The Bridge to Nowhere and Everywhere

“Here is what I have seen: It is good and fitting for one to eat and drink, and to enjoy the good of all his labor in which he toils under the sun all the days of his life which God gives him; for it is his heritage.” — Ecclesiastes 5:18

This weekend, Wendy and I went on one last “hooray” before school begins. We traveled to a remote cabin on the banks of the Grand Lake O’ the Cherokees. We rented a boat and asked what we needed to see. The marina staff gave us several sights to check out, but the first was the “Bridge to Nowhere”. They even told us the history of the bridge…and they were completely wrong!

We did go out to see the impressive camel-back, steel truss-style bridge on concrete risers. If you do a little digging, you will find numerous stories about how it came to be. Most of them, including what we were told at the marina, are wrong.

The best I can do on a novice glance at the history is: The bridge was constructed around 1905 at another location to connect Grove and Echo. In the 1930s, under the WPA (Works Progress Administration) and the building of the dam to make Grand Lake, the bridge was moved to it’s current location. Only three sections of the bridge were erected before World War II broke out and all efforts were geared to supporting the troops. Work ceased on the bridge and after the war no funds were available to build the approaches to connect the bridge to land.

This very bland history of the bridge contradicts local lore which includes water levels in the lake rising to fast to complete it, or politicians building it to create a shortcut to their home before they were forced out of office. But it is, to the best of my knowledge, the true story. And it is an unfinished bridge; a Bridge to Nowhere!

It is also a staple of touring Grand Lake. I wouldn’t have photographed it unless it hadn’t been completed (okay, I would have because I’m weird). The people of the area point you to it. It is noticed because it is unfinished.

That weekend, I was also reading Ecclesiastes. “‘Meaningless! Meaningless’ says the Teacher. ‘Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.’” (Ecclesiastes 1:2) It would be easy to throw this bridge into that camp and talk about how the “best laid plans of mice and men often go awry”. But that is not what I saw at the lake or read in Ecclesiastes.

We have a habit of glorifying fruit production in the faith. As a result we have become “fruit inspectors” to judge how we and others are doing in their walk. God’s call was never focused on the fruit. He brings that into being Himself. His focus was on us abiding.

Yet, we see an unfinished bridge and dub it a bridge to nowhere. How short sighted we are. Our unfinished bridge might be the very landmark that draws people to Christ. It might be whatever we thought we were building is meant to be a catalyst, not a completion.

This was a powerful thought to me as I read through Ecclesiastes and thought about the meaninglessness of man’s efforts; the vanity, pride and false sense of accomplishment. However, there is one theme throughout the book that is driven home, “It is good and fitting for one to eat and drink, and to enjoy the good of all his labor in which he toils under the sun all the days of his life which God gives him; for it is his heritage.” (Ecclesiastes 5:18)

In other words, God is going to do the work He is going to do. You can’t add anything to it. You can’t take anything away from it. All you can do is join Him, or not. If the bridge is never completed, your business or ministry goes bankrupt, if you have to take another job, if you lose everything and have to start over…it doesn’t change God’s will for your life. Stop looking at the fruit, and focus on abiding in Him.

The message I took away from Ecclesiastes this time through was simple. Stop being a fruit inspector of my own life and others. Focus on abiding, because I can’t add nor take away anything from God’s plan. To think so is meaningless. Focus on abiding. Focus on the what He has for me today. “And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men.” (Colossians 3:23)

What a challenge that is! To stop gawking at the unfinished things in my life, and to focus on what the Lord has for me today! I might be building a bridge to nowhere, but as long as I am focused on abiding in the Lord it will undoubtedly be a bridge to everywhere I need to go! What He does with the works of my hands is His prerogative. My job is to simply do everything I do unto the Lord.

Who wants to build a bridge today? Home, work, friends, neighbors and strangers. They all need a bridge. Let’s give them something to gawk at. Not by WHAT we do, but HOW we do it—as unto the Lord.

© 2025 Warren Martin. All rights Reserved.

I'm So Punny!

“Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each other.” — Colossians 4:6

I promise there will be no puns in this devotion. I know you don’t trust me. You think I’m like stairs, always up to something. Okay, no more. There will be zero puns from this point forward, and in the end you will thank me for nothing. (Insert groan here.)

Recently, Wendy and I flew to Tampa Bay to spend the weekend with some longtime friends. We worked together in ministry about 30 years ago. At that time, we were all young and full of excitement. We started a weekly Bible study. We quickly became fast friends and spent most nights hanging out at our house (since we had kids that had to go to bed). Over the years, we drifted apart. Each following their own path to different parts of the country. It had been 17 years since we had all been together. So, we got together and spent 4 days in the same house to reconnect and catch up.

It was a wonderful time! We shared each others’ joys, tears, faith and lives for a few days. But, I’m me. I don’t have an off switch. What you see is what you get; all the time. It never stops.

Sitting around the table, I threw out my millionth pun on the third day. Chad sat next to me and cocked his head to side-eye me with a quizzical look. I could read his mind. I looked at him, smiled and said, “You forgot how exhausting it is to be around me didn’t you?” He just started laughing because that was, if not exactly, pretty close to what he was thinking.

