Disclaimer:

There’s a fine line between too much information and not enough—and if I’m honest I’ve never been able to find that line!  I’ll try to find it here, but also try to err on the side of brief (because, hey, I do believe in miracles!), knowing that I can always share more with anyone who wants to know, and probably with lots who don’t!

Backstory:

Bridges527 was originally formed by Craig Smith under the name of Shepherd Project Ministries (SPM).  They were a small staff with a great heart, dedicated volunteers, and a growing impact.  I moved to Colorado back in 2008 in search of new playgrounds, new playmates, and a fresh adventure with God.  I guess you could say that, as the bride of Christ, I felt a need to “leave and cleave” in order to grow in my relationship with Him.  I also had a dream of writing and speaking that I had given to the Lord in the movie parking lot after watching The Rookie, saying something like, “Either change my heart or fulfill my dreams.  Either way is fine, just please don’t let me keep living in this place of unfulfilled longings, believing you made me for something that never happens.”  I moved shortly after.

In Colorado, sitting in a coffee shop, a stranger approached me (this happens a lot, actually—it seems to be how God works in my life!) and asked what I was doing.  I was looking for work—the economy crash was NOT helpful and giving me more “adventure” than I’d bargained for…and certainly not the kind I had in mind.  He was connected with SPM and introduced me to the ministry.  Since I had time on my hands and they were willing to let me write for them—I started volunteering and before long took the very surprising step (to me, anyway) to raise my support and join the staff of SPM.  And perhaps more surprising, a few years later, Craig and his wife Coletta left SPM to pastor Mission Hills church and passed the baton (i.e. the whole ministry) to me (full transparency—I was the only non-volunteer left).

I made the decision to rebrand to hopefully bring some brand consistency and clarity to what we do.

SPM purposed to “advance the Kingdom of God by equipping Christians to live radically, love deeply and serve sacrificially, [and to] provide speakers, conferences and resources.”  A main tagline was “Digging Deep, Reaching Wide.”  None of that has changed.  SPM’s first “key to success” is “unique services bridging the gap between academic and popular Christianity.”  The idea of a bridge has been part of the organization from the beginning, I’m just bringing it to the forefront.

A bridge crosses over something, makes something impassable passable.  Sometimes it provides a shortcut.  It’s a point of connection between two things.  It’s also both a noun and a verb, a thing and an action.  In that sense, it sort of bridges the gap between being and doing.

Why 527?  Well, it’s actually a reference to Isaiah 52:7 (this is why the “I” and the “S” in “Bridges527” are highlighted in the logo).  “How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of him who bring good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, ‘Your God reigns.’”

At Bridges527 we want to help bridge the gap between faith and everyday life.  We want to help you dig deep in your faith and reach wide in ministry and we do that by helping you see the connections between your daily life and Christ.  As Mark Batterson wrote in his book If, “Every ology is a branch of theology.  In other words, every realm of creation reveals something of the Creator’s power, personality and purpose” (p172).  We agree!  Just as we believe that every good story points to the Christian story if you just learn to look for it.  We want to highlight these bridges, these points of connection, so that you can learn to see Christ more clearly in every area of your life…we are Bridges527.

Digging Deep, Reaching Wide, Connecting Life to Christ

My parents met via Campus Crusade and were on staff with Cru when I was born.  Even though they left Crusade to go into the business world shortly after, Christ and a ministry mindset were always the foundation of our home.  I have always said the best investment my parents ever made in my life was sending me to Trinity Christian Academy for school (grades K-12).  It was there that those ideas that Christianity wasn’t just a Sunday thing but an all day, everyday thing, a way of life, were really cemented, reinforced and expanded.  Every subject was connected to the Lord and we were not only taught that “In Him all things live and move have their being,” but we were shown how!  It was amazing…and now I get to spend my time making those connections for others!

I love to talk about the Bible, and I love to find ways the Lord has revealed Himself in the world around us—in our culture, in nature, in our health…in a million different ways!

“How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who bring good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, “Your God reigns.”  Isaiah 52:7

Bridges527 is dedicated to being the feet that bring the good news of Jesus to everyday life.  We do so by providing Christian speakers and resources, through mission trips and following opportunities for ministry as God provides.

We love to tell the stories of what God has done and is doing in the world, but we also love to show how the stories of our world (movies, etc.) are already telling the message of Jesus if you just know how to look for it.

Through our work we pray that others will see and join with us in declaring, “Our God reigns.”