River Hills Christian Church | Loveland Batavia Ohio

Mothers Day At River Hills

admin — Wed, 16 May 2012 18:31:45 +0000

Mother’s Day at River Hills

Mother’s Day at The River was a special day indeed! The worship was encouraging and then we enjoyed Teresa and The View (River Hills’ style). Four mothers, Terri Wiesner, Rachel Brooks, Susan Wyer and Lori Sherman, were interviewed by Teresa. The stories they shared about their children–the good, the bad and the absolutely hilarious–made for an inspiring morning that helped every parent relate to their own situations. It helped me to know that my experiences were not so weird after all! Jeff closed the morning with a wonderful message that centered on lessons he had learned from his Mom. What a treasure it is to remember the lessons from our mothers. As each lady left the service they were given a flower to help them know they are highly valued and appreciated as a special gift from God to their families and to this church.

I spent time Sunday thinking about my Mom who passed away six years ago. It seems like yesterday, but with each passing year I miss her more and more. I miss her laugh, the joy she brought to my life, and the wisdom and support that only a loving mother can bring. I enjoyed her for many years but cherish the thought that I will enjoy her for eternity in heaven. When the day comes for me togo be with the Lord, there will be joy in my heart at the reunion with my Mom. What a great day that will be!

Sunday I spent time thinking about my mom and my wife, the mother of my children. I re-read Proverbs 31 and was encouraged to know that these two women embody these wonderful, godly characteristics. Here they are again. Let them encourage and challenge you today.

A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies. Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value. She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life. She selects wool and flax and works with eager hands. She is like the merchant ships, bringing her food from afar. She gets up while it is still night; she provides food for her family and portions for her female servants. She considers a field and buys it; out of her earnings she plants a vineyard. She sets about her work vigorously; her arms are strong for her tasks. She sees that her trading is profitable, and her lamp does not go out at night. In her hand she holds the distaff and grasps the spindle with her fingers. She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy. When it snows, she has no fear for her household; for all of them are clothed in scarlet. She makes coverings for her bed; she is clothed in fine linen and purple. Her husband is respected at the city gate, where he takes his seat among the elders of the land. She makes linen garments and sells them, and supplies the merchants with sashes. She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come. She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue. She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: “Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all.” Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. Honor her for all that her hands have done, and let her works bring her praise at the city gate. Proverbs 31:10-31.

God bless you today. Remember–everyday with your family is a gift…cherish it!

-Larry Travis
Teaching Pastor RHCC

Reaching out – Child Dedication Day

admin — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 15:43:31 +0000

There are few things in this world that cause people to ooh and aah more than a baby! There are few things in this world that cause your heart to melt, your tears to flow, your skin to tingle, your smile to broaden, your laughter to grow and your pride to swell more than a baby! Am I right? A new baby puts everything into perspective and they often straighten out one’s priorities. At their birth they inspire such joy, yet they cause so much fear at the same time. Indeed, they are a gift from God. I have had many people ask me at the birth of their child…and I have experienced personally…how can anyone not believe in God after seeing a baby born? I agree. Each child is a miracle. Each child is unique, created in the image of God. The Bible says the work that God has started in us, He will complete. There is a vision of God, a purpose from God, planted in the life of every child. In the work of that vision, there is fulfillment of life. Every parent wants this for their children.

One of the most amazing moments in my life occurred when I stood over the crib of my newborn baby girl, Sarah. She was so small and helpless, but adorable. You know what I mean. I prayed over her and was thankful to God for her. It was in that moment I felt such love and such responsibility. I was to protect her and teach her, but how? Then I realized that I would not be able to do it…alone. I knew that the Father in heaven would be the one who would be her ultimate protector, her ultimate teacher. I felt overwhelmed knowing the Father in heaven had my back, and He still does!

On Sunday, May 20, River Hills will celebrate Child Dedication Day. This is a very special day as parents will dedicate their children to the Lord. It’s a day of promise, of excitement and hope for the future. If you have been given a child in the last year, you will want to be here for this special ceremony and day of honor.

