building the bridge

Christians ask for help

2011-01-05T07:00:00.003-05:00

life is full of situations that are difficult and sometimes even overwhelming. there are times when the answer or the way through isn't obvious to us. there are also times where we don't have what we need to get through. so what do we do?

here's why i think a follower of Jesus asks for help.

first, it is a sign of humility. to ask someone else for their support, assistance or guidance is admitting that your pride is not your top priority.

second, it is a sign of faith. looking outside of yourself puts you in a place of greater trust in God to make the way and provide the answer.

third, it is a sign of belief that the community of faith is the body of Christ. asking other people means trusting that God has given gifts and abilities to us all, in various ways and combinations, so that we can all participate in lifting each other up.

fourth, it is a sign of love. if we are blessed when we are a blessing to others, then allowing someone else to bless you means that the opportunity is opened up for them to receive a blessing as well.

refusing to ask for help is just not the way for someone who follows Jesus. it demonstrates pride, distrust and selfishness.

moving over

2010-09-15T08:59:00.002-04:00

I find that the things I would blog about are things that I would like to invite response on and so it seems to me that twitter and facebook are better mediums for this type of exchange. Thus, I have been sharing my bloggable thoughts in those places.

so I probably won't use this blog much anymore. Please check me out on twitter:
@ericmatthewlee

and facebook, particularly the facebook group for the bridge church:
ericmatthewlee
thebridgecartersville

love God. love people. build bridges.

Perspectives: the Word

2010-04-18T07:19:00.002-04:00

here is a good one-page explanation of what we think of the Bible at the Bridge:

Walk to Emmaus Intro Video

2010-03-06T18:14:00.005-05:00

Walk to Emmaus // Prayer to the Holy Spirit

2010-02-25T05:51:00.002-05:00

Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in us the fire of your love.
Send forth your Spirit and we shall be created. And you shall renew the face of the earth.
O God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit did instruct the hearts of the faithful,
grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy your consolations.
Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Action Ministries Transitional Home

2010-02-11T16:52:00.008-05:00

So many exciting things are happening at The Bridge. One of them is the addition of a second action ministries transitional home in Cartersville. The Bridge is sponsoring this home by supplying the needs of the family that has already moved in.

The remaining needs are:

1 Frame for a Full Size Bed
3 Bedroom Dressers (1 for mother and 1 for each child)

if you can help, please email transition@bridgingpeople.net

Prayers for the People of Haiti

2010-02-07T07:56:00.004-05:00

here is a link if you would like some help with prayers to pray for the people of Haiti as they rebuild their lives after the earthquakes.

Pastors' Mississippi Mission Trip

2010-02-01T23:38:00.005-05:00

i am on a week-long trip to Gulfport, MS to help with the rebuilding. here's a short clip of day 1 of our trip: pastors helping people recover from the devastation of hurricane Katrina. four and a half years later, there is still much work to be done.

2009-12-13T07:57:00.000-05:00

is this Christmas Joy? I don't know. but it is cool.

Marshall Family Christmas Lights 2008- Full Show in Hi-Def! from Joey Marshall on Vimeo.

100! - 10!

2009-11-16T21:01:00.001-05:00

this is the church that gave $20,000 to The Bridge about six months ago. the three guys in this video are from their leadership and they are encouraging people to give from their own personal finances to the ministry of the church. awesome!

Baptism

2009-10-24T20:15:00.004-04:00

Baptism is all about God's grace and what God has done for us.

In baptism, God claims us as his own and we are cleansed from the guilt of the sin condition into which we have been born.

For more in depth explanation of Baptism, check out:

By Water and The Spirit

If you are up for discussion on the subject, check out the bridge facebook group:

perfect fit

2009-09-21T12:17:00.001-04:00

considering the recent weather (rain) and the recent sermon (grace) here is a music video that is a perfect fit: Grace Like Rain by Todd Agnew

Risk-Taking Service

2009-09-10T00:07:00.004-04:00

Rennie Curran has a great story.
watch this video and then read the quote:

quote from an interview Rennie Curran gave to writer David Hale:

“Just having the younger guys, I think that’s really what opened my eyes to the whole leadership thing is having the younger guys come in who were confused at times and would look to me and reach out to me for help. I was able to do that because of the experience that I had and that really just helped me in terms of developing that leadership. You can’t be a leader without being a servant and being able to help your teammates and just really bring up the ability of the guys around you, raise that attitude and set the tempo.”

it is the same in the Kingdom of God: taking the lead means serving everyone else first.
when the church does this in ways that are sometimes uncomfortable or risky, that is usually when God shows up.

