Ridge United Methodist Church

06/02/2026

Meditate at Eight: Ponderings

This morning has not exactly been overflowing with deep spiritual insight. Or even shallow spiritual insight, for that matter.

So far, I've dusted furniture that will be dusty again tomorrow, folded laundry, sipped coffee, and cleaned up dog messes in the backyard.

I kept waiting for a profound thought to descend from heaven like a dove. Nothing.

Some mornings, the ideas and the words flow. Other mornings, the brain feels like an old church copier with a light that keeps blinking but refuses to print anything.

But maybe, even in a morning like this, I see a faith analogy.

We sometimes imagine that the spiritual life should be a constant stream of inspiration, every moment filled with the presence of God, the peace that Jesus offers, and the assurance of the Holy Spirit. But, even for those of strong faith, most of life isn't lived on mountaintops. Most of life is lived in the mundane, when nothing particularly remarkable seems to happen.

Yet, if we take a close look, that describes a fair amount of Jesus' life. Jesus spent far more time walking dusty roads, eating meals, and talking with ordinary people than he did delivering the Sermon on the Mount or standing on the Mount of Transfiguration. The disciples probably had many days when they wondered, “What exactly are we doing today?”

I don't know about you, but I find that comforting. I can live faithfully in the ordinary and trust God for the extraordinary. Mostly, when it comes to faith, God just calls for me to show up.

Show up to pray when the words don't flow. Show up to serve when I don't feel inspired. Show up to love in the middle of dusting, folding, scooping, and sighing.

Maybe holiness is built slowly in the faithfulness of ordinary Tuesdays.

“Whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus.” (Colossians 3:17).

What do you feel uninspired to do today?

Prayer: Lord, thank you for being present not only in the grand moments of life, but also in the quiet and ordinary ones. Bless my simple tasks for today, and may at least one or two of my wandering thoughts focus on you. And in some small way, may I bless someone today in your name. Amen.

06/01/2026

Meditate at Eight: Ponderings

Yesterday morning, I left the house wearing two earrings. At least, I know I put two in when I got dressed. I picked up my dad for breakfast, then came to the church. I didn't notice anything missing when I looked in the mirror, and when I talked with people (including some of you), no one said a word. But last night, when I was getting ready for bed, I discovered I only had one earring.

Now the mystery begins.

Where did it go? Did it fall out in the car? In the driveway? At the church, when I was getting ready? Or was it later, after I got home? Did it disappear early in the day or just moments before bedtime? The frustrating thing isn't simply that one earring is gone. It's the realization that by the time I eventually find the missing one, I will probably have already thrown away its lonely partner.

And, wait for it ... That's often how faith feels.

We lose something important gradually, quietly, almost unnoticed. Joy slips away. Patience becomes more impatient. Hope disappears somewhere between breakfast and bedtime. We don't always know when it happened. We simply wake up one day aware that, while we still have faith, something part of it is missing. And we want it back.

And yet, unlike my missing earring, God never throws anything, or anyone, away.

Jesus told stories about lost sheep, lost coins, and lost sons to remind us that God is a seeker. God loves us so much that God notices absence. God holds onto those present and searches for the missing. More importantly, God does not ignore us or give up on us while we're waiting to be found.

Sometimes we feel like the lost earring — disconnected, feeling discarded (if an earring could feel0, and somewhere between where we started and where we ended up. Other times, we're the earring left behind, wondering if what has been lost will ever return and wondering what our future will hold.

But grace has a way of reuniting what life scatters.

Perhaps that's why Scripture so often calls us to “hold fast.” Not because we never lose things, but because God refuses to lose us.

“Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep that was lost.” (Luke 15:6).

In the meantime, if you find a lost earring at the church, please return it to its rightful owner. It is missed.

Prayer: Lord, when pieces of faith, hope, or joy seem to slip away unnoticed, remind me that you are always searching, always restoring, always holding on to me. Teach me to trust your grace even in the small frustrations and mysteries of life. And Lord… help me find whatever in my faith that is missing. Amen.

05/31/2026

Ridge Traditional Worship is 𝗟𝗜𝗩𝗘 𝗡𝗢𝗪 on our Church App or at our ridgeumc.org website under "Watch Live"

https://youtu.be/Nt9SpYN8f4k

Join us on May 31, 2026 Online or In-Person. Our sermon series is...

