<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<rss version="2.0"
	xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/"
	xmlns:wfw="http://wellformedweb.org/CommentAPI/"
	xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/"
	xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom"
	xmlns:sy="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/syndication/"
	xmlns:slash="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/slash/"
	>

<channel>
	<title>BridgeTown Inc. &#124; Loving People Because People Matter</title>
	<atom:link href="http://bridgetowninc.org/feed/" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" />
	<link>http://bridgetowninc.org</link>
	<description></description>
	<lastBuildDate>Tue, 19 Feb 2013 22:04:54 +0000</lastBuildDate>
	<language>en-US</language>
	<sy:updatePeriod>hourly</sy:updatePeriod>
	<sy:updateFrequency>1</sy:updateFrequency>
	<generator>http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.2</generator>
		<item>
		<title>Time, Treasure and Talent</title>
		<link>http://bridgetowninc.org/uncategorized/time-treasure-and-talent/</link>
		<comments>http://bridgetowninc.org/uncategorized/time-treasure-and-talent/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 19 Feb 2013 22:04:54 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>casey</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://bridgetowninc.org/?p=1295</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Time, Treasure and Talent We all have it, we all use it and we all want more of it.  Of course I am talking about Time, Treasure and Talent.  These three words are huge in what consumes most of our lives.  We are working towards creating more time so that we can make more treasure, or developing more talent so we can spend more time doing this or whatever&#8230;.you get the point.  The main point is this, our time, treasure and talent are gifts to us. How we use them is what shows what we are all about.  Let’s look at these a moment:   1)  Time &#8211; seconds, minutes, hours, days, months and years&#8230;..this is how it is measured.  Time is how we define our existences. We ask each other, what did you do last week or yesterday  or an hour ago.  How we answer those questions can show us what our time is given to.   2)  Treasure &#8211; money, things, stuff all of this is our treasure.  Many of us have been so blessed with an abundance of treasure.  Even our little bit of treasure is more than most people in our world.  We have so much stuff we rent places to put our stuff so we can make more room to gather more stuff.  It is like we see our value in how much stuff we have or don’t have.  Look at your stuff your treasure and see what it is and one can see what they are about.   3)  Talent &#8211; whether you believe it or not you have talent.  You may not be able to dance and sing like your favorite band or paint or draw but you have something special to contribute.  Don’t hide these things, let them out.  You just never know what might happen or whose life might be changed.   Why this on Time, Treasure and Talent?  Because I want to count!  I want to be the difference in the places around me.  I want to meet needs, I want to be a giver.  I want to be a blesser.  Someone once said, “it is more blessed to give than to receive”&#8230;..I believe that.  So what do I have to give?  Easy my Time, Treasure and my Talent these were given to me to give to others.  When I do this I since a deep connection with the people whom I am giving to but also to my central purpose in life.]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://bridgetowninc.org/uncategorized/time-treasure-and-talent/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Defining Our Culture</title>
		<link>http://bridgetowninc.org/uncategorized/defining-our-culture/</link>
		<comments>http://bridgetowninc.org/uncategorized/defining-our-culture/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 13 Feb 2013 20:29:58 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>casey</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://bridgetowninc.org/?p=1293</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Each week our staff and interns meet to review, plan and discuss. We share ideas, wins and non-wins, and we try to foster an atmosphere where we are all celebrated as we journey together.We&#8217;ve talked about what it is that defines our culture, here at BridgeTown. Everyone has an opportunity to contribute elements they feel should be a mark of our organization and we thought we’d throw them out there to let you know, and ask if you see, these characteristics among us. Servant based leadershipUnity and TrustLoveAuthenticity and FamilyGraceLoyalty and the ability to wrestle things outPassion and determinationStrength and HumilityLifting others upCommunity and Honesty. Pretty lofty aspirations but not really&#8230; As I listened to various ones contributing, it became apparent that these values are actually personal values of our team as individuals and yet symbiotic in how they all work together. And they all honor Christ.I’m so thankful to work along side and among such a team of dedicated followers of Jesus. Ultimately we are here to please Him, relieve burdens and lift others up. To mobilize and love Him and others. We aren’t perfect, but I hope you agree we are on the road to becoming more like Him.]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://bridgetowninc.org/uncategorized/defining-our-culture/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title></title>
		<link>http://bridgetowninc.org/uncategorized/1288/</link>
		<comments>http://bridgetowninc.org/uncategorized/1288/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 03 Feb 2013 22:02:26 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>casey</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://bridgetowninc.org/?p=1288</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[What can I do?   This is a great question&#8230;”What Can I do?”  So many people see themselves as uncreative, as unable to bring stuff to the table of life or groups they are  a part of.  It’s like they see themselves as the person who was holding the door when the gifts and special abilities were being handed out.  Do you ever feel that way?  Do you find yourself feeling like you have nothing to offer?  This is a lie my friend.  It is a smoke screen you have bought into which paralyzes you from being all that you can be.   I hate it when I hear people say, “I am just not creative”, “I can’t do that” or a million other things we say to keep us from stepping out into unknown territories and trying new things.  The only thing that keeps you away from doing great things is the one step that you need to take.  All it takes is movement.  