Month: April 2025

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

2 Timothy 3:16-17

The Holy Scriptures are the inspired, inerrant Word of God. Forever true, never changing, quite simply, the Bible is good for us. So that we may be complete, equipped for every good work. If we actually read it and employ what it contains into our life that is. What an incredible resource each one of us has within their grasp. The living voice of God, spiritual food that nourishes us to heath and wellness.  

Reading the Bible on a daily basis draws us closer to God, speaks to us through the Holy Spirit and helps us to keep our focus upon Jesus. Not reading the Bible on a regular basis does the opposite. 

Here is one of the amazing parts and why it is vital to read and reread and continue to read the Bible even if you have already read it. Though the Bible never changes, I do.

I’ve had new victories, different struggles, as I strive to always keep my eyes on Jesus, my focus upon what He is doing in my life is always evolving. My interests move about like the changing weather. The opportunities and people that the Holy Spirit places before me changes, sometimes day to day.

Since the Bible is constant and is the living Word, it affects me differently depending upon what I need most – according to the will of God. How amazing, how wonderful, how life changing. 

So I read. I look for insight. I seek inspiration each day and from every verse. I continually ask the Holy Spirit to illuminate what I am about to read. And do you know what? He is always faithful. 

And in my best day or my darkest hour, there it is. Just what I needed most for today. In my current situation, the Scripture speaks to me. The confirmation, the wisdom, the clarity, those things only the Word can bring.

Yes, it is true, I am different from the last time I read this verse or that passage. But the Word of God is timeless, eternal, personal, appropriate.

A person can spend a lifetime reading the Bible and in the process will discover something about themselves, something new about the Lord every time a page is turned and a verse is studied.

Jason Metz, lead Pastor

Yes, This is really me, Pastor Jason explaining what I hope you’ll do this Easter Sunday.

#1

Sit in the front middle of the sanctuary, WORSHIP PASSIONATELY, and respond to the preaching.

10 people like that can change the atmosphere of a whole room.

#2

Look for people who seem new and greet them. Ask if they want to sit with you.

New people do not care as much about lights and sound systems. People would rather be LOVED than WOWED.

Don’t ask “Are you new?”, ask “How long have you been at Bridge?”       

#3

As soon as you arrive, begin praying for the Presence of God to fall on services.

#4

Invite people. Studies show ~80% of Americans would say “yes” if invited by a friend to an Easter service.

It doesn’t have to be awkward, just shoot a text like this: 

“Hey, our family is headed to Bridge this weekend, and honestly it’s always so good for us and our kids. No pressure, but if you don’t have any place to go, do you want to sit with us??”     

#5

Be your awesome self!

BONUS: Easter will be even better if you silence your phone, go to the bathroom before (instead of during) the service, and wait until the end to leave (rather than leaving during the last song).

Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

Matthew 6:34

It seems like there is a lot of worry and anxiety in our world today. We live in a time where there is more information available to us with the swipe of our phones than any time in history. Google this, YouTube that, I saw it on Facebook, 24 hours of news. With so much information, to the point of overload, has our worry and anxiety also increased with such an exponential rate? Though we are called to have compassion and pray for people, situations and circumstances, should the weight of worry and anxiety about a ship stuck in Antarctica or a butterfly infestation in Mongolia burden my mind and day? I hope not.   

The blunt reality is that each one of us has a measure of responsibility in our life. From work, family, driving, home, faith, etc… These are the things that we have direct influence and control over. They aren’t necessarily positive or negative things, they’re just things. However, it is how we choose to react to these responsibilities that can place a positive or negative skew upon them. 

Matthew 6:34 is not talking about avoiding our responsibility. It’s talking about the worry and anxiety we allow to creep in. Personally, I find in my life that worry and anxiety increases when I do not take on and face my responsibilities in a faithful, component, timely and effective way. 

The more I procrastinate my responsibilities, the more worry and anxiety I have. Conversely the less I procrastinate the less worry and anxiety. Therefore, I don’t have to be anxious about tomorrow and I can focus more clearly on my faith in Jesus today.  

