Posts tagged as:

The Bridge Community

Giving It Up for Lent: Power, Control, and Bullying

As I mentioned in here, I’m reading Maggi Dawn’s book, Giving it Up: Daily Bible Readings from Ash Wednesday to Easter Day as a devotional guide during Lent.
In reflecting on the third and final temptation of Jesus in the wilderness in Matthew 4:8-11, she writes:
Misusing power to take control is a temptation that comes to [...]

Read more →

Authenticity and Hypocrisy from the “Pulpit”

As a pastor, I try to be authentic and transparent to people in our community.  I’m generally fine with admitting mistakes, confessing sin, and telling people I’m still a work in progress.  But, what if I don’t want to be completely transparent?  What if I’m going through a rough season (or even a rough morning)?  [...]

Read more →

Against Consumerism

I’ve been reading and researching for a series of messages I hope to give in November – they will be under the loose heading of, “Against Consumerism.”  I believe consumerism is the chief competitor for our allegiance in the culture of the U.S.  So, in the spirit of the early church thinkers and writers, who [...]

Read more →

Prayer for Holy Rebels … [Do I Really Want to Do This?]

I’m beginning to pray for something that just might be filed under the category, “be careful what you ask for!”
As you know, if you’ve been following my blog, the church where I serve as pastor is entering into a major transition.  We’re taking the step of purchasing a building.  And while it is our deep [...]

Read more →

An Image Worth Considering

An encouraging word for the weekend …
I’ve been studying the book of Colossians for several weeks now as part of a teaching series at The Bridge Community.  It’s a first century letter written to a young church, giving them a vision for life and faithfulness.  One of the significant passages in the book is Colossians [...]

Read more →

Churches and Debt

In 2006, churches in North America were a collective $28 billion in debt.  So says a recent article in the New York Times.  I serve on the leadership team of a church in Elizabethtown, Ky that is about to add to that total.  In 2003, I was part of the group that started The Bridge [...]

Read more →

Business Enterprise and Ministry

I’m wrestling with some different ideas for business ventures and thinking about how they mix with my role as a pastor.
First, a couple of things you should know. Over the past 5 years or so, I’ve become convinced that I want to be engaged in “bi-vocational” ministry. One reason is that this approach to ministry [...]

Read more →

Meditative Prayer

These thoughts are offered as a follow-up to a message I gave on April 26th at The Bridge Community. This post is intended primarily for those who were in worship Sunday, although I hope everyone will benefit from these thoughts on meditative, or contemplative, prayer.
On Sunday, I began what will hopefully be a community-wide [...]

Read more →

← Previous Entries