Chuck Bridges Blog

Well the day has finally come for our Mission Team to return to Romania for another adventure specially planned by our Father. If you take a close look at the faces of the children on the header of this page you will see why it is so hard to leave them and why I am always anxious to get back over there. I will definitely miss my family, friends, and church here at home (and there really is “No place like home!”) but this is such a tremendous blessing in my life that it helps with the “yearnings” to be home.

Please pray specifically for our Team. All of the 6 people going with me have small children. Two of them are Moms! They are going to struggle with being away from them for this long and their children will not understand where they are. So, pray for those going and for the spouses who remain home to care for their households.

I hope to be able to post regularly and hopefully put some pictures and video on this time. We are supposed to have access to wireless, high speed internet at a hotel that the two ladies on our team are staying at. On our last trip I tried to send pictures but they would never upload. We will see once we get there. I should be able to at least put some updates on this blog and on Facebook. If we are not “friends” on fb send me a request and I’ll accept!

God has put this Team together and provided the funds to allow us to get the church building ready for the winter! To Him Be ALL the GLORY! Now, I have to get mentally prepared for a long SIT on a big bird and a very cold slap in the face when I depart the plane in Romania (wind chill about 20 degrees. YIKES!). God Bless You!

I have had so many things going on this past couple of weeks that I haven’t taken the time to sit down and post about some great Truths God is teaching me. This has truly been a great time of Spiritual, Emotional, and Mental Growth in my life. As always the stress of getting everything together for our departure to Romania this coming Thursday has been challenging. I always get nervous when taking others out of the country for the first time. Will it be a good experience for them? Will they adjust to the change in climate, culture, cuisine, etc.? Will they do ok with the lengthy travel? (I know; I know; these are all things in God’s control but I still think about these things) As I shared in my last post, I will try to keep regular updates coming through this blog while we are on this amazing journey (Oct. 15-27). Check it out when  you get a minute and please pray for us.

If I had to summarize what God has been magnifying in my life recently it would be mostly about “PERSPECTIVES.” We have probably all heard about the illustration of the glass that is half filled with water (or is it half empty?). EXACTLY! Whichever way you see it constitutes your tendencies in the realm of “PERSPECTIVE!” The problem for me is how easy it is to allow my PERSPECTIVE to be shaped by the Uncertain Present instead of by the Certainty of the Future. This may be a little archaic for some who have strived for the “Abundant Life” in this cursed world. With all of our knowledge about PERSPECTIVES it seems that our responses to “Daily Stuff” remain in the realm of the NOW!

Trust me, I am not pointing the long finger of disdain at anyone! (Except Myself) I have almost drowned recently in the “tsunami” of the PRESENT while claiming to Know and Believe in the “Life Boat” called the FUTURE! Romans 8 is a great resource for the most seasoned Christ-Follower as well as the beginner. It reminds us of how influential the guaranteed future can be in the wilderness of “Present struggles.” Actually the Bible says it is these very struggles that makes it possible for God to get accomplished what He has ultimately planned for our lives. So, some of the very things that we are praying like crazy for God to change, remove, or at least explain are the things He is using to “Construct” HIS Masterpiece (by the way, that Masterpiece is YOU! cf. Ephesians 2:10)

It would be great if it were possible to get all this stuff figured out so that we could handle life’s challenges with more poise and control. But, in reality, as soon as we think we have something figured out, another situation intrudes on our controlled environment that sets off all our alarms! Its at the times when we are “free-falling” that we reach out for something to grab on to that can stop the madness. While I can’t give you step by step instructions I can tell you that that something we need to grab hold of is actually not a thing it is a PERSON!

