Scriptural Focus
“Now the Lord said to Abram, go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you...” Genesis 12:1 (ESV)

"By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God." Hebrews 11:9–10

The Call Beyond What Our Eyes Can See
Early in God’s grand narrative, He interrupts Abram’s life in Ur with a radical request: He invites Abram to step out in faith with a Word. Leave the familiar, depart your father’s house, and journey toward a destination revealed only as you walk. God promised that in this unknown journey, He would raise up a nation through Abram.

Abram makes the journey to the new place, yet when he arrives, what he sees immediately threatens to contradict God’s promise. The land of Canaan is not an empty horizon waiting for Abram’s footprint; it is actively occupied by people with established, fortified cities. Abram passes through to Shechem, setting up an altar where God reiterates His promise. The scripture does not reveal Abram’s emotion, but if we placed ourselves in Abram’s shoes, we most likely would have been disappointed that we could not settle immediately. What follows is Abram’s willingness to trust the WORD from God, thereby permitting God’s unseen integrity to outweigh his reality.

“Not Yet” Promises Require Mature, Steady Hearts
Sometimes the promises God shares with or about us have not reached their mature season. Are we mature enough to wait?

When Abram stood in Shechem, God reaffirmed His word: "To your offspring I will give this land" (Genesis 12:7). Notice the delay embedded into the phrase “to your off spring.” Abram did not even have a child yet, let alone a nation strong enough to inhabit fortified cities. Yet, Abram built an altar, worshipped and settled his heart. He recognized that a promise in its seed form still carried the weight of the I AM, the Almighty God. Instead of demanding instant possession, he let God’s covenant settle his spirit, choosing to wait while the promise matured in God’s timing.

Divine Guardrails for the Horizon
When God orchestrates on our behalf, His written and spoken covenant provides guardrails and anchors for us.

Why did Abram not build permanent stone walls or try to forcibly conquer the Canaanite strongholds right then? Because his expectation was not dictated by human panic or his own military might. As Hebrews 11:10 explains, "For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God." God’s covenant acted as a guardrail, keeping Abram from rushing into human-made fixes. When sight tells us to grasp at immediate, worldly security, God’s word keeps us focused on eternal foundations that cannot be shaken.

Nurturing the Process of Faith
As we trust God to hold to His end of the covenant, we must actively nurture the faith processes He is working out in us.

Faith is not passive waiting; it is an active alignment with God's nature. Abram’s trust required refining through real life pressures:

• Surrendering his rights: He voluntarily gave up the better, well-watered fields to Lot to maintain peace with his nephew (Genesis 13), choosing eternal trust over immediate greed.
• Fighting impossible battles:  He led a small force into a military conflict against coalition kings to rescue Lot (this same nephew--Genesis 14), winning a victory only God could have authored.
• Releasing painful reliance: He ultimately released Hagar and Ishmael (Genesis 21), letting go of human workarounds so his spiritual focus remained entirely on the child of promise, Isaac.

Surrendering human shortcuts is how we nurture the deep work God is doing inside us while He works out His promise around us.

Concluding Thought:
When our immediate sight conflicts with God's spoken promise, His eternal integrity remains the only foundation or anchor strong enough to hold our faith.

Blessings,
Pastor Zhivago Adderley

Scripture Reading
Psalm 16:7–8 (KJV) "I will bless the LORD, who hath given me counsel: my reins also instruct me in the night seasons. I have set the LORD always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved."

Revelation 3:10 (KJV) "Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth."

1. Daily Submission Prepares the Soul
The core of who we are, our thoughts, desires, and decisions must be fully surrendered to and governed by the Lord. During our waking hours, we must intentionally position ourselves to receive God's counsel through His Word and by listening to Holy Spirit. Psalm 16 suggests that when we discipline our hearts to yield to divine instruction in the morning and throughout the day, our inner man remains anchored in the truth by night allowing God’s Spirit to continually cleanse, refresh, and reset our souls.

2. Intentional Focus Creates Unshakable Stability
Setting the Lord continually before us is not passive; it is a conscious spiritual practice and discipline. When we condition ourselves to live in obedience to God's counsel, He takes His place at our right hand as our steady Defender. Therefore, no shifting culture, unexpected calamity, or intense life pressure has the power to dislodge us from our faith. In other words, alignment with God keeps us firmly rooted and completely immovable. We sang about God’s firm foundation on Sunday: “…I built my life on Jesus; He’s never let me down…He won’t…”

3. Faithful Endurance Secures Divine Protection
In Revelation, Jesus commends believers who persevere under pressure and remain steadfast in His Word. As we yield to God's refining work and hold fast to His truth, our confidence matures into an unyielding resolve. God sees and commends our patient endurance, and He promises that although judgment and collapse will be the end of this world's systems, His faithful people are divinely kept and sheltered both now and forever! Here is a final thought from our scriptures today: God holds those who hold fast to Him.

Blessings,
Pastor Zhivago Adderley

Scripture Focus: Psalm 124:1–3, 7–8

Introduction
There are moments in our walk with God when we look back and realize that the only explanation for our survival, our sanity, or our breakthrough is divine intervention. Plainly put: God is the only reason we made it through with our sanity and our very lives. Psalm 124 is one of those scriptures that recall the goodness of God in our lives. It is one of the ascent songs where God’s people rehearsed the goodness of the Lord as they journeyed toward Jerusalem. It is as if the song leader intentionally refocused the travelers with a bold declaration: “If it had not been for the Lord who was on our side…” an almost intentional (yet holy) interruption meant to awaken gratitude and remembrance over the senseless bickering among families or the self-absorbed and/or sinful thinking of an individual who was making the journey out of duty and not devotion. But as the chant grew (“If it had not been for the Lord who was on our side…”), so did the awareness of God’s power to step in, to stand up, and to fight for His people. The song leader’s chant caused Israel to remember and sing: “IF it had not been the Lord who was on our side when people rose up against us, THEN they would have swallowed us alive… (Psalm 124: 2-3, ESV).

1. God Interrupts What Was Meant to Destroy Us
To intervene means to step between two forces: one seeking to harm, and the One determined to rescue. The psalmist recalls his enemies rising swiftly and violently, like a flash flood that weeps away even the strongest. Yet God was known to step between His people and the danger over and over. He did not allow the waters to swallow them alive. There were storms that came for you and I; storms that should have taken our breath, our peace, our very lives, BUT GOD interrupted and changed our story. IF we would remember the place of a previous rescue, THEN the faith from that encounter long ago would be rekindled and become the “now faith is” to calm or cancel the storms we face presently.

2. God’s Intervention Produces Worship, Not Weariness
By the time the sojourners reached Jerusalem, their hearts were overflowing with praise. The journey itself became a testimony trail; every step reminding them of what God had done. When you remember how God intervened in your life, worship becomes the natural response. We have five days until we gather again in God’s house so imagine what would happen if we spent the next few days recalling the moments God delivered us from danger, deception, or the very snare of the enemy. Gratitude would rise; our faith would be strengthened and our worship on August 2nd, 2026 would be deeper; it would move us from duty to devotion and adoration.  Let’s remember His goodness all this week so on Sunday our Bridge family will say together: “for His mercies endure forever!”

Blessings,
Pastor Zhivago Adderley

Hear the words of this beautiful hymn written by Julia Johnston in 1910.

Grace, grace, God’s grace, Grace that will pardon and cleanse within. Grace, grace, God’s grace, Grace that is greater than all our sin.

In Greek, “Charis” reefers to an unearned gift or goodwill. It is often described as the unmerited favor of God, shown to humanity through Jesus Christ when he laid down his life for all who would accept him as Lord and Savior. We did not earn or deserve his grace, but that is the very essence of what grace is.

The apostle Paul declared these words in 1 Corinthians 15:9-10 “For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle because I persecuted the church of God. BUT by the grace of God, I am what I am; and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.” Paul realized that he did not deserve the credit for his labor; it was God’s work through him.

