“I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.” (Philippians 1:3-5) Attending Riv back in the ’90’s and...
For more than 4,000 years, people tried to use alchemy to convert lead into gold, in order to get rich quick. According to a 17th century pastor (Matthew Henry), when he uses the Gospel of Jesus to convert any evil in our lives into joy and goodness, God is the only...
“I say to you, this morning, that if you have never found something so dear and precious to you that you will die for it, then you aren’t fit to live. You may be 38 years old, as I happen to be, and one day, some great opportunity stands before you and calls upon you...
What is love? “Baby don’t hurt me. Don’t hurt me no more.” No, really, what is love? Is it not hurting someone? Sometimes love hurts. This clip comes from the first message in the series, Joy Happens, originally given at Riverview Church....
Are you a “fix-it” type? You know … the kind of person that wants to be proactive in fixing the problems in your life and sometimes the lives of others? Maybe it shows up when you try to mend relationships with those who are close to you or in your...
This weekend at Riv, we launched into a new series on the book of Philippians. A lot of people stayed home to avoid the icy roads (or to not have to be subjected to my preaching…it really could be either). If you are in the former camp, it may be a...
Jesus had an odd set of friends and they were the source of all sorts of insults and a bad reputation among some circles. Here’s Jesus’ own words about himself: The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Look at him! A glutton and a...
One of the most remarkable things about Christianity is the declaration that believers in Jesus become his adopted brothers and sisters, with God as their Heavenly Father. For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the...
Seventeen times in his letter to the Philippians, Paul uses the word “joy” or “rejoice” to describe both the current state of his heart and his hope for his readers. He then urges them to live lives of joy regardless of their present circumstances (even when...
“Christianity isn’t a religion, it’s a relationship!” Ever heard that one before? Not only have I heard that one, I’ve said it–many times! I think I had the right motives whenever I used this phrase to passionately defend Christianity’s mischaracterization,...
