal clear. Praying "Lord, I want to see" can shift our focus from control to clarity, from our small story to God's bigger picture. Whether you're struggling with forgiveness, feeling spiritually stuck, or seeking fresh purpose, this message illuminates how prayer reshapes our perspective.
We need to move beyond "Amazon wish list" prayers to a transformative relationship with God. "Lead us not into temptation" isn't about dodging spiritual landmines—it's an invitation to let Jesus guide our lives away from self-protection and self-gratification toward loving others. Whether you're wrestling with temptation or seeking deeper faith, this powerful message shows how following Jesus—not just believing in Him—opens the door to abundant life.
What if your prayers have been missing their true purpose all along? Jesus transforms our understanding from treating prayer as a spiritual wishlist to seeing it as a profound alignment with God's will. Mature faith means declaring our daily dependence and extending the same forgiveness we've received - even when it's difficult. we should move beyond "kiddie prayers" to experience the power of praying as Jesus taught.
Have you ever wondered if your prayers are more than just a cosmic wish list? Prayer is not about bending God's will to ours, but aligning ourselves with His perfect plan. Seeing God's true greatness changes everything about how we pray. "Your kingdom come, Your will be done" isn't just a religious phrase, but a transformative way to approach our relationship with an amazing Creator who knows us better than we know ourselves.
What if the path to peace isn't found in rage rooms or primal screams, but in discovering your true identity as God's beloved? Joel unpacks how embracing our belovedness transforms anger into grace, drawing from Paul and Peter's radical examples of remaining unoffendable even amid persecution. Trusting in God's unconditional love empowers us to forgive freely and live with thick skin but soft hearts.
Have you ever wondered what true Christian love looks like in a world that seems increasingly hostile to faith? We're called by God to love the world, not police the way those around us live and act. Grace-filled words and unexpected kindness can transform lives more powerfully than judgment ever could.
Have you ever wondered why humans are the only species that can hold onto anger for years while zebras shake it off in seconds? Joel talks this week about breaking free from offense. Through Paul's letter to the divided Ephesian church, we discover how harboring anger creates room for destructive forces in our lives, while choosing kindness and forgiveness leads to freedom. This message offers hope for those wrestling with difficult relationships. Are YOU ready to trade bitterness for peace?
Have you ever noticed how easily offended our world has become? Joel ackles this cultural moment head-on, challenging us to embrace "unoffendability" as our Christian superpower. Anger corrodes our relationships, health, and spiritual life. We should release others from the pressure of perfection and embrace God's grace in our own lives.
What if the key to finding God's presence isn't in doing more, but in slowing down? Matt shares how hitting burnout led him to discover the transformative power of Sabbath—not just as religious obligation, but as God's gift for healing and wonder. Intentionally stopping allows us to notice God's fingerprints in everyday moments, from morning coffee to sunset walks. Whether you're feeling overwhelmed or simply missing life's sacred beauty, this message offers practical steps to make space for rest and restoration.
Have you ever wondered what happens when good things come to those you'd rather see fail? Through our exploration of Jonah's story, we discover it's not just about a reluctant prophet and a big fish—it's a powerful mirror reflecting our own struggles with enemies. This message shows how God's transformative love shatters our comfortable categories, inviting us to see potential where we once saw only enemies.
What drives us to seek revenge when we're wronged? Through the cautionary tale of Samson, Joel reveals how vengeance only escalates pain and keeps hurt in circulation. Rather than being a simple superhero story, Samson's journey shows us the futility of taking justice into our own hands. Yet even in Samson's darkest moment, God's grace prevails. Watch or listen to discover how dropping our "jawbone of revenge" and trusting God's justice can transform our response to life's deepest hurts.
Have you ever wondered how ancient stories can still speak powerfully into our modern lives? Today we took a look at the Tower of Babel – we realize that this tale isn’t just about confusion and punishment. We discover that God’s response to humanity's pride is not one of wrath but of love; by confusing their languages, God offers a redemptive opportunity for connection and understanding. This reminder resonates deeply in today’s world saturated with technology, urging us to consider how we engage with it.
Have you ever wrestled with the fantastical stories of the Old Testament, wondering if they truly hold relevance for our lives today? These stories invite us into a deeper understanding of God’s nature as one who seeks to restore a broken world. The God we see in Noah’s Ark offers a covenant of grace, not only saving Noah and his family but also inviting them into a partnership to heal the world. Exploring these ancient stories with mature faith can awaken our wonder and reshape our understanding of God and ourselves.
Are you treating Jesus like a genie in a bottle, just waiting for your wishes to be granted? We often customize Jesus to fit our comfort zones. In this sermon, Joel skillfully examines the misconceptions around prayer and faith, reminding us that true fulfillment in our spiritual journey comes from deepening our relationship with Christ. We should be aligning our prayers with God’s purpose rather than our personal agendas.
Are you trapped in the endless cycle of trying to earn God's love through rules and appearances? "Country Club Jesus" is a version of faith that prioritizes looks over authenticity. Many of us have felt pressured to conform to a set of expectations, but true faith isn't about fitting molds. It's about seeking a genuine relationship with Jesus. Reflect on your own spiritual journey and consider how your view of God may need to shift to align more closely with the real Jesus.
Have you ever crafted a version of Jesus that perfectly suits your desires and preferences? We sometimes have a tendency to create a "Build-a-Bear" Jesus—one that aligns with our views and comforts us without ever challenging us. A true relationship with Jesus requires us to stay alert, actively engage with His teachings, and remain accountable for the truth we’ve been given. We're invited to step beyond our comfort zones and embody Jesus' teachings in our daily lives.
Jesus defied societal norms, breaking barriers not only to include those labeled as enemies but to demonstrate that love transcends labels. True following of Christ means embracing His call to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us, challenging us to extend that grace to those we may see as "others".
What if the struggles and uncertainties in your life are actually invitations to experience God's faithfulness in profound ways? Chelsea explores the hidden significance of trees found in the Bible. Each illustration invites us to reflect on how we can be a source of encouragement and shade for others in their deserts. Don’t miss the chance to discover how these lessons can transform your faith journey—watch or listen to the full sermon now!
Have you ever felt the weight of hiding your true emotions behind a mask, especially in a place meant for acceptance and love? Faith and doubt are not mutually exclusive; instead, they coexist in our spiritual journey, allowing us to be "complicated cocktails" of belief. We should embrace our struggles, remembering that Habakkuk ultimately chose to trust God even amid uncertainty—declaring, "Yet I will rejoice in the Lord."
Many of us face a struggle between faith and doubt, but questioning God is a part of the relationship with Him. In chapter three of Habakkuk, the focus shifts to remembering God's past faithfulness, suggesting that recalling how God has acted in the past can instill hope for the future. It's sometimes difficult, but we should strive to hold onto our faith in dark times and share what God has done for us to encourage others.
Waiting on God... it can often be more challenging than questioning. Waiting is not passive; instead, it should be characterized by expectation, confidence, and humility as we trust in God's timing and plans, even when they differ from our own. It's important that we maintain faith during periods of uncertainty and waiting. God is always at work, even when we can't see it.
Doubt is a common part of everyone's faith journey. Habakkuk expressed raw emotions towards God about injustice and suffering while also maintaining a deep trust in Him. We're encouraged to be honest with God about our doubts – it's better to wrestle with God than to walk away from Him altogether. We're invited to engage in a journey of "faithfully doubting," where we can bring our questions and frustrations to God.
We should be responding actively to the death and resurrection of Jesus by becoming "culture medics" rather than "culture warriors." Our challenges as believers is to live with broken hearts for those around them and to engage with people where they are, fostering love and compassion rather than fear and anger. We should view others as individuals to love, serving as vessels of God's healing in a troubled world.
Following the resurrection of Jesus, our mission is to actively engage with the world rather than retreat into safety. God’s intention is to break down barriers and invite all people, regardless of their backgrounds or circumstances, into His family. Our challenge is to embrace hospitality towards others, fostering a diverse community that mirrors God's inclusive love and celebrating the beauty found in a varied, interconnected society.
In the aftermath of Jesus' death and resurrection, early followers faced opposition as they shared the message of hope and healing. Like those early Christians, we shouldn't respond to adversity with fear or bitterness, but with boldness and a commitment to serve others. Ultimately, we should embrace opposition as a part of our journey, trust in God’s sovereignty, and react with grace, reflecting Christ's love in our responses to challenges.
Early Christians understood their role as temples of God, empowered by the Holy Spirit to bring heaven to earth, emphasizing the need for active participation in this mission. Our challenge is to recognize our purpose and live out our faith actively, embodying the hope and transformative power of the resurrection in our daily lives.
The resurrection of Jesus transforms dead ends into new beginnings! We look at stories of Mary Magdalene, Thomas, and Peter, each grappling with their own despair, doubts, and failures, yet finding hope through the resurrection. Christ’s resurrection isn’t just about eternal life, but also about restoration and an invitation to partner with God in bringing healing to the world.
