The way we view God significantly impacts the way we believe God views us. We go through life, sometimes without even knowing it, and put God in a box of our own design. We are then surprised or deeply disappointed when God does not fit into what we think he should be. We suffer from a limited idea of who God is and what he really is all about. This series will explore destructive views of God and attempt to replace those views with more true and helpful views of God.
We all have hope in one way or another. We hope we'll graduate high school. We hope that special someone likes us. We hope to be successful. We hope life will turn out in a certain way. But often time that's not what ends up happening. Do you remember the day in your life you realized things weren't turning out the way you had hoped? Maybe it was a diagnosis. A failure. A hurt. An emptiness. Whatever it was, there are a lot of us who feel like there's not much hope. At times, we find ourselves in the darkness of hopelessness. A part of the Easter story is a story of lost and recovered hope, and how Jesus is the light in the darkness and hope for the hopeless. All because he is risen.
We learn from a young age that sharing is caring. As kids we’re told to share our blocks and crayons. As adults we share our favorite restaurant spot, our favorite movie, or our favorite celebrity meme. We share the things we care about. Why is it, then, that it’s so difficult to share our faith? This series will look into what it means to share the most important thing, and the impact it could have on our community.
The book of Joshua reads like a Game of Thrones fan fiction. There are epic battles, sneaky alliances, military strategy, with a little mystery thrown in. Beneath the life and death struggle to claim land and throne you'll find a story of a country (Israel) and a leader (Joshua) that have been thrown into the most difficult of circumstances. Their only hope is the clear voice of God telling them where to go, who to fight, how to win and what to do when they lose. This series digs into how God wants us to fight our battles - and how to win and lose well.
We have questions about pretty much everything in life. How does this engine work? Why did you say that? How did this happen? Why can't the Indianapolis Colts get it together? Whether its things about our families, our work, our hobbies, or our faith, it's okay to have questions. This series will dive into some foundational questions and explore the answers that come along with the things of faith that can cause us to be skeptical.
"Do not be afraid" is a common phrase uttered throughout the Christmas story. Perhaps because we're not used to angels appearing out of no where, or perhaps because life can be inherently full of fear, this phrase is often followed by hope, encouragement, and the good news of what we celebrate at Christmas. This series will look at five different people who heard "Do not be afraid" and will explore how they reacted and the hope they received.
The holidays can be a really amazing time of family, friends, and celebration. It can also be a time we dread, spending time with people we love but have a really hard time liking or the reminder of what and who we've lost. This two-week series will speak to two areas we struggle with during the holidays, unmet expectations and grief.
There are likely things in your life that look like normal, everyday items that subtly become the focus of our lives and our hearts. These unstable and unhealthy "gods" lead toward the reality of anxiety, greed, and emptiness as we seek approval, hope, and love from anything rather than God. These idols take the place of God, sitting on the throne of our hearts. This series will talk about the snares of these subtle idols, and how our focus should be on Christ alone. 1 John 5:21 - "Dear children, keep away from anything that might take God's place in your hearts."
Who or what is God’s Spirit? What does the term “Holy Spirit” mean? Why is He referred to as “the third person of the Trinity?” This series will answer your questions, explain who He is and what He does, and set you on a path to discover the amazing role He plays in your life if you are a follower of Jesus!
The vision at The Ridge is to do whatever it takes to reach our community for Christ. We believe that God has prompted The Ridge to interact with people in a way that points them toward Jesus and encourages them to surrender everything to him. This series is based on Acts 1:8 and how we are called to do whatever it takes in our homes, in our church, in our community, and in our world. One of the biggest areas of impact is through financial giving, and this series will combine the importance of doing whatever it takes with the importance of generosity. We are generous because Jesus was generous with us.
Have you ever thought about what it would be like to catch a meal with Jesus? It would be amazing to sit down with him over a slice at your favorite pizza joint to talk about your life, hopes, dreams. Jesus often used meals with unexpected guests to teach important lessons. He sat down with liars, cheats, prostitutes, rich and poor, outcasts and leaders alike. What would you learn if you got to sit down and have dinner with Jesus?