Ridgell's Originals

 Our spiritual resolution this year is taken from Joshua's famous statement:  As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.  

To help me figure out what it means to serve the Lord, I have been thinking of stories where people were identified as being servants of God.  Two have really impacted me.  One is the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego being thrown into the fiery furnace.  Nebuchadnezzar erected a statue that everyone was to bow down before.  These three Jews would not and they were to be killed in a furnace of fire.  But Jesus or an angel was in the fire with them and they were spared. Neb called the servants of God and acknowledged that no other god could have delivered like that. 

In Acts 16, Paul and Silas were followed by a slave girl announcing that they were servants of God telling people how to be saved.  When Paul cast the spirit out, they were beaten and thrown in jail.  But they praised God, God was with them, they told the jailer about Jesus, and the jailer was born again.

So here is what I think I am learning about serving God.

It will go against culture.

I will be dangerous.

It is not about me.

God will be with me big time.

People will learn about God.

And some will give their life to Jesus.

And I think I have just outlined my end of the year sermon.

New Year's Eve.  Hillcrest.

# posted by Steve @ 5:00 AM 0 comments

I have been doing some version of this post for almost 10 years now.  I do it every year to remind me of my goals for the next year.  

 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

 Well, Christmas will be here in just a few days and I woke up early this morning thinking about it.  

It really is all about Jesus.  I admit that is what I always think every morning I wake up, but I was thinking how amazing it was that God would send his son into this mess of a world.  That he would live like us.  That he would experience our life.  

I thought how amazing his parents were.  Mary to accept God's call.  Joseph to live by faith in what seemed impossible.  Made me thankful for our parents.  And appreciative of how my kids parent my grands.

I thought about the baby Jesus that grew up to die for my sins on the cross.

I thought about empty chairs at the table.  The ones I really miss were/are all believers so there is comfort in that.  I will see them again.  

I thought about the blessing of family.  Hurting for some who do not have healthy families here.  Reminded me that they have found family thru the church people.  

I thought about food.  Marsha is a great cook.  Lots of food.  Lots of treats for neighbors and friends.  Lots of meals cooked and delivered this year.  What a great gift.

And baby Jesus made me think of new births.  So thankful for all those that have been born again into the Kingdom of God over the past few months.  Excited for those we are conversation with.  Wondering who will be next.

Family.  And food.  And gifts.  And most of all Jesus.

What a great day today is.

# posted by Steve @ 5:00 AM 0 comments

Christmas is a great time to talk to people about Jesus.  And you can start with baby Jesus.  Here are things I sometimes say about baby Jesus. 

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 a better life.  He did not come to make this world a better place.  He came to save us from our sins.  And that is what leads to a better life and a better world.  

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

 Christmas is the season of gift giving.  So here are a few suggestions for spiritual gifts.

A Bible with their name on it.  Great for new Christians.  Or those coming back to faith.  Or to replace a worn-out Bible.  Add a cover if you want.

A cross.  Necklace or home decor.  Nice reminder for a Christian.  Or a Bible verse sign.  

Christian tee shirt.  Verse or Christian message.

Donation to a parachurch organization in their name.  Sponsor a child.  Or just make a gift in living memory.

Tickets to a Christian concert.  Check on who is coming to a venue near where they live.

Invitation coupon to church and lunch.  Invitation to worship but with lunch on you included.

Movie passes to a good Christian movie.

Pay the registration fee for a marriage couple's event.  Include a gift card for dinner out.

A good Christian book. 

Well, you get the idea.  Be creative.  If necessary, talk it over first.  But add a Jesus component to your Christmas giving this year.

After all.... it is Christmas. 

# posted by Steve @ 5:00 AM 0 comments

 For years, we have used budgeting as a tool for financial management.  The rule for budgeting is simple.  Project what your income will be.  Figure out where it will be spent.  Don't commit to spend more than you have coming in. 

We sometimes help people with budgets because they are in a financial mess.  Lots of people do not like our advice.  We have told people they need to sell their house.  We have talked about the difference between wants and needs.  

Two things I believe when making your budget.  One is that if you really cannot meet your needs, your community of faith will step in and help.  We do it at our church all the time.  

Second, God provides.  Budgeting is not about how successful we are with money.  It is about how God blesses us.  So thank God for you job.  Honor Him with your budget.  Be thankful always.

So here are a few suggestions when building your budget.

