Across the Bridge

Vol. 1, Number 1

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This year, Jesus Is the Bridge has introduced a number of new features, to better serve those who visit this site.  Here are the main ones:

• A dropdown menu system, to make navigation around the site easier.  With over 1500 files to process, it will take some time to add this feature to all of them.
• A different "look for the home page, and some of the other main pages, including a new banner.
• A new Prayer Page, featuring prayer rooms from the Live Prayer network.
• The addition of words to hymn scores, for many of the almost 400 hymns on this site.
• The release of a complete free ebook for download, for The Seventh Trumpet.  The HTML files have been removed, but you can still view or download the book in PDF format, for those who have a non-Windows PC.  I will changing the other books shortly.
• A renewed emphasis on the central importance of the cross of Christ in our lives.  Regardless of any other changes we make, this one should never change.
• A program, in its early stages, to exchange content (articles, devotionals) with webmasters of other Christian sites.
• RSS News feeds for CBN News, Christianity Today, Christian Answers, the Christian Post. and Fox News.
• The weather for your city can be found on our Ministry page.
• The current time for selected cities around the world is shown on our Partnership page.
• A Tell Your Friends feature, so that you can automatically tell your friends of family members about something you saw on this site.
• A page on What Christians Believe, drawing together several resources on the site.
• Finally, of course, this newsletter.  Once we have built up a sufficient subscription base, we will be adding features to the newsletter, including multipart scripture studies or articles about faith and society, which will be available exclusively by email.

We've planned a number of additional enhancements for the ministry over the coming weeks and months. 

• I plan to identify and contact websites of a like mind and purpose, to inquire about sharing content.  For those sites who wish to participate, I will be placing their pages prominently here, in whatever area the content applies to.
• Because of demands on my time, I can no longer devote time to the Prayers for Churches ministry in its present form.  As much as I would like to list each church's individual ministry areas for specific prayer, it is simply not possible.  Therefore, for the remaining states, west of the Mississippi, the list will consist of simply a listing of the churches and pastors, with as detailed a "generic" prayer list as I can create.  I also plan to add Southern Baptist churches.
• In the Bible Study area, I abruptly stopped my notes in the latter third of the synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark and Luke).  I have not yet formulated a plan, but I do hope to resume work in this ministry a little later in the year.
• For the King James Bible files, I will be adding MP3 files for audio versions of all of the books, but this is a long term project that I will do on an "as time permits" basis.
• For the streaming audio page, I will be adding additional MP3 files for other hymns in the coming months.
• My plans, insofar as they are God's plans, include a free screen saver download, helpful scripts for Christian webmasters, and any additional freely available software resources that will enhance the ministry of other Christian sites.
• I will be expanding the availability of the translation link, first for the main pages, then for the other content pages.  Since about two thirds of Internet users now don't speak English, it is important that people in other parts of the world be able to understand the Good News.
• Greater emphasis on explaining the message of Christianity to those who have never heard it before.  Most Christian websites are aimed at believers, and the rest of the world is left on the outside.

Isaiah 5:20 Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! 
21 Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!
22 Woe unto them that are mighty to drink wine, and men of strength to mingle strong drink:

Perhaps no other passage in scripture better describes the prevailing attitude in our day than this one.  Things once done in secret, and considered a source of shame, are now practiced openly, and considered as legitimate forms of expression.  When some Christians (by no means all) condemn practices like homosexuality and abortion, they are labeled as dangerous fanatics and bigots.  If the Democratic nominee for President, whoever it is, should win the election in November, we will have a national leader who has openly stated that homosexuality is not immoral behavior.

I am not advocating any particular candidate.  What we need to pray for, though, is that God's perfect will would be done in the elections, and that our country elects other Godly leaders as well.  If we fail to vote, shame on us; we will have no reason to complain.

Gary W.Cavendish