While we are so very thankful and grateful for the saving grace of Christ. We must also remember that this same grace is sufficient to sustain us daily. The apostle Paul endured storms, shipwrecks, viper bites, imprisonment, persecution, hunger, and physical abuse. Throughout these trials, God’s grace was sufficient, helping him to fight the good fight and finish his race well. In 2 Corinthians 12, we read that Paul was given a “thorn in the flesh” to keep him from becoming conceited. Although he sought the Lord three times to remove it, the Lord responded: “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect (complete) in weakness."

In closing, let us remember we are saved for a purpose, having received an undeserved gift of salvation. Just as Christ showed grace toward us, let us show grace to others in their walk with the Lord. In times of hardship, or when we feel God may not be listening, remember that his grace remains sufficient for us today. It empowers us to remain strong and faithful. Do not rely on feelings, but trust in Almighty God, whose grace will sustain us until we finish our race.

Ephesians 2:8 “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God.”

God bless and keep you in his grace,
Carol Johnson, Senior Citizen Pastor

"Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus."
— Philippians 3:13-14 (KJV)

There are seasons in life when the finish line seems farther away than when we first began. The excitement of a new year, a fresh vision, or a new assignment can slowly give way to fatigue, distractions, disappointments, or unexpected detours. Yet Paul's words remind us that our walk with God is not about standing still, it is about continually pressing forward.

To "press" means to move with purpose despite resistance. It is the determination to keep walking when the journey is difficult. To press means to keep believing when answers seem delayed, and to keep serving even when no one is watching or applauding. Our confidence is not in our own strength but in the One who walks with us every step of the way.
As disciples of Jesus Christ, we are called to remain consistent in our faith, steadfast in our calling, and confident in God's promises. Every time we are obedient, every time we pray in faith, every ministry opportunity taken matters. God honors our perseverance, and He completes the work He begins in us.

I know that it is sometimes overwhelming, but whatever you may be facing, don't allow yesterday's pauses or today's challenges to determine tomorrow's faithfulness. Keep your eyes on Jesus. Strengthen your heart. God is not finished with you. The prize is still ahead, and His grace is sufficient for the journey.

1. Leave the past behind. Don't allow past mistakes, disappointments, or even yesterday's victories to keep you from what God is doing today. Every new day is a "new mercy moment" to move forward in faith.
2. Stay consistent and committed. Faithfulness is often built through small, daily acts of obedience. Keep praying, keep serving, keep loving, and keep trusting God even when progress feels slow.
3. Focus on the end goal, not the pressure. Life will present obstacles, but don't lose sight of God's purpose for your life. Keep your eyes fixed on Christ, knowing that your labor in Him is never in vain.

As Paul reminds us, "Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord..." (1 Corinthians 15:58).

Keep going. Keep growing. Keep trusting. Keep pressing.

- Pastor Ro

The name of Barnabas means, “son of encouragement” or “son of consolation”. Derived from Aramaic origins, it is most famous from the New Testament as the name of an early Christian disciple and missionary who traveled along with apostle Paul. His original name was, Joseph meaning “God will increase”. He was given the nickname, Barnabas by the apostles due to his uplifting and generous nature.

In the book of Acts 9:27, Barnabas befriends Saul and defends him before the apostles at Jerusalem. The apostles were afraid of him due to his reputation of persecuting Christians. Barnabas stood up for Saul and became the bridge between Saul and the apostles. He was an encouragement to young Saul as he begins his Christian journey. Just as much as Barnabas was an encouragement to Saul, soon to be renamed Paul (Acts 13:9), we can encourage someone else, who may have just started their Christian journey.  As we run along side those whom we are mentoring we can share with them the benefits of our experience. We can encourage them not to make the same mistakes we have made and help guide them as they navigate the treacherous waters of their journey.

As Christians we are encouraged to read the Holy Scriptures daily to strengthen our faith. Some years ago, I read a book written by John C. Maxwell entitled, “Running with the Giants”. In his book he looked at many of the men and women of the Old Testament. He focused on their inspiring and encouraging impact of their generation. Men and Women from Noah to Esther to David and Jonathan as well as many others. He sought to understand their impact on those closest to them.

In John Maxwell’s book he uses the analogy of running a race. He used the scripture in Hebrews 12:1 (NIV)
“Since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us”. His aim was to be encouraged by those who would come along side as we run our race and offer inspiration and support.

We can all look around us and see those who are struggling with their faith, health, relationships or other issues. They may not ask for help or even want our help but we can offer it. Prayer is our most powerful weapon against doubt, unbelief and discouragement. Let us continue to run this race along side them with prayer and support.

Paul needed a Barnabas, David needed a Jonathan, you and I need one another to encourage us when times get hard.

There is a quote from John Maxwells book I would like to share: “Together, you and I can run with the giants for a while to receive their inspiration, wisdom, and empowerment”. We need that, because encouragement is the oxygen of the soul”.

“Running with the Giants”
Senior Citizens Pastor,
Thomas Johnson

That sounds like one of the most obvious statements we could ever make. I am curious, however, why we give him so much credibility when he speaks to us about us. He definitely has a lot to say; I’ll give him that. However, when we go to the word, it begins to take the bite out of what he tries to speak about us. First, Jesus Himself describes the devil this way in John 8:44 – “He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.”

The native tongue of the devil, the language you speak without even having to think, is lies. I want you to think about that next time he tries to speak to you about you or tries to sow doubt in your mind about what God has spoken over you. He can’t help but lie. Of course, the best lies have bits and pieces of truth sprinkled in to give the allusion that all of what he is saying is true. That is why sometimes, it stings when he highlights parts of our past, our mistakes, the times we failed to live up to the standard of Christ. He is described as the “accuser of the brethren” in Revelations 12:10. He knows how to point out faults. The pot is doing a lot of talking about the kettle! He is constantly putting into question what God has spoken over you. When speaking to Eve in the garden, he says, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden?”

He even tries to speak for God and “clarify” what God had spoken. He does something similar with Jesus. After Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist, God the Father speaks over Jesus saying, “THIS IS MY SON, IN WHOM I AM WELL PLEASED”. He did not stutter, and yet, right after that, Jesus has an encounter with Satan in the wilderness and the first thing of his mouth is “IF you are the Son of God…” God had already established that Jesus was not only the Son of God, but that he was the delight of the Father BEFORE Jesus started His earthly ministry. Not after the miracles, not after the cross and the resurrection, before. Yet, here was the devil trying to make Jesus “prove” that he indeed was the Son of God.

The enemy of our souls has a lot to say, however, he tends to stop short of telling the whole story. He will bring up your past but not remind you that you have been bought and paid for by the blood of Christ, ransomed and redeemed. He will not bring up to your memory, 1 John 3:1 See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!

Whose report will we believe, church? Let us believe the word of the ONLY one who had anything to do with making us, creating us, forming us in our mother’s womb.
Psalm 139 describes it like this: 13 For you formed my inward parts;
you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. 14 I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. a Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. 15 My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. 16 Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.

Sometimes we need to remind ourselves, the enemy did not create us; he had nothing to do with my existence, did not bring anything to the table when it came to forming me, God was and is in control and because of that, what God says about me, overrides any half-truths the enemy can bring against me. He may accuse but God says we are Justified by Him through faith in Christ and we have peace with God (Romans 5:1). The enemy may bring up my past, but God says that in Jesus, we are new creation! The old has passed away and the new is here! (2 Cor. 5:17). The enemy may say we are forgotten, but God says, the same way a mother could never forget she gave birth, (even if she did) he says it is impossible and will never forget about you (Isaiah 49:15-16). The enemy may try to say you are alone, but Jesus said, “I am with you always, even until the end.” (Matthew 28:20)

Only God created and formed you and as such, what He says about you supersedes any other voice. Make sure you take time in the word, read your Bible, and fill your mind with the wondrous things God has to say about you, His child.

