A Patterned Life

Generosity and Witness

June 2, 2024 • Pastor Jared Richey

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?

Solitude

Today Pastor Jared taught about Solitude as the last of our "private" spiritual patterns based off the life and teaching of Jesus. Here are some questions to reflect on this week: Do you find it easy or difficult to be by yourself? What about being quiet and still by yourself, doing nothing but sitting and listening? What do you gravitate toward doing when you have a few minutes alone? Being productive? Social media? Where is the first place your mind tends to go? Do you find it easy to express to God your true feelings and desires, even the ones you would rather keep hidden? What do you think prevents you from wanting to express them?

Prayer

April 21, 2024 • Pastor Jared Richey

This week we continued our series on a Patterned Life by talking about Prayer, what it's for, and why we practice it! Here are some thoughts to reflect on as you listen and remember throughout the week. - In what ways or areas of your life do you feel like the busy-ness of our culture has infiltrated your life? - Why do you think Jesus needed to go to a quiet place and pray? What does that mean for our own prayer life? - What is one pattern that you can use for prayer this week (praying the Lord's Prayer, praying for gratitude, praying for the lost, or something else)? - Have you ever been startled when God answered a prayer? Why or why not? - Trust in the character of God is what keeps us praying - so what do you believe about God's character? If someone were to look at your prayer life, what would they infer about the character of God?

Fasting

April 28, 2024 • Pastor Jared Richey • Luke 2:36–38, Esther 4:15–17, Matthew 6:16–18, 1 Corinthians 6:19–20, Isaiah 58

This week Pastor Jared discussed the practice of Fasting, its history, and how it's played into the life of the church in the past (and can impact us in the present). Below are some questions to reflect on or discuss with others throughout your week: Had you heard of fasting before this message? If so, did your understanding of it change at all from before after hearing this message? Why do you think early Jews kept the practice of fasting if it was never an explicit command? Scot McKnight writes about how we tend to view our bodies as Monster, Celebrity, or Cornucopia. Did you relate to any of the explanations of these? Why or why not? Do you feel like your physical habits reflect your long term desires? Why or why not?

Sabbath

April 14, 2024 • Pastor Jared Richey • John 7:21–24, Exodus 20:8, Exodus 20:11, Exodus 31:12–17, Deuteronomy 5:12–15

This week Pastor Jared jumped into spiritual practices starting with Sabbath, what it is, and what it is meant to do for our lives. Feel free to reflect on these thoughts throughout the week as you listen! Do you feel like in your life, busyness has become the goal? In what areas? Have you heard about Sabbath before, and if so, did you learn anything new from this message? Do you feel like you need to finish your work in order to rest? Why or why not? If you take a regular time to rest, what does that typically look like for you? How can you begin walking through the elements of Stop, Rest, Delight, and Worship this week as you seek ways to integrate Sabbath into your life?

Why Live a Patterned Life?

April 7, 2024 • Pastor Jared Richey

We've kicked off our new series, "A Patterned Life" discussing what a patterned life is and is not, how it helps us resist chaos, and what Jesus truly means by his "yoke" being one that is light and meant to give us rest. Here are some questions to think about while you listen! In Jesus' day, a "yoke" could be used to refer to something that helped a team of oxen pull their load, OR as something representing the teachings of a rabbi. What "yokes" are you living under right now? Are they bringing you rest? Are they bringing rest and joy to others around you? Two enemies of our spiritual growth are entitlement and shame. Which do you tend to lean toward more often? In what ways could your spiritual growth on your journey as a disciple of Jesus help others around you experience deeper joy through being around you?