Radical Hospitality

2009-08-16T08:00:00.000-04:00

This is Chapter 53 from The Rule of St. Benedict. Benedict of Nursia lived around 500 AD is considered by many to be the founder of Western monasticism. The Rule was his instruction to his fellow believers on how to live following Christ in the monastic lifestyle.

Chapter 53: On the Reception of Guests

Let all guests who arrive be received like Christ,
for He is going to say,
"I came as a guest, and you received Me" (Matt. 25:35).
And to all let due honor be shown,
especially to the domestics of the faith and to pilgrims.

As soon as a guest is announced, therefore,
let the Superior or the brethren meet him
with all charitable service.
And first of all let them pray together,
and then exchange the kiss of peace.
For the kiss of peace should not be offered
until after the prayers have been said,
on account of the devil's deceptions.

In the salutation of all guests, whether arriving or departing,
let all humility be shown.
Let the head be bowed
or the whole body prostrated on the ground
in adoration of Christ, who indeed is received in their persons.

After the guests have been received and taken to prayer,
let the Superior or someone appointed by him sit with them.
Let the divine law be read before the guest for his edification,
and then let all kindness be shown him.
The Superior shall break his fast for the sake of a guest,
unless it happens to be a principal fast day
which may not be violated.
The brethren, however, shall observe the customary fasts.
Let the Abbot give the guests water for their hands;
and let both Abbot and community wash the feet of all guests.
After the washing of the feet let them say this verse:
"We have received Your mercy, O God,
in the midst of Your temple" (Ps.47[48]:10).

In the reception of the poor and of pilgrims
the greatest care and solicitude should be shown,
because it is especially in them that Christ is received;
for as far as the rich are concerned,
the very fear which they inspire
wins respect for them.

As Promised from The Bridge Prayer Time on 08.09

2009-08-10T12:09:00.001-04:00

Back to School

2009-08-06T09:17:00.010-04:00

Today, I dropped off my 5th grade daughter and 1st grade son for their first day of school this year. Going back to school is such a big event in the life of a child. New teacher(s), new classroom(s), new classmates, new schedule, and all of that after having just enjoyed months of what my daughter terms "freedom".
Last weekend our church, The Bridge, and a local hotel, America's Best Inn & Suites, helped some of the children in our community get ready to go back to school by providing backpacks, clothes, haircuts, and hearing & vision exams, through the Give-A-Kid-A-Chance program.
This coming weekend, The Bridge will be a distribution point for school supplies in conjunction with Bartow Collaborative. The kids will receive notebooks, pencils, erasers and all that good stuff so, hopefully, they can go back to school with all the "stuff" they will need to succeed.
While we are giving "stuff" to the kids and their families, I hope that we are also able to give them something else they will need to succeed: the love of God. My hope is that they will know that God loves them and so do I and that is why I give my time, money and energy to help. There may be many things people feel ill-equipped to do in the church: teach, lead, heal, prophesy. But anybody, and I mean anybody, can take a few hours and a few dollars to demonstrate the love of God.
James, one of the first followers of Jesus, wrote that our faith in God has to motivate us to help people when we know that they are in need (James 2:14-17). Do you know anybody who needs help? Can you help? Are you involved with a church that has ways for you to help people in your community? Can you help?
Helping feels good, for sure, but it goes deeper than that. Much deeper. In an act of selflessness, giving something of yourself just to benefit somebody in need, you are participating in the Divine, the Holy. Try it soon and see. I know I'm glad I did.

kings today....

