After the Manger - December 26 is more than the day after Christmas. It’s Boxing Day. Traditionally, it’s a day of charity—a day to give thanks for the abundance received during the Christmas season by blessing others. All throughout the Bible, God calls us to be prepared to sacrifice our wealth to help those in need—such as the Wise Men and their gifts for and recognition of the Messiah. Let’s see how all of this encourages us to live generously today. Message by Dayne Logan Scripture reference...
Dec 29, 2021•27 min
The shepherds left their fields and found Jesus. How? The angels gave them three signs: a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes, a manger and the town of David—Bethlehem. Each of these signs of Christmas have individual meanings, yes, but Pastor Mike reveals the one thing they all have in common. Message by Mike Van Rees Scripture referenced: Luke 2:8–14 Read the Beyond the Sermon devotionals : Get the devotional each week! Sign up to receive the Beyond the Sermon blog in your inbox....
Dec 29, 2021•24 min
This week we take a break from our Daniel series and focus on what in many ways is a prequel to the Nativity story. In the story of Zechariah and Elizabeth, we witness both the experience of radical interruption coupled with faith in the midst of doubt. Join Julie and Will as they discuss some healthy ways to respond to major interruptions in our lives, as well as what it looks like to have faith while experiencing doubt. Read the Beyond the Sermon devotionals : Get the devotional each week! Sig...
Dec 20, 2021•17 min
A message from Julie Wiemann: This week we look at Luke 1, which is in many ways a prequel to the Nativity story. Here we see Zechariah’s and Elizabeth’s responses to radical interruption and learn what it means to have faith and trust God even while experiencing doubt. Message by Julie Wiemann Scripture referenced: Luke 1:5–20 Read the Beyond the Sermon devotionals : Get the devotional each week! Sign up to receive the Beyond the Sermon blog in your inbox....
Dec 20, 2021•30 min
Daniel 8 in many ways is similar to the previous chapter. We witness both the sovereignty of God over kingdoms of the earth as well as His judgement to come. For many however, it's passages like this that turn people off Christianity. How could a loving God hand out judgement like we witness here and elsewhere in the Bible? Join Pastor Mike and Will as they discover the ways in which God's heart for justice can be a source of hope for us in the present. Read the Beyond the Sermon devotionals : G...
Dec 13, 2021•14 min
Daniel Chapter 8 - In the second half of the book of Daniel, God continues to speak to Daniel about the future in dreams and visions. Chapter 8 It builds on the prophecy of four global empires in chapter 7. Yet there’s more to it: Daniel 8 is recognition that we live in a world full of abuse of power, injustice, evil, sin and darkness—a world that is far from wonderful. So, what do we do with that? Well, we see that justice delayed is not justice denied. And there truly is no future in evil. Tha...
Dec 13, 2021•27 min
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 challenging yet insightful passages. Read the Beyond the Sermon devotionals . Get the devotional each week! Sign ...
Dec 06, 2021•12 min
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 words Jesus claimed about Himself and they are the words of our own declaration of faith. Message by Pr....
Dec 06, 2021•29 min
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 weeks BTS discussion. Read the Beyond the Sermon devotionals : https://ridgelife.org/beyond-the-sermon Get the d...
Nov 29, 2021•12 min
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 through the faithfulness of one man. Can He do the same through us? Read the Beyond the Sermon devotio...
Nov 29, 2021•29 min
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 the Old Testament to the New. So, what can we do about it? Read the Beyond the Sermon devotionals : ...
Nov 29, 2021•32 min
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 devotionals : https://ridgelife.org/beyond-the-sermon Get the devotional each week! Sign up to receive the Beyond the Se...
Nov 22, 2021•14 min
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 Beyond the Sermon devotionals : Get the devotional each week! Sign up to receive the Beyond the Sermon blog ...
Nov 15, 2021•14 min
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 He has for us. It’s our choice, though. We can live in revelry contrary to the way He has instructed...
Nov 15, 2021•23 min
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....
Nov 08, 2021•14 min
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 over 66 books and 1,189 chapters that speak directly to who He is along with His character, nature, and...
Nov 08, 2021•33 min
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 our eyes toward heaven.
Nov 01, 2021•25 min
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, Meshach and Abednego or they burn to death. The three were obeying the Lord when they refused the ...
Oct 25, 2021•26 min
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 of His heart. Scripture referenced: Luke 11:5–13
Oct 18, 2021•29 min
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) teaches us the first thing to do is to pray—not to figure it out or fix it on our own, but to ask God. An...
Oct 11, 2021•29 min
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 surroundings, which would mean forgetting their God and opposing His ways. But one of those exiles resolv...
Oct 04, 2021•31 min
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 living to create an identity and something on which to base their worth other than God. Sound familiar?...
Sep 27, 2021•24 min
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 He instructs, we remain firm and secure.
Sep 20, 2021•32 min
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 use us for His good and His glory.
Sep 13, 2021•31 min
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 provision that we want to obey Him and serve Him—that we want to love Him back and bless others....
Sep 07, 2021•30 min
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 consume; Jesus says give. Culture says if you want to find yourself, get high, drunk, or get more; Jesus ...
Aug 30, 2021•30 min
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.
Aug 26, 2021•8 min
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.
Aug 26, 2021•19 min
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.
Aug 26, 2021•14 min
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.
Aug 17, 2021•26 min