Another way to think about it is that we are to steward our responsibilities in such a way that we guard ourselves against worry and anxiety. We must be careful about those things we pick up and take on.

But what about those things we cannot control? 

I guess “those things” would fall under one of two areas. First, other people’s responsibilities and second, things we truly cannot control, like the weather.

As for the first, we live in a society that attempts to place other people’s responsibilities upon us. From marketing and advertising to the news media to the victim mentality syndrome that is so prevalent today. Just because they choose not to take on and fulfill their responsibilities in no way means that I have to. Many times the greatest gift we can give someone is to let them fail. It seems to be the best learning experience and offers us the opportunity to come alongside and teach them the importance of stewarding their responsibilities.

As for those things that are truly out of our control, let’s face it, investing our precious time and energy in worrying and having anxiety won’t change whatever situation it is. But it will change us in a negative way. 

Paul gives us great advice and encouragement here.

Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

Philippians 4:5-6

Make an effort to steward your responsibilities by relying on God. 

Jason Metz, lead Pastor

But He would withdraw to desolate places and pray. 

Luke 5:16

The power of solitude. For the born again believer, solitude or seclusion brings an incredible opportunity to experience silence. Silence from the world. Silence from the busyness. Silence from the noise. As a born again believer, we can be apart from others and the things that are going on around us, but we will never be apart from the Holy Spirit. That’s a beautiful thing. When the world becomes quiet, our ability to listen and hear God’s voice exponentially increases.

Unfortunately, we live in a culture that seems to never slow down or to never take a break. It’s disorderly, even deafening at times. The dangerous part is that it has become far too normalized. It pushes us to always need to be busy, working, entertained, unavailable. Like hamsters on a wheel, we go round and round and seldom ask why or what for.

Solitude interrupts our overloaded routine. It gets us away from the things that get in the way.  Away from others. Away from idle chit-chat. Away from questions. Away from busyness. Though these have importance, sometimes what is most important is to remove ourselves from all the distractions.

Psalm 46:10 starts out with this simple proclamation…

Be still, and know that I am God.

The Hebrew word used here to be still means to sink down, to relax. That’s a powerful picture when it comes to positioning ourselves before the Lord. 

Texts, phone calls, Facebook, Instagram, X, YouTube, binge watching, why is this red light taking so long, don’t they know I’m busy, hurry up and answer, what’s taking so long? 

Relax, sink down, be still and know that I am God.

Maybe we have been conditioned to fear the silence. Made to think that quiet time by ourselves means we are lazy or selfish or anti-social. But the example Jesus demonstrated in the Gospels is just that. If He placed a priority upon withdrawing to desolate places to pray, to be still, to quiet the world around Him and know, to ascertain by seeing, to place His confidence in His Father, if this was so necessary for Jesus, how can we think we don’t need it even more?

Where is your solitude?

Jason Metz, lead Pastor

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

– Hebrews 11:1

This makes sense from a world’s perspective. Everyone places faith in certain areas, situations or people and conversely everyone has a measure of doubt in certain areas, situations or people. The main factor here is drawn from our experiences and other people’s advice, encouragement or pessimism. 

So where does this faith/doubt complex leave the believer? We are deceiving ourselves if we say we never experience times of doubt in our walk. But remember the tug of war always going on within us? As long as our doubt never wins out over our faith, God can always work with that.

And when He does, our faith is exercised while trusting Him. Exercise or usage always produces strength. When our faith is stronger (when it is made strong through our adherence to Christ), it has a greater potential and ability to overpower our doubt. 

Hebrews 11:1 testifies that we do not need to find faith in ourselves or in the things of this world. Because really, we can find doubt and fault in both these areas. But when we place our faith in God or should I say, when His faithfulness becomes the foundation of our faith, the very hope that is within us changes. Faith in God creates an unfair tug of war in that doubt is not an attribute of God.

Our source of true faith should only be found in the Lord. Might we still experience doubt? Sure. But in these situations we have an important opportunity to put our complete trust and confidence in God. As a result, we show our doubt where our faith comes from and in doing so we are strengthened.

Jason Metz, lead Pastor