Generosity and Witness

Ridgeland Church

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Generosity and Witness

June 2, 2024 • Pastor Jared Richey

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Thank you for listening to Ridgeland Church! This week, Pastor Jared wrapped up our Patterned Life series by teaching us about Generosity and Witness, how they work together, and how they should play into our lives.

- If someone saw every part of your life right now from an outside perspective, including how you spend your money, time, energy, and resources, where would someone say your "treasure" is based on how you live your life? What is your life a living "witness" to?

- "The essence of sin is the disordering of love" - are there any areas of your life where you feel like your "loves" might be out of order?

- Our generosity toward others should naturally flow out of a grateful heart for the abundant generosity God has shown toward us. Where can you see God's abundant generosity and grace at work in your own life? If you feel led, make out a list!

- What is one way you can be generous to someone in your life this week?

Scripture

May 12, 2024

This Sunday, Pastor Jared taught about the importance of Scripture as a spiritual practice and pattern for our lives. Throughout this week and as you continue wherever you are on your journey of Scripture, here are some thoughts to reflect on! Why do you think we get so invested in stories? Research shows that reading stories is a form of media that leads often to greater empathy and other-centeredness, but why do you think that happens? Have you ever seen or experienced the Bible or a passage of Scripture being isolated or used for harm rather than for good? Why do you think the Bible is written in narrative form so often, rather than simply as a "reference book" of wisdom we can flip to at any given moment?

Service

May 26, 2024 • Pastor Jared Richey

This week Pastor Jared teaches us about the practice of Service, and what it means to truly serve. Here are some thoughts and questions to think about as you go about your week! - Did you ever grow up serving or sacrificing for something in some way? How? - Pastor Jared says that compassion is "entering into someone else's story." Have you ever felt like someone else entered into your story in this way? Have you entered into another's story? - "Consistency communicates care." Have you ever been amazed at or felt cared for because of someone else's consistency? What small thing can you practice consistently to serve someone around you?

Community (Pentecost Sunday)

May 19, 2024 • Pastor Jared Richey

This week our Patterned Life series jumps into the topic of Community and how it fits in our life of following Jesus. Since COVID, over 50% of people say that they're lonely most or all of the time. How would you answer the question? Tribalism is a form of isolated grouping that is fear based and builds connection over shared hate rather than shared love. Have you ever experienced this? Where do you see it at work in our society and culture? "Pseudo-community" is a type of community that occurs when people show up to gatherings and regularly connect, but hold back their deepest self. Where in your life have you experienced this before? How can you work to combat it for the sake of yourself and others? Community is meant to be redemptive, a place where we can bring our wounds, sins, and faults to the table, confess them, and heal. Have you ever experienced this before? What do you think needs to happen for this kind of community to form, and how can you be an agent of forming it with the people around you?