Start with the necessities.  Food, clothes, shelter.  Medicine.  There are basics essential to survival.  Start with those.  There is a lot of room to trim and save but there is a bottom line that you must meet.  If your income does not even cover basic needs, then you will need help.  Better paying job.  Side job.  Your church elders or deacons will help you figure some of this out.

Giving to God.  Tithe plus.  That is a good principle.  We Christians are not required to give a certain percentage or amount.  We are required to give as God prospers us.  We start at 10% to our local community of faith.  But if you have met the necessities, it is a great idea to budget a pool of money for extra giving.  Special needs at your church, individuals that need help, family members that you may need to take care of, parachurch organizations.

Debt.  In our culture, almost everyone has debt.  Houses,  Cars.  Education.  Business.  Be careful about buying "wants" on credit.  Debt handicaps you.  You are restricted on what you can give for immediate needs that arise.  You are locked in to a certain income level so you can service your debt. And if you have debt, budget to pay extra if possible.  The Biblical advice to not owe people is sound.  True because it is in the Bible.  Try to put extra toward debt.

We do spend enough time as Christians talking about the financial resources God has blessed us with.  

So as we have planned our 24 budget, I thought I would just share these thoughts.

And as always for every planned budget, it is in God's hand.  If the Lord wills, this is our plan.   

# posted by Steve @ 5:00 AM 0 comments

I wrote this one year ago and I still think it reflects a lot of what I feel and think about Christmas. 

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 service.  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 3 comments

 The church is not a building.  Never has been.  Never will be.  The church is people.  And I think every church leader I know believes that.  But almost every community of faith I know in America is either trying to build a building or remodel a building.  I preach in congregations that comfortably seat 150 or 200 people.  The congregation usually has 50-75 in attendance.  They are either well positioned for the growing crowd, or ... they spent a lot of money for something they didn't need.  Or don't need any longer. 

I am on staff at a large church (600ish) and we are remodeling some things in our building.  Going to cost a lot of money.  It has to be done or we will not be able to use our current building within just a few years.  

And I always have mixed feelings about church buildings.  So here are a few thoughts.

Our culture expects churches to have a building.  That is what people expect.  So if you don't have one, are you making it harder to reach people?  On the other hand, Christians are by nature counter cultural.  Sometimes it is easy for our culture to confuse the building with the church.  Or even with Jesus.

Buildings cost a lot of money.  A lot.  What could be done with that money instead?  More missions.  Feeding the poor.  Or would there be that much money available if there was not a central identity focus like a building.  What about the people who will give generously for a building, but not so much for other things?  I may not like it, but it is true.

Buildings can be used by the community.  Or by parachurch organizations.  Does that justify the expense.

Jesus never owned anything.  That sure has implications for my ranch and our bardo.  Does that have implications for God's people also?

Where will everyone meet if we do not have buildings?  In homes?  So where I go to worship, we would have I guess 60 house churches of 10 or so members.  Can elders shepherd a network of house churches?  They did in the early church, so ...

Less admin meetings.  More shepherding.  

What do we do with all the preachers?  Can you still have children's ministers?  Youth ministers?  Involvement ministers?  Sure wouldn't have senior pastors.  

Of course, mass media would let one preacher teach multiple gatherings.  Or maybe there would more lay preaching.  Less professional.  Maybe better.  Because our buildings are designed for a sermon of 30-40 minutes delivered by mostly the same person each week.

Maybe we could use buildings differently.  Maybe a basic meeting place.  But upgrade the spending so we are comfortable in our chairs or pews for the hour we are there.  Maybe classrooms.  Or spend more to make them less formal.  More inviting for studies and classes.  Or do those in our homes.  Maybe a clothing room.  Or a food pantry.  

And would our current church culture even change our current edifice complex?

So in full disclosure.  I am not really a building person.  But if we have one, I am going to do all I can to use it to grow the Kingdom.  

And we did make a pledge.  Because our elders asked.  Because it does not violate any Scripture.  And because we do use it.  But it probably was not sacrificial.  Or substantial.  

You have figured out I have no clue about buildings.  And I sure don't think Scripture says much about church buildings.  So either that means we shouldn't have them.  Or it is OK to have them.  Or God is not nearly as concerned about buildings as we are.

Last thought:  most of my great grandchildren will be believers.  I doubt they meet in church buildings.    

# posted by Steve @ 5:00 AM 4 comments