Brad Bergman

Jesus finished His conversation with the disciples with these words: “In this world, you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33) The trouble is real, but so is the promise. Jesus is reassuring us that, despite the struggles and challenges we face, He has ...

Advent points us to the incredible truth that joy is not a fleeting emotion, but a steadfast assurance found in Christ. His joy anchors us in life's storms, sustains us in our waiting, and invites us to celebrate God's goodness. This Advent season, may we continually open our hearts to ...

Imagine this. You’re at the Vancouver International Airport during the busy travel season. All around you are people rushing this way and that as they head to their gates and connecting flights. Everyone seems to be moving throughout the terminal with ease… but you can’t seem to keep up because you’re ...

Vancouver is one of the world's most beautiful cities, but it suffers from so much loneliness and isolation. The answer to the problem is the church. That's why we spend so much time emphasizing the need to join one of our small groups. You need to surround yourself with spiritually ...

Encouragement is powerful. More than that, as Christians, we are instructed to encourage each other until Jesus returns (Hebrews 10:25), and we want our community to foster and perpetuate a culture of encouragement. It's so much better than the alternative! I want to be in an environment where people are ...

Being generous is a desirable character trait and beneficial to your physical and mental health. A quick Google search will reveal that generous people have better relationships, more contentment, less stress, and lower blood pressure. Some studies even show that generous people live longer. It should not surprise us Christians ...

Today, you are likely still waiting for something in your life. You may feel stuck. You may want to fast forward this part of your life to get to the next chapter. But your time doesn’t have to be and shouldn’t be wasted in the waiting. God gives us the ...

Sometimes, when you feel so guilty about something you've done, you may not feel like you have the language to approach God. You want forgiveness but don't know what to say. In those times, I'd encourage you to pray the words of David. We know that God answered David’s prayer! ...

Jesus said that even though there is trouble in this world, we must take heart because he has overcome the world. He has defeated all the powers of darkness, and He gives us a hope not only for now but for all of eternity. As followers of Jesus, we also ...

This past weekend at Coastal Church we took time to honour and bless the mothers of our congregation. We don’t do this out of social convention or because it’s on our calendars. We do this because blessing and honouring parents is not only a Biblical principle, it’s a command. In ...

Today, it's hard to know who or what to trust. Misinformation, strong opinions, and conspiracy theories are everywhere. There can be so much noise as people passionately argue that their point of view is the truth, and not only that it is 'the truth,' but that you must accept and ...

In the Bible, there is a clear gift of evangelism, just as there is a clear gift of being a pastor or teacher. But sharing our faith, as Peter mentioned, is the responsibility of every follower of Jesus. Most of us probably won’t be preaching to mass crowds in stadiums ...

The Christmas season can be the most wonderful time of the year for some, and the most stressful or contentious for others. We hear Christmas songs about ‘peace and goodwill to men,’ but sometimes those can seem like concepts far removed from our own personal situations. As Christians though, we ...

The first thing that your spiritual enemy wants to do is to cause you to doubt your identity. He wants you to question if what God says about you is true. That’s what happened for Jesus and that is what happens for us. The devil doesn’t like it when we ...

There are a lot of conversations in our world today dealing with the issue of freedom. But instead of getting distracted by issues of rights and people’s ideas of how freedom should be exercised in various places, let’s look at freedom from a Biblical perspective.

Transitions happen all the time and they take on many forms. Maybe you’ve started a new job, moved to a new home, country, or city. Perhaps you are one of the many who got married during the pandemic, or maybe you just got a puppy. You’ve had a baby, started ...

We have everything we need in order to finish well, but we need to choose to do so. We need to stay firmly planted in God’s word, in His house, and in His family. As followers of Jesus, we can run the race of life with our eyes fixed on ...

When faced with pain and suffering it’s natural to ask what the purpose of it all is. Paul tells us that we can be absolutely sure that God is working in our lives through it: “We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love ...

There will be moments in all our lives that demand courage. We will all face situations that are larger than our experience or ability. The great news is that we don’t have to walk through these situations in our own strength, as believers, we have the power of God in ...

I’ve got to be honest, this passage never really filled me with much joy or hope… I mean James paints a pretty bleak picture of how incapable we humans are at controlling such an unruly part of us. Reading this as a teenager hit pretty hard. Teenagers already have a ...

I have been a Christian for over 30 years, and in many of my early years I barely read the Bible at all. I used to feel guilty as a young Christian about how I didn’t spend much time reading the most important book ever written.

You need to think about…. what you think about. In order to access this power, we need to change our focus. Paul gives us a helpful guide on the type of thinking that pleases God.

In the Bible, the 15th chapter of Luke is known as the lost and found chapter, and it culminates in one of the most powerful stories of a father’s love. It’s the story of the prodigal son.

We are to physically distance ourselves, yet paradoxically, right now we need each other more than ever. In this extraordinary time, we must continually encourage, pray, and care for each other.

Share on facebook Share on google Share on twitter Share on linkedin Where does confidence come from? Are you born with it? Do we have to fake it until we make it? I remember the first time I sang in front of people, I was 18 years old at a ...

The writer of Hebrews is reminding us that we can’t allow our spiritual journey to come to a standstill. We must keep moving. We must keep running the race God has set before us.

Often change is uncomfortable and even painful. Most of us probably won’t experience the same tragedy that Daniel went through, however, the principles that held him together still hold true for us today. God’s word is true, and in the midst of changes circumstances God remains the same (Hebrews 13:8).

Like the bird, we can choose to blindly enter into situations with ignorant optimism. Optimism is an amazing quality to have, but not at the expense of taking the time to apply wisdom and careful thought. That’s the amazing benefit of being a part of God’s family.

The great news is that you can know how God wants you to live your life. You can train your spirit to recognize and discern God’s will by renewing your mind to His word (check out Pastor Dave’s series: Under Construction). Our minds are renewed and transformed as we spend ...

I mean, wouldn’t God want me to celebrate my successes or take pride in a job well done? Of course, the answer is yes. The Bible actually teaches us that we are to work hard, and that God himself took satisfaction in His own creation (Gen. 1:31). This doesn’t describe ...

Nearly every Christian I’ve met desires to have an effective prayer life. Many, however, don’t realize that the Bible outlines several things that will actually cause our prayers to be unanswered. In order to pray effectively, we must avoid the following things: 1. Wrong motives “When you ask, you do not ...

We Canadians are pretty savvy consumers. We often pride ourselves on the ability to spot what’s fake. Fake newsIt’s everywhere, and it’s becoming increasingly harder to cut through the noise to get to the truth. As a whole, we are becoming more skeptical and even cynical. We may have been ...

Peace on earth.We talk about it. We sing about it. We long for it.  Many of us may think that peace is simply the absence of war or conflict. For others, it could mean making it through the holidays without butting heads with siblings, in-laws, or Toronto Maple Leaf fans. ...