Community can be a powerful asset when journeying life with a special needs child. And yet, sometimes the words and actions of others can cause the most hurt. Whether well intended or not, the feedback of others can simply make matters worse. So, how should we respond in such situations? How can we act in a manner that is constructive for us, our child and others?

Join series host Will Herron and special guest Kerry Lust as they explore how we go about responding when others don’t get it. 

Resources: Aching Joy: Following God through the Land of Unanswered Prayer (Jason Hauge) / Unbroken Faith: Spiritual Recovery for the Special Needs Parent (Faith Kim) / Eat, Sleep, Save the World: Words of Encouragement for the Special Needs Parent (Jamie Summer) / Boundaries (Cloud and Townsend) / Held: A Bible Study for Special-Needs Parents (Sandra Peoples) / Unexpected Blessings: The Joys & Possibilities of Life in a Special-Needs Family (Sandra Peoples)

Spark Ministry at The Ridge – (Special Program Assisting Ridge Kids)

Navigating life with a special needs child can require 24/7 care and attention. Parents and caregivers draw from emotional, mental and physical resources to ensure those in their care are given the support they need. But how do we go about navigating this day-to-day reality? And beyond that, how can we plan appropriately for care in our child’s future? 

Join series host Will Herron and special guest Kerry Lust as they seek answers to these questions and more in episode two of “An Atypical Life.”  

Resources: Aching Joy: Following God through the Land of Unanswered Prayer (Jason Hauge) / Unbroken Faith: Spiritual Recovery for the Special Needs Parent (Faith Kim) / Eat, Sleep, Save the World: Words of Encouragement for the Special Needs Parent (Jamie Summer) / Boundaries (Cloud and Townsend) / Held: A Bible Study for Special-Needs Parents (Sandra Peoples) / Unexpected Blessings: The Joys & Possibilities of Life in a Special-Needs Family (Sandra Peoples)

Spark Ministry at The Ridge – (Special Program Assisting Ridge Kids)

Unless disability is a part of your life, it can be hard to comprehend just what it looks and feels like. In this series, “An Atypical Life,” we hear from Kerry Lust. Kerry’s son, Brandon (15), was diagnosed with autism at an early age and since then, Kerry and her family have been learning to embrace, appreciate and adapt to their atypical life. 

Listen in as series host Will Herron and Kerry start the conversation by exploring how we go about defining disability and navigating diagnosis. 

Resources: Aching Joy: Following God through the Land of Unanswered Prayer (Jason Hauge) / Unbroken Faith: Spiritual Recovery for the Special Needs Parent (Faith Kim) / Eat, Sleep, Save the World: Words of Encouragement for the Special Needs Parent (Jamie Summer) / Boundaries (Cloud and Townsend) / Held: A Bible Study for Special-Needs Parents (Sandra Peoples) / Unexpected Blessings: The Joys & Possibilities of Life in a Special-Needs Family (Sandra Peoples)

Spark Ministry at The Ridge – (Special Program Assisting Ridge Kids)

Encountering God is a series committed to sharing the stories of God’s work in people’s lives at The Ridge. 

Listen in as host Joni Pine welcomes Ridge Director of Strategic Planning and Communication Dayne Logan to the studio. 

For more info on getting connected at The Ridge click here.

Encountering God is a series committed to sharing the stories of God’s work in people’s lives at The Ridge. 

In episode 2, host Joni Pine is joined by mom and young adult Karina Schmidt. 

For more info on getting connected into community at The Ridge click here.

Listen through the Ridge U podcast series, Big Questions of Faith Series 2, then join podcast hosts Will and Dayne for a casual meet-up to discuss the various topics that were explored through the four episode series!

Click here for event info.

Encountering God is a series committed to sharing the stories of God’s work in people’s lives at The Ridge. 

In this episode, Joni sits down with long-time Ridge member Liz Austin to hear the ways in which God has worked in and through her life. 

For more info on getting connected at The Ridge click ⁠here⁠. 

Fewer topics are more potent or partitioning today than the area of same sex relationships. In recent years, particularly in the West, we’ve seen a dramatic rise in support for same sex marriage as well as the right for individual sexual expression. Many Christians who hold to a traditional ethic on marriage and sexuality have been accused of holding a discriminatory/oppressive stance toward the LGBTQ community. But what does the Bible have to say about our sexuality? Is it really as homophobic as some make it out to be? 

Join guest host Ridge Marketing and Communication Manager Dayne Logan and Ridge Director of Discipleship Will Herron as they look to the Bible in search of answers to these pressing questions. 

Resources: People to Be Loved (Preston Sprinkle) / Is God Anti-Gay? (Sam Allberry)

One of the common points of contention posed to Christianity revolves around a few war texts found within the Old Testament. Many have taken God’s commands to wage war against certain people groups as both genocidal and tyrannical in nature. No doubt, these stories present a challenge to the believer both in their divine commanding and condoning of such actions. So does the critique posed to Christianity carry some weight? Is it true that at certain times God has promoted genocide as part of His plans? 

Join guest host Ridge Marketing and Communication Manager Dayne Logan and Ridge Director of Discipleship Will Herron as they engage with this challenging question and more in series 2 episode 3 of Big Questions of Faith.

Resources - Is God Guilty of Genocide? (Michael J.Kruger)

A large blot upon the history of Christianity lies in the fact that a huge number of self-confessing followers of Jesus have claimed to justify the owning of slaves from the Bible. So what does the Bible say about slavery? Is any form of slavery or servitude ever OK? Does the Bible actually permit slavery? 

Join guest host Ridge Marketing and Communication Manager Dayne Logan and Ridge Director of Discipleship Will Herron as they seek to uncover answers to these questions and more in series 2 episode 2 of our Big Questions of Faith series.

Resources: Why It’s Wrong to Say the Bible is Pro Slavery (Gavin Ortlund) / Background on William Wilberforce (Joe Carter)