The Ridge Weekly

The Lord’s Prayer is more than words to memorize. It’s a model for how Jesus teaches us to pray. This week on Side Notes, Brady and Pastor Josh take a closer look at Matthew 6:9–13, discussing what it means to honor God, trust His provision, surrender to His will, and forgive others. They also explore how we can move beyond simply reciting familiar words and grow in our relationship with God throu...

Prayer is an important part of our relationship with God, but sometimes, we can lose sight of what it's really about. As we continue our study of the Sermon on the Mount, Pastor Josh walks through the Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6:9–15 and how Jesus teaches us to honor God, seek His will, and trust Him with our needs. Prayer isn't about finding the perfect words or getting everything right. It's abou...

Why do our motives matter just as much as our actions? In this episode of Side Notes, Brady and Pastor Tim take a deeper look at Matthew 6 and what Jesus teaches about giving, praying, and fasting with the right heart. They discuss how to recognize our own motives, practice these spiritual disciplines with sincerity, and navigate a culture that often encourages us to seek recognition from others....

Why do we do the things we do? Is it to please God or to gain the approval of others? In Matthew 6:1–8, 16–18, Jesus challenges us to examine the motives behind our actions. Pastor Tim explores what Jesus teaches about giving, prayer, and fasting, reminding us that God cares about more than what others see. He cares about our hearts and calls us to live for an audience of One.

Jesus tells us to love our enemies, but how do we love someone who has hurt us? Brady and Pastor Tim take a closer look at Matthew 5 and what Jesus teaches about forgiveness, anger, and loving those who mistreat us. They discuss how to let go of resentment, pray for difficult people, and establish healthy boundaries without compromising our faith.

How do you respond when someone hurts you? Getting even may feel like the natural response, but Jesus calls us to something different. In this message from Sermon on the Mount, Pastor Tim explores what it means to love your enemies, extend grace when it's undeserved, and choose love over retaliation. His teaching challenges us to consider how we respond to those who hurt us and what it looks like...

Our commitments matter, whether in marriage, relationships, or the promises we make to others. Brady and Pastor Josh continue the conversation from Matthew 5:31–37, taking a closer look at Jesus' teaching on marriage, divorce, and keeping our word. Together, they discuss the importance of faithfulness, how our culture views commitment, and what it looks like to live with integrity even when follow...

How much does our word really mean? In Matthew 5:31–37, Jesus challenges the way we approach our commitments, from faithfulness in marriage to honesty in everyday conversations. As we continue through the Sermon on the Mount, Pastor Josh explores why keeping our word matters, what it means to live with integrity, and how Jesus calls and empowers us to be faithful and truthful.

Sin rarely starts with the action we can see. It begins much earlier—in the heart. In this episode of Side Notes, Brady and Pastor Josh continue the conversation from Matthew 5:21–30, talking honestly about anger, reconciliation, lust, and the ways small things left unchecked can grow into something far more destructive.

Sin doesn’t begin with our actions—it starts in the heart. In Matthew 5:21–30, Jesus addresses anger, lust, and the deeper roots of sin in the Sermon on the Mount. Pastor Josh takes a closer look at these strong words and what they reveal about our hearts, the importance of reconciliation, and our need for the grace and forgiveness only Jesus can give.

You can follow the rules and still miss the heart of what Jesus is saying. In this episode of Side Notes, Brady and Pastor Josh unpack Matthew 5:17–20, what it means that Jesus fulfilled the Law and the Prophets, and why true obedience goes deeper than checking the right boxes. Plus, they explore how the Holy Spirit changes not just what we do, but why we do it.

This Sunday, in Sermon on the Mount, Pastor Josh Rhodes unpacks Jesus’ words in Matthew 5:17–20 and what it means that He came to fulfill the Law and the Prophets. We’ll see how the Scriptures point to Jesus and why the righteousness He calls us to goes deeper than outward obedience—it begins with a heart made new through faith in Him.

This week on Side Notes, Pastor Tim joins Brady to dig deeper into what it means to be salt and light and how our faith can shape the places God has put us. From the way we live at work and at home to the opportunities we have to point others toward Jesus, they talk about the impact of ordinary faithfulness and what it looks like to live differently in a world that desperately needs hope.