2009-07-23T07:14:00.004-04:00

you don't see kings much these days. i know there are societies or countries far off where they probably still have kings and queens and such. yes, i know, England has a queen.
but, there was a time in history where kings were all the rage. every country had a royal ruler. democracy and shared authority and free elections are a relatively new thing on the historical political scene.
i have been reading in the Bible about kings. i have also been reading about "masters": people who are in charge of other people. in some sense, these two roles are similar. there is a person who has responsibility for, and to a certain degree command over, another person or people.
the reason i bore you with all this is because i think the instruction and teaching in the Bible for people in these positions could be impactful in our culture today.
we may not have kings, but we do have CEO's and Plant/Store Managers and Principals and Senators and such. these people all have a measure of influence and even control over the lives of the people working for them or living under their jurisdiction.
the Bible calls people like this to live with concern, care and compassion for those "under" them. justice, mercy and protection are the attitudes that a ruler should have toward their people...rather than seeing them as means to an end or cogs in a wheel to get work done.
if there is someone, anyone, that you have any control or influence over by way of your position in society, please treat them the way prescribed by the Bible. i wonder how that would change the picture today if many people were to rule and lead this way?

Rich Mullins

2009-06-28T00:32:00.006-04:00

Screen Door on a Submarine, circa 1996

It's about as useless as
A screen door on a submarine
Faith without works baby
It just ain't happenin'
One is your left hand, One is your right
It'll take two strong arms, To hold on tight
Some folks cut off their nose
Just to spite their face
I think you need some works to show
For your alleged faith

Well there's a difference you know
B'tween having faith and playing make believe
One will make you grow
The other one just make you sleep
Talk about it, But I really think you oughta
Take a leap off of the ship
Before you claim to walk on water
Faith without works is like a song you can't sing
It's as useless as a screen door on a submarine

Faith comes from God
And every word that He breathes
He lets you take it to your heart
So you can give it hands and feet
It's gotta be active if it's gonna be alive
You gotta put it into practice, Otherwise....

It's about as useless as a screen door
On a submarine
Faith without works, baby
It just ain't happenin'
One is your right hand, one is your left
It's your light, your guide
Your life and your breath

Faith without works is like a song you can't sing
It's about as useless as a screen door
On a submarine

Ahhhh...High School

2009-05-26T00:10:00.005-04:00

It just hit me. I guess because the school year just finished up and somewhere there are high school graduates celebrating their new-found freedom and remembering their memories of the last four years. I remember high school. Awkward years, mostly, of trying to figure out who I was and how to avoid being left out, singled out, or punched out.
What hit me is that painful transition I made during the middle of my junior year of high school. I moved in with my dad in a totally different place and totally different school. After Christmas break, I was the new kid at a new school with new people and it was tough.
I felt very much like I had invaded somebody else's territory and everybody there knew what was going on but me. Add that stress and discomfort to an already difficult time of transition and development (i.e. the teenage years) and you have the makings of a painful experience.
The reason my high school experience is particularly relevant to me now in my life is because of the new church we are launching. Our expressed intention is to be a church that is focused on connecting with people who are not a part of the church. For people checking out the church for the first time, or the first time in a long time, I imagine it could feel much like going into a new high school mid-way through your junior year. My prayer is that the bridge will allow someone to feel invited, welcomed, and like they fit right in.

Good Friday

2009-04-10T20:17:00.000-04:00

This is the day that Christians have historically remembered as the day that Jesus was arrested, tried and convicted, and crucified in Jerusalem.
I can't help but be reminded by the wicked storms raging outside my house right now of that scene at Golgotha when Jesus took his last breath. In the Bible (Matthew, chapter 27), the writer describes the scene this way:

From the sixth hour until the ninth hour darkness came over all the land. (v. 45)
And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit. At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split. (v. 50-51)

When the storms today started raging and the sky got dark, everybody took notice. We immediately turned on the news to see the latest forecast. We even stopped cooking dinner to see what was developing and ended up in the bathroom waiting for the tornado warning to pass. My mom called to check on us. My wife's mom and sister called to check on us. News crews were dispatched to the storm centers to report on what they saw.

The account of the crucifixion of Jesus reads much the same way. When the sky got dark and the earth shook and the rocks split, everybody took notice. Even one of the guards who had ridiculed and beaten Jesus said, "Surely he was the Son of God" (v. 54).

So, seeing today's storm (on Good Friday) reminds me of that guard and the storm he saw on the very first Good Friday. He had not been a believer in Jesus as the Son of God before the storm, but afterward, he declared his belief for sure.

On this Good Friday, will you say with me...Surely Jesus is the Son of God!