You see, we want our lives to fit neatly and comfortably in a structure that makes sense. Let’s just keep all the mystery in the novels and movies, RIGHT? This would produce a boring existence. Instead, do a quick inventory of your “situations” (good or bad; your fault or not; etc.) and evaluate how things could be different IF we learn where to reach when we need something solid to hang on to. In a way, a PERSPECTIVE God is giving me about life is that it is kind of like a thrilling ride on one of those upside down, incredibly fast roller coasters that takes your stomach away and makes you scream while laughing hysterically. The only reason we can enjoy that ride is because we are securely strapped in to our seat; trusting completely in the craftmanship of its designer!

We can face life in the same way as long as we are strapped securely in our seat (i.e. that is called Salvation through Christ) and we trust in the craftmanship of the designer (that’s the God we believe in). Knowing how to hold on to these 2 unchanging TRUTHS can help us keep our sanity no matter what unexpected things find their way into our realm of consciousness. Also, remember that, before anything gets to us (i.e. Children of God) it has to get past our Father, His Son Jesus, and the Holy Spirit who lives in our hearts. You can be SURE that if our God has allowed it to make it all the way to us, He has a plan for our VICTORY!

So, hold on and enjoy this journey called LIFE! You only get one shot at it so don’t waste too much time griping or worrying about things you cannot change. Go ahead, be one of the brave ones, raise your arms to the sky, scream with joy at the top of your lungs, and laugh hysterically knowing that God has everything in control! That’s the PERSPECTIVE of CHAMPIONS! For a little more help with PERSPECTIVES that bring PEACE see Deut. 29:29! ENJOY THE RIDE OF YOUR LIFE!!!

Meet our Team: Paul, Michael, Kim, Chuck, Michelle, Matt and TJ

Hey Bloggers. Take a look at our next Romania Team. Five of us are leaving on Thursday, October 15th and the other two are leaving on Saturday, October 17th. Please pray for everyone to arrive safely. We are so excited about this opportunity to return to the Village of Sanger in the great country of Romania. We are planning to get the church building we started in July finished so that the church can use it this winter.

I will probably write some more about our Romania journey before we leave. I will also try to post updates on our trip while we are in the country so check it out during the dates of October 15 – 27.

I am a big fan of Bill Cosby. I go all the way back to his “Fat Albert” cartoon — (“HEY; HEY; HEY, IT’S FAT ALBERT”) The “Cosby Show” revolutionized sit-com television. This man is not only funny but is quite insightful. He has been praised and ridiculed for some very ‘blunt’ comments towards his own race. (Actually I don’t look at Cosby as an African-American, just a fellow American!)

Anyway, Cosby was doing an interview once and made a statement that has often been quoted. He says: “I don’t know what the secret of success is but I do know the secret of failure — TRYING TO PLEASE EVERYONE!” Even Politicians know that you can’t please everyone. That’s why many of our elected officials have to learn a new language — ‘Double Talk.’ They know how impossible it is for them to PLEASE all of their constituents so they have to give it a good try when actually communicating with those who “HIRED” them. (Sorry, I am “chasing a rabit” again)

Actually, what I want to share in this post is something that I said before we officially began our “Public Worship Service” at Washington Avenue Church yesterday. God really dealt with my heart about some things that needed to be said before we “STARTED.” I really thought about what to say and why I felt so strongly that something needed to be said. I wanted to make sure that what I was going to say was coming from God and not from my emotions.

One of the greatest hinderances in our “Public Worship” Gatherings is Consumerism. This is simply the mindset we use to evaluate our services according to Personal Appeal. Life in America is ruled by Personal Appeal. It is what advertisers study when trying to develop campaigns that will “Sell” their product. It is based on Personal Satisfaction and not necessarily on the quality of what is being marketed. Value and integrity get trumped by “bottom line profits!”

Our Public Worship services will never become the Spirit-Filled, Spirit-Led experiences that we desperately need if we keep attending them and/or leaving them for something newer or better because what is being offered is not “APPEALING!” Our “Consumeristic” tendencies have caused Worship Leaders to focus on PLEASING PEOPLE more than on PLEASING GOD! Yes, no matter how many times we tell ourselves that it is not about us but is All about Jesus, in the back of our minds, songs that are selected, messages that are prepared, orders of presentation, etc. are influenced by the “Consumers” we are “servicing!”

