Podcast Summary: Red Rocks Church Weekend Messages

Episode: You Won’t Even Recognize Yourself
Date: January 3, 2026
Speaker: Ryan Wekman (Red Rocks Church)

Main Theme & Purpose

This episode kicks off 2026 at Red Rocks Church, centering on personal transformation through faith and spiritual discipline. Pastor Ryan Wekman’s message, titled "You Won’t Even Recognize Yourself," sets the stage for a year focused on miracles, spiritual growth, and collective prayer. The call is for listeners to move beyond their own limited understanding, commit to God’s way, and expect life-altering change by the end of the year.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Welcome, Vision, and Theme of the Year

• Inclusivity at Red Rocks: Ryan greets new and returning members, underlining the church’s commitment to embracing imperfect, broken people and encouraging everyone to “show up” fully this year.
• Theme: If you pursue God wholeheartedly and accept the challenges presented, “God will transform your life in such a profound way that you won’t even recognize yourself a year from now.” (01:10)
• Miracles as a Team Sport: This year, prayer for miracles isn’t just individual—“This is all of us showing up and praying for each other’s miracles. This is a team sport this year...” (01:55)

2. Foundation Scripture: Proverbs 3:5-6

• Scripture Reading:
  • "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.” (02:56)
• Call to Transformation: These two verses are described as foundational for real change. If you “really get these two, you won’t even recognize yourself by this time next year.” (02:46)

3. Personal Story: Transformation Over Time

• Skid Row Encounter: Ryan recounts running into an old high school acquaintance who didn’t recognize him after seven years.
• The Point: “I’m not where I want to be… but I’m also not where I used to be.” (06:58)
• Testimony: This illustrates the radical transformation possible through faith, involvement in community, and allowing God to lead.

4. The Danger of Leaning on Your Own Understanding

• Decision-Making Framework: Every day, people make thousands of decisions, says Ryan. Solomon’s wisdom is to boil each down to two options: trust God or lean on yourself. (10:45)
• Examples from Scripture:
  • Adam and Eve, David and Bathsheba, and Peter walking on water—their missteps came when trusting themselves over God. (12:41–13:32)
• Modern Temptations:
  • The message highlights the allure and emptiness of relying on our “own understanding,” especially in today’s information era (e.g. instant answers on Google, ChatGPT).
  • “We have every single answer in our pocket right now. And so it's never been easier or more tempting for us to lean on our own understanding.” (15:19)

5. Surrendering to God’s Way

• How to Respond: Every decision is an opportunity to choose God’s way instead of your own.
• Paths Made Straight:
  • “If you are here at the beginning of 2026 and you want to get there, the easiest, most efficient way… is to let God make your path straight.” (19:16)
• Biblical Example – Israelites’ Journey:
  • The Israelites turned an 11-day journey into 40 years by leaning on their own understanding. (20:03)
  • “God's going, hey, you don't have to take the scenic route … Trust me, I'll make the path straight for you.” (20:37)

6. Practical Application: Career & Relationships

• Career Path: Choose humility and hard work over self-promotion—trust God to elevate you in “due time” (1 Peter 5:6). (21:19)
• Relationships: Flee temptations and pursue what is godly (2 Timothy 2:22); sometimes this means purging unhealthy contacts/habits.
  • “If there's anything in your life holding you back from having a God honoring marriage, get rid of it. Flee, run away from it. …That's why we don't lean on our own understanding.” (23:04)

7. Creating New Spiritual Habits: Prayer and Fasting

• Annual 21 Days of Prayer and Fasting:
  • Prayer is “the opposite of leaning on your own understanding.” (25:16)
  • Fasting is “simply going without what you want so you can press in and rely on what you need … make room for God to work.” (27:46)
• Fasting Options:
  1. Soul Fast: Abstain from non-food items (e.g., social media, non-essential screens). (29:32)
  2. Selective Food Fast: Abstain from certain foods (e.g., Daniel fast, sweets, alcohol). (30:41)
  3. Partial Food Fast: Skip meals or certain time blocks, use that time to pray. (32:52)
  4. Complete Food Fast: Liquids only—reserved for those experienced in fasting. (33:58)
• Action Step: “Take a step. Decide which of those four works for you… and then on January 12th, we’re gonna get really serious about prayer and fasting.” (33:55)

8. One Word to Sum It Up: "Hineni"

• The Posture: Moses’ response to God (Exodus 3)—“Here I am,” but deeper, signifying full availability and readiness. (34:24)
  • “Hineni doesn’t just mean I’m here physically… I’m making myself available to you… I’m not going to lean on my way and my understanding. Right now, I’m going to trust that you have something for me.” (36:52)
• Letting Go: God may call you to “leave some stuff behind” as you enter this new year—grudges, fears, vices, anything holding you back. (36:50–38:20)
• Transformation Promise: “You give it to God, you won’t recognize yourself a year from now, but it won’t be because of your effort. It’ll be because of God’s power working in you.” (34:24)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On transformation:
  "I'm nowhere near where I want to be. But I'm also not where I used to be." — Ryan (06:58)
• On miracles as community:
  "This is all of us showing up and praying for each other's miracles. This is a team sport this year..." (01:55)
• On decision-making:
  "Life is really just a series of one decision after the next, after the next, after the next." (10:34)
• On cultural temptation:
  "We've had this device in our pocket that just screams to us, just lean on your own understanding." (16:56)
• On prayer:
  "Leaning on your own understanding is worrying about everything and praying about nothing." (25:30)
• On letting go:
  "Maybe that grudge that you’re still holding on to from 2025, that one can’t come with." (38:10)
• On surrender:
  "Here I am. Hineni... I’m making myself available to you." (36:52)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:01-02:45 — Welcome, Purpose for the Year, Intro to Proverbs 3:5-6
• 03:26-07:25 — Ryan’s Skid Row story and illustration of transformation
• 09:31-13:32 — Deep dive into Proverbs 3:5-6: “Trust in the Lord…” and the pitfalls of leaning on one’s own understanding
• 15:13-17:26 — Modern examples of self-reliance (Google, ChatGPT, Steve Jobs anecdote)
• 19:16-20:37 — Straight paths vs. scenic detours: Israelite example
• 21:19-24:11 — Application to career, relationships, and practical spiritual choices
• 24:44-29:32 — Practical spiritual habits: praying, submitting prayer requests, and introducing fasting
• 29:32-33:55 — Four types of fasting explained, with encouragement to “take a step”
• 34:24-38:10 — "Hineni" posture: showing up fully and letting go
• 38:10-41:15 — Closing prayers and invitation to let go and surrender to God as 2026 begins

Conclusion & Next Steps

Ryan closes by inviting listeners to respond—letting go of the past, surrendering to Christ, and stepping into 2026 with openness to God’s presence and power. The episode ends with collective prayer and worship (“Promised Land") symbolizing that God’s presence is the true destination.

Homework:

1. Submit a prayer request via the church app (26:36)
2. Choose a method of fasting; prepare for 21 Days of Prayer & Fasting starting January 12 (33:55)
3. Adopt the daily posture of “Hineni”—present, available, and open to God’s direction (34:24–36:52)

Summary Tone: Uplifting, direct, practical, and grace-filled—matching the encouragement and warmth of Pastor Ryan’s delivery. The message is both a challenge and an invitation, rooted in wisdom and a strong sense of church family.