Fat Tuesday

2009-02-24T11:32:00.006-05:00

Today is Fat Tuesday because tomorrow is Ash Wednesday. Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the season in the Christian calendar called Lent, which ends with Easter. This season is often identified with people giving up things in their daily life as a way to remember and identify with the sacrifice that Jesus made for humanity.

In early celebrations of this season, many people sacrificed food and would fast or eat only sparingly during Lent. This season was also a time of preparation and study for people who had converted to Christianity and wanted to join the Church. For a very long time, Lent was without a doubt the most important season of the year for the Church.

Fat Tuesday became a day of celebration and even indulgence as people prepared for their fasting or sacrificial living during Lent. Eventually, the celebration became a season in itself: Mardi Gras (which means "Fat Tuesday"). It's just hard to get a good party to end.

Lent, however, is not a party. It is a time to remember the depth of the sacrifice God made for you and me through Jesus. It is also a time to remember the reason that such sacrifice had to be made - the reprehensible and regrettable condition of humanity - sin. That is where Ash Wednesday comes in. The Church long ago adopted a tradition to begin Lent by people marking their foreheads with ashes as a symbol of the regrettable condition of sin and the desire to turn away from it - repentance.

Whether you are a Christian or not, get into religious symbolism or not, would you still be willing to think about that regrettable (or even reprehensible?) thing in your life that needs to go away? If so, this season of the year, leading up to Easter and the new life of spring, might be the perfect time for you to remember the sacrifice God made for us all and consider what you are willing to let go of....

To read more about Lent, check out this link: Lent 101

Recession Proof

2009-01-28T13:07:00.005-05:00

Money is tight these days. People are losing their jobs. 401(k) balances are falling like...well...like the stock market :(

Pretty much every talking head, expert, and adviser admits that we are in the midst of a recession in the American and the global economies. Everybody is feeling the pinch. Even the Treasury Department has begun printing new dollar bills to reflect the state of the economy:

I recall learning in business school about recession proof businesses that dealt in the staples of life and were able to withstand economic downturns because people will always get sick, people will always gamble, people always have to eat and have to drive.
Much is being written today about how to recession proof your career, your budget, your family, and even yourself! There are articles about recession-proof companies, recession-proof cities, and even recession-proof blogs. :)

"I can do everything through him who gives me strength" (NIV translation)
Although I think the Bible verse Philippians 4:13 is used and abused, that verse and the two before it have a lot to say about "recession proofing" our lives. Unfortunately, the emphasis gets put on the "I can do everything" part more than the "him who gives me strength" part. The big idea in that verse is that God gives us what is needed to endure all of life's twists and [down]turns. Also, if you read verses 11 and 12, you find that Paul is saying that he has learned to be content when he has little and just as content when he has much. He can live through it all because of the strength he receives from God.

Being Content. Now that is a concept and a perspective that will help recession-proof your life!

New Year's Lions

2008-12-31T10:42:00.005-05:00

The Chinese New Year will be January 26. Have you ever seen the celebrations and parades for the Chinese New Year? The things I remember most are the dancing dragons and lions. The lion dance is done by two people in the lion costume with that big head and is meant to symbolize and invite blessing and joy for the new year.

When I think about lions, I think about Aslan from Narnia and I also think about Daniel in the lion's den from the Bible. As most people know, the Aslan character by C.S. Lewis is actually a biblical image representing Jesus the Christ. He is the King who sacrifices his life for his kingdom and returns from death to win victory over the enemy.

For Daniel, the lions were the punishment he received for praying to his God in direct defiance of an order from King Nebuchadnezzer. The punishment was a death sentence by way of being thrown into the den of hungry lions.

I appreciate this painting by Briton Riviere depicting Daniel in the lion's den because it causes me to see that even when Daniel was faced with imminent death, instead of being focused on the lions, he had his eyes and his heart turned toward heaven. Toward God.

I wonder if there are any lions prowling in your life right now? Economic uncertainly? Job in jeapordy? A relationship that keeps getting worse rather than better? Undeserved persecution? A habit or addiction that you can't overcome?

And this is where that other lion image I mentioned comes in to play. The victorious King. The Savior. There is one who is at work in the world and in all of our lives who has already won the battle against evil, oppression, persecution, and sin. His name is Jesus and he is the Son of God.

I encourage you to join me as we turn our eyes and hearts toward God, in the midst of the prowling lions, and see what God will do in us and through us. Remember how the story of Daniel and the lions ends? Read it again and be blessed: Daniel 6:19-28.