This is the basic information that I shared before we officially began our Worship service yesterday. I was hoping there would be some kind of response from those who gathered yesterday that would be God-Ordained. A few people came to the altar when invited, most remained in their seat. After a time of prayer, we officially started the worship service. For me, my focus took a major shift from concern over what someone might think about our music, the volume, etc. to just pouring my heart out to the Lord. For me, Worship was sweeter and more genuine than it has been in quite a while. For some, I think it really made a difference. For others, not much change from the norm was noticeable. (I know these evaluations of mine would be challenged by some who were there but I just have to call it like I see it. After all, that is what this blog is about)

I don’t know if these “rantings” of mine on a Monday morning help or hurt. Maybe my longings reflect the thoughts of others or maybe I just need to be rebuked! All I do know is that God can and will ONLY BLESS Worship that is Sincerely focused on Him and not on US! I also KNOW that Consumeristic mindsets will grieve the Holy Spirit and hinder worship every single time we gather. While I may not know what someone in the congregation is thinking and/or feeling, let me remind all of us that God Knows what we are thinking and feeling! I just long to see God get all the GLORY, HONOR and PRAISE He deserves each and every time we meet together! How about you?

The group called DECREE will be sharing in ministry with us on Saturday night October 26th starting at 6:30 in the large Worship Center on our Campus at Washington Avenue Church. This is a family group and they are related to one of our Romania Mission Team members. The group has agreed to come for no fees so that all the money taken up in the Love Offering can go to help build the church in Romania. THANK YOU DECREE!!

We have a Team of 6 people heading back to Romania in 3 weeks! Everyone’s plane tickets are paid for and a couple of people need to raise the rest of their room and board money. God has really provided. All of the money that is received on Saturday night will be used to purchase construction materials so that we can complete the church building.

On this trip we are planning to paint the outside of the building; install the boxing; complete the interior walls; hang drywall and start finishing it; install all the windows and doors; and, if we have enough money, purchase and install a wood burning heater so the church can use the facility this winter. It looks like everything is coming together!!

Please pray for us on this trip. We will also be working with our Romanian Partners to teach Bible lessons to the children. On this trip we have some things planned to try and reach the parents of these children who are coming to our programs. Please pray for an openness to the Gospel message! I am praying for people to be saved in this Village so that God’s Work can spread to other Villages! The dates for this year’s trip are October 15-26. I will be trying to Blog as much as possible while over there so you can follow our progress and know how to pray specifically for the work.

Someone defined discouragement as “the result of things not going the way we planned or expected.” I’m sure there are varying definitions that could be debated, but this one, right or wrong, seemed to resonate with recent history in my “Professional” journey. In Christian Ministry it is difficult to admit when we are just plain, old-fashoned discouraged! The influence of this intriguing ’state of mind’ is irrefutable. Since it takes on so many forms we don’t always recognize it’s subtle presentation but, the results are usually the same. We are tempted to retreat from the “source” of our discouragement!

In recent weeks our church has focused laser-attention on the topic called “Spiritual Warfare.” In the midst of trying to teach others how to recognize the manifestations of evil around us and how to overcome that which strives to defeat us, I have been beaten up by discouragement. No matter what the issues generating this response might be — whether justifiable or not — the end result is the same. Effectiveness in our life-calling is always circumvented by this lethal foe.

My attitude received a major adjustment last night while participating in a group discussion on one particular topic in the study of Spiritual Warfare. As I sat there mostly listening to others share, a statement was read that rocked me: “Few soldiers win battles when they no longer have a will to fight.” One of our faithful group members read this statement from a sheet of paper but it could not have been any more forceful than IF God had spoken it directly from the air!! Had I lost my “will to fight?” Was this condition now dictating how and even WHY I do what I do?

