Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Celebration Dessert 6/1/08
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Baptisms at the Y
Today we celebrated our first baptisms at the YMCA as Kassie & Felicia Haberkamp pledged their allegiance to Jesus!
kassie
felicia
Saturday, May 10, 2008
BridgePoint eMuse 5/8/08
As we try to buy the Y, remember that our vision is not about bricks and mortar. Our vision is about reaching people with the gospel for God’s glory. It’s about changed lives. And that’s happening already! Every week I get a glimpse of godly change in the lives of BridgePointers and those we come into contact with, and I thank the One who is at work already in our midst.
I love this church! And, along with fellow leaders on the facility and elder teams, I am convinced that we should try to buy the Y. As I shared last Sunday, we had to “walk” before we could “talk” about buying the Y. We needed to investigate before we could initiate.
In recent months, we’ve formed a fact-finding Facility Team. We’ve toured the Y from boiler rooms to rooftops. We’ve projected utility expenses to the best of our ability.
So now we’re going full steam ahead to try to buy the Y. I’m preaching on vision from Nehemiah and explaining how the facility facilitates the vision of an authentic Christ-centered community. We’re all being challenged to consider giving sacrificially in order to fund the vision.
I love this church! Our best days are ahead, and I hope the Y is a part of that. I trust the Lord will lead us in these weeks as we prayerfully explore purchasing this facility.
I hope you can stick around after worship on the 18th for an informational meeting about the Y. And please mark your calendars for a Celebration Dessert at the Y on Sunday, June 1st (6:30 p.m.), as we celebrate our vision for ministry and the Y facility.
Thanks for being a part of this church family. I pray that three years from now, you and I would say even more enthusiastically, “I love this church!”
I am asking that you redouble your prayer efforts for BridgePoint during this initiative to buy the Y. Use your prayer calendar every day; perhaps you could pray as a family before dinner for those listed, or in your daily devotional time. I am praying hard, that the Lord would guide us clearly and that we would do exactly what He wants us to do. Also, sign up this Sunday for our prayer vigil on May 20th. Let’s pray!
Yours,
Jeff
Thursday, April 17, 2008
BridgePoint eMuse 4/16/08
Celebrating 25 Years with Jesus
Wish me a happy birthday. I know you already did, one month ago on March 16th, my biological birth date. But today, April 16th, is different: it's my spiritual birthday!
On this date twenty-five years ago, in a new church in our new hometown, I bowed my knee to Jesus. I wept as I understood clearly for the first time that Jesus had died for my sins (1 Cor. 15:3). I've always felt things deeply, and this was no exception. I felt close to God. I felt grieved over wrong things I had done. I felt very, very thankful that God had wiped my slate clean, that I would spend forever with Him because of Jesus.
Over the past quarter-century, I have learned not to judge my faith based on my feelings. They come and go, but Christ remains by his Spirit – within me, among us. Feelings are a gift from God – we are to love Him with our heart and mind and soul and strength – with all we have and are. His penetrating our lives will necessarily manifest itself in our thinking and feeling and speaking and acting.
But I am especially grateful, as I think back on that spring evening in Allison Park, Pennsylvania, that my faith does not "depend" on me, on my feelings or anything I might muster. My faith, as one song puts it, is like shifting sand – so I stand on grace. The grace of God, in Christ's death for our sins. Thank you, Jesus! Keep me faith-ful, by your grace, in the next twenty-five…and beyond!
YMCA Zoning Board petition postponed to May 20th
Many thanks to all who prayed for last evening's scheduled petition before the Valparaiso Board of Zoning Appeals. The petition has been rescheduled to May 20th. We were made aware just yesterday afternoon that a neighboring business owner is pursuing a permit that would be affected by a church owning the current YMCA building. And so we decided, along with the "Y", to request a continuance, which allows the petition to be addressed at the next meeting. The Board granted this request, and we will continue to work in the meantime on being prepared for that meeting.
Don't stop praying for favor with the Board and with area property owners who are concerned about a church taking possession of the YMCA facility. I am convinced that we need to continue pursuing the possible purchase of the "Y", as it presents a tremendous ministry opportunity for us. Lord, guide us as we continue down this path – may we keep in step with the Spirit (Gal. 5:25)!
Gratefully yours in Christ,
Jeff
P.S. There's still time to be a part of this Saturday's (9-noon) pre-membership class; contact us!
