The Bridge Austin

In this episode, Rabbi addresses the controversial idea of whether or not God is responsible for the darkness in the world. Tune in to find out God's role and His heart concerning evil in the world.

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This journey of life is often compared to the conditions we find in nautical journeys. When you travel by boat, you’re at the mercy of nature. Even in modern boats with powerful engines and clever designs meant to protect the vessel, a storm can wreak havoc for those aboard and threaten their lives. As Pastor Chris will point out in today’s message, Jesus and His disciples were very familiar with life on the water, and it’s one of the places we often find Jesus demonstrating His power and testing His disciples’ faith.

Today, Pastor Jack teaches that God will make things clear for us, but in the meantime, we simply need to focus on doing the right thing, right now, knowing that clarity will come from God, as we continue to trust in Him.

In his best-selling book, One Minute After You Die, Dr. Lutzer answers the all-important question: Where will you spend eternity? He discusses what the Bible teaches about death, heaven, God’s divine justice, and the assurance of salvation believers have in Jesus Christ. 

Receive the book One Minute After You Die plus a free audio download of “What Happens After We Die?” for your donation of any amount!

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Join us today as Mark Gregston, Wayne Shepherd and Courtney LeFleur explore whether dating is right for teens. The three discuss how dating can provide valuable opportunities for teens to learn social skills, understand the opposite sex and begin shaping their ideas about future relationships. While parents often worry about issues like trust, influence and premature sexual involvement, the hosts emphasize the importance of staying connected, setting healthy boundaries and guiding conversations without shaming the natural desire to date. Ultimately, they encourage parents to see dating as a normal part of growing up and to use it as an opportunity to influence their teens’ values and choices through open communication.

Is your teen struggling? Mark's residential counseling ministry can help! Visit heartlightministries.org to see if it's the right choice for your family.

Parenting Today's Teens is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. To find practical and spiritual advice to help you grow into the parent you want to be, visit parentingtodayteens.org. 

What does Scripture really say about tithing—and does it still apply to Christians today?

For some, the tithe feels like a doorway to trusting God’s provision. For others, it’s a source of guilt, confusion, or even division in the church. John Cortines joins us today to help us take a fresh, biblical look at this ancient practice.

John Cortines is the Director of Grantmaking at The Maclellan Foundation. He is the author of our new study on the book of Ecclesiastes, Wisdom Over Wealth: 12 Lessons from Ecclesiastes on Money, as well as the co-author of God and Money: How We Discovered True Riches at Harvard Business School and True Riches: What Jesus Really Said About Money and Your Heart.

What starts as a simple question—“How much should I give?”—can easily become a spiritual trap. When our focus shifts to calculating the exact percentage, we risk turning generosity into a math problem instead of an act of worship. The joy of giving fades when we treat it like a transaction rather than a response of gratitude.

For some believers, tithing has been a beautiful first step toward trusting God with their finances. But for others, it’s become a burden—tied to fear, guilt, or even manipulative teaching. Some have been told that unless they give precisely ten percent, they’ll miss out on God’s blessing or fall under His curse. That kind of legalism replaces grace with anxiety.

True biblical giving isn’t about hitting the right number—it’s about having the right heart. When we give freely and joyfully, we reflect the generosity of the God who first gave everything to us.

Even before the law, Abraham gave a tenth to Melchizedek as an act of honor to God’s priesthood. Jacob vowed to give a tenth as well, though his promise was conditional—“If You do this, God, then I’ll do that.”

Under the Mosaic law, the tithe became more formalized. In fact, there were three tithes in ancient Israel:

1. The Levitical Tithe – to support priests and temple service.
2. The Festival Tithe – to fund feasts and communal worship.
3. The Charity Tithe – to support the poor and vulnerable.

When combined, these amounted to roughly 23% annually, far more than the simple 10% most people imagine. A clear-cut 10% tithe wasn’t exactly what it looked like in Scripture.

Here’s where things get interesting. The tithe is central in modern Christian stewardship, but in the New Testament, Jesus and the apostles never use it as a framework for giving.

The word tithe does appear four times—but only incidentally. Jesus even rebukes those who tithe meticulously while neglecting “justice and mercy and faithfulness” (Matthew 23:23).

Instead, the New Testament presents a new model: gospel generosity. Giving becomes voluntary, sacrificial, joyful, and regularly practiced—not a legalistic percentage, but a

Popular culture has turned Satan into nothing more than a cartoonish figure with a red suit and pitchfork. But in truth, a very real spiritual enemy is working behind the scenes to destroy our lives. Dr. Robert Jeffress reveals how these dark forces operate—and more importantly, how you can protect yourself against their attacks.

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