Un-hurry to the Pace of Jesus

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” - Matthew 11:28-30, NIV

The philosopher Dallas Willard once called hurry “the great enemy of spiritual life in our day,” and urged the followers of Jesus to “ruthlessly eliminate hurry from your life.”

When I first came across Willard’s anti-hurry vision of life in Jesus’ kingdom, it struck a deep chord in my soul. And yet his culprit for the “great enemy of spiritual life” is not what I would expect. If you were to ask me, what is the greatest challenge to your spiritual life? I’m not sure what I’d say.

How would you answer that question?

I bet very few of us would default to “hurry” as our answer.

And yet the more I think about it, the more I agree.

Corrie ten Boom once said that if the devil can’t make you sin, he’ll make you busy.

Her logic is sound: both sin and busyness have the exact same effect—they cut off our connection to God, to other people, and even to our own soul.

Many of us are just too busy to live emotionally healthy and spiritually rich and vibrant lives.

Granted, there is a healthy kind of busyness where your life is full with things that matter, not wasted on empty leisure or trivial pursuits. By that definition, Jesus himself was busy.

The problem isn’t when you have a lot to do; it’s when you have too much to do, and the only way to keep the quota up is to hurry.

Scripture reminds us to "Be still and know that I am God..." (Psalm 46:10, NLT). We simply cannot live with Jesus in his kingdom, and live a life of speed. Are you willing to take time and rest in God's presence?

Exercises for the day:

*Slow down. What would it look like for you to slow down today?

*As you move through your day, pay attention to your body, the sensations of hurry, stress, distraction, or irritation that you feel. Notice how they inhibit your ability to be present in love.

*Pause 2-3 more times during this day to simply breathe, take in God’s loving presence, and practice gratitude.

*John Mark Comer

Current Series

The Ten Commandments set the ground rules for the Israelite people in the Old Testament. Moses met with God on Mount Sinai and was given ten commands for God’s people to follow.

If these were given to the people of Israel, do they still apply to us today? And how did Jesus teach these commandments?

Join us as we break down the BIG TEN and how they apply today.

Church-Wide Spring Study

Little did Luke know that of the many accounts of the life of Jesus, his would be one of four that survived. Let's dive in, read the book and see what his account of Jesus can teach us as we move toward Easter Sunday.

Sunday, May 7th

May Day / Spring Fling

Here's what to expect:

*Inflatables for the kids.

*BBQ dinner fundraiser for the students.

*Update on the building and the state of the United Methodist Church.

Registration coming soon ...

April 9th // 10:30am

Easter egg hunt immediately following morning worship.

Don't forget to bring your Easter baskets on Easter Sunday! There will be separate hunting locations for different age groups.

Bring any candy donations you would like to make on

Sunday, March 26 and Sunday, April 2.

Deadline extended! There's still time to join Pastor Jimmy McIlrath for 8 days in The Holy Land. Organized by Maranatha Tours, the trip will feature all the major sites: the Sea of Galilee, Mount of Olives, Jordan River, Bethlehem, Jerusalem and more.

For more information: click here.

Calling all RidgeRunners kids in 1st through 5th grade!

Camp 4:12 is on for June 25-29!

Camp 4:12 is an amazing week of fun, encouragement, and faith development for kids entering 2nd through 6th grades. Each year The Ridge partners with Pierce Chapel and St. Mark to host this overnight camp that runs from Sunday afternoon through Thursday afternoon at Pine Eden Christian Retreat Center in Hamilton, GA. Campers will experience worship and teaching, lots of swimming and recreation, crafts, chill time, great food, and their choice of two daily electives like canoeing, theater, sports, games, book club, wilderness survival and lots more! Cabins are organized by age and gender with around 12 campers each and are led by a team of one adult counselor and 2 or 3 high school counselors. Early Bird registration runs now through April 30 and is $310 with a $100 deposit. Discounts are offered for siblings and week-long volunteers. Scholarships are available through The Ridge for Ridge families. Learn more and register by following the link below. Contact Nathan at nathan@theridgecolumbus.com for scholarship information or any questions about camp.

We need volunteers including parents, grandparents, high school students and middle school students who want to make camp amazing for our RidgeRunners!



Youth and Children's ministry staff from each of the three churches are on site all week, but we need a great team of volunteers to make camp a success. Follow the registration link below and click on the "Volunteers" page if you are interested in helping in one of the following areas: cabin counselor, kitchen helper, lifeguard, elective leader, setup/cleanup, music team, or crafts.

Click HERE for more information and to register!

Souled Out Summer is a Christian conference for middle and high school students. It is held at Laguna Beach Christian Retreat on the west end of Panama City Beach, Florida and it focuses on students’ relationship with Christ. Morning and evening worship and speakers set the tone for each day. The conference is discipleship oriented, and each student will participate in a D-Group (disciple group) made up of students of their grade and gender. Each D-group is led by college-age Discipleship Leaders (D-Leaders) whose focus is on helping students open up and grow closer to Christ. Lots of free time is scheduled into each afternoon for individual activities, swimming at the pools or beach, playing in the basketball/Ultimate Frisbee/volleyball, etc. tournaments, competing in the strong man/woman contest, or just hanging out and relaxing. Souled Out is the perfect setting for students to open up and be real with God and with each other.

This year’s Souled Out theme is “Purpose,”

Worship will be led by Jonathan and Lisa and their band, MOORE with guests Mike Marshall and Mallory Lang.

This year’s evening speaker is Jordan Easley and this year's morning speaker is Christian comedian and evangelist Lee McBride.

Click HERE for more information and to register.

Sunday Night Youth

Sunday, March 26 – 5:30-7:30pm at the Church Office

Sunday, April 2 – 5:30-7:00pm at Dinner at Don Chucho's

Sunday, April 9 – Easter Sunday - No Youth Meeting

Sunday, April 16 – 5:30-7:30pm at the Church Office

Sunday, April 23 – 5:30-7:30pm at the Church Office

Sunday, April 30 – 5:30-7:30pm at the Church Office

Middle School Small Group

Sunday, March 26 – 10:50ish-11:30am in the Green Room

Sunday, April 2 – No Class - Beginning of Spring Break

Sunday, April 9 – No Class - Easter Sunday

Sunday, April 16 – 10:50ish-11:30am in the Green Room

Sunday, April 23 – 10:50ish-11:30am in the Green Room

Sunday, April 30 – 10:50ish-11:30am in the Green Room

Breakfast Devotion

Wednesday, March 29 – 6:50-7:30am at Bradley Park Chick-fil-A

Wednesday, April 5 – No Meeting - Spring Break

Wednesday, April 12 – 6:50-7:30am at Bradley Park Chick-fil-A

Wednesday, April 19 – 6:50-7:30am at Bradley Park Chick-fil-A

Wednesday, April 26 – 6:50-7:30am at Bradley Park Chick-fil-A

Wednesday, May 3 – 6:50-7:30am at Bradley Park Chick-fil-A

Questions? - Contact Nathan at 706-464-7548 or nathan@theridgecolumbus.com.

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