The Wise Are Always Learning, Growing, and Listening

Welcome to week 5 of our study of the book of Proverbs, a journey to learning the way of the wise.  We hope you are enjoying this study of Solomon’s Manual of Living and that you are actively walking through the book of Proverbs with us throughout the week either by following the study guide daily through social media or by following the study guide from the weekly email that comes out every Sunday.  Today marks the halfway . . . Read More »

The Tensions Between The Church and The World Has Reached The Tipping Point

Here in 2023, we have started an important conversation, all centering around a very popular question in today’s world.  What is the point of church?  This is an important question, and we have been learning just how essential the church is, how we should view it, how God views it, and just how critical the church is to our Spiritual development, and to the community around us who don’t have the same eternal destiny of those inside the . . . Read More »

Don’t Change Anything!

As we get started here today, I want to ask you a question or two.  How do you handle change?  Does just hearing that word “change” throw a little tension into your body this morning?  I want you to think about how you respond to change while I ask the next question.  Are you open to something new, or to new ideas?  How do you respond to new thoughts?  Now before you answer that question, I do want . . . Read More »

How to Follow Your Leader, Even The One You Didn’t Vote For

Today might be a no hug Sunday.  That’s a Mountain Ridge Church inside joke.  Do you know what a no hug Sunday means?  When we talk about God’s grace or talk about God’s love for us, people normally are very grateful and respond with a huge hug on their way home.  Today we talk about how we respond to the leaders in our lives, even the ones you didn’t vote for.  See what I mean, probably a no . . . Read More »

Why Is Marriage Hard?

So last week we started a new series called on relationships…more specifically, marriage called “Marriage Warning” and frankly that sounds a little ominous doesn’t it?  It may even sounds a little negative or gloomy for church right?  I mean we really don’t want to hear about the challenges of something that is supposed to be so beautiful and romantic right?  It’s funny when we grow up and find that special someone we begin to dream of what life . . . Read More »

Sure Would Be Easier To KEEP The Peace

You know this series we are in is really interesting.  We have been able to talk about some really big subjects like grace, and The Bible, and Following Jesus, and community and last week Kim and I had a chance to talk to you about serving others.  Serving others is a really big deal here at MRC and I felt like we really had to go after the importance of living our lives as Jesus lived his.  I . . . Read More »

Leading Your Family To Joy

Joshua 24:1 Joshua called together all the tribes of Israel at Shechem. He called in the elders, chiefs, judges, and officers. They presented themselves before God. 2 Then Joshua addressed all the people: “This is what GOD, the God of Israel, says: A long time ago your ancestors, Terah and his sons Abraham and Nahor, lived to the east of the River Euphrates. They worshiped other gods. 3 I took your ancestor Abraham from the far side of . . . Read More »

Real Rest Leads To More Than You Realize

Ok, so I know for the last few weeks…maybe even months I have been all over you guys about taking a real rest.  I want you to know something, finding boundaries and rest in your life is a big deal to us hear at MRC because you matter to us.  It’s also a big deal to us because we know that you live in a world that makes it almost not ok, to find rest and peace in . . . Read More »

True Strength, True Status…and True Greatness

Well you are not going to believe this…and actually I hate to even say this but today is the last Sunday of the Roman series!  We are going to end this study today looking at Romans 15…now there is a Romans 16, that I would encourage you to read on your own, but today we end this series with what I see as something extremely important, and frankly something that is just so hard to grasp if we . . . Read More »

The Umbrella

Last week when Sam read Romans 12, it was fantastic. Here is why. Romans 12 takes spiritual concepts and shows how you practically live them out. Romans 12:1-3, 9-12 Take your everyday, ordinary life — your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life — and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. 2 Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into . . . Read More »