Ridge Behind the Scenes

Ridge UPDATE: Demo has begun!

2012-01-18T09:36:00.000-08:00

DEMOLITION BEGINS
I'm long overdue on an update of the happenings around Ridge Church. The demo permit is here and we are starting demo on our future home. Demo should take 2-3 weeks then construction will begin. Our capital campaign called "1 twelve" has been wrapped around the idea that every chair represents a person that matters to us and even more importantly matters to God. We have received just over half of the funds necessary to renovate our future home. We are in our final push to the finish line. Our new facility will have 450 total seats and we are inviting people to symbolically purchase a chair for $199--for a family member, friend, or co-worker. If all 450 chairs are spoken for that should enable us to finish the interior. Go HERE to give through e-give or you our 1 twelve ipad kiosks on Sundays.

NEW STUDENT ENVIRONMENT OPENS THIS SUNDAY
Our middle school and high school students get to start in their new environment before the adults will arrive in theirs. We we make the audio/visual installs this week in their new permanent environment. I heard rumors of a DJ and free XBOX drawing--9AM at this address: 1031 Matthews-Mint Hill Road, Matthews, N.C.

NEW SERIES BEGINS
Last but not least we begin a fantastic new teaching series this week called "Recovery Road". Can our nation be saved from economic crisis and political turmoil? Come see what Jesus had to say about it. 9:30A.M. and 11:00A.M.

What's up with the new facility?

2011-12-18T15:26:00.000-08:00

Today in the midst of a completely packed house I had the privilege of celebrating progress in our building campaign. People have given $35,000 since our first big give date just a month ago. We are giving 10% of everything received since that day to our local serving efforts, so $3,500 was available for our "Unexpected Christmas Store"--which along with another $2,000 from Ridge Church operating budget and $3-4k in donations, supplied Christmas for 14 local families.

So how are we doing? Really?
We have received over $148,000 total to date for our 1 twelve campaign! So here is how it breaks down in comparison to our goals. As a refresher: "1" stands for bigger one time gifts designed to fund most of the up fit and "twelve" stands for 12 month commitments/pledges in 2012 to help absorb the remaining up fit and increased overhead costs related to our new facility.

1 "gifts": Approximately 55% of goal (*enough to at least begin the demo work in January)
Twelve "Pledges": Approximately 30% of goal

The "twelve pledges" are an absolute must for us to get into the building so lean in and dream big with us! Here is the video we showed today as a little reminder of why this matters. Awesome to be a part of this Church and this mission!

First Day Inside our FUTURE FACILITY

2011-12-10T15:19:00.000-08:00

Amazing day for Ridge Church. We started off the day with a pancake fundraiser completely initiated and implemented by one of our awesome community groups (you should be in a group if you're not!) Then we went straight over to the future home of Ridge Church for the first weekend of our unexpected Christmas store. Dozens of volunteers worked like crazy to help create this red carpet experience for families in need. We will provide a complete Christmas for 14 families when it's all said and done...but more than that we are providing HOPE! Hope that no matter how hard their situation may be that their Heavenly Father hasn't forgotten them.

We literally got the facility keys yesterday at 1pm and within 7 hours our amazing people had created a "red carpet" experience for our Unexpected Christmas store guests. I love the fact, that the first time we ever gathered to do anything in the facility that will soon be renovated, it was to serve our city! Here's a sneak peak inside our facility and the unexpected Christmas store--(from my phone video camera but you get the idea):

Twelve in 2012--December 18th

2011-12-08T10:50:00.000-08:00

I'm blown away and honored by the sacrificial generosity of the people connected to the Ridge Church community. I use the word "connected" because some of the people that have continued to support Ridge Church financially through the years don't even attend our church and some don't even live in our city--but they believe in what we are doing enough to to help fund this amazing mission.

[The "1"] We are making progress weekly on our "1 twelve" fund to renovate our future home. The "1" of the 1 twelve is our effort to collect bigger one time gifts to capture the bulk of the funds needed for our renovations. Our next big give date is December 18th

[The "twelve"] The "twelve" of 1 twelve is equally if not more important than the big gifts. The "twelve" represents a 12 month commitment in 2012 to increase our monthly operating budget. Without this monthly increase we won't be able to sustain the increased costs related to a 24/7 facility. On December 18th we are doing a "pledge" day. The chart below represents our current giving, our goal, and what it will take for us to bridge the gap. We only need 25 families or individual to either START giving or INCREASE there giving (picking up one yellow box each). This goal is very achievable...so we would love for you to pray--then pick a box for 2012. TOGETHER WE CAN DO THIS!!

Do you have breakfast plans Saturday?

2011-12-07T13:01:00.000-08:00

One of our community groups from Ridge Church is hosting a pancake, or if you are from the south, a flapjack breakfast Saturday, December 10th from 7-10 am at the Applebees in Matthews. The proceeds will help us do two things:

Renovate a new 24/7facility for Ridge Church--
Supply Christmas for 14 needy families

This is something that one of our community groups took upon themselves, to plan, promote, and do and I think it's incredible that people have owned the vision and mission of Ridge at that level. So please come out and support their efforts and our mission.

Ornaments with a Purpose

2011-12-05T08:30:00.000-08:00

I'm so grateful for the creativity of my team and how much they value excellence. I think the most amazing mission on the planet deserves extreme excellence and my team believes that too. The magnitude of the mission should determine the excellence of the effort! Here is the most recent example:

Our church is working on what we are calling an "Unexpected Christmas Store" for 14 families in need at a local title one school that Ridge Church partners with on an ongoing basis. We wanted to fill their wish lists, supply all of their needs, plus bless them with a few things they didn't ask for including Christmas ornaments, decorations, and tons of basic household items. In order to help us cross the finish line and meet our goals we decided to create a memory/keep sake ornament that says "I helped provide an unexpected Christmas-Ridge Church 2011" Each ornament represented the donation of a tree, ornaments, and a household gift so they were $50 each.

The awesome part is that both of our giving kiosk lines were full and we sold out of the ornaments! They look awesome but the best part is that they are ornaments with a purpose--TO GIVE HOPE! We want these families to have a small reminder that God has not forgotten them. We are going to re-stock for next weekend and I can't wait to see the impact on these families and this school!

It's where you should "B" Sunday!

2011-11-23T13:31:00.000-08:00

Super fun worship service planned for this weekend at Ridge. 1-2 times a year we do a family oriented worship service at Ridge Church and this weekend is one of those times. The service will be super interactive and high energy. Waumba Land (Pre-school) environment will function like usual but Kindergarten and older will join us for one big exciting "family" service. Every child will receive a cool grab bag of FUN stuff when they enter the doors that will help them interact with us throughout the service. Can't wait to worship with the ENTIRE Ridge Church Family at once! It's going to be amazing.

Check out this Ridge Church video if you haven't attended yet. Trust me, this is the place to "B":

A courageous step (video)

2011-11-20T15:56:00.000-08:00

We are challenging ourselves at Ridge Church to be radically generous in this next season NOT just conveniently generous. We have structured our building campaign, called 1 twelve, in such a way that it will do two things 1) build out (renovate) a 24/7 space for Ridge Church with more seats and better environments 2) build up our city--specifically we want to bless Piney Grove Elementary school by providing Christmas for 14 of the families in the greatest need.

We asked these families to give us their Christmas "wish list" and it was incredibly humbling, and honestly a bit convicting! Unlike the wish list most of us would formulate, with iphones, 70 inch tv's, new cars, new jewelry bla, bla, bla---these "wish lists" were more or less survival lists for many of them. They asked for groceries, pajamas, blind for windows, house hold items (and yes a few toys!). Many of them are just hoping to have electricity this Christmas. It was truly humbling to experience. AND I want us to rise to the challenge.

10% of all funds received for our entire 1 twelve building campaign will go directly to our local efforts over the next year (Our Goal is $27,000--one of these projects is the unexpected Christmas store for these families)

Check out this video called "A courageous step": We also want to create space where this can happen over and over again-Take your place in the story!:

Video in future Home of Ridge!

2011-11-13T15:34:00.000-08:00

Our 1 twelve campaign (1 stands for a one time gift TWELVE stands for a 12 month giving commitment) had it's official beginning this weekend. We are extremely excited about the journey toward the future home of Ridge Church and we are very grateful for the families that are sacrificing to lean in and give generous financial support. Every gift makes a difference. Begin preparing now for the next BIG GIVE date on December 18th. Also, remember that 10% of everything we receive toward this campaign will be given directly to benefit our title one school partnership with Piney Grove Elementary School. To contribute through e-give CLICK HERE.

Here's the first video shot in the Future Home of Ridge Church. Stay tuned for three more in the days ahead:

Don't just have a Christmas--GIVE ONE!

2011-11-11T14:07:00.000-08:00

This Sunday is a HUGE day for Ridge Church. It's our first of two "BIG GIVE" dates and we are asking people to help us do two things:

Renovate a 24/7 space for Ridge
Bless Piney Grove with an “unexpected Christmas” store.

It’s SIMPLE: you can do both of those things at once by making a donation to “1 twelve”. We decided to structure our renovation efforts in such a way that it would build/renovate our 24/7 space and build a better city at the same time. So, a percentage of every dollar that is given to “1 twelve” will go to create and supply an “Unexpected Christmas store” and basic necessities for 15-20 of the neediest families from Piney Grove. We want to empower the parents to be the heroes in their own homes by allowing them to “buy” Christmas for their families. Many of these families won’t even have electricity this Christmas without our help—So PLEASE BE RADICALLY GENEROUS!

*Our 1 twelve Goal is to raise $275,000 dollars and to give 10% of that to our Piney Grove efforts— including the “Unexpected Christmas Store.” Your generosity enables us to bless others. Don’t miss out on an opportunity to help us turn the 1^st page of new chapter. Together we can do this!

Wherever you are be all there

2011-10-17T14:08:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite quotes is from Jim Elliot, who was savagely murdered in 1956 while bravely attempting to take the love of Jesus and the message of a Savior to the Waodoni Indians of Ecuador. Jim once said "Wherever you are be all there." Truthfully I have a love hate relationship with that quote because it has both kept me centered and frustrated at the same time. As a visionary leader I can sometimes leap to the next thing and prematurely abandon the current thing...or I can effectively nod my head in agreement while my mind has raced miles ahead. So wrestling with this idea "Wherever you are be all there" at home and at work is great for me but challenging for me.

On that same note, Andy Stanley did an amazing job applying this idea to our work context in part four of "Game Plan". Go HERE to listen to the message. Andy wrapped up with four great probing questions for us to wrestle with:

Based on your current performance would you trust you with a better opportunity?
Are you preparing for the next opportunity or just waiting for it?
What can you begin doing where you are now to begin preparing for the next opportunity?
Is there an opportunity where you are now that you are ignoring because the income doesn't match the work load?

A better city?

2011-10-17T13:49:00.000-07:00

I love the fact that there are a group of people in Charlotte that heard the name "Ridge Church" for the first time as we were serving them in practical ways! I heard one of my pastor friends in the area say this and I believe it's true for our church, "We don't just want to have a better church we want a better city". Don't get me wrong, Charlotte is an amazing city, but what city wouldn't be better with more love, more serving, more generosity, more selfless acts?

Close to 50 people participated in a work day for Piney Grove Elementary this past weekend and the goal was to make improvements to the physical grounds of the school so that the students, parents, and administration of the school would step on to that campus with pride. It was amazing to experience Ridge Church families serving along side the families and administration of Piney Grove Elementary School...TOGETHER WE ARE BETTER!

Yet again, for Ridge Church when it comes to put up or shut up you guys stepped up to the plate and hit a home run. Thanks for being generous. Thanks for being selfless. Thanks for serving. We are doing for one school was we wish we could do for all (and one day maybe we will--as this revolution of Christ love continues)! This is just the beginning.

Ridge Church is Moving Soon!

2011-09-25T20:06:00.000-07:00

I'm very pleased to announce that Ridge Church will be moving soon. Last weekend we celebrated three years of Sunday morning services at Ridge Church and we also announced that we will be moving soon to a 24/7 location. Applause erupted from the crowd which was pretty cool to experience! Stay tuned for more details as they unfold but for now just know that we have commissioned the architects and engineers. Renovations will likely begin within the next 6 weeks. The new facility is only 4000 feet from our current location. So many lives have already been changed and I can't wait to experience the life change that will happen in this new facility! You can go HERE and contribute through Egive to this project called "1 twelve".

Will the Real Jesus Please Stand Up?

