You don't have to look far in the Bible to see people worshipping idols. Whether it's statues of wood, figures carved into stone, or a golden calf, ancient people displayed a tendency to elevate such things to a god-like status. Not many people in our region are doing this today, so why is the topic of idols still relevant? What does idolatry look like in the modern day, and how do we go about identifying and freeing ourselves from idolatry in our own lives?

Join Will Herron, Director of Discipleship, and Ridge Lead Pastor Mike Van Rees as they discuss these questions and more on this week's post sermon discussion.

Read the Beyond the Sermon devotionals.

Get the devotional each week! Sign up to receive the Beyond the Sermon blog in your inbox. 

We left off in chapter two of Habakkuk after looking at the Biblical definitions of discipline and wrath. We pick up in verse five, which gives some insight into why God was about to release His wrath on the Israelites, handing them over to the Babylonians. Hint: It has something to do with idol worship. But if we aren’t creating golden calves or primitive statues today, is this really relevant to us today?

Message by Mike Van Rees

Scripture referenced: Habakkuk 2:5–19

Read the Beyond the Sermon devotionals.

Get the devotional each week! Sign up to receive the Beyond the Sermon blog in your inbox. 

It is both encouraging and mind blowing to think that the God of the universe is working in our lives today. And yet what does that work look like exactly? How can we grow to acknowledge and respond to it?

Join Ridge Marketing and Communication Director, Dayne Logan, and BTS host Will Herron, as they reflect on God's loving work in our lives and explore how we can learn to embrace it even when it's challenging.

Read the Beyond the Sermon devotionals.

Get the devotional each week! Sign up to receive the Beyond the Sermon blog in your inbox. 

The God of the universe, the creator of the cosmos, is at work in our lives. But what does that look like exactly? We’ll look at some of the major events in the life of Moses in the early chapters of Exodus. Because turns out, God works in similar ways today as He did back then.

Message by Will Herron

Scripture referenced: Exodus 2, 3

Read the Beyond the Sermon devotionals.

Get the devotional each week! Sign up to receive the Beyond the Sermon blog in your inbox. 

One of the dangers we can fall into in reading the Bible is reading it selectively. We dwell on the passages we are comfortable with and ignore those that raise questions and challenge us. In particular, passages that deal with God's wrath and judgement take a back seat to famous verses like John 3:16. So how do we go steer away from selective reading of the Bible and engage with every part as the inspired word of God?

Join Will Herron, Director of Discipleship, and Mike Van Rees as they discuss this and more on this weeks post sermon discussion. 

Read the Beyond the Sermon devotionals.

Get the devotional each week! Sign up to receive the Beyond the Sermon blog in your inbox. 

Habakkuk chapter two. Full disclosure: It's a challenging chapter. Here at The Ridge, we are committed to teaching through the Bible in its entirety. Because if we don't know the hard parts, we don't know the whole story. Habakkuk chapter two centers on two words: discipline and wrath. We'll examine the Biblical definitions of these words, what they mean and how all of this applies to us today.

Message by Mike Van Rees

Scripture referenced: Habakkuk 2:5–15

Read the Beyond the Sermon devotionals.

Get the devotional each week! Sign up to receive the Beyond the

Recent technological advances have done much to speed up the world. Just a few clicks on our phone and we can order our groceries, binge our favorite TV shows, and DoorDash our favorite meals. But have you ever thought to consider what effect this hyper efficiency may be having on our ability to be patient? Particularly when it comes to waiting on God?

Join Will Herron, Director of Discipleship, and Mike Van Rees as they discuss how we can learn to navigate seasons of waiting on God. 

Read the Beyond the Sermon devotionals.

Get the devotional each week! Sign up to receive the Beyond the Sermon blog in your inbox. 

Here’s what we know so far: In Habakkuk chapter one, things are happening in the world that Habakkuk doesn’t understand. He is witness to extreme suffering, in justice and spiritual apathy. He cries out in frustration and desperation. God answers but not in the way Habakkuk wants or expects. Yet God has a plan.

Message by Mike Van Rees

Scripture referenced: Habakkuk 1:12–2:4

Read the Beyond the Sermon devotionals.

Get the devotional each week! 

Sign up to receive the Beyond the Sermon blog in your inbox. 

Featured stories and testimonies of God’s goodness, His provision and the life transformation that has taken place over the past 25 years told by those who have lived it out. There is much to commemorate and celebrate. Happy Anniversary, Ridge.

Read the Beyond the Sermon devotionals.

Get the devotional each week! Sign up to receive the Beyond the Sermon blog in your inbox. 

The subject of God's sovereignty can give rise to lots of questions. If God is all powerful, why do we see so much suffering in the world? If God is truly sovereign, why doesn't he intervene to rescue us from hardships more often?

Join Will Herron, Director of Discipleship, and Mike Van Rees as they explore how we can approach these kinds of questions while also experiencing peace and hope in the knowledge of God's sovereignty. 

Read the Beyond the Sermon devotionals.

Get the devotional each week! Sign up to receive the Beyond the Sermon blog in your inbox.