KIDZ Kamp

 Hey Mom & Dad-

Rocky River Church is considering having a KidzCamp in August for rising 3rd, 4th, & 5th graders. It would start on a Sunday afternoon and end Tuesday Evening. The camp will be located in Kannapolis.  The cost would be approximately $95.00. Any feedback you can give will help us determine whether or not to move forward with camp. If you have any feedback or need more information, please email Donnie, Pastor of Community, at Donnie@rockyriverchurch.com.

Another Year Gone By, But Never Too Late

“It is too late! Ah, nothing is too late—
Cato learned Greek at eighty; Sophocles
Wrote his grand “Oedipus,” and Simonides
Bore off the prize of verse from his compeers
When each had numbered more than fourscore years;
And Theophrastus, at fourscore and ten,
Had begun his “Characters of Men.”
Chaucer, at Woodstock, with his nightingales,
At sixty wrote the “Canterbury Tales.”
Goethe, at Weimar, toiling to the last,
Completed “Faust” when eighty years were past.
What then? Shall we sit idly down and say,
“The night has come; it is no longer day”?
For age is opportunity no less
Than youth itself, though in another dress.
And as the evening twilight fades away,
The sky is filled with stars, invisible by day.
It is never too late to start doing what is right.
Never.
-Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Hatred less than Murder

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Some sins seem bigger then others because of their obvious consequences are much more serious. Murder, for example, seems to us to be worse then hatred, and adultery seems worse then lust. But this does not mean that because we do lesser sins we deserve eternal life. All sin makes us sinners, and all sin cuts us off from our holy God. All sin, therefore, leads to death (because it disqualifies us from living with God), regardless of how great or small it seems. Don’t minimize “little” sins or overrate “big” sin. They all separate us from God, but all can be forgiven.

King David was guilty of terrible sins- adultery, murder, and lying- and yet he experienced the joy of forgiveness. We too can have this joy when we (1) quit denying our guilt and recognize that we have sinned, (2) admit our guilt to God and ask for His forgiveness, and (3) let go of our guilt and believe that God has forgiven us.

Holes in Ceilings

 This past Sunday, November 25th, in RiverKidz (Rocky River Church's Kids Ministry) we talked about Luke 5:17-26 (NIV) and here is the passage:

17 One day Jesus was teaching, and Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there. They had come from every village of Galilee and from Judea and Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was with Jesus to heal the sick. 18 Some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a mat and tried to take him into the house to lay him before Jesus. 19 When they could not find a way to do this because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus.

20 When Jesus saw their faith, he said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven.”

21 The Pharisees and the teachers of the law began thinking to themselves, “Who is this fellow who speaks blasphemy? Who can forgive sins but God alone?”

22 Jesus knew what they were thinking and asked, “Why are you thinking these things in your hearts? 23 Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? 24 But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the paralyzed man, “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” 25 Immediately he stood up in front of them, took what he had been lying on and went home praising God. 26 Everyone was amazed and gave praise to God. They were filled with awe and said, “We have seen remarkable things today.”

I have thought about this passage a lot for about 2 weeks and yesterday it really hit me. These 4 friends really believed what Jesus was doing. They really believed that Jesus could heal their friend and change his life. What would it be like if every person who goes to church on a regular basis or every person who says they are a follower of Christ, had the same faith and commitment as these 4 friends did? How packed would our churches be, how many holes would be in ceilings and how many lives would be changed?

...Evil for Evil...

Romans 12:17-21
¹⁷ Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. ¹⁸ If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. ¹⁹ Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. ²⁰ On the contrary:

“If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
    if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.”

²¹ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

I am the first to admit that these verses are hard for me to do. To be completely honest with you, I am someone who wants to pay evil with evil. I have to always to be on guard with my thinking and my actions about this. These verses summarize the core of Christian living. If I love someone by the way Christ loves me, then I should be willing to forgive. If we have experienced God’s grace, then we should be will to pass it on to others. And remember, grace is undeserved favor. By giving an enemy a drink, we’re not excusing their misdeed. We’re recognizing him, forgiving him, and loving him in spite of his misgivings- just as Christ did for me. 

We live in a day of constant lawsuits and incessant demands for legal rights, Paul’s command sounds almost impossible. When someone hurts me deeply, instead of giving that person what they deserve, Paul says to befriend them. Why does Paul say for me to forgive someone who is my enemy, who does me wrong? 1- Forgiveness breaks the cycle of retaliation and leads to reconciliation. 2- Repaying evil for evil hurts not just your enemy but you as well.  Even if my enemy never changes, forgiving them will free me from the heavy load of bitterness. 

Forgiveness involves both attitude and actions. If I find it difficult to feel forgiveness toward someone who has hurt me, then I try respond with kind actions. If appropriate, tell this person that you would like to heal the relationship. Lend a helping hand. Smile at them and right actions will lead to right feelings.

THIS SUNDAY

I want to encourage everyone to attend Rocky River Church THIS SUNDAY (November 11) to hear the faith story of Sampson Parker (of Harrisburg) and how God gave him an incredible courage to do what most think would be impossible. If you are struggling to overcome an impossible situation in your life be sure to be at one of our three identical services on Sunday at 9am, 10:30am or 12pm. And bring someone with you! For directions from your doorstep to ours, click here http://www.rockyriverchurch.com/directions. See you Sunday!

Grace (more then a meal blessing)

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Do you think it is easier for God to love you when you’re good? Do you secretly suspect that God chose you because you deserved it? Do you think some people’s behavior is so bad that God couldn’t possibly save them? If you ever think this way, you don’t entirely understand that salvation is by grace, a free gift. It cannot be earned, in whole or in part; it can only be accepted with thankfulness and praise (Romans 11:6)

Salvation is as close as your own mouth and heart. People think it must be a complicated process, but it is not. If we believe in our hearts and say with our mouths that Christ is the risen Lord, we will be saved (Romans 10:8-12).