Rejoice With the Wife of Your Youth

Monday, July 21, 2014 Bryan Hudson 0 Comments

Our vacation is over...too short! I will cherish the time with my wife of 35 years and best friend! This is the picture I will carry in my heart and mind. Patricia and me laughing and riding bicycles around Mackinac Island! Everything and everyone else may come and go, but we have each other! #abundantlife#lovemywife

The Uplifting Message of a Suspension Bridge

Wednesday, July 16, 2014 Bryan Hudson 0 Comments

This summer, my wife and I vacationed in and around Mackinaw City at the top of the great state of Michigan. We were near the place where the waters of Lake Michigan merge with the waters of Lake Huron. An engineering marvel of 1957, the Mackinac Bridge (spelling is different than city name), spans the five mile strait between the upper and lower peninsulas of Michigan. This mighty and beautiful suspension bridge was the longest in the world for decades after it was completed. It is longer than the famous Golden Gate Bridge. I am fascinated with suspension bridges of this type and scale.

Suspension bridges represent many things that are positive: Connecting, ingenuity, spanning, rising, strength, endurance, inclusive, beauty, precision, scale, big/bold vision, and more...

Perhaps this is why we are fond of the term "bridge-builder" as it relates to positive and significant people in our world.

There is no mention of a bridge in the Bible as we understand bridges today. Like automobiles and airplanes, bridges did not exist in ancient times. Bridges are another marvel of ingenuity by mankind who is made in the image and likeness of God.

Bridges like the mighty Mackinac Bridge remind us that Jesus Christ is the bridge to abundant life.

Matthew 11:28, Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 29Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”

How to Find Rest and Turn a "Setback" Into a "Setup"

Wednesday, July 02, 2014 Bryan Hudson 0 Comments

Hebrews 4:1, Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it. 2 For indeed the gospel was preached to us as well as to them [Israel]; but the word which they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard it. 3 For we who have believed do enter that rest…

We are living in busy and troubled times. Many things demand our attention and concern. Opportunities for worry and frustration abound. All of this is part of life. However, if we let our tasks, responsibilities, and challenges dominate our minds and energy, we will run down like a car battery and dimming headlights without the engine running.

God promised “rest” to His people. What is this rest? Resting in the Lord is four things: 1) Believing/trusting God, 2) Being a doer of God’s word, 3) Accepting Christ's finished work, and 4) Using the power of another.

As I write this post, I am in the midst of one of the busiest and most fruitful periods of time I can remember. During this time, I also experienced a major setback. What came to my mind was the text, “We who have believed do enter that rest…”

A day of feeling troubled and disturbed gave way to “using the power of another.” This is like deciding to accept a ride in someone’s car rather than walking down the street to the destination far away. Rather than walking in my own strength through the difficulty that confronted me, I chose to accept God’s promise of “entering His rest.” The "setback" became a "setup" for promotion and blessing for myself and others.

At that point, the problem did not disappear, but I gained strength and grace to handle it without distraction or distress. Thank God!

Enter in to God’s Rest! Use the power of Another!