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
BridgePoint eMuse 4/1/08
The "Y", New Folk & New Faves…
YMCA Donates Building to BridgePoint; Aliens Abduct Building
In a surprise move, Valparaiso Family YMCA Director Bob Wanek unilaterally decided "just to give the thing (facility) over" to BridgePoint Church. Expressing his shock and delight, BridgePoint pastor Jeff Cagwin remarked, "I am shocked and delighted."
Oddly enough, no sooner had Director Wanek handed the keys over to Pastor Cagwin, when extra-terrestrials sucked the 80,000 square-foot building into their spaceship, whirlpool and all. Expressing his shock and disappointment, Cagwin uttered, "I am shocked and disappointed."
Ya, so it's April 1st. And, no, the "Y" hasn't donated the building to us. And, as far as I know, it's still sitting at 55 Chicago Street, Valparaiso, IN, U.S.A., planet Earth.
So what is happening with the YMCA? Are we gonna buy it or what? Glad you asked.
We have formed a facility team to research issues related to purchasing and owning the YMCA building. This fact-finding team is addressing questions like, "How much would it cost to keep the building up and running each month?" Their findings will help us determine the way forward as a congregation.
We are also preparing to go before the Board of Zoning Appeals in two weeks (4/15), to petition the city to permit a church to own and operate in the current "Y" facility. This is a prerequisite step and does not mean that we are going to buy the facility, necessarily.
Ultimately, whether or not we buy the "Y" is a congregational decision. In the meantime, we as leadership continue to explore the issues and will keep you posted. Please pray with us for the Lord's guidance for our facility team and the city's zoning board!
For Newer Folk:
Come to my house this Sunday evening (April 6th) at 7pm for dessert! This is a great opportunity to get to know fellow newcomers and learn more about BridgePoint. E-mail office@bridgepointchurch.info to sign up.
Pre-membership class on Saturday, April 19th (9a-noon, at 259 Indiana Ave., Valpo). *Note: if you missed one of the previous membership classes, it can be made up during one of the hours on the 19th; let us know if you're interested at office@bridgepointchurch.info.
Favorites, continued…
Racquetball is quickly becoming a favorite sport of mine. I hadn't played till several weeks ago when a BridgePoint guy invited me to play. Now I play (at the Y) every week and I love it! Let me know if you wanna play sometime.
Softball is another fave. Which reminds me, we're still putting our team together so let us know if you'd like to join us as we demonstrate our total superiority over lesser churches, in humility of course.
Hasta Sunday,
Jeff
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Tom Anderson on the "Porn and Pancakes" breakfast
The First Step
About 20 men from Bridgepoint joined 450 others for “Porn and Pancakes”. The talk was given by XXXChurch.com and designed to begin an open conversation about the prevailing usage of pornography among church goers and more specifically, us. Over half the men in society (church-goers included) spend time consuming it and a recent trend is showing that women are now becoming consumers too.
Craig Gross, one of the founders of XXXChurch, spoke with much grace. He has taken the stance that his mission is not to shut down the industry, but to give both the producers and the consumers of pornography permission to leave. He has seen that most who get involved feels dirty and, at some point, want to leave. But the insidious nature of pornography is that it is done in secret and involves shame. Since sins like these require open confession and some consequential action to initiate deliverance, their shame tends to silence those involved and the activity continues and deepens.
There were a few personal examples shared describing the process of coming out. In all three, a moment of awareness and their response to it made the difference. A significant producer of pornography began to see the life sucked out of the girls he used. Because Craig had developed a friendship with him, this producer didn’t turn to the bottle, but to God. Today he is attending seminary. Another found his moment of truth when his wife saw the sites he had visited on his computer. This began a “conversation,” and the process of restoration. The other man’s life was arrested when he was. The FBI caught him in a sting operation. Presently serving a five year sentence for soliciting children on the internet, he too is honestly facing his demons and finding release.
Each had some knowledge of God and each had a hook deeply set within. The other common thread in their deliverance from the grip of pornography was the part the grace of God played. An accusing finger would have further hardened and silenced. But the grace shown them through Craig and others allowed them to expose the ugliness of their hearts and find grace to change. And as more and more men understand grace, this devolving cycle of silence and shame and sensuality will be shown for what it is—an avenue to find God in reality.
We were not only given permission to leave, but also given some practical, concrete steps to take. Grace to be effective must be followed by faith’s obedience. Craig mentioned three initial steps. The first two involve the tongue. It always begins there. Romans 10:5-10 states that salvation (and all it entails) begins with confession; first confession to God and then, confession to a significant other or others.