Here’s what we would like for you to consider … do you have any friends, coworkers, neighbors, family members who have had children in the past year? Do they have a home church? If they do not, why not invite them to come dedicate their child on that day with all the other new parents! It could change their lives as they are reminded of the special gift God has given them and the awesome responsibility they have to rear this child to fulfill the destiny God has placed in them. Invite them to come share in the ceremony, dedicate and pray for their child, and at the same time learn about the awesome ministry of River Hills!

-Larry Travis
Teaching Pastor
RHCC

Dangerous Lamb

admin — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 19:37:57 +0000

April 1, 2012 – April 8, 2012

WATCH ONLINE VIDEO OF THIS SERIES

Upper Room Discourse

admin — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 19:14:33 +0000

February 5, 2012 – March 25, 2011

THE UPPER ROOM DISCOURSE. Learning from Jesus in the Upper Room .Death came as no surprise to Jesus. He spent the final week of his ministry in Jerusalem headed toward the cross. And he spent the final evening before his execution in the upper room celebrating the Passover with his apostles. His words and in his actions that evening were carefully chosen in anticipation of his death. In these final hours before his execution Jesus shared his heart with the men he loved and with us. Let’s learn from Jesus in the upper room.

WATCH ONLINE VIDEO OF THIS SERIES

A Life Changing Experience

admin — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 18:18:43 +0000

In my morning prayer time today the Lord brought something to my attention I think I’m supposed to share with you. This is something God taught me that dramatically altered and blessed my worship experience.

Years ago I was having a negative reaction to my weekly worship experience. I wasn’t leaving the worship event angry or bitter, but I was disappointed, disillusioned and empty. I was coming to worship every week with a report card mentality. I was grading and rating everything and everyone. My measuring stick was me, what I got out of the experience. I was leaving every week disappointed because so much didn’t measure up. It irritated me. It didn’t bless me. The worship leader was unprepared, neither gifted nor called to lead. The song selection was out of touch with what I liked. The communion prep was too long and too shallow. You get the picture.

In the middle of that experience God convicted me. He brought to mind a thought I’d read by Danish philosopher, Soren Kierkegaard. Kierkegaard said that in the drama of worship we tend to think of the worship leaders as the actors, that God is the prompter of their lines, and that the congregation is the audience. No, contends Kierkegaard. The more accurate understanding of the sacred drama of worship is this: The people of the congregation are the actors. The worship leaders are the prompters. And God is the audience.

God is the audience! That line, that thought, changed me. Worship is for God, not me. I am the actor, not the audience. That day God’s Spirit taught me my worship isn’t about me. It’s not about what I get out of the experience. Rather worship is about God and what he gets out of the experience from me. What did I give to God himself? The Holy Spirit taught me it wasn’t my job to grade any other person. I can only grade me. How did I do? Did I see God for who he is? Did I give Jesus the praise he deserves regardless of the circumstance or behavior of others? Was my heart right?

God brought Romans 14:4 to my mind that day, “Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand.” My report card mentality was wrong. I couldn’t control what any other person was doing or giving or how they were doing it. And it didn’t matter. It’s not my job to evaluate others. Only God can do that. And we are all covered by his grace. He makes us stand. My job is to evaluate and control me. That’s what God wanted. He wanted me to give everything I have to him in worship. He is my one and only audience in worship. I remember vividly crying in the pew that day as God’s Spirit wrestled with me. That day I promised God to change my way in worship.

Discovering that worship is about what I give to God, and not what I get, revolutionized the way I worship. It still does. And I discovered that when I focus on seeing Jesus and giving to Jesus something amazing happened. It didn’t matter what the worship leader was doing. It didn’t matter what songs we sang. It didn’t matter if someone else had a wrong heart. All God wanted was for me to pour my heart out to him. And when Jesus became my focus worship became wonderful again

I think God is prompting me to share this because I need the reminder. I’m very human and I find that worship experiences and the people who lead them can still disappoint me. And I find I regularly disappoint myself. But Jesus never does. I’m never disappointed when I just pour out my heart in praise to him. He always lifts me into his very presence when that happens.