I can throw out puns like… okay, I won’t finish that one. I think I’m punny. But others often find it exhausting. I can use sarcasm like a surgeon uses a scalpel. I can argue with a fence post until it rots away at the ground. I can be relentless.

That’s who I am. Right?

James warns us that we should be careful in how we use our words. He writes in James 3:8,10, “But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. …Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so.”

As a speaker, I spend more time than most thinking about how to say things. I “test” phrases on my friends to see how they land. I work to make sure I use the right words in the right way to make an impact. Yet, I also struggle more than most in casual conversations. I don’t take time to think about what I’m saying. I default to my fleshly tendencies. I try to be funny or emphatic using puns, sarcasm and arguments to carry the conversation. Not only is it exhausting, it often belittles those around me. This is much to my shame.

I am constantly challenged to bridle my tongue. To be more careful with what I say. It is an area in my life where I need to grow in God’s grace. As our verse today states, “Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each other.”

I tend to be salty! Too salty. And too much salt makes for a bitter drink. Today, I pray that God would work through my life to teach me to speak with grace. I don’t know where you are? Maybe you are too salty like me. Or maybe you need to add a little salt of truth and honesty to your speech. What I do know is that there is not a person alive whose speech is perfect. We can all grow in God’s grace in this regard.

There is a good reason to grow: its about the people we love. The challenge for me today is to grow in my conversation. That God would speak through me to lift others up rather than tear them down. To support to others rather than standout. To encourage, uplift and grow deeper in my relationships. It’s not a guilt trip. It’s a challenge to grow in grace!

The challenge is: “Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.” (1 Thessalonians 5:11, NIV)

© 2025 Warren Martin. All rights Reserved.

Cairn-age: The god of this age

“The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”
— 2 Corinthians 4:4

What is the god of this age?

From generation to generation the god of this age has morphed from one thing to another. It sidetracks humanity from pursuing Christ by offering a poor substitute with the emotional appeal of fulfillment. It blinds people and hides their true identity, which can only be found in Christ, by offering up a socially acceptable temporal identity in the world in which they live.

A cairn is a human-made pile of stones. They are traditionally raised as boundary markers, for memorial markers or (in more modern applications) markers for people trekking through the wilderness to guide the way.

Cairns are featured in the Bible several times. Most notable is the cairn erected by Joshua at the command of the Lord after the children of Israel crossed the Jordan. Joshua commanded the tribes to each gather a stone from the river bed God had stopped from flowing and set them up in Gilgal. Joshua 4:21-22 tells us why, “When your children ask their fathers in time to come, saying ‘What are these stones?’ Then you shall let your children know saying, ‘Israel crossed over this Jordan on dry land;…”

Today, cairns are appearing all over our National Parks much to the chagrin of the US National Park Service. Within the parks they are used to guide visitors along the trail. However, people are erecting unauthorized cairns. They are not being erected as memorials of a significant event, boundary markers or guide points for a trail. But as graffiti. They are efforts by visitors to make the statement, “I was here!”

The US National Park Service (USNPS) is warning people against this practice. It leads to “habitat destruction, soil erosion, and confusion for other hikers” who may rely on cairns for navigation. The USNPS is actively working to remove all unauthorized cairns to address the problem.

But what does this have to do with anything? Everything. Why are they being built? They are being built in a effort to establish a simple fact, “I was here.” They have been featured on social posts across platforms. It is an extension of the “selfie” world in which we live. They attempt to proclaim simply this spot matters because I was here.

The god of this age is self-promotion. We curate our image on social media and in life. We are addicted to “views”, “likes” and “comments". Our era has established personal experience as an idol of worship. I had a thought. I had this or that experience. I was here. I… I… I… and it is important because I was there.

We have greatly deviated from the usage of cairns in times past. Cairns that guided the way. Ones serving as memorials for God’s work on earth; crossing the Jordan, Jacob wrestling with God, alters to God, and many more. Cairns that established boundaries between the tribes of Israel. In other words, miraculous singular moments in history, or things that communicated a shared message for the benefit of all.

The question I am faced with today is simple. Are the cairns in my life (not literal, but figuratively) built to honor God and the work He is doing in my life? Or are they monuments to myself and my experiences?

It is vital we memorialize all that God has done. For those moments serve as guide posts to how He will work in our lives in the future. They serve as a witness to what is to come. As Hebrews 12:1-2 states, “Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith,…”

Cairns become carnage (or cairn-age) when they point people to us instead of our Lord. May the memorials and markers we build and share guide people to Christ. He is the only ROCK worth worshiping in our lives. No others stack up. All others lead to destruction, erosion, and confusion.

The challenge for me today: what do people see when they look at the life I’ve stacked up? May it only point people to Christ! And if not, may it be knocked down and built again by Christ for His purpose.

© 2025 Warren Martin. All rights Reserved.

Help!

“Help, Lord”
— Psalm 12:1

“Hello darkness, my old friend.”

The first line of Simon and Garfunkel’s song The Sound of Silence (1964) is haunting and familiar. The song has become a staple of Americana. I believe it holds such sway because we can all relate to the emotional tug of loneliness, abandonment, isolation and darkness.

