Ridgell's Originals

I freely admit that my New Year’s Resolution this year is borrowed from someone else.  I wanted a very simple goal for this year.  I decided to select one thing and make it my focus.  I found it in my Bible.  It was stated by the Apostle Paul in a letter to the church in Philippi, and it is my one resolution for the year.  Here it is:

            But one thing I do:  Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

 The resolution is Jesus and here are the three things that Paul was determined to do.  These are good resolutions for all of us.

1.       Forget the past.  Let go of your past sins and poor choices.  God has forgiven you in Christ.  Your past does not have to determine your future.  Let go of guilt, shame, and humiliation.  Stop hanging on to past hurts.  You cannot look forward when you are focused on the past.

2.      Go for the prize.  We are going home to heaven.  Do not quit.  Do not get distracted.  Do not lose sight of where you are going.  Stay on the road that leads to where God has called you.

3.      Press On.  Choose faith over fear, joy over depression, hope over despair, forgiveness over revenge, and love over hate.  Be bold and radical this year in following Jesus.  Give generously.  Pray boldly.  Read God’s Word daily.  Share your faith.  Represent Jesus in your world.  Share your faith.

One thing:  Jesus.  Three things to do:  forget the past, focus on heaven, and press on till you get there.

# posted by Steve @ 5:00 AM 0 comments

 I really am not much on New Year's resolutions.  I get that it is a convenient time to start things, but if I am honest I think Christians resolve to do certain things every day.  Scripture has a number of texts that are sort of resolutions in and of themselves.  

One of those is Luke 9:23 and that is one of my resolution verses for my life.

Three things in that verse if I want to be a Jesus follower.

First, deny myself.  I really want to work this year at saying no to me.  I don't want my life to be about me.  When I was baptized I died with Jesus.  And I buried me.  I want to be intentional about putting myself behind God.

Second, take up my cross daily.  Living out my baptism so to speak.  Continuing to die to myself and live crucified each day.  Each day.  

And follow Jesus.  Harder than it sounds.  I get the attraction of following churches.  Or preachers (especially me).  And really attractive when they are able to fit the way I want to be into their theology.  But Jesus isn't like that.  He never said follow churches.  More like be church.  And if you going to follow a preacher, you better be sure they are following Jesus.  

So I want to live this way.  Treat people like Jesus.  Buy in to the Jesus way.  

That is one of my go-to resolution verses this year.  

Deny me.

Live crucified every day.

Follow Jesus.

# posted by Steve @ 5:00 AM 0 comments

 So Christmas is on Sunday this year.  Doesn't happen often so most families will only really deal with it maybe one, at the most two, times when their kids are young enough to have to sort out the question of what to do about church attendance Christmas morning.

I get how hard it is to stop the presents and play, get ready for church, and take out an hour or so to go to church.  

But here are a few thoughts to ponder.

How important is Santa, toys, and play?

How important is meeting with your church family?

How do you teach priorities to your children?

What are your priorities?

Does church have to be at the building with everyone else?

I am just never a fan of not doing church.  I don't think the message our children need is that Santa is more exciting, special, better than worshipping Jesus.

And I am not a fan of  on-line worship.  I think worship is by design a community of believers event. 

So personally, if going to church is not going to be your decision... then I suggest family church.  

And don't rush it.

I would perhaps read the Jesus story out of Luke 2.

Sing some CHRISTmas hymns together.

Have you family pray together.

Talk about baby Jesus that grew up to die so we could live with God forever.

Share communion in memory of that.

Maybe the baptized members of your family can tell the story of their decision to follow Jesus.  Share their baptism story.

So I don't know what your family will do Christmas morning.  Our kids are grown and our grands are about grown too so we will be in the assembly with our church family.

We will New Year's too and not just because I have to preach that morning.  

Living out your faith is not always easy.  Decisions have to be made.  

Just be sure that Christmas morning really is about Jesus.