During this lent season, we're going to have conversations to help us learn and grow together. Jump in today!
https://www.bridgewaykokomo.com/drawnear
Jeff Newton discusses pride this week, emphasizing that it is often the root of other sins like greed and envy. He explains the distinction between healthy pride, which acknowledges our worth and achievements, and unhealthy pride, which leads to arrogance and disconnect from others. He highlights the importance of humility and the need for repentance, urging us to turn back to God and embrace a sense of community over individualism.
During this lent season, we're going to have conversations to help us learn and grow together. Jump in today!
https://www.bridgewaykokomo.com/drawnear
If you grew up in purity culture, you may still have shame surrounding sex. Or maybe you view sex as an unhealthy way to use others. There's a space we need to find between unhealthy, lustful sexuality and sex being a bad, disgraceful thing. As Christians, we need to discover the healthy sexuality that God intended for us.
During this lent season, we're going to have conversations to help us learn and grow together. Jump in today!
https://www.bridgewaykokomo.com/drawnear
Gluttony is often only thought about when it comes to food, but it can apply to anything we overindulge in – shopping, tv, scrolling on social media, etc. We need to practice voicing our emotions to God instead of numbing them through gluttony and work on saying "no" to ourselves.
During this lent season, we're going to have conversations to help us learn and grow together. Jump in today!
https://www.bridgewaykokomo.com/drawnear
Comparison is dangerous. It can cause jealousy and anger in us towards other people. We need to focus on seeing ourselves the way God sees us instead of trying to compare ourselves to those around us.
During this lent season, we're going to have conversations to help us learn and grow together. Jump in today!
https://www.bridgewaykokomo.com/drawnear
Sloth... not just an animal, but also a way we sometimes live our lives. We can be "lazy" or just not putting in effort at our jobs or at home. Part of being faithful to God is truly putting in our best effort in all areas of our life.
During this lent season, we're going to have conversations to help us learn and grow together. Jump in today!
https://www.bridgewaykokomo.com/drawnear
What is enough? Do we ever truly feel like we have enough? Greed has such a hold on us that we're always reaching for the next thing. Our whole attitude can change when we start thanking God for what we have instead of looking for more.
During this lent season, we're going to have conversations to help us learn and grow together. Jump in today!
https://www.bridgewaykokomo.com/drawnear
It's simply human nature to be angry at someone who has wronged you. We need to fight against that urge and reflect on our feelings. Maybe even take time to pray for those you're angry towards. Who knows, you could see a change in yourself through all of that.
Over the next few months, we're talking about the 7 deadly sins. But before we start, we have to ask what is sin? What isn't sin? How does God view sin? Learn and grow together as we start this series, "Fully Alive"
We often try to change others when we don't like how they behave or react to things. We like to point out what's wrong with them without noticing our own flaws. Instead of judging, we should look at others with empathy and love.
Whether we're comparing ourselves to people who have more than us or those that have less than us, it's a slippery slope. God calls us to choose gratitude instead of wanting and comparing.
The blame game is a dangerous one to play. It can hurt those around you and make you someone who people won't trust. Assuming responsibility instead can build trust in your relationships.
The honor game is more than just trying to be nice to those around you. It's working to show your appreciation, complimenting others, and sharing with them. Jesus showed us this kind of love. It's our turn to do the same.
Taking a sabbath helps us reset and relax. Niko talks in this week's message about how you can take a sabbath or take some of the practices of sabbath and work them into your life. It's not always easy, but we'll be better for it in the end.
Our lives are full of advertisements telling us what to buy and convincing us that having more will make us happy. Jesus talked a lot about how possessions and wealth aren't everything the world makes them out to be. Let's work together on shifting our mindset from one of greed to one of sharing and living more simply.
Slowing down. It's something many of us might say we want to do, but our actions show otherwise. In Jesus's love, we can find rest, but many of us walk swiftly in the other direction. It's time we slow down.
We may think that we aren't important enough or perfect enough to have a purpose, but God has a purpose for everyone. People looked down on the shepherds, but they were the first to get to spread the word of Jesus's arrival. God's plans transcend the world's expectations, and He has a great plan for you.
God comes to us where we are. We don't have to fix up our life or hide in shame – God comes to us with forgiveness and love. That's something we can have joy in as we navigate this crazy holiday season.
God cries too. God came to the world, fully human, as a baby boy. He felt pain, he felt hunger, he felt anger. Jesus was fully human and He truly gets us.
The Holy Spirit leads us to give to those around us as an act of love. Being generous is not "the norm". We have to intentionally give into that push from the Holy Spirit. Following the Holy Spirit's nudges can make us look more and more like people of Jesus – and that's a beautiful thing.
The Holy Spirit is a guide. It reminds us of our place and purpose. Being led by the Spirit reminds us that we have a powerful role to represent God to the world. We just need to be open to following those nudges.
The Holy Spirit can be confusing and tends to be the part of the trinity that is pushed aside. We're working in this series to gain a better understanding of the Holy Spirit and see how it works in our everyday lives.
As much as we hope that God's voice is loud and clear, it isn't always like that. Sometimes his voice is quiet and gets buried under all the other noise in our lives. Cutting out that extra noise can make hearing God so much more clear.
Reading the Bible is so important, but it's even more important to engage with the scriptures and live our life like Jesus – loving and serving others. This is one of the incredible ways we hear God's voice and don't even realize it.
Hearing God is something most people think is not possible or we think we're not trying hard enough to hear him. But in reality, we hear God in many different ways that aren't a loud, booming voice from heaven – we're just listening in the wrong place.
For I know the plans I have for you – it's such an uplifting verse, but the context behind it isn't as uplifting as you'd hope. Joel takes a look at the context and how we can still get a powerful, yet different, message from this verse.
Examine Yourself before communion – this verse often causes fear and makes us feel like we have to repent and be "holy" in order to take communion. The actual meaning of this verse is so much more meaningful! Join us for another week of dissecting these misunderstood verses.
Do not judge – we often take this verse as a way to tell others not to judge us. But Christians are often seen as some of the most judgemental people. We should be working on not being judgemental and instead loving everyone despite differences and disagreements.
Where two or more are gathered – it's a popular verse used for small gatherings of Christians, but that verse has more to it than what we're used to hearing. Jesus is talking about His powerful presence when we engage in restoring and building relationships. We can learn so much when looking at the context of these popular verses!
There are hundreds and hundreds of verses taken out of context in the Bible and given a new meaning than was originally intended. In this series, we're looking at the most common verses that are misunderstood. We're excited to learn a lot and look at the bible through a new lense in this series.
Loving others is so much more important than any rules or traditions. Pastor Matt Dilley brings us this powerful message about sin and changing how we engage with others and God.
Doubting is natural, but many Christians feel like it's wrong to doubt your faith and God. You're not less of a Christian because of your doubts. Many religious leaders have confessed to having doubts. It's how we handle those doubts that really matters.
We're called to live open-handed. If you move towards generosity to those in need, it will change your heart and view on the world. Generosity is more than just giving money because you feel obligated to. It's rooted in love and a desire to help those around us.
Being counter cultural looks like serving others. Jesus didn't see himself as better or more important than others. He served those around him and we're called to do the same.
Being counter cultural means loving our enemies. Loving those that look different and think different. Being counter cultural should make others question why we are the way we are. Being counter cultural is part of being a Christian.
In our land between moments, sometimes there is God’s discipline. God doesn’t cause evil to happen upon us, but he will use our natural consequences so that we can grow. God's discipline is always in love for us.
When we find ourselves in the land between, it's easy to meltdown. We may find ourselves angry and questioning God. In the midst of meltdown, we're called to be real and honest with God and trust that He will come through.
There's a lot of transitions happening in the life of Bridgeway. Maybe your life is going through some difficult transitions too. God calls us to trust in him during these difficult times. It's not an easy choice, but it's a choice you won't regret.
We've spent 4 amazing years in the bank building, but it's come time to move. Join us as we look back at where we came from and look forward at all the awesome things we'll continue to do in our community in the new building!
Jesus calls us to invite others to our tables. Not just those who look like us and think like us, but invite those who are different and outcast. Jesus shared tables with everyone: pharisees, sinners, people who disagreed with his teachings, and many others. What would it look like for us to do the same?
Distractions aren't always a bad thing. Our family members can distract us, a hobby we enjoy can distract us, or even every day things like cleaning house can be a distraction. Those aren't bad things but they can become a bad distraction, if it distracts us from spending time with Jesus and building a closer relationship with Him.
Our tables can be used as a tool of love for others. Jesus invited people to the table that others thought were unworthy. We can learn from Jesus to be open and accepting to those we may not normally invite to our tables.
Tables are a sacred place. They're a place for us to gather, laugh, cry, and build relationships with the other people at the table. Jesus used tables so often in his ministry – eating with sinners and people who were seen as "unclean". We can learn a lot from Jesus by looking at his time around tables.
Grace can tell such a beautiful story. With grace, we can forgive those who've hurt us, support those we disagree with, and love those who look down on us. We can be an amazing witness to God's grace when we show grace ourselves.
Joel looks this week on how we can dispense grace to those around us. Christians have the reputation of being judgmental. What if instead we showed up to those struggling and showed them the kind of grace that God extends to us?
