The Bridge RSM

What grounds do you have to go to God in prayer? Do you feel like you need to figure things out and then tell God what to do? Do you just go to Him when you have a list of requests? The Church of the book of Acts understood something incredibly important about prayer: it's power flows from relationship. Power in prayer doesn't come from knowing the right things about God. It flows from knowing God...

What do you run to when challenges come your way? What's your initial response to adversity? God has invited us to make that thing prayer. He continues to invite us to pray first, to prioritize prayer, to learn to respond with prayer reflexively, and to do so in community that aligns our hearts with His and with each other. Who can you pray with for the things going on in their lives this week? Wh...

Do you ever try to go through life, figuring things out on your own? Do you try to trust your own good ideas and ability to create a leg up in life? The book of Genesis tells the story of a man who did the same. His name was Jacob, but he learned a valuable lesson when he came face to face with God and wrestled honestly with Him. He learned to have dependence on God before grasping at the destiny...

Will you let God see you in the desert places of your life? Will you meet Him in the depths of your most severe brokenness? Pastor Russell Joyce visits us from B4 Church to unpack the story of Hagar naming God "El Roi", The God Who Sees Me.

How does the world receive the mercy of Jesus? It doesn't start with the best doctrine or pointed out sin. It starts when we walk humbly with our God. It plays out in forgiving others, having grace and mercy on those who wrong us. But the list of those in need of mercy extends beyond that. Who do you need to show mercy to today?

Why doesn't God hear my prayers? The answer to why you feel this pain could begin in how you think and talk about others. Do you treat them with honor? Do you respect those around you? Pastor Ryan looks at the levels of countercultural honor we're called to as followers of Jesus and how it impacts our prayer lives as we continue to cultivate A Heart God Hears.

Do you ever have a subtle feeling that you're not quite right before a holy God? Without coming honestly to God it's impossible to experience intimacy with God, but when we confess our sins He is faithful and just to forgive us and bring us in to a deep relationship with our magnificent and loving Father.

Sometimes, we think of ourselves more highly than we ought to. Sometimes, we're harder on ourselves than we ought to be. Either way the answer is to approach God in humility. Humility allows God to speak true identity and worth into our lives and invites us to partner with the Holy Spirit in honest dependence on Him. This is the way to heart God hears and a heart that hears God.

Women have always been pillars in the Jesus Community. Amy Hilliker explores what it means to be a pillar, someone that props up the House of God and declares "Jesus Christ is Lord." What does it look for us to grow in our discipleship to Jesus together and lead others to do the same? What kind of generational and eternal impact might we have? This is the blessing of pillars, and especially mother...

One of the most important skills we can develop in our Christian journey is our ability to hear God's voice. The blessing of community is the freedom to learn this skill together and from others. We learn to discern God's voice with clarity as we practice in prayer and filter through the Scriptures and in community with trusted mentors and fellows in the faith.

What posture do you bring to prayer? What about to praise? Do you come expectant for God to show up and speak? Pastor Ryan looks at the story of the prophet Samuel first hearing the voice of God. The voice of God was rare in those days because God was not honored by the people at the time, but God came personally to speak to Samuel and Samuel found that his expectation to hear God's voice changed...

How do I know what I'm hearing is God? There are countless voices competing for our attention and devotion. But only one voice wants to lead us into good only, always. Other voices will insist, like the serpent in the Garden, that God doesn't actually want what's best for us. Other things will look good in our eyes, but they don't lead to life in the fullest. Only the voice of God sounds like that...

Have you ever felt desperate to hear from God? Maybe you called it "The Universe" or you were looking for "a sign". As Pastor Ryan begins a new series on Learning to Listen to God, he examines the story of Elijah discovering God's voice, not in the wind, earthquake, or fire, but in the silence. Circumstances and signs draw us into listening, but they're no substitute for the still small voice of G...

