The Ridge – Weekly Message

Honoring our father and mother can be difficult sometimes, particularly if they've fallen short of God's intention for those roles. So how do we go about living out this commandment? And how do we parent/influence younger generations in a way that honors God?  Join Pastor Mike and Will as they explore some practical ways to approach these questions in our weekly podcast. Read the Beyond the S...

What is the goal of parenting? To do everything in your power to influence your children to willingly and joyfully follow Jesus. It starts here: Do you love and follow and grow in your relationship with God? You can’t give what you don’t have. Here’s the rest of it: Every conversation is an opportunity to point to God. He isn’t just in a book or in our heads. He influences what we believe and how...

While we can celebrate with Jacob and his family over their relocation to an abundant land, we also recognize that the lands of Egypt and Canaan remained in severe famine. As we think of our own lives, God doesn’t promise that we won’t have famine or troubles, but He does promise His presence and provision within it.  Join Pastor Mike and Will as they share stories of how they have exper...

There is a belief that is widely held. It’s false. And it can train wreck your faith. Here it is: God will keep you from pain and deliver you from difficulty. Nowhere in the Bible does it say that. What it does say, what God does promise, though, is that He is with us ready and waiting with provision. He is good, even when our circumstances are not. That is why we can worship in every season. Mess...

Peter's letter was received by Christians undergoing severe persecution. Often in church history it's at such times that we see great spiritual growth. And while we may not experience the same level of suffering as this first century audience, we can still encounter challenging seasons in our own lives. So is it possible for God to use these situations to help us grow in a similar way? If so, how?...

Peter writes about glorious, inexpressible joy. And he reveals that the reward for trusting Jesus will be the salvation of the soul. So, even in the face of horrific daily challenges, Peter encourages first-century Christians — and us — to rejoice. Because we have a joy that comes from heaven and one we can’t humanly describe. It’s joy in the reward yet to come — joy in the eternal hope we have in...

The Bible teaches us that God desires to speak to us and lead us in His plans and purposes. But how do we go about discerning His voice amongst all the other voices both inside and outside of us? How can we be sure we are hearing from God and not just ourselves?  Join Pastor Mike and Will as they explore some practical steps to growing in hearing God's voice. Read the Beyond the Sermon devoti...

Should he stay or should he go? Jacob is living in the Promised Land. But he discovers his beloved son is alive and doing very well in Egypt. Jacob is desperate to see him. But he knows once he steps foot beyond Beersheba, he will exit the Promised Land. If he leaves, what about the promises? What about the land? What about the covenant? Jacob puts aside his emotions and seeks God’s will. Do you d...

There are few things harder in life than forgiveness. People can hurt one another deeply, and the impact can be painful and long lasting. And yet if we are to make steps toward healing, forgiveness is essential.  So how do we go about doing what can sometimes seem impossible? How do we follow the example of Jesus and Joseph and seek pardon rather than revenge?  Join Pastor Mike and Will...

We've been studying this guy Joseph for several weeks now. One of the recurring themes? Joseph has been wronged. So what happens? Does he get revenge? Nope. Joseph forgives. But that’s not all Genesis 45 is about. It's about more. Genesis 45 is about restoration, too. Message by Mike Van Rees Scripture referenced: Genesis 44, 45 Read the Beyond the Sermon devotionals : Get the devotional each week...

Remember those prizes that came in cereal boxes? With some, if you collected enough tokens, you could submit them for a bigger prize. Sometimes we have the same idea with salvation: If we just accumulate enough of what we see as religious tokens—attending church, doing good things for others, reading our Bible, praying—at some point God will be pleased, and we'll qualify to spend eternity with Him...

Remember those prizes that came in cereal boxes? With some, if you collected enough tokens, you could submit them for a bigger prize. Sometimes we have the same idea with salvation: If we just accumulate enough of what we see as religious tokens—attending church, doing good things for others, reading our Bible, praying—at some point God will be pleased, and we'll qualify to spend eternity with Him...

We only have to look at the lives of Jesus first disciples to realize that following after Him is far from a life of safety and luxury. Rather, He calls us into a life of faith, stepping out beyond our comfort zone and trusting in Him. Join Pastor Mike and Will as they discuss how we can turn from primarily seeking comfort and ease, to seeking Christ and His plans. Read the Beyond the Sermon devot...

