Hickory Ridge-cast

We’re quick to judge others. And we love to decide who deserves a chance and who doesn’t. But you know who doesn't operate like that? Jesus.In Luke 19, Jesus stops in the city of Jericho and chooses the last person anyone expected to eat and stay with... Zacchaeus, a corrupt and hated tax collector.If you’ve ever felt like you don’t measure up, this message from Mike Steinsdoerfer might just change the way you see God.

In this message from the book of Hosea, Pastor Justin talks honestly about something we don’t often think about; that there are things we do that actually tick God off.Yet even when we frustrate Him, or our hearts grow cold, God’s love keeps pursuing us and inviting us to return to a real relationship with Him.We pray this message encourages, inspires, and challenges you no matter where you are in your relationship with Jesus.

Our God has FEELINGS. He's more than an ethereal cloud, or distant deity... He's a Father. In this message, Pastor Justin shares that God is deeply personal and His heart is affected by how we live. God genuinely cares when we sin, walk away, or choose to follow something other than Him.This sermon also looks at how God sometimes lovingly disrupts our plans, using obstacles to redirect and protect us from where we were headed apart from Him.

Hosea is a story in the Bible full of scandal, sin, symbolism, and salvation.In part one of this three week series, Pastor Justin begins breaking down the first chapter of Hosea, and how it seeks to answer the age old question: "If anyone really knew me, deep down, my hidden thoughts, secret desires, failures, and emotions, would they really love me?" By exploring the book of Hosea, we'll come face-to-face with the truth. Yes, we are broken, broken people. But God’s relentless, pursuing love is not based on our faithfulness; it’s based on His.

Here are stories of surrender, redemption, and joy, shared by Jim Forakis. Jim has served as the Executive Director of the Tennessee Valley branch of Adult & Teen Challenge for over 20 years. Using scripture and testimonies, we pray Jim's message will be an encouragement to you today!

As we close out this series on learning how to be more like Jesus, we have to touch on the idea of His heart. How does Jesus, and by extension, our Heavenly Father, feel about us? What emotions and plans does He have for us?Despite how we often feel about ourselves, the truth is God's heart towards us is caring, gentle, tender, and fiercely loving.If you've ever struggled with self-hatred, identity, or doubts about God's continuing, lasting forgiveness, we pray this message brings you the hope and truth you need!

We all like to feel heard. To be understood. To know that someone really listened to us. And yet, so many of us struggle to be good listeners.Jesus is the greatest listener that ever lived, and if we're willing to learn from Him, we'll find a skill that is worth the effort to practice.Because listening done correctly can do more than just make someone feel good... it can save lives!

Have you ever felt stuck in your own thoughts?In this message, Pastor Andy Sileno explains how our thoughts shape our emotions, words, and actions... and why God wants access to our minds, not just our hearts.Through Scripture and practical insight, this message shows how prayer and truth create new pathways that lead to life and peace. You don’t have to be controlled by unhealthy thoughts. God invites you into transformation from the inside out.

What does walking with the Spirit look like? This sermon explores what it means to walk with the Spirit and to be led by the Spirit. In Luke 3 we saw Jesus submit to the Father and was affirmed by the Spirit stepping into his role as the Son of God.

The Bible has a lot to say about our words, and how we talk to other people!"Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it and indulge it will eat its fruit and bear the consequences of their words." says Proverbs 18:21So how do we talk in a way that shows others we are followers of Jesus? How do we learn how to talk like Jesus?In this message, Pastor Justin explores how we can begin to speak truth, life, and blessing over those around us!

What do you do when you’re doing everything you can and nothing seems to change?In this message, Pastor Justin speaks to anyone facing resistance, delay, or discouragement. This message isn’t about pretending life is easy or waiting passively for things to get better. Instead, it explores how real breakthrough often begins before conditions improve - through trust, action, and choosing to worship in the face of difficulty.Whether you’re navigating stress, loss, anxiety, relational strain, or addiction, this message offers perspective on how to keep moving forward when the way ahead feels closed.

