Posts with the tag “ray-jones”

So how can we be better equipped to discern those who speak truth and those who twist truth in order to deceive? Here are a few steps to develop deeper discernment… ...  Read More

I can’t remember a time in my life that I didn’t want to go to Church. And I still love going to Church, and in particular I still love coming to Ridgecrest....  Read More

If you have ever thought that God could not use you, just remember the first twelve… no hiring agency would have recommended them, they didn’t have all the worldly qualifications, nor the social pedig...  Read More

Hugs are huge expressions of relationship. At our home, especially when the kids and grandsons are around there are lots and lots of hugs There is something about a hug that communicates love....  Read More

I urge you to begin this important Biblical act of obedience on February 2nd and watch how God honors His promise to open Heaven’s windows to provide and bless you....  Read More

Maybe this year instead of short-term resolutions consider rethinking the guides that shape your life for God and make some resolutions that are eternal....  Read More

At Ridgecrest it is our desire to bring glory to God when we gather each week. It is the reason why our music is carefully thought out and prayed over. It is why I spend hours preparing the messages t...  Read More

May the joy of the Lord fill your heart today as we celebrate and worship the Savior....  Read More

2000 years ago, God sent His only son into the world on a rescue mission from above. We too were stranded with little hope until Jesus showed up. That was the first advent, and it was as they say, “a ...  Read More

This coming week we will celebrate one of our favorite holidays… Thanksgiving!...  Read More

Monday is Veterans Day… be sure to say thank you! ...  Read More

We can’t rescue everyone, but there are many floundering in the waves of the world that we can bring life to....  Read More

Long ago I determined more than voting for a party or a person, I would vote based on values and platforms that align most closely with biblical values....  Read More

But the bigger question is, am I seeing more and more of my heavenly father in my life? That is the real goal, to look like Him in character, attitude, and behavior. ...  Read More

So, will you be a “prayer walker” James said, “…The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.” (James 5:16)...  Read More

Let me encourage you to engage or reengage in a consistent and systematic practice of spending time with God in His Word....  Read More

The fact is, there is a very real unseen spiritual battle going on that manifest in our seen world… Do not be naïve, rather be awake, aware, and always alert, clothed in the armor of God....  Read More

This continuing trend in the pedagogy of American history and other educational disciplines is one of the primary reasons that Ridgecrest has a serious commitment to education....  Read More

No skeptic’s scoffing hammer has ever made a dent in the Eternal Anvil of God’s Word. To those who attempt to do so, Jesus emphatically declares, ‘Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall ...  Read More

In a time when belief is belittled, ignored, or relegated to one’s private life, athletes are unapologetically faithful in public. But why?...  Read More

In fact, we are growing with so many little ones that we are looking to expand our children’s ministry with an additional 3-year-old worship gathering during our Sunday morning Contemporary Service ti...  Read More

Do you need a spiritual house cleaning? Do you need renewal and revitalization? Paul says that because of Christ’s death and resurrection we can leave behind the old and walk in new and renewed life. ...  Read More

Some are so sick of politics that they think that avoiding it all is the best option… but that approach is a dangerous course for us and our nation since elections have consequences....  Read More

But remember this… “Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap.” (Galatians 6:7) Enough said!...  Read More

The Lord’s Supper provides spiritual moorings that enable us to look back at the sacrificial love of Christ expressed for us, while helping us look forward to our future in the Kingdom of God. For tha...  Read More

For the past twenty-three and half years, our church and I as pastor have had the good fortune to have some of the finest deacons possible to help us do the work of God. I am so grateful for them, for...  Read More

I hope you’ll also take time this summer to grow, learn, and be inspired by reading. To help you with that process let me suggest a summer reading list if you’re wondering where to start....  Read More

This can be said of no other book in the world. No other source of truth is as universally beloved and consistently cross-cultural as the Christian Bible....  Read More

But remembering with gratitude is not just vital for our nation, it’s also vital to our spiritual well-being, and scripture repeatedly exhorts us to remember....  Read More

God has already made clear that the Jewish people belong to Him…“For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of al...  Read More

Tell your mom you love her today! And when she gets up off the floor, then tell her “thanks mom”!...  Read More

Whatever the case, remember the scriptures above, in particular Psalm 34:18… and take your broken heart to Him. He can bind it up, repair it, and coat it in supernatural peace because “The Lord is nea...  Read More

Without a doubt we need a move of God. The good news is He’s still working, and He is still the answer to all the questions! ...  Read More

Are you struggling with spiritual lethargy? If so, it might be the by-product of unconfessed sin that has created a wedge between you and your heavenly father....  Read More

Each of us are uniquely crafted and gifted by God on purpose and for God’s glory. Your talents and abilities are a part of that unique design and are to be used like Tolkien’s to honor and serve God. ...  Read More

So, are we making too much of this? Not at all. While some may think it to be a small “coincidence.” In reality it is another indicator of where we are and how far we have fallen from the truth. And w...  Read More

Whether these visitations, dreams, or hallucinations actually occur, perhaps only time and eternity will reveal. But we do know that it happened 2000 years ago on that first Easter Sunday when the wom...  Read More

And while it would be impossible to remember that place without being moved by its terrible tragedy, we remember it because of something so magnificent in that what appeared to be a great tragedy, bec...  Read More

Everybody needs a friend to talk with and connect to. It’s one of the reasons that the family of God/the Church is so important in our lives....  Read More

So, how did we get here? Paul helps us understand how people at the end of the age will lose their minds and the capacity to distinguish truth from lies....  Read More