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Thanks for joining us over the last few weeks of our 21 Days Of Prayer Guided Meditations! This is the final episode in the series. (Note: we released 18 episodes because 3 days were corporate prayer on Sunday).

During 21 Days Of Prayer, we will release a guided prayer meditation each morning. Set aside a few minutes every day to cultivate the discipline of prayer with us!

During 21 Days Of Prayer, we will release a guided prayer meditation each morning. Set aside a few minutes every day to cultivate the discipline of prayer with us!

During 21 Days Of Prayer, we will release a guided prayer meditation each morning. Set aside a few minutes every day to cultivate the discipline of prayer with us!

During 21 Days Of Prayer, we will release a guided prayer meditation each morning. Set aside a few minutes every day to cultivate the discipline of prayer with us!

During 21 Days Of Prayer, we will release a guided prayer meditation each morning. Set aside a few minutes every day to cultivate the discipline of prayer with us!

During 21 Days Of Prayer, we will release a guided prayer meditation each morning. Set aside a few minutes every day to cultivate the discipline of prayer with us!

During 21 Days Of Prayer, we will release a guided prayer meditation each morning. Set aside a few minutes every day to cultivate the discipline of prayer with us!

During 21 Days Of Prayer, we will release a guided prayer meditation each morning. Set aside a few minutes every day to cultivate the discipline of prayer with us!

During 21 Days Of Prayer, we will release a guided prayer meditation each morning. Set aside a few minutes every day to cultivate the discipline of prayer with us!

During 21 Days Of Prayer, we will release a guided prayer meditation each morning. Set aside a few minutes every day to cultivate the discipline of prayer with us!

During 21 Days Of Prayer, we will release a guided prayer meditation each morning. Set aside a few minutes every day to cultivate the discipline of prayer with us!

During 21 Days Of Prayer, we will release a guided prayer meditation each morning. Set aside a few minutes every day to cultivate the discipline of prayer with us!

During 21 Days Of Prayer, we will release a guided prayer meditation each morning. Set aside a few minutes every day to cultivate the discipline of prayer with us!

During 21 Days Of Prayer, we will release a guided prayer meditation each morning. Set aside a few minutes every day to cultivate the discipline of prayer with us!

During 21 Days Of Prayer, we will release a guided prayer meditation each morning. Set aside a few minutes every day to cultivate the discipline of prayer with us!

Over the course of our 21 days of Prayer, we're going to practice a method of prayer centered around praying Scripture back to God. This ancient practice is called Lectio Divina, maybe you've heard us discuss it before. For those of you who aren't reading latin for fun, let me shed some light on Lectio Divina. This is an ancient Latin phrase, first used by St. Benedict in the sixth century. It means “spiritual reading.” It's a way of reading Scripture slowly and prayerfully, listening for God's word to you.While you do not need to follow this four-step process, there are four movements to Lectio Divina that you may find helpful. The 4 steps are lectio, meditatio, oratio, and contemplatio: don't worry, we're just going to use simple english for the rest of our time together. Here's how it works: Read — A passage of your choice, slowly and prayerfully. Pay special attention to any words or phrases or ideas that jump out to you, or that move you emotionally or deeply resonate.Reflect — Reread the passage again, slowly. This time, pause over the word(s) or phrase(s) that were highlighted to you during your first reading. Meditate on them. Turn them over in your mind. Savor them.Respond — Pray your impressions back to God. You can use your own words or simply pray the text directly to God.Rest — Take a few minutes in silence to breathe deeply and rest in God's loving word to you.So, one more time. Read, Reflect, Respond, Rest. Today, we're going to take a few minutes to practice this. We invite you each day, as we release a new episode, to find somewhere quiet, and distraction free to spend a few minutes praying through the verse. We will read each verse to you, each day, but of course we invite you to read them in your copy of God's word. So again, here's today's passage John 10:27, “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” In John 10:27, Jesus speaks to us using the beautiful metaphor of sheep and a shepherd. He says that His sheep are characterized by three key actions: they listen to His voice, He knows them, and they follow Him.Listening is a crucial component of our relationship with God. It means being attentive to His voice, whether it's through prayer, Scripture, or those gentle nudges of the Holy Spirit. When we listen, we open our hearts to the wisdom and guidance of our Good Shepherd.The knowing mentioned here is not merely cognitive knowledge but a deep, intimate relationship. It's God recognizing our innermost being, our fears, desires, and dreams. He knows us completely, and this knowing is the foundation of our trust in Him.Lastly, we are called to follow. Following Jesus is the natural response to hearing His voice and being known by Him. When we follow, we are led on a path of purpose, love, and transformation.As Dallas Willard once said, "Hearing God is the most vital and the most basic act of our entire spiritual lives." This act of listening to God's voice is not reserved for a select few; it's an invitation extended to all of us, regardless of our backgrounds or circumstances. This passage from John 10:27 reminds us that, by listening to Christ's voice, being known by Him, and following Him, we are actively allowing the kingdom of heaven to take root within us.Now, let's engage in the practice of Lectio Divina, using English words for each stage: Read, Reflect, Respond, and Rest.Let's read the verse again. "My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me."Reflect: Consider how you have been listening to Christ's voice in your life. How have you experienced His knowing and guidance? In what ways have you followed Him?Respond: In prayer, express your gratitude for the privilege of being known by Christ and ask for His guidance in following Him more closely.Rest: Spend a few moments in silent contemplation, allowing the message of this verse to resonate within your heart. Let it inspire you to be a faithful sheep of the Good Shepherd.

