Views from The Ridge 05.29.2024
Sunset Ridge is a church that desires to follow Jesus, reach people, and radiate God’s love and hope to all.
This Week
Sunday, June 2
9am Worship in the Sanctuary (Speak Lord - 1 Samuel 3:1-20)
10:15am Formation time for all ages
Adult class series: Practicing The Way
Teen formation: The Chosen
Children’s formation: Godly Play
11am Worship in the Chapel (listen to this month’s worship inspiration on Spotify)
Upcoming
Wednesday, June 5 Men’s Monthly Assembly
Saturday, June 8 Second Saturday
Monday, June 24-Thursday, June 27 Sunset Camp, rising kindergarten through 6th grade Sign-up coming soon!
Interested in what’s scheduled for our campus at large? Please consider subscribing to Goodness Weekly.
Celebrating Together
Riley Stirman, Preaching Minister, Sunset Ridge Church
When I was growing up, my family's preferred vacation spot was a little town in southwest Colorado called Ouray. In my nostalgic mind's eye, it was a paradise - a charming little town ringed by gorgeous mountains where any adventure you could think of was possible.
One of Ouray's attractions was a waterfall called Cascade Falls. Just a few blocks from downtown, you could walk to a trailhead that would lead to a towering waterfall set into a beautiful rock face. There were several small hiking trails that you could follow to go up behind the curtain of water that fell, or - if you were daring - to take you to the very top.
I spent hours scampering around this place, taking in the sights and reveling in the adventure of it all. And one of my favorite things to do was to take one of those trails to see how high on the falls I could get. There was a spot about two-thirds of the way up where the trees cleared and you had an uninterrupted view of the entire town. You could see clear back to your car parked at the trailhead or even, on clear days, all the way to the hotel we were staying at.
I remember those moments so clearly. When I was running around the waterfall, my focus was always on where my next step would take me. But when I got to that clearing, I was able to gain a greater appreciation for just how far I'd managed to come. A sense of pride and accomplishment would rise in me, and I would get a feeling in my chest that seemed to say, "What can't I do?"
On May 19th, Sunset Ridge Church turned 75 years old, and we had so much fun celebrating together. Not only did we get to see many old friends and family members, we also got to enjoy lunch together in our beautiful new park. The whole day made me realize just how important it is for us as people to recognize these benchmarks.
Celebrating anniversaries and important milestones like graduations help us pick our heads up. They help us move our focus from the monotony of putting one foot in front of the other to further appreciate some of the bigger picture. Sometimes we need to feel that sense of pride at just how far we've managed to come. And what's more, sometimes we need to appreciate how far we've come so we can come to believe that we're still capable of going forward.
So let's continue celebrating together. Let's celebrate the good things that have come our way in the past few years. Let's celebrate the new unexpected friendships that have bloomed or the small acts of kindness we've been shown. Let's celebrate the strength we've shown to get through hard times and let's celebrate the little pieces of joy that have snuck back into our lives. When we stop and look back, the perspective we gain fuels the steps still untaken.
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Praises and Prayers
Congratulations to Erin Webber & Jonathan Mallard on their marriage on May 25th.
Congratulations also to Peter & Whitney Garatoni on the birth of their daughter, Julia Elizabeth. The proud grandparents are Mike & Terri Garatoni.
