Ridgell's Originals

 Tim Cope married our Julie just over a year ago, and he is having a birthday early next week.  It is my custom to write about my family members and talk about why I love them and am proud of them.  Now that I really know Tim, this is a really easy task.

So here is why I love Tim.

He loves our Jules.  I mean, he really loves her. They still do date nights, he calls when working just to say he loves her and to see how her day is going.  Treats her well.

He loves our grands, Jake and Avery.  It is a tough deal to come in as the step-Dad.  Especially with teenagers.  But Tim loves them like his own.  Doesn't mind doing things for them.  Ready to give advice without forcing it.  He is a good role model for what a man should be.

Loves us.  He takes care of me and Mimi.  Does things for us out at the ranch.  Checks in to see if we need things.

Loves the rest of our family.  He and Joe Don plan the hunting on our ranch.  Helps teach Joe Don's boys about the outdoors.  Enjoys watching them.

He really runs the cattle business for us.  And does most of the work with our herd.  

He is kind, generous, hard working, and loves this family.

He and Julie open their home for family activities and meals.  And he leads us in prayer before we eat.

Oh yeah, this is important.  He likes my preaching.  Or at least says he does.

So Tim we love you and our glad you are our son.

God bless Tim. Help him to lead his family.  Bless his business and our cattle.  Give he and Julie long life together.   

# posted by Steve @ 5:00 AM 0 comments

 I think everyone ought to be talking about Jesus to their friends, family, neighbors.  But I also get that not everyone is going to do this.  Even if they really want our world to hear about Jesus.  So I try to remember and give some ideas for the how to be evengelistic even if you are not an evangelist.

Pray.  Pray often for lost people.  Pray for those you know.  Ask the evangelists you know for the names of people they are working with and pray for them.  

Give seed money.  Gift cards to be used for evangelism lunches and coffee.

Invite.  Bring people to church or have them over for a meal.  Then try and connect them to the evangelists in your church.

Be friendly.  We have people in our Jesus Journey class whose main function is to welcome visitors.  To check on class members.  

Fix a meal.  Pay a bill.  Do a chore.  We reach a lot of non-believers who have needs.  They don't always want to ask.  Sometimes they do.  Let your evangelists know you are willing to help.  

Be present.  Show up for the baptism.  Sit by them at church.  Greet them.  Welcome them.  

For new Christians, send a card.  Bake a welcome to the family cake.  Give them a spiritual birthday present.

We are reaching a lot of people because someone invited them, people were kind, people helped with their needs.  And the evangelists told them about Jesus.

And ask them to help.  Take them with you to visit the hospital.  Ask them to serve at a funeral or fellowship meal.  Help plug them into ministry.  

Or just have them over for a meal.  Or take them out. 

Do something.

It all makes a difference.

# posted by Steve @ 5:00 AM 0 comments

 I spend a lot of time talking to churches about their mission.  What is it that matters to your church?  And I have found that it is rarely what we say it is.  The real mission of your church is not seen in the "mission statement".  It is most truely seen in where a church puts its time, energy, and resources.  

Over time, I have become convinced there are basically four main identities/missions/motivation for churches.

One is the church whose mission is the status quo.  They do not want anything to change.  They like how things are and they want to keep things right where they are.  Comfortable.  Secure.  They spend quite a bit of time and energy on making sure there is no drift away from where they are.  They realize they are dying out but just cannot bear the thought of change.  Even as they get older and smaller.  

Some churches are almost the exact opposite.  Their mission is to change.  To do things the way they think things should be done.  Everything is geared toward change.  Toward accomplishing the mission of making the church into what they are convinced it should be.  They have a hard time understanding why their is so much tension in their congregation.  They have to believe the people that leave just don't get how important it is to change.  They are surprised when the changes get done and they do not grow at all.  In fact, they may even be smaller than they were.  

Other churches see their calling and mission to take care of themselves.  Put time and resources into children and youth ministry so we can keep our own.  Find out the needs of our congregation and be sure they are met.  They are very inward focused.  And they often can maintain for decades.  About the same size, treading water.  But they are still there.  Not necessarily growing the Kingdom, but certainly maintaining the Kingdom.  

But there are a few who buy into a different mission.  They see their calling and mission as making disciples.  Reaching those who do not know Jesus.  Helping them to grow into productive disciples who will make other disciples.  They problem with this is that it is hard to find churches with similar determination to do this.  And people that really are more in tune with the first three identities are not really comfortable with this idea.  Much more than the other three, this model is very outward focused.  

So what is the point of this for me as an individual Christian?  You have to figure out what you think is the mission of the church and be part of a church community that shares that vision.  

Just my thoughts and like most things, I think I am right.  But if not, at least this is worth thinking about. 

# posted by Steve @ 5:00 AM 1 comments

 One of the things that happens when you get serious about reaching people for Jesus is that you will find non-believers who are actually "used to" believers.  Some have lost their faith.  Others have misplaced it.  Some walking back into darkness.  Others living in the shadow-land between darkness and light.  

I consider work the these to be evangelism.  Convert a soul or bring a soul back.  Either way sins are being forgiven and souls are being saved.  

A couple of things we are doing with our "come home lost sheep" people.  

We encourage them to do three things.  

Get started back on their Jesus journey.  Start praying.  Read your Bible.  Get intentional about how to treat people.  Work on kicking your addictions.  Cultivate the right relationships.  End the wrong ones.

Get involved in your community of faith.  Come worship.  Go to Bible class.  Get in a small group.  Accept the invitations to eat out.  Pray for the people that are mentioned as needing prayer.  Go to the all-church activities.  Give.

Find a ministry.  Visit the hospital.  Help as an usher/greeter.  Work in the VBS.  Sign up on a meal train.  Be open to non-profit opportunites.  Talk to friends, neighbors, and families about Jesus.  

