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How to register for The Bridge’s Online Directory

Registering for a profile in the Online Directory gives you access to Bridge Members’ contact information, ensures that you’re informed about upcoming events, and connects you to the rest of the church body.  Take the time today to get started with updating your Directory.  Remember to add your picture to your profile.

The first step is to request a Login and Password from the Administrator. Look for the link to “Sign Up” (OR CLICK HERE) under the login button at the bottom, right of The Bridge’s webpages and follow the instructions. First name, last name, email address and telephone number are required for a login.

The second step will be to respond to the Administrator’s email that contains your Login and Password. (You can change it after login under the “Profile” tab)

The third step is to update your profile in the directory. Below are a few bullets to get you started, but feel free to explore the functionality inside the Directory.

• When you login, you are taken to a “desktop” screen. At the top right corner select “Go To My Profile”

• NOTE: The card on the screen provides information you have provided about you and your family.
• The right side bar is the Action menu. Select Communication under Profile Settings.
• NOTE: select the communication settings that you feel will keep you updated. (recommend to opt in to everything and then make adjustments to your communication level if excessive)
• Select Privacy under Profile Settings.

• NOTE: This is the specific area where you control what information you want to share with whom. (tip – sign in as guest1 / guest1 to see how a person views your information.)
• Select Profile under Profile Settings.

• Complete your information on each tab. Be sure the address is current and up-to-date for the very few mailings we may need to send – including tax statements.

Thank you for taking the time to update your profile info in our directory. The more we use the Directory the more useful it will become. Personal Photos are encouraged!!!

Contact Scott Shoopman if you need assistance.

Scott.shoopman@BridgeSH.com

I cannot remember any specific instances, but I know that the “End” has been predicted several times in my life-time and probably will continue to be predicted until Jesus returns. The apostles were looking for the second coming of Jesus for years which is probably why the gospels were written so late in their lives – they did not see the need because Jesus was coming back and they thought it would be in their lifetime.

Is it possible, sure. But the truth is that we should be ready NOW – not in 6 months. Jesus will return and if I am even partly right about  the book of Revelation in the Bible, there will be a judgement day and a it will be unlike anything we could ever imagine.

The current prediction is based on “numerology” and my math skills are a bit rusty, but it sounds a lot like that trick where you take your age, multiply it by 7, add 38, divide by … you get the picture. It also has a limit on the number of “spaces” in heaven. Hmmmm not real sure about that either.

But, it does at least make me ponder – am I ready? Am I sure? What about you???

Pete and Josh have both hit upon the same phrase, Pete in the book, Josh in a sermon recently; “Do you want God or just the stuff God can provide?” (Quoted as close as possible from memory) This phrase has haunted me as I examine my own life. I only have to listen to my typical prayer life to see that all too often the stuff is high on my priority list. I really struggle with this question and this season it seems to be even more in the forefront of my mind. Thanksgiving. What am I thankful for?

Just today I received a “gift” that could only have been from God. Am I thankful for the gift? YES!!! I am always amazed at how God provides for me and my family, even when I did not pray for this provision. Was I pleased that God was with me, honestly – I probably was more surprised than anything because I had not prayed for this provision. That is frustrating for me, but exciting too – God knows.

I wish I could just be like my dog Buddy. Buddy depends on me for food, water and shelter. He will even make his needs known to me as best he can. But, early in the morning he waits at the back door for his morning food and water doing circles when he sees that I am up and headed his way. When I come out the door with his food, what does he want FIRST? ME! Sure he is hungry, thirsty – he knows I will take care of that, but he first wants me to love on him, to be with him and in truth, I think if I continued to pet him all day, he would never touch his food. To love God the way Buddy loves me would go a long way with my relationship to Jesus.

I have been reading in Ecclesiastes recently and have decided that this is one odd book of the Bible. Think about it. Especially if you are a “westerner” and have a decent lifestyle, not even an above average lifestyle – this book of the Bible is for us.

I am not prone to in-depth study of scripture, but this book intrigues me. The simple phrase; “Meaningless, everything is meaningless” has me wondering why I do 80% of what I do. Also, is it really possible to live in such a way as to NOT be consumed by all this meaningless “stuff”? If I were to track my time, I wonder how much time is spent in pursuit of or in maintenence of “stuff”. I know, I know – we have to “provide” for our family, but to what extent and at what cost?

Tonight I was visiting my parents in Nashville. They still live in the home that I consider “home”. They bought the home about 35 years ago. For the previous 5 years, they lived 3 doors up the street in an identical home, so 40+ years on the same street in the same home. In that same time, I have moved 13 times not including in and out of college – and all but two moves were after I married Marianne.. Why so many moves? Provide. ( all but the last 2 anyway)

Not unlike the author of Ecclesiastes I have been in pursuit of “It”. “It” can look different for each of us, but if we really look at “It”, we will realize that; “What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.” (Ecc 1:9)  The root cause is the same, the object may have changed with the time, but the root – Selfishness.