# posted by Steve @ 5:00 AM 0 comments

 I like Christmas.  Mostly because of family.  Lots of intentional effort between Thanksgiving and New Years for families to connect.  Immediate family, extended family, and "might as well be" family.  It is sometimes hard to stay connected so I appreciate the chance to see siblings, nieces and nephews, and cousins.

And I hurt for those in fractured families.  I don't mean families with issues -- that's all of us.  I mean families that do not even communicate.  Families that are truely broken.

I remember that some families have an empty chair for the first time this year.  It is hard.

And others have an extra chair for the first time.  Good for them.

I am reminded that some of the people I am talking to about Jesus are seeing Christmas in a new way this year.  They are making decisions that will change their family forever.  

I appreciate the doers and workers in every family.  The cooks.  The drivers.  The pick up the wrapping paper people.  The ones who clean up after everyone else.  The ones that open their home.

I appreciate the families that will sitting together in church on Christmas Sunday.  Not because it is a more holy day, but because they are worshipping together.  

I am thankful for the non-believers who go to church with everyone else.  And yes, I pray that something will strike your heart and make you want to know Jesus.

I am thankful for the prodigals living away from their faith who show up anyway.  Maybe this will be your "come home" Sunday.

I appreciate those that work on Christmas.  The nurses, the police, the people we need at their post so we can enjoy Christmas.  

And I am thankful for my family this Christmas.  

Both my blood family and my blood of Jesus family.

# posted by Steve @ 5:00 AM 0 comments

 Lots of talk this time of year about baby Jesus.  And the manger is much easier to talk about than the cross.  Everybody loves babies.  Baby Jesus doesn't seem threatening.  Animals, baby Jesus, shepherds, wise men, and Mommy and Dad.  

But the truth about baby Jesus is much deeper than that.  

So here are things to remember when talking about baby Jesus.

God showed up.  Baby Jesus was God in the flesh.  The fact that God would love us so much that He would send his son.  And Jesus would love us so much that he would submit to that.  To save us from our sins.  Jesus did not come so we could figure out how to live.  He did not come to make this world a better place.  He came to save us from our sins.

Every day chores are holy.  Jesus was a baby.  Feeding, changing diapers, rocking.  All holy.  Life is holy.  My mundane everyday chores are part of my walk with God.  And they are holy.

Jesus grew up.  He did not stay an infant.  He lived.  And he showed us how to live.  That is not why he came.  He came to save us.  But we live in this world as saved people.  He showed us how to do that.  And it is not easy.  It is not comfortable.  It is dangerous.  It is not popular.  And it is the only life that brings true contentment.  It is the only life that never ends.

Baby Jesus came to die.  He grew up for one reason.  To die on the cross.  To pay for our sins.  The manger without the cross is not the Jesus story.

Baby Jesus lives.  Yes, he grew up and died.  Then God raised him from the dead.  He came from heaven and he went back to heaven.

Baby Jesus came to make a way for us.  His death reconciled us to God.  

If you believe.  

And that is the real key to baby Jesus.  God's son who came to save us from our sins.  Who grew up and lived differently than the world.  Who died on the cross for our sins.  Who was raised from the dead.  

Believe it.

And that is the good news of baby Jesus.

# posted by Steve @ 5:00 AM 0 comments

 I have such mixed feelings about Christmas, Jesus, church, and how it fits together.

Don't tell me Christmas is a Christian holiday.  After all, it is not in the Bible as something we have to do.  But don't tell me I am wrong to talk about Jesus at Christmas either.  At a season when the whole world is thinking about Jesus, we seem really odd as Christians to not even recognize it.

Don't tell me I have to put a tree in the church building.  Sure not going to find that in the Bible.  Unless it is in that passage about church buildings.  Oops.

You do not have to sing Joy to the World at Christmas service.  Of course, nothing wrong with singing it at Christmas.  Or in July.

