Ridgell's Originals

 I call them the Ridgell Rules.  I adopted them several years ago and by now they are an ingrained habit.  I have shared them with lots of ministers, elders, and Christian brothers.  I later found out that lots of Christian leaders use something similar.

Basically, they are rules for interactions with women.  If you really want to see the list, it is included at the end of my book, Wounds into Scars.  Some think mine are way too rigid and strict.  Some argue that there have to be exceptions to the rules to be an effective church leader.  But I think that defeats the reasoning behind the rules.

So here are the three reasons I have the Ridgell Rules and why I encourage you to develop your own set of rules for how you conduct yourself.

First of all, they are for my protection.  I never want to be put in a position where I can be tempted.  Satan is clever enough without my helping him by putting myself in potentially dangerous situations.  Never assume you are not vulnerable.  Be vigilant about your life.  Be aware of your weakness.  Don't think you are immune to temptation.  Most Christians that fall did not intend to do so.  So I have a set of rules that protect me from temptation.

Second, these rules help others be confident and safe.  There are things I just will not do and that gives confidence to my wife, my church, and those I help.  Those we lead have to know they are protected.  

And finally, it protects you from gossip and false accusations.  The rules eliminate "he said, she said" situations.  They even eliminate misunderstandings.  If you are never alone with someone, they cannot accuse of things you did not do.

Two other things I always emphasize.

Don't break the rules.  

Have accountability people in your life that will help you to keep the rules.

So I live by these rules.  They have helped.  Does everyone else have to?  Nope.  But they do help.

They help restore confidence.  They help prevent problems.

They will protect you from yourself.

They will assure others you are to be trusted.

They will protect you from others.

And they will help you honor God.  

# posted by Steve @ 5:00 AM 0 comments

 Howard Norton finished his race last week, just a couple of weeks after his wife passed.

I didn't know Howard well.  Just knew him thru church, preaching, and mission circles.  But there are a few things I really love and respect about him.  Reasons he made a real difference for the Kingdom.

He spent almost 20 years in Brazil as a missionary.  I love those Christians who give their life to sharing Jesus in hard places.  I have preached in several places in Brazil and I know first-hand the good the Norton family did and the long lasting influence they had.  That in itself is worthy of a "will done".

Howard served as the Director of the Baxter Institute in Honduras.  We did some work together, Baxter and Herald of Truth.  I really came to appreciate Howard's love for sharing the gospel.  

He was still teaching and preaching in his mid-80's.  Role model.  As long as he could, he did.  And people wanted to hear him.  Same message he preached for decades.  Jesus.  I often saw him on the "old rally" circuit.  If you don't know, that is the counterpart to the youth rally circuit.  Retreats for senior saints.  He was in great demand at those and I would often get to be on the program with him.

But here is maybe the main reason I love and respect Howard Norton.  He was the real deal.  He was always friendly, complimentary, and glad to see me.  Even when I kept introducing myself because I wasn't sure he would know who I was.  By the way, he may not have.  But he always made me feel like I mattered.  That takes a Jesus person to do that.

So well done Howard.  You and your bride both. You made a difference.  An eternal difference.  In Brazil, in Central America, and in the U.S.  

See you in heaven.

# posted by Steve @ 5:00 AM 0 comments

 There are churches growing because they are experiencing new births.  And there are churches that are dying because they have not seen a new Christian in decades except for their own children.

Here are five convictions evangelistic churches share.

Sin separates people from God.  This is why evangelistic churches talk about the lost.  And loving the lost.  If your church believes no one is truly lost and everyone is going to be with God anyway, then you actually don't need to be evangelistic.  But you better be right on that.

Jesus is the only way to God.  Jesus.  Not good deeds.  Or good morals.  Or any non-Jesus religion.  Jesus.

The church's mission is to make disciples.  Christians do many things because Jesus did.  So we feed the hungry, we serve people, we treat people like Jesus.  But that is not our mission.  Our mission is to make disciples.

The Bible is the word of God.  If it is not to be trusted, then we really have a hard time reaching people for Jesus.  Because there is not objective truth.  There is church truth, or my truth, or culture truth.  But not God truth.