What does it mean to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world? In Matthew 5:13–16, Jesus shows us the difference His followers can make in the world around them. Pastor Tim explores what it means to live as salt and light, how even small acts of faithfulness can have a significant impact, and how our lives can ultimately point others toward Jesus.

What do the Beatitudes teach us about living a truly blessed life? Brady and Pastor Josh take a deeper look at Jesus’ words in Matthew 5 and the opening of the Sermon on the Mount. They unpack the meaning behind the Beatitudes, the difference between the world’s idea of blessing and Jesus’ way, and why living these kingdom principles requires more than our own effort.

What does it really mean to be blessed? As we begin our new series, Sermon on the Mount, Pastor Josh takes us to Matthew 5:1–12 and the Beatitudes. While the world often points us toward possessions, popularity, and success, Jesus paints a very different picture of the blessed life. As we walk through each of the Beatitudes, we’ll see that the truly blessed life is found in Jesus and His way, not...

What’s the difference between biblical self-control and simply having more willpower? In this episode of Side Notes, Adam and Pastor Josh continue the conversation from the final week of Nine, looking at how the Holy Spirit forms self-control in us. Plus, meet The Ridge’s new Next Steps Director, Brady McDonald, as Adam passes the Side Notes mic, and we get ready to begin a new series on the Sermo...

Self-control can feel like a matter of willpower—trying harder, doing better, or simply saying no. But biblical self-control isn’t something we have to produce on our own. As we wrap up our Nine series, Pastor Josh looks at the life of Joseph and how the Holy Spirit develops restraint in our thoughts, desires, words, and actions. We’ll see how staying connected to God, setting wise boundaries, and...

How we respond in difficult moments can say a lot about what’s happening in us. This week in Side Notes, Adam and Pastor Josh talk about the difference between our natural reactions and the gentleness the Holy Spirit produces in us. From responding to conflict to recognizing our own patterns of harshness, they explore how staying close to God can shape the way we speak, react, and treat the people...

When tension rises, it’s easy to answer harshness with more harshness. But Jesus calls us to a different way. Continuing our Nine series, Pastor Josh explains why gentleness isn’t passive or weak, but strength under God’s control—and how the Holy Spirit can help us respond with humility and care, even in difficult moments.

Biblical faithfulness is more than trying harder—it grows as we trust our faithful God and allow Him to work in us. In this episode of Side Notes, Adam and Pastor Josh continue their conversation on the Fruit of the Spirit, exploring the connection between faith, trust, and faithfulness. They look at Timothy’s example of lifelong faithfulness, how it shapes our relationship with God and others, an...

Faithfulness matters in our relationships with God and with others, but it isn’t something we can produce on our own. This week in Nine, Pastor Josh looks at the faithfulness of God and the example of Timothy to explore what it means to be trustworthy, dependable, and faithful over time. As we place our faith in Christ and allow the Holy Spirit to work in us, He forms a faithfulness that shapes ho...

What does it really mean to be good? In this episode of Side Notes, Adam sits down with Pastor Tim to take a deeper look at goodness as a fruit of the Spirit. They unpack the story of Ruth and Boaz and how Boaz demonstrated goodness through the way he treated others, cared for those in need, and lived with integrity. They also explore some of the cultural context behind Ruth’s story and why unders...

Continuing Nine, Pastor Tim explores what it really means to live with goodness as a fruit of the Spirit. Through the story of Boaz and Ruth, we see that goodness goes beyond simply being nice—it’s choosing what is right and seeking the good of others, even when it isn’t required. Tim shares how the Holy Spirit produces this kind of goodness in us and how it can shape the way we work, lead, care f...

Kindness starts with how we see people. This week on Side Notes, Adam and Pastor Tim dive deeper into Sunday's message on the fruit of the Spirit, talking about what it means to be filled with the Spirit, why Paul continued to show kindness even to those who opposed him, and how seeing people as people—not just as obstacles, strangers, or enemies—can change the way we treat others. They also discu...