In Christ,
Pastor Javier

For those of you who have been keeping track of sports lately, we may have seen one of the greatest NBA Finals performances in recent history. Both teams involved, the New York Knicks and the San Antonio Spurs, were loaded with young talent, and each had a story if they won. The biggest story to come out of the series was Game 4, when, after being down by 30 at one point, the Knicks roared back in the 4th quarter to win on a series of events that could only be described as miraculous.

Watching this reminded me of something about us as humanity, though – we all love a great comeback story. There is something about seeing someone down and out come back in a story of redemption that just gives us all hope. I, personally, have always loved a good underdog. Maybe that’s why I’m a Raiders fan…but that’s a story for another day.

One of the greatest comebacks written about in the Bible (outside of Jesus, that is) is found in Genesis in the story of Joseph. Genesis 50:20 reads “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done…” Joseph had been through his fair share of tests and trials mostly brought on by his own family. It was initiated by being sold into slavery. Then falsely accused of a crime he didn’t commit. He was thrown into jail, never to be heard from again, until God stepped in. It was fair to say he was counted out by everybody. But we realize that all of this was just a setup for the inevitable – Joseph would become second-in-command in Egypt and even save the region during a famine. He wasn’t SUPPOSED to accomplish this by man’s standards and ideals.

The same could be said about you. You have seen and been through many tests and trials in your lifetime. Many of you have been counted out by your own families or loved ones due to circumstances that were beyond your control. You have a hard time seeing the light in the darkness because your shame or guilt has imprisoned you for so long. The stars never seem to be aligned for you and the cards are not stacked in your favor.

But there is hope! Thankfully, we don’t believe in luck, coincidence, or happenstance. The scripture told us that what was intended to harm Joseph was what God intended for good to accomplish great things. The same is true for you. You have a purpose and a calling that can’t be denied or deterred by the laws of nature or the enemy. God is working things in your favor because you are his child. Even when you don’t see how you can win, you can come out on top if you will just trust His plan and see how he will walk you through it. The game plan may need to shift along the way, but adjustments are necessary to lock in the win.

“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong."
– 2 Corinthians 12:9-10

Stop looking at the score. Play to the end and see what kind of miraculous comeback story you get to put in the books. And when that story comes, let it be a testimony of the goodness of God, giving Him the glory he deserves as the ultimate strategist in life.

- Pastor Thaddaeus

Scripture Focus: Acts 7:59-60, Acts 9

Think of the person who has caused you the deepest pain, threatened your peace, or opposed your purpose. Our natural, human instinct is to pray for protection or judgment. But Scripture invites us into a deeper, more aggressive form of spiritual warfare; praying for the transformation of your enemy. It is the kind of counter strike no one expects.

In Acts 7, we find Stephen on his knees, rocks striking, fracturing his bones. Scripture notes a chilling detail. Specifically, the killers laid their heavy outer cloaks at the feet of a young Pharisee named Saul (Acts 7:58). Under ancient legal custom, Saul was not just a bystander; by guarding those garments, he was the official legal sponsor and supervisor of the stoning. Saul held the contract on Stephen’s blood. Yet, with his final breath, Stephen threw a legal wrench into Saul’s self-righteous operation. He looked up to the Courtroom of Heaven and cried: “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” Stephen understood two profound spiritual laws that we must grasp today:

1. The Weight of the Chain: Our human “enemy” is not the ultimate architect of their malice; they are prisoners. The viciousness of their attack reveals the heaviness of the chains the devil has wrapped around them.
2. The Cost of the Bolt Cutter: Forgiveness is a costly spiritual transaction. It costs us our pride and our right to human vengeance. When we choose forgiveness, we cancel the spiritual debt, shattering the devil’s ability to keep the one who wronged us bound.

Stephen’s radical forgiveness shattered the spiritual ground Saul was standing on, trailing him all the way to the Damascus Road. The words replaying again in Saul’s mind: “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” When Jesus finally blindsided Saul in Acts 9, He did not destroy his passion; Jesus redirected it. The exact same intense, stop-at-nothing zeal Saul used to persecute the Church was violently hijacked by the Holy Spirit. The devil lost his fiercest assassin, and God gained His greatest Apostle. Passionate prayerful forgiveness did that!

We cannot expect to see “Pauls” raised up in our lives if we are unwilling to be “Stephens”. Let’s forgive and then earnestly pray for those who are mean and spiteful toward us. Step into the place of prayer (God’s presence), release the debt, and pray that the Chief Judge breaks your enemy’s chain, asking God to turn your fiercest enemy into a fiery brand for God’s ultimate glory.

One last thought: Stephen’s enemy was not a far distance from him; is your enemy close? Let passionate prayers prevail, then watch for God’s powerful counter strike. Amen!!

- Pastor Z

Scripture Focus: Esther 4:14 "For if you keep silent at this time, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another place… And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?”

The Blessed Assurance
Mordecai did not know how God would deliver, but he was absolutely convinced that God would. His confidence was not rooted in a private revelation or a supernatural visitation; it was anchored in the unshakable covenant faithfulness of God. When he declared that deliverance would come “from another place,” he was essentially saying, “God has more options than we can see”.

When we face situations where every visible door is shut, we must remember that God is not confined to the pathways we can imagine. He is sovereign over the person who closed the door, the system that seems immovable, and even the generational patterns that feel unbreakable. If the door in front of you is sealed, God has “another place,” that is, another route, another strategy, another provision already in motion. Hallelujah.

Moving from Fear of the Scepter to Faith in the Sovereign
Esther was staring at a law that threatened her life: approach the king uninvited, and you die unless the golden scepter is extended. The fear was real. The risk was real. But Mordecai reminded her that the king of Persia was still just a man holding a piece of metal. There is a higher Throne, and a greater King whose authority supersedes every earthly decree.

What “scepter” are you waiting on today? A diagnosis? A loan approval? A supervisor’s decision? Sovereignty means God governs the heart of the king, the timing of the moment, and the outcome of the situation. You are not at the mercy of human decisions when you belong to the God who reigns over every kingdom, courtroom, and circumstance.

Enlargement Is Coming
The word enlargement means relief, breathing room, or literally “to catch one’s breath.” For Esther, Mordecai, and the Jewish people, God did not remove the threat entirely. Instead, He empowered them within the threat. Through a royal decree, they were given the legal right to defend themselves and even take possession of the goods of their attackers (Esther 8:11–12). In other words, God did not eliminate the battle; He equipped them to win it.

Sometimes when our back is against the wall, the wall is simply revealing the limits of our human strength. And that is often the exact place where God’s strength begins to operate. He promises to sustain, provide, and deliver us. When God breathes enlargement into your situation, you do not just survive; you rise with authority, clarity, and supernatural help. Let God breathe on and expand your “it.” You will be the better for what He is taking you through.

Today’s Takeaway
1. God always has another place. There is another route, another strategy, another provision beyond what you can see.

2. You are not ruled by earthly scepters. God’s sovereignty outranks every human decision.

3. Enlargement often begins at the wall. When your strength ends, God’s strength steps in with power and breath.

Blessings,
Pastor Zhivago Adderley

“Because the Lord had closed Hannah’s womb” - 1 Samuel 1:6a NIV

Sometimes our first reaction to life not going our way is to question, is God seeing this? Does He know what I am going through? Why doesn’t He fix this? I can testify that there have been moments in my life when this has been my first and only response. However, I have learned, and I am still learning, that sometimes our pauses, stand still moments and redirections in life are orchestrated by God.

Remain Yielded In The Process
The scripture in 1 Samuel 1:6a, states that the Lord had closed Hannah’s womb. This
strongly suggests that He saw the end from the beginning and needed to use a submitted vessel to get the results He needed. Hannah cried, yes; Hannah prayed, yes; Hannah continued to do what she should as a wife, yes! And through all of it, God was allowed to get the glory out of the end results. As we face God orchestrated moments in our lives, they may be hard, they may seem unsufferable, they may seem to be leading to destruction, but I encourage us today to remain yielded to God during it all. He wants our submission as He writes the story of His glory.