2011-09-07T18:31:00.000-07:00

This week was part two of our current series "On Your Mark..." Message Title: "Will the Real Jesus Please Stand Up?" LISTEN HERE. I wonder if any one appreciated the Eminem reference:-) Quick thanks for all of the comments, texts, emails, and phone calls about the sermon from Sunday. I love being the pastor of this church!

We began the morning talking about the "polarizing nature of Jesus" and I gave five statements, beliefs, and claims of Jesus. My caveat was this--I said, "I'm not asking anyone to agree with these; interpret these; or even like these;...I just want you to listen and feel whatever it is that you feel when you hear these. I said I would post these five with verses so here they are. Before you decide how this sermon will end you should check it out for yourself. You might be surprised!

Jesus said he was the ONLY way to God. John 14:6
Jesus claimed to exist before the world began John 17:5
Jesus believed heaven and hell are literal places (and real people will spend a real forever in one of those places) Matthew 6:9, Matthew 7:19-23
Jesus claimed to be God (not a good teacher or prophet) John 8:58 & Exodus 3:14
Jesus predicted his death, and his resurrection AND witnesses saw him alive John 20

"I'm not afraid to die"

2011-09-02T12:35:00.000-07:00

I can remember clearly one particular night from the early days at Ridge Church. We were doing a series of what we called "Core Gatherings" and this night a generous count would have placed 30 adults in the room (assuming 3-5 people were in the bathroom:-). I was doing my very best to cast vision of a preferred future to that handful of adults and I was hoping they would lean in and buy in! I told the story of an imaginary person and what that person would "one day" experience at Ridge Church. A person that wasn't a "church person", and had left all that spiritual stuff behind years before. If I'm honest, the story seemed far fetched even to me--it felt light years away--like a pipe dream. Now, a few years later, a lot of sacrifice later, a lot of vision later, we've all had the privilege to attach name after name after name to that imaginary story as it consistently becomes REAL! Listen to Barb's story and know this is "the story" I told that night so long ago...even though we had yet to meet her or know her name at that time. I'm humbled to be a small part of what God is doing in peoples lives. Maybe you should be part of it too?

Barb's Baptism from Ridge Church on Vimeo.

Simply Undeniable

2011-08-29T14:00:00.000-07:00

Ridge Church kicked off a brand new series yesterday called "On your Mark". You can catch part one of the series HERE. The truth is, every single one of us could walk into church any given Sunday and find ourselves mentally arguing with what the pastor says. We think "Yeah...but" and "What about..." or "If he only knew my story..." and we come up with all sorts of reasons why something that might be slightly challenging doesn't actually apply to us. BUT--over the years I've been in ministry the one thing that is "SIMPLY UNDENIABLE" is life change. When a person is literally changed by the grace of God people may not understand it but they can't deny it. Check out this story and Baptism from our service on Sunday.

El's Baptism from Ridge Church on Vimeo.

Box Crate and Some lights

2011-08-21T18:00:00.000-07:00

Absolutely phenomenal final installment of our "Balanced" series. This series was so well timed! Band was incredible today--lead by the stellar Chris Kincaid. You can listen to the final message installment HERE. Our Program Director Rust Burchard designed a very creative stage set using box crate that he got for free. (All in a load in church:-) We are using neutral stage sets currently so that our students can use the adult environment for their service that follows the adult service. Packed house today. Don't be late next week or you LITERALLY might not get a parking space:-)

Circles are better than Rows-September 18th

2011-08-19T18:52:00.001-07:00

"Circles are better than rows!" We use this phrase all the time at Ridge Church but we don't want you to take our word for it--we want you to experience community groups for yourself. Two times a year we have an event called "Group Link" and the next one is September 18th. Group Link is a great opportunity for people to get connected in an non threatening environment while learning what groups are all about. At the end of the night you will have an opportunity to form what we call a Starter or Formational group that last for 8-10 weeks. Go HERE to sign up! NOTE: If you live Fort Mill, Pineville Ballantyne, Waxhaw sign up soon. We are trying to open up a group or groups for you!

**We have 3 types of Groups that people can sign up for. Limited Availability for some groups**

community groups--married couples groups, men's groups, women's groups
starting point groups--people who are seeking answers, new to faith, or returning to church or faith
financial peace groups--Discussion groups around Dave Ramsey driven content about finances.

GroupLink Promo from Ridge Church on Vimeo.

It's time to do something...600 back packs!!

2011-08-12T10:47:00.000-07:00

I'm a big fan of Miles McPherson, pastor of "The Rock" in California. He has adopted a mantra and simple challenge for his church "JUST DO SOMETHING" (He framed it as a book as well "Just Do Something"). My brother is the Chief Editor of "Outcomes" magazine and you can read his interview with Miles on this mantra "Just Do Something" HERE.

The reality is this: Most of the great and extraordinary things that happen in this world happen under the initiative or authority of people that weren't experts when they started whatever it was that they started. Sometimes the answer to change is to "JUST DO SOMETHING"

That is our challenge to Ridge Church! It's time to do something (AGAIN). We are partnering with a local title one (81% free and reduced lunches) school called Piney Grove Elementary. We've set an audacious goal of providing 600 filled back packs for children as they start back to school. This is just one of many initiatives at Piney Grove over the next year.

BACK PACK ORGANIZATION DAY: We have our first organization day Monday, August 15th 6-8pm at New Charlotte Church. Map HERE. Email melissar@ridgechurch.net to confirm your attendance. Lemonade and cookies provided.

Andy Stanley coming to Charlotte

2011-08-10T07:20:00.000-07:00

Back in 2006, following an undeniable passion God had placed in my heart, I began talking with a handful of people about the idea of starting a church in Charlotte that would create environments that un-churched people would love to attend and a church that prioritized authentic community among believers. By the end of 2006 through a series of what we called "Core Gatherings" we had rallied about 30 adults to join us in this effort and we had officially named the church "RIDGE CHURCH" .

Fast forward to 2007...North Point Community Church founded and led by Andy Stanley contacted me and extended their hand to us to form a formal partnership. Our team launched a series of 25 evening worship services in 2007 and then FINALLY in 2008 (in the worst economic downturn of our lifetime:-) we held our very first Sunday morning worship service and the official journey began.

We have seen and experienced unbelievable life change during this journey. NOW: We are excited to welcome Andy Stanley to come speak at Ridge Church in Charlotte on September 15th to celebrate with us--both what God has done and what is yet to come for Ridge Church. We hope you'll join us for this event! Space is limited. You can register online HERE.

Back in the Black

2011-08-09T15:43:00.001-07:00

We are in a really great series at Ridge Church that is incredibly timely in light of the economic turmoil and fear our country has been experiencing in the last few weeks. The stock market is going crazy, the country's credit crisis has caused a frenzy and people are wondering if 2011 is going to close out like a bad replay of 2008. So...our series called "Balanced" couldn't be more perfectly timed. Join us this Sunday as we continue to answer the question "How can we stay in financial balance personally when it seems like the entire world around us is out of balance?"

You can listen to last week's message by clicking HERE.

Back from a blogging break

2011-07-12T11:35:00.000-07:00

I thought this would be a good re-entry to blogging after a little bit of a break. We would love for you to join us in Charlotte for this event as Andy Stanley joins us at Ridge Church for a night of worship. Mark your calendars and plan ahead. Space is limited. Stay tuned for more details:

Ridge Church Night of Worship from Ridge Church on Vimeo.

Guardrails Begins (pictures)

2011-05-23T13:25:00.000-07:00

[Guardrails: a system designed to keep vehicles from straying into dangerous or off-limit areas.] They’re everywhere, but they don’t really get much attention . . . until somebody hits one. And then, more often that not, it is a lifesaver. Ever wonder what it would be like to have guardrails in other areas of your life—areas where culture baits you to the edge of disaster and then chastises you when you step across the line?

Your friendships. Your finances. Your relationships. Your morality...

Maybe your greatest regret could have been avoided if you had established guardrails.
Great start to the series. Don't miss part two. (Adult service 9:30 Students at 11:oo) Here are a few pictures from the day:

When an idea becomes a movement!

2011-04-14T12:20:00.000-07:00

This past Sunday was yet another reminder of why this church must exist and why we started Ridge Church to begin with. It was a reminder of why we work so hard to create relevant and engaging environments...it was a reminder of why giving our hard earned money matters! But before we ever created our first graphic, sent out our first post card, had our first interest meeting, had our first worship service or even had a name for this church, we had an idea that came from a compelling burden. "What if we could create a church where people without any weekly church affiliation would love to attend?...a church where church attenders would want to invite their un-churched friends?...a church that partnered with families as the lead their children spiritually?...a church that blessed and served their community so deeply that our loss would be mourned?"...AND every week Ridge Church steps more fully into that dream!! Week by week it becomes a realization for us and continues to grow. It's truly amazing to watch what started as an idea become a movement that I'm confident will ULTIMATELY transform our city.

This past Sunday we wrapped up our series called "Hail Mary" about prayer. Go HERE for the conclusion and to download a copy of the take away. THEN Sunday night we baptized 8 children. Coolest part...every one of those children were lead to Jesus by their parents as a result of a Gospel presentation in Upstreet called "Jump Start". One of the mother's that led her daughter to Christ just became a follower of Jesus herself last year. I baptized the daughter almost a year to the day from when I baptized her mom. Unbelievable! Here are a few pics and I'll post all of the videos over the next few weeks. Amazing to be part of a "God idea" that is becoming a movement! Huge thanks to Danielle Banks for making all of this happen!

Patrick Mitchell (Family Ministry Director) Explaining Baptism

Natalie Osborne Lead a team to create the coolest environment ever. The buffet line was made of all the children's favorite foods. Quite an interesting collection as you can imagine!

Chocolate Covered Cake balls. Enough said!This was intended to be a table decoration but my Son was eating one of those bunnies when I saw him:-)

Spanky Rouse baptizing his Son, Mac. You'll enjoy the video later!

Intuition sees nearly. Prayer sees clearly.

2011-04-04T10:45:00.000-07:00

Great start to our series called "Hail Mary". Part One is called "Intuition is not enough". You can listen to it on line HERE. Don't forget "Intuition sees nearly. Prayer sees clearly" I'm so proud of the focus and excellence with which the Ridge Church staff and volunteers create environments that partner with families. This past Sunday we had far more children in just our Upstreet environment (K-5th) than we had in our entire church when we first began. Every week kid's literally drag their parents to be a part of what's happening in those environments.

Amazing job by the adult service programming team as well. Bon Jovi and Doug Flutie helped us kick off the morning. Quite the combination for Sunday morning church. Here are a few pics from the stage:

Hail Mary: Everybody Prays Sometime

2011-03-31T10:55:00.000-07:00

Everybody prays some time. Even people who don’t consider themselves to be religious typically hit a bump or turn at some point in life that invites a “Hail Mary” prayer. So what are we praying for or what are we waiting for? Is there a secret to this thing called prayer? Is this ancient discipline still practical for today? This will be our topic of discussion for the next two weeks at Ridge Church. Join us at either 9:30 or 11:00.

Join the "Hail Mary" Facebook event HERE!

Becoming Mrs White in your circle of influence

2011-03-23T10:17:00.000-07:00

Last but not least...check out this video of Paige Burchard going public with her faith. In her story she references "Mrs White", her kindergarten teacher that walked with her as she placed her faith in Jesus as her Savior. I've never met Mrs White but I hope that every person in our church becomes like Mrs White within their circle of influence. I know this much...it doesn't happen on accident. People who have that kind of impact and influence are always doing it very purposefully and very prayerfully. Very proud of Paige. Awesome girl...very grounded in who she is in Christ. She's a great example to the younger generation of girls!

Paige Burchard from Ridge Church on Vimeo.

Ridge Church: Recent sets & Activities

2011-03-22T11:27:00.000-07:00

Very busy and exciting season at Ridge Church. We are in the home stretch of an amazing series called "Time of your Life". You can listen to previous sermons HERE. Along with our time theme we decided to introduce "Minute to Win it" as a part of our service activities. It's been really entertaining. Below are a few stage shots from the series, minute to win it, and our first ever "Uptown Night of Worship!!" Night of Worship was a great night worshiping a Big God with great people in the heart of a city we love deeply. It was the first night Uptown Charlotte for Ridge Church but it won't be the last!

Omnisolv Uptown Charlotte (final band sound check)

Night of Worship: A few moments of vision for OUR city!