During 21 Days Of Prayer, we will release a guided prayer meditation each morning. Set aside a few minutes every day to cultivate the discipline of prayer with us!

In one way or another conflict is a part of our daily lives, and we don't always do a good job at it. However, it can be difficult to know where to even start. What do I say? What am I responsible for? What if the other person tries to walk all over me? In this episode Mark and Megan rejoin David to discuss practical ways and behaviors to address conflict in ways that actually work.

The Gospel Comes With A House Key By Rosaria Butterfield  The Ridge Sunday Audio!

The Great Divorce by CS Lewis is mentioned in this episode. Good God by David Baggett and Jerry Walls is mentioned in this episode. 

This episode was created based on your responses to our Instagram Q+A! In this episode David is joined by guest Aaron Day to explore the question: "What is Calvinism?" and what is its history. It's our hope this discussion creates a base understanding and background of the terms Calvinism, reformed theology, TULIP, and different understandings of salvation. Although, we're on "different sides" so to say, we hope this conversation models a way to have discussion over difficult subjects while maintaining unity. We close the episode by discussing the importance of a familial relationship amongst believers in the Church. Aaron Day earned a bachelor's in religion and music from Liberty University in 2019 and his Masters of Divinity in 2022 from Midwestern Seminary, where he is currently pursuing a PhD in systematic theology. Aaron is also a Research Assistant at The Charles Spurgeon Library.

Andrew Wilson is the owner of Jethro's Coffee and Public House in Dahlonega, Georgia. Andrew joins David to discuss how business owners can bring the kingdom of God into the world through the marketplace. He shares his journey from being a full time minister to an entrepreneur, and then now a bi-vocational minister. In this discussion they discuss practical ways to share the way of Jesus with employees, coworkers, and clients. As well as a better way to understand how our vocation relates to worship. Andrew holds a bachelors degree from Liberty University and a Master's of Divinity from Dallas Theological Seminary. He's currently a pastor at The Branch Church in Dahlonega.

For further discussion on the this topic, and how you can engage with it we recommend checking out: The Tech-Wise Family by Andy Crouch.  

Check Out Mark's Sermon on The Day of The Lord before you listen to part 1!Stream Part 1 of our conversation here!To connect with us online reach out via social media @theridgecc or shoot us a quick email at info@theridge.cc  

Check Out Mark's Sermon on The Day of The Lord before you listen to part 1!

Have Christians always been pro-life? What's the church's responsibility in regards to orphans? What's the situation with the foster-care system? In this episode Chan, Matthew, and David, along with a surprise guest, discuss what The Ridge's next step is and how our new parternships play a part in that.

We all start out single in life, but sometimes being single in the church can make you feel like a Junior Varsity Christian. Is marriage greater than singleness? Can you live a fulfilled and purposeful life in singleness? In this episode David is joined by Micah to discuss what Scripture says about singleness.

Link to the book Allen mentions: When Helping Hurts 

Conflict is something we usually run away from, or we run through in all the wrong ways. In this episode Mark and Megan join David to discuss baseline principles and truths to better navigate conflict. Whether you're looking to improve communication in your marriage and family, or just get along with your coworkers better, this master class is for you!

We've all heard we need to read the Bible, and that we need to read it daily. Sometimes we open it up, and it just feels like a chore. Does it have to be like this? In this episode David, Mark, and Chan discuss ways to read scripture and form helpful practices to understand the stories God has preserved for us.

In 2022 there are some new challenges Dads have to traverse, but can we lean into the same truths from generations past? In this episode David and several members of the pastor team have a discussion on the hope that fathers need to be the Dad they desire to be.

Lonely, overwhelmed, exhausted are just a few words that moms can feel more often than not. Does it have to be like this? Is there a way forward through the challenges of being a mother? In this episode two members of women's leadership team, Trista and Cortney, join David to discuss ways to navigate different seasons of being a mom.

Leadership is something that we all have to interact with at home, church, and the workplace. We've been around good leaders, and most certainly around bad ones. When it comes down to it though, what do good leaders really do to be good? In this episode David interviews the Ridge's former elder chairmen, Bill Rodgers on leadership, common misconceptions, and pitfalls leaders face.

There are so many issues around us, and with each issue so much disagreement. How to believers think biblically about the world around them from social and political issues to just trying to be a good parent or spouse? In this episode David and Chan discuss the practical implications of having a biblical worldview.

I think we can all agree that going to church in-person is better, but is it worth it? After all, it's so much more convenient to throw on a webcast. Is attending church primarily online beneficial to our spiritual growth? In this episode Pastor Mark joins David to discuss if showing up physically to church every Sunday even matters in 2022 and beyond.

Being a parent can be pretty difficult, right? In 2022 parents face so many challenges from schooling, sports, screens, and the tumultuous time we're living in. Our desire for you is to not just survive these challenges. We want you to win! In this episode, featuring our Children's Director Gina, we discuss how to form a strategy based on God's word to win at parentings in 2022.

Check out any content from Revive '22 you might have missed over on The Ridge Sunday Audio's channel. Click or Tap here to access The Ridge Sunday AudioPastor George Dirling serves at First Baptist Church of McCaysville, Georgia. To learn more about their church click or tap here.

Unity is hard to come by these days. No matter where you look in society polarization, hostility, loneliness, and anger seem to be around every corner. In this episode we discuss how unity could change everything for people, communities, churches, and the world.