I know not of a person who hasn’t walked in the depths of darkness at some point in their life. Betrayed. Abused. Abandoned. Scorned. Left reeling in the depths of a cold abyss while surrounded by scores of people who only make the loneliness more profound. Shut out from participating in the warmth of humanity. Pushed aside due to depravity, carelessness, jealousy or neglect to the point of invisibility. Ostracized by pride, accomplishment, success, position and purpose. Darkness overwhelms by a sundry of means.

Yet, it always begins the same. It begins in our own minds, by our own consent.

As the song states, “Hello darkness, my old friend / I’ve come to talk with you again / Because a vision softly creeping / Left its seeds while I was sleeping / And the vision that was planted in my brain / Still remains / Within the sound of silence.”

There is no doubt the Evil One desires to draw us into darkness. He longs to cast a vision, plant a seed and watch it overwhelm us. It is in these moments our first and only response should be to cry out as the psalmist did, “Help, Lord!”

Help me know Your love! Help me see your will! Help me walk in You! Help, Lord!

However, “help” is an interesting word. The word itself doesn’t apply when you do nothing. You can only help those who are active in an effort. You can’t help someone who has no desire to change. There has to be an aspect of desire and effort towards a goal for someone to receive help.

Sure, we use the word “help” often in other ways. I’m going to go help the homeless, my kids, my co-worker, etc. But it is really only accurate when those other parties are active in the effort. If that is not the case, it is simply charity, a gift or wasted effort. Not help.

This is important to understand when we find ourselves in the depths of darkness. It begins with a deceptive thought (vision, seed) in our minds. While dwelling upon it, we nurture its growth to our own demise.

Help comes from the Lord. But help only comes when there is a desire to change. A openness to grow. A willingness to refocus our minds.

As Paul states in Philippians 4:8, “Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.”

Darkness begins in the mind, but so does help!

God does not require you to begin solving the issues for Him to help! But you do have to be active in refocusing on Him. Looking to Him for your hope and resolve. He can only help those who are active in changing…and that change is from staring into the abyss of darkness to lifting our eyes to Lord! Then let your cry be heard. Help, Lord!

© 2025 Warren Martin. All rights Reserved.

I Can't Live!

“I have been crucified with Christ, it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.”
— Galatians 2:20

It never ceases to amaze me, the many ways God speaks to us. A flower. A sunset. A quiet moment. A busy street. A grand accomplishment. A heart-wrenching tragedy. The warm embrace of true love and the loss of the same. A word from a friend. The kindness of a stranger. Children at play. Men at war. A painting. A book. A song. In every moment, the Lord is speaking to us. But are we listening?

I was driving down the road, flipping through the radio stations, when I heard an old familiar song. The song is “With or Without You” by U2. It is not a “Christian” song, and I have never understood the lyrics. I decided to listen carefully to the lyrics and try to figure out the song’s meaning once and for all. I listened and I thought. Listened and thought. And when my thinker was tired, I knew two things: I had no idea what the song meant, but I knew the message that God was sharing with me.

The lyrics state: “And you give yourself away / With or without you / With or without you / I can’t live / With or without you.”

Those words captured me. I quickly grasped the first of the message – “And you give yourself away.” “For God so loved the world that he gave His one and only Son…” (John 3:16, NIV) I just as readily grasped the end of the message – “I can’t live . . . without you." ". . . at that time you were without Christ . . . having no hope without God in the world.” Ephesians 2:12)

It was that middle part that had me stumped. I knew God was sharing a message with me. I readily accepted the fact that He gave Himself for me, and I cannot truly live without Christ. Which means I would have to live with Him, right? But the song God was using to share with me His message says, “I can’t live. . .WITH or without you.” As I pondered these thoughts, God began to share with me His truth. It was overwhelming.

God has not established partnership with us. He has not created a co-op. He has not asked us to come and live with Him. He has asked us to ABIDE. We are to find our life IN Him. We cannot co-exist with Him, because we have no life to add to the relationship. We cannot live WITH Him, we can only live IN Him.

The bible makes this clear in Galatians 2:20, “I have been crucified with Christ, it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.” In Romans 12:1, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice.” And again in Philippians 1:21, “for to me, to live is Christ.”

How contrary that is to our modern way of thinking. We run around with bumper stickers that read, “God is my co-pilot.” Bracelets that ask, “What would Jesus do?” Both reduce Christ to the role of acting advisor and deny the reality of His life in us. Both are saying, “I am willing to consult with God before I act.” Yet, the real question is, “Am I willing submit and allow Christ to live through me in this moment?”

Beauty is truly in the eye of the beholder. What does U2’s song mean? I don’t know and don’t really care. In the moment I heard the song, the Lord had a message for me. He was sharing with me that He gave Himself for me, because I could not live without Him, and I cannot live with Him. I can only live IN Him. True life is His life pouring through me.

It was a timely message for me. How about you? Are you trying to “live with Christ”? Or are you resting IN Him? Are you allowing His life to pour through you?

“Now may the God of peace. . . make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight.” (Hebrews 13:20-21)

© 2025 Warren Martin. All rights Reserved.