We use our hands for nearly everything we do. Work, play, creating, caring, designing, destroying... But while we're limited with how much we can accomplish with our OWN hands, there is no limit to what Jesus can accomplish with His hands.Jesus's hands offered forgiveness, blessing, and healing to the world around Him. And now, as His followers, Jesus invites us to do the same... and be His hands here on earth.In this message, Pastor Justin explores how we can overcome our own shortcomings and limitations to become effective world-changers!

Tired of seeing life your way? The way that sees people as problems, situations as frustrations, and every outcome as an inevitable disappointment?As followers of Christ, we're called to see life differently. To see not with our eyes, but with spiritual eyes! In this message, Pastor Justin shows us how we can come into this year with a fresh perspective that is ready to see miracles, abundance, purpose, possibilities, and provision!

What happens when one bad moment, one frustration, or one mistake starts to derail everything?In this message, Pastor Aaron shares a story with a powerful reminder: it’s not about the red lights... it’s about God’s presence.Drawing from Philippians 3, Isaiah 43, Hebrews 12, and John 10, this sermon challenges us to stop letting our past define us and start actively pursuing what God has placed in front of us. Too often, we allow yesterday’s failures, hurts, or circumstances to shape our identity and limit our future. But Jesus didn’t die so we could live stuck. He died so we could live free and abundantly.If you’re tired of being derailed by the past, or walking in circles instead of forward, this message is for you.It’s time to stop replaying the past and start stepping into what God is doing now.

Jesus's mother, Mary, modeled how we ought to live; treasuring the present, holding onto God’s promises, and trusting that Emmanuel, God with us, is something we can continue to count on in the future.In this message, Pastor Justin reminds us that peace isn’t found after circumstances change, but when we seek God’s nearness, even in uncertainty. Instead of striving to control outcomes, we’re invited to slow down, recognize God's presence, and receive the peace He offers... even before all the answers arrive.

When the shepherds heard the news of Jesus’ birth, they chose urgency over hesitation.Once the angels spoke, the shepherds moved!In this message, Pastor Justin challenges us to see how God often works through ordinary people and everyday moments, calling us to respond quickly, step out in faith, and share the gospel - even when it's inconvenient.The heart of the message is a simple but challenging prayer; to ask God to give you a heart that responds with urgency!

This message looks at Mary’s encounter with the angel and the way she surrendered her plans, expectations, and fears to God’s purpose.Pastor Justin teaches how real faith begins when we lay down control, and trust God’s Word over our feelings... even when His call disrupts the life we imagined. Often times these single moments of surrender can have amazing, life-changing, destiny-shaping, eternity-spanning, results.This message is an invitation to release what you’re holding onto and say, like Mary, “Let it be unto me according to your word."

In this message, Pastor Aaron looks at Joseph’s role in the Christmas story, and how he trusted God without having all the details... and how God challenges us to do the same.Even when obedience is costly, and when we don’t understand why, God uses our "yes" to shape our lives, restore hope, and write a new story far greater than we ever imagined!

In this message, guest speaker Mike Steinsdoerfer walks line-by-line through Psalm 23, showing how every phrase reveals something about the Shepherd who guides, restores, protects, and provides. Join us as we explore the struggles we all face, the fear that tries to overwhelm us, and the surprisingly deep peace that God offers when we learn to stay close to His presence. Whether you're currently in green pastures or dark valleys, this sermon reminds us that God doesn’t just watch over us... He walks with us every step of the way.

In this message, Pastor Justin walks us through Daniel 10 to show that God hears us the very first moment we pray, yet His answers often come after we wait. When waiting becomes exhausting, this sermon reminds us that God is working, warring, and speaking behind the scenes... even when we don’t perceive it. Learn how to worship instead of worry, war instead of whine, and posture your heart to be like Samuel, who said: “Speak, Lord, Your servant is listening.”

What do you do when you’ve prayed, waited, and still haven’t seen what God promised? In this message, Pastor Justin teaches how to hold onto faith even in times of disappointment. Because in an age where our feelings are everything, the Bible teaches that God's power is greater than what we "feel" is true.We'll look at Abraham and Sarah’s story to discover the kind of trust that says, “God, I believe You can, even if You don’t.”