05/29/2026

Join us on May 31, 2026 Online or In-Person. Our sermon series is titled, "Singing Our Faith" and the sermon is, "The Grace of Our Faith" reflecting on 1 Timothy 1:12-17. Only at Ridge UMC - Munster, IN

𝟵𝗔𝗠 𝗟𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗺: https://ridgeumc.org/watch-live
𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗧𝘂𝗯𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗺: Not Available
𝗗𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗹𝗼𝗮𝗱 𝗕𝘂𝗹𝗹𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻:https://ridgeumc.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/05-31-26_T.pdf
𝗔𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 & 𝗚𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴: https://tinyurl.com/RUMC-Attend-and-Give
𝗣𝗿𝗮𝘆𝗲𝗿 𝗥𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁: https://tinyurl.com/PRAYwithRidge
𝗗𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗗𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀: https://tinyurl.com/Go2Ridge
𝗩𝗕𝗦: https://tinyurl.com/Ridge-VBS-2026

05/29/2026

Meditate at Eight: Ponderings

"Fight the good fight of the faith." (1 Timothy 6:12)

"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race. I have kept the faith." (2 Timothy 4:7).

Most of us will go our entire lives without getting into an actual fistfight. Perhaps a wrestling match or pillow fight with a sibling growing up. Maybe a playground scuffle decades ago. But for most people, physical fights are rare — and, if boxing matches are any indication, exhausting. Fights are loud, chaotic, often emotionally-driven, and thankfully short-lived.

Which makes Paul’s words interesting. In 1 Timothy, he writes that we need to fight the good fight of faith. Then, near the end of his life, he says, “I have fought the good fight.”

Not: I won every argument. Or: I defeated every opponent. Or even: I fought. But: I fought the good fight of faith.

Paul understood that faith isn't passive. We can't just sit and expect faith to come to us. Following Christ involves struggle. Not because God is against us, but because life constantly pulls us away from what matters most.

We have to fight to remain hopeful in cynical times. Fight to remain kind in harsh environments. Fight to forgive when resentment feels easier. Fight to pray when surrounded by distractions. Fight to keep loving difficult people. Fight to trust God through grief, pain, disappointment, and uncertainty.

And these battles are rarely over quickly. The “good fight” is often quiet and ongoing.

The good fight happens when we show patience after a long day. When we choose integrity over convenience. When we keep showing up to worship or Bible study, even in seasons of doubt or days when we're tired. When we keep praying despite unanswered questions.

Paul isn't celebrating aggression. He's celebrating perseverance.

The older I get, the more I realize that faithfulness to God can be wonderfully unglamorous. Most discipleship happens in ordinary moments where no one sees or applauds: resisting anger or bitterness, choosing compassion, seeking understanding, and, most of all, continuing to trust Christ one more day.

Perhaps that's why Paul’s words feel so moving. He knows his life wasn't perfect. He stumbled, struggled, and suffered. He said things and did things he regretted. Yet at the end, he could say: “I fought, and I kept the faith.” I didn't give up.

It's not about being perfect. It's about being faithful. Maybe that's the real victory of the good fight.

Prayer: Lord, strengthen me for the quiet battles of faith each day. When I grow tired, give me perseverance. When I'm discouraged, give me hope. Help me keep trusting, loving, and following you faithfully through both ordinary days and difficult seasons. Amen.

05/28/2026

Meditate at Eight: Ponderings

“Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve.” (Joshua 24:15)

Every day begins with choices. Most are small: what to have for breakfast, whether to hit the snooze button and spend a few more minutes in bed, what to wear, whether to start that load of laundry now or wait (I started it this morning).

Other choices go a little deeper. I've been dreading making a phone call; will I do it today or put it off? Is today the day to make a career - or life - change?

For Joshua, now the leader of his people following the death of Moses, there's one more important question. Perhaps it's the most important question we will face. But the most important question is built on a series of other ones.

What most captures my attention? How do I define success? What or who do I trust when life becomes uncertain? What voice do I listen to most?

In Joshua 24, the question becomes a challenge: “Choose this day whom you will serve.”

Joshua wasn't asking them to decide who they would occasionally worship. He was telling them to decide who would serve: face toward and orient their lives around. Because eventually our habits, priorities, worries, and loyalties reveal what sits at the center of our lives. And if we don't decide who we will serve and work to make it happen, we will default to ourselves.

Joshua knows this. He knows people drift, get busy, get focused on the simple questions that start our day. Faith can slowly become background noise if left unattended.

Honestly, most of us don't wake up intending to move away from God. We simply become distracted. Life fills with responsibilities, errands, obligations, and endless text messages and emails. Days become crowded and noisy.

Who we ultimately serve says a lot about who we ultimately trust. And to stubbornly not choose is a default choice. One way or another, we will prioritize the most important thing.

Perhaps that is why Joshua’s words still matter. Faith isn't only a belief we hold; it is a direction we continually choose. Choose this day. Then tomorrow, choose again. And perhaps consider joining Joshua, who said: "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."