Grace is a lot more complex than most think it is. Grace can unite us and can make us people who look more like Jesus. Grace is such a powerful tool that we as Christians can use for good.
Studies show there's a large percentage of non-Christians who aren't interested in Christianity because of hypocritical people. We could be those people or we may know those people. Niko teaches this week on how the bible tells us to correct hypocritical people and recognizing when we're being hypocritical.
We'll come across some people are just endlessly needy. Jeff Newton, founder of Kokomo Urban Outreach, shares how we help needy people without hurting them and how living life with them is so much more beneficial than doing good deeds that may just end up making us feel good about ourselves.
We all have people in our lives who are overly critical. We look this week at how we can listen and love them and not immediately resort to being defensive. We look so much more like Jesus when we respond in love.
Do you have people in your life that are controlling and guilt you? What if we shifted our focus from what they think of us and how they make us feel and start focusing on God’s calling for us? Our lives could look so much different.
It's one thing to say "He is risen" but it's another thing to believe and trust in the resurrection. Trust is so difficult especially when we're going through hard times and can't see the light at the end of the tunnel, but trusting the resurrected king can truly change our lives.
Marty Solomon wraps up our series on Parables with the story of the prodigal son. Although this is one of the most well known parables, there's new things to look at and learn from this ancient story that Jesus told.
Do you ever find yourself looking for loopholes in your faith? Jesus speaks to that in the parable of the good Samaritan. It's an upside down story of the most unlikely person being a neighbor to a stranger. Such a powerful story!
In this parable, we typically look at it and see the pharisee as being stuck up and prideful, but we may be more like the pharisee than we'd like to admit. The tax collector comes to God in need. We should be approaching God with the same attitude and recognizing the ways in which we may look more like the pharisee.
We talk about karma a lot in our culture. But what is karma and is it biblical? The parable of the laborers in the vineyard shows us that God doesn't play by the rules of karma and chooses to treat everyone with kindness and generosity. And he's calling us to treat others in the same way.
Jesus taught by telling stories. There's a lot we can learn from these stories he told – even thousands of years later. This week we look at the parable of the mustard seed and the parable of the leaven. The kingdom of heaven, as Jesus describes in these parables, is tiny and upside down – so different than what we normally think about it.
The strongest friendships involve accountability. Having those friends who keep us accountable can help us grow mentally and spiritually. Accountability partners can shape us into the person we want to become.
Being authentic in our friendships is sometimes harder than we think. There's multiple barriers that keep us from being authentic. Once we intentionally work on those barriers, we can begin real, authentic relationships.
One of the most important parts about creating meaningful friendships is just being available. We need to be available to celebrate the good and mourn the struggles that our friends experience. We need to be someone that can be relied on. Doing this will strengthen your friendships so much more!
The 2024 election will be here before we know it. No matter the results of the election, we're called to continue living like Jesus – living like a citizen of heaven. During this stressful time, lets be the ones that shine Jesus's love.
Not just in this year, but every year, we should be dedicated to loving and standing up for everyone – not just people that look the way we do. We should step into this year ready to be justice oriented, committed to mercy for all, and to be a humble presence.
It's so easy to get caught up in politics and declaring that you're for this side or that side. It gets to the point sometimes where winning for "our side" because more important than reflecting the power of God's love. It's time we stick up for God's side and not a political side.
We've stepped foot into another election year. I'm sure many of us are mentally preparing for the mud slinging and arguments that will come from "the other side" as the year progresses. As we navigate this year, we need to make it a point to show love and grace to those who we don't agree with and find common ground in this stressful time.
Repentance is so much more than just feeling sorry for your actions, but repentance means to change your mind. Repentance is not popular. To truly repent, we need to look closely and honestly at our lives and see where we need to change.
There's something amazing that happens when we realize how we can be used by God and where we fit in. And something just as amazing happens when we can point out someone else's calling and support others living out their calling. God is using us in awesome ways!
The majority of us have struggled at times in our lives with feelings of inadequacy. Even Mary felt that way when she was told she would be the mother of Jesus. God doesn't care about your abilities and what you feel like you can and can't do. He needs your availability.
No one likes to wait. Sometimes it's something small like waiting for our order at a restaurant, but other times it's waiting months or years for God to answer our prayers. Joel talks in today's message about how God works through us in our time of waiting.
Something traumatic happening to you is not the end. It may seem like it at the time, but God uses broken people for beautiful things. Finding your community and people you can be real with can help you grow from your trauma. |
There are so many people in the Bible who write about being depressed. We can all experience depression at times in our lives — whether it’s for a week or for years. It’s important to have conversations about depression to destigmatize it and learn how we can help ourselves and others.
The number of people struggling with mental health continues to grow. It's important for us to have conversations about mental health and recognize that our mental health matters to God. This week of Mental Matters, we talk with therapist Kate Holcomb about managing anxiety. https://www.bridgewaykokomo.com/mentalmatters
We often let what others think of us dictate what we think of ourselves. If we keep conforming to these lies, we eventually won't know who we are anymore. We need to remember that our identity is in God and not in others.
We tell ourselves that we are what we own. Some of us want people to see us by our clothes, or our house, or by the items we own, but God reminds us that we are his beloved children. By remembering that, we can combat the possession lie.
One of the big lies we tell ourselves is, “I am what I do.” When we find identity in what we do, we set ourselves up to feel like we’ve failed when we aren’t the best at our job or our hobbies. Our identity is not something we have to achieve. It’s a gift that we’ve received from God.
We’re called to be weird. To have hope in a world that seems hopeless. To serve others no matter if we see eye to eye or not. To not be afraid. We’re called to stand out.
Sometimes it's difficult to see who's in control. We may look around and think that the world is falling apart or that satan has taken control. But Revelation assures us that God is in control and He is the one on the throne.
Babylon was a city filled with sin, but John writes to the churches in Babylon urging them to be counter cultural and to not look like the city where they live, but to look like Jesus and love like Jesus. What would it look like if we received a letter like this today?
The book of Revelation speaks of a Dragon and a Beast. On the surface, it seems like a terrifying telling of what dangers will come at the end of the world. There’s no need to live in fear of these things. This week in Apocalypse for Normal People, Joel dissects these and unveils the true meaning behind these figures talked about in Revelations.
If you've grown up in the church, it's hard to think of Revelation as a book of hope. It's often viewed as a terrifying telling of the end of the world. It's actually a letter designed to give hope to churches that were being persecuted. It doesn't reveal a script for the end of the world, but it does reveal Jesus who will ultimately restore everything to good.
Comparison is something that is ingrained in all of us. We are constantly comparing ourselves to others. We are God's masterpiece – we should find ways to celebrate instead of comparing. Doing this can bring you more joy and can strengthen your relationships with others.
Are you living a life that leads to "why"? A life that makes people question your selflessness, your love and your joy. Living a life that makes people stop and ask why and being focused on earthly good is what true witnessing is all about.
As Christians, we're called to practice hospitality. We're called to be welcoming and find ways to bless those that we don't agree with and don't see eye to eye with. We're not here to convert non-Christians. We're here to love them.
Jesus calls us to go and make disciples. It’s a daunting command. But when he tells us to make disciples, he’s talking about loving those closest to us. Getting to know those people and caring for them — our friends, family, neighbors, coworkers, our Oikos.
Christians have so many ideas of what evangelism is or how to properly evangelize to others. In this series, we're reframing evangelism and looking at it in a new way. A way that is honoring to God and loving towards those we interact with.
What if we went out of our way to talk to those that are different than us? What if we took time to learn their stories and their struggles? As an apprentice to Jesus, we should seek to understand others. Compassion comes about when we are curious.
You can't react to others with anger, disdain or fear and follow Jesus. To live like Jesus is to represent him in everything – especially with how we react when we disagree with others or when things don't go our way. Our reactions show our confidence in God.
If we want to live like Jesus, we should be reacting with love. It's upside down and unusual to react to a frustrating situation with love, but it's a great way to show God in our life and show confidence in God.
Our reactions reveal who we belong to and who we base our life around. It's more than just trying harder to be a better person and controlling our reactions, it's a life change that can only be done through God. We should be reflecting on how God treats us when we mess up and resemble that.
Our desire is to cultivate a sacred space for you to connect with God and give voice to your emotions through the Psalms of the Old Testament. God is inviting you to be real, raw, and honest with Him, so open up your hearts and minds to these ancient songs and prayers today.