"Time of Your Life" Stage set
Minute to Win It: Game Host-Ed Williams

Minute to Win it "Winner" Mark Dodson (useless skills:-)

My life, career, marriage was fine AND THEN...

2011-03-02T07:06:00.000-08:00

I've heard countless stories from people through the years. Being in ministry I feel like I've heard every imaginable scenario. One of the undeniably common themes is that every story has "AND THEN" moments. Some are major others are minor but they are very real. My life was good AND THEN...MY career was launching AND THEN...My marriage was great AND THEN...My health was fine AND THEN...My relationship with my son was great AND THEN...Everything was going great at school AND THEN... What happens after "AND THEN" is absolutely pivotal. For men, women, and teenagers alike when you allow your "AND THEN" moment to lean you into God and his people (Christ Followers) rather than away, you have the potential to find meaning and hope in something that seemed meaningless and hopeless. I couldn't help but notice "AND THEN" in Hunter's story. I'm so proud of him for what he did next. Listen for yourself:

Hunter Henry from Ridge Church on Vimeo.

When pain pushes you where will you go?

2011-03-01T12:30:00.000-08:00

Unfortunately none of us, even children and teenagers, are immune to significant hurt and pain in our lives. The real question is "When pain pushes you, where will you go?" Madison's story is full of pain and peace...all in the same story! I'm grateful for her courage to publicly share her pain, her journey, and the peace she found in Christ and his followers as they rallied around her. Pain pushes us all at some point in our life. I believe ultimate peace in the midst of that pain is only available in Jesus:

Madison Skala from Ridge Church on Vimeo.

What are the two most important days in life?

2011-02-28T07:21:00.000-08:00

Mark Twain said, "The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you figure out why." Discovering our purpose is essential to living a meaningful and satisfying life. I love Serena's words about placing her faith in Jesus. I was privileged to have a front row seat to this one. I'm proud of her for choosing to follow Jesus and going public in baptism. Listen to her story:

Serena Richardson from Ridge Church on Vimeo.

Speaking candidly...

2011-02-25T09:01:00.000-08:00

Here's another story from one of the recent baptisms at Ridge Church. Logan has a quick wit and it comes out in his story. I remember a couple of years ago hearing Jeff Foxworthy (who attends our partner church North Point Community Church) say that one of the defining moments for him was when he realized that his humor and natural ability to see the funny side of things wasn't a curse but instead was part of God's unique design on his life. He said it freed him to use that for a "bigger purpose." He now partners frequently with Andy Stanley and his church using that gift to raise money for charities. God created us uniquely and when we surrender "all of us" to him those gifts come alive and make a difference! Enjoy:

Logan Martin from Ridge Church on Vimeo.

Tell the World

2011-02-23T05:30:00.000-08:00

We recently baptized 6 teenagers at Ridge Church and that's such a huge deal and reason to celebrate. It doesn't mean their lives will be perfect, sinless, or wrinkle free from now on. In fact the act of Baptism in of itself doesn't have any special saving power but what it represents is absolutely powerful. When a person is baptized they are "publicly" acknowledging that Jesus is their Savior and they want to follow him with their lives. It takes courage to "go public" with your faith. Baptism is an event that celebrates a person's personal faith in Jesus but being a follower of Jesus isn't simply an event it's a journey. It's a life long journey where we relentlessly pursue a relationship with our Heavenly Father who pursued us through his Son Jesus. Thanks for being courageous! I'll post each of their stories and baptisms in the days ahead, starting today with Robert Spurrier's story!

Robert Spurrier from Ridge Church on Vimeo.

Everywhere...God doesn't just love our nation!

2011-01-26T14:11:00.000-08:00

Here, There, and Everywhere is our invitation and challenge for every person that attends Ridge Church to do one thing "SERVE" in three ways:

Serve Here--Local Church: we call it strategic service
Serve There--Our city: we call it intersect (more on this later!!)
Serve Everywhere--Our world: we call it Global X

We are planning two trips this year. One to Nicaragua and a return visit to Kenya. I want every person to be involved with global x--not just a select few! But we realize that not every one can go or can go at this time so our desire is that every person would either GIVE or GO (or both)! This year, when you get a a support letter from someone you volunteer with at Ridge Church or from your group etc--please give generously because it really matters! Check out this video shot by Patrick Mitchell (edited by Rusty Burchard) last year on our Kenya trip. Ridge Church's partnership with "Erik" has changed he and his family's lives--not to mention what it has done in all of us just to be a part of their lives!:

Eric Movie from Ridge Church on Vimeo.

Here, There, and Everywhere (a revolution!)

2011-01-24T08:36:00.000-08:00

We just concluded our teaching series called "This is the year..." and it was one of my favorite Sundays in a really long time! Chris Kincaide led worship and killed the national anthem--I've honestly never heard it that good. If you're wondering why in the world we played the National Anthem...well you should have been there:-) You can catch the series wrap up HERE.

I'll blog more about this later but we unveiled something called "Here, There, and Everywhere" that gets me so pumped up. I believe it is a reflection of us pursuing the heart and purposes of God as a church. This is a video that went with the "Here" portion--"Here" is our Strategic Service Efforts. The way we say it is "People putting their heart and hands in the place of greatest demand". Check out the video:

Here, There, Everywhere. from Ridge Church on Vimeo.

This is the year...self deception ends!

2011-01-12T09:12:00.000-08:00

Man--part two of our series "This is the year..." was incredible! We talked about how to end self deception and how commitment and conviction aren't enough. There is a third component that is crucial if we are to stop living with self deception. You can catch the audio message HERE if you missed it. We believe so deeply in the shaping force and support that a community group can be in a persons life. Hands down, groups are the most vital thing we do as a church. Check out this video that closed out both of our Sunday services, to hear how groups are influencing peoples lives here in this great city of Charlotte. Go here to sign up for our next group link. All of us need community!

Grouplink Winter 2010 promo from Ridge Church on Vimeo.

"This is the year"...kick off was awesome

2011-01-03T10:20:00.001-08:00

We just kicked off a brand new vision series at Ridge Church called "This is the year..." You can catch up on part one HERE if you missed it. We talked about how "Nostalgia is a dream killer." It was a ton of fun and the day started with a DJ mixing our pre-service music and mixing with our band for the first song. Chris Kincaide did an amazing job closing the service with a Sick Puppies tune called "Maybe". It was the perfect closer to the day. The CD take away from the morning will be a game changer for people--can't wait to hear those stories. Trust me--last week was awesome but this week will be even better!

I had a ton of people ask me this weekend about our "Unexpected Christmas Project." It was truly one of the most humbling and inspiring things I had the privilege to be a part of last year. You can check out the video here. Many thanks to all who contributed time and resources to make this happen:

An Unexpected Christmas from Ridge Church on Vimeo.

A simple step to the right=LIFE CHANGE!

2010-11-30T11:50:00.000-08:00

A simple step to the right=LIFE CHANGE!

Sunday we took a few minutes to paint the picture of what we want to do as a church this year for Christmas & it's awesome. Here is the recap: This year we want to pool our resources together to provide such a huge & unexpected Christmas for a family that it has the capacity not just to change December 25th for them but to potentially change their entire year. Who knows maybe their lives will be changed!

We have identified a family in our area that has some significant needs and we have set an ambitious goal to provide all of their Christmas and much, much more. This single mother is doing her best to make ends meet but she doesn't have a car or phone or some basic living necessities and we believe that is simply unacceptable. SO---First of all we want to purchase a car for her! Depending on how well we do raising funds as a church we would also like to provide car insurance for a year--gas for a year--a chunk of grocery money--a pre-paid cell phone for a year--some help with bills & MORE!!! How much more depends on how far the people of Ridge Church are willing to stretch themselves.

HOW? We have asked people to help in two ways:
1) Pool together our resources that maybe would have gone to multiple ventures or needs this Christmas and instead combine them with the gifts of every one at Ridge Church to make massive impact for a family!

2) Consider taking one simple step to the right in your financial giving for the month of December. Click on chart below for example:
How will the collected resources be dispersed?
Is this for people inside Ridge (attendees) or people outside Ridge Church...ANSWER--BOTH!! Our mission is to lead people into a growing relationship with Jesus Christ so every dollar we spend is ultimately toward that end. We believe that we have a responsibility to create irresistible environments every week for people of all ages that are a platform for ongoing change in people's lives [as well] as strategically blessing people in the name of Jesus--even people that in some cases may never attend our church. So these funds will increase our capacity to reach people through the weekly environments of Ridge Church as well as increasing our capacity to bless people in need within our community.

Stories like Mark's story are a result of God's activity through the environments YOU help us create at Ridge Church! One simple step to the right enables this to happen and will help us provide an unexpected Christmas for a family in need! I can't wait to see how God uses each of you to help create space for life change. Take a look at this video then join the mission--take a simple step to the right!

Mark Henry "In His Own Words" from Ridge Church on Vimeo.

I want a hippopotamus for Christmas (Opener)

2010-11-29T11:09:00.000-08:00

It was great to be at Ridge Church for part two of Unexpected Christmas. You can catch up on part one and two of that series HERE. Sunday was a rare Sunday where we brought children into the adult worship service to celebrate together so we had some grab bags & fun elements for them (fun for adults too:-). Check out the Opener "I want a hippopotamus for Christmas". Packed house. Really fun day! Very practical message. Best quote of the day from worship leader Christopher Kincaide, "No Hippopotomi (is that a word?) were harmed during that opener"...pretty sure that's a Ridge Church first!

Fun Opener 11-28 from Ridge Church on Vimeo.

Join us in Giving an Unexpected Christmas!

2010-11-26T08:08:00.000-08:00

Ridge Church is a young church but part of our DNA from early on has been to reach out to bless and help people in our city in need. Even people that may never attend our church. We are doing something HUGE this Christmas that I'm really excited about and we want to INVITE you to join us in this effort. This video gives the big idea of our desire to "Give an Unexpected Christmas" to a family in need. This week at Ridge we'll give some practical ways for people to get involved. **One Combined service this week at 11am (Upstreet and Student Impact will join the adults--All Waumba environments open!)

Giving An Unexpected Christmas from Ridge Church on Vimeo.

Synchronized lights show at Ridge

2010-11-23T08:23:00.000-08:00

Great kick off for our Christmas series called "Unexpected Christmas". Take a look at the opener from week one. Rusty Burchard built a house on stage--(big enough that I entered the stage through the front door of the house) He also developed a lights show that synchronized to a Christmas song. The 9:30 crowd broke into spontaneous applause. The 11 crowd didn't show up until 11:15:-) It was even better live so don't miss this week. One combined service at 11am. It will be a really fun day!

Fun Opener from Ridge Church Christmas 2010 from Ridge Church on Vimeo.

Unexpected Christmas...going to be awesome!

2010-11-17T10:34:00.000-08:00

Most people associate Christianity with religious living... an attempt to live a life filled with godly morals and virtues. Some days, we're good at that. Some days, we're not. Fortunately, Christmas reminds us that Christianity is not as much about what we do as it is about what has been done for us.

Jesus' lineage is filled with shady characters, people with less than stellar pasts... none of whom could have come to God on their own merits. But a relationship with God has never been based on our own goodness. So if you feel like the things you've done (or haven't done) are keeping you from God... well, you can throw that thinking out the door. And conversely, if you feel like the things you've done are responsible for your relationship with God... well, you can throw that thinking out too. If there's anything that the Christmas season reminds us of it's that we're all in need of help... help that Jesus is willing and able to give.

Join us Sunday @ Ridge Church 9:30 and 11:00 a.m

Out of nothing into something

2010-10-17T13:11:00.000-07:00

Great kick off of our new series called "Twisted." This series is one of those game changers so do whatever it takes to experience it. Go HERE to access any of our past sermons online.
We are currently tweaking some of our ministry environments at Ridge Church and we also introduce new stages sets and themes in several of our environments each time we begin a new series. Here are a few pics from today (read the captions for context). For reference, we meet in the Levine Senior Center and have to create these environments from scratch every week. These are just a few of the rooms we transform weekly. In addition to these pics we also transform a weight room, computer room, and hallway space to become Waumba Rooms. It's literally amazing resourcefulness and commitment by the volunteers and staff each week to create all of this. Great environments begin with great people! Thanks ridge vols!

