Ridge United Methodist Church

06/24/2026

Meditate at Eight: Ponderings

We all know how restless sleep can lead to tired days. But there are other causes of tiredness as well: depression, frustration, stress, and loneliness, to name a few. Our bodies seemed conditioned to react to emotional crashes - or crises - with exhaustion. And when we're exhausted - physically, emotionally, or spiritually - we don't always make the best choices.

“I have had enough, Lord,” Elijah said. “Take my life; I am no better than my ancestors.” (1 Kings 19:4).

Life for Elijah had been going well. In fact, things couldn't have been going better. But then, as so often happens, the high is followed by a crash. He questioned God. He lost his confidence. He ran until he couldn't run anymore.

Finally, he collapsed under a tree and fell apart. He's exhausted. Afraid. Discouraged. Ready to give up.

Elijah reminds us that even the most faithful people get tired. Not just one night tired, but profoundly weary. The kind of tired that reaches through the body right into the soul.

Sometimes exhaustion comes from overwork. Sometimes from caregiving. Sometimes from grief, worry, disappointment, or simply carrying responsibilities day after day. We keep going because we have to, but our souls quietly begin waving a white flag.

What's striking about Elijah's story is God's response. God doesn't begin with a lecture. God doesn't say, "Elijah, where is your faith?" or "Pull yourself together." Instead, God provides him with food, watches over him, and gives him time to rest.

It's one of the most tender moments in Scripture. Before God addresses Elijah's mission, He addresses Elijah's exhaustion.

Sometimes the most spiritual thing we can do is eat a good meal, seek out the comforting presence of a good friend, or take a nap. Or, maybe, read a devotion or say a prayer to invite God to meet us where we are and give us hope.

Prayer: Compassionate God, you know when I'm tired, discouraged, or overwhelmed. Help me receive your care and trust that I don't have to carry every burden alone. Renew my strength, quiet my anxious thoughts, and remind me that your grace is sufficient for each day. Amen.

06/24/2026

The Celebration of Life service for Corene Buchanan is Saturday, June 27th at 11am in the Sanctuary of Ridge United Methodist Church located at 8607 Columbia Avenue, Munster, IN 46321.

06/23/2026

Meditate at Eight: Ponderings

Do you have family or friend stories you remember - and laugh about - when you get together? Stories about when things didn't go as planned, or when someone, perhaps you, did something that seems even funnier years after the fact? Here's an example. I was in a store with a friend, more looking than shopping. I saw a bottle of shampoo that had my name on it! So, I grabbed it up and turned to her, loudly proclaiming, "Look, they named a shampoo after me!" Except it didn't say "Denise." It said it was for DENSE hair. That was thirty years ago ... and at some point in any conversation we have, she will refer to me as "Dense." Truth hurts sometimes.

I wonder if there isn't a little bit of that in the story of the Israelites wandering in the wilderness after leaving Egypt.

“Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the wilderness these forty years, to humble and test you in order to know what was in your heart.” (Deuteronomy 8:2).

If you've ever driven somewhere unfamiliar and heard your GPS calmly (or in my imagination, snippily) announce, "Recalculating route," you know the feeling. You were sure you were heading in the right direction. Then suddenly, apparently, you're not.

The Israelites might appreciate that feeling. After their dramatic escape from Egypt, they probably expected a quick, direct route to the Promised Land. Instead, they found themselves spending years wandering in the wilderness. Years. Not days. Not a long weekend. Years of sand, uncertainty, complaints, and learning to trust God one day at a time. And, if we look at a map, the wilderness wasn't really that big. Forty years wandering around in an area about half the size of the entire state of Indiana.

To be fair, they didn't always handle it particularly well. They complained about the food. They complained about the lack of water. They complained about Moses. They weren't always thrilled with God. And, as they complained, they wandered ... with their GPS constantly chirping at them, "Recalculating route."

It's easy to smile and shake our heads at them until we realize how much we resemble them. We like plans. We like destinations, timelines, and directions. But sometimes we find ourselves in a wilderness season, when it seems like answers or relief will never come. And, so, we complain. We forget that God is still with us and still trying to lead us.

Yet Deuteronomy tells us something remarkable. God was doing something during those frustrating, frightening wilderness years; The wilderness was a classroom. It revealed what was in their hearts. It taught dependence. It formed them into a people capable of living in freedom.

Sometimes God's greatest work happens in seasons that feel like detours. The wilderness may not be where we want to stay, but it's often where we learn to trust.

And the good news is this: we may wander, we may ponder, but we're never abandoned. The pillar of cloud remains. The manna keeps coming. God stays present even when the path seems unclear.

If you find yourself in a wilderness season today, take heart. God isn't lost, even if you feel a little turned around ... or are being a little dense.

Prayer: Faithful God, when life feels uncertain and the path is unclear, help me trust that you are leading me. Look into my heart and teach me what I need to learn in this season. Remind me that your presence is with me even in the wilderness. Give me patience, courage, and faith for the journey ahead. Amen.

06/22/2026

Ridge United Methodist Church is hiring a Director of Children's Ministries.

Referrals Welcome.