PSALM 34
I will praise the LORD at all times. I will constantly speak his praises. I will boast only in the LORD; let all who are helpless take heart. Come, let us tell of the LORD’s greatness; let us exalt his name together. I prayed to the LORD, and he answered me. He freed me from all my fears. Those who look to him for help will be radiant with joy; no shadow of shame will darken their faces. In my desperation I prayed, and the LORD listened; he saved me from all my troubles. For the angel of the LORD is a guard; he surrounds and defends all who fear him. Taste and see that the LORD is good. Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him! Fear the LORD, you his godly people, for those who fear him will have all they need. Even strong young lions sometimes go hungry, but those who trust in the LORD will lack no good thing. Come, my children, and listen to me, and I will teach you to fear the LORD. Does anyone want to live a life that is long and prosperous?Then keep your tongue from speaking evil and your lips from telling lies! Turn away from evil and do good. Search for peace, and work to maintain it. The eyes of the LORD watch over those who do right; his ears are open to their cries for help. But the LORD turns his face against those who do evil; he will erase their memory from the earth. The LORD hears his people when they call to him for help. He rescues them from all their troubles. The LORD is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed. The righteous person faces many troubles, but the LORD comes to the rescue each time.For the LORD protects the bones of the righteous; not one of them is broken! Calamity will surely destroy the wicked, and those who hate the righteous will be punished.But the LORD will redeem those who serve him. No one who takes refuge in him will be condemned.
Our desire is to cultivate a sacred space for you to connect with God and give voice to your emotions through the Psalms of the Old Testament. God is inviting you to be real, raw, and honest with Him, so open up your hearts and minds to these ancient songs and prayers today.
PSALM 21
How the king rejoices in your strength, O LORD! He shouts with joy because you give him victory. For you have given him his heart’s desire; you have withheld nothing he requested. You welcomed him back with success and prosperity. You placed a crown of finest gold on his head. He asked you to preserve his life, and you granted his request. The days of his life stretch on forever. Your victory brings him great honor, and you have clothed him with splendor and majesty. You have endowed him with eternal blessings and given him the joy of your presence. For the king trusts in the LORD. The unfailing love of the Most High will keep him from stumbling. You will capture all your enemies. Your strong right hand will seize all who hate you. You will throw them in a flaming furnace when you appear. The LORD will consume them in his anger; fire will devour them. You will wipe their children from the face of the earth; they will never have descendants. Although they plot against you, their evil schemes will never succeed. For they will turn and run when they see your arrows aimed at them. Rise up, O LORD, in all your power. With music and singing we celebrate your mighty acts.
Our desire is to cultivate a sacred space for you to connect with God and give voice to your emotions through the Psalms of the Old Testament. God is inviting you to be real, raw, and honest with Him, so open up your hearts and minds to these ancient songs and prayers today.
PSALM 30
I will exalt you, LORD, for you rescued me. You refused to let my enemies triumph over me.
O LORD my God, I cried to you for help, and you restored my health.
You brought me up from the grave, O LORD . You kept me from falling into the pit of death.
Sing to the LORD, all you godly ones! Praise his holy name.
For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime! Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning.
When I was prosperous, I said, “Nothing can stop me now!”
Your favor, O LORD, made me as secure as a mountain. Then you turned away from me, and I was shattered.
I cried out to you, O LORD . I begged the Lord for mercy, saying,
“What will you gain if I die, if I sink into the grave? Can my dust praise you? Can it tell of your faithfulness?
Hear me, LORD, and have mercy on me. Help me, O LORD .”
You have turned my mourning into joyful dancing. You have taken away my clothes of mourning and clothed me with joy,
that I might sing praises to you and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give you thanks forever!
Our desire is to cultivate a sacred space for you to connect with God and give voice to your emotions through the Psalms of the Old Testament. God is inviting you to be real, raw, and honest with Him, so open up your hearts and minds to these ancient songs and prayers today.
PSALM 113
Praise the LORD ! Yes, give praise, O servants of the LORD . Praise the name of the LORD !
Blessed be the name of the LORD now and forever.
Everywhere—from east to west— praise the name of the LORD .
For the LORD is high above the nations; his glory is higher than the heavens.
Who can be compared with the LORD our God, who is enthroned on high?
He stoops to look down on heaven and on earth.
He lifts the poor from the dust and the needy from the garbage dump.
He sets them among princes, even the princes of his own people!
He gives the childless woman a family, making her a happy mother. Praise the LORD !
Our desire is to cultivate a sacred space for you to connect with God and give voice to your emotions through the Psalms of the Old Testament. God is inviting you to be real, raw, and honest with Him, so open up your hearts and minds to these ancient songs and prayers today.
PSALM 100
Shout triumphantly to the Lord, all the earth. Serve the Lord with gladness; come before Him with joyful songs. Acknowledge that the Lord is God. He made us, and we are His - His people, the sheep of His pasture. Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him and praise His name. For the Lord is good, and His love is eternal; His faithfulness endures through all generations.
It may be easy to praise God when we’re joyful, but it's hard to practice that and we forget to go to God when everything is going well. When you intentionally focus on joy and gratitude, you become a happier person. We should be using that joy to praise God and thank him for everything good in our lives.
Our desire is to cultivate a sacred space for you to connect with God and give voice to your emotions through the Psalms of the Old Testament. God is inviting you to be real, raw, and honest with Him, so open up your hearts and minds to these ancient songs and prayers today.
Psalm 139
You have searched me, LORD, and you know me.
You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar.
You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways.
Before a word is on my tongue you, LORD, know it completely.
You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.
Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?
If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea,
even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.
If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,”
even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.
For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.
My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.
How precious to me are your thoughts, God! How vast is the sum of them!
Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand— when I awake, I am still with you.
If only you, God, would slay the wicked! Away from me, you who are bloodthirsty!
They speak of you with evil intent; your adversaries misuse your name.
Do I not hate those who hate you, LORD, and abhor those who are in rebellion against you?
I have nothing but hatred for them; I count them my enemies.
Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.
See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
Our desire is to cultivate a sacred space for you to connect with God and give voice to your emotions through the Psalms of the Old Testament. God is inviting you to be real, raw, and honest with Him, so open up your hearts and minds to these ancient songs and prayers today.
PSALM 83
O God, do not remain silent; do not turn a deaf ear, do not stand aloof, O God.
See how your enemies growl, how your foes rear their heads.
With cunning they conspire against your people; they plot against those you cherish.
“Come,” they say, “let us destroy them as a nation, so that Israel’s name is remembered no more.”
With one mind they plot together; they form an alliance against you—
the tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites, of Moab and the Hagrites,
Byblos, Ammon and Amalek, Philistia, with the people of Tyre.
Even Assyria has joined them to reinforce Lot’s descendants.
Do to them as you did to Midian, as you did to Sisera and Jabin at the river Kishon,
who perished at Endor and became like dung on the ground.
Make their nobles like Oreb and Zeeb, all their princes like Zebah and Zalmunna,
who said, “Let us take possession of the pasturelands of God.”
Make them like tumbleweed, my God, like chaff before the wind.
As fire consumes the forest or a flame sets the mountains ablaze,
so pursue them with your tempest and terrify them with your storm.
Cover their faces with shame, LORD, so that they will seek your name.
May they ever be ashamed and dismayed; may they perish in disgrace.
Let them know that you, whose name is the LORD— that you alone are the Most High over all the earth.
Our desire is to cultivate a sacred space for you to connect with God and give voice to your emotions through the Psalms of the Old Testament. God is inviting you to be real, raw, and honest with Him, so open up your hearts and minds to these ancient songs and prayers today.
PSALM 52
Why do you boast of evil, you mighty hero? Why do you boast all day long, you who are a disgrace in the eyes of God?
You who practice deceit, your tongue plots destruction; it is like a sharpened razor.
You love evil rather than good, falsehood rather than speaking the truth.
You love every harmful word, you deceitful tongue!
Surely God will bring you down to everlasting ruin: He will snatch you up and pluck you from your tent; he will uproot you from the land of the living.
The righteous will see and fear; they will laugh at you, saying,
“Here now is the man who did not make God his stronghold but trusted in his great wealth and grew strong by destroying others!”
But I am like an olive tree flourishing in the house of God; I trust in God’s unfailing love for ever and ever.
For what you have done I will always praise you in the presence of your faithful people. And I will hope in your name, for your name is good.
Our desire is to cultivate a sacred space for you to connect with God and give voice to your emotions through the Psalms of the Old Testament. God is inviting you to be real, raw, and honest with Him, so open up your hearts and minds to these ancient songs and prayers today.
PSALM 35
Contend, LORD, with those who contend with me; fight against those who fight against me. Take up shield and armor; arise and come to my aid. Brandish spear and javelin against those who pursue me. Say to me, “I am your salvation.” May those who seek my life be disgraced and put to shame; may those who plot my ruin be turned back in dismay. May they be like chaff before the wind, with the angel of the LORD driving them away; may their path be dark and slippery, with the angel of the LORD pursuing them. Since they hid their net for me without cause and without cause dug a pit for me, may ruin overtake them by surprise— may the net they hid entangle them, may they fall into the pit, to their ruin. Then my soul will rejoice in the LORD and delight in his salvation. My whole being will exclaim, “Who is like you, LORD? You rescue the poor from those too strong for them, the poor and needy from those who rob them.” Ruthless witnesses come forward; they question me on things I know nothing about. They repay me evil for good and leave me like one bereaved.Yet when they were ill, I put on sackcloth and humbled myself with fasting. When my prayers returned to me unanswered,I went about mourning as though for my friend or brother. I bowed my head in grief as though weeping for my mother. But when I stumbled, they gathered in glee; assailants gathered against me without my knowledge. They slandered me without ceasing. Like the ungodly they maliciously mocked; they gnashed their teeth at me. How long, Lord, will you look on? Rescue me from their ravages, my precious life from these lions.I will give you thanks in the great assembly; among the throngs I will praise you. Do not let those gloat over me who are my enemies without cause; do not let those who hate me without reason maliciously wink the eye.They do not speak peaceably, but devise false accusations against those who live quietly in the land. They sneer at me and say, “Aha! Aha! With our own eyes we have seen it.”LORD, you have seen this; do not be silent. Do not be far from me, Lord.Awake, and rise to my defense! Contend for me, my God and Lord.Vindicate me in your righteousness, LORD my God; do not let them gloat over me.Do not let them think, “Aha, just what we wanted!” or say, “We have swallowed him up.” May all who gloat over my distress be put to shame and confusion; may all who exalt themselves over me be clothed with shame and disgrace.May those who delight in my vindication shout for joy and gladness; may they always say, “The LORD be exalted, who delights in the well-being of his servant.” My tongue will proclaim your righteousness, your praises all day long.
