The Ridge – Weekly Message

Sometimes when we encounter prophetic/apocalyptic (speaking of end times) passages in the Bible, we can clock out. All the symbolism and imagery is just too confusing and overwhelming. Yet God intentionally put these passages in the Bible, so how do we go about engaging with them?  Join Pastor Mike and Will as they discuss some ways to go about hearing what God is saying through these challen...

Daniel: Hope in/for a Hostile World, Chapter 7 - Daniel has a dream with visions passing through his mind as he was lying in bed. He wrote the substance of his dream in chapter 7. And it’s full of beasts and horns and thrones. What do we do with that? Well, it’s in the Bible, so there’s something God wants us to know. Pastor Mike brings clarity. And reveals how the words of verse 14 were very word...

It's the season of Thanksgiving - a time to gather with family, eat food, and watch football. More importantly though, it's a season to reflect and give thanks for God's goodness in our lives. Is it however, that we could become people for whom thanksgiving is a daily part of our lives? Not just a holiday once a year?   Join Joey and Will as they explore these questions and more in this...

Daniel 6: You might argue that the story of Daniel in the lion’s den is one of the most well known in the Bible. It is. But is it possible that we’ve been misinterpreting it — that we have it wrong? Pastor Mike discusses how this scripture is not a promise that God will protect us from the lions. He can, yes. But sometimes He doesn’t. Daniel and the lion’s den is about how God changed the world th...

Message by Joey Weber: Black Friday. There’s nothing wrong with getting a good deal. But is there something that should cause us pause at the idea of rushing past the things right in front of us — the things we should be thankful for — to rush to the things we think we need or want? It should. But often it doesn’t. And it’s nothing new. That ungratefulness is a thread woven through the Bible from...

One could say that the story of Daniel in the lion's den is one of the most famous in the Bible. Yet is it possible that we've been misunderstanding it? What is God truly saying to us through this passage?    Join Pastor Mike and Will as they explore the many layers of Daniel 6 and also  speak to how personal, intentional prayer has impacted their lives. Read the Beyond the Sermon d...

In Daniel 5 we read of God's radical interruption of King Belshazzar's life. The King had squandered all that God had entrusted Him and was held accountable in the end. But what can we learn and apply from this story?  Join Pastor Mike and Will as they discuss ways we can resist the pull of sin while being intentional about how we are using what God has given us (time/talents etc). Read the B...

Daniel chapter 5: The handwriting is on the wall. We’ve heard that. But did you know the origin of that saying is in Daniel chapter 5? It’s here we learn, too, that there are principles—there are laws—woven into the fabric of creation. And they aren’t there so a rigid God can restrict our fun and boss us around. No. They are given to us by a loving God to protect us and the abundance and blessing...

In this week's BTS discussion, Will is joined by Doug Applegate (Director of Family Ministries). Listen in as they discuss the various obstacles that stand in the way of whole hearted faith, as well as some ways we can grow to trust God more in our lives. Read the Beyond the Sermon devotionals :  Get the devotional each week! Sign up to receive the Beyond the Sermon blog in your inbox.

A Message from Doug Applegate: In all his wisdom, Solomon encourages us to trust in the Lord with all our hearts. Often we determine whom we can trust by knowing the person and his or her character. How a person acts and speaks over time tells us a lot about how much we can trust him or her with various aspects of our lives. When it comes to God, we have a little mover 750,000 words spread out ove...

Daniel Chapter 4 - In Daniel chapter 4, King Nebuchadnezzar has a pride problem. He has grown powerful and influential and has fallen in love with his own legend. So God issues a rather radical consequence, yet Nebuchadnezzar's response is just as extreme. Through it we see that in our deepest problems—in our deepest hurt—God has more. He has something good. If we, like Nebuchadnezzar, just raise...

Daniel Chapter 3 - To live as an exile is a challenge, certainly. In fact, here in Daniel chapter 3, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego find themselves yet again at odds with King Nebuchadnezzar when they refuse his order to bow to a statue of gold. The punishment for disobedience to this command? To be thrown into the fiery furnace. It seems there are two potential outcomes here: God rescues Shadrach...

