Southridge Community Church

We are called to be ambassadors of hope: to right wrongs, heal hearts, bring peace to chaos, love to the excluded and mercy to the broken. But what does it really take to make the most of our one and only lives? How far can we really take this journey of living on the redemptive side of history? As a community that has become convinced that the best of life is only experienced when we live beyond ourselves, where will God take us if we continue to ask \"What\'s the BEST that could happen?\"

It\'s easy to feel paralyzed by the problems of our world, helpless to make any real difference or affect any lasting change. It\'s one thing to become aware of  devastating oppression and injustice all around us. But once your heart has been gripped by reality of pain and the urgent need for change, is there anything we can actually do about it? How can big problems like these get solved by individual people like us?

It\'s a classic story. \"I never really gave it much thought, until it happened to someone I love.\" We can so easily walk through life, surrounded by some of the greatest tragedies and injustices, and somehow remain blissfully unaware. Cancer, poverty, sexual violence, bullying... these are all just hypothetical concepts until they come knocking on our door. But how can we be people who don\'t wait for it to happen to us or someone we love, before we start to care?

You don’t have to look too hard to see how that our world is in crisis. Endless wars, sexual violence, modern day slavery, addiction, depression, debt, disease, from chronic homelessness to hollow materialism, political infighting and environmental emergencies are all bubbling over.  But what if the pain, struggle and hopelessness all around us is actually the prime opportunity for God to do His best work in us? 

From the world of fashion, music and art to food, technology and design, there’s a common axiom that drives excellence: less is more. Words like simplicity and minimalism have come to define beauty, success and quality. But when it comes the gospel, could it be true that the quality of our faith experience is directly related to the quantity of things we make it about. Spiritually speaking, what if less is actually more? And what subtractions do we need to make in order to experience the addition of pure grace?

Within the world of Christendom there are so many differences, denominations, diverse interpretations that it’s hard to know who’s on the same team and how many teams there even are. Traditionalists and trend-setters, liberals and conservatives, monks and mega-churches alike seem to love nothing more than separating over a seemingly endless list of ideological differences. But how do you make sure you’re on the right team? And what do you do if you find that you’re not?

From how we celebrate Christmas and birthdays to who sits where at the dinner table, human beings are hard-wired to embrace traditions. Traditions are our link to the past, they remind us who we are and that we\'re connected to each other through shared memories and experiences. But are all traditions worth preserving? How do you know when tradition and the truth are at odds? What do we do when “what we’ve always believed and done” actually gets in the way understanding the gospel of grace?

When it comes to who\'s in and who\'s out with God, the Bible seems clear on what\'s required. And as soon as you begin to make exceptions, it can quickly become a slippery slope. So, where do you draw the line? How far is too far? How can we avoid the slippery slope and remain committed to the pure, unadulterated gospel of grace?

If you have a headache, you want maximum strength relief. If you need a coffee to wake you up in the morning, you don\'t want decaf. Because when something is important, you don\'t want a watered down version of it - you want the real deal. The same is true, when it comes to the saving power of Jesus. Because when it comes to matters of eternity, a thin, watered-down, low potency gospel isn\'t worth the risk. That\'s why Jesus came to offer us  fully-concentrated, undiluted, industrial strength grace. Because nothing less will do the job.

It\'s been said recently that trust is less like a bank account, where you deposit trust points to be withdrawn at a later time, and more like a water balloon, where even the tiniest pin-prick will slowly drain the whole thing and prevent it from every being refilled. If this is true, the church has a big problem. Decades of cover-ups, scandals, televangelists selling miracles, and pastors living in mansions and flying private jets has left the aftertaste of distrust in the mouths of most people who talk about the church. So where do we go from here? Can a church that puts its money where its mouth is hope to earn a new reputation based on transparency and trustworthiness?

According to a recent survey, nearly 90% of unchurched people say that the term \"judgmental\" accurately describes Christians today and only 20% of outsiders view the church as a place where people are accepted and loved unconditionally. The Christian fixation on sin has left most people feeling criticized, cursed and condemned instead of loved, welcomed and included. The church\'s exclusion of so-called sinners seems to completely contradict the example of Jesus, who welcomed sinners to such a degree that He earned the nickname, The Friend Of Sinners? How would the watching world respond to a church that adopted the radically welcoming heart of God?

In his book UnChristian, Dave Kinnaman claims that Christianity has an image problem. His leading accusation is that too many Christians are hypocritical, saying, \"our lives don’t match our beliefs. In many ways, our lifestyles and perspectives are no different from those of anyone around us.\" Is that true? And if so, what would it look like for a church to pursue honest, transparent and authentic faith with integrity? How could the hours when it gathered support the rest of the hours of our lives? And how could a church like that change people\'s perspective on God?

For decades, we\'ve operated under a deeply held belief that, if people saw the God of the Bible as He is, they would run TO him, instead of AWAY from him. The problem is, most people\'s view of God is shaped by their experience of the church, which more often than not leaves people looking elsewhere in search for meaning, purpose and significance. But what if the church actually resembled the God we claim to believe in? Imagine if, when the world looked at the church, all they saw was the through-and-through, radically inclusive, generous love of God?

If you’ve seen the movie, “Groundhog Day”, you know the feeling of being trapped in an endless cycle of doing the same thing over and over again, every single day. But the surprising twist is that, when you do the same thing again and again, after a while you actually get pretty good at it! What if, more than any of the big one-time decisions that feel so important at the time, it’s actually all the little things we do over and over again, every single day, that have the greatest power to shape us?

Some people say that faith is a personal and private matter. But the Bible is clear when we embrace Jesus we are automatically included in the church as full-fledged family members. So what does it look like to fully embrace our identity and responsibility as members of God’s church? And how can we make the most of our membership in this new community?

There’s nothing quite as refreshing as jumping in a lake, a pool or even a cool shower on a hot summer day. There’s just something about being submerged in water that wakes us up and provides a jolt of energy. The waters of baptism work in much the same way, to not only cleanse us from our past but also to awaken us to the power and presence of God and emerge ready to embrace a new life with fresh faith and spiritual vitality. 

We are told that we can do anything, as long as we just believe. But what in the world are we to believe in? If any and all ideas about faith, God, truth and eternity are equally valid, does it really even matter what you believe, or do all paths lead to the same ultimate destination?

It is core to the human experience to at least from time to time wonder if there’s more to life than what we’re currently experiencing. More than waking up, going to work, relaxing with friends, only to do it all over again the next day. But what if we really were meant for a deeper experience of life, a connection to something spiritual? How do we tap into the “more” that we all long to experience?

A true friend is someone who is willing to tell you that you have spinach in your teeth or that those jeans actually do make your butt look bigger. But what about more important truth: when you need to work on your character, end a relationship, make an apology, or deal with a habit? Or the really hard stuff: calling out sin and challenging our choices? What would happen if real friends really cared enough toconfront?

It is said that, \"Small minds discuss people. Average minds discuss events. Great minds discuss ideas.\" But what if there were something even more important to discuss: ourselves. Being honest about ourselves with ourselves, others, and God is probably the most difficult and most important kind of honesty there is. What would happen in and through us if we could learn to put all our cards on the table?