School Pictures at The Ridge

School Pictures at The Ridge

by | Sep 29, 2020 | Events, Uncategorized

Take your School Pictures at The Ridge! Reserve a slot and enjoy a FREE fall school photo session! On October 6th & 8th from 4pm to 7pm, we’re offering 10 minute time slots for your children to get their pictures taken.

Here’s how it works!
• Reserve a time slot [HERE].
• Include your mobile number and email when registering.
• Arrive before your time slot.
• Wait in your vehicle & we’ll text you when it’s your turn!
• Wear a face mask when entering.
• Sign in and receive a number.
• Get ready to take your photos!

A professional photographer will be onsite to take the photos. You will receive your images by email in 7–10 days. The email will include instructions on how to access your digital photos.

Date

Tuesday, October 6th
and
Thursday, October 8th

Time

4pm–7pm

Location

The Ridge lobby

Register Here

Register Here

Forgive & Forget—Part 3 [Devotional]

by | Sep 29, 2020 | Devotional, Uncategorized

Going Deeper with the Message:

You Also Must Forgive
by: Ben Biles

On Sunday, Tim made the point that “forgiveness is not weakness. Forgiveness is looking squarely at what the person did to you, recognizing the severity of what they did to you and choosing to release them of the debt that they owe you. It takes a lot of strength and courage to do that.” In other words, forgiveness is hard work. It takes a good amount of grit. It takes a strong person to be able to forgive. Yet, as people forgiven by God, we are called to forgive people when they wrong us. Not just once or twice, but always. God doesn’t make this optional. 

Consider one of my favorite verses in all of Scripture, Colossians 3:12-13, “Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.” Paul doesn’t make any exception to the rule. In all situations, we are required to forgive.  As much as we’d like to hold on to our grudges, that kind of mindset simply isn’t compatible with faith in Christ. Why? Because it is out of alignment with God’s own character and His own action. He showed the greatest commitment to forgiveness when He forgave the entire world of their sins through the sacrifice of His Son. In the same way, as God’s forgiven people, we must strive to exemplify God’s character in our lives to the world around us and part of that means forgiving people in all situations.

Jesus tells the parable in the Gospel of a man who was forgiven his enormous debt, but then went and wrongly treated those who owed him. This hypocrisy rightly disgusted his audience, but then Jesus flipped the script on them. If God has forgiven you all of your sins, then why are you not doing the same for those that have wronged you? The point is: when believers refuse to forgive, we display hypocrisy. If we are to spread the Gospel message with conviction and clarity, then we must first extend the same forgiveness that we have received in Jesus Christ to all people.

Living out the Message:

Coming soon

Ridge Kids Reversed Trunk Bash

Ridge Kids Reversed Trunk Bash

by | Sep 29, 2020 | Events

WE’RE REVERSING THE TRUNK BASH!

The Reversed Trunk Bash is happening on Thursday, October 15th!  All superheroes, princesses, and pirates are welcome to join us for a great time in The Ridge parking lot! It’s simple—children in costumes will stay at their vehicles to collect candy.

Here’s how it will work: 
Each family will need to arrive between 5:30pm–6pm.
You will park your vehicle in a designated space. Parking spots will be socially distanced.
Volunteers will have a Candy Parade by visiting each vehicle to deliver candy to your kids—you won’t have to move!
We will begin the Candy Parade promptly at 6pm—don’t be late!
Volunteers will wear masks and gloves, and all candy will be unopened.
Feel free to bring lawn chairs to sit in or have a seat in your trunk.
Vehicles will need to remain parked until the end of the event.
You’re also encouraged to decorate your trunk or vehicle!

Dress up in your most creative, funny, and scary costumes—let’s have a fangtastic time!

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You are not required to register for this event.  However, if you’d like to participate by handing out candy or donating unopened candy, please click the register button below.

