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6/30/2026 We are Strong with GodHello, Bridge family. I hope you all are doing well and having a wonderful summer! This week in the Bridge, the kids learned that we are strong with God. If we are all honest, it is a complex message to grasp, especially for a child. If not taught correctly, it can lead to disappointment and regret, and that disappointment may be projected onto God. So let’s look at two points to guide the discussion, hopefully helping our children understand what it means to be strong with God.
First, our ability to be strong with God hinges on understanding that God’s strength comes when we do what God has called us to do. Take a look at this week’s story. It’s about Gideon in Judges chapter 6. God has called Gideon, who considers himself the lowest of the low, to lead the nation of Israel out of bondage to the Midianites. When Gideon questions God about whether God has the right guy, the Lord responds, “I will be with you. And you will destroy the Midianites as if you were fighting against one man (v. 6:16).” God doesn’t give us anything He can’t handle. That will probably raise the question of what has called me to do, which leads to my second point. The Apostle Paul writes that we are to put on the whole armor of God (Eph 6). If you take a look at them, you will notice that most are defensive. That is not to say they don’t provide God’s strength to endure, but most children, and indeed most adults, associate strength with the ability to take the offensive. Let’s just look at one component of the armor that is an offensive weapon, “take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God (v. 6:17).” Now, to be clear, you need the whole armor of God. No one piece is more significant than the other, but if we want our children to hear from God and be strong in God’s power, then we must allow the Spirit of God to reveal the Godhead to our children through the word of God. When we do, we are providing our children with God’s strength to hear and the courage to step out when called by God, and to ward off the temptations of this world, whether seen or unseen. Bottom line: Read the Bible with your children and share with each other what you observe from what you have read, asking what God is doing in the story. How does God do the same thing for us, only better in Jesus? How does this good news change how we live?* Remember, as long as your child is at home, you have a wonderful opportunity to share the Bible. Together, explore its stories, discuss how they relate to daily life, and encourage deeper family conversations. This makes faith an exciting and meaningful journey. God bless. I look forward to seeing your family on Sunday. Pastor Bob · From the book “Show Them Jesus” by Jack Klumpenhower. 6/24/2026 We are God's MasterpieceHello, Bridge family. I hope many of your families were able to make it to VBS. What a wonderful time we had worshiping our Savior, Jesus Christ, and learning how many Old Testament characters point us to Jesus. I know that, in preparing for the week, I learned a few things as well. As we closed on Friday, I mentioned that it was a great opportunity for you, as families, to water the seeds we planted during the week and watch God grow in your children's lives.
This idea is at the heart of the Bridge and Bridge Kids’ Ministries. Just as Paul and Apollos did, we hope to plant or water seeds in your children, with you, that will strengthen their relationship with and understanding of Christ and lead them to surrender their lives to Him. That we may together live out Paul’s words from 1 Corinthians, For we are both God’s workers. And (they) are God’s field. (They) are God’s building (3:9 NLT).* That is the desire behind the DigIN@Home and these posts. To help you water what has been planted on Sunday, and together we may pray for God’s growth. That being said, this week’s Bible Point, We are God’s Masterpiece, is one I think we, as teachers and parents, need to spend much more time watering, especially in this day and age. We, as parents and Christian leaders, share a lot about what it means to live a life honoring to God, and that is good. But it may pale in comparison to how God feels about us. Face it, we all have anxiety issues. Most began in our adolescence and carry on into adulthood. For most of us, we learn to deal with them. However, we all know those who don’t, and the toll it takes on them. In either case, we forget that we are God’s Masterpiece. As King David puts it, “You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it” (Psalm 139:13-14). What we see as flaws, God made perfect. As our lesson taught, “Everything about the way He made us was just the way he wanted us to be.” God created us each the way he wanted us to be so that we may serve Him in very special ways. Water this in them and allow God’s heart for them to grow and overcome self-image anxieties so that they may become someone amazing in Christ. Remember, as long as your child is at home, you have a wonderful opportunity to share the Bible. Together, explore its stories, discuss how they relate to daily life, and encourage deeper family conversations. This makes faith an exciting and meaningful journey. God bless. I look forward to seeing your family on Sunday. Pastor Bob **changed for emphasis |
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