Prayer: Faithful God, thank you for meeting me in the ordinary choices of daily life. Help me choose today and every day what leads toward your love, peace, and wisdom. When distractions pull my attention elsewhere, gently draw me back to you. Teach me to what it means to serve you. Amen.

05/27/2026

Meditate at Eight: Ponderings

Yesterday morning, I woke up from a dream about pancakes. Golden brown. Fluffy inside. Crispy buttery edges. Real maple syrup. It felt warm and comforting, although a little disappointing when I realized it was only a dream.

This morning was different. No warm, fuzzy dream. Instead, the reality of me walking the backyard with a pooper-scooper, pondering how life can move so quickly from delightful to deeply unglamorous.

And honestly, that feels a lot like faith sometimes.

There are moments in our spiritual lives that feel rich and inspiring. Worship moves us. Prayer feels alive. Scripture practically glows off the page. We feel close to God and energized by grace.

Then there are the other days. The dishes still need to be washed. Bills need to be paid. The dog still leaves “surprises” in the yard. Let's be honest, most of life isn't lived in dramatic highs, spiritual or otherwise, but in ordinary routines and responsibilities.

Yet Scripture reminds us that even the mundane matters to God.

The Apostle Paul writes, “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” (1 Corinthians 10:31)..

"Whatever you do." Not just the meaningful things. Not just the spiritual things. Whatever you do. And in Colossians 3, Paul says, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord.” Another "whatever."

Apparently, even pooper-scooping can fall under “whatever," although I'm not sure how to do it for the glory of God or as working for the Lord. Does humming a hymn as I'm doing it count?

Humor aside, I think that what Paul is trying to tell us is that faith isn't sustained by dramatic spiritual moments. If that were the case, most of us would be left without much faith. Instead, faith grows in consistency in the mundane.

The truth is, most discipleship happens in ordinary spaces. Kitchens. Backyards. Carpools. Laundry rooms. Offices. Waiting rooms. Over the phone. Over cups of coffee.

The sacred often hides inside the routine. And sometimes the holiest thing you can do is simply the next thing. Even if it smells a little unpleasant. But, ponder if there isn't a way to do it for the glory of God. After all, pooper-scooping led me this morning to 1 Corinthians 10 and Colossians 3 ... and to this meditation.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for meeting me in the ordinary rhythms of daily life. Help me to serve you faithfully in both the joyful and the mundane. Teach me to find purpose in small things and grace in routines. Whether my day feels like pancakes or pooper-scoopers, may I do all things for your glory. Amen.

05/26/2026

05/26/2026

Meditate at Eight: Ponderings

I was awakened too early this morning by a strangely vivid dream. Usually, my dreams are forgotten as soon as I sit up, but this one lingered. I can still almost taste it. Yes, that's right, taste. My dream was nothing dramatic. No great revelation. I was eating pancakes.

But not just any pancakes. They were the kind that are somehow both light and fluffy in the middle while perfectly crisp around the buttery edges. And I had real maple syrup to go with them. The kind of pancakes where the first bite makes life feel warm, simple, and good.

Not exactly the stuff of profound spiritual visions.

And yet, later, as I sat with my coffee (and no pancakes) this morning, I wondered if maybe there couldn't be a holy lesson hidden in such an ordinary dream.

We spend so much of life searching for the spectacular that we sometimes miss the grace tucked into the everyday. God has never met me in a burning bush or in a thundering voice from a mountaintop. But he has met me in other ways. So, who's to say God's grace can't reach me in the quiet comforts of life?

In Scripture, God repeatedly uses ordinary food to remind people of divine love and care. Manna in the wilderness. Bread broken beside the sea after the resurrection. Daily bread taught in prayer.

Jesus taught us to pray, “Give us this day our daily bread.” Pancakes are kinda like bread.

Maybe daily bread isn't only about survival. Maybe it's also a reminder. A reminder that God loves us. A reminder that we need to hear that daily, because we too easily forget. A reminder that God wants us to have an abundant and joyful life. Yes, God, give me that reminder today and every day ... even in a dream ... about pancakes.

Not every blessing has to change your life to sustain your spirit. Ponder that for a few minutes. Give voice to a fleeting moment of gratitude before the rush of the day begins.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for the ordinary gifts that nourish both body and soul. Help me not to overlook the quiet ways you offer connections with you each day. Teach me to recognize your presence not only in simple comforts, shared meals, and peaceful mornings. Give me a grateful heart for your daily bread in every form it comes. Amen.

05/25/2026

Ridge WELCOMES our New Members!