When we arrive: This is a Senior Center Foyer complete with tons of trinkets and doo dads. The Black drape covers some type of display case. Most of our regular attendees have never even seen it or know that it's there.
When we arrive: This is a Senior Citizen's banquet hall. Lot's of bingo happens here:-) Not on Sundays though:-)
When we arrive: this is just a hallway but becomes our welcome area for upstreet families. They have a western theme currently. Saloon doors just around the corner (literally!)
When we arrive: this is a senior citizens dance studio. This is the upstreet stage during rehearsals.
When we arrive: This is normally "just a hallway" but become our foyer for teenagers to hang out. Complete with donuts each week.
When we arrive: This is a storage room where we keep all of our equipment. We transform it to become our middle school and high school environment. Not bad for a large closet:-)
When we arrive: this is a game room complete with 4 poker/game tables (no joke). We turn it into two waumba room for our infants and crawlers.
When we arrive: this is a craft room but it is transformed to become a Waumba large group room complete with Zebra carpets and curtains and tons of other amazing decor not shown here.

"I used to be on the outside looking in"

2010-10-12T11:15:00.000-07:00

We wrapped up our "Just Ask" series last week in a really awesome fashion. Go HERE to listen to the interview with Zach Sneed. Zach recently spent 7 months in Nicaragua serving underprivileged children but his journey didn't start there! It's an incredible story. You and I should "never underestimate the power and potential in simply asking!" Every week at Ridge presents something inspiring and potentially life changing. We start a brand new series this weekend. More on that later...

I can't dance

2010-10-06T07:17:00.000-07:00

We had a great weekend at Ridge Church as we kicked off a new series called "Just Ask". Having spiritual conversation or inviting people to church can sometimes be intimidating. Sometimes we don't know what to say or we fear what they will say in response so ultimately we often just don't ask. One of the things we discovered this weekend is that sometimes an immediate NO paves the way for an eventual YES. So don't give up. Take advantage of opportunities this week.

You can catch the message "I can't dance" HERE if you missed it. Also, this coming weekend the services will be incredible. You'll hear first hand experience of how powerful and life changing a simple "ask" to church can be. I can't wait for it. NOTE: Pay attention to guest services this week...you just never know what's on the other side of your ask:-)

**We need your help: We have two services 9:30a.m. and 11:00a.m. We are running out of space at 11am so if you can arrange to worship with us at 9:30a.m. you will help us keep creating open seats at optimal times. Thanks!

FUSION Gatherings--Charlotte needs this desperately!

2010-10-04T08:41:00.000-07:00

Our philosophy at Ridge Church on trying or launching new things is simple. We must answer this question: "What problem are we trying to solve?" If there is no problem then there is no need for a solution. If there is a clear problem that needs to be addressed then we keep the conversation alive. For me the problems are often identified by paying attention to what "bothers" me or "bothers" our team. That's how I arrived at the decision to launch something called FUSION. Our partner church, North Point Co mmunity Church, has a similar idea but we have adapted it to address our specific needs here in Charlotte. We believe that Ridge Church and Charlotte desperately need a place and pathway for college and single adults to get connected into mid sized gatherings and eventually into smaller community groups. That's why we are launching FUSION!

Here's the low down on FUSION:
"Fusion is an environment where college and single adults come to build authentic friendships and get connected. Fusion Gatherings are mid sized gatherings of 15-25 people who meet three times a month in the Charlotte area. Fusion Gatherings also provide smaller break out groups called Fusion Groups where accountability, belonging, and care can be experienced."

We are just launching these groups so we are keeping them open for the next several weeks. So this is the time to invite people and to get involved. We know this is a huge need and the potential is even bigger. So spread the word. Women's Fusion Gathering will be on Tuesday nights, and the Men's Fusion Gathering will be on Thursday nights.

Go HERE to contact us if you are interested or would like additional information. Just put FUSION in the memo line.

This thing is serious business people!

2010-09-30T23:20:00.001-07:00

Man, I love it. The mission of Ridge Church is serious business. This Sunday I will begin a two part serious called "Just Ask" that I'm very excited about. Part one will be a look under the hood of Ridge and a challenge to all of us. Part two is going to be unbelievable. I won't tell you details yet but I'll tell you it's a "must experience day" and ultimately this is a "must experience series".

Here's a little video recap of some crazy powerful life change at Ridge Church over the last year or so. This is why we must keep creating environments...keep funding environments...keep growing our volunteer base. This is what hangs in the balance:

Ridge "The Stories" from Ridge Church on Vimeo.

It's been powerful-Don't take my word for it!

2010-09-27T12:43:00.000-07:00

My computer was being worked on last week so I've been anxiously awaiting it's return so that I could recap the recent weeks and exciting momentum at Ridge Church.

Surrender is powerful:
Two weeks ago I challenged people to do everything in their power to get to Ridge Church and to bring their friends believing that it could literally change peoples lives...AND it was everything we thought and more. It was one of the most powerful weekends in our two years of Sunday morning services as people in both services publicly acknowledged surrender to Jesus.

Change is coming:
After that service we hosted our first 1 twelve luncheon. We're planning another one for November (stay tuned). Short story--change is coming for Ridge Church. We are officially and aggressively beginning our effort to move into a 24/7 location. Are you on board yet? It's a must have for us not a nice to have. More on that later...

Groups are where it's at--the tidal wave:
We bleed groups at Ridge Church because we believe that while people may meet Jesus in a moment they grow spiritually in community. This past weekend 100+ more adults took the step and connected in groups at Ridge Church. Many of the people that surrendered to Jesus two weeks ago took the step to get into groups this week! I'm ecstatic about the new effort to launch FUSION gatherings and groups for college and singles too. Charlotte desperately needs this! More on that later...

These are days of life change and growth at Ridge. You can sense the momentum growing week by week and every week you don't come you are missing something powerful. Don't miss out as we start a brand new series this week called "Just Ask". See you at 9:30 or 11:00. Come early...we had to start a Waumba room in the hallway because we're short on space!!

Most important weekend of your life?

2010-09-17T18:55:00.000-07:00

This could be the most important weekend of your life or your friend's life, or your neighbor's life, or your co-workers life... We hope to see you at Ridge Church at 9:30 or 11:oo.

Don't Miss Out! from Ridge Church on Vimeo.

Kenya needs a window unit

2010-09-16T10:02:00.000-07:00

I'm so proud of the team of people from Ridge Church that are on their way to Kenya right now. I'm sure they are experiencing a mixed bag of emotions--excitement, fear, anticipation, etc. But, I love that they are going because it reflects a belief we embrace as a church, "God doesn't just love our nation--he loves 'the nations' " Our upstreet kids (k-5th grade) at Ridge Church support a child in Kenya through Compassion International and Patrick and Crystal will actually get to see him while they are there. (Go HERE to get a glimpse of Patrick's incredible heart and passion for Africa)

Will you pray for the Kenya Team?
With permission I share this story...The air conditioning unit went out for a family at Ridge Church and it would be a few weeks before "funds" allowed the repair. So mom challenged the children, "Every time we feel like we want to complain we are going to let it be a reminder to us to stop and pray for the people of Kenya because they don't have air conditioning." It didn't take long until the son busted one of the daughters complaining. So they stopped to pray for Kenya and it went like this, "Dear Jesus, please help the people of Kenya to get air conditioning."

This week please stop throughout your days to pray that God will protect, inspire, and use this team in extraordinary ways!

Don't just stand there...Do something!

2010-09-15T04:12:00.000-07:00

My Community Group is going through the book of James together. Here is today's passage and a devotional thought. If you would like to receive two weeks of devotions from the book of James go HERE and send us an email. God's Word will shape your life!:

Don’t just stand there…Do something!
Read James 1:22-25

Recently the daughter of one of my wife’s co-workers found herself in a crazy scenario. While working at a store in the mall she witnessed a man try to kid nap a 5-year-old little girl. He kneeled to eye level with her, spoke quietly to her, then took her by the arm and began to lead her away. The college female employee removed her work apron and darted out from her workplace counter to confront the man. In typical creepy kidnapper fashion he calmly said, “It’s fine her mother sent me”. But she persisted in questioning him until he became agitated and pushed her to the side as he began to run with the little girl in tow. [STOP and think] What would you do at this point? Well, this college female employee chased the man down, screaming as she ran “kidnapper, kidnapper…call 911”. Then my favorite part, she caught up to him, tripped him, and punched him square in the nose breaking his nose (you cheered inside didn’t you?). Security came and took him away. Later they found duct tape, rope, and a black bag in his car. True story!

Interestingly during this entire episode not one person stepped in to help as the man ran through the mall dragging this small child. Not even as the college age girl screamed “kidnapper”, and pleaded for help as she chased him.

It’s literally nauseating to imagine the different possible outcomes if this college age girl had decided to stand there instead of doing something. What if she decided it wasn’t her problem?

James pleads with us in this passage “Don’t just stand there…Do something!” When it comes to God’s word there are two types of people hearers only and doers. In a matter of speaking when it comes to God’s Word there are people chasing down the kidnapper and people watching. There are people changing outcomes and people allowing them. James point is simple, when it comes to God’s word, “Don’t just stand there…Do something”. When we become active in practicing what we read or hear from God’s word it shapes different outcomes in our lives…and maybe in the lives of others too. So next time a verse grabs your attention—Don’t just stand there…do something! Ask yourself: “In light of what I’ve read what should I do?”

6 reasons I love my church (you would too!)

2010-09-12T18:31:00.000-07:00

1.) We are a church that INVITES adults to belong before they believe...
2.) We are a church that (also) INVITES children/teens to belong before they believe while also partnering with families. This weekend we celebrated 2 years of Sunday mornings at Ridge and had more children in Upstreet (k-5th) than we had adults in our launch team 2 years ago. 3) We are becoming a church that INVITES the undeniable presence of God. We want people of all ages to experience God...not just us!
4) We are becoming a church that INVITES radical participation in God's activity. This week a team from Ridge Church leaves for Kenya. Next month a team leaves for Panama. And locally? Man you've gotta scroll down and read some of the domino effect stories on our Fan Page!
5) We are a church that values people sitting in circles more than people sitting in rows. We value authentic biblical community. You can sign up for Group Link HERE.

6) Last but not least. Along with my family--I get to be some small part of what God is doing through Ridge Church. You can too!

When my facebook status changes

2010-09-09T13:18:00.000-07:00

You can tell a lot about people by their facebook or twitter status. You can often times learn what people are passionate about or what makes them happy or angry. Some people's status seem to indicate that they don't have any friends since the information they are sharing with the public sounds like some deep emotional thing you would normally only share privately with a dear friend. You can spot the glass half full people and you can definitely spot the glass half empty people. The proud parent and disgruntled employee surface frequently as well. There's the frequent flyer status person who's proud of their new smart phone capabilities and posts multiple times per hour and there's the once a month "out of hibernation" status guy or girl.

You can also tell a lot about people by paying attention to the "changes" in their status. I only follow a handful of people on twitter and in recent days the status updates of one of my dear friends changed immediately and distinctly. No more links. No more pictures of daily excursions. No more funny commentaries. No more sport team updates. No more witty or pithy sayings. 6-7 status changes in a row were about his teenage son that was in a terrible ATV accident and had to be air lifted to the hospital. Updates and prayer requests only...and if I were in his shoes that's exactly what would have happened to my status!

This got me thinking--when your life forces your "status updates" to change, and it will because life is unpredictable, will any of the people reading your status care enough to get involved? Does any one in your life feel a sense of responsibility for you? Plenty of people care about you, but does any one see you as THEIR responsibility? Answer this question now because after the status updates start to change it's too late.

This is just one more reason that I love the structure and mission of our church. We do everything in our power to convince people to be a part of what we call community groups. In these groups you have the potential for Accoutability, Care, and Belonging. Trust me...when your "status" changes you will either be glad that you decided to surround yourself with community or you will wish that you had. Fortunately both my friend and his son have chosen to surround themselves with community and people that care about them and in this hour they need it!
What about you?
NEXT GROUP LINK: September 26, 6:30 @ Levine Senior Center [Sign Up HERE]

Would they mourn our loss?

2010-09-08T06:37:00.000-07:00

This Sunday will mark two years of Sunday morning services for Ridge Church so I've been reflecting back and dreaming forward...Last year at our celebration of one year of Sunday morning services I posed the question--if our church ceased to exist in our city "Would they mourn our loss?" Would anyone know or care if we were gone? The idea came from Acts 9:39 where a group of people were mourning the loss of a lady named Tabitha. The striking thing in this passage is that the people that Tabitha had served were the ones that were devastated by her loss because of how selflessly she had served them and invested herself in them and given to them. So the piercing question is if we ceased to exist, "Would they (anyone in our city) mourn our loss?" I'm so passionate about seeing the Queen City (Charlotte) experience the overwhelming, restoring, enabling grace of Jesus. You can Listen to that sermon HERE--Andy Stanley kicked off the message and I wrapped it up with local vision:

That day I framed three things that if we pursue them and become them, they will enable us to become the kind of church who's loss would be mourned by our city if we were gone. I want to remind all of us of these three:

ONE: We must become a church that INVITES people to belong before they believe
TWO: We must become a church that INVITES the undeniable presence of God
THREE: We must become a church that INVITES radical participation in God's activity.