It is in this movement or this step which you take where you begin to see what you are made of.  You see your weaknesses yes, but you also see your strengths and this is why we need to try new things and step out into uncharted territories. I have seen this over and over at BridgeTown Inc through the different environments which do.  Night Strike is one of the environments where week after week people come under the bridge and begin to see what is on the inside of them.  They come down very afraid but end up leaving encouraged because they moved forward and saw what was on the inside of their lives.  Sure they felt fear and uncertainty but the difference between them and those who never change or create is this&#8230;..they moved, the stepped out. I have heard this somewhere before, “a boat was never meant to be tied to the doc&#8230;..”  Think about this for a moment.  A boat was made to sail, to fish, to go out into the water.  A boat really shows what it is made for as it heads out to sea&#8230;&#8230;show us what you&#8217;re made for, show us what you can do!]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://bridgetowninc.org/uncategorized/1288/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Thanksgiving 2012</title>
		<link>http://bridgetowninc.org/featured/thanksgiving-2012/</link>
		<comments>http://bridgetowninc.org/featured/thanksgiving-2012/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 28 Nov 2012 00:28:53 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>casey</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[BTown Kids]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Featured]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://bridgetowninc.org/?p=1235</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I have memories that stick out in my head from when I was growing up. These moments that stick out are typically surrounded by someone showing me intense amounts of love that made a mark on my life and had a hand in forming me as an adult. It is in these times of remembrance that I am propelled to pour out my life to create signiﬁcant moments in the lives of the children and families that we serve in North Portland. This has been a great year for Bridgetownʼs Thanksgiving Basket Giveaway. We were blessed with amazing partners that both, provided baskets, and volunteered time to the event. We gave away a total of 81 baskets and got many of our btown families signed up with our child sponsorship program called “Lift One”. So as we wrap up this season of Thankfulness we are overwhelmingly thankful for you. It is not enough to have good intentions when loving others. The good intentions have to be followed up with genuine action and WOW, you all pulled through with more genuine action then we know what to do with. That is so rare, for some organizations, and you all have been amazingly instrumental in making, loving people because people matter, a joy. That being said, we had an opportunity to love our btown kids and families and we were successful. Our prayer is that these moments are marks in the lives of these families, they will recall in their memories of times that they were intensely loved. That is love, and you were signiﬁcant part of that. Thank you. Peace to you, Zach Clark Director of Environments zclark@bridgetowninc.org]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://bridgetowninc.org/featured/thanksgiving-2012/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>The Echo</title>
		<link>http://bridgetowninc.org/nightstrike-stories/the-echo/</link>
		<comments>http://bridgetowninc.org/nightstrike-stories/the-echo/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 22 Oct 2012 17:15:24 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>casey</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[NightStrike]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[NightStrike Stories]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://bridgetowninc.org/?p=1089</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The Echo &#160; On my ﬁrst experience with Night Strike I had the privilege of being a “hair cutting line Bouncer”. I am a big guy and my thought was that I was stepping into the jungle of messy humanity. “I better be ready to defend myself at any moment”, I thought to myself. Boy, was I wrong. &#160; I learned a few things that evening. &#160; 1. I learned that it doesnʼt matter if you are homeless or have a home; the character of a person is not determined by the amount of stuff you have. &#160; I am not sure where it comes from but I used to think that being a true follower of Christ meant that you have success and ﬁt into an american mold. Really what I though was that Godʼs children donʼt suffer. Thatʼs not true at all. Some of the most Godly examples of humanity suffered terrible injustice. What would it look like if we stop trying to put Jesus into a mold of our own making, and look for Him in the eyes of the suffering. &#160; 2. I was the meanest thing about that hair cutting line that evening. &#160; Smile after smile my pre conceived notions were torn to pieces. I tend to have a scowl on my face when I work. I am not unhappy or concerned, but my face just contorts to suggest otherwise. But I wasnʼt wasnʼt working that night, I was learning. My furrowed brow quickly unraveled as the guests shared genuine smiles and kind conversation. They weren&#8217;t mean, they we people, and I did not have to guard myself from their hearts. &#160; 3. I am the only thing standing between myself and my love for others. &#160; I had been very active in ministry before I came to Night Strike. I wasnʼt expecting to meet “love” for the ﬁrst time in my life, under a bridge in Portland Oregon. In that moment I had clarity of purpose. I wanted to make sure that I reﬂected love with my actions as well as my words. I wanted to follow the example of love that I got from Jesus. I was the only thing standing in my way of achieving that. Really what I did at that moment was step out of my own way and be intentional about love and service to others. &#160; 4. Big guys cry sometimes &#160; My heart hurt for the people that I met that evening. While driving home that night I had silent tears running down my face. “how had I missed this for so long?” I asked myself. I didnʼt just pity the guests that night; I was driven to action through compassion. It wasnʼt ok for me to simply stand by and watch people question wether or not they were loved at all. The answer was yes they are loved, and I was determined to be the voice and touch that reassured them of that. &#160; When...]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://bridgetowninc.org/nightstrike-stories/the-echo/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
	</channel>
</rss>
