Blue Ridge Church

Yesterday we worshiped at Blue Ridge Church, 1655 Roanoke Street, Christiansburg, VA 24073, www.blueridgechurch.com, Scott, Lead Pastor.

Scripture – NLT

Proverbs 15:2 –

The tongue of the wise makes knowledge appealing, but the mouth of a fool belches out foolishness.

Ecclesiastes 3:7 –

A time to tear and a time to mend. A time to be quiet and a time to speak.

Proverbs 21:23 (NIV) –

Those who guard their mouths and their tongues keep themselves from calamity.

1 Corinthians 14:40 –

But be sure that everything is done properly and in order.

Proverbs 16:7 –

When people’s lives please the Lord, even their enemies are at peace with them.

Ephesians 4:29 –

Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.

Proverbs 13:3 –

Those who control their tongue will have a long life; opening your mouth can ruin everything.

Proverbs 18:13 –

Spouting off before listening to the facts is both shameful and foolish.

Proverbs 16:21 –

The wise are known for their understanding, and pleasant words are persuasive.

Matthew 15:11 –

It’s not what goes into your mouth that defiles you; you are defiled by the words that come out of your mouth.

Philippians 4:2 –

Please, because you belong to the Lord, settle your disagreement.

1 John 4:11 –

Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other.

Proverbs 12:25 –

Worry weighs a person down; an encouraging word cheers a person up.

Bob’s thoughts:

We had great incentive to visit this church as one of our daughters attends here with her daughters.

We only had a few minutes to grab a coffee and find seats before the service started. The people I interacted with were friendly and welcoming. It’s always hard to assess the welcome at a church with multiple services but I found out later one of those who said hello was the pastor who delivered the message.

The music was louder than I can handle so I retreated to the lobby where I could watch the service on a monitor until I could come back in.

The signage for the restrooms and such were large banner-style letters.

The seats were comfortable; I could not find a cross anywhere.

The message was on communication in marriage and other venues. Some pointers included knowing what you want to say, picking the right time, and focusing on the person receiving your thoughts. The message developed smoothly with good Scriptural references.

He stated that research shows listeners only hear about 20% of what is said to them; I thought that was only husbands.

We are pleased that our daughter and family found a church where they can worship Christ.

Jan’s thoughts:

Yesterday we worshiped with our daughter and granddaughters at their church, which is located in a dedicated mall space, comfortably arranged, and attractively decorated. Greeters held the doors for people as they entered and left, and the signage was clear and high enough on the wall to be visible from almost anywhere inside. We each prepared a cup of coffee with a lid and found seats.

The music was well done, and announcements were briefly presented via video.

A disclaimer at this point, in the interest of full disclosure: for the last couple of months I have listened to podcasts of this pastor’s messages and have appreciated what I’ve heard, so it was a joy to hear him preach in person.

That said, this is part three of the series Matrimoney, which introduced the Financial Peace course offered to the congregation and now focuses on struggling relationships. This installment presented biblical advice for communication within any relationship: marriage, dating, working together, or friendship. Each point was backed up with numerous Scripture references and many examples.

Step #1: Know what you want to say, pick the right time, and focus on your partner. He pointed out there are times to NOT speak, when the issue is more us than them. However if we have thought it through – and prayed it through – and decided something needs to be said, we need to choose the right time, when the other person is not tired, frustrated, or angry, and we should take care never to attack them on a personal level.

Step #2: Listen, then listen again, and adjust. The hardest part is to listen; far too often we are busy thinking instead about what we want to say, and we make assumptions. Studies indicate we only hear 20% of what is said to us, and we need to listen with more than our ears; we must make eye contact, watch body language and facial expression, and hear tone of voice and volume of speech.

Step #3: Don’t be negative and always summarize the results of the conversation. Negativity wears us down, so we should stay realistic and positive, speak hope, and keep in mind that we can be wrong.

Step #4: End in love. Restate our commitment to the relationship and focus on strengths, not weaknesses. Remember to summarize the conversation, and if anything was too vague, make sure to clarify. End on a high note with reassurance.

Our prayer for this church:

Father, we pray You continue to guide and bless this church and keep their eyes and hearts open to those You send to them. Amen.