Who is God to you? Some of us view God as this unknowable and unapproachable thing up in the sky that doesn’t make much sense. Others of us would rather have a small, custom-built God who meets our emotional needs or suits our intellectual ideals. But our God is so much more. Creator. Provider. Lord. Throughout the Bible God shows us what kind of God He really is – and one way we can learn about God is by looking at the way God describes himself. And it’s beyond our wildest expectations.
Every video game you’ve ever played has a “restart” button – a chance to have a “do-over” and try again. Why can’t life be like that? Have you ever wanted to just hit “restart level”, and make some better decisions on your financial, physical, emotional health? Sure, we can’t actually turn back time, but we can try again.
The Bible gives us insight on how to rewind the clock and get a fresh start on the way we think, the way we feel, and the way we live. It reminds us that we’re never too far gone. We can refresh. We can get unstuck. We can restart.
What is your favorite Christmas ornament? If you’re like many people, you have quite a collection of different personalized memories that come in different sizes, shapes, colors that hang proudly on your Christmas trees. What ornaments do you think God would hang on his Christmas tree? Join us for the weeks leading up to Christmas as we celebrate how God has decorated our lives with ornaments of his own for Christmas at The Ridge.
If we’re honest, many of us are just surviving. We stumble through our day from task to task, clamoring to get a step ahead, or at least not fall too far behind. We work hard, we try to take care of our families, and what little is left in our tank we turn our eyes to God and ask, “Is this it? This is what we were made for? To just barely keep it together?” And the response, sometimes just a whisper, comes. In Jesus, we have an opportunity to not just survive, but thrive. We were made for more.
Jesus. You’ve probably heard that name before. People say all sorts of things about Jesus... that He is the son of God… that He was a teacher… that He was just a good man… that He’s a fairy tale. But who does Jesus say that He is? We’ll look at who Jesus is through His own words and the roles that He fulfilled. Jesus is more significant than we could possibly imagine. That’s why it matters when He says “I am Jesus”.
We learn from a young age that sharing is caring. From the beginning we’re told to share our blocks and crayons. As adults we share our favorite restaurant spot… we share our favorite movie… or we share our favorite celebrity meme. We share the things we care about. Why is it, then, that it’s so difficult to share our faith? Join us as we look into what it means to share the most important thing, and the impact it could have on our community.
Have you ever woken up in a cold sweat? Maybe a job isn't going well. Maybe that relationship is about to end. Maybe the pain won't go away, control is slipping away, and death feels a moment away. Fear can be a controlling force in our daily lives. What if, even in the midst of our greatest trials and troubles, something can overcome those insurmountable fears? Do not be afraid, because our hope is in Jesus.
We all want things. A bigger house. A nicer car. A better ending to the final season of “Lost”. Problem is, we know at some level that they won’t be enough. We want more. We want the thing that will fill our lives, satisfy our souls and bring our lives meaning. The book of Colossians describes that thing: it’s Jesus. Jesus isn’t simply a good thing…he’s everything. He’s not a part of the solution…he’s the whole answer. Jesus is the only thing that is enough for us.