Canyon Ridge Christian Church Podcast

Have you ever heard of the parable of the blind men and the elephant? It's a story about blind men encountering, learning, and imagining an elephant for themselves and one another. Their discovery, however, is only in part, like the tusk, the tail, or the trunk. Like the elephant, one of your attributes can never amount to who you entirely are. So, how much more is this true of God?To really know someone, you can't pretend or limit them to be as you would like them to be; you must come to know them as they are. Generally, people are comfortable focusing on God's goodness, love, and generosity, but there is so much more to God! This week's conversation focuses on the holiness of God - set apart, unlike any other. Meeting God again is ongoing; it's about your life journey developing a habit of exploring, knowing, sharing, and loving who you discover God to be. This week's Psalm study is in Psalm 99. Rally your friends, family, neighbors, or group to dive in deeper.

Are there people in your life that as you get to know who they are, you just want to know more? Your relationship with God can be like that! There are a lot of other voices in culture, family, friendships that tell you who God is, who God loves, who God shouldn't love. But what does God say about himself and his love? Luke 15 is a familiar story to many called the Prodigal Son. It's a powerful story of God's love being personal, unconditional, and transformational. Everyone have a next step in walking with God and experiencing his love. What is yours? 

Think about how you build trust with people. There are 3 things people look for when it comes to trusting someone: competence, motivation, and reliability. When it comes to trusting God, learn to listen, do, watch, and repeat. What do you and the people around you hear what God is saying? What are you or the people around you going to do because of it? And, what do you see change because of it? Walk for a while with someone really trusting God and compare them today to them last year! You might be shocked at what God is capable of doing in someone's life. As you learn to build your trust with and in God, you might be shocked with the person you become. This week, read Psalm 33 and listen, do, and watch what God says and does as you become a person who puts their trust in God!

Some people met God as a kid in church, some are meeting God for the first time, and many are somewhere in between. Wherever you are on the journey, there's room for everyone! Over the centuries, people have abandoned their faith over the question: How can God be good when the world is full of bad things and people? In other words, how do you know God is good? God doesn't want his goodness to be information; he wants that to be your truest experience with him. The more you experience God's goodness, the more you let his goodness make you good too.This week, identify where you need to experience God's goodness. Then, invite God to meet you in that with his goodness. Then, be available and attentive: look for good, learn to see good, and then learn to see God. Take notes on God's goodness this week as you gather story after story to share with others who need good news of a good God.

Imagine you're being introduced to someone - a new job, a new friend, etc. How would you like to be introduced? First impressions are important, especially because no one wants to be misjudged or misunderstood. But, they're only the beginning, because the truth is that everyone wants to be known and loved still. This same thing is true of God. Theologian A.W. Tozer famously said, "What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us." This new series is a conversation about meeting God again or for the first time. Stay tuned for a tool on how to discover God through his Word!

The reality of life is that hard things happen — over the course of this year, you will experience both opportunities and challenges. As the year goes on, how do you remain rooted in God? Stay calm. Stay connected. Stay the course.Staying calm is all about how you show up, staying connected is about who you show up with, and staying the course is about where you are going. As you look back on how you started the year, either in your own direction or in Jesus’ direction, what do you want to stop, start, or modify in the next month to stay the course?

With springtime around the corner, it's about time to start planting the garden - fruit trees, herbs, plants, and flowers of all kinds! This garden metaphor is helpful in understanding living rooted with God. Even Jesus uses the parable of the sower in Matthew 13 to help you better understand who you are in him. Here's the reality: Jesus wants life with you and your life to count for something more than just yourself. Jesus has something to say about your growth and deepening in him, and he has something to say about the fruit your life produces.Canyonridge.org

The Bible is like a beautiful library, full of different genres and unending stories of truth and wisdom. The Psalms is a book of prayer full of truth about God's character, rich with imagery that invites your intention and imagination. The poetry of Psalms invites you to sit with God's Word, to linger longer at an unhurried pace.As you read, what stands out to you? What do you imagine? The life you experience will be largely influenced by the company you keep which will always present you with options for the road you take! This week, read Psalm 37 every day, asking "How would I live today if I knew this were true?" Lean in, look at the Scripture together, and practice what God's saying with support from others!

C.S. Lewis says, "Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance, the only thing it cannot be is moderately important." This week, as you read through the book of Colossians, ask yourself, "have I joined Jesus?" If or when you acknowledge the truth of Scripture, things change - YOU change!This is about a life-changing decision made when you say yes to Jesus, and how Jesus changes your life as you say yes to him every day! So, join the conversation to discover 3 simple yet foundational ways to continue to follow him through discovering, doing, and sharing what God says!

There's something about birthdays and anniversaries that are worth celebrating. These days are your chance to look back, look around, and look ahead with gratitude, hope, and expectation.The story of Canyon Ridge is one of sharing the hope of Jesus to everyone, everywhere, every day. Celebrate three decades of stories about how Canyon Ridge's people experience God's faithfulness and respond to him together!