This Christmas we want you to make the connection. The connection is that in Jesus we find everything our souls are looking for. That’s why Jesus is the greatest gift. Because in Jesus we find hope, peace, joy, grace, salvation, and the Holy Spirit. Sam opened the series last week and helped us understand how to live with hope. He gave us a verse that was ferocious. Job 8:11 Those who forget God have no hope. TLB We . . . Read More »
The One Critical Skill We Need In Our Relationships
The first part in our Journey to Freedom and Courage series dealt with soul issues. Then we made a shift into relationships. Sam opened this up with the talk about how we love. Remember what he said was required? We have to do the hard things and create space in our lives to be able to love. Sam explained that if we do the hard things today, life is easier tomorrow. If we just do what is easy, . . . Read More »
The Toxic Thing In Relationships
Today we continue to talk about relationships. Before we jump into today, I want us to take a second, pull back to see the big picture. We created Mountain Ridge Church to be the church that is passionate, relentless, and unapologetic about reaching people far from God. Why would we do that? Why would we create a place that isn’t about our comfort but instead is a place that focuses on others? Because we wanted to join Jesus . . . Read More »
Why Is Prayer a Struggle?
I’m so glad to be here and talk about prayer today. Here’s why. I’ve never been the ‘prayer guy.’ That may sound surprising because I am a pastor, but it’s true. I do pray for sure, and prayer is very important to me, but I’m not the guy who sees dreams and visions of the future. I’m not the guy who spends three hours a day in prayer. In fact, prayer is something that I’ve struggled with. So, . . . Read More »
What Is God Doing When Life Is Rough?
Welcome to our series called The Journey to Freedom and Courage. Before we move on, I want to stop and define that. What do we mean when we say Freedom and Courage? Have you ever spent time with a young child? Maybe around two or three years old? One of my favorite memories of having three little girls was taking them out to breakfast. We would give mom time to sleep in, jump into the van, eat breakfast, . . . Read More »
Do you feel a little confused about following Jesus?
We are in a series called, The Simple Questions of Jesus. And if you take the time to read the questions of Jesus and personally answer them, you will understand that simple doesn’t mean easy. Last week we read the story of Martha, Mary, and Lazarus. Lazarus becomes sick so Martha and Mary send for Jesus. Jesus is only a couple of miles away but doesn’t respond right away. After being in the grave for four days, Jesus . . . Read More »
What To Do When Jesus Seems To Disappoint You
We are in a series called, The Simple Questions of Jesus. And if you take the time to read the questions of Jesus and personally answer them, they aren’t easy at all. Last week we read the story of Jesus in John 6. Jesus fed 5,000 people and they wanted to make Jesus a King. But Jesus slips away. The next day they then wanted Jesus to do a spectacular miracle to prove that He was the . . . Read More »
Does This Offend You?
Before we jump into today’s question from Jesus, I want to quickly recap last week. Sam’s sermon was excellent. The Jesus question he wrestled with was from Mark 8:36 ‘What do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul?’ NLT Stop and allow that to impact you. Sam brought out the reality that we spend so much time, money, and energy trying to gain the world while at the same time, we are . . . Read More »
Who Is Jesus to You?
Jesus asked a lot of questions. Did you know that? You probably know Jesus said things like, ‘Love your enemy.’ You probably know Jesus healed people. You know that Jesus walked from town to town. But did you know that Jesus asked a lot of questions? Let’s quickly review the questions we have talked about so far. Do you want to get well? What do you want? Why are you thinking these things? Do you understand what I . . . Read More »
Why Are You So Afraid? – Jesus
How are you doing with our Bible study this summer called, The Simple Questions of Jesus? And remember, simple doesn’t mean easy. It’s a Bible study but we want you to go deeper. We want you to personalize every question Jesus asked. That means slowing down, thinking it through, and personally answering the questions that Jesus asked. Last week Sam gave us the Jesus question, “Have you never read the Scriptures?” I enjoyed how Sam explained the context . . . Read More »