Baptism.  But not for the reasons you think I mean.  I do believe the Bible is clear about being born again, dying with Jesus and being raised to new life, and the gift of the Holy Spirit.  All baptism language from Scripture.  But I am thinking here about the power of witnessing new births/baptisms.  Seeing new Christians convicts the whole church to be part of making disciples.  New Christians invite friends to witness their death and new life experience.  Those friends often want the same thing.  I am amazed how many of the Jesus movements happening now result in dozens, scores, sometimes hundreds of baptisms.  Very much like what you read in Acts.

So if you want to be part of an evangelistic church...\

People are lost without Jesus.

Our mission is to share the good news that Jesus died for our sins and God raised him from the dead.  

You don't have to believe us, God told us in His own words.  That's where we get all this.

And every time you turn around, someone else is being born again.

# posted by Steve @ 5:00 AM 0 comments

 I absolutely believe that young adults are seeking authentic Christianity.  That is attractive to them.  Unauthentic Christianity turns them away.  

I sometimes hear people say that young people are turned off by hypocrisy.  Of course they are.  Who isn't?  But they are not turned off by sin.  In fact, how Christians deal with their sin is one of the the things that determines what is authentic and what is not.

So here are a few thoughts about what is authentic.  And what is not.

Call sin what it is.  Young adults are looking for a church that takes a stand.  You do not have to be mean.  Or condescending.  Or apologetic.  Just stand on Scripture.  That is real.

It is not real to try and explain how something used to be sin, or was never really sin.  Changing truth to suit culture is culture authentic.  Not Jesus authentic.  

Also not authentic.  Calling things sin that are not called sin in the Bible.  

Confess sin.  Young people are not turned off by Christians that sin.  They know that happens.  Confession is authentic.

Not authentic.  Acting as if we do not sin.  Hiding sin.  Refusing to repent of sin.  Treating sin as no big deal.  

Fight to live forgiven.  It is authentic to see repentance and watch Christians battle to get sin out of their lives.  Showing them how we do that in a community of faith is authentic. 

It is not authentic or attractive to see sin gossiped about.  Or treated judgmentally.  Or ignored.

Real authentic Christianity is to see a bunch of older Christians with sin scars helping those with sin wounds to overcome.  

No growth is not authentic.

At least that is what I am hearing from the young people I know and that are coming to Jesus.

# posted by Steve @ 5:00 AM 0 comments

 In our Jesus Journey class we are about to study the story of when Jesus overturned the money changer tables in the Temple court. The point of these stories is to learn how we live out our Jesus journey today.  Some may think I am going to talk about greed, or about using religion to make money.  Maybe even go off on churches that build lavish buildings for large professional staffs.

Nope.

We are going to talk about what I think is really the point.  

Jesus does not mess around with sin.

He is the same Jesus who told us it is better to put out our eye rather than let it cause us to sin.

The same Jesus who told a women caught in adultery to stop sinning or something worse would happen.

The Jesus who said to cease fellowship with believers who will not repent of their sin.

The Jesus who said refraining from physical adultery was not enough.  You can't even lust in your heart.

So what is the point for us?

Quit playing around with your sin.

Stop it.  Cut it off at the source.  Be radical in stopping your addictions.  Stop rationalizing and making excuses.  Just stop sinning.

Hard to do?  Yes.

Necessary?  Yes.

Jesus was hard on sin because forgiving our sins cost him his life.  

Don't mess around with your sin.

# posted by Steve @ 5:00 AM 0 comments

I know a lot of Christians that spend a lot of time arguing issues.  Worship issues.  Salvation issues.  Women's role.  Sexual ethics.  Arguing for what is right.  Or what is wrong.  Speaking strongly (or harshly) against those who do not agree. Literal or at least practical drawing lines of fellowship over issues.    

I sometimes get asked to participate in discussions or debates or arguments over certain topics.  I rarely do it.  One because it doesn't really help anything that I have seen.  But also because my reasoning about issues is based on deeper underlying convictions.

So I thought I would share why abortion or same sex marriage or any number of other issues are not really about the issue.  

Here is where it all starts for me.