We expect a similar lifestyle as that of our parents, but that is our starting point and it took them 30+ years to get there!! Each generation carries on that tradition!

I am still reading and have skipped around a bit, but I have yet to see where the author ever attempted to improve the life of another person directly. No mention of any real relationships, just “work”. I am sure that the writer cared for his wife (wives) and children – he provided for them well. Sound familiar?

If only he were in a House Group!!!

I need your help. For the past 6+ years as a church, we have been giving out water bottles with our Logo to visitors. I think it has worked well and it allowed us to provide additional info to our visitors. But…

We want something new, fresh, cost-effective (cheap), and hopefully a bit different. Something that a visitor would not toss in the trash as soon as they arrived home. Something that is a good representation of The Bridge Church, but not too “churchy”.

This is where you help us – what would be a good gift for a visitor to The Bridge?

scott shoopman

Connections Pastor

Have you ever noticed how your mind can focus on things, people, events, etc. subconsciously? I remember one of my first new cars – a 1979 Monte Carlo. I remember thinking that I hadn’t seen one in silver, with a landau top and spoke hubcaps – very classy at the time. After all, a guy wants a car to be different – to stand out and project something about himself. Well, no sooner had I driven off the lot - BAM –  I saw the car everywhere!! The same color configuration and selected options!! The only difference was the driver. “Selective Attending” is what a Psychologist friend of mine called it.

It happens in virtually every aspect of life it seems. From a new shirt, to an illness recently diagnosed, an invention considered to a new found area of interest, a blog post to a new book/author - each time we move into a new area in our lives, our minds seem to grasp that “thing” and focus on other similar “things” to call our attention. Why did God design our minds in such a way??

Thousands of books have been written that use this as a means of controlling our thoughts and subsequently, our life’s path. Commonly referred to as “Positive Thinking” or some other phrase of similar meaning. The idea is to consciously focus our minds energy or attention to the point of manipulating outcomes. Is this really possible?

Think of Paul of the Bible. Romans 12:2 instructs us to change our outcomes by focusing our minds on scripture. Many times in scripture we read where we are to “meditate”  day and night. Jesus teaches us to learn his ways in Mathew 7:24 to enable us to stand in times of testing – to change the outcome.

When I am reading the Bible and meditating on how to apply it to my life, I tend to remain focused more intently on the “things” of God around me. During times of “drought”, my mind wavers and begins to see ”things”, “events”, “people” in a much different light, one influenced by a fallen world. I really don’t like the dryness but would rather live in God’s presence.

So why is it so difficult to bring myself back into the Mind of Christ?

The following is an excerpt from Max Lucado’s book “Out Live Your Life” that I recently shared during a devotional time at work. The story is real, the significance will vary with every reader.

At 7:51am, January 12, 2007, a young musician took his position against a wall in a Washington, D.C. metro station. He wore jeans, a long-sleeved T-shirt, and a Washington Nationals baseball cap. He opened a violin case, removed his instrument, threw a few dollars and pocket change into the case as seed money, and began to play.

He played for the next forty-three munites. He performed six classical pieces. During that time, 1097 people passed by. They tossed in money to the total of $32.17. Of the 1097 people, seven – only seven – paused longer than sixty seconds. And of the seven, one – only one – recognized the violinist Joshua Bell.

Three days prior to this metro appearance staged by the Washington Post, Bell filled Boston’s Symphony Hall, where just fairly good tickets went for $100 a seat. Two weeks after the experiment, he played for a standing-room-only audience in Bethesda, Maryland. Joshua Bell’s talents can command $1000 a minute. That day in the subway station, he barely earned enough to buy a cheap pair of shoes.

You can’t fault the instrument. He played a Stradivarius built in the golden period of  Stradivari’s career. It’s worth $3.5 million. You can’t fault the music. Bell successfully played a piece from Johann Sebastian Bach that Bell called “one of the greatest achievements of any man in history.”

But scarcely anyone noticed. No one expected majesty in such a context…

… Most of us will someday realize that we didn’t either.

As we continue through this series on Hurt, I need to slow down and look around. Jesus was clear. To care for those in need, we are caring for Him. There are hurting people at The Bridge, at your workplace, in your neighborhood, at your school. It may be that we simply need to pause for more than 60 seconds and listen. It may be that they need to hear the gospel, but they probably want to “feel” the gospel first. A caring ear, a need now met, a grief shared – I don’t know what will come your way, but I feel certain that if I/we don’t focus intentionally on those around us, we may just miss the face of Jesus.

Many times I have gone to this chapter for comfort and solace.

Psalm 139

For the director of music. Of David. A psalm.

 ¹ O LORD, you have searched me
       and you know me.

 ² You know when I sit and when I rise;
       you perceive my thoughts from afar.

 ³ You discern my going out and my lying down;
       you are familiar with all my ways.

 ⁴ Before a word is on my tongue
       you know it completely, O LORD.