Follow Through With Our Yes
As Hannah received the “God-timed” response from her submission in tears and prayers, she gave God a yes that was difficult to think about. She said yes to giving up the very thing that she was praying for. We have been praying for family members to be saved, for children to be delivered, for our finances to finally be more than enough, and when he gives us the answers, then He asks for us to give it back to Him. Don’t be afraid to follow through with a yes to Him. As Hannah gave Samuel to the work of the temple, she was then blessed with more children. Sometimes our full yes, our give back to God is the key that opens the doors to our ‘overflow moments’.

I encourage us this week as we pause in prayer and reflection to surrender our “pause
and wait” moments to God and give Him a yes and follow through with His plan. Does
this mean we won’t cry, it does not. Does this mean we won’t have painful moments, it
does not. What it does mean is He will be glorified in our lives and we will receive from His hearts overflow.

- Pastor Ro

The Scripture Texts:
And He (Jesus) had to pass through Samaria (John 4:4, ESV).

But the Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion (Luke 10:33, ESV).

Seeing the Way Jesus Walked
In first century Palestine, “the way” was more than a metaphor, it was the network of roads people traveled every day. Some paths were convenient, others avoided. Many Jews even took the long route around Samaria to avoid the people who shared their ancestry and history. Let’s be real, the Jews avoided Samaritans because they believed Samaritans were not their equal. Jesus, a Jew, chose differently. He walked straight into Samaria. He sat at a well with a woman others ignored and restored, not only her dignity, but her long desired fellowship with the Father. When He revealed Himself as the Messiah who is “the way, the truth, and the life,” He was not only revealing Himself to the Samaritan woman, He revealed to us how He walks through the world. Jesus’ way is compassionate, a way that moves toward people, not around them.

Kindness that Steps in, Not Around
Jesus’ parable of the Good Samaritan echoes the same truth. Two religious men saw thewounded traveler and kept going. The Samaritan (imagine that-the one who was neverconsidered to be “good enough”) saw him and stopped. But the Good Samaritan did not justpause and stop with sympathy. He lifted the man, carried him to safety, paid for his care, andpromised to return. For the wounded man, this was not only a way out of danger; it was a waythat most likely led to a Christ-honoring relationship between two unlikely friends. Jesus wasteaching us that kindness is not accidental. It is intentional. It costs us something, ourconvenience. It lifts someone until they can stand again.

Takeaway for the Week
To follow Jesus, THE One who is THE Way, we must be willing to go out of our way for others. His compassion was never confined to convenience; it moved toward people others avoided, paused when others rushed past, and lifted those who had fallen until they could stand again.  Kindness that reflects Christ is not accidental or effortless.  It is intentional, restorative, and willing to stretch beyond our routines so someone else can rise.  When we walk Christ’s way, we choose the longer road if it means carrying His heart.

Go out of your way and do at least one of the following:

• Notice the person others overlook and pause long enough to truly see them.  Ask them their name.
• Lift someone who has fallen by offering support that helps them stand again.

Blessings,
Pastor Zhivago Adderley

The Scriptures
“Do not call me Naomi; call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me” (Ruth1:20, ESV).

“May the Lord give strength to His people. May the Lord bless His people with peace” (Psalm 29:11, ESV).

The Story
Sometimes the way to our next abundant harvest depends entirely on how we handle our current trials. The human reflex to a crisis is always a geographic, situational or emotional escape. When resources dry up, when pressure mounts, or when the environment becomes uncomfortable, our immediate instinct is to run toward relief. We want to pack up and find a quick fix.

The book of Ruth begins with a family facing this exact crossroads. They were from the tribe of Judah, living in Bethlehem, a modest, but not prestigious town. Yet, Elimelech and his family seemed to be living well. We do not know exactly why the famine hit, but because this occurs during the time of the Judges, scripture implies that Israel’s cycle of idolatry plays a heavy role in their oppression from their neighboring enemies. If we look closely at the names of the family members in this story, we see God’s grace and the fact that God reigns on the just and the unjust. First, Elimelech’s name means “My God is King.” This was a family that explicitly named the Lord as their God. Then Naomi, her name means pleasant or delightful. The shift happens when they have children. The first son was named Mahlon meaning sickly. The second son’s name was Chilion, which meant pining or fading away.

Whether the boys’ fragility was due to the famine or an isolated family struggle, Elimelech made an executive decision: he packed up his family and left Judah for the prosperous, metropolitan community of Moab. Moab promised relief. It promised survival. In fact, the plan worked at first, because the sons grew up, settled down, and married. But Moab, although ideal for agriculture, was a place not spiritually aligned with God. In chasing physical sustenance, Elimelech stepped out of spiritual alignment.

When the dust settled, Elimelech and both sons were dead, leaving behind a bitter widow named Naomi. Despite her being bitter at God, it was clear that she imparted the word of God to her daughters-in-law. Later, the scriptures state that she turned from Moab toward Bethlehem because she “…heard in the fields of Moab that the Lord had visited his people and given them food” (Ruth 1:6, ESV).

The Safeguards
1. Guard Your Alignment Over Your Comfort
If we are God’s people, we must be incredibly careful about where we align ourselves, even when a worldly alternative promises immediate reprieve or relief. True alignment with God means choosing to depend only on Him for our survival and sustenance, even when the ground beneath us looks cracked and dry. Moving outside of His presence for quick comfort always costs more than we bargained for.

2. Protect Your Posture in the Trial
Trials are brutal, but our instructions remain the same: delight in the Lord and refuse to be poisoned by bitterness. When Naomi eventually returned home, she demanded to be called Mara (i.e., bitter), claiming the Almighty had dealt bitterly with her. Naomi’s posture changed negatively because she focused on what she lost in the famine rather than who God still was. Do not let a temporary drought or being in a dry place dictate your disposition of joy.

3. Turn your Heart in God’s Direction
When we turn in God’s direction, He begins working quietly in our favor. We may not see or hear of it right away, however, there will come the moment when our faith becomes sight. Naomi returned to Bethlehem, and was eventually willing to be satisfied with the bread made from the grain harvest, but look what the women in the community said when Naomi’s grandson was born: “Blessed be the Lord who has not left you this day without a redeemer, and may his name be renowned in Israel” (Ruth 4:14, ESV). In other words, God turned Naomi’s bitter days into pleasant days again by redeeming her life from destruction and crowning her with His loving kindness. Not only did the town know about her grandson Obed, but the whole country also heard about Obed’s grandson in the person of King David. May God strengthen us in our trials. I believe our fields will be fruitful again.

Blessings,
Pastor Zhivago

In 1905, a woman by the name of Anna Jarvis lost her beloved mother. To honor her life, she promoted a National Day of Gratitude on behalf of mothers on the second Sunday in May. It was finalized by President Wilson in 1914.

While this can be a wonderful day set aside, we must remember God had already given a commandment in Exodus 20:12 “Honor (respect) thy father and thy mother; that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee”. We find this was the fifth commandment God had given with a relational promise.

We applaud many of the women in the scripture who were great mothers. Proverbs Chapter 31 gives an exceptional example of King Lemuel’s mother, who gave godly instruction to her son by giving honor to a woman with a virtuous character. With all her excellent attributes, more importantly, she was a woman who feared the Lord and should be praised.

Not all women in the scripture were as exemplary as the woman mentioned in Proverbs.
We find that Eve was the first mother of all living, and although she had her temptation with the serpent, she was a mother to Cain, Abel, Seth, and other children as well.

Sarah was named in Genesis 18:12, who brought forth Isaac in her older stage of life. Even laughing when God gave her and Abraham the promise of a child being born to them at her advanced age. She got ahead of the Lord with her handmaid, yet she was honored because of the Lord’s faithfulness, and Isaac, the promised seed, was born as promised.