Our desire is to cultivate a sacred space for you to connect with God and give voice to your emotions through the Psalms of the Old Testament. God is inviting you to be real, raw, and honest with Him, so open up your hearts and minds to these ancient songs and prayers today.
PSALM 12
Help, LORD, for no one is faithful anymore; those who are loyal have vanished from the human race.
Everyone lies to their neighbor; they flatter with their lips but harbor deception in their hearts.
May the LORD silence all flattering lips and every boastful tongue—
those who say, “By our tongues we will prevail; our own lips will defend us—who is lord over us?”
“Because the poor are plundered and the needy groan, I will now arise,” says the LORD. “I will protect them from those who malign them.”
And the words of the LORD are flawless, like silver purified in a crucible, like gold refined seven times.
You, LORD, will keep the needy safe and will protect us forever from the wicked,
who freely strut about when what is vile is honored by the human race.
There is such a thing as good, holy anger, but we often gravitate towards unhealthy, broken anger. We need to bring our anger to God to get clarity in our emotions and to honor God in the midst of our anger.
Our desire is to cultivate a sacred space for you to connect with God and give voice to your emotions through the Psalms of the Old Testament. God is inviting you to be real, raw, and honest with Him, so open up your hearts and minds to these ancient songs and prayers today.
PSALM 6
Please, LORD, don't punish me when you are angry; don't discipline me when you are furious.
Have mercy on me, LORD, because I'm frail. Heal me, LORD, because my bones are shaking in terror!
My whole body is completely terrified! But you, LORD! How long will this last?
Come back to me, LORD! Deliver me! Save me for the sake of your faithful love!
No one is going to praise you when they are dead. Who gives you thanks from the grave?
I'm worn out from groaning. Every night, I drench my bed with tears; I soak my couch all the way through.
My vision fails because of my grief; it's weak because of all my distress.
Get away from me, all you evildoers, because the LORD has heard me crying!
The LORD has listened to my request. The LORD accepts my prayer.
All my enemies will be ashamed and completely terrified; they will be defeated and ashamed instantly.
Our desire is to cultivate a sacred space for you to connect with God and give voice to your emotions through the Psalms of the Old Testament. God is inviting you to be real, raw, and honest with Him, so open up your hearts and minds to these ancient songs and prayers today.
PSALM 88
LORD, God of my salvation, by day I cry out, even at night, before you—let my prayer reach you! Turn your ear to my outcry because my whole being is filled with distress; my life is at the very brink of hell. I am considered as one of those plummeting into the pit. I am like those who are beyond help, drifting among the dead, lying in the grave, like dead bodies— those you don't remember anymore, those who are cut off from your power.You placed me down in the deepest pit, in places dark and deep. Your anger smothers me; you subdue me with it, wave after wave. Selah. You've made my friends distant. You've made me disgusting to them. I can't escape. I'm trapped!My eyes are tired of looking at my suffering. I've been calling out to you every day, LORD— I've had my hands outstretched to you! Do you work wonders for the dead? Do ghosts rise up and give you thanks? Selah. Is your faithful love proclaimed in the grave, your faithfulness in the underworld? Are your wonders known in the land of darkness, your righteousness in the land of oblivion? But I cry out to you, LORD! My prayer meets you first thing in the morning! Why do you reject my very being, LORD? Why do you hide your face from me? Since I was young I've been afflicted, I've been dying. I've endured your terrors. I'm lifeless.Your fiery anger has overwhelmed me; your terrors have destroyed me.They surround me all day long like water; they engulf me completely. You've made my loved ones and companions distant. My only friend is darkness.
Our desire is to cultivate a sacred space for you to connect with God and give voice to your emotions through the Psalms of the Old Testament. God is inviting you to be real, raw, and honest with Him, so open up your hearts and minds to these ancient songs and prayers today.
PSALM 12
Help, LORD, because the godly are all gone; the faithful have completely disappeared from the human race!
Everyone tells lies to everyone else; they talk with slick speech and divided hearts.
Let the LORD cut off all slick-talking lips and every tongue that brags and brags,
that says, "We're unbeatable with our tongues! Who could get the best of us with lips like ours?"
But the LORD says, "Because the poor are oppressed, because of the groans of the needy, I'm now standing up. I will provide the help they are gasping for."
The LORD's promises are pure, like silver that's been refined in an oven, purified seven times over!
You, LORD, will keep us, protecting us from this generation forever.
The wicked roam all over the place, while depravity is praised by human beings.
Our desire is to cultivate a sacred space for you to connect with God and give voice to your emotions through the Psalms of the Old Testament. God is inviting you to be real, raw, and honest with Him, so open up your hearts and minds to these ancient songs and prayers today.
PSALM 77
I cry out loud to God— out loud to God so that he can hear me!
During the day when I'm in trouble I look for my Lord. At night my hands are still outstretched and don't grow numb; my whole being refuses to be comforted.
I remember God and I moan. I complain, and my spirit grows tired. Selah
You've kept my eyelids from closing. I'm so upset I can't even speak.
I think about days long past; I remember years that seem an eternity in the past.
I meditate with my heart at night; I complain, and my spirit keeps searching:
"Will my Lord reject me forever? Will he never be pleased again?
Has his faithful love come to a complete end? Is his promise over for future generations?
Has God forgotten how to be gracious? Has he angrily stopped up his compassion?" Selah
It's my misfortune, I thought, that the strong hand of the Most High is different now.
But I will remember the LORD's deeds; yes, I will remember your wondrous acts from times long past.
I will meditate on all your works; I will ponder your deeds.
God, your way is holiness! Who is as great a god as you, God?
You are the God who works wonders; you have demonstrated your strength among all peoples.
With your mighty arm you redeemed your people; redeemed the children of Jacob and Joseph. Selah
The waters saw you, God— the waters saw you and reeled! Even the deep depths shook!
The clouds poured water, the skies cracked thunder; your arrows were flying all around!
The crash of your thunder was in the swirling storm; lightning lit up the whole world; the earth shook and quaked.
Your way went straight through the sea; your pathways went right through the mighty waters. But your footprints left no trace!
You led your people like sheep under the care of Moses and Aaron.
Our desire is to cultivate a sacred space for you to connect with God and give voice to your emotions through the Psalms of the Old Testament. God is inviting you to be real, raw, and honest with Him, so open up your hearts and minds to these ancient songs and prayers today.
PSALM 13
How long, LORD? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me?
How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and day after day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me?
Look on me and answer, LORD my God. Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death,
and my enemy will say, “I have overcome him,” and my foes will rejoice when I fall.
But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation.
I will sing the LORD’s praise, for he has been good to me.
Many people view emotions as either good or bad. Often we view sadness as a bad emotion. But in the Psalms, sadness was an emotion that David explored often. We should be giving space to ALL of our emotions even ones like sadness that can be difficult to process.
Our desire is to cultivate a sacred space for you to connect with God and give voice to your emotions through the Psalms of the Old Testament. God is inviting you to be real, raw, and honest with Him, so open up your hearts and minds to these ancient songs and prayers today.
PSALM 91
Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”
Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence.
He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day,
nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday.
A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you.
You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked.
If you say, “The LORD is my refuge,” and you make the Most High your dwelling,
no harm will overtake you, no disaster will come near your tent.
For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways;
they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
You will tread on the lion and the cobra; you will trample the great lion and the serpent.
“Because he loves me,” says the LORD, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.
He will call on me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him.
With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation.”
Our desire is to cultivate a sacred space for you to connect with God and give voice to your emotions through the Psalms of the Old Testament. God is inviting you to be real, raw, and honest with Him, so open up your hearts and minds to these ancient songs and prayers today.
PSALM 73
Surely God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart.
But as for me, my feet had almost slipped; I had nearly lost my foothold.
For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
They have no struggles; their bodies are healthy and strong.
They are free from common human burdens; they are not plagued by human ills.
Therefore pride is their necklace; they clothe themselves with violence.
From their callous hearts comes iniquity ; their evil imaginations have no limits.
They scoff, and speak with malice; with arrogance they threaten oppression.
Their mouths lay claim to heaven, and their tongues take possession of the earth.