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Please follow these guidelines for this family-friendly event:
  • Costumes must be family-friendly and may not be obstructive, offensive, objectionable or violent.
  • Costumes may not contain any weapons that resemble or could easily be mistaken for an actual weapon.
  • Costumes may not contain sharp objects, pointed objects or materials that may accidentally strike another guest
  • Clothing with objectionable material, including obscene language or graphics
  • Excessively torn clothing
  • Clothing which, by nature, exposes excessive portions of the skin that may be viewed as inappropriate for a family environment

We welcome everyone to dress up in your best costumes, however, we suggest that only children 14 years of age and younger participate in the trunk-or-treating.

Date

Thursday, October 15

Time

6pm–7pm

Location

The Ridge parking lot

Register/Donate

Register/Donate

Forgive & Forget—Part 2 [Devotional]

by | Sep 22, 2020 | Devotional

Going Deeper with the Message:

Forgive: Starting with Yourself
by: Ben Biles

Of all the people most difficult to forgive, we often struggle with forgiving the person staring back at us in the mirror. While other people might have forgotten, we remember all of our own mistakes. We have a mental list of the hurts we’ve caused. We know we’ve done a lot of wrong and, for that reason, we are burdened by our past. We lie awake at night shuddering at the things we’ve done and wish we could go back in time to change them. And yet, we can’t go back and change them. We live with the knowledge of our failings everyday. Often, when we’re with people we love, we wonder, “What would they think if they knew the real me?”

Thankfully, God offers freedom from those burdens through the forgiveness found in Jesus Christ. On Sunday, Tim said that “God’s forgiveness makes self-forgiveness possible.” Forgiving yourself begins by accepting that your heavenly Father has already forgiven you. He has cleared you of all sins—those committed against Him and those committed against others. If God has already forgiven you, then you need to forgive yourself as well. It’s time to let go of the past and live free from the burden of past sin. Self-forgiveness is necessary if you want to grow in your relationship with God and others. 

By continuing to be burdened by your past, you not only fail to realize the complete forgiveness you have in God, but you also are unable to love people effectively. Not being able to forgive ourselves is a reflection of how we value ourselves. When we think of ourselves as failures who are unworthy of love, we don’t reach out to others in love. When we imagine that no one will accept us for what we’ve done, we shut off relationships before they get too deep. We cover up our vulnerabilities and keep people at an arm’s distance. When we devalue ourselves, we undervalue the impact we can have for Christ in this world. If we want a deeper relationship with God and others, we need to forgive ourselves first.

Living out your forgiveness in Christ isn’t about being a perfect person. You’re still going to mess up. A lot. Instead of trying to be perfect, you should recognize that your identity is found and based in Christ Jesus, the perfect Son of God. He is our righteousness. He gives us the ability to live free from sin and use that freedom to love others. “For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another” (Galatians 5:13).

Living out the Message:

Freedom in Christ
By Ben Biles

Self-forgiveness starts with the reality that you have done things in the past which you regret. You feel shame, guilt, maybe even embarrassment. As much as we’d like to, we can’t change the past. But Jesus could and did. When He died for the sins of the world, He changed the past, present, and future by forgiving all sins for all time. That’s why the words of Colossians, written 2000 years ago, still apply to us today: “And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross” (Colossians 2:13–14).

The two big things to realize from these verses are that 1) God made you alive together with him and 2) your record of debt has been canceled. So, if you have no record of debt, you now have a responsibility to live free from those feelings of shame and guilt associated with those past mistakes. If we truly believe in the totality of God’s forgiveness, why should we continue to live in the shame? Instead, our life with God should be characterized by the intense joy and peace flowing from the knowledge of our forgiveness we have in Christ. When others see us, they should see a broken vessel pulsating with the light and rhythm of God’s life-changing presence.

Later in Colossians, Paul then helps direct the believers to think in terms of their forgiveness. “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:1–3). Those of us that struggle with self-forgiveness should also realize that we aren’t focusing on the right things, for we have set our minds on our own mistakes. We let our sin become our focus even though Christ has paid the price for them. Instead, we should set our minds on the things of God, focused on a relationship with Him and the many blessings that flow from Him. Not only is this the correct way of thinking, it also releases you from the relentless guilt over things done in the past. Freedom in Christ means freeing yourself from the guilt and shame you’ve trapped yourself in for so long for God has already forgiven you.