Bathsheba, in 2 Samuel 11-12, was used by King David for his own desires. She brought forth a son named Solomon, who would rule on the throne, and we see he was in the lineage of the Messiah.

Rahab, the Canaanite prostitute, hid the Israelite spies in Joshua 2, yet is recognized in Hebrews 11:31 as one of the heroes of the faith. From her lineage, she was the mother of Boaz, who was in the successive line of King David and Jesus.

These are a few women in the scripture who may not have been perfect, yet were used by God to bring forth his will in the day they were living.

Hannah, Ruth, Jochebed, Mary, Elizabeth, Eunice, and Lois were a few mothers named in the Bible who were great examples of women who loved God and were used for his service.

Here at the Bridge of Hope, we celebrate all the dedicated mothers who have been wonderful examples to their children at home and in church. We also recognize our beautiful, sweet, and loving first lady, Romeika Adderley, who is a great blessing to her children and the BOH family.

On a personal note, I have been blessed to be the mother of Asa and Brent, for which I am so grateful and blessed beyond measure. They have stood by their dad and me through thick and thin. I love them with every part of my being.

I also give honor to my precious mother, who is with the Lord now. I remember the last time I visited with her. I took her by her feeble hands, looked at all the age spots, and the finger that had been severely injured in her younger life. I began to think about all she had been through in her life, yet she remained faithful to the Lord. I realized one day that I might not be able to take her hand again and thank her for all she had meant to me and for the love I had for her. In that year, she was gone.

I leave with you a little story written by Dr. G. Campbell Morgan:
He had four sons, and they all became ministers. At a family reunion, a friend asked one of the sons, Which Morgan is the greatest preacher?  While the son looked at the father, the father replied, “Mother.”

- Seniors Pastor Carol Johnson

As any 4.5 year old would, my daughter loves to play “hide and seek”. We take turns, of course, but I was thinking recently about how if I really wanted to, I could hide so well that she could not find me. It would be a rigged game where the fun of playing would turn to fear for her because there is no hope of finding me and her security would turn to feeling alone. However, as most parents who have played this childhood game with their kids know, the best part is the moment when you let your child find you. I want Grace to find me, so I leave clues: my foot sticking out of the closet door, or making noise under the covers so she can hear me. Finally, the best part: There is a coming together, maybe a hug, and definitely lots of laughter and “bragging rights”. In addition to all that, there is also a quiet reaffirming to my daughter that “I am here. I haven’t left you, nor will I.”

We may feel at times that God feels far or inaccessible. We wonder at times if He even hears us. But I believe that there is a productive struggle in the Lord wanting us to seek Him. Look at what God tells Israel through the Prophet Jeremiah:

“Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the Lord…”
Jeremiah 29:12-14a ESV

This is coming to Israel at a time where they are to be taken captive by Babylon and God gives them a promise of restoration. Notice, God is NOT saying that to seek Him is futile. In fact, He says “I will found by you.” The implication being similar to how parents let themselves be found by their kids while playing hide and seek. But just like the real game, there are lessons learned and a child builds skills necessary for growth and awareness, and also learns the crucial skill of resiliency in a safe, controlled, environment. In the same way, we as God’s children, learn resilience, we learn to trust and stretch our faith muscles during times of seeking. However, the environment is controlled. We are ultimately safe because “if His eye is on the sparrow, then I know He watches me!” If  we feel we cannot see Him or feel Him, we can be sure He is watching over us. He leaves clues to lead us to Him whether it be a word from the scriptures in your devotional reading, or a visit or embrace from a friend, the beauty of nature, etc.

One final thought: the other thing that having  us seek Him does, is that it helps filter out the reasons we are seeking Him. He says in Jeremiah, that if we seek Him with all of our hearts, we will find Him. I don’t have to wonder what it looks like to seek Him half-heartedly.  I know when my heart is not in it and it’s more looking for just the fish and loaves. Looking to see what I can get out of God…looking for His hand instead of His face. I can want the hand of God for what He can give and not want His face for all of who He is.

“You have said, “Seek my face.” My heart says to you, “Your face, Lord, do I seek.”
Psalm 27:8 ESV

Let us seek God’s face, church. Let us do so with all of our hearts, knowing that in the seeking, we will grow stronger in our faith. Let us keep an eye out for clues God is leaving around you to lead you to a beautiful encounter with Him. Seek in confidence, knowing “He will be found by you…”

In Christ,
Pastor Javier

I found myself in a desert place one summer. This is not a metaphor. I once spent a few summer days in Joshua Tree, California, a small town in the Mojave Desert. I’d felt inexplicably drawn to this place for years, despite none of my friends knowing about it, nor seeing it featured on travel sites I frequent. It wasn’t a destination known for comfort, yet I was still compelled to go.

WHAT IS A JOSHUA TREE?
Part of my interest was the name: Joshua Tree. Why were these desert plants called that? I discovered that some say Mormon settlers named it after the biblical Joshua, whose hands lifted in prayer. Others likened its sharp leaves to a warrior’s blade. The name alone added to the desert’s intrigue.

I am amazed that plants like the Joshua Tree thrive in the harsh Mojave Desert. They need little to grow, but require just the right amount of rain and temperature—a delicate balance for such a rare plant in the U.S. Despite the apparent barrenness, they flourish. That alone could be a powerful message.

THE SIGNS ARE THERE
While exploring Joshua Tree National Park, I saw repeated signs: “DO NOT DIE TODAY.” Such a direct warning made sense. The sign explained the dangers of desert heat, urging extra caution. The average temperature soared to 120 degrees—a serious threat.



In Joshua 1, God tells Joshua to “be strong and of good courage” 3 separate times. Why would he do that? Because fear is a real thing. Fear of failure. Fear of success. Fear of the next thing. Fear of the unseen. God knew what Joshua would face and the kind of leadership he would have to show. The phrase “DO NOT DIE TODAY” is a way of conveying God’s call to endure and have courage each day in the face of fear or overwhelming circumstances.

And he is speaking to US with those same words. It doesn’t matter if you feel like you have been wandering aimlessly for these past few years – DO NOT DIE TODAY. You feel like this job you are at is too much and is going to be the death of you – DO NOT DIE TODAY. You may not understand why your kids seem like they are never getting better – DO NOT DIE TODAY, they need you. You have been praying for the same miracle for days, weeks, months, years, and have not seen any progress – DO NOT DIE TODAY in your praying and fasting. You used to hear God’s voice so clearly, but now you feel like he has left you because you haven’t heard from him in a while – DO NOT DIE TODAY. He’s still right there just quietly waiting for you to pause and listen.

FINAL TAKEAWAY
You were BUILT for this season. You aren’t meant to die out. Be strong and of good courage. These tests are for your testimony. These battles are for your conditioning. And these pains are for your gains. Like the Joshua Tree, which thrives in a harsh desert, you can also find strength and grow in challenging conditions because you have been CALLED to such a place in a time such as this. I know it hurts. I know it burns. I know it sucks most days (am I allowed to say that?). But be encouraged. Know that you need to LIVE in order to see what blessings the Lord has in store for you. Take your extra precautions, plan ahead, and prepare for the journey.

Joshua Tree is symbolic—a sign of faith and hope that beauty can emerge from adversity. Like the Joshua Tree, you too can embody faith and hope. Will you endure to see how your story ends?

Rooted In Love,
Pastor Thaddaeus

The Backstory:
The air in Babylon was thick with the scent of settled dust and forgotten rituals. For decades, the people of Israel lived in a world of "good enough," but Ezra, a descendant of Aaron, felt the weight of a different calling. He was not interested in just surviving the exile; he was obsessed with the order of God’s house.

In the corridors of the Persian palace, Ezra did not rely on charisma or political maneuvering; rather he relied on quiet, relentless preparation. As Ezra 7: 9-10 tells us, Ezra devoted himself to the study and observance of the Law of the Lord, and to teaching its decrees and laws in Israel. In essence, he was not just concerned with honoring God for himself, he wanted the “Next Gen” to love and honor God as well.