Again, go back and listen to the second half of that message to get the full context. It's a good reminder of the kind of church Ridge has set her sites on becoming--and is becoming! Go HERE to listen.

Crowd control-Ridge is seeing double!

2010-09-01T10:36:00.000-07:00

Just a quick update and reminder. This coming Sunday is our final Sunday with only one service time. It was a crazy packed house last week so the timing is perfect. On September 12th our service options will expand to 9:30am and 11:00am!

Here's 3 reasons why we are adding a service time:
1) For our volunteers: Many of you volunteer in Waumba, Upstreet, or Student Impact and don't get to attend or invite people to worship services. We want you to ATTEND one worship time and SERVE one worship time. You, our volunteers, are also the best "inviters" among us, so now you can invite friends to come with you to the 9:30 worship time.

2) For our students: We believe God desires to use teenagers to bless people here and now. Two services allow them an opportunity to attend their worship environment at 9:30 as well as volunteer during the 11am worship time.

3) For open seats: When we open up new service times it opens up new seats so we can continue to grow. Take the time to invite a friend to attend Ridge Church with you. Sometimes all they are waiting on is a specific invitation. Have you asked them yet? If not it's time.

SERVICE SCHEDULE--TAKE NOTE:
We will offer identical adult worship experience at 9:30AM and 11:00AM. Student Impact for grades 6 - 12 at 9:30AM and Waumba (birth-5yrs) and Upstreet (K-5th) at 11:00AM.

**We are experiencing explosive growth in our family ministry areas and are already in need of considering expanding to add a second Waumba and Upstreet environment at 9:30AM. BUT we need your help! It takes many committed volunteers to create these excellent environments. Help us create more seats so people can continue to experience God's love and plans for them! Maybe it's time to get off the sidelines and get in the game! We simply MUST NOT run out of space for families!!! Sign up HERE!

Does our city need another church?

2010-08-31T12:08:00.000-07:00

Does our city need another church?
Man, did I ever wrestle with this question when I felt God leading me toward church planting back in 2005. "I hear you God but why here? Why Charlotte?" Let's be honest, does Charlotte really need another church? And soon that burden became a passion...and that passion lead to what is now Ridge Church. In a few weeks we will celebrate two years of Sunday morning services. But the problem that required the Genesis of Ridge wasn't lack of churches. It was a desperate need for an environment where church people could bring there un-churched friends, and where un-churched people would love to attend. Our city was in desperate need of a church that partnered with families; a church that spoke in relevant but biblical terms; a church that extended messages that were practical and applicable; a church where worshipping God was enjoyable rather than endurable; a church where people could experience a personal relationship with God without the trappings of religion; a church where community with other believers was/is paramount. I'm so proud and honored to be part of it! Last week we had 55 kids in just our kindergarden-5th grade environment so clearly something is working in our partnership with families.
-->If you havent' heard this story--Just Ask Tammy, If this city needed another church. Ask her about partnership with families. Ask her if it matters. Ask her about the power of community...

Load in Church: Like a box of chocolates...

2010-08-29T14:45:00.000-07:00

Load in Church: Like a box of chocolates...
In my last post I highlighted a few of the amazing stage sets that our production/creative team is able to pull off even though we are in a load in context as a church. To add to the already challenging task of creating appealing environments for people of all ages, we've had to learn to be creative on game day too. In the words of a great theologian--Load in church is, "...like a box of chocolates, you never know what you are going to get."- Forrest Gump.

Bird Cage?
One morning we arrived to discover a brand new bird cage in the foyer of the facility. That's right a bird cage! First week we covered it up until we realized that all the kids loved it. Now our children terrorize those birds every week while their parents check them in. If I had to guess I would say "sippy cups" now strike fear into the heart of those birds!

Defibrillator?
Another week we arrived to find a new "defibrillator" attached to the wall right beside one of our waumba rooms (pre-school).

Today...we arrived to find this little problem:
In case it isn't clear in the picture--that is a pad lock for a door. Behind that door were all of our Waumba supplies! (preschool ministry) But thanks to Volunteer hero of the day, Matt Rich, here was the solution and result.Seriously, I bet there wasn't another church on the planet today...yes I said planet--that required the use of bolt cutters in order to pull off their preschool environment. I'm just saying...this thing is an adventure. And none of the happy people that showed up and dropped off their children in Waumba ever knew this had happened.

**To the people that work so hard, give so much, serve so faithfully, and show up with game day creativity for the sake of our mission.--THANK YOU! It matters. Peoples lives are being changed.

If your church was mobile...

2010-08-26T10:28:00.000-07:00

If your church was mobile would you cut corners? What would your children's ministry look like? Would you have guest services? Would you change your stage with each series? Would you pay attention to form or just function? Well, Ridge Church is mobile (meaning we rent a facility and set up our church from scratch every Sunday) and I'm so proud of the staff and volunteers that believe God's mission should be handled by devoted and loving people and surrounded by excellent environments. Here are pictures from a few of our recent series at Ridge Church (Rusty Burchard and the service program team are the creatives behind all of this:

Listen and Learn Series

There's an APP for That Series Your Move SeriesDomino Effect SeriesSay Series

Losing Your Religion Series

Together SeriesStaying in Love SeriesYou don't know what you are missing. Come experience it for yourself! [Ridge Church]

Michael Hyatt Interview

2010-08-19T18:17:00.000-07:00

I'm sharing this video for two reasons:

Michael Hyatt has a great perspective on the role of social media to Christian leaders. He is one of the handful of people that I follow on twitter. I select the people I follow by virtue of either close relationship, or whether or not they add valuable content to my world...(or both). Michael consistently brings helpful content into the world of his twitter followers.
My big brother "Scott Brown" is actually doing the interview. I've looked up to him for years as a spiritual leader and phenomenal business leader. He is the managing editor of a magazine called "Outcomes" (pick up a copy if you are a leader) as well as being a VP in his company Christian Leadership Alliance. Proud to call him family!

How Can Christian Leaders Get Started with Social Media? from Michael Hyatt on Vimeo.

There's an app for that

2010-08-05T08:47:00.000-07:00

New series starting Sunday at Ridge Church called "There's an app for that!" I think this series is going to be a game changer for a lot of people. Last week we gave out a little homework assignment that I wanted to reiterate here on my blog. Normally using your phone in church is "taboo" (yet oddly common:-) but we are giving everyone temporary permission to break the rules. Download a Bible app this week for your smart phone or ipod touch because you'll need it. Youversion is the one we recommend--so go HERE to download it. AND...good news for you old school Bible Sword drill champions. You will have an opportunity to re-live your glory days this Sunday. If you are reading this and wondering "what in the world is a sword drill?"--just know that you are more normal than the people that immediately understand the phrase--AND for the record PLEASE do not bring or allow your child to bring a real sword to church this week! See you at 10am.

Domino Effect & Summer Schedule

2010-06-12T10:00:00.001-07:00

Sunday is a really big day at Ridge Church. We will begin a brand new series called "Domino Effect" about small actions that can have a huge effect. We are also starting our summer schedule which means one service at 10am! For the first time in our history as a church there will be something for every age group all at the same service time. This is a great time to invite people to experience Ridge.

We also kick off Financial Peace University (Dave Ramsey) and Starting Point Sunday night as our two summer studies. You can still sign up on Sunday morning if you haven't already done so. I highly recommend both of these!

Together video & recap

2010-06-09T08:19:00.000-07:00

Last weekend at Ridge was a phenomenal day of worship services. Nice little Beetles opener too! It was a great reminder of why we go to such great lengths to create great environments. The theme of the day was simple: "Together we create something extraordinary". Quite a few people signed up expressing interest in becoming part of one of our volunteer teams at Ridge Church. Our goal is 40 new volunteers before the fall and I know we will get there. If you haven't joined a volunteer team yet now is the time! If you missed last Sunday you can sign up any time in the next several weeks.

I had quite a few people ask me if we could post the video from Sunday so here it is. If you want to hear the rest of Tammy's story don't miss our current series called "Domino Effect." We'll reveal the rest of her story during this series. If you haven't been to Ridge recently you are missing out!

Breaking the "stupid cycle"

2010-05-28T12:49:00.000-07:00

Breaking the Stupid Cycle
Everything in this life (your life too) that causes guilt can be traced back to the same pattern every single time! So to avoid or eliminate guilt from our lives we must not begin with guilt itself (the product) we must begin with where it all starts.

(For Context Read Joshua 7. Specifically verses 20-21--this observation and cycle is taken straight from the story of Achan)

Change the names, circumstances, severity etc, but where guilt is involved, if you look close enough you will always find what I call the "stupid cycle". For Achan he ended up with guilt and in his case ultimately death but here is how it happened:

I saw--> OPPORTUNITY
I wanted-->DESIRE
I took--> GRATIFICATION
I hid--> GUILT

Here is the problem...there is one highly effective way to break the stupid cycle. Effectively breaking the cycle begins by limiting the opportunity. Don't try to manage your desires. You will lose. Don't try to limit or govern your gratification. You will consume more, go further, do more, take more and ultimately it will control you instead of you controlling it--You will lose. And don't try to medicate your guilt or ignore your guilt. You will lose.

Want a life where guilt is the exception not the rule? THEN spend time carefully monitoring "Your opportunities". Regardless of the cause of your guilt--regardless of what tempts you the most, if you work hard to reduce opportunity you will kill the "stupid cycle" before it begins. This is a simple concept but don't confuse simple with easy! This takes work.

Why is God obessessed with Respect?

2010-05-27T08:58:00.000-07:00

Take a stroll through the old testament and you'll notice quickly that this thing of respect and reverence for God is a big deal. Often the phrase "Fear the Lord" is used. In context this phrase typically carries the idea of respect on steroids. It's the kind of respect that causes you to freeze up or stand up when someone enters the room. It's the kind of respect that causes you to rearrange your day just to spend a few moments with a person. It's the kind of respect that causes you to ask questions, sit, and listen instead of talking. It's the kind of respect that inspires you to action.

So why is God apparently obsessed with respect?
I think the answer to that is potentially much more than a simple phrase but I believe this phrase stabs deep into this apparent obsession with respect. "Deep respect creates a desire for relationship!" Cover to cover the Bible is a story revealing God's interest in personally relating to each of us.

Think about it. One coin--two sides:

I've never met a person that I didn't respect that I wanted a closer relationship with.
I've never deeply respected a person and not wanted to know them better give the chance.

For many of us we have lost or never had a sense of awe or sense of respect for God. Consequently our intimacy has suffered or been non existent. Stop and consider him!! Look at his Creation (start by looking in the mirror). Consider his love for you. Consider the miracles. Consider the peace he offers. Consider his salvation. Consider his power to shape all that affects us. When respect runs deep--the desire for intimacy will likely flourish.

If your intimacy with God is nonexistent or if your relationship with him has seen better days...start or restart by considering who he really is, what he really does (and has done), and how he really loves. Start there--Respect and intimacy are sure to follow!

I failed: 3 lessons to learn

2010-05-26T13:09:00.000-07:00

Leadership is a process not an event.
I know some of you saw the failure title and eagerly scrambled to get the juicy gossip on some new scandal. Sorry, no such luck today. But since you're here might as well read on. I believe this truth I'm learning has implication not just for my life but for your life as well.

I read this phrase in Joshua 3:7 where we get to listen in on a conversation between God and Joshua. God said to Joshua "...I will begin to exalt you in the eyes of Israel so they will know that I am with you."

The phrase "I will begin" kept echoing in my mind. I believe that God wants to exalt us (lift us up). I believe that the phrase "I will begin" is a reminder of the fact that God often works in moments rather than just in a moment. God works in decisions rather than in a single decision. God didn't exalt Joshua in a moment. He said today I will BEGIN. The process of making Joshua a leader worth following was one that would be just that...a process. If it was true for Joshua the same is true for you and I!

