The River Church Sermons

It is one thing to conceive and start a great project; it is another to finish it. Great projects need great finishes. But all too often leaders and dreams fizzle before the job gets done. Fatigue, discouragement, and distractions can slow, and even stop us in our tracks. Nehemiah has shown us what it looks like to step into a calling from God and give great energy to rally people around a grand v...

"What if there's not enough? What if I run out? What if this half-empty cup runs dry? In different seasons of life we've all asked these questions. They are perfectly rational. Applied with wisdom these concerns can even lead to healthy planning and conservation. Too often, however, these questions operate with a dark side in our lives. The fear of not having enough has haunted so many of the desp...

Murphy's law - if anything can go wrong it will go wrong. Ever feel that way? It's just gonna. Ever buy a depreciating asset like a car, a boat, a plane or a prosthetic? It's all good at the start. Everything seem to be humming along. But something will go wrong. Something's gonna go wrong. Just wait. Too many moving parts. The same for home improvement projects. Same in God's economy. It doesn't...

"God's on line 2 and He says He wants to talk to you about a job." Let yourself into this imaginary scenario for a moment. God is calling you for a job. What would you be thinking? What joys, excitements, or fears would be racing through your mind as you sipped some water, cleared your throat, took a deep breath and picked up line 2? Now He's talking to you about a project for which you have, in y...

I remember building our family cabin in Idaho over 38 years ago. My dad had bought some land overlooking the Tetons, recruited some high school buddies for the summer and headed out in the summer of 1980. It was a log home so the logs were cut, numbered and delivered. All we had to do was assemble them. We worked together toward a common goal, the construction of what would be for close to 35 year...

Prayer and planning are not polar opposites, but instead work together. Jim Pennington is the senior pastor of Temple Church in New Bern, N.C, and helped pull about 30 people from floodwaters in the opening hours of Hurricane Florence. Part of his interview with the New York Times included this insightful quip, "It's easy to say, 'I love God,' but put on your boots, get your hands dirty." Nehemiah...

So you think you are a hot shot business owner? Teacher of the year? Coach of the century? Best parent ever? You got nothing on Nehemiah. Living during post war defeat and complete annihilation, Israel is in ruins and so are the people. Morale is low. It's 5th century BC. How do you rally the troops? I know. It takes one individual with a vision for his people to rebuild from the ruins. In 52 days...

How do we create a growing culture of discipleship in and through the River Church? Creating a culture starts with one person at a time, growing closer to Jesus and showing others how to do the same. That means you and that means me. That means ALL OF US! A disciple, is simply someone who believes in Jesus and seeks to follow him in his or her daily life with all of their being. Obviously, in Jesu...

Let's talk about Jesus. Jaroslav Pelican remarks that "Jesus of Nazareth has been the dominate figure in history of Western culture for almost twenty centuries. So, in response to this reality, Dallas Willard asks and answers this question: "So what explains the enduring relevance of Jesus to human life?" His answer? "He matters because of what he brought and what he still brings to ordinary human...

August 26, 2018 This weekend we finish I Peter. In the final section (5:6-12), Peter identifies three battlegrounds we all face - the battle over humility, the battle over anxiety, and the battle over the Adversary, the devil. In fact, I find that these three battlegrounds are all related. Satan's desire is to take us out. Either we succumb to pride, anxiety or the devil's direct assault on our fa...

It is cute watching a teacher play "follow the leader" with her first-grade students. It is exhilarating obeying the commands of a white-water rafting guide. It is terrifying when a fire fighter yells, "follow me," to residents of a burning building. It was brutal waiting and hoping search teams could rescue all the boys and their coach from the Thailand cave. Leading and following is common, crit...

August 12, 2018 We're in a series covering the New Testament epistle 1 Peter entitled "Victory". This Sunday we'll see how followers of Jesus are "winning" even when it doesn't look that way (1 Peter 4:12-19). Peter tells his audience they shouldn't be surprised if they find themselves sharing in the suffering of Jesus. Look at the life of Jesus: he suffers with his hurt and broken people even to...

