The latest at The Bridge
Stay up to date with the happenings of The Bridge by visiting our blog. You'll find information such as announcements, sermon notes and thoughts from our pastor to encourage and challenge your walk with the Lord.
11/03 Sermon Recap & Discussion Questions
by: Suzanne Vogel
11/04/2024
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11/03 Sermon Discussion Questions
Pastor Suzanne suggested the Holy Spirit offers Romans 12:9-21 as a gift - one that offers the possibility of anchoring us in even the fiercest of cultural or familial storms. But to receive it, we’re going to have to live it. Verse 9 is the umbrella verse that frames the whole section, calling Jesus followers to love without hypocrisy, which includes fleeing from evil and clinging to what is good. The rest of the passage defines practica...read more
10/27 Sermon Recap & Discussion Questions
by: Suzanne Vogel
10/28/2024
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10/27 Sermon Discussion Questions
Recap:
Pastor Suzanne talked about the question “How well do I know my shadow self?”She discussed the reality that everyone is both made in the image of God and we all have sinful patterns that we are often unaware of. ““All of us develop ways of adjusting and staying safe in the midst of whatever danger is present in our environment; patterns that become normal for us. Because these patterns are formed unconsciously while we are still yo...read more
10/20 Sermon Recap & Discussion Questions
by: Sara Nielsen
10/22/2024
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10/20 Sermon Discussion Questions
Recap:
Pastor Bep talked about the question, “Do I know how God formed me and wired me?”She talked about the importance of looking at ourselves holistically: our stories, our personalities, our passions, our talents, and our spiritual gifts. These, together, will give us a clue about how God might be calling us. Spiritual gifts may be expressed differently depending on whole picture of your personality and talents and life experiences. She ...read more
10/13 Sermon Recap & Discussion Questions
by: Sara Nielsen
10/14/2024
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10/13 Sermon Discussion Questions
Recap:
Pastor Suzanne talked about the story of Joseph in Genesis. She emphasized that in Joseph’s story we see parts of his story that were his own choices, other peoples’ choices, and God’s redemptive actions. In our own stories, we can find evidence of these as well. She reminded us that, though God does not cause painful situations, God can be redemptively at work through some of the harder situations in our lives. Taking time to reflec...read more
10/6 Sermon Recap & Discussion Questions
by: Sara Nielsen
10/07/2024
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10/6 Sermon Discussion Questions
Recap:
Pastor Sara talked about the question, “Do I trust God?” She shared an experience she had where it felt like God has broken her trust, and she had to figure out how to trust God’s love and presence instead of trusting in a specific outcome.She talked about 3 Bible stories:Shadrach, Meshach, & Abednego refusing to bow to the idol in Babylon and saying, “Our God is able to deliver us from this… but even if he doesn’t, we will still not ...read more
9/29 Sermon Recap & Discussion Questions
by: Sara Nielsen
09/30/2024
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9/29 Sermon Discussion Questions
Recap:
Pastor Suzanne talked about the question, “Do I know how to have a conversation with God?” She argued that the kinds of conversations we feel comfortable having with God depend on the type of relationship we have with God and that these relationships are often based on three components: familiarity, authority, and trust. (You can see the grid she used to illustrate this below). Moses, in the passage we read today, models a conversati...read more
9/22 Sermon Recap & Discussion Questions
by: Sara Nielsen
09/23/2024
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9/22 Sermon Discussion Questions
Recap:
Pastor Tony walked us through the whole Bible, highlighting the themes in the “Big Story” of God. He made the case that the main theme throughout scripture is that God wants to be with us. Tony walked us through the 5 main movements in scripture: CreationIsraelJesusThe ChurchNew CreationTony encouraged us to “just get started” in becoming more aware of God’s story.