Understanding that the “way in” took time, an intentional practice of accountability is required because, with exception, the “way out” will also take time. Being intentional about being transparent needs two things—a friend and an honest heart, and within the safety this relationship, change occurs. Craig also recommended a free download from his site that sends any questionable sites you visit to your accountability partner. He noted, though, that relatively few have taken advantage of this “light-saber”. This tool probably cuts too cleanly and closely.
Craig addressed this tendency to obfuscate when he read from Romans 7. We often are more aware of our own inabilities and failures than His ability and His accomplishment in Christ. We also tend to believe that we will fail more than He will succeed in us. Therefore we allow fudge factors in our life, and are not brutally honest. Paul wanted God so much, however, that he was. Through the process of awareness and crying out, he came to realize that the way to Romans 8 was Romans 7. The simplicity that is in Christ is messy until it becomes simple. And holding yourself accountable to God and others, keeps you through the messy time.
The last initial step is to remove the offensive material and future access to it. A recovering alcoholic doesn’t hang around the bar expecting to resist temptation. Putting a filter on your computers and letting your wife create the password, unsubscribing to the premium stations on TV, trashing any pornographic material in your home, using *99 on the telephone in motel rooms to block pay-per-view pornography were some suggestions. A clean break is needed.
The other thread that ran through the stories was that once these steps were taken, these men began to fill their lives with the things of God. Replacing evil habits with good ones is the way to neuter the desire to return and create new.
I think that we left with a sense of hope and possibility. It is ok to not be ok as long as we are moving toward God. And with the honest talk, we now have permission to begin to talk honestly about this issue in our own life. I imagine that closer friendships will form because of this event because a friend loves at all times and brother is born for adversity.
About 20 men from Bridgepoint joined 450 others for “Porn and Pancakes”. The talk was given by XXXChurch.com and designed to begin an open conversation about the prevailing usage of pornography among church goers and more specifically, us. Over half the men in society (church-goers included) spend time consuming it and a recent trend is showing that women are now becoming consumers too.
Craig Gross, one of the founders of XXXChurch, spoke with much grace. He has taken the stance that his mission is not to shut down the industry, but to give both the producers and the consumers of pornography permission to leave. He has seen that most who get involved feels dirty and, at some point, want to leave. But the insidious nature of pornography is that it is done in secret and involves shame. Since sins like these require open confession and some consequential action to initiate deliverance, their shame tends to silence those involved and the activity continues and deepens.
There were a few personal examples shared describing the process of coming out. In all three, a moment of awareness and their response to it made the difference. A significant producer of pornography began to see the life sucked out of the girls he used. Because Craig had developed a friendship with him, this producer didn’t turn to the bottle, but to God. Today he is attending seminary. Another found his moment of truth when his wife saw the sites he had visited on his computer. This began a “conversation,” and the process of restoration. The other man’s life was arrested when he was. The FBI caught him in a sting operation. Presently serving a five year sentence for soliciting children on the internet, he too is honestly facing his demons and finding release.
Each had some knowledge of God and each had a hook deeply set within. The other common thread in their deliverance from the grip of pornography was the part the grace of God played. An accusing finger would have further hardened and silenced. But the grace shown them through Craig and others allowed them to expose the ugliness of their hearts and find grace to change. And as more and more men understand grace, this devolving cycle of silence and shame and sensuality will be shown for what it is—an avenue to find God in reality.
We were not only given permission to leave, but also given some practical, concrete steps to take. Grace to be effective must be followed by faith’s obedience. Craig mentioned three initial steps. The first two involve the tongue. It always begins there. Romans 10:5-10 states that salvation (and all it entails) begins with confession; first confession to God and then, confession to a significant other or others.
Understanding that the “way in” took time, an intentional practice of accountability is required because, with exception, the “way out” will also take time. Being intentional about being transparent needs two things—a friend and an honest heart, and within the safety this relationship, change occurs. Craig also recommended a free download from his site that sends any questionable sites you visit to your accountability partner. He noted, though, that relatively few have taken advantage of this “light-saber”. This tool probably cuts too cleanly and closely.
Craig addressed this tendency to obfuscate when he read from Romans 7. We often are more aware of our own inabilities and failures than His ability and His accomplishment in Christ. We also tend to believe that we will fail more than He will succeed in us. Therefore we allow fudge factors in our life, and are not brutally honest. Paul wanted God so much, however, that he was. Through the process of awareness and crying out, he came to realize that the way to Romans 8 was Romans 7. The simplicity that is in Christ is messy until it becomes simple. And holding yourself accountable to God and others, keeps you through the messy time.
