Ashley Ridge Church Weekly Service

It all boils down to love. Love from a savior. Love to a neighbor in need. By spending just a little less on gifts we free up our resources to love as Jesus loves by giving to those who really need help.

We know what you're thinking. "Wait, didn't they just say I should spend less, and yet here they are telling me to give more? What gives?" The most powerful, memorable gift you can give to someone else is yourself. And nobody modeled this more than Jesus. So what does this look like for you? Tickets to a ball game or the theater? A movie night? The main point is simple: When it comes to spending time with those you love, it's all about quality, not quantity.

Spend less time, money, and worry this season.

Christmas marks the moment where God's promise was fulfilled and love took form, tiny fingers and all. It is a moment that deserves our full attention and praise. Our involvement at Christmas is based entirely on how much we are celebrating Christ's birth. He deserves celebration; one that is creative, loud and directs every heart His way.

God gives and we bring. What we bring and how we bring, well that's the FUN part. In the second part of this series, we explore the why behind our giving...I mean bringing.

If you compare God's economy with the economy of our world, it's pretty upside-down. In the first message of this series, we explore what that means, how God's economy works and the investment He makes in you and me.

Looking at Joshua 6, in the most ridiculous battle of all time the Israelites walk around the city blowing trumpets while all of Jericho looks on and laughs. We're going to look silly doing things God's way, but we have to obey anyway. Obedience isn't about everything making sense, it's about trusting the One who is asking us to walk through the wall.

In Joshua 5, they learn a painful lesson about the fact that it hurts before it gets better. They had to be patient and wait for healing to come.

In Joshua 4, Joshua insists on giving away credit and making sure everyone (including himself) recognizes God as the true leader. He had the humility to recognize he wouldn't make it on his own. This week I'll be focusing on the fact that if we're tempted to take the blame we'll also be tempted to take the credit. It's God's battle.