When David danced before the Lord, he didn’t care who was watching. His worship was real, raw, and completely undignified. In this message, Pastor Justin challenges us to stand out in a world obsessed with fitting in, to live unashamed of our faith, and to worship with boldness that refuses to bow to cultural pressure. If you’ve ever struggled with fear of judgment or the temptation to compromise, this one’s for you.

Every believer faces battles... some lifelong, some momentary. But God calls us to keep going despite the struggles! In this message, Pastor Andy shares how perseverance, community, and daily consistency anchor us when the world shakes. Through biblical truths and real-life stories, discover how you are sealed for a purpose, how you can grow through hardship, and can learn to trust that “the view at the top is worth it.”

Too many of us live chained to a victim mindset; defining ourselves by what’s been done TO us instead of by what Christ has done FOR us.In this message, Pastor Justin calls us to lay down the past and walk in faith. To manage our memories, quit assuming everything is going to go wrong, and quit fixating on what we can’t control. When we do this, we can begin to see ourselves how God sees us: As more than conquerors through Christ!Because it's when you stop living in the past and start living for His future that freedom begins.

Life is full of problems that demand our attention. We wake up thinking about bills, sickness, work drama, whining kids, relationship stress... on and on it goes. But peace can come when our focus shifts from the weight of our worries to the wonder of God’s presence.In this message, Pastor Justin unpacks Psalm 84 and shows how fixing our thoughts on the presence of God brings a strength that our circumstances can’t take away.Join us as we look at how when we change our focus, our problems may not go away, but their weightiness can fade away!

Sometimes God calls us to step into the fog... to obey even when it doesn't make sense. In this message, Pastor Justin shows how unclear obedience often unlocks unseen blessings. Like Peter, we may not understand until later, but when we trust God’s word above our understanding, miracles are already waiting in the water. Don't wait to understand, but instead, step out in obedience!

Every day, we face hundreds of intrusive thoughts... many of which can bother us, and distract us from God’s truth. In this message, we’re reminded that while we can’t always control what thoughts enter our minds, we can choose what we dwell on. By fixing our hearts on heaven and setting our minds on things above, we find strength, joy, and freedom to live the way God designed us to live.

What does it mean to pray with a persistence that refuses to quit?If your faith has ever felt fractured or your prayers unanswered, this sermon is a powerful reminder that God hears, God heals, and breakthrough comes to those who don’t give up.In this message, Pastor Caleb Thomason unpacks Jesus’ parable from Luke 11 about asking, seeking, and knocking... showing that God calls us to have a grit in prayer that presses on even when answers don’t come quickly!

Life can feel overwhelming when evil and brokenness seem to grow all around us. In this message, Pastor Justin explains Jesus’ parable of the wheat and weeds, showing how God uses this in-between, waiting season to grow His people and even transform “weeds” into “wheat.”Be encouraged - we can endure the middle because we know how the story ends!

Unforgiveness is a heavy chain that keeps us trapped in the pain of the past. In this message, Pastor Justin unpacks the parable of the unforgiving servant and reveals how the cross is the cure for every wound, every debt, and every betrayal. Pastor Justin shares how you can begin to release the weight you’ve carried for weeks, months, or years - and step into true freedom through Christ.

What happens when Jesus invites you to eat at His table?In this message, Ethan Mast unpacks the parable of the great banquet that's found in Luke 14 and challenges us to embrace God’s invitation, and set aside excuses, so we can experience the life He’s prepared for us.Beyond that, God doesn't just want us to eat at His feast... He wants us to throw our own banquets and invite the blind, sick, poor, and lame... which is what we are!

Building on a foundation of sand or of stone... either way a storm is coming! Will you make it through?Life is full of storms; Sickness, death, relationship trouble, job loss... the list goes on and on! But God wants us to have lives that are unshakable in the midst of the storms. To have faith that can weather the worst things life throws at us... to build on Jesus!

