An excerpt from Jim & Jacquie Tanner’s “Tanner Times.” December 2010:
Author, speaker and Campus Crusade staff member Rick James spoke about Jesus in an engaging, funny and challenging way at an incredible event attended by 1100 students at UW-Madison, Wisconsin. (I used to work for Intervarsity Christian Fellowship in Madison back in the 80′s.)
“After the event, one student remarked, ‘I liked how Rick defined religion: “bridge building.” He talked about how all religions agree that certain actions or desires are wrong: hatred, murder, rape, etc. All religions will also agree that humanity often strays from the right path and creates distance from God. Almost all will provide a solution of counter-acting this waywardness with good behavior as a way to build a bridge to God.
Rick went on to talk about what is different about Christianity. ‘God builds the bridge for us. Jesus is the bridge builder in that he came to earth and paid for our shortcomings (sins) by dying for them. Jesus put a bridge where we failed to, so we can find God without religion.’ Students saw that access to God is about a relationship with Jesus, not following a formula for how to gain God’s favor. Fifty-one of them indicated their decision to place their trust in Christ for eternal life!”
As we traveled in Asia we met a man at a road block and while we waited and talked this man soon learned that I did not have a Chinese name. (it is common to be given a Chinese name if you live in China) He decided that he wanted to give me the name “Tian Chiaow.” This means “bridge to heaven.” Little did he know that I cannot build bridges, but can only point others to the true “bridge builder” Jesus Christ. We had many opportunities to do so on the trip “West.”
Young Man at Road Block
Meeting up with same man hours later...
张天桥
My given name in Chinese. It means, “Bridge to heaven…”