Don't get why some people think it is wrong to have a Christmas Eve candlelight service.  Seems like Christians getting together to celebrate Jesus would be a good thing.  But I don't get why some people are bothered if you do not go.

Advent.  Not in the Bible.  Though peace, joy, love, and hope sure are.  

Some of my favorite churches make a big deal about Christmas.  Some of my favorite churches hardly mention it.

But here is what I do know.  God sent his son into the world to save us from our sins.  We need to read Luke 2 a whole lot more.  The birth of Jesus is good news that brings great joy.  Our world needs that now as much as it did then.  

Maybe my friends and neighbors are a little more open to talking about Jesus at Christmas.  Let's not blow any more opportunities.

As for me, my favorite Christmas things are family, food, and fun.

You know, just like church.  

So I don't much care what your church does at Christmas.  

Let's just not fight about it.  

# posted by Steve @ 5:00 AM 0 comments

 It is an old problem, but that makes it no less painful.  It seems even more intense this time of year.  Random and sudden sickeness.  Empty seats at the table.  Kidnappings and abuse.  Alcoholism.  Broken relationships.  

Suffering and pain from other people's choices that wreck lives.  Collateral damage.  

Which raises the question:  where is God?  Why does He not stop the pain?  Prevent the damage?  Why are some spared consequences and others not?  

It is a quesion non-beleivers sometimes raise when we try and talk about our faith.  It is a fair question.  And for what it is worth, my answer is always in the first few chapters of Genesis. God made a perfect world.  Man made bad choices that ruined it.  God is fixing it.

But it is a very real question for believers also.  Whein talking with believers struggling with this this question, my answer is found by looking at the book of Job.  So much to digest from that book.  And people far smarter than me have delved deeply into the book of Job.  But when I am in these discussions, I do see three clear truths that I share from Job.

Maybe they will help you if you are wrestling with this.  Maybe these will equip you to help someone.

First.  It is clear in the very first part of Job that good and evil, suffering and pain, is not always about us.  The book of Job is a lesson about God and Satan.  Satan is challenging faith.  God is upholding faith.  Job is being used by God to show that Satan is wrong.  That he is lying about faith.  That faith is real and true.  It is not the result of some kind of God bribe.  God is true.  Satan is a liar.  And everything is not about us.  We should know that as believers.

Second.  Believers, strong faith believers, sometimes struggle with the why.  Why do bad things happen to good people?  Why do good things happen to bad people (especially if they are not happening to me)?  I am trying to do what is right.  Or, I am doing what is right.  Shouldn't that be worth something?  These are all questions that even believers stuggle with.  Why me?  Asking God for answers.  Demanding God answer.  At least let me see how this suffering matters.  Who will it help?  How will it help?  This is of the central themes of Job.  A good man questioning what is happening to him.  Believers will struggle with their faith.

Third.  Believers eventually remember that God is God, not us.  He is so far above us that we would not understand his ways even if He explained them to us.  He is God.  We are not.  And sometimes that means sitting in the dirt with tears running down our cheeks.  Not understanding.  But believing.  Believing in the God that moves mountains.  Believing the the God that redeems our pain.  Believing in the God that will someday bring us home and wipe away all the tears.

Job.

If you want more, look at the first part of Genesis.  Read about how Jesus endured the suffering in his life.  Check out James.  Pick any hero in the Bible and look for the suffering and pain in their life.  And look around at your community of faith.  

Suffering and pain.  God and faith.

All of these are real.  And they really are all connected.

# posted by Steve @ 5:00 AM 0 comments

 Our Golden Retriever, Lucky Ridgell, had a long and a really good life.  It ended last week when we had to put him down.  He had survived cancer.  Like a lot of big dogs, he was starting to have trouble getting around.  Then he stopped eating.  Began throwing up blood.  

So it was time.  And here are just a few reasons why I loved Lucky.  And if you are not a dog person, you won't get this.  But you should.

