A message from Matthew 13 about the Kingdom of God.

Hosts: Sawyer Strickland & Blake Odgers

Click here to let us know what you think about today's episode and give us suggestions for future episodes. Click here to follow us on Instagram. Click here to check out our website.

A message on the importance of rest.

Hosts: Sawyer Strickland & Blake Odgers

Click here to let us know what you think about today's episode and give us suggestions for future episodes. Click here to follow us on Instagram. Click here to check out our website.

One of the core questions of humanity (and your life) is "What is my purpose?" or to ask it another way "What is my calling?" In today's episode, we want to give you a biblical worldview for calling. Maybe you're anxious because you feel like you're missing out on your purpose. Maybe you feel like a failure because you were told you needed to change the world or do something important but you work a normal job. Maybe you've heard you're supposed to make disciples at your job but don't know what that looks like in your context. Maybe you're just a student and feel like you're calling is on hold until you get your degree. Guess what: God isn't hiding your calling from you and He isn't trying to confuse you. He wants you to flourish and fulfill your God's designed purpose. We hope today's episode sets you free and gives you clarity and confidence. 

Hosts: Sawyer Strickland & Blake Odgers

Click here to let us know what you think about today's episode and give us suggestions for future episodes. Click here to follow us on Instagram. Click here to check out our website.

What if you don't sense a call to "full-time vocational ministry"? How can we live on mission here and now in our everyday lives? In this episode, we are joined by Tyler Godfrey and Kayla McDonald who not only lead YA Groups here but also led our GenSend Boston team this summer. GenSend's mission is to help develop "everyday, spirit-led missionaries" who view their neighborhoods, workplaces, schools, etc. as potential ground for God to move. Tyler and Kayla share a bit about their experience, what they learned, and how they've seen God use it here at home.

For more on GenSend Summer, click here.
For more on GenSend Boston, click here.

Hosts: Sawyer Strickland & Blake Odgers

Click here to let us know what you think about today's episode and give us suggestions for future episodes. Click here to follow us on Instagram. Click here to check out our website.

All throughout Scripture and human history, we see God's heart for the world. He desires for His glory to be seen and known among the nations (Ps. 46:10) and that none would perish but all would come to the knowledge of the Truth (1 Tim. 2:3-6). But what can that practically look like in our every day lives?  In today's episode, we are joined by our good friend "Reuben" who spent the past two years serving in Russia, Turkey, and Kazakhstan specifically among unreached groups with little to no access to the Gospel. Our goal is to share his journey and experiences and discuss we can support the global mission of God in our everyday lives within the local church.   

If you are someone prayerfully considering or discerning a call to global missions, we would love to talk with you. Simply reach out to our YA Team at westridge.com/ya!

Resources Mentioned:

• International Mission Board 
• Unreached People Groups

Hosts: Sawyer Strickland & Blake Odgers

Click here to let us know what you think about today's episode and give us suggestions for future episodes. Click here to follow us on Instagram. Click here to check out our website.

We all have a desire to see our lives count. None of us woke up today and thought: "I'd love to waste my life on things that don't matter." Yet, we hear story after story of people getting to then and being filled with regret. How can we ensure that we don't make that same mistake? How can we live a life that makes a difference now, leaves a legacy later, and ripples in eternity? On today's episode, we discuss the biblical pursuit of legacy versus the way the culture tempts us to pursue legacy. We hope you'll respond to God's invitation to live now for what lasts forever. 

Hosts: Sawyer Strickland & Blake Odgers

Click here to let us know what you think about today's episode and give us suggestions for future episodes. Click here to follow us on Instagram. Click here to check out our website.

In this series, we are diving into how we are meant to relate to and connect with church as followers of Jesus. In today's episode we're asking the question of "what should we be looking for in a church?" 

As a young adult, this will likely be the most transient season of your life. Odds are you will one day be in a new season of life, a new community, and looking for a new church to connect with. Whether it's moving off to college, transitioning to a new job, or a major life shift like marriage or family, when that day inevitably comes, it's important to know not only WHAT you should be looking for in a church  but HOW you should go about looking for a church family.

Next YA Gathering: Thursday, May 18th @ 7PM

Hosts: Sawyer Strickland & Blake Odgers

Click here to let us know what you think about today's episode and give us suggestions for future episodes. Click here to follow us on Instagram. Click here to check out our website.

In episode one of our three-part series on the church, we discuss the basic question: "What's up with the Church?" We not only want to talk about what the Church is meant to be but we also want to address the common misconceptions (sometimes rightfully so) people have of the Church. We all have different experiences and expectations that we carry into the Church today but what does Scripture say? Let's lean in and talk about it!

Hosts // Sawyer Strickland & Blake Odgers
Next YA Gathering // April 20th at West Ridge Church

Hosts: Sawyer Strickland & Blake Odgers

Click here to let us know what you think about today's episode and give us suggestions for future episodes. Click here to follow us on Instagram. Click here to check out our website.

We decided to cancel episode three of "The Bible never said..." to talk about a compelling and potentially controversial topic: Revival. This has been a trendy topic of late and we've seen the word "revival" tossed around quite a bit. What is revival? Why do need it? How do we get it? When do we know it's happening? We want to bring some much-needed clarity to the conversation and cast a compelling vision for revival for our community in these days. 

Hosts // Sawyer Strickland & Blake Odgers
Next YA Gathering // 04.20.2023

Hosts: Sawyer Strickland & Blake Odgers

Click here to let us know what you think about today's episode and give us suggestions for future episodes. Click here to follow us on Instagram. Click here to check out our website.

This is the second of three episodes discussing things we often hear (or say) that are actually never seen in Scripture. Today's topic is: "The Bible never said that we must live an extraordinary life." Far too often, we see cultural pressures dressed in cheap theology and this is one of them. It's easy to dress the pressures of greatness and influence in missional language that positions Jesus as the mascot for our own selfish ambition. Today's conversation poses the question: "What kind of life has Jesus called us to live?" Our hope and prayer is that you are set free from pressures and expectations placed on you (maybe even in the name of Jesus) so that you may rest in the "blessed" life God calls you to in His upside-down, inside-out Kingdom.

Hosts // Sawyer Strickland & Blake Odgers

Next YA Gathering // Thursday 02.16.2023

Hosts: Sawyer Strickland & Blake Odgers

Click here to let us know what you think about today's episode and give us suggestions for future episodes. Click here to follow us on Instagram. Click here to check out our website.

This is the first of three episodes discussing things we often hear (or say) that are actually never seen in Scripture. Today's topic is: "The Bible never said that we are all God's children."  We believe everyone has inherent value, worth, and dignity as people made in the image of God. However, not everyone is a child of God. Is that true? Where do we get that from?  How do we know where we stand? How can we know for sure that we are children of God? Let's talk about it!

PSA // YA Gathering is this Thursday (01.19.2023) 7PM at West Ridge Church!

Hosts: Sawyer Strickland & Blake Odgers

Click here to let us know what you think about today's episode and give us suggestions for future episodes. Click here to follow us on Instagram. Click here to check out our website.