Ridgell's Originals

 The most common definition I hear about repentance is to be sorry.  Sorry for what you did that you shouldn't have.  Or sorry for you did not do that you should have.  That may be a fine starting point for repentance but it is very incomplete.  

Recently, you hear more talk that repentance is being sorry enough to turn around.  That is perhaps a better definition but it is still incomplete.

Regret and intention are important places to start your repentance.

But the truth is that repentance is an action verb.  It is work and it is hard.  

That is why we talk about repentance in my lastest book Wounds into Scars:  Turning your sin wounds into spiritual scars.

Here are just a couple of excepts to illustrate the point. 

Repentance is not just an emotion.  It is not just a change of attitude.  It is more than being sorry.

Real repentance is being sorry enough to quit, and start again with the life you want to live.  Sorry enough to change.  Sorry enough to live life in a different way.

And this quote from the Helpers section on repentance.

This is where the process gets difficult.  Repentance is where the strugglers start putting their confession into action.  It will require you to be wise, patient, understanding, forgiving, and to hold them accountable.

This is where the hard work begins.

# posted by Steve @ 5:00 AM 0 comments

In my newest book, Wounds into Scars, there is a major section on confession.  Confession really is the only way to deal with your sin.  But I don't mean telling someone, or acknowledging your sin when someone finds out.  I mean confessing to God because that is ultimately where the real issue lies.

An excerpt:

What does God want from you when you sin?  He wants you to acknowledge your sin to him.  Stop covering it up.  Stop making excuses. Stop ignoring your failure. Confess your sin to God.  Because every sin is ultimately against God above all.  Not against yourself.  Or other people.  Or your church.  First and foremost, your sin is against your God.

So there is a lot of material in the book about how to confess your sin.  Even a story of people who refused to confess their sin and how that played out. And a chapter on how to own your sin.  How to take responsibility and not blame everyone else.

Healing starts with confession.  Confession, much like sin, is really a heart matter.  It is about your relationship with God.

Everything starts there.

You can order the book thru www.21stcc.com.  20% off and free shipping thru October.    

# posted by Steve @ 5:00 AM 0 comments

In my newest book, Wounds into Scars, I talk about sin.  I would think that is obvious, but that is where I start.  But we often miss the point when talking about sin.  We spend lots of time talking about what sin is and being sure everyone knows you should not sin.  

But the real issue is deeper than knowledge and actions.  The real issue is your heart.  You will follow your heart.  Every time.  So the real sin issue is not found in definitions and admonitions to behave.  The real issue starts with your heart.

God and Jesus want your heart.  

So does Satan and he will lie to convince you to love him.

Here are a few lies Satan tells about your sin.  

Everyone knows how bad you really are.

You can never be forgiven.

Your past defines your identity.

No one really changes who they are.

Shame, shame, shame… forever shame.

You are a forever failure.

No one knows what you are doing.

You can never get past your past. 

These are the things we address in the book.  So order yours from 21st Century Christian.  20% off and free shipping thru October.

# posted by Steve @ 5:00 AM 0 comments

 Here are few excerpts from my newest book, Wounds into Scars:  Turning your Sin Wounds into Spiritual Scars.

21st Century is offering free shipping and 20% off thru October.

From the Introduction.

Write what you know about.  That’s what they say.  So I suppose it was inevitable that someday I would write a book about sin.  And a book about following Jesus.  A book about Jesus followers who struggle with sin.  Jesus followers who do not want to be unfaithful to their calling as Christians.  Followers who love Jesus… yet struggle with temptation.  Believers addicted to sin.  Christians who sin and repent.  And sin again. 

I know what it is to love Jesus and battle sin.  I have felt the damage to my relationship with Jesus.  I have seen the damage my sin inflicted on others.  I know the pain of wounds that seem too deep to heal. 

But I also know the healing power of forgiveness and restoration. 

I have seen my wounds become scars. 

