Call Out To God

Psalm 77:1

I cry aloud to God, aloud to God, and he will hear me.  ESV

Tuesday, 8:50 AM

I just walked into my office, and my cell phone rang.  The caller ID read, "Central Elementry"  Uh-Oh...somebody is throwing up.  Nope.  To my delight I hear the voice of Son # 2.  "Uh Dad - I forgot my lunch box in the car."

I said, "No problem.  Mom will bring it when she gets Son # 3.  I love you."

To which he replied, "I love you too. Bye", and he was gone.

I immediately wondered if God delights himself in helping us in our daily difficulties the same way I delight in meeting the needs of my boys?  I wondered if God's heart melts the way mine did when my child said, "I love you."?  I'm sure it does.  I also wondered if asking for lunch or - daily bread - is trivial to God?  I doubt it.

Call out to God.  He will year you.

1 Peter 5:7

Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you. (NLT)

See You Sunday - Bro. Andy

Pi R Not Square

It are round.  Gooey.  And in my face.

Myself, Filbeck, and David all got smacked with a pie at the annual Pie Auction & Spghetti Dinner last Sunday Night.  Mine was Cherry O' Cheese Pie.  Filbeck's looked like a strawberry cream of some kind, and David's was a blend of refried beans, blackeyed peas, and green beans - all topped with a whole can of whipped cream.  It was nasty, but that one pie raised $500 for the Youth Choir Tour.

Here is a video of the carnage.  Enjoy

What A Great Church

This is just a quick blog to let you know I am still blogging.  Kind of -  I have a really busy month or two, but hopefully I'll settle down in the near future.

I'm finishing 3 seminary classes this month, and will graduate in May.  I also have a wedding the end of may, and I plan on taking some vacation time right after school is out.

Tulakogee Children's camp is the first week of June, and I'm the camp pastor at Camp Webster in Salina Kansas the 2nd week of June.  After that I'm home and in the groove until Falls Creek, and VBS in July.  The first week of August we are going to South Dakota for Children's camp there, and when we get home...school starts once again.

That is why it is hard to blog.  Lots of stuff...all the time.

I do want to say how excited I am about what God is doing at Riverview.  I love my church, and am blessed to be the pastor here.  I love our staff, and thank God for them every day for the awesome work they do.  We have great deacons, great support staff, great members, great location, and great worship services and ministries.  It is a good day to be a part of the Riverview Family.

Sunday is Easter Sunday, so use that opportunity to invite a friend.

It's a big day.  What could possibly make it better?  A friend or family member getting saved.  Pray! Invite! Come and Worship!

See You Sunday

Bro. Andy

REVIVAL

REVIVAL or Revival... 

Which Will We Have?

 

In about three weeks we are going to hold revival services at Riverview. Does this mean we will have REVIVAL? That remains to be seen. A revival is when a church has a guest preacher, and they hold services a few nights in a row. Everyone gets excited for a day or two, and then...the evangelist heads to his next assignment, the excitement wears off, and the church gets back to normal.

On the other hand REVIVAL is when the Holy Spirit moves the hearts of men, women, boys, and girls, to pray, repent, seek forgiveness, humble themselves before God. When REVIVAL comes many souls are saved, and countless experience a renewed commitment to their Lord and Savior.


We are going to have a revival. My prayer is we have REVIVAL ! Here are a few things you can do to see REVIVAL at Riverview.


Pray. There have been many revivals without REVIVAL. The only way we will experience a true awakening is by humbly, and fervently praying for God to move in our church and community. Also, please use the prayer commitment cards you received at church on February 27th. (2 Chronicles 7:14)


Reflect. Spend quite time with God seeking a deeper relationship with Him. Revival must be personal before it will spread through the church. (Mark 1:35)

Attend. There will be many activities competing for your attention. Commit NOW to come 3 out of the 4 nights of the revival. (Hebrews 10:25)

Invite. Invite as many friends and family members as you can, and watch for them at every service. When they arrive meet them at the back, sit by them, and make them feel welcome at RBC. (John 1:41-42)


Sing. Sing with all your heart. Join in worship and praise during the service. Don’t just sit there wondering why everyone else is so happy. (Hebrews 13:15)



Exalt. Lift up Jesus. He said, “If I will be lifted up, I will draw all men unto me.” (John 12:32)


It has been a long time since Riverview has had a revival...it's been even longer since we have experienced REVIVAL.  Please be a part of what God is going to do that week.  Why?  Because REVIVAL does not begin in the "church", it begins in you.
 
aj

Confession...Good For the Soul?

Ephesians 1:7

In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace.

If you happen to be Catholic there is good news.  A developer has designed an app that will allow you to confess your sins to your iPhone instead of a priest.  You can read the entire story at http://freakonomics.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/02/14/confession-by-iphone/

How is this significant?

It shows how technology and religion are being woven together...whether I like it or not.  The Catholic Church is an ancient church with ancient tradition, and I am a little surprised they are using technology in such a way.  Technology has not just politely knocked on the door of religion.  It kicked it off the hinges, barged in, and sat at the head of the table.

I understand the usefulness of technology.  We depend on it every day (and then some) in our church.  To be honest it is easy for me to see using technology for administrative tasks, but in a spiritual exercise.  This may be a little much.  The claim is that the app is not inteded to replace real confession, only help the user better understand their decisions.  Either way it is a spiritual leader, and a rligious practice being replaced by a machine.

I don't intend this to be an anti-technology article.  My main goal is to remind us all that an iPhone cannot redeem from sin.  There is not an app in the world that can grant absolution.  In fact, the Bible says, "Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins."  Hebrews 9:22
Have a great week.  Andy

No Greater Love

Greater love has no one than this, that someone lays down his life for his friends.  ESV

John 15:13

"On Monday, rapidly rising water engulfed a car carrying Rice, his mother and his brother in the hard-hit town of Toowoomba. The torrent knocked over the first person who attempted to reach the stranded family.

A second man managed to reach the car, but when he tried to pull Jordan out, the teenager insisted his 10-year-old brother Blake be saved first. Jordan couldn't swim.

Before the rescuer, Warren McErlean, could return to the car, a rope he was clinging to snapped. The car flipped over and Jordan and his mother Donna were carried away by the floodwater. They both died."   -  CBSnews.com

This is why the story of Jesus is so amazing.  Anyone who hears of Jordan's courage and his love for his brother will certainly be inspired and emotionally moved.  If people are this touched by Jordan's willingness to lay down his life for his little brother.  How much more will people respond when they hear that someone actually gave his life for them?  The Bible says, Jesus died for us "while we were yet sinners."  Now that is love, and it is a love that can pierce even the hardest heart.  Sacrificial love is what Jesus is all about.  Share it with someone today.

aj

2011

Well, I'm beginning my fourth year at Riverview.  In fact, today is the official day. (January 2nd)  The time has zipped by at times, and some weeks crawled by like a snail on Benadryl.  No matter, I am sure of this fact though.  All of them were appointed and directed by God, and He used each experience to shape me and form me into the image of His Son, as well as refining me into the pastor I'm supposed to be.  The good news for me is - I survived this stage of ministry.  The not so good news is I'm sure there will be many more valleys...and mountains in my future.

I believe RBC is finally at a place where we can move forward.  The big transition is now an object in the sideview mirror that seems bigger than it actually is.  The church staff...including me, are all settled in, and the program and ministry structures of the church are basically in place.

The future is bright at RBC.  I'm glad you are a part of it.  God bless.  See you soon.

aj