In just a short few moments I received something from the Lord that really changed some things for me. At the heart of all we strive to do is our WILL! Some could call this our motivation for performing, serving, designing, creating, managing, etc. (i.e. whatever it is that you do) We are defined as much by WHY we do things as we are by WHAT we do. People may see the WHAT but it is the WHY that shapes the value of the WHAT! (if that doesn’t make sense then hold on because I can get more ambiguous!)

For me, the “WILL to fight” represents my calling to be a leader in the Church of Jesus Christ. Leading a church is no doubt the most difficult challenge I have ever attempted in my life. Trying to supervise “Volunteers” is like balancing plates on a stick (neither of which I am very good at). Trying to keep everything “spinning” while simultaneously trying to “LEAD” towards new growth taxes every resource I have. When the “plates” start falling, all our attention moves to the plates and away from the “growth” stuff.

For now, I am breathing in the fresh air of renewal in my personal life. Thoughts are regaining clarity, passion, and direction. I have asked God to forgive my failures and to reignite my “Will to fight.” He can and will take care of all that is out of my control IF I will just wake up every day with a “WILL to Fight” for All that Jesus died for! I don’t know if any of this helps anyone out there. I just needed to try and articulate the energy in the NOW. Blessings!

Ok, so, did you think I passed away? It has been a while since I carved out some time to write a post on this blog site. For those who keep checking, thanks for your interest. I apologize for not writing very much.

To be perfectly honest with you I have not been in a “writing” frame of mind lately. I have always tried to write a blog post because I had something to say, not because I had to say something. This is kind of the way it is in preaching on a weekly basis. Sometimes you just can’t wait to get to the “Message” portion of the service because you have something to say (from God of course). Then there are those times when I think, “Is it time for the message already?” (Relax, this doesn’t happen often!)

So, what do I have to say? Nothing very profound at the moment. I was just wondering why it has been so long since I took the time to write out my thoughts or share some insight on this medium. This thought-process highlighted some of the things that keep me from doing what I really want to do. One of the problems for me is that things just don’t seem to go the way I plan them. If my circumstances would just cooperate a little more with my objectives, I could get a lot more done (and be in a better mood! — that would make my wife very happy!!) The weeks pass by so quickly that it is a challenge to assess if I am getting anywhere (you know, the “making progress” issue). I keep putting the things I really want to get done to the back of a way too busy, too demanding schedule.

Then there’s the problem of “unexplainable” things that manage to worm their way into our conscious world. We don’t really know why we feel a certain way or why we can’t manage to accomplish our goals and progressively we entertain discouragement. This usually leads to depression which is mostly just confusion over the real reason why we can’t seem to get anything done! (Am I doing some good rambling or what?)

I think what really happens in most of our lives is that we have so many duties to perform each day that our “leisure” time gets swallowed up making us more like a machine than a human being. The things we want to get done — the things that would really make us feel like we were accomplishing something — get pushed to the back of our “time-allowances” and, before you know it, we are falling exhaustedly in the bed so we can get up and do it again the next day. Or, if you’re like me, you take a good nap to rest up before falling into bed. (that recliner sleep is spot on!)

Well, let me try and make some sense out of these maddening ramblings. I think one possible solution to our Delays, Dilemmas and Duties (or at least a sedative for these ruts) is to remember that God called us “Human Beings, not Human Doings.” (I borrowed that from Rick Warren, Pastor of Saddleback Community Church) We spend so much of our time “DOING” that we very seldom practice Psalm 46:10 — “Be still and know that I am God!” In the NT Jesus says something like this: “Stop storing up and laboring for things that will not last. Instead, pour your heart and soul into the things that really matter and you will find that many of your former worries are just a  fading memory.” (Matthew 6:33-34 — my paraphrase)

I will try to “Practice what I preach” and slow down enough to think, meditate, pray and ask God what insights, experiences, struggles, and victories He wants me to share using this medium. What is it that you want to get done but keep letting life’s delays, dilemmas, and duties take precedence? In all of your duties don’t forget to carve out some quality time for YOU — which is done most efficiently when we share it with HIM (i.e. Jesus!). Good Luck.