Therefore their people turn to them and drink up waters in abundance.
They say, “How would God know? Does the Most High know anything?”
This is what the wicked are like— always free of care, they go on amassing wealth.
Surely in vain I have kept my heart pure and have washed my hands in innocence.
All day long I have been afflicted, and every morning brings new punishments.
If I had spoken out like that, I would have betrayed your children.
When I tried to understand all this, it troubled me deeply
till I entered the sanctuary of God; then I understood their final destiny.
Surely you place them on slippery ground; you cast them down to ruin.
How suddenly are they destroyed, completely swept away by terrors!
They are like a dream when one awakes; when you arise, Lord, you will despise them as fantasies.
When my heart was grieved and my spirit embittered,
I was senseless and ignorant; I was a brute beast before you.
Yet I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand.
You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory.
Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you.
My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
Those who are far from you will perish; you destroy all who are unfaithful to you.
But as for me, it is good to be near God. I have made the Sovereign LORD my refuge; I will tell of all your deeds.
Our desire is to cultivate a sacred space for you to connect with God and give voice to your emotions through the Psalms of the Old Testament. God is inviting you to be real, raw, and honest with Him, so open up your hearts and minds to these ancient songs and prayers today.
PSALM 19
The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge. They have no speech, they use no words; no sound is heard from them. Yet their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world. In the heavens God has pitched a tent for the sun. It is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, like a champion rejoicing to run his course.It rises at one end of the heavens and makes its circuit to the other; nothing is deprived of its warmth.The law of the LORD is perfect, refreshing the soul. The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The precepts of the LORD are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes. The fear of the LORD is pure, enduring forever. The decrees of the LORD are firm, and all of them are righteous.They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the honeycomb. By them your servant is warned; in keeping them there is great reward. But who can discern their own errors? Forgive my hidden faults. Keep your servant also from willful sins; may they not rule over me. Then I will be blameless, innocent of great transgression. May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.
Our desire is to cultivate a sacred space for you to connect with God and give voice to your emotions through the Psalms of the Old Testament. God is inviting you to be real, raw, and honest with Him, so open up your hearts and minds to these ancient songs and prayers today.
PSALM 14
The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is no one who does good. The LORD looks down from heaven on all mankind to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God. All have turned away, all have become corrupt; there is no one who does good, not even one. Do all these evildoers know nothing? They devour my people as though eating bread; they never call on the LORD. But there they are, overwhelmed with dread, for God is present in the company of the righteous.You evildoers frustrate the plans of the poor, but the LORD is their refuge. Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion! When the LORD restores his people, let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad!
Our desire is to cultivate a sacred space for you to connect with God and give voice to your emotions through the Psalms of the Old Testament. God is inviting you to be real, raw, and honest with Him, so open up your hearts and minds to these ancient songs and prayers today.
PSALM 143
LORD, hear my prayer, listen to my cry for mercy; in your faithfulness and righteousness come to my relief.
Do not bring your servant into judgment, for no one living is righteous before you.
The enemy pursues me, he crushes me to the ground; he makes me dwell in the darkness like those long dead.
So my spirit grows faint within me; my heart within me is dismayed.
I remember the days of long ago; I meditate on all your works and consider what your hands have done.
I spread out my hands to you; I thirst for you like a parched land.
Answer me quickly, LORD; my spirit fails. Do not hide your face from me or I will be like those who go down to the pit.
Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I entrust my life.
Rescue me from my enemies, LORD, for I hide myself in you.
Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground.
For your name’s sake, LORD, preserve my life; in your righteousness, bring me out of trouble.
In your unfailing love, silence my enemies; destroy all my foes, for I am your servant.
In our confusion, we should go to God, but so often we push him away when we’re confused. God promises to shape us from the inside out. Our job is to open ourselves to him and be vulnerable with our emotions.
As Christ followers, we aren’t called to defend God but to represent him. When we remember that, it’s easier to love those who disagree with our beliefs. Jesus was someone who asked questions and was curious. We should be the same and asking questions and get to know people who we don’t agree with instead of trying to preach at them.
It’s sadly very common to be angry at other Christians who have different views and opinions than you. Everyone has opinions of what a Christian should look like. We’re not called to look uniform, but instead we’re called to have unity as Christians.
Anger is something everyone has experienced. But we often don't stop to think about things we get mad at ourselves about. God can use you in your shame and guilt. It's just a matter of bringing it to him.
Forgiving is a process. As much as we want to say we can just "forgive and forget", it's not that easy. Joel talks this week on how to forgive and answers some difficult questions about forgiving people that seem unforgivable.
Joel describes Christian forgiveness in this message as "a conscious decision to release the desire for repayment and feelings of resentment towards someone who caused you harm." Forgiveness isn't just saying "I forgive you" and secretly resenting that person still. It's a difficult process to make peace with others and let go.
We should be people that forgive because God forgave us. Now that's much easier said than done. Forgiveness is not only good for the person you need to forgive, but it's good for you too.
Shame can be a painful burden we carry around. When Jesus died, he took our shame with him. The Bible says we are all justified freely by his grace because of the sacrifice he made.
Maybe you've questioned the Bible and wondered how we can believe this ancient book. This Easter Sunday, we take a look into why we can believe the accounts that were written down thousands of years ago and it's so fascinating!
As a church, we're committed to giving back to the community – both with our time and resources. We want everyone around us to know that we love them and we are for them. As christians, we're called to be generous because Jesus was generous towards us.
We were made for relationships and for loving others. As Christians we should be seeking out friendships and looking for ways we can be friends to others. Inviting people to our tables can be such a God honoring thing.
To get dusty means following Jesus so closely that we become like him and look like him in our every day life. It's something we have to work on constantly. Can you imagine how amazing it would be if Christians resembled Jesus in everything?
We often say at Bridgeway, doubts and questions aren't the enemy of your faith but silence can be. It is so honoring to bring your doubts and questions to God and to talk about them with people you can trust. God is loving and desires our honesty with him.
Everyone is loved by Jesus. Here at Bridgeway, we say that there are no perfect people allowed. We want to be like Jesus and welcome everyone no matter what your past looked like or what mistakes you may have made – you are loved and welcome here. Everyone is in process and none of us will ever be perfect, but we can find joy in the fact that Jesus will love us no matter what.
We typically view justice as people getting arrested for their crimes or receiving "karma" for bad things they've done. But the book of Leviticus tells us that it looks much more like standing up for others and showing God's love to everyone. Justice can be a beautiful thing when we treat it like God does.
Did you know it's holy to party? God gave commands in Leviticus to celebrate and enjoy holidays. He also gave commands to rest. Although we want to work hard and impress others, it's so holy to take time for yourself and just relax.
Living like a priest means standing up for the marginalized and serving others with a grateful heart. It means putting God on display so everyone can see Him in you. It's so much more than just being perceived as a holy person. It's an entire life change.
The book of Leviticus is more than just a book of outdated rules. It shows us things about our God that we may have never noticed before. It shows that he has always met us where we are and pulled us forward and closer to him. In this journey, we'll be learning a lot about God through a book that is often pushed aside when talking about the Bible.
It's so easy to focus on all the bad in our lives and in the world around us. But doing so can make us look at our world as a negative place. Focusing on what is good and praise worthy can improve our view on life and living life as Christ lived.
As Christians, we are citizens of heaven, but as citizens of heaven, we can't just sit back and wait until we go to heaven. We are called to live like Christ and partner with him always. We should be putting our trust and identity in him.
As Christians, we should strive to shine with the love and kindness of Jesus. It's not natural to think of others first, but that's exactly how Jesus calls us to live. Let's live and love like Jesus did.
Pledging allegiance to Jesus is more than just saying we'll follow him, but it's striving to be like him and follow in his footsteps every day. Every action and decision should be evaluated on if it lines up with how Jesus has invited us to live.
Jesus restores and redeems us no matter where we are. We just have to come to him with our messy selves and not wait until we have everything together. He's ready to welcome us where we're at.
God wants to help you belong to his family. No matter how distant you may be from church or faith, God is ready to welcome you in. And for those who already are a part of God's family, let's be welcoming to those who are lonely and unsure about Church. Let's give them a place where they feel belonging.
No matter what your life looks like or what mistakes you've made in your past, God loves you and will continue to always love you. It's a promise that seems impossible at times, but something you can always trust.
It's easy to become lost and stray from God without even realizing it. God wants nothing more than for us to come back to him no matter where we are when we realize we've become lost. To be found, we need to actively move towards Jesus and follow his priorities and practices.
Joshua and Caleb faced all the terrors that laid within the promised land despite everyone else wanting to turn back. They were bold and courageous because they knew that their future was ahead of them as promised by God. If we want to build a hopeful future, we are also called to be bold and put our trust in God.
Love is a sacrifice. It's a commitment to others with no conditions attached. Let's put others first and be committed to showing love no matter what. Let's be active in loving and blessing others!
Abram was someone who prioritized honoring God with his first and his best. He recognized that what he owned and his victories were not his but were on loan from God. We need to do the same with our first and best to honor him.