Loving God.  That is the greatest commandment.  Any position that puts me at odds with God is wrong for me.  

But how can I be certain what God wants or means?  The Bible.  Trying to enforce something that is not clear in Scripture is a non-starter for me.  Trying to convince me that something the Bible is clear on is not really true today is a non-starter.  

So many of my convictions are not based on the issue.  They are based on what I believe about God and the Bible.

But what about things the Bible is not clear about?  I don't think we can be dogmatic about them.  Some things are not clear. You have to use examples and principles.  Church leaders and community of faith exercising wisdom and judgment.  Church history.  These things together go into decisions and because there is not clear teaching we may come to different conclusions.  

But what about people?  Loving people is absolutely the second most important command.  And loving people factors into my decisions about things not clear.  

But I never understand the people over doctrine arguments.  Or doctrine over people.  I just don't think God sets up doctrine that is not loving people.  And loving people will never conflict with God's doctrines.  

So the important thing for me is always...

What does God want me to do?

What did God say to me?

And when it is clear -- and there is clarity about many issues -- that settles it for me.  

# posted by Steve @ 5:00 AM 0 comments

 Two of our newest members got married last week.  Joseph and Angela.  They love each other.  As Christians, they didn't think they should live together.  They wanted to honor God.  So they decided to get married.  Joseph is recently paroled and just got a job.  Angela is a brand new Christian (baptized by Joseph) and trying to figure out all that means in her life.  So money is tight.  They have to really be aware to survive as it is.  So how do they get married?  They don't have any money.  Most couples have family to help pay for everything. So what to do?

Easy.  Their church family threw them a wedding party.

Our preacher did the ceremony.  His wife and my wife served as wedding coordinators.  I gave her away on behalf of her church family.  Used our chapel.  One couple took them to get their licensee and paid the fee.  Celebrated at Whataburger after.  Another couple helped Joseph get a ring.  One of our ladies helped Angela find a nice dress.  Another member bought new jeans for Joseph.  While another got him a shirt.  One of our ladies made the punch.  Another lady made a cake and cupcakes.  Yet another of our members fixed Angela's hair.  

At the reception, members wrote cards of encouragement.  The shower was a money tree that the church is actually taking care of for them.  It is for the specific purpose of getting reliable transportation for them.  We have the car.  One of our mechanics is going over it to see what has to be done.

And everyone is happy, excited, and full of awe at what God has done.  

# posted by Steve @ 5:00 AM 1 comments

 There are stories from the Bible that we think we know and understand.  Then every once and a while I will teach one of them and realize I have been missing lots of really good points from the story.  I am not claiming these are original.  I am sure these points have been made many times.  Maybe even in my hearing.  But somehow I didn't hear it.  Didn't catch it.  Or whatever.

So Jesus' first miracle was to turn water into wine at a wedding feast.  And here are a few things I have not heard mentioned enough.

The water.  I have heard and read lots on the wine.  From the people that really do not want the wine to be wine.  And lots from the people that think this means a Christian can drink hard liquor.  So lots of talk about wine.  But not enough about water.  It started with water.  Just water.  Jesus turned WATER into WINE.  It sure is easy to work so hard on making our point about drinking (either extreme) that we miss the miracle.  I follow a guy who could turn water into wine.  

It is more than a wedding.  The main points I hear are Jesus loved and supported marriage.  Well, yes.  Or that Christians love to eat and have a good time.  Of course.  But here is the big picture point I don't hear much.  We have a God that is interested and cares about our life experience.  He cares about your marriage.  Or your dating life.  Or your parenting.  Or your career.  Or you house.  A God that is interested in our life.  And can change water into wine.

Jesus was glorified and the disciples believed.  That's how the story ends.  And we don't emphasize that enough.  That God and Jesus care about my life is amazing.  That they still do incredible things in my life and for my life.  That strengthens my belief in the greatest decision I ever made:  to follow Jesus.  And I need to constantly give them the glory for the amazing things going on in my life.

So thanks God for putting that story in your Bible.  And thanks for what it teaches me about my life following your Son.

# posted by Steve @ 5:00 AM 0 comments