Lately my kids have been into Netflix cooking shows—I have no idea why, but it’s a nice break from Disney Junior. It seems like every episode there’s always that one aesthetically-brilliant culinary creation that impresses the judges and audience alike right up to the final (and always definitive) leg of the inspection, namely, the taste test. During that test, if you see the judges cringe, then i...

Actions speak louder than words. Our faith in Jesus is on display when we live out the nitty gritty details of life at work, in school, and with friends and family. The call and choice to follow Jesus in an increasingly un-Christian society impacts every relationship, including those under the roof where we live. While not writing a Marriage Manual, Peter provides practical counsel to Christian wi...

Ethics is defined as a set of beliefs or moral principles that dictate behavior or at least in principle, should dictate behavior. What good are ethics without a corresponding behavior? Peter has laid the groundwork in I Peter 2-3 to describe the Christian ethic. Now in chapter 2:11 all the way to 3:7 Peter makes the case that when push comes to shove, it's how you live, not what you say that coun...

July 8, 2018 There are so many types of stones and gemstones: granite, marble, slate, limestone, sapphire, beryl, emerald, etc... Can you name a few more? Well, which one would you say is the most beautiful? For me it's probably Smoky Quartz or Black Onyx. Well, which one would you say carries the most value? I'm gonna say Blue Diamond... only because I googled it. Come this Sunday as we examine 1...

July 1, 2018 “Love may be simple. Life is complicated.” Lewis B. Smedes I wonder if it is getting more difficult to have intelligent, respectful, helpful conversations about the complexing issues of our lives. We’re tempted to move quickly into defensive, protective postures and corners. The impact is felt in our work, politics, driving, families, schools, dating, social media, and friendships. Th...

It is most unfashionable to speak of holiness today. Far more acceptable is to talk about love. The pejorative "Holy Rollers," or Dana Carvey as the SNL "Church Lady" comes to our cringing mind. The worst offense is to be judgmental. Or preachy. Or moralistic. We understandably run from a smug moral superiority that sometimes hides hypocrisy. But Peter says plainly: "just as he who called you is h...

Our passage this father's day describes from Peter's perspective the radical transformation from being aliens (which I believe could have a double meaning, once alienated from God, and now alienated from the social norms of this world) to full conversion to Christianity, to becoming a full fledged maturing believer whose faith has stood the test of time and trial (I Peter 1:1-12). I believe that t...

Last Sunday we zoomed all the way out and beheld the big-picture beauty of the entire letter of 1 Peter. This week, we are going to pull out the microscope and look exclusively at the letter's profound two-verse greeting. Join us as we discover that this ancient two-line introduction contains far more than thin social pleasantries or stock rhetorical filler. Instead, the short passage is absolutel...

I Peter is about living a victorious Christian life even in the midst of trials and suffering. Rather than being discouraged and sidelined by hardship, Peter encourages us to grow from our trials, long for the pure milk of God's word, live in a harmonious way with all fellow believers, honor our governing authorities, guard yourself from the fleshly lustful living, serve in our giftedness, and sta...

We are in commencement season. Colleges, universities, high schools, middle schools, and home schools, are inviting speakers to give a commencement address to the graduating students. It is a fun and exciting time of year as it celebrates the end of one journey and the beginning of new adventures. I have always enjoyed commencement speeches, especially ones that leave me inspired to live the best...

I would not call myself a prayer warrior. In fact, I wish I prayed more. I really do. I feel like so many things crowd in and the day is over before I know it. I have certainly grown in this area and do make time to be with the Lord. In fact, some of my best times are walking alone. It's one long conversation with the Lord that I look forward to. It's just me and the Lord. It's some of my favorite...

I love big sermon points. Inspirational speeches. Swelling epic music scores! Anyone who has ever heard me preach knows that I work in hyperbole like so many painters work in oils. In conversation, I shift between the gears of "excited" and "really, really excited." Even as I write this blurb, my left leg is bouncing up and down with energy subconsciously escaping my body. Thus, it's no surprise t...

We have a beautiful orange tree in our backyard. It hasn't always been that way. For years it seemed to be not only dormant, but useless, producing no fruit. I thought of cutting it down, tearing it out, giving its space to something more "orangey." Then, several years ago, big, succulent, juicy, tasty, and very orange oranges blossomed and sprung forth from its branches. We pick them, eat them, a...