𝗦𝗲𝗲 𝗜𝗻𝗳𝗼: https://ridgeumc.org/jobs

06/22/2026

06/22/2026

Meditate at Eight: Ponderings

What do you do when you go to bed sleepy and then the "wide eye" strikes? That was me last night. No worries invading my thoughts ... because, as far as I know, I had no thoughts. No rehashing of Sunday's services or concerns about today. I listened to the rain. I turned on some calming music. I watched a rather uninteresting movie on an app. Nothing worked. Finally, sometime between 3:30 and 4, I drifted off to sleep. Now it's a little after 6, and I'm up, showered, let Tori out and fed her, and am staring at my first cup of coffee.

Then a strange thought crossed my mind. Who was the first person to look at a coffee bean and think, "I wonder if I can drink that?"

Seriously. Coffee beans don't exactly jump out and scream, "Drink me". Someone had to pick the bean, roast it, grind it, pour hot water over it, and discover that something wonderful was hidden inside. I could've walked past coffee plants (are they plants?) every day of my life and never imagined any of that.

Then I pondered: How often do we do the same thing with God?

We walk past ordinary moments, ordinary people, ordinary circumstances, and never imagine what God might have hidden within them. We see a problem and miss the possibility. We see a setback and miss the lesson. We see a stranger and miss a future friend. We see a burden and miss an opportunity for grace.

Faith often begins with holy curiosity.

The disciples saw five loaves and two fish, and a hungry crowd of thousands. They saw scarcity. Jesus saw a feast. The difference wasn't what they were looking at. The difference was what they imagined God could do with it.

Perhaps that is one reason God delights in revealing extraordinary things through ordinary means. God is showing off! Okay, maybe God's trying to get our attention. And let's just say that some days that takes a lot of effort on God's part.

This morning, a mind devoid of anything but coffee reminded me that God often places possibilities right in front of us, opening our eyes to see beyond what is obvious and familiar. Holy curiosity isn't asking what I can do with or about something; it's imagining what God can do.

What ordinary thing might you ponder today ... and in it see the wonder of God?

Prayer: Lord, help me see more than coffee beans. Help me see more than circumstances. Help me see more than the obvious. Give me eyes to recognize your possibilities hidden in ordinary places, and faith to believe in your unexpected blessings from unlikely sources. Amen.

06/20/2026

Join us on Sunday, June 21, 2026 Online or In-Person. Our sermon series is titled, "Singing Our Faith" and the sermon is, "The Sum of Our Faith" reflecting on Psalm 150. Only at Ridge UMC - Munster, IN

𝟵𝗔𝗠 𝗟𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗺: https://ridgeumc.org/watch-live
𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗧𝘂𝗯𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗺: https://youtube.com/live/M8Xqj9cPmWM
𝗗𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗹𝗼𝗮𝗱 𝗕𝘂𝗹𝗹𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻:https://ridgeumc.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/06-21-26_T.pdf
𝗔𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 & 𝗚𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴: https://tinyurl.com/RUMC-Attend-and-Give
𝗣𝗿𝗮𝘆𝗲𝗿 𝗥𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁: https://tinyurl.com/PRAYwithRidge
𝗗𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗗𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀: https://tinyurl.com/Go2Ridge
𝗨𝗠𝗖𝗢𝗥 𝗧𝗼𝗿𝗻𝗮𝗱𝗼 𝗥𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗳: https://tinyurl.com/UMCOR-NOW

06/19/2026

Meditate at Eight: Ponderings

Another quiet morning ... some time with Tori ... coffee ... another song.

I have climbed highest mountains
I have run through the fields
Only to be with you...
I have run
I have crawled
I have scaled these city walls...
Only to be with you
But I still haven't found what I'm looking for.

I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For (by U2 off their album, The Joshua Tree) is a song of spiritual yearning that captures a longing that many people recognize but struggle to name. The song speaks of searching, striving, experiencing, and believing, and yet somehow sensing that there has to be something more.

There is something wonderfully honest about that.

Most of us spend our lives looking. We look for meaning. For belonging. For comfort. For peace. For love. For answers to questions we can't always put to words.

Along the way, we often convince ourselves that the next thing will satisfy us. The next achievement. The next purchase. The next relationship. The next season of life.

Yet, no matter what we do, the longing remains.

“He (God) has set eternity in the human heart.” (Ecclesiastes 3:11).

The writer of Ecclesiastes understood this longing deep inside of us for something more. His response was his belief that God has "set eternity in the human heart." In other words, God placed within us a desire that reaches beyond what this world alone can provide.

That is not a flaw in our design. It is part of being human.

The Christian faith doesn't deny this longing; it explains it. We were created for communion with God. We were made for a Kingdom not yet fully realized. We are on a road traveling toward a home we haven't completely seen, but we want more than anything else.

I believe in the kingdom come
Then all the colors will bleed into one...
But, yes, I'm still running
You broke the bonds
And you loosed the chains
Carried the cross
Of my shame...

You know, I believe it
But I still haven't found what I'm looking for.

This side of eternity, there will always be moments when life feels incomplete. But this isn't a sign that something is wrong. It's evidence that we know there's something deeper and better that is worth looking for. The search is holy.

And so we continue the journey ... confident that we will find what we've been looking for all along. And it will be amazing.

Prayer: Gracious God, thank you for setting eternity within my heart and drawing me toward you. Continue to guide me on this journey of faith, and help me trust that one day I will find all that I have been looking for. Amen.