Christmas reflections

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Below are some quotes from Tim Keller’s book, Hidden Christmas: The Surprising Truth Behind the Birth of Christ .

“[Christmas] means not just hope for the world, despite all its unending problems, but hope for you and me, despite all our unending failings.” (46–47)

“A God who was only holy would not have come down to us in Jesus Christ. He would have simply demanded that we pull ourselves together, that we be moral and holy enough to merit a relationship with him. A deity that was an ‘all‐accepting God of love’ would not have needed to come to Earth either. This God of the modern imagination would have just overlooked sin and evil and embraced us. Neither the God of moralism nor the God of relativism would have bothered with Christmas.” (47)

“Christmas means that, through the grace of God and the incarnation, peace with God is available; and if you make peace with God, then you can go out and make peace with everybody else. And the more people who embrace the gospel and do that, the better off the world is. Christmas, therefore, means the increase of peace—both with God and between people—across the face of the world.” (111)

“When you say, ‘Doctrine doesn’t matter; what matters is that you live a good life,’ that is a doctrine. It is called the doctrine of salvation by your works rather than by grace. It assumes that you are not so bad that you need a Savior, that you are not so weak that you can’t pull yourself together and live as you should. You are actually espousing a whole set of doctrines about the nature of God, humanity, and sin. And the message of Christmas is that they are all wrong.” (131)

“If Christmas is just a nice legend, in a sense you are on your own. But if Christmas is true, then you can be saved by grace.” (133)

Check out ‘YOU ARE THE CHRIST’ by our friends Phillip and Sarah Anderson

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Check out this new song ‘YOU ARE THE CHRIST’ by our friends Phillip and Sarah Anderson. It glorifies Christ Jesus our Lord! For more details about the song click here. Please listen and share!

Can we pray for you?

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We are praying for Lanark.  Can we pray for you?

The Bridge Church is a mix of people, varying in age and background, in pursuit of God. Our lives have been changed through relationship with Jesus and we want others to know what He’s done for us.

Please let us know you would like prayer or if you would like to talk about relationship with Jesus.

For prayer or more information about knowing God, call us on 07845 871639 or check out our website for more details.

Classical Conversations: an exciting home educating opportunity!

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Where Learning Develops Naturally.

You’ve Got This, We’ve Got You.

Classical Conversations is the home educating program known for connecting lives through learning.

Home educating your child is a big step. You don’t have to do it alone! With Classical Conversations, you are connected to a local community of fellow families all walking the home educating journey together.

Community offers a unique opportunity for families to experience a strong sense of belonging while also receiving tangible support and practical resources.

We’re the home educating program that helps you cultivate an inquisitive, thoughtful child through an intentional, community based approach. Learning together with families like yours, you’re equipped with the tools and support to teach a Christ-centred worldview that’s rooted in the classical model.

We have curriculum to support your child’s learning from toddler age through all their high school years.

To find out more about Classical Conversations please contact Esther Franklin on 07845871639.

Got questions about faith? Ask at Alpha.

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Alpha is a series of weekly sessions where you can explore the Christian faith in an open-minded and welcoming environment.

There’s no cost, and no pressure. Just lots of great conversation and space to think.

Each session includes a short talk and time of discussion where you can share your thoughts about what you’ve heard.

Whatever questions you’ve got, you can ask them at Alpha.

Please call 07845 871639 to express your interest or for any questions.

Be sure to check out the free Ebook “Why Jesus” by Nicky Gumbel of Alpha.

What do your dreams tell you? (Dream workshop and interpretation)

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Heather Sutherland lead us in a “Dream lab” which was workshop to learn more about how God speaks to us through dreams with an opportunity for dream interpretation.  This was followed by teaching on dreams in Scripture and dream interpretation at the Bridge Cafe. Let us know if you would like more details about similar events in the future.

Streams Ministries course: Signs, Wonders, Healings & Miracles

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What’s the secret of healing and miracles?

Over the coming months we will be going through the Streams Ministries course: “Signs, Wonders, Healings & Miracles.” Taught by John Paul Jackson, this course discusses spiritual principles that will dramatically enhance how you minister to others. Learn the mysteries of communion and its correlation to a person’s health, come to know the personality and operation of the Holy Spirit on a whole new level, and more!

To participate in this course you will need to register for a small cost and a manual will be provided. Please contact us on 07845 871 639 if you are interested or have any questions.

The course includes 17 sessions and the specific dates can be found in the events section of our website (we plan to complete the course by July 2025).

Streams Prophetic Training

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Heather Sutherland and Heather Thorpe led us in a Streams Prophetic Training Course. Below is a sample of what was covered in the teaching.

Friday night

  1. Introduction
  2. How God Speaks
  3. How is your love life? – Important to be rooted in relationship with God.
  4. Prophetic Exercise

Saturday morning

  1. Recap
  2. Teaching – Role of Prophecy within the church
  3. Prophetic Exercise
  4. Teaching – Prophecy in outreach settings.
  5. Prophetic Exercise

Saturday Afternoon

  1. Recap
  2. Teaching – Prophetic Protocols
  3. Prophetic exercise
  4. Teaching – Prophetic Team dynamics
  5. Prophetic exercise
  6. Close

For more information about Streams Ministries check out their website. Let us know if you would like more details about similar events in the future.

An evening with John Thomas

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Many thanks to John Thomas who led us in a time of teaching and prayer ministry (John is president of Streams Ministries International). 

Let us know if you would like more details about similar events in the future.

FireStarters youth weekend

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November 2nd-4th the Bridge Church hosted a FireStarters weekend.  Its was great to have them with us and to see all that God is doing in the lives of the youth who attended.  Part of the time included several outreaches into Lanark.  We were blessed to have them with us!

FireStarters began as part of Kings Kids/YWAM, and became a separate charity in 2002. They write, “We have a Passion for God and we love to worship Him, learn from His Word and have meaningful relationships and communication with Him in prayer.”

“Friendships are built through a culture of honour, trust and fun. We share God’s love by going into the community and serving the local Church.”