May you have a blessed 2009!

Costly Grace

2008-12-12T21:04:00.002-05:00

I had a conversation with a friend today and we talked a bit about the concept of grace as it applies to the Christian faith. We agreed that there is a temptation within the faith to misinterpret God's grace as permission to live and act and think however we please because we are forgiven and loved by God (i.e. grace).

We also agreed that such a perspective is not at all consistent with the biblical picture of grace. In fact, God's grace, when applied to our lives and active in our lives, actually changes us from the inside out. We are no longer interested in, or motivated by, living our lives the way we want to and catering to our own desires and pleasures.

God's grace produces in us a love for God and a desire to live the way God designed us to live. Living the way God intended is a concept that is found throughout the Bible and is often referred to with terms like righteousness and holiness.

Instead of considering your life your own to live and God's grace as your permission to do so; how would your life be different today if you saw God's grace in your life as the inspiration and empowerment to live the life for which God created you?

For further reading on this subject, I recommend Dietrich Bonhoeffer's book The Cost of Discipleship. Bonhoeffer was a German theologian, born in 1906, who openly opposed Hitler and the Nazi's until his execution in 1945.

Walking by the Spirit

2008-11-04T15:34:00.002-05:00

Sunday night we looked at some particular writings of Paul in the Bible that deal with life from the spiritual perspective. In particular, we read about the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5) and also the spiritual battle in which we live (Ephesians 6).

Paul's admonition to people who follow Jesus was to recognize that life is lived in spirit and our spirits are empowered by the Holy Spirit of God. So then, joy and peace and love and all good things like these are the product, the fruit, of God's Spirit at work in us and in conjunction with our spirits.

The struggle of life then becomes the spiritual battle of surrender: the willingness to surrender our spirit to the Spirit of God and be transformed into the completeness of who we were created to be, spiritually.

In Ephesians, Paul says we are in a spiritual battle against powers of darkness. In Galatians, he describes the struggle as being between the Spirit and our own self-serving nature. With both of these images in mind, we are able to more fully feel and understand the internal tug-of-war that works on each one of us.

Paul encourages the Christ followers to live by the Spirit and also then to walk by the Spirit. Do not give way to our own self-serving nature or to similar tempting forces that come from around us. Rather, give way completely to the Holy Spirit of the One True God who is nudging, whispering, or otherwise calling us all to know and to love God and then to offer that same love to the world and the people around us.

Do you have any such internal tug-of-war? God may just be at work in your life.
Is there any self-serving, or possibly detrimental, characteristic about you that really doesn't belong? You have an invitation to live and walk by the Holy Spirit of God and see the fruit of your life improve.

Galatians 5:16-25 (The Message Paraphrase)
My counsel is this: Live freely, animated and motivated by God's Spirit. Then you won't feed the compulsions of selfishness. For there is a root of sinful self-interest in us that is at odds with a free spirit, just as the free spirit is incompatible with selfishness. These two ways of life are antithetical, so that you cannot live at times one way and at times another way according to how you feel on any given day. Why don't you choose to be led by the Spirit and so escape the erratic compulsions of a law-dominated existence.

It is obvious what kind of life develops out of trying to get your own way all the time: repetitive, loveless, cheap sex; a stinking accumulation of mental and emotional garbage; frenzied and joyless grabs for happiness; trinket gods; magic-show religion; paranoid loneliness; cutthroat competition; all-consuming-yet-never-satisfied wants; a brutal temper; an impotence to love or be loved; divided homes and divided lives; small-minded and lopsided pursuits; the vicious habit of depersonalizing everyone into a rival; uncontrolled and uncontrollable addictions; ugly parodies of community. I could go on.

This isn't the first time I have warned you, you know. If you use your freedom this way, you will not inherit God's kingdom.

But what happens when we live God's way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard—things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely.

Legalism is helpless in bringing this about; it only gets in the way. Among those who belong to Christ, everything connected with getting our own way and mindlessly responding to what everyone else calls necessities is killed off for good—crucified.

Since this is the kind of life we have chosen, the life of the Spirit, let us make sure that we do not just hold it as an idea in our heads or a sentiment in our hearts, but work out its implications in every detail of our lives.