Imagine finding a treasure far more valuable than everything you own put together... What would you do to get that treasure?In this message, Pastor Justin breaks down the parables found in Matthew 13:44-46 where Jesus teaches about the Kingdom of Heaven, and how gaining it isn't some small thing - it's EVERYTHING!

In this message, guest speaker Travis Rutland shares from Jesus teaching of the Parable of the Good Samaritan, challenging us to see people not as scenery or machinery, but as neighbors deserving compassion.With stories both personal and biblical, Travis reminds us that the whole world is our neighbor - and Jesus calls us to “go and do likewise.” Let this message encourage you to open your eyes, heart, and hands to those around you!

The end of Joseph’s story reminds us that even when life feels unfair, God is still at work behind the scenes. In this message, we explore how to trust God for justice so we can extend grace, and how God can use deep pain to accomplish greater purpose. If you’ve ever wrestled with bitterness, betrayal, or the question "Why did this happen?", then this message is for you.

Sometimes, God speaks not through a voice, but through our conscience... a restless heart... a lack of peace... or lack of joy.In this message, Pastor Justin explores how God uses physical need, distress, and humbling seasons to awaken our conscience and draw us back to Him. Whether it’s regret from the past or conviction in the present, your conscience - when shaped by God’s Word - can lead to real character change.Don’t ignore what God may be stirring in you. Instead, humble yourself, and watch what God can do!

After years of pain and waiting, Joseph steps into his purpose... not because he fought for power, but because he trusted God through the process.If you’ve ever wondered when your breakthrough will come, this is a reminder that God hasn’t forgotten you, and He lifts up those who trust Him.This message explores how pain can shape us, how humility opens doors, and how true wisdom comes from promoting God, not ourselves.

We've all had times in life when difficult circumstances just won't stop coming... Despite the fact that as far as we can tell, we've done nothing wrong. We've tried our best to live for God, follow His commands, and be obedient to Him, it feels like we're being punished.When everything seems terrible, it's easy to wonder why God is letting this happen to us. Indeed, in the Bible, few men and women would have been more justified in asking this than Joseph.As we continue exploring the life of Joseph, let's pause to reflect on the fact that being obedient doesn’t prevent being hated... being ethical doesn’t prevent being mistreated... and that being used doesn’t prevent being forgotten.But despite all of that, God's grace can sustain us in the midst of the pain!

Life throws challenges our way that we never asked for... moments of stress, suffering, and temptation that seem impossible to escape.In this message from the life of Joseph, we explore how to take responsibility even in unfair situations, and how to trust God's bigger plan through every trial. No matter what you're facing, God is at work in your story!

Joseph’s story is proof that your family’s dysfunction doesn’t have to derail your destiny. Even betrayal, jealousy, and rejection couldn’t stop what God had planned.In this message, we explore how to believe God even when we've been betrayed, how to confront and stop bitterness, and move forward... even when life feels unfair.Don’t let your past be your permission slip - let God transform it into purpose!

Judgment Day isn’t just a dramatic idea - it’s a reality we'll all face. The Bible makes it clear; your belief determines where you'll spend eternity (heaven or hell) and your behavior determines what you’ll receive there.In this message, Pastor Justin unpacks what Scripture says about the judgment seat of Christ, eternal rewards, and how grace and accountability go hand in hand. You don’t have to fear judgment - but you do need to be ready!

Relationships aren’t just social - they’re spiritual. Who you walk with shapes who you become, so choose wisely. In this message, we talk about surrounding yourself with the right people, seeking godly counsel, avoiding deception, and living out God’s call to reconciliation. If you want stronger, healthier, more purposeful relationships, this one’s for you!

God has an amazing plan and future in store for you, and for everyone He's created. But sometimes, our own mistakes and sins sabotage that future. We trade in God's best for something worse.How can we turn our life around? How can we turn from our sin, our mistakes, our past habits, and our present addictions so that we can live for God?In this message, Pastor Justin shares the "Four R's" that lead to real change. Because if we "seek the Lord while He may be found", we can prevent consequences and destruction before they strike, and find grace and redemption for the mess we've already made.