And as part of their coming back home journey, we ask them to meet with our church leadership.  We have the elders pray over them.  We share the desire to rededicate their life to following Jesus.  We offer help in managing consequences.  We walk beside them.  

Coming home needs to have a significant milestone.  For us, it is meeting with the elders.  Some might have people come before the church for prayer.  

We do not deal much with details of their past.  But we not just let them slide back into church as if they never left. 

And right now, we are brining almost as many home as we are bringing new into the Kingdom.  

A soul saved is a soul saved. 

# posted by Steve @ 5:00 AM 0 comments

 I don't mean that you need a class just like we have at Hillcrest.  Or that I have some program to push or sell.  But I do think every church ought to periodically have a class dedicated to people seeking Jesus.  We are a large church so we offer it as an ongoing class.  A small congregation might just want to offer it periodically and maybe haave the whole church involved.

But here are a few things that have helped our class thrive.

It is absolutely, 100% geared to non-believers.  We announce it that way.  In fact, our members aren't really invited to it.  

It is for people who want to know what it looks like to live the Jesus life.  It is for people who want to follow Jesus, but aren't sure how to go about it.  And it is for people who may have gotten off the Jesus road and want to come back.

If our members invite someone to the class, they have to come with them.  If you are a member that wants to come, you have to buy into helping all the seekers on their journey.  We have members who study with visitors, who babysit, who help out with transportation and even bills.  Members who fervently pray for people to know Jesus.  Who show up for baptisms and for rededication blessings. And who sit in hospital rooms. 

I have come to realize that every Hillcrest member in our class has had hard things happen to them.  Maybe that is why they want everyone to know Jesus.  When a visitor talks about losing a child, we have people to share their Jesus journey when they lost their child.  Or broken relationships.  Or addictions.  Or whatever the pain felt in a lost world, we have someone in our class that has traveled that same road and been healed by Jesus.

We are committed not only to getting them on the Jesus journey, but to helping them get firmly set on that road.

And our church leadership buys in.  Elders and staff.  Everything from hiring me part-time to fully supporting this class.  One elder couple even is part of the class.

You don't have to do it just like we do.  

But you do need to have your version of the Jesus Journey class.

# posted by Steve @ 5:00 AM 0 comments

 Yes I said it.  My wife Marsha is 70 today.  There are lots of reasons I love her and am proud of her, but here are five quick ones.

Great wife.  Not just because she makes me a better person, or even that she makes me a better follower of Jesus.  Not even because she takes care of me so well.  But because she supports me.  She still shows up to hear me teach and preach.  And listens.  She has heard about everything I have to say and still is engaged and supportive.  She knows when things are hard and I need her eye contact, or for her to hold my hand.  And she does.

Great Mom.  Our kids have really been blessed.  Julie and Joe Don were raised by a Mom that encourages them, loves them, is proud of them, and is always there for them.  And she counts Jamie and Tim as her kids.  Really special to have a mother-in-law who treats you as her kid.

Great Mimi.  I am sure there are grandmothers better than Mimi.  I just have never seen one.  So great to help when they were babies.  Cousin camps.  Showing up for activities.  Holiday sacks.  Time, prayer, and love. 

Great daughter.  I don't just mean for her folks, though she was amazing in their last years.  But she is a great daughter to my Mom.  Does lots of errands for her, talks to her often.  My Mom loves me, but if it is anything important she wants to talk to Marsha.

Great friend.  She is loyal, faithful, and will do anything for her people.  

But here is the best one.

Faithful follower of Jesus.  She works to do what Jesus wants, talks to others about Jesus, prays lots, has a lot of people into our home.  Especially the seekers and the wounded.  

It is hard to believe she is 70.  Doesn't act it.  Sure doesn't look it.  

God thanks for blessing us with Marsha.  Give her lots more years of health to love you and to love her people.

# posted by Steve @ 5:00 AM 1 comments

 Melinda and Angel never met as far as I know, yet they are linked together for eternity because of Jesus.

Melinda just died from cancer. It was a long two year journey.  She had her ups and downs emotionally as you would expect, but she maintained a remarkable faith right up until the end.  She has been a believer for over 50 years.  Been married to a believer for almost 50 years.  Raised their three kids, loved her grandkids.  Her husband farmed across the road for my in-laws and that is how we got to know them. 

I learned a lot about prayer from Melinda.  We prayed for healing and God gave her more than a year longer than the Doctors expected.  And she would have us pray for God to let her live to witness different events.  Graduations or special trips.  He granted many of those requests.  

Angel is a friend of ours from our Jesus journey class at Hillcrest.  She loved Jesus and had tried off and on to follow him but never quite got it all together.  But her best friend and best friend's husband were coming to the class and invited her to come with them.  She talked quite a bit with Chris, a member of our class she worked with.  She came over and visited with Marsha and I about her journey.  Some of the believers in the jouney class had traveled roads much like hers and that helped show her the power of Jesus to heal broken lives.  

Angel made the decision to give her life to Jesus and was baptized.

And here is how Angel and Melinda are connected.  Anita, one of Melinda's best friends, is in the journey class.  My wife Marsha is in the class and of course she knew Melinda.  So often in our class we would pray for Melinda.  Hearing Melinda's story inspired Angel to start praying for her every day.  And we told Melinda about the Journey class.  And about Angel and the decision she was making.  

Melinda helping reach people from her deathbed.  Angel begining her walk praying for someone she didn't even know.

They will meet in heaven.  It will be glorious.

And last night, about the same time, two holy moments occured.  Melinda went home to spend her life with Jesus.  And Angel was born again.

Both of them are really happy today.

# posted by Steve @ 5:00 AM 0 comments