Reflection Questions:
If someone asked me what the Bible was all about,...read more
9/15 Sermon Recap & Discussion Questions
by: Sara Nielsen
09/16/2024
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9/15 Sermon Discussion Questions
Recap:
Pastor Sara invited us to inspect our Bridge to God by looking at the question: “Do I know how to read and apply scripture?”She talked about the love that the Psalmist of Psalm 119 has for the word of God because it gives direction, hope, light, wisdom, and peace. She invited us to consider the following ways we could learn to love and understand the Bible better:Invest time into reading.Get tools to help you understand. Don’t just re...read more
9/8 Sermon Recap & Discussion Questions
by: Sara Nielsen
09/12/2024
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9/8 Sermon Discussion Questions
Recap:
Pastor Suzanne talked about the importance of literal bridge inspections in detecting problems and cracks early to keep bridges from collapsing.She then talked about the need to do regular, honest inspection of our lives: our walk with God, our knowledge and awareness of ourselves, and our relationships with others to see where there may be cracks that need to be repaired.The scripture passages we looked at told stories of two scenarios...read more
9/1 Sermon Recap & Discussion Questions
by: Sara Nielsen
09/04/2024
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9/1 Sermon Discussion Questions
Recap:
Pastor Sara wrapped up the sermon series on Deuteronomy, reminding us of themes we’ve seen throughout the book: following God’s directions leads to life, God’s care for the vulnerable, God put guardrails on power, God calls us to pass our faith along to coming generations, etc. Moses wraps up his sermon to the Israelites by calling them again to do the things God asked, and to love God, and promises that these things will lead to life ...read more
8/25 Sermon Recap & Discussion Questions
by: Sara Nielsen
08/26/2024
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8/25 Sermon Discussion Questions
Recap:
Pastor Suzanne talked about what the Bible means when it talks about valuing life. She spent time unpacking the Hebrew word for life “chayah.” This word has three different nuances to its meaning depending on its context: Protecting lifeNurturing lifeReviving lifeSuzanne argued that when we talk about pro-life policies around abortion, Christians are often known for emphasizing only the first of those three meanings. We need to get be...read more
8/18 Sermon Recap & Discussion Questions
by: Sara Nielsen
08/19/2024
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8/18 Sermon Discussion Questions
Recap:
Pastor Bep talked about the importance of taking tangible steps and physical actions to remember God’s faithfulness. She invited us to consider everything that God remembers - from history, from scripture, and from our lives. She emphasized how God remembers us - our whole life and our whole walk with him - and invited us to remember and respond to him from that awareness. We were then invited to respond to God by witness baptisms and...read more
8/11 Sermon Recap & Discussion Questions
by: Sara Nielsen
08/14/2024
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8/11 Sermon Discussion Questions
Recap:
Pastor Suzanne reminded us that we can often miss what is happening in a Bible passage because of our narrowed focus or preconceived assumptions.As we studied Deuteronomy 24: 1-5, Suzanne highlighted what this passage is not about: It is not a prohibition against divorce or remarriage. It is not anti-woman.The passage protects women against a cycle of abuse, by preventing her first husband from remarrying and taking advantage of her a...read more
8/4 Sermon Recap & Discussion Questions
by: Sara Nielsen
08/06/2024
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Recap:
Pastor Suzanne talked about how different Christians think about pacifism or justified violence. She reminded us that God’s ultimate desire is ultimately for peace, but that in a world that still contains evil and injustice, a faithful response to bring peace is complicated.Suzanne laid out arguments for both a “Just War” response and a pacifistic response. Just War Theory: Argues that sometimes to protect others and restore justice, war or violence is necessary and ...read more
7/28 Sermon Recap & Discussion Questions
by: Sara Nielsen
08/03/2024
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Recap:
Pastor Sara talked about how the instructions for kings in Deuteronomy can best be understood now as instructions for Christians who hold power and authority in any area of their lives. After looking at Israel’s history of kings, she reminded us that we are fallible and we will not hold power perfectly, so we need to keep practicing humility. Using the specific instructions in the passage, these are some of the principles for how we ought to operate when we have powe...read more