TRENDING

Happy Leap Day! Today is a rare and unique day on our calendars for more than one reason, since today also marks national Rare Disease Day. Living with rare health conditions can be a difficult and heavy path for individuals and families, and it's important for us to recognize and support them through the unique struggles they face. Today on Trending, Pastor Joe looks at a familiar passage in Mark...

This morning thousands of people across the country woke up to no cell reception because of a widespread outage. No text messages, no calls, no internet. People are understandably upset, but this does raise some interesting questions... Are we TOO reliant on our phones and technology? Is it too late to reverse that trend? Could you live without your phone? And is this an issue worth getting angry...

This week Disney made a sizable investment in Epic Games, the company behind hit video games like Fortnite. The Disney CEO recognized how popular the platform is and realized his company needed to be there to reach new audiences. Similarly, Ridgepoint recently built our own Game Center so we could host esports tournaments in our community. Video games are huge in our culture today, so should the C...

Earlier this week a tweet went viral from someone you might not expect in 2024... Good ol' Elmo from Sesame Street. A seemingly simple question clearly hit a nerve, and thousands of people around the world started pouring out their heart and soul publicly online... to a puppet? What does that say about our culture today? Why are we so touched by simple characters from our childhoods? And if our fr...

Two of the biggest trending stories in the news today happen to pair nicely with our current teaching series! This week the LA Chargers hired a new coach and The Daily Show announced a (kind of) new host. Their choices of Jim Harbaugh and Jon Stewart seem to highlight a strategy of mentoring young leaders around them, which is a strategy we're also passionately pursuing. Pastor Joe and Matt pull o...

This past Sunday was the Golden Globes, and actor Bradley Cooper seemed visibly disappointed to lose several awards this year. We all face disappointment, and sometimes it's probably appropriate for us to grieve difficult life situations. How should we handle disappointment as Christians, and what can we learn from the Apostle Paul's frustrations he wrote about in his letters? Pastor Joe and Matt...

The latest craze to take over crazy shoppers is a limited edition Stanley water bottle. Customers camped overnight and fought in lines to snag a special pink cup sold exclusively in Target stores. The pink cup may be new, but this behavior is not. Why do we yearn and become envious of things so easily, what about that desire makes us act out in such ways? Pastor Joe has some Scriptures for us to c...

Every December Matt and Pastor Joe get together to make some bold predictions for the following year on Trending. 2024 is shaping up to be a consequential year in many ways, so check out our predictions, and let us know what YOU anticipate for the new year ahead!

Every year at the end of the year, Matt and Pastor Joe look back on the year and highlight a few of their favorite moments, apps, products, or ideas to share. We have some fun things to share with you, plus a brief theology on looking back and looking ahead. Enjoy!

Taylor Swift was just recognized as Time Magazine's Person of the Year for 2023. It's hard to deny that Taylor has had a pretty amazing year, so what we can learn from her success and her perspective as her fame continues to expand? Pastor Joe makes an interesting parallel between Swift and Barnabas from the book of Acts. They have more in common than you might imagine, so check out this week's Tr...

Over the past few weeks we've seen a flood of new celebrity memoirs. Many of them share enticing new private details about their lives, sometimes while harming the reputation of other big-name figures in culture. We want to encourage honesty and vulnerability, but do we get to a point where too much is--just too much? It's human nature to try to boost our own reputation. Did this ever happen to ch...

Recent studies show that members of Gen Z are increasingly moving away from larger cities and into rural communities, a reversal from the Millennial trend of urbanization. Why are these younger people craving the small town life, and how will this affect our communities, businesses, and churches? Matt and Pastor Joe discuss some potential rationals and what to look for in the future.

On this week's Trending, Pastor Joe and Matt address the growing number of labor strikes taking place around the country. The Hollywood writer strike is over, but workers are still striking in the auto industry and health care, with more potential strikes looming in air travel and other industries. How should Christians view these complicated issues? The Bible seems to instruct us to pay and treat...

This week on Trending: Why do so many of us feel so lonely? The U.S. surgeon general has gone so far as to say being lonely poses health risks equal to smoking. Why do we feel this way, where can we find community, and what incremental steps can we take? Matt and Pastor Joe wrestle with those questions on this week's episode.

This week on Trending, Pastor Joe shares rapid-fire takeaways and lessons from some of this week's biggest headlines: • Jimmy Fallon might not always be a great boss. How can we appropriately handle anger in stressful situations? • *NSYNC is back! Living with nostalgia is fun, but at what point is it dangerous to live in the past? • Apple unveiled new phones and watches this week. Do we always nee...

With Labor Day approaching next week, how can Christians hold a healthy view of work? How do we "work with all our heart, as working for the Lord" (Colossians 3:23) while ALSO finding time for rest and Sabbath? Is a four-day work week a good idea? How can we figure out a rhythm of healthy work and rest? Here's a helpful idea from Pastor Joe: "When we're not well-rested, we become less loving." Hea...

According to a recent survey, two-thirds of Gen Z don't think they necessarily need a college degree to be successful. Is that really true, and how should parents respond? In our ever-changing culture, how can we make sure our kids gain knowledge AND wisdom? Pastor Joe & Matt discuss on this week's TRENDING!

After a brief summer hiatus, TRENDING is BACK! A lot has happened in news and culture over the past few weeks, so Pastor Joe and Matt get caught up on the latest, including practical takeaways from the ups and downs of Taylor Swift and Elon Musk.

After months of hype and build up, the Barbie movie will hit theaters this weekend. As believers, what kinds of things should we be on the lookout for if we watch this movie--or anything else in theaters this weekend? To be clear, Pastor Joe and Matt *have not seen* the movie, but themes from the trailer hint at some wise lessons we can all learn.

Yesterday Meta unveiled their new social network, Threads. Some people are already calling it the "Twitter Killer." What exactly is this new app, and should you join it? Does the world need *another* social platform? How much is too much--or is this one different? Pastor Joe and Matt share what they've learned so far in this week's Trending.

It seems like all eyes are on the Atlantic Ocean today as rescue ops are hoping to find and help save the five people underwater on the Titan submersible. It's a tragic situation, so is there anything we can learn from this? How do we balance the risk/reward of exploration and science? All lives are valuable, so in the midst of tragedy, we can always "look for the heroes." Learn more on this week'...

Two of the biggest documentaries available on TV right now have to do with unhealthy leaders and skewed views on Christianity. Is it wise and helpful for *us* to watch these shows, and what should we say if our non-Christian friends bring them up? Pastor Joe and Matt try to share some help and things to consider. 

There are some pretty shocking images in the news today showing the poor air quality in the U.S. following the Canadian wildfires. This brings up an idea maybe you've considered: God instructs us to care for His creation, but often environmental issues end up feeling very political. Does it have to be that way, and how can we best care for the world God created?