When he stood before King Artaxerxes, something supernatural happened. The King did not jus grant him passage; King Artaxerxes opened the royal treasury. Ezra was given silver, gold, and authority because the King saw a man whose internal world was so ordered that he could be trusted with the external world. Ezra’s steady faithfulness in the secret place of study became his favor in the public square of the empire.

Steady Faithfulness: A Message for Every Generation
At Bridge, we know that the Holy Spirit moves powerfully among us, but Ezra reminds us that the Spirit also moves through faithful steadfastness. Whether you are a senior who built the foundations or a young adult navigating work-life balance, Ezra’s journey speaks to us today. For the seniors, whether you have lived through seasons of revival or seasons of drought, like Ezra, your role is to ensure that the "ancient paths" of holiness are not just remembered but lived. For our youth and young adults, our emerging faithfulness to the “order” of God’s House is the “bridge” for our Next Gen students. So, do not grow weary with realignment or the need for consistency in prayer and in the Word of God. Our consistency in private and public is what gives the Body of Christ and our surrounding communities gravity from the chaos that surrounds us.

Our Takeaway:
True "public square" influence whether in your workplace, your social circles, or your city comes from a life ordered by the Kingdom of God. When we are faithful to God’s House and His Word in private, the "Artaxerxes" of our work industry will take notice of the excellence and integrity within you. "For the gracious hand of his God was on him. For Ezra had devoted himself to the study and observance of the Law of the Lord..." (Ezra 7:9-10).        
Blessings,
Pastor Zhivago Adderley  

The Architecture of Distraction
In Luke 9, Peter, James, and John get a "behind-the-scenes" look at the King of Glory. The curtain of Jesus' humanity is pulled back, revealing His royalty. What was Peter’s response to this weight of glory? He wants to build three tabernacles as a gift for His Lord and two great men: Moses and Elijah. The tabernacles were a quiet reference to the profound joy the Jews had when recalling how God brought His people out of the wilderness and gave them rest in the Promised Land. In other words, Peter’s overwhelming joy was leading to work when he should have been at rest. He wanted to provide a "gift" of housing for a King who already owns the heavens. God the Father’s response was a gentle but firm course correction “…This is my Son...listen to Him.”

The Hustle of the Hearth
As we turn the page of the scriptures, in Luke 10, we see this same energy in Martha’s kitchen. While Jesus is in her home, Martha is spiraling. She is focused on making a good "present" for the King; a delicate meal and the performance of being a good host. She even asks Jesus to tell Mary to leave His side to help her with the work. Just like the Father rebuked Peter, Jesus gives Martha a soft reality check. He tells her that Mary has chosen the "better part." Martha was preparing a gift for the King, but Mary was simply BEING with the King. Martha’s "presents" were getting in the way of resting in His presence.

The Importance of Being Still with Him
Whether it is Peter on the mountain or Martha in the kitchen, the struggle is the same: believing that our works, our talents, or our "tabernacle gifts" are more valuable than placing our devotion and attention on Him. We often feel the need to justify our place with God by being productive especially when we are coming out of a "wilderness" or a dry season to experience the goodness of His GRACE. We want to prove we are worthy of the Promised Land by what we can build there.

Concluding Thought
The Transfiguration and the story of Mary and Martha teach us that no ritual, or no “church” project for the auxiliary can compare to BEING with Him. We do not have to "do" to capture His attention. He sees us. In fact, He is the one who invited us to come into His presence!! We were not fortunate like Peter, James, John or Mary and Martha to be with Christ while He was on earth, but Revelation 21:3 says that “…the dwelling place of God (i.e., the tabernacle) is with man, He will dwell with them, and they will be His people, and God himself will be their God.” Someday soon, you and I will experience overwhelming joy, as we will be at rest or in worship in His presence forevermore!!

Blessings,
Pastor Zhivago Adderley

The Echo of the Sanctuary
As I sat in the empty sanctuary yesterday, I still heard the echoes of our jubilant and vibrant worship. On Sunday, we declared that He is our King, the Lord of Glory. We raised our banners and voices high, singing and shouting His praise for what He has done. Even now, I remain in awe of the sweet savor of His presence, and am profoundly grateful that He redeemed us with His precious blood.

The Intentionality of God’s Love Story
The writer of Hebrews provides a connected flow of God’s love story toward humanity. It begins by reminding us that God, in multiple ways and times, spoke through His prophets about His intentionality toward redeeming mankind. But that story did not end with words; it culminated in a Person. The Person who welcomed love and adoration from his disciples like John, Peter and Mary Madelene. It was Mary who poured her best fragrance on our Lord, often weeping in deep appreciation for saving her from the grip and misery of sin.

The  Express Image of Glory
In addition to being God’s heir, the writer of Hebrews declares that Jesus is the brightness of God’s glory and the express image of who God is. Hebrews is clear: Christ has already attained the right hand of God. Therefore, if we are to take on the image of God, we must look at the person of Jesus Christ. As citizens of heaven, we cannot choose to see Him as someone who is "not desirable," as described in Isaiah 53. We must check our hearts to ensure that our love for Christ remains deep. If our devotion wanes, or if we are ashamed of Him, He will not announce us before His Father.

The Assurance of Our Transformation
So, how do we as believers develop the assurance that when He appears, we will be like Him? How do we reflect the King of Glory in our daily lives? Psalm 16:8 gives us the key: we must set the Lord always before us. When we keep our eyes fixed on Him, His character, His sacrifice, and His current seat at the Father’s right hand, we find not only stability, but we will also see Christ fully, simultaneously encountering His transcendent fragrance. By setting Him before us, we too can be at God’s right hand and not be shaken by the things of this world.

A Prayer for Our Week
May we carry the image and fragrance of the "King of Glory" from the sanctuary into our streets, so that others seek Him and, in turn, are announced and known to our Father.

Blessings,
Pastor Zhivago Adderley

“Go into the village in front of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me... The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them." Matthew 21:2, 6

The Unseen Burden
It is possible that many of us may sometimes feel like the donkey in the story of the Triumphant Entry. We spend our lives from sunup to sundown carrying heavy loads: the weights of responsibility, the mistakes of humanity, and the expectations of others. Often, we feel like "brute beasts," overlooked and under-appreciated, doing the hard work while the world moves past us without a second glance. We might even feel like "hybrids" who are caught between who we are and who the world wants us to be, living in a state of "mixing" that feels far from God's original, perfect intention for creation.

The King’s Choice
But notice what Jesus did. He did not send for a majestic stallion or a warhorse to carry Him into Jerusalem. He sent for the lowly donkey.

• He Saw the Animal: Before the crowds cheered, Jesus recognized the donkey’s existence and its purpose.
• He Gave Honor: By choosing this animal to carry the King of Kings, Jesus elevated the "lowly" to a place of royalty.
• He Loosed the Bound: Jesus gave the command to "untie him." He did not just want the donkey's service; He wanted the donkey’s freedom from its previous hitching post.

The Exchange of Weights
If you feel tired from carrying a weight that is not yours, remember that Jesus sees you just as He saw that animal. He is aware that you matter. While serving the Master in a broken world can sometimes feel like an "unfair burden," Jesus offers a divine exchange. He says: "Take my yoke upon you and learn of me... for my yoke is easy and my burden is light. "When we carry Jesus, the nature of the load changes. It is no longer a weight that crushes us; it isa weight that connects us to His royalty. We are not told what happened to the donkey after that Sunday, but we can be certain of this: once you have carried the King, you are never the same.

Praise God!
Pastor Z. Adderley

In the famous story of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32), we often focus on the one who left home and squandered his inheritance. But this week, the Holy Spirit is highlighting a different figure: the elder brother who stayed home. He was ”squeaky clean” on the outside, meticulous, hardworking, and status-driven, but he was rotting on the inside.