As a leader that wants to be better tomorrow than I was today both at home and at work this is encouraging news. God's development of me is a process. Each moment; each decision; each failure and success is another opportunity for God to continue that process.

What about failure?
Today I made a mistake that affected several of my staff. It wasn't a moral or ethical blunder. It was just a mistake that affected them and put them in a tough position. It literally bothered me all day. But here is what I'm learning. Our mistakes and how we respond to them are some of our greatest opportunities for God to establish and "exalt" us as leaders. I'm pretty sure I didn't handle it perfectly but I did own it. I know for sure that I wouldn't want to follow a leader that doesn't own mistakes and I don't expect my staff to follow one either! And moving forward I'll fight to make sure I don't put them in that sort of situation again.

Put it all together and here are three lessons:

God establishes us over time not all at one time
God establish us to fulfill his purposes not our own ambitions
Our mistakes are often an opportunity for God to establish us. Own it but don't repeat it.

Throwback--Wow!

2010-04-29T08:05:00.000-07:00

On Sunday, April 25th Ridge Church took a road trip to South Piedmont Community College where we had our very first Core Gathering not so many years ago. All week leading up to the event the weather showed 100% chance of rain yet we experience the perfect outdoor day complete with sunshine and a nice breeze. Coincidence? I think not!

Over five times more adults joined us for Throwback than we had when we left South Piedmont back in the fall of 2007. We looked back and dreamed forward. The challenge of the day was simple: When we follow an immeasurable God into a radical mission the phrase "We've never been this way before" --becomes part of the common language. [from Joshua 3:2-4]. I love leading a group of people that are willing to risk so much and give up so much for something that we all love even more! THANKS for not playing it safe Ridge Church!

The energy in the room was crazy...the worship was full of both celebration and reflection...we pulled out 50 or more extra chairs...the community was contagious...the vision was tangible...the BBQ was excellent...and the blow games were echoing with laughter. It was a milestone day in the life of Ridge Church.

I'm so grateful for the men and women that have invested their lives so deeply in this mission. I am humbled to have the privilege of leading this incredible, passionate, growing church. Our dreams are so much bigger than our memories. I can't wait see them unfold. Thanks for being part of the story God is writing through this church. Keep spreading the word!

Throwback! "Looking Back. Dreaming Forward"

2010-04-23T11:04:00.000-07:00

It's almost time for "THROWBACK" at Ridge Church. We've been planning this and praying about it for months and I can't wait to experience what God will do on this day. Short story Ridge Church is taking a road trip April 25th. We are traveling back to South Piedmont Community College where Ridge Church held our first ever "Core Gathering." It was there that God built the adult team of 35 adults that became the foundation of Ridge Church.

I can't wait to Look Back--as we celebrate what God has done and who he has used to do it. Then we'll Dream Forward about the amazing story that is yet to be written through this amazing group of people that we call "Ridge Church." Trust me--you don't want to miss this day!!

One Worship Service 11am (SPCC--NOT at normal location!)
Blow up Games for Kids (Older Waumba and Upstreet)
Child Care for younger waumba (infants and toddlers)
Joust for middle school and high school students
FREE BBQ lunch for everyone--hotdogs for kids!
Directions and address for GPS HERE.

*We do have contingency plans for all ages in case of rain. So rain or shine Throwback is on!!

"Say" series wrap up (video)

2010-04-13T12:51:00.000-07:00

We kicked off this awesome series called "Say" on Easter and we will be wrapping it up this weekend. I did part one (Listen HERE), Andy Stanley did part two (Listen HERE) and this week's communicator is a surprise--but I'm really excited about it! I have been meaning to post this video clip of the closer from part one for awhile. Major props to Rusty (Service Program Director at Ridge Church) for his amazing ability to put an exclamation point at the end of my talks. Whatever you do--don't underestimate the power of words...and don't waste time. Say what you need to say, and say it SOON! Hope to see you Sunday at either 9am or 11am. Finally--here it is:

Say what?

2010-04-02T14:25:00.000-07:00

"Say What?"
Originally I was taking a day or two blog break. It turned into a lengthy ordeal. BUT...I decided to break the silence to talk about our upcoming Easter service(s). I'm super stoked about that day and all that we have in store--not to mention what we believe God has in store for all of us.

We are kicking off a brand new series called "Say" about the power of words and we are starting on Easter by talking about the most powerful words in human history. Here is what I'll say leading into Easter day at Ridge:

Don't be late! The opener is AWESOME...(and last week the parking lot was full at 11am)
The service closer will make it impossible not to personalize the day
I've seen the adult worship tech sheet--incredible worship songs coming!
Waumba and Upstreet have amazing Easter activities prepared
LASTLY-Don't come alone! INVITE someone to come with you.

NOW AVAILABLE--TWO WAUMBA OPTIONS (9am and 11am)
We have been running out of space for several weeks in our 11am service so on Easter we will be opening up a full Waumba environment (birth-pre-K) at 9am. If you don't have children, or if you have Waumba age children, or middle school and highschool students you can help us create open seats for new guests by making 9am your worship service of choice. *Waumba at 11am is still available too!

Does religion work?

2010-03-06T09:32:00.000-08:00

Losing Your Religion
Face it. Religion can get pretty strange pretty quickly.
Mystical. Superstitious. Legalistic. Judgmental. Hypocritical.

But religion isn’t going away.

The human race has an insatiable curiosity regarding the divine. Since the beginning of time, men and women have established elaborate rituals and traditions in an attempt to bridge the gap between the seen and the unseen; between the sacred and the secular.

And while each of these systems provided formulas for communicating with and securing the blessings of a particular deity, none provided the one thing humankind most desires—assurance.

Don't miss this new series March 7, 14, 21, 28 We'll see you at 9am or 11am!

It's fourth down-Punt or go for it?

2010-02-05T11:15:00.000-08:00

Punt or go for it?
Interesting insight from David Romer's research at the University of California. He studied decision making by professional football coaches related to "punting or going for it on fourth down."

In short, he discovered that coaches would actually win more games if they went for touchdowns and first downs instead of punting or attempting field goals. Here is the problem: Every coach (and leader) knows that whenever he decides to run a play on fourth he not only sets himself up for potential success he also sets himself up for potential criticism. So ultimately the thought of Monday morning criticism sometimes clouds or even overrides the game day decision to go for it.

Are you with me?
If you are a leader you can probably literally feel the tension of this scenario. On one hand the potential for extreme success--on the other hand the potential for extreme criticism. So in your organization, or sphere of influence, do you punt more or go for it more?...and maybe an even more important question--why?

Bible Example:
In 1 Samuel 15:24 one phrase gives us insight into a major component of the demise of Saul's influence as king. It says, "I was afraid of the people so I gave into them." I recently heard Andy Stanley say that this very thing [fearing what people will do or think] has the potential to de-rail an organization especially when the organization is fragile. He went on to say when we give in, we aren't leading people we are simply taking a poll.

Leadership Question: Will you allow the potential for success be outweighed by the likelihood of criticism? What do you fear losing? Plain and simple leadership is risky business, often lonely, and it frequently puts the bulls eye of criticism on your back. Certainly wisdom must guide us but I don't believe playing it safe is always our best course of action!! Are you leading or taking a poll?

3 possible responses to performance evaluations

2010-02-04T11:23:00.000-08:00

How should I respond to performance Evaluations?

What is your initial response when you hear the words performance evaluation? Do you tense up? Pass out? Immediately begin your defensive action plan? Do you think pay cut? Pay raise? Do you consider quitting before it happens? Take a sick day? Do you get excited about feedback?

Here are three possible responses to performance evaluations--The first you should AVOID the other two you should embrace:

1) Spend considerable time working on my revealed weaknesses--This will be your knee jerk response or tendency but unless we are talking about a character issue DON'T DO IT! Andy Stanley says it this way "Become so good at what you do well that you become indispensable to the organization." You must focus on your strengths BUT in that process you can't ignore your weaknesses (SEE 2 & 3)

2) Spend time investing in people who are strong where you are weak-- Keith McFarland said it this way in his book "The Breakthrough Company" "People are our most valuable resources yet we often invest the least amount of resources in them." Believe it or not there are people who are not only good at the things you are weak in but they also love doing the things you are weak in. Find those people and give them your time and give them permission to leverage their strengths in your areas of weakness.

3) Spend time developing systems that compensate for your weaknesses-- Systems determine behavior and systems also help compensate for areas where we are naturally weak. For example: If organization is your weakness spending hours trying to become an organized person is an unwise investment of your time. Developing a system that externally implements organization is a great idea. A simple example of a system is using entourage or outlook reminders: Schedule automatic reminders about weekly things that you need to do...even simple stuff like "send an encouragement note to a team member or client"--that pops up on your screen every Tuesday at 10am!

Just a few thoughts I've been reminding my incredible staff team at Ridge Church as we go through performance evaluations from the last year. I'm so blessed to have a talented and teachable team!

Breaking the power that______has over me

2010-02-03T12:01:00.000-08:00

Breaking the power that ____has over me!
There are often things in our lives that just seem to have an unbreakable power over us. We try to stop, we try to change our pace, we try to change our tone, we try to look away...but we keep getting drawn in and losing the battle. BUT--there are some practical things we can do to begin to break the power that (stuff--whatever it is for you and me).

That was part of the topic of Imagine part 4. I've been meaning to re-cap this for awhile but took a little bit of a blog break. We wrapped up our recent vision series called "Imagine" with a challenge and invitation. Every person in attendance walked away from the day with a card that looked like this:
STEP ONE:
Go HERE to listen to the message called "No Survivors" and get the full context of the challenge.

STEP TWO:
Take the challenge! If you have already done this then extend the challenge for another 7 days or more? Some of you had every intention of taking the challenge but then Monday happened, life happened, family happened, your in box happened and you simply never got to it. It's not to late.

Here is the paraphrase of the Psalmist words above that I turned into a prayer in my journal. Maybe this should be your prayer too: "God is there anything I'm doing or becoming that will lead to hurt for me or those I love?"

Whatever you face this week I would like to invite you to remember that God is for you--but "Because of who he is for, there are some things that he won't ignore." Your heavenly Father wants you to live in freedom!!

Change your city with a bag & your car

2010-01-20T18:14:00.000-08:00

Self Absorbed?
I love what God is beginning to stir in the heart (and hearts) of Ridge Church. This is a young church both in how many worship services we've had and in our general demographic but people are really beginning to embrace generosity in a time when most have reacted in fear by closing their fist tightly around their material goods. Generosity when it doesn't make sense gets people's attention!

I believe that God's resources flow to us so that they can flow through us...not so we can live in a self absorbed reality. AND when God's resources flow to us THEN through us to others it ultimately turns the attention to God. (Check out 2 Corinthians 9:11)

Recently Ridge Church created something we called the NOW PROJECT. For more on that go HERE or HERE. This past weekend we unveiled what we are calling "NOW GO!"--the extension of the NOW project.

NOW GO!
Simple concept. Take a bag. Fill it with helpful resources. Put it in your car. When you see a need or hear of a need. Give the bag away. These bags in our cars will be a simple reminder to lift our eyes and be aware! 100 bags were taken last week. Whether it is next week or next month that you give the bag away--take a minute to go to our Facebook Fan Page and share your experience. Our message to people is simple--Regardless of how your situation makes you feel "God has not forgotten you."

Are you doing anything that matters?

2010-01-12T09:36:00.000-08:00

Just do something!
2010 needs to be full of activities and pursuits that matter...stuff bigger than us--and YES some things that don't directly benefit us! It has to be about more than paying bills, climbing the corporate ladder, or surviving the schizophrenic life of a taxi mom. I want to brag on the students and their leaders at Ridge Church for a minute. Many of you have heard of advent conspiracy (check out the video HERE). Short explanation--instead of receiving tons of stuff for Christmas or a birthday you give up something or creatively give in order to provide clean water to people in our world that don't have it. Our middle and high school students set out to do something that matters more than ipod touch, wii, or the newest outfit from Hollisters. They set out to raise $ to build a well that would produce clean drinking water for an entire village.

Cool story #1 I saw a facebook status of Paige Burchard (one of our students) who has one of those birthdays that is dangerously close to Christmas. Her status said something like this: "Please no birthday gifts this year. Instead of gifts I want people to give to advent conspiracy to build a well for people that don't have clean drinking water." Not really the norm for teenagers to give up personal benefit in order to give to others in need. Awesome example!