What is hope? What difference does it make if we have it? How do I get it? The Bridge English and Spanish congregations partner with Oakhouse church to preach the Gospel in the heart of our city that Jesus Christ, risen and reigning is the source of true hope, regardless of circumstance. If we look to Him He will provide a firm footing for us to stand and thrive in the midst of life.

Pastor Chad Halliburton visits us from Oakhouse Church to explore John's account of the Palm Sunday narrative, focused on the devotion of Mary who anointed Jesus with a jar of expensive perfume before His triumphal entry. He challenges us to have right thinking along with right practice as we worship Jesus, learning from His Word to follow His Way.

Two kingdoms cannot rule in the same place at the same time. As ambassadors of the Kingdom of Heaven, we've been entrusted with authority to confront the powers of darkness in our world. We realign our perspectives to God's and establish God's presence as we go about our lives Taking Territory Through Prayer for the Kingdom of God to come on earth as it is in Heaven.

What do you think about when life gets hard? What effect do circumstances have on your outlook? The difficulties of life are real. They're true. But there is a higher truth that God's is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. It might be raining on the ground, but the sun is still shining above the clouds. It's this assurance that allows us to pray "Our Father in heave, hallowed be Your...

We all struggle with things. We're all tempted by some things. But we're not alone! We stand with each other, braced by our God as we petition Him to "deliver us from evil". He sees us and is equipping us as we continue to be made whole in Jesus by the work of the Holy Spirit in us. We just keep coming back, keep asking day by day.

You cannot love God and hate others. That truth is, however, easier said than lived. Have you ever felt relieved at another's suffering, satisfied that they've received their just deserts? We've all been there to some degree, but Jesus formed in us looks at other differently. He taught His disciples to pray "forgive us as we forgive others". It's a radical call to extend the mercy and grace of God...

Matthew 6:7–13 One simple line in the Lord's Prayer stoked extra exposition from Jesus as He taught His disciples to pray. "Give us this day our daily bread" contains three key directives that will help us see God as the pinnacle of our source, schedule, and supply. What does it mean to trust Him daily with your needs? Do you trust Him or do you order your life around other sources? He is inviting...

Matthew 6:7–13 When Jesus taught His disciples to pray, He taught them to pray for God's will to be done on earth as it is in Heaven. He didn't teach them to simply ask for the desires of their hearts or that God would do their bidding. He taught to pray for God's will. In prayer, we come to a place of seeking alignment with the Father. We invite Him to shape our hearts, days, and influence to bri...

Matthew 6:7–13 Would you describe yourself as "knowing God"? Maybe you've known Him for a long time. Maybe you're just getting acquainted. Maybe you're simply interested in knowing Him. Wherever you're at, we are invited deeper into a relationship with the One who's positioned us as "Our Father". He desires intimacy and familiarity. And yet there is a beautiful tension in Scripture. He's also mean...

Luke 11:1–2 Have you ever felt intimidated by prayer? Ever wondered where to begin? You're not alone! You're not alone in your experience or in your practice. We've all felt that way. We've all had to begin to learn to come to God in prayer. And He even offers His own help! We have a teacher in Jesus and a helper in the Holy Spirit to help us train in coming to the Father in prayer.

Luke 15:11–32, Hebrews 4:14–16 Have you ever felt unworthy to come to God in prayer? Maybe the picture of Father God doesn't evoke a positive image. Maybe you just recognize the sin in your life. Maybe you're too busy striving for righteousness that you don't feel like you've done enough yet. Wherever you find yourself, we have a God that reaches across the divide and pulls us in. He always goes f...

Hebrews 11:1–6 Have you ever felt silly talking to someone you can't see? prayer can sometimes feel awkward, especially because God doesn't often speak audibly in the way we're used to. As we learn to recognize His voice, this gets easier, but it takes time. We learn to distinguish His voice uniquely through time spent with Him in prayer, worship, and Scripture and in community. In the in-between...