The Pharisee in the Field
The elder brother represents the “party haters” of Jesus’ day, the Pharisees. They were experts at executing the Father’s portfolio but had no room for the Father’s people. Like the elder brother, it is possible to be “in the house” but miles away from the Father’s heart. When we treat our faith like shift work, rather than a relationship we are enjoying, our joy evaporates. Service without love is not devotion; it is slavery.

The Father’s Heart Revealed
The most beautiful part of this narrative is not the brother’s performance, but the Father’s persistence. Even as the elder son stood outside in miserable, bitter resentment, the Father stepped out to entreat him. Despite the elder sons “squeaky clean” legalism and his judgmental spirit, the Father didn’t abandon him to his bitterness. He went out to meet him, pleading with him to come inside and share in the celebration. This is the heart of God: He pursues the religious legalist just as fervently as He pursues the rebellious runaway.

Why We Lose Our Joy
Disobedience is not always “riotous living.” Often, it is subtle alignment issues:

• The Trap of Assets: Valuing the “estate” (status, rules, and coins) over the “family” (people).
• The Contract vs. Covenant: Seeing God as a boss to be satisfied rather than a Father to be loved.
• The “Why” Gap: Being so busy managing a corner of the field that we miss the
  heartbeat of the whole house.

”Christian joy returns when we stop viewing people as interruptions to our work and start
viewing them as the point of our work.”

Are You Just Maintaining the Estate?
If our hearts do not break for what breaks His, and if we cannot rejoice when He rejoices, we are merely “estate managers” in a house we do not truly call home. Joy is the byproduct of shared values. If we find ourselves hardworking but miserable, it may be time to stop working for the Father and start walking with Him. After all, we are laborers with God.

A Provocative Thought:
If the Father threw a party today for the very person you find most undeserving, would you be found inside leading the dance, or outside explaining why they should not have been invited?

Blessings,
Pastor Adderley

I Co-wrote a song a few years ago called “What a Name”. It was released by a group called “Writing Rounds Worships:

No Father like ABBA, What a Name!
No Healer like Rapha…What a Name!
None keeps me like Nissi…What a Name!
There’s no one like God
There’s no one like Yahweh!

Listen to “What a Name”!

This is the inspiration behind the song…

Have you ever had a friend that surprised you with a talent or skill you had no idea they had? In my case, I went bowling with some friends and while we all showed up empty handed to the bowling alley, one of my friends had a whole suitcase that he took out of his truck. He had his own ball, his own special bowling shoes, etc. He proceeded to DESTROY the rest of us who were just trying to have some fun! While we had done lots of different activities together, we had never been bowling. We had no idea that he grew up in a family of competitive bowlers. It was by being in a bowling alley with him that we were able to become aware of this amazing talent and skill that he had. The best thing is, if we ever make an amateur team to compete, I know the first person to call to be on my team. (This person may or may not be a beloved leader in our church)! My new awareness of what he is capable of, affects how I walk into any “bowling difficulty” I may come across.

Throughout the scriptures, we find God revealing attributes of Himself to people who were in different situations.  In these difficult moments, they encountered God showing up in specific ways that were tailor-made to what they needed Him to be. After each encounter, both the person and the reader are left with a better understanding of who God is, many times summarized in a name of God.

In Genesis 16 we find part of the story of a servant, Hagar, who had a child with Abram at the behest of Sarai, her mistress. After being mistreated by Sarah, she flees to the desert while pregnant and begins a trek that would most likely have been a death sentence. In verse 7, the Angel of the Lord encounters her and gives her a promise that while the child she is carrying would not have an easy life, he would be the first in a long line of descendants that would become a great nation.

13 She gave this name to the Lord who spoke to her: “You are the God who sees me,” for she said, “I have now seen[c] the One who sees me.” 14 That is why the well was called Beer Lahai Roi[d]; it is still there, between Kadesh and Bered. Genesis 16:13-14 NIV

In human eyes, invisible, treated as merely an object. God saw her and knew her name and had a purpose for her. El Roi: The God who sees me.

In Genesis 22 the name Yahweh-Jireh is revealed after God provided a ram as a substitute for Abraham’s son Isaac. The Lord is my provider!

In Exodus 17:15, after winning what seemed like an unwinnable battle against the Amalekites, Moses declares, Yahweh-Nissi, the Lord is my banner!

In Exodus 15:26 we find God promising to be Yahweh-Rapha, the Lord who Heals.

Each name, a different revelation of the character of God. He knew that we would need every attribute and facet of who He is. This is why when He revealed Himself to Moses in the burning bush, and Moses asks what God’s name is, the reply is all-encompassing: 13 Moses said to God, “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?”

14 God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.[c] This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’”

I AM. This leaves it open for God to be EVERYTHING you could ever need HIM to be. He is all we could ever need and more!

I AM HEALER
I AM PROVIDER
I AM A PRESENT HELP IN TIME OF NEED
I AM REDEEMER
I AM THE WAY, THE TRUTH, THE LIFE
I AM THE GOOD SHEPHERD

We need Him to be all of it and the wonderful news is that HE CAN BE and HE IS!

However, while there are names we may have heard, it is different when you experience that name for yourself. If you are going through a difficult time,  ask God, “What name are you revealing to me?”

I remember hearing about God as a provider, but there was a day where I needed Him to be that in my life and He came through. I now felt I could call on that name with confidence because we had gone through that situation together.

He is Abba - your loving Father
He is Rapha - your healer
He is Nissi - your banner

What glorious names our Lord has! Truly a name above all names!

• What do you need the Lord to be in your life? How do you see Him revealing more of His character to you?

In Christ,
Pastor Javier Batista

Romans 8:37 ESV
37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. If it is so often that we make the statement of being “more than a conqueror” without taking into account that in order to identify as such, we must be people who have been tested, tried, and or pressed.

Conquerors and/or more than conquerors are those who have seen tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, peril, or sword (Romans 8:35)b and have come through successfully. We sometimes want to declare victory without having gone through anything; we want a medal for running a race we didn’t start or finish.

If we are going to live a life that shows how our God makes us more than conquerors, then we need to prepare ourselves to:

1. Live with a clear understanding that there will be times of opposition. The enemy of our souls is not playing dead, and allowing us to live our full and abundant life of promise. His entire job responsibility is to kill, steal, and destroy, and he’s been at his job for a while.

If we are living with this clear understanding that opposition will come, then we need to sure up our feet and be prepared to stand fast, stand strong, just stand, armored up in Jesus Christ. We can’t be easy and open targets for the enemy; we can’t make his job easy. Ephesians 6 tells us that we must be armored in prayer at all times. If we are in constant ready-mode, communicating with the Father through the Holy Spirit, then we have a greater opportunity to receive spiritual intelligence about what is going on around us – the Holy Spirit will keep us vigilant. Most times, if we apply hindsight, we will identify the time and location when the Holy Spirit gave us a heads-up on what is ahead. We can also note the times that we overlooked it, brushed it off as the devil, or just ignored His touch. As we walk through these moments that take us to being “more than a conqueror,” let us take comfort in the fact that it is not about us. These moments are so that Jesus can be lifted high, exalted, and receive all the glory!

2. When we find ourselves at the beginning, the middle, or the end of a battle, dry season, or struggle, we must be careful to declare what we know about our conquering status, not what the enemy wants us to believe.

Culture has taught us how to skip truthful speaking when we are being pressed by life. When we are asked, “How are you doing?” most times we give a generic response. A response that doesn’t give room for additional questions. The Shunammite woman in 2 Kings 4 demonstrates for us how our words need to align with our status as a conqueror, even when the status change isn’t visible to others. This woman was given a miracle child by the Word of the Lord, through the man of God, and then the child passed away. In the midst of her emotional reconciliation as she went to visit with the prophet, her husband, and the prophet's servant asked her, “Is everything okay?” Instead of responding in defeat and despair, she responded from the place of victory and said, “IT IS WELL”. She was a great example of being more than a conqueror, even when what we speak and what is do not align with each other. We shouldn’t be afraid to speak His Word over our lives. 2 Corinthians 4:8-10 states “8 We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; 9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; 10 always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our bodies.”

