Deep Roots - Trust in God - Part 2

Prov. 3:5-6

Trust in the Lord with all your heart;
  do not depend on your own understanding.
Seek his will in all you do,
  and he will show you which path to take.

Where is your Trust?  Relying on ourselves to get us through comes naturally to us, but this destroys our relationship with God.  Relying on others to get us through causes expectations and offenses and destroys our relationship with others.  Only, relying on God  allows us to grow and have healthy relationships with God and others.

Have a Great Day,

Pastor Brian

Deep Roots - Trust in God

Jeremiah 17:7-8

But blessed are those who trust in the Lord 

  and have made the Lord their hope and confidence.

 They are like trees planted along a riverbank,

  with roots that reach deep into the water.

Such trees are not bothered by the heat

  or worried by long months of drought.

Their leaves stay green,

  and they never stop producing fruit.

In our vision and desire to be a people like the Great Oaks on the Riverbank with our roots deep into the river of God, the root of Trust in God must be strong.  Trust is based on our choice to surrender our self-reliance and reliance on other people and choose to rely on God.  This is the choice that happens at salvation when we choose to trust Christ to forgive our sins and the choice that we must make each day to live in the abundant life that He has for us.  This is not easy and many things get in the way.  We will talk about some of these "trust killers" this week.

Be Blessed,

Pastor Brian

God is at Work 3

When Pastor Brian asked us to share what God was doing in our family a lot passed through my mind. So, I’ll start by saying it has been great to be in the process of watching Riverbank come to be. From our first family meetings with Brian and Tori when Riverbank was just a dream in our hearts to now actually meeting together as a core group on a weekly basis is seeing our dreams unfold into reality. It is wonderful that we now have the privilege of a “life-giving” church in our own hometown for Katelyn to grow up in Christ in and invite her friends to come grow with her. As we continue to move forward I am grateful that I can join hands and hearts with Riverbanks families to fulfill the mission of Jesus to share Love for Christ, Family and Community.

By Mari Johnson

Location update: We will gather at the Riverbank @ the American Legion Building in Shipman on Sunday 4-6.

Be Encouraged,

Pastor Brian

Our Desire for Community

Genesis 1:26

Then God said, "Let us make human beings  in our image, to be like us."

I am not going to start a lengthy theological discussion on the "Trinity" here, but I want to share something with you.  Even with our limited human understanding we can see from scripture that we worship one God with three persons.  And, in Genesis it says that we were made "to be like us."  Two people can share love... but it takes three for community.  God Himself has chosen to live in community and created us the same way.  There is a desire in us for deep relationships and the power of shared life that comes through small group relationship.  The most life transforming power of community is found within these relationships with other believers.

So how deep is the "Root" of community in your life?  Are you actively sharing your life with other believers, encouraging, challenging, and praying for one another?  Or are you alone waiting for the rain to somehow blow your way and water your thirsty heart?

Prayer Focus - May we grow in our love for each other and draw others to Christ.

God Bless,

Pastor Brian

The Root of Community

John 13:34

So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.

This Sunday afternoon when we gather at the Riverbank I am going to begin a series about "Roots"  Our vision is to be like the great oak trees planted on the Riverbank with our roots going deep into the the river of God.  But what are those roots?  This week we are going to seek God for His revelation about the root of "Community"  God has called us to live in relationship with one another... but what do these relationships look like?  How do we love each other?  Meditate on the scripture above and let God speak to your heart as you prepare for what He wants to do in you this week.

Prayer Focus

- That God would help us grow in our love for each other and those around us.

- That God would give us faith to believe that those in bondage to emotional wounds, sin, and destructive behavior can be set free by the power of God.

Be Blessed,

Pastor Brian