Message by Will Herron - Jesus was the master of illustration and parable. And He uses such a story in Luke 11 to communicate the nature of God and the nature of prayer. Cultural insights are helpful to understand what Jesus is telling us, as is looking at the characters and their actions. From all of it, we learn that God wants us to come to Him with honesty and boldness and with an understanding...

Daniel Chapter 2: When Daniel was faced with the impossible—when his very life was in jeopardy—he prayed. And God answered. He provided Daniel with revelation. He gave Him the meaning of King Nebuchadnezzar's dream, which was a prophecy foretelling future events. This situation and prophecy from 2500 years ago is still applicable to us today. It (along with a whole lot of other Bible verses) teach...

Daniel: Chapter 1 - The kingdom of Judah is conquered, and Nebuchadnezzar, the Babylonian King, takes more than the nation's treasures. He takes its people. Not all of them, just some—the best. He takes them and immerses them in the culture of Babylon, teaching them its language and literature. Why? So they would forget the customs and culture from where they came and assimilate to their new surro...

Daniel: Hope in/for a Hostile World - To fully understand what God is telling us in the book of Daniel, we need to understand Babylon and that begins in Genesis 11. One world language allowed engineers to engineer and builders to build. It allowed for the creation of an architectural feat—the tower of Babel. And it allowed for something harrowing. Those involved were working and achieving and livi...

A Message from Julie Wiemann - Even the smallest, seemingly innocent crack can ruin a foundation and cause what was built to crumble. No one is immune to or exempt from trials in this life. Life is hard. Life is painful. And we crack. But as we deal with the cracks, our foundation is repaired, and our faith remains sure—it won't be reduced to rubble. As we apply what Jesus teaches us and live as H...

Minor Prophets: Joel - The book of Joel isn’t as it seems, at least not how the first four verses read. Yes, the wages of sin are still death—and not just physical death, but death of integrity, character, trust, relationship, even preferred future. Sin has consequence, yes. Yet sometimes God allows those consequences to get our attention. He uses them to change things and to change us so He can u...

Minor Prophets: Haggai - The issue in Haggai isn't one of wealth or the misuse of it. It's not about time or how it Is spent. It's not about trying harder or doing more. It's a heart issue. God is teaching the Israelites that their priorities should be based on what they treasure most, which should be God and their relationship with Him. Just like them, we should be so captivated by God's love and...

Minor Prophets: Zechariah - Just like the Israelites, we are called to shine. And just like them, we are surrounded by darkness. We live in a culture that more often than not advocates the opposite of what Jesus taught. Culture says love things; Jesus says love people. Culture says seek happiness; Jesus says seek holiness. Culture says indulge yourself; Jesus says deny yourself. Culture says consu...

Encounter Sunday: Mike's Story - Through Mike's story, the value of community is apparent. For him, it's meant sustained recovery—a brotherhood who supports him, makes sure he's on the right path and that he's going in the right direction.

Encounter Sunday: An interview with Kayla Routson - Our Encounter interview with Kayla Routson shares what it is like to do life in community—where church is home. At The Ridge, she found where she belongs.

Encounter Sunday: A Message from Will Herron - The Christian walk was never mean to be a solo experience. The Bible has a lot to say on this, and it is clear: God made us to be in community—to worship together, to study together, and to share life with one another. Don't stay within the confines of church as a weekly event. It was never meant to be that way.

Minor Prophets: Nahum - Our culture says it's OK to do what we want to do as long as we don’t hurt anyone. The Bible says otherwise. The book of Nahum teaches us that sin is real, that it causes real pain and that it will not go unpunished. Through the Bible, God invites us out of the hurt and pain of sin. He wants us to trust that His way is good.

A Message from Doug Applegate: Christian worship songs are full of verses proclaiming that Jesus is greater, stronger and more powerful than anyone or anything else in existence. But is this true? And if so, what does it mean to our lives? Jesus’s greatness is one of the central messages of the book of Hebrews, which Doug Applegate digs into in this sermon.