God's plans for us can be daunting when we don't know how his plans will work out or what steps we'll be following to fulfill this plan. Trust is so important in our relationship with God and it's something we need to work on our whole life to continue to strengthen our faith.
We have exciting news about the future of Bridgeway and celebrate our wins from this year. Like Abraham, we are listening for God's voice and following his direction even though some of our future seems uncertain.
Alison gave us a challenging message on seeing other's as people made in God's image. Most of us know that the Bible tells us that everyone is made in His image, but we are people who make judgements based off of how someone looks or acts, so it's not always easy. We can't play favorites when we've never met someone that Jesus doesn't love.
Our world has normalized lust, but lust is simply a lie making us think we can be fulfilled by the wrong things. Joel encourages us this week to interrogate our lust and to replace lust by creating something beautiful.
Joel talks this week on how to have sexual integrity and how biblical sexuality should revolve around respect. When you do not have sexual integrity, you are not treating others as a person, but more as an "it" to meet your needs and nothing else.
Sex is a difficult topic to talk about in church. It's one that most people want to just sweep under a rug and ignore it, but the reality is that sex is something made by God and can be a healthy, beautiful thing. In this series, we take a look at what the Bible has to say on this subject.
Abigail is a woman in the Bible who displayed amazing kindness despite people around her living a life of trying to get back at others and repaying evil for evil. She's a great example of how to bless those who might hurt us or hurt those we love.
The story of Samson was always portrayed as a feel good story about a hero coming out on top, when it was told in Sunday school. After a deeper dive into his story, it turns out it's a lot about revenge and getting back at others who have hurt you. This series will be a great look at how to deal with people who have hurt us and showing them God's love.
Pastor Carrie Dilley, from Tribe Church, came this week to talk about the book of Ruth. She looked at it from a new perspective and focused on the strong relationships and love shown in this story.
In the final week of Get Dusty, Joel talks about how we can get dusty in our relationships. Jesus set an example by loving everyone, including people he didn't agree with and people who were outcasts. Let's make sure our tables and circles are filled with people who don't look and believe like us.
Jesus empowered people who were seen as lesser. He saw them as human and treated them with great respect. Becoming like Jesus is speaking up for those who can’t speak up for themself and empowering others.
One way we can be more like Jesus, is to see the world through a good eye. Being negative effects our mood and our view of the world. Let's strive to look at everything with a good eye and see the world the way Jesus sees it.
1st century Jews would follow their rabbi so closely that they would be covered in their dust. They wanted to learn everything their rabbi knew and be like him. In this sermon series, we want to look at how we can follow Jesus so closely that people undoubtedly see him in us.
"Send me, God". This prayer is another one that can be challenging. It may seem exciting at first, but anxiety about not being good enough or anxiety about being chosen to do something that scares you can creep in and keep you from praying this prayer. God is ready to send you out, but how will you respond?
God can speak to you if you listen and look for him. It just may not be in the way you expect. Not everyone can hear the audible voice of God, but he can speak to you through art, life changing moments, and even other people.
Although the prayer of "Search Me" sounds simple on the surface, it can be difficult to be vulnerable and ready to see our flaws. It's when we ask God to search us that we can truly be found and embraced by him.
Many of us are told that God answers prayers in different ways. Sometimes it's yes, sometimes it's no or not yet, but there are some prayers that God will always answer with "yes". In this first week, Joel talks about how God will answer the prayer of "Make Me Bold" by giving you the courage you need to become bold. You just have to trust that he will give you that boldness.
We finished off our Re-Assembly Required series with a great message from Julie Forgey. To model our life after Christ, we need to love those that he loves. Even people we don't get along with. Re-Assembly of relationships is part of living a life like Christ.
It's so easy to judge others and avoid taking the blame when we run into relationship issues. Jesus calls us to be self aware of our own issues and faults before pointing out other's mistakes.
Jesus walked towards people that didn't agree with him and even people that hated him. As difficult as it is, how can we be more like Jesus in our tough relationships?
Relationships can be hard, especially when we spend our time wanting others to see things the way we see them. Join us as we go through this series exploring what the Bible says about relationships and how to repair them.
There's so many books, blogs and talks out there giving us conflicting messages on how to manage our household. But in this passage we look at today, it points to having Jesus and Love as the center of it all. Life is easier when we put those at the center of our homes and our lives.
God calls us to leave behind our old selves to clothe ourselves in love. Our identity in Him is love. "When we understand what's really true of us in Christ, it changes everything about us and how we live. Your activity flows from your identity."
Growing in your faith involves not just growing with God, but also by building relationships with the people around you. We need to consider how we can be proactive about building relationships with other Christians and the lost and broken in our communities.
This ancient letter from Paul can have powerful meanings for us today. This week, we look at how we may be putting other things on the same pedestal that we put Jesus on. It looks different today than it looked for the people of Colosse.
The book of Lamentations can seem very depressing on the surface, but Joel talks about how this book has such great God-given direction about mourning and dealing with difficult emotions as well as being a support for those who are mourning.
Jesus rose from the dead on the third day. This was the greatest miracle to ever happen. Christianity would be nothing without that historic event. Isn't it overwhelming and exciting to think about the amazing love that was behind that sacrifice?
Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice by dying on the cross on that first Good Friday. That sacrifice is such an important part of our history. Thankfully, the history book doesn't end there.
Jesus healed a man who had been paralyzed and had gone unnoticed his whole life. This Sunday, Niko talked about how Jesus can meet you where you are and turn your life around no matter what your labels are or how out of place you feel.
This week, we talked about how Jesus miraculously calmed a storm with just a few words. We all experience storms that we can't handle on our own, but Joel talks about how we can take those storms to Jesus and put our trust in him.
Was Jesus just a magician with fancy tricks? Or is there more to the miracles he performed? This week we kicked off a new series looking at these miracles and the meaning behind them.
Our Next Steps Director Alison Brantley was up this week! Sometimes we just need a reminder to slow down. We need a reminder on how to be present in the moment.
God really wants us to focus on him. That spending time in silence and in prayer with Him is one of the most valuable things we can do with our lives.
You need this week!
I can promise that! Everyone needs permission to rest, we need permission to stop and relax. The greatest enemy we have is the hurry in our lives. Join us as we look at stopping the hurry, focusing on what God wants for us, and resting.
Catch up on the final week of Shadow Step!
We loved getting to share this series with you.
This week on Shadow Step.... We are super excited to keep proving that you can follow an invisible God.
How do you see the world? Do you follow the God that can give you freedom? He can give us freedom to love people and the freedom to live generously.
Will you trust him?
Our Next Gen Pastor, Niko Gruber, brought the truth this week.
How is your inner self? Are you more focused on your outward actions, or are you doing what it takes to not be an actor?
This week take some time to think about how you're doing. As you feel challenged and lean into who God made you, give someone a compliment, feel proud for someone, do something out of the ordinary for someone else. Don't do those things for yourself, do it for the better of the person next to you.
That's the way we can live a life of significance.
We have been loving this series so far. How have you been enjoying it?
We have a couple weeks left. You do not want to miss this week and the next two. This series is really defining the way we want to "Bring the Up there, Down Here" at Bridgeway. How we want to live out the Kingdom of God where we are right now.
Have an amazing week!
Week 2 of our series Shadow Step!
make sure you grab some coffee and sit down for a listen on this one.
Have a great week and we will see you next week for Week 3.
Kicking off a new series a Bridgeway this week. We encourage you to join us every week for the next 5 weeks. We think that this will be an impactful series in all of our lives.
Let's dive in together to see what it means to follow Jesus. I am excited to go on this journey together.
This week we wrapped up the series "Your Future Self will Thank You". It was a great morning to join us. We talked about the importance of relationships that we have with oneanother. The importance for Gathering Big, Gathering Small, Gathering Wide and inviting others into our tables to build relationships.
Thank You so much for joining us!
Week 2 of "Your Future Self Will Thank You" continued this week.
We hope that you create habits over this new year that center you on Jesus. Habits that direct you into a healthy relationship with Him.
As you jump into the new year, what wold it look like if our major life change was spending more time focused on our relationship with Jesus.
Thank you for joining us this week.
We are so glad that you have decided to kick off 2022 with all of us at Bridgeway. Thank you so much!
With the start of the year we are kicking off a new series, "Your Future Seld Will Thank You" We really hope that this series challenges and motivates you to live for what God has for us. He wants us to THRIVE.
Join us again next week for Week 2!
This week, Lead Pastor Joel Larison concludes our series by helping us see the challenge for Jesus followers to be good news wherever we go!
We continued our Christmas series this week. This weekend we looked at how Jesus performed miracles and what those miracles mean for you and me. We may not need nets full of fish or to be lowere through a roof to be healed, but we need Jesus.
Thank you for joining us this week.
We kicked of the Christmas Season this week with Christmas: It's All Good. We hope that you join us for this series as we lead up to the best time of year.
Thank you all so much for listening. We hope that you have an awesome week.
We wrapped up the series with week 4 of "The Jesus I Never Knew." It's always an awesome morning when our Next-Gen Pastor, Niko, teaches! Make sure you catch up the final week of the series.