Cool story #2 Johnny Marsden, Drew Marsden & Riley Gustat (from Student Impact) with Johnny’s Small Group Leader Pierre Gustat as well as Adam Marsden from Upstreet had a neighbor whose tree fell in the backyard. Pierre took the kids over there. They chopped it up for him & cleaned it up! He wanted to pay them but they decided they just wanted him to donate all the $ to Advent Conspiracy and Project Generosity! He wrote them a $200 check.--That's the church as it should be my friends...So, Are you doing anything that matters in 2010? Good news--there is still plenty of time to get started and make a difference. Just do something!

Last post of 2009!

2009-12-31T19:24:00.000-08:00

2009 in the books!
Man what a year! Every church goes through various stages of growth and development much like people do. One of the critical things for any organizational leader is learning to identify what kind of stage or season you are in and helping people respond appropriately. As I compared the last several months of 2009 at Ridge Church to the same months a year ago it is literally staggering to see the difference and the progress. We are in a growth phase that is connecting us with new people literally every single week. We have also seen literally unbelievable life change in people in 2009. I truly believe that Ridge Church is postured walking into 2010 to experience a year like none before in our short history as a church. Buckle your seat belt...and definitely decide see and experience it for yourself.

God is raising up an army of people in the Ridge community that are and will fully engage in expressing his love to both our city and our world in radical ways. I can't wait to hit 2010 full speed!

If you missed it--catch up on our last message of 2009 HERE. The content is so relevant for so many people--Can chaos, uncertainty, and peace all exist in the same season?

The Challenge:
Join the facebook Challenge HERE. We want to invite 1,000 people to our opening series of 2010 through our facebook event page. It's going to be crazy!!!

Remembering09 Every face=a story

2009-12-16T17:55:00.000-08:00

This is a little 2009 video flashback to remind us of some of the amazing things that God has done and is doing in peoples lives through Ridge Church.

Where it all began:
This all began as a dream back in 2005 of a church that would welcome people that had given up on church but had not necessarily abandoned the idea of God. We also wanted a place for followers of Jesus to be excited to bring their un-churched friends and a place where children would drag their parents to church. That dream began to take shape resulting in a few informational and core gatherings in 2006. By the end of 2006 we had a core team of 35-40 adults chomping at the bit to get this thing started. In 2007 we had about 28 night worship services to test the waters and then "finally" in September of 2008 we fully launched to the public and began meeting every Sunday morning.

TRUTHFULLY: We couldn't have imagined how hard this would be--or how much it would require of us but I don't think we could have imagined how rewarding it would be either. Watching people who had given up on God--turn the corner and enter a personal, life changing relationship with Jesus never gets old. I can't wait to see what's around the next corner!

Ridge staff jib jabs-pretty funny!

2009-12-15T09:16:00.000-08:00

The Ridge Church staff made a cameo in "jib jab" for our Volunteer Christmas party. It was great to laugh and relax with this incredible group of people that make Ridge Church what it is. Couldn't do this without you. Thanks! If you are attending but haven't joined the volunteer team--what in the world are you waiting for? Check back tomorrow and as you watch the video remember and be proud for what God has done through you this year! Pretty amazing stuff. Enjoy the jib jabs:-)

It's simply not possible...

2009-12-14T12:29:00.000-08:00

What we do and who we are at Ridge Church is simply not possible without high levels of commitment from high level people who generously give of themselves, their time, their gifts and abilities, and their financial resources. Honestly we have an absolutely impressive group of people that have consistently and selflessly thrown their shoulders under this young church and this mission we so passionately pursue.

Volunteer Celebration:
Last night was about them [volunteers]. We had a great time with our volunteers through a Christmas dinner and celebration. We laughed together, worshiped together, ate of course, celebrated life change, and dreamed together. There are no small volunteer roles at Ridge. Every car well parked, every person greeted with a smile, every guest helped, every child and parent professionally checked in, every diaper changed, every line memorized for upstreet or waumba, every group prepped for adults or students, every stage and graphic designed, every light operated, every worship song prepared and lead---and yes every chair, pipe and drape, truss, or sign moved early in the morning MATTERS to our mission!! Volunteers, thanks for making this church what it is.

If you missed the party you truly missed out. Here is a quick video shot from my phone of a simply awesome reflective time of worship (sorry it's not great in the dark):

Check back throughout the week. I'll post some pretty funny staff Jib Jabb videos as well as a life celebration video that Rusty put together for the volunteers.

You're gonna look like Santa

2009-12-11T11:52:00.000-08:00

"You're gonna look like Santa"
I don't know if I've just been paying more attention lately or if my kids have just been saying a lot of really funny stuff with great application to other areas of life.

Trust me, there was a back story to how we got to this place in the conversation but I'll fast forward to the good part:

Me: When people get older they stop growing taller.
Josie: (Blank and slightly concerned look)...You mean you're not growing anymore?
Me: Well...not taller just fatter (I patted my belly)...That's how adults grow.
Josie: (laughing hysterically. She has a contagious laugh)
Josie: (Still laughing)...Yeah daddy you love cookies and sweets Just like Santa Clause. If you keep eating them you're probably gonna look like Santa.
Me: (laughing hysterically and thinking to my self--that's not really funny because she might be right:-)

*I ate at least three cookies later that night!*

Hear me out...
Since my early days in full time ministry as a 22 or 23 year old I've been passionate about this idea of "who we are becoming as people." That passion drove me deep into discipleship relationships through the years. I pursue discipleship for myself and others consistently. For me it's not just about a transfer of facts though. It's about a transfer of your life. It's follow me as I follow Jesus. It's do, what I am doing so you can become what I am becoming. It challenges the mentor as much as the one being mentored. So my variation on Josie's words is this, "If you keep doing what you are doing who will you end up looking like?" Who is mentoring you? Who are you mentoring? This isn't just for pastors. It's for Christians. It's for Jesus followers. Go buy a copy of "Mentor Like Jesus" by Regi Cambell and begin the journey. The premise of the book is this "More time, spent with fewer people, equals greater kingdom impact." Sounds kind of like what Jesus did huh? Find a mentor or become a mentor or do both!

Spreading Christmas Cheer Elf style!

2009-12-06T16:05:00.000-08:00

New Christmas series called "The Nights Before Christmas" started today at Ridge Church. We had a little "Code of the elf" intro leading into a pretty sweet opener from the band (led by Josh Via). My phone camera isn't great in low light but you'll get the idea. Really fun day. Awesome message from Andy Stanley. Great Hot Chocolate...and an awesome Christmas tree lot--stage set! Truthfully our church is way better than sleeping in. (for adults and kids!)

Adult Worship Intro

I also snuck into upstreet (k-5th grade) today and snagged a few seconds of video on my phone. Amazing leadership both from staff and volunteers in that environment. It's totally interactive and creative. Our children are sponsoring a child named Erik in Kenya and had a Compassion and Christmas stage set in place. (*Remember--All this in a load in context*) Great job!

Upstreet Sneak Peek

Last but not least. I rolled into one of the Waumba Land environments (very creative and engaging for kids!). So cool to watch how much the kids enjoy being in there. Also, what a total blessing to have so many middle school and high school students serving in this ministry. Again, great staff and volunteer leadership.

Waumba Land Sneak Peek

How many grades did you fail?

2009-12-04T11:58:00.000-08:00

[Recent car conversation with my 10 year old Son:]

Brayden: The thing I hate about school is that you have to go for 13 years.
Me: (laugh)...I know Brayden. That's messed up.
PAUSE...
Me: Brayden guess how long I was in school.
Brayden: I don't know (his favorite response in life)
Me: Almost 20 years... (I'm counting college, grad school etc)
Long PAUSE...
Brayden: How many grades did you fail?
Me: (run off road a little bit from laughing)
Brayden: What's so funny?

Let's face it we are conditioned to think in terms of failure rather than progress. When something takes a long time we assume failure is involved rather than progress. What I know both from my personal experience with God and from the Bible is that God our heavenly Father is not in a hurry. Many times when people "finally" place their trust in Jesus after many years of life they can look back over their life and see various experiences and relationships that from the vantage point of "right now" were clearly God's activity. Strangely we often don't recognize God's activity in our life until we are looking back. Sometimes our failure is progress toward relationship with God. Sometimes our failure is God's process of moving us toward himself. Listen to Simmy's story it is so powerful. Thanks for your courage Simmy:

If something changed would you tell?

2009-12-03T12:56:00.000-08:00

If something in your life changed significantly would you tell people?
We are so grateful that several people at Ridge Church who have and are experiencing awesome change in their lives [because of their relationship to Jesus first and his followers second]--have taken the next step to tell the rest of us. Meet Brittany (yes, another Brittany!). Some of you will hear her story and think that it sounds familiar because it is so much like your life. There's nothing like a personal relationship with Jesus. These people have discovered that truth and now they are courageously sharing it with each of us. Contact us if you want to learn more about a relationship with Jesus.

Check back tomorrow to hear Simmy's story!

You need to hear this story

2009-12-02T15:11:00.000-08:00

Every follower of Jesus has a unique story of their journey to faith in Jesus. However it's always interesting to see the commonality in their stories as well. Those listening can often relate with what's being said because there are so many crossroads with our personal stories. We don't tell people what to say. These are their stories and they are powerful because of that fact. Our church exist to lead people into a growing relationship with Jesus so experiencing these stories never gets old! Brittany, thanks for your courage to publicly acknowledge your faith in Jesus! I hope this inspires many others to do the same. (watch for more videos throughout the week)

"All up in my business"

2009-12-01T14:16:00.000-08:00

[Tomorrow I will begin uploading videos from last Sunday--so stay tuned]

One of my daughters was sitting on the floor and we will say she "gently:-)" pushed our dog (Samson) out of her lap. My son kind of scolded her as only big brothers can do and she promptly responded, "Well, he was all up in my business." To her credit he is a total space invader with chronic bad breath. I bet you know someone at work or school that's like my dog if you know what I mean.

Leaders and wanna be's listen up. When it comes to my leadership and your leadership you and I both need someone to be "all up in our business". None of us are good enough to do this alone. We all have blind spots and we are incapable of getting better without some one shaping us. What are you doing to grow as a leader? Who has permission to address your blind spots? Do you have people in your life that love you but aren't too impressed with you to tell you the truth?

Here is a good 11 minute leadership blurb/review--that may or may not get all up in your business but it might be a start. Be careful...he's kind of free with his language but unpacks some great leadership nuggets:

Should the church celebrate or not?

2009-11-30T13:04:00.000-08:00

The answer is ABSOLUTELY yes the church should celebrate. In fact we should be the best people in our city at celebrating. Here is the hang up--as "the church--meaning local gatherings of believers" our achilles heel hasn't been that we don't celebrate it's been what we choose to celebrate.

At Ridge Church we don't have this figured out by any stretch of the imagination but we do talk a lot and work hard to keep this awesome church focused on celebrating the right things. This past Sunday was a perfect example and I'm so proud of the team of staff and volunteers that make it all happen. I believe we publicly celebrated the two most important things we can do as a church. I'll be posting examples of this through out the week but I'll start with a little video reflection of our recent "NOW Project". Be sure to check back in the upcoming days to see more specific examples of what and how we are learning to celebrate at Ridge!

Why are Christians so judgmental?

2009-11-20T11:55:00.000-08:00

We will finish up this four part series on judging others this week and it's been phenomenal. I can't count how many times in the last few weeks as I have talked with people from Ridge where the conversation has quickly turned back to the powerful impact this series is having on them. It is true for me too! My wife and I have been affirmed in some areas and significantly challenged in others. Andy Stanley has handled this difficult subject of when, if ever, should we judge others and he has done it with more clarity, authority, and biblical accuracy than I've ever experienced. It is a MUST hear!

Every talk has been extremely powerful but I absolutely love the way he closed part two. He talked about the importance of "self examination" before pointing out the flaws of others then he said, "If you are feeling energy or excitement around this idea of confronting someone then you aren't ready to confront. The sign that we are ready to confront someone is when we are truly heart broken over their situation or activity." WOW! If we as the church could take steps toward this--how different would the response of people outside the church be toward the church? I'd love to find out. I want us to be that kind of church.

Here they are. Go listen to them, then do whatever it takes to come with a friend in tow as we conclude this series on Sunday! Don't forget that those of you who love Ridge Church are still the best advertisement for us. If this church is impacting your life--tell people--bring people!

