Chuck Bridges Blog

This post was written by my daughter. It will be easy to see why we are so proud of her. She has a gift to share her thoughts and feelings through the art of words. Enjoy…

Good morning bloggers.    First off, I think that you should know that this is not Chuck Bridges, I’m his daughter, Ashley. I also was given the opportunity to journey to San Diego, and so much has been on my mind since we have been here. The plane ride in itself was most definitley an eye-opening experience for me. As we flew over state after state after state, I was in awe that we were just floating over a world full of people living their daily life, not realizing how small they are in comparison to the whole big picture that our God sees. That got me thinking, what does God see when he is looking down on us? Is it a big picture, and then it zooms in to someone that needs him? How does he listen to all our prayers at once? There were so many questions and unexplainable things that kept appearing in my conscience, but as I looked into the clouds and the unending horizon, God brought such a peace over me that said, I’ve got the whole world in My hands. I care about how many hairs are on your head, I know every time one falls. I know the exact number of tears that have fallen from your eyes, and I hold them in my hand. I am your father in heaven, looking down from above. I see all, I know all, and I love you. The thought of it brings tears to my eyes, that a God that sees the WHOLE UNIVERSE sees ME.

When we landed in San Diego, there was a lot going on. We met up with the group on the first flight, and were greated by Kevin and his executive pastor, Chris. Before I say anything else, I just wanted to say this. The launch team for Elevate Church are REAL. They are excited about our Lord Jesus Christ and they are not just saying, wow I wish we could reach people in San Diego, they said we WILL reach people. We will SEIZE OUR MOMENT, we will do whatever it takes to show the people of Torrey Hills that there is a group of people here that care about them; that are geniually interested in their wants, needs, and eternity. Yesterday, they sent us on a Prayer Journey, and I have to be honest. I was not in the greatest of moods. We were on a van, we had no clue where we were going, I was hungry and hurting and I really just wanted to get back to the house. But, as I stood on a beach and watched person after person walk by with surf-boards, beach chairs, floats, towels, I realized something. Those people are just like me. They have hurts, fears, wants, they have bad moods, hard days, and if we really were Christ-followers that got REAL we would look at these people and say, yes I have hard times too, I hurt and I bleed but I have a Savior that helps me through it all, and he’s the one that I want to tell you about.

We have a lot ahead this week, and we have already faced many trials. A member of our team dislocated his knee last night while playing volleyball in the sand. As inconvenient and disappointing as that was for him, I think God used him in a mighty way. While he was drugged up in the hospital, he was telling everyone that worked on him about Elevate and why he was here. That is real. That is life. That is San Diego, reaching people where they are.

(Update: Chuck Morris dislocated his knee playing beach volleyball. That won him an express trip to one of many local hospitals. The good news is they quickly put his knee back in place and all the x-rays were positive. He has an immobilizer on his right leg and is trying to figure out how he’s going to participate in the Mission work today. He is in great spirits and is doing fine!)