Hello, Bridge family. I hope all of you are doing well. This week, we shared with the kids the purpose and meaning of the Tabernacle’s construction in Exodus 40. In a nutshell, the Tabernacle is a place where a Holy God lives with His people. This story reveals two great messages. First, the holiness of God, and second, God’s desire to be with His people. This is an incredible concept to consider. A Holy God, set apart from all of mankind, chooses to live with His people, in fact, in the midst of His people, as the placement of the Tabernacle shows.


I am a product of the ’60s and ’70s, and one of the most disturbing trends I have observed over the years is society's declining regard for authority. I admit we could debate the reasons and whether it is deserved all day long. My point in sharing is that our rebellious nature toward authority has affected our regard for the authority of the Holiness of God, who, by the way, still lives in our midst. Don’t believe me? Just look at how the church, the body of Christ, has changed. What is now accepted, practiced, or preached in many churches, especially in the United States, is foreign to the word of God.


God is holy, so what does that mean? God being holy means He is perfectly good, without any sin, and completely unique—unlike anything else in creation. It is often described as being "set apart." Because He is light and has no darkness, sin cannot exist in His presence.


You can draw this comparison with your children. Have them think of an attribute they excel at; they may be fast, good at math, a great reader, or even really good at video games. Then ask whether they know someone else who is like them in that area. An honest answer would be yes. Then point out that no one is like God or even compares to God. Then show them. Take your Bible, go to the Concordance in the back, look up the word Holy, and start going through the Bible verses associated with it to reveal to them our Holy God. You could possibly spend a better part of a year teaching your children that God is to be revered, not rebelled against.


Remember, as long as your child is at home, you have a wonderful opportunity to share the Bible. Together, explore its stories, talk about how they relate to daily life, and encourage deeper family conversations. This makes faith an exciting and meaningful journey. God bless, and I look forward to seeing your family on Sunday.


Pastor Bob

Hello, Bridge family. I hope all of you are doing well. This week, we looked at the story of Hagar and her son Ishmael in the book of Genesis. It’s an interesting story about how God showed His kindness to this mother and her teenage son when all hope seemed lost. Out of food and water, alone in the desert with nowhere or no one to turn to, Hagar felt she had little choice but to sit and wait to die. However, this story reveals an often-overlooked truth when we are hurting and feeling alone: God sees, God hears, and God is kind. This is a rich story of God’s love for all humanity. Let me encourage you to check it out with your family this week.


Also, let me encourage you to take time to reflect on how God showed up in your Hagar moment, when you felt hopeless and alone. As I mentioned, we often overlook God’s kindness in those times because we are simply relieved that the storm has passed. I remember when my wife, Lori, was diagnosed with cancer. My boss’s wife had also been battling the same cancer, so he understood what I was going through and how important it was for me to be there with Lori throughout her battle. Because of that, he arranged my schedule so I could be with her at every appointment until her treatment was complete. I hadn’t given that much thought in years until I reflected on the story of Hagar and Ishmael. I know it was only because of God’s kindness through that man that I was able to be there with her every step of the way.


I’m sure that if you were to sit earnestly and reflect on this passage in Genesis, God would reveal to you, as He did to me, His kindness in times that seemed hopeless. Then help your family do the same. When we reflect on God’s kindness instead of our day-to-day trials and tribulations, the more we and our families will come to realize that He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us (2 Cor 1:4). Can you think of a better way to reveal the glory of Jesus than living out this truth? But it can happen only when we have placed it upon our hearts.


Remember, as long as your child is at home, you have a wonderful opportunity to share the Bible. Together, explore its stories, talk about how they relate to daily life, and encourage deeper family conversations. This makes faith an exciting and meaningful journey. God bless, and I look forward to seeing your family on Sunday.


Pastor Bob

​Bible Point: Jesus is Alive
 
Hello, Bridge family. I hope everyone had a joyful and happy Easter! Easter is usually less stressful than Christmas, don’t you think? Although it’s not without distractions. Despite commercialization and critics raising issues like the Easter Bunny and egg hunts, who doesn’t love a Cadbury Egg? We must be careful not to send the wrong message, but we parents can use this time to emphasize Easter's true meaning: JESUS IS ALIVE! This is our Easter message for the week. I encourage you to continue sharing this with your children using the DIGIN@HOME resources.
 