This side of heaven we will never be led in worship by anyone who is worthy enough or good enough or holy enough for the responsibility of leading us into the presence of our Holy God. David, the best worship leader of all time, was a polygamous adulterer, a murderer, a liar and a thief. His family was mess. His kids were a disaster. Even his wife Michal though he was just going through the motions and putting on a show. And I’m no better. None of us are. But that’s not the point. God is always worthy of our praise even though the people and experiences that point us in his direction never will be.

God bless you with great joy as you pour your heart out to Jesus in worship.

-Jeff Metzger
Lead Pastor

Tebow 3:16 – What Do You Think?

admin — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 19:20:40 +0000

None of the pundits picked the Denver Broncos to defeat the Pittsburgh Steelers in the January 8, 2012 wild card round of NFL playoffs. The Denver victory was highly unlikely, and certainly newsworthy. But Denver’s Christian quarterback, Tim Tebow, created the real media buzz. Tebow was the star of the game throwing the winning touchdown on the first play of overtime. After the game ended, Tebow’s name was being mentioned in an amazing 9500 tweets per minute, the highest such total ever recorded.

But here’s what really has the pundits buzzing. In the victory over Pittsburgh, Tebow threw for a personal best of exactly 316 yards. He averaged exactly 31.6 yards per catch.

What’s the big deal? Many are asking if this is more than chance.

Tebow reports John 3:16 is his favorite Bible verse. In college he frequently wore John 3:16 on his eye black (the NFL prohibits such messages). When John 3:16 appeared on his eye black during the 2009 National Championship Game, the term “John 3:16” was searched for on Google more than 90 million times.

Connect the dots to Sunday’s game – 316 yards and 31.6 yards per catch for Tim Tebow, Mr. John 3:16. The result was that John 3:16 was the most searched Google search term on Monday. And hundreds of more newspaper reports and TV news spots connected the dots and asked if this is divine intervention is at work. Amazing!

What do you think? I’m certain God doesn’t really care who wins football games. I’m equally certain that God really does care that his people draw attention to Jesus Christ. He wants us all to do that. Tim Tebow is doing it.

Tim Tebow’s parents raised him to be a disciple of Jesus. They raised him to preach. On the national stage for years now, Tim Tebow, the missionary, perfectly disguised as a football player, does everything he can to point the whole world to Jesus. I think that makes God smile.

And when you do what you can to point someone to Jesus, God’s smile is just as big!

-Jeff Metzger
Lead Pastor RHCC

The Power of Teamwork

admin — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 03:16:53 +0000

It’s a bit strange, but true. Herman Ostry, of Bruno, Nebraska moved a nine ton barn by hand! But, he didn’t do it by himself.

After buying a farm and a barn, a nearby creek rose, and the barn was flooded. He half-jokingly said to his family, “I bet if we had enough people, we could pick up that barn and carry it to higher ground.”

His remark prompted Ostry’s son Mike to think. He counting the number of boards, timbers, and nails and estimated the barn weighed about 19,000 pounds. Mike figured three hundred forty-four people would only have to lift about fifty-five pounds to carry the barn to higher ground.

But how do that many people get a grip on the barn to lift it? Mike designed a grid of steel and attached it to the barn. This provided handles for the barn raisers. Herman Ostry then suggested a barn moving event as part of the Bruno centennial celebration. Word of the “barn walk” spread far beyond Bruno.

On July 30,1988, nearly four thousand people from eleven states showed up. When everything was ready, Herman gave the signal and 344 people lifted together. The barn rose like nothing at all! The crowd cheered as the nine-ton barn walked fifty yards up a hill in just over three minutes. You can check out what happened on YouTube.

Herman Ostry knew that he couldn’t even lift a corner of that barn by himself. So how’d it happen? Teamwork! When enough people work together with one heart, one mind, one purpose, and one direction they can accomplish the impossible.

At River Hills we believe life is a team sport. We are on mission for God together. We are one team. Jesus is our captain and our goal is please him. As we all lift together we are seeing God’s Kingdom come.