The La-Z-Boy is the bestselling chair in America. Mostly because we have an innate desire to immerse ourselves in comfort. The American dream is to live a low stress, high comfort life—to play a low intensity game. And we can superimpose our quest for comfort upon our expectations of following Jesus. But how did we ever get that idea—the idea that the Christian life is a comfortable life when the...

All of us have been or are in situations where we have sought the Lord's guidance. Whether it's deciding on a new job opportunity or wisdom in relationships, we desire to know God's leading in our lives. But how do we go about hearing from Him? How do we discern His leading in our lives? Join Dayne and Will as they explore these questions and more in this week's episode. Read the Beyond the Sermon...

God can take a reluctant man from an unremarkable family in an unremarkable tribe and put him in charge of an army. God can take that army and reduce it to just 300 water-lapping men. God can use a bread dream to strike fear into the hearts of an enemy army of 135,000. And God can defeat that enemy army with trumpets and torches and clay pots. Gideon’s story challenges and reminds us that God can...

Facing up to the darker chapters in our story can be hard. Often we'd rather bury them in the past, even if it means harboring deep guilt within. Yet as we learn from Joseph's brothers, guilt doesn't go away with time. So how do we face up to our failures? How do we find forgiveness and freedom from a dark past? Join Pastor Mike and Will as they discuss what lessons we can learn from Genesis 42 wh...

Is there someone you never want to run into? Something you never want brought up? A moment you don’t want to be reminded of? The guilt of our past doesn’t go away with time. We can’t go back and change it. We can’t run from it. But if we face the past, if we remember it and focus on the truth — that we are forgiven and free —we can heal it. Message by Mike Van Rees Scripture referenced: Genesis 42...

In Genesis 41 we finally see Joseph's fortunes change as he rises up to one of the highest positions of authority in Egypt. Yet his journey to that point was lengthy and not without its difficulties and hardships. Join Pastor Mike and Will as they discuss how we can learn to identify God's voice in our lives and wait on Him patiently. Read the Beyond the Sermon devotionals : Get the devotional eac...

Joseph is like the Cinderella of the Bible. Hers is a classic rags to riches story. So is Joseph’s. The difference? What happened to Joseph wasn’t random. Going from prison to palace wasn’t a lucky break. It was God working out His plan and His purpose through Joseph’s life. It was God speaking. Joseph learned to recognize this. Joseph heard Him. And we can, too. Message by Mike Van Rees Scripture...

Noah and the Ark is perhaps one of the most familiar biblical stories, particularly among children. Yet we can't avoid the stark reality of the details of the story either. So how do we reconcile the picture of God as both a judge of the world and savior of the world? And how do we face up to the kinds of fears Noah no doubt faced when looking to obey God’s call? Join Ridge Leadership and Ministry...

Noah and the ark is perhaps one of the most familiar biblical stories. The old man with the white beard and the animals two by two. Cute, right? Sure. But there’s so much more to the narrative than that. Have you ever thought about the fears Noah faced when obeying God’s call and instruction? Or how Noah’s response to God helps us trust God today? Message by Julie Wiemann Scripture referenced: Gen...

So does Jesus' call to deny ourselves mean we lose all sense of uniqueness/identity of who we are? What are signs of spiritual attack in our lives? And what does it really mean for Jesus to be Lord over your whole life? This week on the podcast, guest host Ridge Marketing and Communications Manager Dayne Logan poses these questions and more to Will as they look to explore Jesus' call into disciple...

What does it really look like to be a follower of Jesus in daily life? As we look to become disciples of Christ, it’s easy to get caught up in the theory. It all sounds good—submit to the Lord, love others, honor Him in our work and in all we do. But how do we get beyond these principles to practically living them out? Message by Will Herron Scripture referenced: Mark 8:34–38 Read the Beyond the S...

When we encounter pain or difficult circumstances in our lives, it's hard not to become insular and even bitter with God or others. Yet Joseph shows us that the opposite is possible with God's help. Join Pastor Mike and Will as they discuss practically how this works as well as give some tips to keeping God's character and love fresh in our memory. Read the Beyond the Sermon devotionals : Get the...