So I will tell you what I have told hundreds of struggling Christians.  I know what the wounds of sin look like.  But even more, I know what it looks like when your wounds stop bleeding and turn into scars.  

My wife Marsha and I have walked with a lot of people through a lot of crisis situations.  People who loved Jesus, or thought they loved him, or wanted to love him.  People who blew their life up, or who were addicted to sin, or who had a secret sin they never wanted anyone to know about.  Christians who came to their crisis point.  Decided to confess, or were caught in their sin, or confronted by someone that knew about their sin.  Desperate believers that showed up on our doorstep, or blurted it out in the church foyer.  Christians we met in our living room, or in a coffee shop, or in prison. 

Jesus followers who needed to get up after their fall, or climb out of the ditch.  We have waded into the mess of lives wounded by sin.  Into the blood and the filth. 

Because I’ve been there.  And got out.  Sometimes the message is just to say…

“Here is your living proof that God can fix this.  Can fix you.  He fixed us.  He fixed me.”

Wounds into scars.

So Who Should Read This Book?

You.  If you are an elder, elder’s wife, minister, parent, friend of someone struggling to get past their sin.  It is for Christians who want to really do life in community.  Doing life in the hard times, really being there for the brother or sister in trouble.  You will find resources to offer real help when someone you love is in a fight for spiritual survival. 

Maybe this book is for you if you have blown up your life with sin.  Or if you are hiding a sin cancer deep in your soul, or if you find yourself caught in a cycle of fall, get up, fall, get up… and you desperately want to break that cycle.  So you can watch your sin wounds become scars that reflect the healing you have experienced.  So you can help others do it too.

# posted by Steve @ 5:00 AM 0 comments

I have noticed an interesting thing lately.  Our internet went out recently.  We called our provider.  They could not fix it remotely but were happy to send out a technician.  In a week.  And charge us for it.  And if we were not there during the three hour window, we would get charged for the visit anyway.  If they were late, it was too bad.  We better be there.

Worst cusomer service ever.  Terrible.  

But here is what is strange.  Every single person I met or talked to was actually nice.  Tried to help.  Didn't even like what they had to tell me.  Apologized.  But the organization is terrible.

Ever work with an insurance company on a claim.  It sure seems like the company is committed to not giving you what you have been paying for.  But again, every person I have ever dealt with seems like they want to help.  It is the company that is so bad.

I even see it in large medical organizations.  ruthless.  Cut-throat.  Impersonal.  Except almost every Doctor, nurse, tech, admin, support person seems like they really care and want to help.  It is the organization that is ruthless.

It makes me wonder if churches are ever like that. 

We all know churches that are a mess.  That do damage.  The do not respond to crisis.  Defensive.  

But I know lots of Christians at unhealthy churches.  They love Jesus.  They love people.  They are trying to live the Christian life.  They care.

It is the organization that becomes something different.  You know, Church instead of church.

So what is the point I am trying to make.

I don't know.  I am just thinking out loud.  And really hoping the church is more than just a large organization with lots of great people in a toxic envirnment where the organization comes before the people.

# posted by Steve @ 5:00 AM 1 comments

 I talk to a lot of men who struggle with porn addiction.  It is an epidemic.  It is easy to access, it is cheap (or maybe free), and it is everywhere.  

And here are the reasons Christians ought not to watch porn.  By the way, some of these are good reasons why non-Christians shouldn't watch porn.  After all, I think the Jesus life is the way to live your best life.  So the choices God asks us to make are always in our best interest.

You do not need to live in a fantasy world.  Real life is tough and escape is tempting.  But fantasy just makes reality harder.  And porn is built on a fantasy that is not true.  All thedelivery men are  not looking for sex, every lady you sit by at the airport is not interested in an affair.  And every woman does not walk around in sexy outfits hoping someone will look in their window.

Porn sets up unreal expectations.  If you want your wife to look and act like a porn star, you will need to convince about 20 or 30 women to marry you over the course of your life.  Because you will have to try and get a new model every few years.  And you are in trouble if women decide they want their husbands to look and act like a porn star.  You better plan on a short life.