Thank you for joining us!
This week we continue to look at Jesus with fresh eyes and look at His humanity. He's not just a man and not just super human. He faced things just like you and me, including temptation. Let's look together at how Jesus was able to over come temptation and apply that to our own lives.
Thank you for joining us this week.
This week we continued to look at how Jesus lived a life that was human. It was a life that we can learn from. The life of a young Jesus was filled with asking questions, growing in favor with God and people, listening for answers, and learning. How can we relate that to our lives, amd how can we be better at growing closer to each other and with God.
We kicked off a new series at Bridgeway this week called "The Jesus I Never Knew". How human was Jesus? Was Jesus just like us? Join us over the next 3 weeks as we look at how Jesus was just like you and me. He was Human and also God.
We hope that you have a great week! Thanks for joining us.
Lead Pastor Joel Larison wrapped up the series "Head Space" by talking about Trauma. How trauma can take on so many different forms for each of us. We looked at scripture and how we can work through processing trauma. He also discussed ways that we can help others who are struggling.
We hope that you feel God's love this week if you are struggling with your mental health. If you are struggling reach out to someone close to you that you trust, or feel the freedom to reach out for professional help.
God has always been present, and He always will be no matter where you feel you are today.
Have a great week!
This week we got the opportunity to talk about Depression and mental health. We interviewed Dave Boss. He was able to share his story about dealing with depression throughout the course of his life. The good news is that whether you are struggling, or if you know someone who is struggling, that Jesus is the answer. Listen this week to catch up on the Head Space series.
This week Alison Brantley, our Next Steps Director, brought the message. The new series started off with some power and truth about Anxiety. "Head Space" is going to look at how we all struggle, or know someone who struggles, with anxiety, depression, or other mental health chanllenges. We can see that anxiety is present in the bible and we get to discuss what it means to be a christian and struggle with mental health challenges.
Join us again for the next two weeks as we jump in deeper.
Catch up on week TWO of BeRich! This week we are going out to serve people in the community. We have over 14 service projects that will take place over a couple weeks to help people and organizations in many different ways. We hope that we can be in community and "shadow Jesus" just like those that followed him. We can live with radical generosity.
Thank you for listening! Now, go out and serve someone this week!
Join us this week as we wrap up "BeRich" with Love week! Speed this week loving people the way that Jesus loved. Spend this week creating shorter fences and longer tables. I hope that you are challenged this week to be a neighbor that doesn't just fit the mold, but that does what it takes to live like Jesus. Have a fantastic week!
Thank you for catching up on Week 1 of "BeRich." We hope that this is a series that is more than just songs or sermons for you and your family. We hope that you are challenged to help us make a difference in our community this week by being a part of the mission to give to two of our local partner organizations.
See you next week as we continue to BeRich!
Catch up on the last week of "Alone Together." This week might just challenge you a bit. It might push you out of your comfort-zone, but God has a plan for us. Let's love "The Others" with a love like Christ.
Join us for the first week of "Alone Together." Lead Pastor Joel Larison let's us in on a little secret. God wants us to do life in community, and we aren't meant to go it alone. Join us next week for Week 2!
This week Lead Pastor Joel Larison wraps up our series by looking a leadership and how it's not just for those that can quote every scripture in the Bible.
Next Gen Pastor Niko Gruber share about the surprising relationship between faith and doubt.
Week 3 of "5 Lies about being a Christian." This week Lead Pastor Joel Larison helps us remember that God does not look for our good behavior in order to love us, but rather that we already have God's unconditional love.
Join us for Week 2 of discussing 5 lies that people say and think about being a Christian. This week we dive into the lie about church only happening on Sunday or only being an event that we go to once a week.
Have you ever thought that the Bible just felt like a list of rules and laws on how to be a good Christian? How could we possibly ever stack up? Well, we are going to challenge that this week. Join us as we kick off Week 1 of "5 Lies About Being A Christian." Let's loo at how God is really showing that he loves us, and following rules is not what is required for God's love.
Let's talk about music! This week our Lead Pastor Joel dives into praising God with song. Whether that is on an instrument or with our own sponaneous song. Thank you for Joining Us for the last week of rePraise.
Week 3 of the rePraise series we are taking a look at the Hebrew word "Towdah." We focus on the different ways that we can worship and praise God with our thanksgiving for the things that He has done for us, and out expectation for the amazing things yet to come.
Thanks for joining us this week.
Join us this week as we take a look at more ways to worship. Week 2 of the rePrasie series dives deeper into the Hebrew translations for the word "Praise." This week we discuss kneeling or lifting our hands to God.
Lead Pastor Joel Larison walks us through rediscovering what Worship really means. July 11th, 2021
Lead Pastor Joel Larison leads us to understand how submission in our relationships leads to freedom.
Next Gen Pastor Niko Gruber leads us to see our role and purpose so that we thrive in exile moments.
Lead Pastor Joel Larison kicks off our journey through 1 Peter by talking about the importance of knowing our identity in Christ.
Lead Pastor Joel Larison leads us through a disturbing narrative in the Old Testament to see more than what we assume.
Guest Speaker Eric Mccoy helps us see the powerful connection between God's love and His anger.
Lead Pastor Joel Larison leads us to see God's dream for men and women as Co-workers in His Kingdom.
Lead Pastor Joel Larison leads us to consider the commands and laws of the Bible in a new light.
Lead pastor Joel Larison teaches about technology giving us the power of having the whole world in our hands.
Screen Time Week 1 Talk from Bridgeway Church
www.bridgewaykokomo.com
Guest Speaker Anthony Cozzello brings a message about how the posture and practice of prayer can grow our faith through doubts and uncertainties.
Lead Pastor Joel Larison discusses the temptation to find our security and identity in our jobs.
Next Gen Pastor Niko Gruber shares how to deal with authority and how to steward authority at work.
Lead Pastor Joel Larison brings a message about how Christians should be the best coworkers, teammates, and employees.
Lead Pastor Joel Larison kicks off a series on work by challenging us to see our work as sacred!
Lead Pastor Joel Larison concludes the series by discussing indifference to suffering and the most vulnerable among us.
Next Gen Pastor Niko Gruber leads us to understand that casting judgement on others makes Jesus mad.
Lead Pastor Joel Larison leads a discussion about how Jesus put doing good ahead of following the rules.
Lead Pastor Joel Larison leads a discussion about how getting in the way of God's love made Jesus angry.
Next Steps Director, Alison Brantley discusses the false dichotomy between fear and faith.
Lead pastor, Joel Larison, preaches about Communication in this week's talk of "Relationship Reset"
Lead Pastor Joel Larison leads us to think about how God can use our pain for other's good.
Lead Pastor Joel Larison discusses a personal and powerful message about how to go through and grow through suffering and challenging seasons.
Pastor Joel Larison walks us through what it really means to be "Holy" in week 2 of Speaking God from Scratch.
Lead Pastor Joel Larison leads us on a journey to understand and live with faith--the way that Jesus defined it.
Lead Pastor Joel Larison leads a discussion about the inherent tension between deeply held beliefs and compassion for those who disagree.
Lead Pastor Joel Larison leads a conversation about what true strength and weakness looks like.
Lead Pastor Joel Larison leads us on the journey of discovering why doubt is not the enemy of faith.
Anthony introduces us to the Holy Spirit and how we can be open to Him moving in our lives.
Guest Speaker Ian Simkins shares a teaching challenging us to view our wealth through the lens of our faith.
Lead Pastor Joel Larison leads a discussion on the pitfall, power, and solution to our pride.
Lead Pastor Joel Larison helps us discover the power and the problem with the words we use.
Lead Pastor Joel Larison leads a discussion about the pitfall of discrimination found in James 2 and in our current cultural moment.
Lead Pastor Joel Larison kicks off our journey through the book of James by discussing the danger of temptation.
Guest Speaker Brandon Faust shares how we can use this unique season for our future growth.
Lead Pastor Joel Larison concludes "Defiant Joy" by sharing how JOY is possible in seasons of hurt and pain.
Lead Pastor Joel Larison leads us in a conversation about one of the biggest roadblocks to experienciing JOY...a lifestyle and pattern of complaining.
Lead Pastor Joel Larison continues our conversation on joy by uncovering the connection between humility and joy.
Lead Pastor Joel Larison continues the conversation about joy in the time of Covid-19 by encouraging and equipping us to fight and choose joy every day in every situation.
Lead Pastor kicks off a new series about JOY. We discuss the difference between happiness and joy, God as the source of Joy, and our invitation to remain in Him.
Lead Pastor Joel Larison leads a discussion about anxiety--why we feel it and a path to loosen its grip on our lives.
Lead Pastor Joel Larison talks about how we can have a "Greater Than ANYTHING" kind of faith.
Lead Pastor Joel Larison discusses how to fight back against the powerful emotion "JEALOUSY"
Guest Pastor Anthony Cozzello discusses how to fight back against the powerful emotion "GREED"
Lead Pastor Joel Larison discusses how to fight back against the powerful emotion "ANGER"
Lead Pastor Joel Larison discusses how to fight back against the powerful emotion "Guilt"