The last initial step is to remove the offensive material and future access to it. A recovering alcoholic doesn’t hang around the bar expecting to resist temptation. Putting a filter on your computers and letting your wife create the password, unsubscribing to the premium stations on TV, trashing any pornographic material in your home, using *99 on the telephone in motel rooms to block pay-per-view pornography were some suggestions. A clean break is needed.
The other thread that ran through the stories was that once these steps were taken, these men began to fill their lives with the things of God. Replacing evil habits with good ones is the way to neuter the desire to return and create new.
I think that we left with a sense of hope and possibility. It is ok to not be ok as long as we are moving toward God. And with the honest talk, we now have permission to begin to talk honestly about this issue in our own life. I imagine that closer friendships will form because of this event because a friend loves at all times and brother is born for adversity.
Saturday, February 9, 2008
Porn & Pancakes
Ya, that's right. We attended a "Porn and Pancakes" breakfast today (Sat. 9 Feb '08) hosted by our friends at Liberty Bible Church and produced by www.xxxchurch.com. Powerful stuff, tough talk about a serious issue in our society. I'm proud of the twenty or so men who came from BridgePoint! That includes VU students brought by John Triscik (below) :) :)
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
traffic?
i am highly motivated by traffic.
no, not the rush hour kind.
the blog visitors kind - so, if you are here, couldja let me know by leaving a comment?
the more traffic we get here, the more i will be incapable of restraining myself from sharing my musings here at "the bridge"... :) :) :)
no, not the rush hour kind.
the blog visitors kind - so, if you are here, couldja let me know by leaving a comment?
the more traffic we get here, the more i will be incapable of restraining myself from sharing my musings here at "the bridge"... :) :) :)
Monday, February 4, 2008
Sunday, December 16, 2007
Monday, October 29, 2007
Danny expressed the church's appreciation for me...which I appreciated! :)
Aiden Jason Rosewell, dedicated to the Lord 10/28/07 (along with Aidan Patrick Johnson, whose picture didn't turn out as well...)
we took a family trip to louisville last week, where i got to swing a big fat roberto clemente louisville slugger bat in the batting cages at the louisville slugger museum.
my daughter hanna, astronaut-in-training
Aiden Jason Rosewell, dedicated to the Lord 10/28/07 (along with Aidan Patrick Johnson, whose picture didn't turn out as well...)
we took a family trip to louisville last week, where i got to swing a big fat roberto clemente louisville slugger bat in the batting cages at the louisville slugger museum.
my daughter hanna, astronaut-in-trainingMonday, October 22, 2007
Sunday, October 7, 2007
Faith in the Valley
"The moment you enter the Valley of the Shadow of Death, things change. You discover that Christianity is not something doughy, passive, pious, and soft. Faith may be the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. But it also draws you into a world shorn of fearful caution. The life of belief teems with thrills, boldness, danger, shocks, reversals, triumphs, and epiphanies. Think of Paul, traipsing though the known world and contemplating trips to what must have seemed the antipodes (Spain), shaking the dust from his sandals, worrying not about the morrow, but only about the moment."
Tony Snow, on faith during his fight with cancer
Tony Snow, on faith during his fight with cancer
Monday, September 10, 2007
Popcorn Fest Parade 9/8/07
josh & miriam joined us in the nick of time
matt & ben chillin' on the back of the float
tammy & ingrid
passing out flyers and goodies along the parade route
matt & ben chillin' on the back of the float
tammy & ingrid
passing out flyers and goodies along the parade route
Popcorn Fest Parade Fun 9/8/07
mi familia
eddie & marilyn...these guys worked hard on the float!
caleb and nicole led the charge
little ones in towMonday, September 3, 2007
Labor Day weekend at Redamak's
matt, phil, anne, ingrid, sarah, lori, nate and jeff (left to right)can't wait to sink our teeth into some lowfat grub :)
Baby Rosewell 8/27/07
Papa Jay waiting to enter OR
Little Aiden
Proud Papa...congrats Jason & Michelle on your firstborn!Saturday, September 1, 2007
Seeking BPC pics
We are trying to expand our photo archives of BPC folks. We would love to receive pictures of BPC people - you may have some good ones of yourself or your family, or your small group, or some church event...if so, please send them our way! You can email pictures to the church office, or contact us to make other arrangements. Thanks!
Popcorn Fest Float Workday Today (9/1/07)
Eddie & Marilyn
Fireman Lee with Chad & Hanna
Hanna & Chad with dummy at firehouseSaturday, August 25, 2007
i am excited to go see my fave band "switchfoot" in concert at the star plaza theatre in merrillville in october. just bought tix today. any other switchfoot fans out there? i'd love to hear peep's fave bands!