In addition, let me share a few more thoughts to help your discussion. What if you were asked, “How do you know that Jesus is alive, that he really rose from the dead?” I think it would be great if your kids asked you that very question, don’t you? How would you answer? Let me give you a few ideas to help guide your thought process in answering that all-important question. After all, it is the foundation of our faith. 
 
First, the tomb was empty. Multiple witnesses saw that the tomb was empty. Guards were stationed at the entrance, which was covered by a heavy rock, but on the third day after Jesus’s death, He was no longer in the tomb. The tomb was unmistakably empty, and no one in history has ever been able to disprove that fact. Although there are many attempts to explain why the tomb was empty, no one denies that it was.
 
Then, over 500 eyewitnesses saw Jesus after his death. In 1 Corinthians, the Apostle Paul writes, "After that, he was seen by more than 500 of his followers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died" (15:6 NLT). Witnesses who could dispute this claim but never did—why? Because Jesus was alive. One undeniable truth was that the Romans knew how to kill without a doubt—they knew Jesus was dead. But after finding the tomb empty, Jesus was seen not by a few but by 500. As one movie line put it, “That’s the fact jack.”
 
Lastly, the disciples were transformed; their lives were changed forever. At the crucifixion, all but one of them fled, and he probably kept his distance. They were afraid they would also be killed. However, after seeing Jesus alive, they boldly told everyone about Jesus even though most of them would be killed for doing so. Only seeing a living Jesus could bring about such a change in them.
 
I hope you find this helpful for your families. Once you've figured out your answer to the question above, if your child hasn’t asked you, why not ask them and then help them answer this all-important, life-changing question? 
 
Remember, as long as your child is at home, you have a wonderful opportunity to share the Bible. Together, explore its stories, talk about how they relate to daily life, and encourage deeper family conversations. This makes faith an exciting and meaningful journey. God bless, and I look forward to seeing your family on Sunday.
 
Pastor Bob
 

Hello, Bridge family. I hope everyone enjoyed a joyful Palm Sunday! This week at the Bridge, the main message was: Jesus is King, and our worship is directed to Jesus. Our lesson was from Matthew 21, focusing on Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives, where the people warmly greeted their King and praised His name as the Son of David— the one who comes in the Lord’s name—shouting “Hosanna,” meaning “Save Us.” They sincerely worshiped and praised the King who would truly deliver them from earthly oppression. The surprising part is that in less than a week, many of these same individuals would be demanding His crucifixion. It’s hard to believe it could happen so quickly, isn’t it? But maybe it’s not.


We worship Jesus as our Savior, believe in Him, and trust Him, but do we genuinely live as if He is our King? I struggle to live in a way that truly honors Christ as my King. Why is that? Mainly pride. As C. S. Lewis said, “the one vice of which no man in the world is free.” Like many, I grew up competing against others—sometimes unknowingly. We aim to do our best and often want to be the best. Pride, which is innate in all of us, fuels this competition. It causes us to compare ourselves to others or circumstances, making us feel restricted or oppressed. Does this sound familiar? On Sundays, we praise Christ, but by Friday, someone challenges our pride, and suddenly we seek justice. We want our pound of flesh. On Sunday, Christ is in control; by Friday, we want control. We still believe and trust, but by Friday, we want to be king. That’s not a good recipe for worshiping Jesus, is it? Nor is it a good way to lead our families.


Reflect on Jesus’ final message to his disciples before his death on the cross. It’s when Jesus washed the disciples’ feet, including Judas, who would soon betray him (John 13:1-17). Jesus’ act emphasized the importance of loving and caring for one another despite differences or betrayals. Jesus said, I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you (John 13:15 NLT). If we truly want to worship our King, we need the Spirit’s help to live out this lesson. Because if we aim to put others’ needs above our own, then seeking justice and being the best no longer motivate our actions, and our lives become a form of worship to the King — one we all would want our families to imitate.


Remember, as long as your child is at home, you have a wonderful opportunity to share the Bible. Together, explore its stories, talk about how they relate to daily life, and encourage deeper family conversations. This makes faith an exciting and meaningful journey. God bless, and I look forward to seeing your family on Sunday.


Pastor Bob