3. Rest in God and trust that He will do what He says.

Romans 8:27 reminds us that as we are praying to the Father, the Holy Spirit is making intercessions on our behalf. The Spirit is reminding the Father of His perfect will toward us. This allows us to stop trying to make a plan to avoid trouble, and or redirect how things are going in areas of our lives. All we have to do is follow the Holy Spirit’s plan for our lives. Is it easy? No, it is not. Is it sometimes cloudy or unclear? Yes. Will there be moments of uncertainty, and will the flesh try to be the supreme decision-maker?, Yes. Let’s remember that we have the 4th man in the fire with us, so we can rest in Him. Rest in the fact that if the Word of God hasn’t been made manifest in our lives, then God is not done, so we can rest. Psalms 23 is another scripture that assures us to rest, “He maketh me to lie down in green pastures and leads me beside still waters. He restoreth my soul.” A beautiful picture of resting in the Lord, knowing that you are more than a conqueror. When you know how the battle ends, you behave differently in the middle of it.

Let us truly walk in the fact that we are “More than Conqueror” through Him who loves us.

- Pastor Ro

In a world that grows louder, heavier, and more unpredictable by the day, many of us find ourselves searching for something, anything that will steady our hearts. But the greatest strategy for spiritual victory is not hidden in a new trend or a clever life hack. It is found in an ancient rhythm that still carries power today. When we look at Daniel in the lion’s den, we don’t just see a man who survived a crisis. We see someone whose life moved the heart of a king and the hand of God. Whether you are navigating pressure at work, tension at home, or battles in your own mind, the Daniel Strategy offers a pathway to deliverance.

Consistency: The Quiet Strength of a Daily Rhythm
Daniel did not start praying because trouble came. He was delivered because he had already been praying. In Daniel 6:16, even King Darius, who did not know God, recognized something remarkable: “Thy God, whom thou servest continually, he will deliver thee.” Consistency is the hidden engine of spiritual authority. It is the daily rhythm that builds a life God can trust. When we walk with God consistently, even unbelievers notice that something is at work in our lives.

Weaponized Prayer: Turning Devotion Into Power
Ephesians 6:18 calls us to pray “at all times in the Spirit.” Prayer was never meant to be our last resort; it is our first line of engagement. When the decree was signed outlawing prayer, Daniel didn’t panic. He didn’t retreat. He didn’t ask, “Why me?” He simply opened his windows toward Jerusalem and continued his rhythm. Daniel understood that prayer is not passive; it is power. Prayer is the spark that ignites the coldest heart, it is the weapon that breaks chains and brings Heaven’s fire into earthly situations. When we petition God, He will open waterways and shut the mouth of lions to rescue His children.

Consecration: The Depth That Releases Breakthrough
Daniel’s life teaches us that victory requires more than words; it requires a posture of sacrifice. He often paired prayer with fasting, creating space for God to move. His consecration was so compelling that it influenced the atmosphere around him. The king himself fasted and lost sleep, because he observed firsthand the power of Daniel’s prayer (Daniel 6:18). A consecrated life shifts environments. It softens hearts. It opens doors. It prepares the ground for God’s intervention.

Credibility: Integrity That Heaven Honors
When Daniel was lifted from the den, the text revealed that Daniel was unharmed because he was “innocent before God” and had done no wrong to the king. His enemies could not find a single flaw to exploit. They had to weaponize his faithfulness because his integrity was unshakable. Character still matters. Integrity still carries weight in Heaven. And credibility still positions us for God’s rescue.

The Heart of the Strategy
Heaven responds to believers who are consistent in prayer, consecrated in spirit, and credible in character. No matter how deep the pit or how loud the roar of the lions, God is still shutting mouths and opening doors. A praying church is a powerful church. A consistent church is a dangerous church, and a consecrated church is a church that sees results. Let’s embrace the Daniel Strategy, not as a story from long ago, but as a lifestyle that unlocks Heaven’s rescue today.

Blessings,
Pastor Z. Adderley

Last week’s Bible study concluded with a quiet but poignant mention of Uriah, named as one of David’s “Mighty Men.” What is striking about Uriah is that he remained faithful to the very king who treated him with the ultimate injustice. David’s abuse of power was so absolute that Uriah lost his family and, eventually, his life. To the natural eye, it would seem Uriah’s integrity was buried with him. This led me to reflect on Mordecai in the Book of Esther. Mordecai was exiled enduring harsh conditions alongside his cousin. In both stories, God initially appeared silent toward the plight of both Uriah and Mordecai. However, Hebrews 6:10 reminds us that God is not unjust, nor does He forget our work and labor of love.

The Quiet Integrity of the Oppressed
The lives of Uriah and Mordecai began in the shadow of absolute power. Uriah was a Hittite, an outsider by blood, but he became more “Israelite” in spirit than King David himself. Mordecai was an exile who had lost his sovereignty and found himself serving in the courts of a pagan empire. David included Uriah among his elite because Uriah chose duty over comfort, refusing to sleep in his own house while the Ark and the army remained in tents. Similarly, Mordecai refused to bow to Haman, prioritizing the honor of God over social safety. Both men faced “hard treatment” not because they were rebels, but because they were righteous.

The Pen of Wickedness and the Silence of God
In both narratives, "unjust circumstances” were orchestrated by wickedness in high places. David used his pen to sign Uriah’s death warrant; Haman used the King’s signet ring to decree Mordecai’s genocide. In their moments of greatest trial, Heaven seemed silent. Uriah died on the front lines, likely wondering why his king abandoned him in the “hottest” part of the battle. Mordecai sat in sackcloth, facing the extinction of his people, perhaps wondering if even Esther would forget her God as deliverance seemed to stall.

Divine Archives and the Great Reversal
As noted earlier, God is not unjust and He does not forget. In Mordecai’s case, God “disturbed” the sleep of King Xerxes, leading to a public reversal of fortune. This is the “God of the Breakthrough” who rights wrongs in the here and now. Although Uriah did not regain his wife or his life on earth, God ensured that in the final records of David’s reign, Uriah was not remembered as a victim, but as a Mighty Man. His vindication was etched into the Eternal Word.

Responding to the Sting of Inequity
What is our response when we are the “Uriah” working hard and staying faithful, yet losing anyway? Or when we are the “Mordecai,” waiting at the gate while the arrogant and wicked are promoted? Let’s us remember that we cannot lose if we order and operate our lives using Christ-like principles. Jesus said if we lose our lives for His sake, we will find it. Like Uriah, let us remain faithful even when the outcome is significant loss, trusting that our names are recorded in a Book that no earthly king can burn. Like Mordecai, let us act with courage, trusting that God remains Lord over every leader’s sleep and He cause our names to be remembered in due season.

The Writing of the King of Kings
Ultimately, we must remember that earthly ledgers are often flawed, but the King of Kings keeps a perfect record. The scriptures tell us of a day when “the books were opened” (Revelation 20:12). Unlike David, who wrote a secret letter to ensure a man’s death, or Xerxes, who needed a book read to him to remember a man’s service, our King is the Alpha and Omega who sees and knows it all. The injustices of this world including the betrayals by family, the social inequities, or the unjust behaviors by friends who turned their backs cannot thwart the plan of God concerning His children. God remembers you. He is the Great Scribe who records every tear and every act of hidden integrity. Therefore, we look past the temporary “hard treatment” toward a reality we cannot yet comprehend for “eye has not seen, nor ear heard... the things which God has prepared for those who love Him”(1 Corinthians 2:9). Your story is not being written by the pens of men, but by the hand of the Sovereign King.

Blessings,
Pastor Z