How does serving fit into faith?
How does serving fit into our faith? When it comes to relationship with Christ, there are two areas that we should keep our focus. Vertically: this represents the relationship we have personally with Christ. Revelation of what the cross means to us as individuals is...
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A story about discipleship and friendship
Al and Steve began their journey as one person “looking for something” and another person willing to “walk with someone”. This is how it has worked out for them. They meet weekly for lunch and have a Bible discussion along with that. They began to pray for each...
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Opportunity for help and healing
C.S. Lewis once said that, “No one ever told me that grief felt so like fear.” If you or a loved one has ever experienced the pain of loss you know exactly how grief and fear can feel. During those times you don't have to go through it alone and you can experience...
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Come and See to Go and Tell
Do you feel the Holy Spirit nudging you and saying “come and see” what the Lord is doing in Africa or Honduras? Friends of mine recently commented that the short-term mission trip they took a couple of years ago completely changed the focus and purpose of their lives....
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Zambia, Is God calling you to go too?
Have you felt God’s nudge to travel with a short-term trip team? For a good number of years, I felt God’s nudge to travel to Africa. My husband and sponsored a child through Jubilee Centre around 2008 or so. In the fall of 2012, Ridge Point offered a trip to Zambia...
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New Year, New Opportunities for Community
As we begin 2020 we can’t help but think about resolutions for the New Year. For some, that means some kind of physical or emotional health plan. For others, it means starting new relationships or reviving old ones. Regardless of what your list may include I invite...
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In Training: Barb and Karen
As we follow Jesus and Fearlessly make Him known God provides people to walk with as we follow Him. Check out Karen and Barb’s fearless follower story of friendship and discipleship. Karen: As a longtime Christian, I've been involved in many Bible studies, small...
read moreFor Every Child – Sponsorships
A friend of mine once said that Compassion is mercy and love in action. I think he is spot one. Every time we move to help someone or assist someone because they have a need and we have the power to help, our movement is the action of compassion. A few weeks ago, I...
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Celebrate Recovery
Are you passionate about helping others out of addiction to find freedom? In partnership with Celebrate Recovery, there is a team of passionate people at Ridge Point who are launching into a year of leadership training. Ridge Point and the Fearless Family of churches...
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How Sponsoring a Child can Change Your World
My family and I started sponsoring Boston through Ridge Point and the Jubilee Center over a year ago. Our communication with him has been scant, letters once or twice a year, but a few months ago I was able to travel to Zambia with Ridge Point to meet Boston and his...
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Thrive: Best Means Best
Let's Thrive Ridge Point! The account of Ten Commandments is written to show that God is marrying Israel. It’s a beautiful picture of God’s covenant promise and faithfulness. This isn’t a contractual arrangement based on transactional terms (you do and you get). God...
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Be A Part of Someone’s Story
Hello Ridge Point!It was a joy to hear from a couple of our local initiatives about how God is at work in the lives of the people they serve. This past week we heard from Haley Slagh and her work with Young Lives. Young Lives is a ministry to young women who are...
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Throw A Bridge BBQ
My wife will be the first to attest to the fact nothing can make me complain more than not having the right tool for the job. In fact, I’ve been known to completely avoid a job until I have the right tool to accomplish the job. I know, at least in my experience,...
read moreFill The Bus
Our Fearless Network of Churches is launching a drive to collect school supplies for students in grade school. "Fill the Bus" is designed to help fill a need for students who start school without the necessary supplies. The collection drive will kick off Saturday...
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Escaping the Spiral: A Giant Among Men
Hey There Fearless Followers! We are so excited for our second week on our series on the book of Judges. This weekend we explore the story of Deborah, who led the nation of Israel in during her lifetime. Deborah’s story is amazing and helps us to understand the value...
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As The World Turns – Week 1
What a great weekend of learning more and more about grace of Jesus. The whole message can be viewed here. The Book of Judges is the Soap Opera of the Bible. There’s deceit, murder, melodrama and the storyline repeats over and over and over and (you get the picture)....
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Tell Your Friends about Our New Series: As The World Turns – Escaping The Spiral
Dear Fearless Followers, This weekend we start a new series following the time of the Judges of Israel. We are so excited for this series and what we will learn from it. Believe it or not, this Old Testament book can tell us a lot about our current lives. Have you...
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In Training
Dear Fearless Followers, Recently, I heard a story of an In Training relationship that is happening in our Fearless Churches. It represents exactly what I pray will be happening in each of our churches and all over our community. When the concept of discipleship was...
read moreTransformation is Happening at Ridge Point!
Dear Fearless Follower! We talk a lot about transformation around here. When you boil it all down, the mark of a healthy church is that the people who make it up are changing to be more like Jesus. Such transformation takes courage, which is why we identify ourselves...