My attempts at raising some vegetables this year have not worked out like I had hoped. I planted my corn back in May; it all came up and was beautiful. But, for some reason it all grew to approximately 10 inches and just started dying. I watered, kept the soil broken up, weeded, and just couldn’t figure out why my corn was not growing. Frustrated, I pulled it all up, plowed the ground again and fretted over not seeing the bronze tassles atop the healthy green plants with delicious “ears” on each plant. To be honest my confidence was a little shaken so I decided to plant again, even though it was so late in the season. I really just wanted to see if I could get corn to grow.

I am happy to report that I just finished eating some of the tastiest Silver Queen corn that I have ever had. It tasted wonderful. I certainly can’t take the credit because I didn’t do much different than the first time (except added some soil conditioner). I watered, weeded, fertilized, broke up the soil and watched the plants grow. We had some dry spells, insects, plenty of crab grass, and other outward symptoms that the corn plants would not produce a healthy harvest. But, just one taste makes all the labor, trials and uncertainty well worth it.

In case you’re wondering, I do have a point. We are studying on the topic of Spiritual Warfare at our church. This focus heightens our awareness that the many trials and struggles we face on a daily basis may actually be more than “meets the eye.” Obviously we all have undesireable circumstances that come at various times in our lives. But, as Followers of Jesus Christ, we know that powerful forces in opposition of our Leader cause a great deal of this havoc in our lives. As we try to process the various issues that require our responses, it helps us salvage our sanity and continue our “Purposeful Journey” when we know these nuances are not happening by chance.

What’s the Point of all this stuff about Corn and Spiritual Warfare? Just like all the struggles of getting that corn into a pot on our stove then from a spoon into my mouth, there is a “Tasty” reward at the end of our “Spiritual” struggles IF was refuse to Compromise our Convictions. We are instructed to “PUT ON the FULL Armor of God so that we can stand our ground” (i.e. hold our position) when the attacks of the Enemy come at us. (cf. Ephesians 6:10-20) Trust me, it is not EASY to “keep on keeping on” for Jesus when there is so much opposition in this world. But, for those who refuse to lose, something “sweet” is being prepared for us. I am holding on to the exciting Truth that God is going to allow me to experience a little bit of His Heaven before I leave this earth. It makes all the struggles, uncertainties, frustrations, and inner hurts worth it all!

To my fellow Followers I shout from seasons of trials, DON’T QUIT! Put On the Armor God has prepared for you and get ready for the “spoils of war!” Stay tuned and we will continue deciphering this thing called Spiritual Warfare!

Well it looks like there is definitely going to be another Mission Team from Washington Avenue going back to Romania this year. I felt confident in my heart that God wanted us to get back over there and do some finishing work on the church building before Winter. But, with the shortness of time to raise the money and get a team put together I really didn’t think it would happen. Yesterday I pretty much decided that it wasn’t going to happen this year. Then, I received messages from the two ladies who have been adamant about going to Romania this Fall. After that, I prayed and God affirmed in my heart that we need to go with whoever can make the trip.

I know for sure that we have one man going besides me. It would be great if we could have 2 or 3 more who can work on the construction of the building. We need to do some minor carpentry, painting, hang and finish drywall, etc. If you have an interest in going, please let me know. You can email me at chuck@washingtonavenue.org or call the church office at 295-1610. The trip dates are October 15-27th. If you can leave on the 15th but need to return earlier because of work or other circumstances that will be fine. We order our airplane tickets separately so you can be flexible with the dates. We just need workers to be on site for Saturday, October 17; and Mon.-Friday, (19-23) to get as much done as possible on the building.