Listen Judgment Call 1 HERE

Listen Judgment Call 2 HERE

Listen Judgment Call 3 HERE

just a glimpse of God (Video)

2009-11-07T17:13:00.000-08:00

Today Ridge Church invested themselves in something that we know to be close to the heart of God...something much bigger than us. I'll share the specifics later but I was amazed at the extreme generosity demonstrated by this community of people for brothers and sisters in need. We helped feed and give winter clothes to over 250 homeless men, women, and children and made HUGE donations to the Men's Shelter in Uptown Charlotte. Our single message to them was "You are not forgotten". Children colored and decorated lunch bags that said this...the winter survival kits had this printed on them and one of our community groups even printed shirts with this message--just for the day. It was an amazing demonstration of what the church is capable of when they come together. Again, I'll share more specifics and highlights later, but until then here is a little video from the day:

Generosity in motion

2009-11-06T18:57:00.000-08:00

I'm super excited about Nov 7th--the NOW project. I'm overwhelmed with the way(s) people have responded to the vision we have shared about blessing the people in our community in practical ways. In a time when most people are closing their hands more tightly than ever the "Ridge Church Community" has displayed overwhelming generosity and amazing creativity. People have given huge amounts of time, planning, organization, and resources to this opportunity. I am proud to be associated with YOU!

8:30-10:30 Ridge Office--Decorating bags, Packing lunches, loading the trucks

11:30-1:30 Woodies Auto Service Parking lot (Uptown)--Delivering winter survival kits, coats, blankets, lunches, etc

NOW project Sign-up

2009-11-02T13:23:00.000-08:00

Now Project:

Sunday was a great day at Ridge. The foyer was slammed with winter survival kits, coats, and canned goods. Easily over $1o,ooo worth of stuff has already been donated and much more has been promised. It seemed like almost every person came in carrying multiple bags of stuff. You can totally sense the excitement and anticipation. You can still give money, collect goods, or bring winter survival kits until Friday morning!

Saturday, November 7th is the big day. For more information on the event or to sign up to serve click the image below and submit the attached form. We want this to be a great volunteer experience so be sure to let us know if you are planning to attend. We will send out directions to the up town project on Thursday. Thanks for making a difference!

NOW project shopping (videos)

2009-10-28T18:03:00.000-07:00

If you are a parent or maybe a rare self aware child or teenager then you know that we don't have to teach children to be self absorbed or selfish...it comes naturally. We do however have to teach them how to be generous and to think of others. But once they "get it" they typically outpace the grown ups! The Now Project is a great opportunity not only to bless people in need but to teach our children that God intends for them to be a solution! My children have really enjoyed the process so far.

Brown's Go "NOW Project" Shopping Part 1:
What to buy?

Brown's Go "NOW Project" Shopping Part 2:
How to make it fit in the bag?

Sucker punch from the pastor

2009-10-27T11:57:00.000-07:00

I could literally feel the tension in the building this weekend at Ridge Church. It was thick! We finished up part two of the "NOW" series (click HERE to listen) and I believe it will be a day that people will remember and be marked by.

The question we were asking: "What is it in us or in our culture that allows us to see extreme need or hurt, YET give ourselves permission not to be part of the solution?"

I contacted a friend that most people at our church wouldn't know and asked him to dress up as a homeless man and stand on the corner right in the middle of our church signs and just see how people would respond. Some pretended not to see him, some drove past as their husband or wife encouraged them to stop. Others inconvenienced themselves and made it their #1 priority to help him. We intentionally did not tell anyone--even our leaders--so that every one could feel the moment. One of our host team captains spent the better part of the worship service hunting for him to give him a bag of supplies. Not sure it was funny to him at the moment:-)

THEN...at the end of both worship services as we prepared to close I said I want to introduce you to a friend of mine and brought him out on the stage for a two minute interview. The minute he stepped onto the stage in both services an anxious murmur went through the crowd. It was a collective "Oh my..." moment. Kind of a sucker punch, I'll admit! My wife said the man next to her put his head in his hands, smiled and said "Oh, no...my wife told me to stop and I wouldn't do it." As it turns out he wasn't the only one. The stories have been coming in for two days now of what people experienced. Some really funny responses and some pretty sobering ones.

Truthfully, when we as people have the capacity to help yet give ourselves permission not to be part of the solution there is something about our heavenly Father that we have grossly misunderstood. I am praying that God would begin a revolution of generosity among our people and believe it is happening. Want to be a part? Here are four ways to help:

1) Donate Money: We are attempting to raise $10,000 to meet the needs of people in extreme poverty in our city. 100% of the proceeds go directly to provide for families and people in need. Every dollar makes a difference. Simply Write "Now Project" in the memo line and Send checks to:
Ridge Church
P.O. Box 1853
Indian Trail, N.C. 28079

2) Fill a "Winter Survival Bag": More about that in my post HERE. We want to give out at least 200 winter survival bags to people preparing to spend the winter on the streets. (I really think we can give out 300! We ran out of bags last week)

3) Collect in your neighborhood: We have bundles of door hangers with all the appropriate information for you to do a collection in your neighborhood. Even if you can't give a ton of $$ you can give your time to involving others in this process. If you would like a stack of these door hangers email your request to us: info@ridgechurch.net

4.) Sign up to Serve: November 7th we have three phases of the actual "NOW Project". That morning we will decorate and pack at least 200 lunches (hopefully more) and finish organizing our supplies. Mid-day we will distribute lunches, survival packs, coats, etc to the homeless in down town Charlotte. Afternoon our community groups will deliver groceries, clothes, etc to 10 families in Matthews Area. Send an email to info@ridgechurch.net and say "Sign me up" or sign up at the Guest Services area on Sunday morning and one of our project managers will contact you with more details.

Project Now...revolution of generosity!

2009-10-19T13:02:00.000-07:00

Project Now:

"We want to give a lot of time and a lot of resources to people that can't pay us back and may never attend our church...for God's glory."

Ready, set, GIVE and GO! We officially started the collection process for the Now Project. The project itself which will include the delivery of all of the items that we collect will be on November 7th. The project itself will have two components. On that morning we will be giving away what we are calling "winter survival kits" bag lunches, coats, and blankets to the homeless community of downtown Charlotte. Later that afternoon we will provide for the needs of at least 10 families in the Matthews/Stallings area that have landed in a situation that has rendered them incapable of providing basic needs for their families.

Our basic message: We want to remind people that God has not forgotten them! (Isaiah 49:16)

Our God sized-ridiculous generosity-Goals:

200 winter survival kits
200 bag lunches
50 bags of groceries
$10,000 to meet the needs of local families (including electricity bills, food, clothes etc)

Here are the a few pics of the bags with attached lists that you can pick up at Ridge to fill up! (one to the right has what not to pack in your bag:-) Make this a family effort!! Make sure to involve your children in this process. Be intentional to let them know that this is one simple way that we can remind people that God hasn't forgotten them even though life is sometimes hard!!

Chasing Dreams with no view

2009-10-19T12:45:00.000-07:00

At Ridge Church this weekend we officially kicked off a new series called "NOW." We just finished a series where we discovered that we are in fact "rich." People in our country, even the poorest among us, typically rank in the top 4% of the worlds wealth. Pretty staggering and sobering thought. "NOW" is a follow up series talking about what we should do right now in response to that truth. I can't wait for next week!

It was a great kick off to the series. You can listen to part one HERE. We discussed this idea of chasing dreams--only to find out that they don't have a view! Also, I will talk more in my next post about the amazing event this series is building up to called the "Now Project". I am more excited about this series and project than anything we have done yet as a church.

NOW (part 1): Chasing Dreams

2009-10-15T09:38:00.000-07:00

NOW (part 1) Chasing Dreams:
If you have ever worked hard, dreamed big, studied relentlessly, or fought for a relationship and still found yourself unsatisfied with the results you are not alone. Chasing dreams is tricky business. But the truth is every person organizes their life around something. The question is what...or who? Maybe it's your family? Maybe it's the pursuit of success? Maybe it's a career? Maybe it's education? Maybe it's the pursuit of wealth? But are we organizing our lives around the things that matter the most and last the longest? Join us this week at Ridge Church as we invite you to take a look at the frustrating nature of chasing dreams and plans that never seem to satisfy us as well as the alternative that does.

**Also, we will officially kick off the collection process for the much anticipated "Now Project" that this series is leading up to on November 7th. These are very exciting days at Ridge. Don't miss out. See you at 9am or 11am.

Now Project: First official donation!

2009-10-02T14:38:00.000-07:00

Project Now Goal: “We want to give a lot of time and money (resources) to people that can’t pay us back and may never attend our church…for God’s Glory!”

I talked about "project now" for the first time in last weeks 9am and 11am services. By November 7th we will mobilize as many people as possible and raising as much $$ as possible to serve in two community projects--One in Matthews and one in Uptown Charlotte. "One day--Two Events--For God's Glory!!"

First official Donation:
I'm stoked about this project so it comes out quickly in my conversations. Today I bumped into my friend Chris at Starbucks (the place where the world comes together). He asked me what I was doing..."working on Project now", I told him. Obviously an explanation followed. One of many initiatives is this idea of "winter survival kits" with blankets, coats, toiletries etc for people in crisis or without homes downtown. (I hope we provide hundreds of these!) Chris's eyes lifted and he said "Hey can I make a donation?" Two minutes later he came over with these awesome, comfy, warm, brand new blankets. I'm so excited about this revolution of generosity that is about to begin...AND by the way---my friend Chris has only been to Ridge Church once and he gave first. I love it! Who will be next. Cut a check. Make a donation. Commit your time. You'll never regret it.

Don't miss Sunday as I cast more vision about Project Now. It's going to be unbelievable!!

Just 1 more reason I love my job

2009-10-01T10:57:00.000-07:00

I love my job because it is so much more than a job! It's an adventure. We are engaging a movement that began over 2000 years ago. The closer you get to that movement the more radical the adventure becomes.

I have been challenging my staff team to ask and re-ask the question lately "How do we define success?" Is it numbers...how many people came...enough money to pay the bills and bless people? Is it excellence? Is it great, clean, helpful, content and environments? Is it relevance? Is it dispensing Bible facts? What is success? I may unfold the four or five questions that have become our filter for success later but for now I just want to highlight one that we are chasing after and still working to craft. It is still an evolving process for us:

We are asking the question "Did we invite people to experience the undeniable presence of God?" We are okay if people walk away mentally arguing with the message content from time to time but we aren't okay with people not experiencing the love, power, peace, hope, healing, even conviction that come with the presence of God. But that feels some what intangible...right? That's why we say "did we invite..." We can't force this one but we can invite it and create an expectation and anticipation in people.

Experiencing God:
...powerful few moments in worship this past week as Adam Wilson, who I have come to love as a worship leader (great combo of talent and humility), lead the song "Lift High". I can't speak for every person in the room but I know that I personally experienced the presence of God...just one more reason I love my job!

Adam Wilson, Lift High from Rusty Burchard on Vimeo.

lame video footage--great moment!

2009-09-30T17:56:00.000-07:00

We are in a teaching series at Ridge Church right now called "How to be Rich" and it is simply amazing. Go here to listen online. Last year a bunch of people from Ridge went to Drive which is a conference our partner church North Point hosts each year. Joel Thomas did an amazing session where he talked about creating memorable experiences. He framed it in a way I had never thought about but we now say it this way at Ridge Church all the time. He said, "the thing that makes stuff memorable is when it is unexpected." He's right! People will talk about the thing that happened that they didn't expect (good or bad:-). We work hard to create unexpected and therefore memorable moments at Ridge. Here is one example of an idea Rusty Burchard pulled off (much better live because my camera/video footage is lame). You'll get the idea...Cash from the ceiling in the middle of Beverly Hills by Weezer. Pretty creative. Very fun. Definitely memorable...(and all this in a load in environment!) Don't miss next week!

Now Project: God cares more about our city than we do!

2009-09-24T19:19:00.000-07:00

Well this is just a teaser. All you get for now is the fact I believe the "NOW Project" (coming November 7) will be one of the best and most significant things we have done as a church. I'll formally introduce the idea for the first time in our 9am and 11am services this weekend. We believe that God loves our city far more than we do and this is going to be an opportunity to show it in practical ways. Interested? I'll share more this Sunday.

Ladder ball crazy finish (video)

2009-09-22T11:06:00.000-07:00

We have such a fun volunteer culture at Ridge Church. The Upstreet leadership team had a cookout and "tailgate" party at our house recently. The ladder ball and corn hole competitions were pretty intense. The grand finale was a highlight moment for the ages. My neighbors probably think we are crazy. Patrick snagged some footage on his phone. Pretty funny!