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Real Issues, Real People and The Pain of Money
Hey There Fearless Followers! We’ve had such an amazing response to our “Real Issues” series. We are so thankful that, as a church, we’ve leaned into these stubborn and significant social issues. We are also so proud of our church for engaging in and continuing the...
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Real Issues, Real People and Emotional Health
Hey There Fellow Fearless Followers! It was such a privilege to learn along with you this weekend. The whole message can be viewed here, but here’s the summary and a few next steps. Our emotions are like a pot of boiling water. We all react when things heat up. Some...
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Join us on May 19 for our next In Training Gathering
I always thought “discipleship” would be hard, time consuming, and stressful. I’d tell myself “I’m too busy with everything I’m already doing. I don’t have time to add in ANOTHER thing!” to justify why I wasn’t in any discipleship relationships. When Ridge Point...
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Real Issues, Real People and a Real God: Conversations on Immigration
Hey there Fellow Fearless Followers! What a great weekend of learning and leaning into the conversation of immigration and the Scriptures. It’s so good to know that we can always trust God’s word to help us navigate the real issues in our society and culture. Our...
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Real Issues, Real People and a Real God: Conversations on the Church and the LGBTQ+
Hey there Fellow Fearless Followers! As a leadership team, we are so thankful that our church doesn’t shy away from the important cultural conversations in our community. Thanks for leaning in and having the courage to engage along with us. It was such a privilege to...
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Join us May 10 for our next In Training Gathering!
What a weekend! What a reason to be excited and pumped up! Jesus is ALIVE and 60+ people publicly declared, “I believe!” by getting baptized. They are excited about a new lifestyle, a new mindset, and a NEW DIRECTION! And should be asking the question, “now what?”...
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Never Underestimate Your Influence
I am in training. It started a few months ago and has strengthened me in ways that I never could have imagined or hoped. It is also something I was afraid to do, so I knew I had to do it because I always face a challenge. I have been “In Training” to run my first 5k...
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How to Lead Your Life Group to Live Missionally
As Life Groups we are called to be a Family of Disciples on Mission. However, we often default to either fellowship (family) or Bible study (disciples). We are really good at hanging out together and having food and meals and snacks together. We are also pretty good...
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Discipleship is not a program, it’s a lifestyle.
Showing the way of Jesus “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the...
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Ahhhhh….BUTTERFLIES!
One of the experiences our Fearless Residents have is going to the Frederic Meijer Gardens for the butterfly season. As you enter the conservatory, there is an instant awareness of God’s handiwork in creation and that these butterflies have a purpose. Later we head...
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We Make Family Happen!
Hey There Fearless Family! We wanted to share something really exciting with you all. Last night we had over 900 people come through our doors for the Francesca Battistelli “Own It” Tour. It was an amazing event, but the event itself isn’t the most exciting part. The...
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Discipleship is a Journey, Jesus is the Goal.
Journey toward becoming more like Jesus “I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of His resurrection and participation in His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.” Philippians 3:10. As we finish...
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Community Can Be Messy!
Community and especially Christian community is supposed to be a safe place, not a hiding place. It should be a place to share your heart, be honest and transparent. It is a place to share life without holding back because you are assured that your group has your...
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The Life of A Jesus Follower
Therefore, go and make disciples of all..., baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely, I am with you always, to the very end of the age. ~Matthew 28:19-20 ...
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Driving Through Life
Picture your car. What is the most important part? The part you cannot imagine driving without? For some, it is the steering wheel. For others, it is the brakes or the seat belts and airbags. Yet for others, it is the GPS, radio, heat, air conditioning, even the cup...
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The Difference Between Discipleship and Mentoring – Pastor Aaron Brown
What is the difference between discipleship and mentoring? I would describe my discipleship journey in the first half of my life as organic. Which is just a really nice way of saying totally unintentional. There were people in my life and leaders in my church that...
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Day of Hope
A few months ago the pastoral staff of Ridge Point was invited to attend a meeting at Holland Public Schools to learn about trauma and its impact on our children, our schools, and our community. The statistics are staggering. The schools of Ottawa and Allegan County...
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Happy New Year!
The holidays go screaming past and we all settle into what “normal” looks like for us. Right? Jesus has every intention that we “be a disciple” and “make disciples.” As we do life in this new year, let’s not forget what it says in John 15:1-8. If we aren’t connected...
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Christmas Upside Down
Have you ever had an “upside down” moment? A moment when the happenings of an event was the opposite of your expectations? And, as a result, it felt like everything was upside down? Life is filled with “upside down” moments. Sometimes they are small, like when we go...
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Join Us!
Come on in! In Luke 10:17-18, after Jesus sent out the 70, they came back together to share how it went. We will be gathering periodically to see where we are in our journey. There will be a time of sharing from those already in a discipleship relationship, a time...
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While On Your Way
As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. "Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will send you out to fish for people." At once they...
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