Ridge Staff Q&A
How have you seen joy and peace combat criticism?
(Romans 15:7-13)
When I was 15 my sister became a follower of Jesus. She became quite different and I criticized her for it. She kept telling me about God and salvation and I criticized her even more until she went to college. She always seemed happy and had an amazing peace about her. That peace and joy lasted all these years. Now 45 years later, I’ve changed my sad old life and accepted Jesus as my Savior. My sister’s prayers were finally answered. I went to Seattle to see my sister and give her the good news. It was quite a celebration. My life is now filled with so much joy and I have never been so at peace. Praise the Lord.
Dave, Staff Member - Greenfield Campus
Weekly Devotional
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READING PLANS
My Big Fat Mouth (6 Days)
Words are powerful. They can beat us down and lift us up. They wound and they heal. And the right words at the right time can be exactly what we need to hear—or what we need to say. Hear from four people just like you who are finding the right words in this new Life Church Bible Plan to accompany Pastor Craig Groeschel’s series, My Big Fat Mouth.
The Ten-Day Word Fast (10 Days)
Are you critical of your boss or pastor? Do you complain about items that have little consequence? Take the challenge. Fast these words for ten days: complaining, criticism, judgments, sarcasm, and gossip. In these ten days of fasting, the Lord will begin to do a mighty work in the origin of these negative words and thoughts - your heart.
From Weakness to Strength: Learning from Criticism (4 Days)
From Weakness to Strength offers practical insights to avoid the pitfalls of leadership, grow in character, and draw closer to Jesus — even (and especially) when sin and struggle get in the way.
BOOKS
The Power of Your Words by Robert Morris
We all know that words carry enormous power--the power to heal or to wound, to encourage or to dishearten, to speak truth or to deceive, to praise or to criticize. They can be the key to our success or the reason for our downfall. So, how do we harness that power? How do we learn to use our words to their greatest potential?
The Power of Your Words will take you on a journey of discovery into more than just the obvious impact your words can have. Find out how to live more freely; how to connect more meaningfully; how to undo the damage of your words; and, most important, how to pause, ponder and then pray before speaking.
Love Walked Among Us by Paul Miller
Who Is Jesus? His name is recognized the world over. Christians claim to follow Him. Muslims honor Him as a prophet. And many Jewish rabbis regard him as a great teacher. Everyone knows about Jesus, but how many of us fully understand what He was like as a person?
In Love Walked Among Us, Paul Miller invites us to get to know Jesus, to observe his life and His love as they unfold in the Gospel narratives. The book investigates such questions as: How do you love someone when you get no love in return, only withdrawal or ingratitude? How do you love without being trapped or used by another person? … When you are compassionate, people use you, but when you are honest, people get angry―so how do you love with both compassion and honesty?
*Available at The Ridge for $10
ARTICLES
Complaining Is a Spiritual Problem
The Tremendous Power of Our Words
What is said in the Bible about the power of our words? A person can speak many words a minute and several thousand in an hour. You can imagine how many words an average person speaks in a day! … We could fill a library in a lifetime! If we did, what would the titles of those books be?
Handling Criticism
Critical and harsh words can hurt deeply. If we allow them to, they can affect every aspect of our lives. What can we do to deal positively with hurtful words?
VIDEOS
"Your Words Are Powerful, Watch Your Words!" Dr. Maya Angelou
With her incredible insight, renowned speaker, Dr. Maya Angelou, poses the question, “Do you tolerate negative words about others?”
Words are Powerful
Words have the power to destroy or build us. How you make others feel says a lot about you. Choose your words wisely.