-Jeff Metzger
Lead Pastor RHCC

Live Dangerously

admin — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 18:06:05 +0000

January 1, 2012 – January 29, 2011
LIVE DANGEROUSLY! Here is a challenging question. Do churches do to people what zoos do to animals? Are we guilty of making people safe when Jesus died to make us dangerous? Disciples are called to live dangerously for the cause of Jesus. I want to teach and model this motto with my life: live dangerously for the cause of Christ.

WATCH ONLINE VIDEO OF THIS SERIES

Did You Know?

admin — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 06:03:02 +0000

A federal judge recently sparked outrage by ordering a Texas school district to prohibit public prayer at a high school graduation ceremony. He ordered that the words “prayer” and “amen” were not to be spoken, even by students, at the event. He also attempted to turn school officials into speech police by requiring that any violations of his order be reported.

That judge may need to read the Constitution. There is a thing or two in there about freedom of speech. In America all people are allowed to freely express their faith.

When Thomas Jefferson was President he authored the original plan of education for Washington, D.C.’s public schools. According to the Columbian Historical Society, Jefferson’s plan placed the Bible as the foundational reading text for all Washington, D.C.’s public school system! Amazing!

Benjamin Rush is considered the father of public schools in America. In his 1798 policy paper “On the Mode of Education Proper in a Republic,” he wrote about the purpose of public education. First, to teach youth to love God; second, to teach youth to love their country; and third, to teach youth to love their family.

Is that still the purpose of your local school system?

Harvard University was founded to educate people about the eternal truths of God that they might minister in this country. Harvard’s “Rules and Precepts” adopted in 1646 by the school’s leaders stated, “Everyone shall consider the main end of his life and studies to know God and Jesus Christ which is eternal life.” An amazing 52% of 17th century Harvard graduates became ministers.

Yale, Princeton, Dartmouth, William and Mary, Columbia, Brown, and Rutgers were all started to give students a foundation in understanding the Word of God and training for ministry. Northwestern University, outside of Chicago, and the University of California at Berkeley were both started by disciples of Jesus to serve God’s purpose.
It is a sad reality that most public schools and institutions of higher educational have forgotten their foundation. Public education in America has moved far from its roots.

Our mission is not to turn schools into churches. No one wants that. But our mission is to share the story of Jesus, even in schools. As citizens we have a right to do that. As disciples we want to do that.

As followers of Jesus and concerned citizens we should use our influence and do what we can to call schools to remember the historical reality of their roots. What does that look like? It means we should each do what we can in our context to engage with people and make a positive difference. It is our mission as followers of Jesus to do good and bless our community.

-Jeff Metzger
Lead Pastor RHCC

Some Christmas Thoughts

admin — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 20:33:08 +0000

I’ve heard it already more than once. Maybe you have too. Maybe you’ve said it or thought. “I just want it to be different this year. I just want it to be different. I don’t want to miss it. I don’t want it to get away from me. I want to celebrate the true meaning of Christmas this year.”

It’s easy to understand why we say that. It’s easy to get the sense that maybe we’re just a little bit off when it comes to Christmas and Jesus. But this week can be different. Let’s deliberately take some time this week to recalibrate our souls and connect deeply with the true meaning of Christmas, to connect deeply with Jesus.

But, how do we do that? Here are three suggestions.

Take some time this week to worship and praise Jesus. When I’m at my best with Jesus I find my heart and mouth filled with a song. Jesus is certainly worthy. This Christmas week let’s make sure we see him for who he is and give him what he deserves. Sit in a quiet spot for a few minutes and love the Lord. Focus on Jesus and simply be with him.

Take some time this week to be like Jesus and give. When you give it blesses you and it actually marks you as being like God. God gives and gives and gives. He is gracious and generous to us. For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16 NIV

Take some time this week and make your love tangible and real. Christmas should be a time to love our friends and family in the most memorable ways possible. Time is the real gift Christmas offers us, and no matter how hard we look, it can’t be found at the mall. So take some time to make a gift that turns into the next family heirloom. Take time to write mom a letter. Take time to take the kids sledding (mudding?). Take time to bake really good cookies and sing really bad Christmas carols. Take time to make love visible through relational giving.

Merry Christmas everyone!

-Jeff Metzger
Lead Pastor RHCC