James Young, our Music Pastor, is transitioning off of The Ridge’s staff as he and his family move south. (If you missed the announcement about this, check out more info here).

As we get closer to James’ last Sunday, I’ve been thinking about the significant impact that God has made in and through James. One of the most visible impacts is how well he leads people in singing and worship. People gravitate towards his excellent, but humble, style, and I firmly believe he makes it look easier than it really is. But, standing on the stage and leading those efforts is actually just a portion of the impact that he’s made.

In the spirit of Buzzfeed articles and clickbait blogs, I thought I would write about the five things I appreciate about James (other than how great he is at what he does on stage on Sunday).

1. James has a humble spirit. I think this is a huge deal when you're as talented as James is. He genuinely isn't trying to make his name great, or do anything to draw attention to himself. He wants what he does to honor God. I've seen it over and over again, and I'm thankful for how his humility has allowed things to be so healthy on our team.
2. He works really hard, both in effort and excellence. If you are needing someone to pitch in and help, James is your guy. Not only will he give every effort to help, but, whatever he is doing he is going to do it with excellence. He doesn't want things to just be okay, he wants them to really be great - whether it's a video on Sunday, a care conversation, or helping another person in their life, James is one of the hardest workers I know. He's definitely a "whatever it takes" type of fella. 
3. James comes up with some really creative ideas. Many of the things you see that we shoot on video James has had a hand in creating. During COVID, as the way we did things changed, he still attempted to do his best to add creativity to what we were doing so it would engage people and help them connect with Jesus. 
4. He has a fantastic laugh. Seriously. He has a big belly laugh that makes me smile, and can at times cause me to derail a meeting just to make a joke so he will let out the guffaw that will have us all rolling in stitches. Not only is it a great laugh, but he has such a positive spirit that oftentimes, even in the hard stuff, by the end of it we're chuckling to ourselves about one thing or another. 
5. James loves his family well. When James came to talk to me about moving his family, it was a conversation filled with love and care. Melani, his wife, is a significant part of what God has been doing in and through James, and it is amazing to see how much love they have for each other and for their family. So much so they are willing to walk into some unknown situations. That's love, and that's faith. I don't know about you, but I find that inspiring and I'm rooting for them. 

Will you join me in sending James, Melani, and their family well at the upcoming Open House?

Join us outside* at The Ridge on Saturday, May 8 from 4-6pm, and stop by to wish the Young family well as they head south. This is a family friendly event. Hope to see you there! 

 * weather permitting. Masks are encouraged if the event is indoors due to rain. 

And, just for fun, here’s one more thing I appreciate about James.

He had a mullet. 


I thought it would be such a shame to not make sure everyone knows, near and far, about this business in the front, party in the back situation in his life.  

Whatever it takes,

Adam