Some Requirements for going on a Mission Trip with me include: Make sure you have an evident, growing relationship with Jesus Christ; Make sure you are ‘called’ by God to go on this trip; raise your own expenses for the trip (our fund-raisers are to accumulate the money needed to buy the supplies for the construction); BE FLEXIBLE — trust me, if it can happen it probably will! We plan as much as we can but there are always challenges we are faced with that never crossed our minds. We are traveling over 5,500 miles to another world from ours so just know that anything can happen. We all need to be prepared for what God wants us to do and then be willing — with a great attitude — to do anything that is asked of us.

Again, if you have any interest please let me know. If you know you can’t personally go will you GO with us another way? You can pray, give money, or provide supplies that will be needed on the trip. We appreciate all the assistance we receive from those who have a heart for taking the Gospel to every nation, tribe and tongue. I am so thankful to be associated with such a Mission-Minded church! I look forward to hearing from you.

Even the most “seasoned” Christ-Follower needs to be reminded how critical it is for us to be PREPARED for the daily struggles that accompany our faith. While the enemy’s attacks may vary in size, shape, duration, presentation, etc. it is certain that he never takes a break from attacking. His most effective attacks seem to be the ones he unleashes on the Church of Jesus Christ. Through strife, division, criticism, hurt feelings, and many other ways he achieves the height of his victory by “busting up” relationships among fellow Christ-Followers.

Have you experienced the painful trial of losing a special relationship that you at one time thought was very secure? Have you been surprised by something another Believer said or did that brought great pain to other people you really care about? Can you recall times when you felt much closer to some very precious Brothers and Sisters than you do now? Have you felt the cold shrill run down your spiritual spine to learn of a moral failure of someone you once trusted with very personal secrets?

If you could answer yes to any of these very real situations (and many, many more that could be listed) then you have experienced “First-Hand” the pitfalls of Spiritual Warfare on the most unexpected battlefield known to most Christians — The Christian Church! Even though I have been in ministry for many years, I still find myself getting caught “off-guard” by things that happen right under the NOSE of our Christian teaching, preaching, serving, singing, and praying. Right in the very midst of the places where we should see the greatest miracles take place we are experiencing a myriad of destroyed lives and tarnished testimonies.

Welcome to Spiritual Warfare in the 21st Century!! This is our current series of messages we are sharing on Sundays at Washington Avenue Church. We are also studying on the same topic in our Small Group Bible studies. Each time I turn attention to what God’s Word says about Spiritual Warfare, the attacks are multiplied. Chip Ingram in his book called “The Invisible War” describes a time when everything was going great in his life and he still experienced dark thoughts of defeat and wanting to quit the ministry. Let me tell you, those thoughts are very real. Pastors and other Christians leaders who are really striving to see people’s lives changed for the Glory of God are facing some fierce attacks from the enemy. It is time to PUT ON THE WHOLE ARMOR OF GOD! (Ephesians 6:10-20)

The Greatest news I know is the Biblical FACT that we can STAND victorious against the onslaught of attacks from the forces of evil. We are given detailed instructions on how to STAND when our toughest battles come. Over the next few weeks we will be studying this in detail. I will try to post some articles on this blog to help anyone who is interested in fighting the battles that pervade your consciousness. Many of the things we think are mere coincidence may be a well planned attack from the enemy — yes the devil and/or his comrades — yes the demons. They are real. They are here, right now, and they are intent on bringing us down.

So, whether you like it our not, to decide to follow Jesus is to sign up for the battles of Spiritual Warfare. Since we have no option about being in the fight, don’t you think it is wise for us to decide how to Fight?! Our Lord as won the ultimate victory but His enemy is still seeking someone to devour. Suit up fellow Believers! In God’s Strength and with God’s Armor on we have yet to experience our greatest days as the Church of Jesus Christ!!