It seemed like an impossible distance. I was 19 years old, walking along Texas State Highway 69 just outside of Tyler, Texas. I put my thumb out, hoping to get a ride to Alvin, Texas, about 230 miles away. I didn’t think I’d ever get there. But after 30 hours of hitchhiking and walking, I made it, exhausted, and fell asleep on the lawn of a church.

I know, that story deserves more details, but they will come another time and this blog post isn’t long enough for that.

If you are new to The Bridge, you may be wondering what kind of church we are. And if you are new to the church world, you might be wondering what a church is for.

Both were settled a long time ago by Jesus, way back when He announced the mission of the church in Matthew 28:19-20.

I don’t have any tattoos. I often tell people that I have a conviction against them, because I have a conviction against unnecessary pain!

And yet, sometimes, I choose pain.

Chemo patients and their families complained to no avail. A hospital in Canada gave permission to a local funeral home to post advertisements on the doors leading into the cancer center. Imagine how it felt for them, going in for treatment, to see a funeral home flyer. Upsetting to say the least.

I saw an automobile sneak through a red light at the end of a yellow at the same time that a bike blew through the red without slowing. The bike was going straight and the car was turning left, and they collided. The car was barely moving and, fortunately, the woman on the bike was not hurt…but she was mad! She jumped up and ripped her helmet off, and with bike in tow, ran after the car and screamed at the driver.

A 19-year-old driver successfully avoided running over a squirrel. Whew! But there are consequences to avoiding things. Instead of hitting the squirrel, she drove into the living room of a cottage that bordered the street.