Lucky was loyal.  Always wanted to be where I was.  He liked Mimi and he loved the grands, but he was loyal to me.  Even at the end when he couldn't get around, if he saw me he tried to get up and come sit by me. 

He had fun.  Chased any squirrel that got on our fence.  Caught a few birds that flew too low in an effort to torment him. Caught one rabbit that ventured into the wrong yard.  Liked to run and jump until he couldn't. 

He was a good friend to his little sister Lulu.  She was about 120 pounds lighter than Lucky but they got along.  He tolerated her.  Let her lay by him.  Even let her eat out of his bowl when he had all he wanted.

Lucky had one of the all-time great barks.  Very authoritative and commanding.  Deep and loud.  Didn't use it often, but when he did it was serious.

He was a good looking dog.  People stared when they saw him.  Everyone wanted to pet him.  And he let them.  Even the tech that took him in for the final visit.

So why put him down if he was so great?

Quality of life matters to dogs.  They want to please you and they will endure pain to try and make you happy.

We are never going to be cruel to our dogs just to make us feel better.  Not going to be selfish.  

Putting him down was the right thing.  And yes, there may have been a few tears shed.  Lucky was family.  He was one of my best friends.  My grands grew up petting him and sleeping with him right by them. 

But maybe when God restores all creation, our dogs will be there.  We have a lot of good dogs to see, but I think Lucky will be leading the pack.  

So thanks God for letting us have Lucky for over 13 years.  

He was a gift.

# posted by Steve @ 5:00 AM 2 comments

 Evy Greenlee.  Jesus.  Alzhiemer's.  Heaven.  

Evy died of complications from Alzhiemer's.  She was in her mid-60's, and had fought this disease for over ten years.  Her husband, Ed, and I served a number of years together as elders and he is one of my best friends.  

But I want to write today about Evy.  About why I love who she was and how she lived.  And died.  About why I was - and am -- so proud of her.

You had to know Evy before she got sick to really understand her.  She was always kind, sweet, and good.  I know she was not perfect.  No one is.  But I never knew her to be anything but kind and sweet.  And she would absolutely ask me not to write this last sentence.  In fact, she wouldn't want to write about her at all.  Because her life was never about her.

Evy' life was about Jesus first.  Her husband will tell you that had some rocky years in their early marriage.  He will also tell you that they made it because Evy believed in Jesus.  Helped Ed to get his focus set on Jesus too.  She spent years teaching children to love God.  Coached Bible bowl for years.  A lot of people know a lot of Bible because of Evy.

Her family mattered.  She and Ed were a great elder couple.  That's really how Marsha and I got to know them well.  Doing shepherding together.  Great wife and role model for younger wives.  She raised three strong girls.  I have seen what they have said about their Mom after she died.  Every one of them refered to her faith and to seeing her again some day in heaven.  That's a legacy.

And you could see her faith when she couldn't process it herself.  Couldn't communicate.  Alzhiemer's is cruel that way.  Your mind and body can't get out what is in your heart.  Then you are not even aware.  But I think you can always see the real person in this illness.

And here is what you saw with Evy.

Sweet to the end.  She spent her last few years in a memory facility.  She was nice to everyone.  Hugged on people that looked sad.  Smiled.  When groups would come sing hymns, there was Evy singing along from some place deep inside her.  Lots of little "loving Jesus" and "loving people" acts that did come out of conscious thought.  They came out of a lifetime spent doing those things.  It was who she was.

And it is who she is. Because of Jesus.  We prayed a lot for Evy's healing.  And it finally happened.  Not in this life in the arms of her husband.  But in the arms of Jesus.  She is more fully her and more truely home than she ever could be here.

That inspires me.  Evy always helped me see Jesus.  Even more when she couldn't verbalize it or even understand eveything.  

That is how I want to live.  And die.  Pointing the way to Jesus.

So  thanks Evy.  We'll love on Ed and your girls.  And we will see you again.

# posted by Steve @ 5:00 AM 5 comments