 ⁵ You hem me in—behind and before;
       you have laid your hand upon me.

 ⁶ Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
       too lofty for me to attain.

 ⁷ Where can I go from your Spirit?
       Where can I flee from your presence?

 ⁸ If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
       if I make my bed in the depths, ^[a] you are there.

 ⁹ If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
       if I settle on the far side of the sea,

 ¹⁰ even there your hand will guide me,
       your right hand will hold me fast.

 ¹¹ If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me
       and the light become night around me,”

 ¹² even the darkness will not be dark to you;
       the night will shine like the day,
       for darkness is as light to you.

 ¹³ For you created my inmost being;
       you knit me together in my mother’s womb.

 ¹⁴ I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
       your works are wonderful,
       I know that full well.

 ¹⁵ My frame was not hidden from you
       when I was made in the secret place.
       When I was woven together in the depths of the earth,

 ¹⁶ your eyes saw my unformed body.
       All the days ordained for me
       were written in your book
       before one of them came to be.

 ¹⁷ How precious to ^[b] me are your thoughts, O God!
       How vast is the sum of them!

 ¹⁸ Were I to count them,
       they would outnumber the grains of sand.
       When I awake,
       I am still with you.

 ¹⁹ If only you would slay the wicked, O God!
       Away from me, you bloodthirsty men!

 ²⁰ They speak of you with evil intent;
       your adversaries misuse your name.

 ²¹ Do I not hate those who hate you, O LORD,
       and abhor those who rise up against you?

 ²² I have nothing but hatred for them;
       I count them my enemies.

 ²³ Search me, O God, and know my heart;
       test me and know my anxious thoughts.

 ²⁴ See if there is any offensive way in me,
       and lead me in the way everlasting.

 Amen

scott shoopman

Connections Pastor – The Bridge Church

No, not the 90′s sitcom…

How often do we flinch at the thought of change? For me, it is becoming more often and I am not real sure why – surely it doesn’t have anything to do with age!?!?! I have always been a “change agent”, looking for a better way to accomplish a task at work, bucking the status quo and the naysayers that say “because we have always done it that way”. Trying to improve anything takes change – if it doesn’t change, it cannot improve.

We do not stay the same. There are similarities to our “former” selves, but during our 100 years on this earth, we will continue to morph from an embryo to a baby, to a child, a teenager, an adult, and a senior citizen! We even make changes to our physical bodies to accomplish something different – we train for a sport, we lose weight to feel better, we exercise to be healthier, we dye our hair to look different, we grow it longer, cut it shorter, grow facial hair to have a different look, apply tattoos and body piercings.

Nature does not stay the same. A puppy becomes a dog, a kitten a cat, and an acorn grows into an oak tree. A field left unattended will grow something because nature does not stand still. Growing and dying, completing the cycle over and over. Nothing is static.

How about your House Group? What changes have YOU made lately? Have you invited anyone to group? Have you recently multiplied your group to allow MORE growth and change? Are you attending or are you contributing, taking or giving, feeding or being fed? No one “spot” is wrong, as long as you don’t plan on staying there. How does the old saying go?? “God accepts you where you are, but loves you too much to leave you there” – something like that…

Every time we have the opportunity to open a door for someone else to experience what we have found, we grow and they grow – how much happier can God be than to see His sons and daughters growing and helping each other grow?!

All of the “growth” stuff I mentioned comes with a price, a pain that we have to endure to gain the wonderful experience God has planned for us. We recently added a couple to our group and this past week had a young lady visit our group. That was a change - different people that did not know anyone else in our group. WOW… what a breath of fresh air! Is our group different – YES! Is our group better – YES! Was it difficult to make the change, a little…

This week, make it your goal to invite everyone you meet at The Bridge on Sunday to your House Group – change is good!

I started thinking…

I enjoy my Suburban. Almost 10 years old, 205,000 miles and a I seriously think I will get a minimum of 300K miles! I have taken care of the “truck” through the years, spent time and money to make sure it was well cared for. But, in the end, it is a depreciating asset and all the effort and money spent is an attempt to minimize the depreciation.

I enjoy my home. Marianne and I have spent time and money to maintain and improve our home. We were active in the building process, often working as a “sub” doing the labor for floors, clean-up, design and more. The money spent and time invested was greater than the truck, but this was for an appreciating asset (in most economies!!). This type of investment should be a benefit now and in the mid-term.

I enjoy times when my money is working for me – 401K, investments, stocks and mutual funds. This type of investment is strictly a long term strategy. An appreciating asset with a longer strategy than the truck or the home. Few benefits during the investment period, maturity is considered the goal of the investment – withdrawing at scheduled intervals.

I will enjoy “heaven”. The time spent invested in developing a relationship with and a love of God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit is a REALLY long term strategy! How much greater the “maturity” than all the other investments combined and the joy can be experienced from now until eternity. BUT – I must make an investment to realize the overwhelming grace that exists in Christ.