The topic of money and giving is one of the most difficult things the Bible addresses, yet the Bible speaks clearly and abundantly on it. This series explores what the Bible has to say about how we as Christians are called to steward and use our finances for our joy, for God's glory, and for the expansion of His kingdom on this earth.

This week we will be looking at the greatest complete story in the bible. It reads like a movie. There are plot twists along with villains and heroes. In the middle of it we see normal people caught up in the great plans of God. We see a God who is never mentioned but works behind the scenes without the use of incredible miracles or prophetic words. We see the faith of an orphan girl with no aspirations, move the wheels of history. Connect with the life of Esther and find how we can choose to connect with the plans of God that He has for each one of us.

When is success actually failure? When is plenty not enough?

Israel has been in exile for 70 years but the time of judgement is over and the people begin to return and rebuild. They start well...but soon need a little bit of reminding from the prophet Haggai. This message also comes to those of us today who have good intentions, but miss the big picture.

Lets examine a vision of what a life without regret can look like. Lets encourage one another to pursue this with our whole hearts!

Imagine you are a young man who has seen his beloved city invaded, his king humiliated and his whole life stripped away as he is taken captive. He arrives in an impossibly grand city in the middle of a vast empire. It is a center of learning and culture and new gods which seem to grant their worshippers unlimited power and happiness.

How does a young man keep his way? What does faith look like? Can it look that way in our lives today?

We will be looking at Daniel, a young man who saw the world as it was and it changed his life.

This week we are delighted to welcome John Snelgrove back to The Bridge Church. John will be looking at Chapter 17 of The Story - The Kingdom's Fall.

Israel, chosen by grace, had a history with very few righteous moments. As far back as the giving of the Law at Mount Sinai, the nation continued to pull further and further away from the Lord. Not even Joshua or David were able keep the nation righteous for a long period of time. Israel’s history betrays our sin nature: sin is always humanity’s default mode.

In chapter 16 of the Story we see the pattern of human sin, God’s justice and His hope. Despite His people’s disobedience, God delivered a promise through Isaiah – a new King, a suffering Servant, a Saviour, the Messiah.

Have you ever noticed that sermons on Mother’s Day tend to gush over mums, while on Father’s Day they tell us dads to shape up? This Sunday, we will celebrate dads. It is our hope that we can encourage and challenge fathers to dream big, take risks for God, embark on an adventure, charge ahead, and be a man.

In a sense, listening is easy – or hearing is easy. It doesn’t demand the initiative and energy required in speaking. But despite this ease, or perhaps precisely because of it, we often struggle against it. In our sin, we’d rather trust in ourselves than another, accumulate our own righteousness than receive another’s, speak our thoughts rather than listen to someone else.

In chapter 15 of The Story, we see that Israel has forgotten what it means to listen. They have become complacent, disobedient, and rebellious. They no longer show the love of God to the surrounding nations. But God is still speaking today. Will we listen, or will we ignore his message like the Israelites did?