Porn is cheating on your mate.  Getting satisfaction from anyone outside of marriage cheapens your marriage.  The real thing is better.    And if you are single be warned.  Some even get so deep into the make believe that their real mate no longer seems attractive. Don't ruin your marriage before it starts.

The porn star you lust after would not give you a second glance in real life.

And if you are a Christian, remember that the Holy Spirit is right there when you watch porn.  Is that really what you want.

Love God.  Remember the Holy Spirit is part of you.  Be like Jesus.  Love your mate.  Honor you mate.  Lust your mate.  Enjoy each other.  Honor God.

Turn it off.   

# posted by Steve @ 5:00 AM 0 comments

I did a recent series on my You Tube channel about Rahab.  Her story is in Joshua, chapter 2 and chapter 4.  She was a prostitute who rewrote her story and ended up one of the ancestors of Jesus.

Shameless plug:  Go check them out.

Here is why I love to tell this story.

It is my go-to story for the people that somehow think they are not good enough to come to church.  You know, the ones who say the roof would cave in if they showed up there.  The ones who think if we really knew them, we would not want them in our church.

Rahab really was a prostitue.  When the spies came in to check out Jericho, she hid them and then helped them escape.  Asked them to spare her family when they captured the city.  She knew they were going to win the battle because she had heard of what God had done in bringing them out of Egypt.

You see, the point is not how good we are.  It is a matter of faith.  So church is not about being good enough to get in, it is about having faith in the One who makes us good.  

That is Jesus.  I mean, I go to a church called church of Christ.  Not a title, but a description.

Because the tru;th is, none of us are good enough to be in church.  Even those of us who are good, are good only because of what Jesus and the Holy Spirit are doing in our lives.  

And Rahab did rewrite the ending of her story.   Youo can too.

It starts todayl

And if you are really worried about the roof, come to church and sit by me.  If it hasn't caved in on me, you are certainly safe.

Thank you Jesus.   

# posted by Steve @ 5:00 AM 0 comments

 I have three different people over the last week engage with me about finding a church home.  One did not have a community of faith, one could not get connected where they were going, and one had a major life crisis and no one in their church helped.  

And I want to be clear about something.  Your community of faith is probably much bigger than where you go to church.  Ours is.  But if you really want to live your best Jesus life, you need to be part of a local church community.  Being in worship with your church family matters.

Here are a few reasons why.

You need to know you are not doing the Jesus life by yourself.  There are people just like you trying to be like Jesus.  

Sometime these people need help. And sometimes you need help.  A church community gives you access to resources.  Spiritual leaders.  Healthy families.  Role models.

You need to be inspired.  Get a shot in the arm.  So you can go out in the world the rest of the week inspired to love and do good works.  Yes, I took that right out of Hebrews so I know it is true.

You can worship God by yourself.  But you need collective worship.  Five or 5000 people.  Just the connection of people praying together, singing together, studying Scripture together.

You need to do communion with other members of the body of Christ.  That is when we collectively affirm our conviction that Jesus died for us and that he will come back for us.  Check out I Corinthinans.  The best sermon when we assemble is the one we preach when we take communion together.

You need to pray over and be prayed over.  I can always tell a healthy church by how they pray.  Not just the public prayers, but the small group prayers.  Bible class prayers after taking prayer requests.  Seeing the preacher and other worship leaders in prayer before the assembly.  I love to see prayers in the foyer, prayers in the pew, prayers in the aisle.  

You need more follow Jesus encouragement.  

You need to hear more Bible.

You need a bigger family.

You need to praise God in your life of service, by living forgiven, and by coming together with other believers to praise our God.

And as we convert new Christians, we need them to worship with others.  You help that.  Just by being there.  And maybe you can walk with them in their new life.  Encourage them.  Mentor them in Jesus.

So show up.

Your life -- and my life -- may depend on it.    

# posted by Steve @ 5:00 AM 0 comments