Category Archives: Fellowship

6 Reason You Should Come To River City Worship Center This Easter Sunday

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Let me just first off say that this is NOT me saying “these are the things we do that other churches don’t do”. All I’m saying is that this is what I think is awesome about my church.

Our People: I started coming to River City about 2 years ago and I’ll never forget how on day 1 my wife and I felt so welcomed. Members of the church introduced themselves and wanted to know who we were and what our interests were. It was just so welcoming and allowed us to feel so comfortable.

Our Diverse Demographic: I love the variety of people we have in our congregation. There’s black people, white people, teenagers, college students, couples about to get married, couples who just got married, couples having kids, single moms/dads raising their kids, couples who are celebrating their 40th/50th/60th anniversary. It’s impossible not to find someone you have something in common with.

Our Children’s Church: I don’t have kids but if I did I know they’d have a blast with our children’s pastor Jennifer Choate. Her and her team work hard each and every week to provide a fun learning environment for kids of all ages. Just recently we installed an amazing check-in for kids so that way your kids are even safer and you can be made aware if at any time your child needs you.

Our Worship: Every week we kick our services off with 4 worship songs and in the middle have a calling for prayer. It’s such a powerful and emotional time where we get to worship God and pray for one another about things going on in our lives.

Our Pastors: Our Teaching Pastor, Jason Isaacs, and our Executive Pastor, Cecil Green, lead River City. Together they have led the church for 5 years and have done an outstanding job. They do such and an amazing job at helping you connect to God and have a relationship with Him. I truly believe that most of our congregation doesn’t just view them simply as their pastors but also as their friend. You can come to them at any time and they’re ready to help you in any way possible.

Our Mission: At River City if you ask anyone what our goal is it’s simple: Love God Help People. It’s short and to the point and it’s exactly what we do here at River City.

I could go on forever about all the amazing things we do at River City and in the community but I want to encourage you that if you don’t have a place to go this Sunday for Easter to come to River City and check it out. This Easter Sunday we will be having 3 services at 9:00am/10:15am/11:30am. Hope to see you there!

River City Worship Center
7515 3rd st rd
Louisville, KY 40214

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Day 2: Guatemala

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Before coming down I was very worried as to if the kids would be receptive to Jason and I. For whatever reason, I had this picture in my mind that I’d be around kids with a camera and would receive dirty looks with thoughts somewhere in the area of, “Who’s this guy? Why is he taking my picture? Get out of here.”

I couldn’t have been more wrong.

This morning when I went to the cafeteria to get breakfast one of the first things this little girl did was come walking up to me with a smile on her face and just gave me the biggest hug. It wasn’t just her though. One after another kids were wanting to cling to me. They wanted to know my name. They wanted to speak to me even though I know very little spanish.

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After breakfast, I decided to go shoot some footage of the area and as I did I came across one of the areas the young boys stay at. They all came out curiously while waving at me and shouting, “Hola!”

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I sat down next to them and pulled out my iPhone. Now, I want you to think back to the most exciting moment in your life, times that by a thousand, and just maybe you’ll experience the excitement these kids had. I began to show them pictures of my wife, my dog, a couple of my youth students. I showed them some funny apps such as Fatbooth and Baldbooth which blew their minds away.

Playing soccer with them was also fun for them. These kids weren’t good. They were amazing. One after another they were showing off their skills and tricks they could do with the ball. Jason could keep up somewhat. Me, not so much.

Today though, aside from shooting video and editing, was a day I really wanted to get to spend time with the kids and I got to do that. Each one is unique in their own little way. I’ve gotten to hear about some of their backgrounds and it just makes me so grateful for the home I was raised in and how much God has blessed me.

Day 3 will be exciting because we will be heading to Honduras but it’ll be hard saying goodbye to these kids. Not because I’ve bonded with them like insanely or anything but because being around these kids makes you want to stay. To them you are their hero and when you see the excitement in their eyes as you walk into the room your heart aches at the thought of saying goodbye.

2 Things I Learned In Guatemala On Day 1

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1) “We’re not in Kansas anymore”

When traveling from the airport to the orphanage my eyes were opened. The way people interact, work, and move about is so different than what I’m used to seeing. It’s 7:38pm right now and kids are still in school. People are driving around on buses that are worn down and beaten up. 10 year old kids are lifting bricks and doing manual labor. Young girls are cooking and cleaning for their families. The culture is so different and nothing at all what I’m used to.

2) I serve a pastor who has a passion for helping others.

This is actually something I knew already but got to see it in action like never before. We sat down in one of the offices here at the orphanage and I watched my pastor, Jason Isaacs, as he listened to what was being needed here. One of the things that is needed is $5,000 to help fix a van that is driving 45 kids to school. Immediately leaving the office I asked my pastor what he thought and he looked at me and said, “We’re getting that $5,000 today.” There was determination in his eyes. No joke. No cocky attitude. Just a determination to help out with something that he believes we at River City can do so that the leaders here can sleep better here at night.

Day 1 was a long but awesome day. I’ll do what I can to keep posting what all is going on here as the week goes on.

Take The Next Step

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“And Jesus said to him, ‘Go; your faith has made you well.’ Immediately he regained his sight and began following Him on the road.” –Mark 10:52

I knew the first time I stepped into a church I was going somewhere. I wasn’t sure where but I knew it was somewhere else than where I was and that excited me. Not long after joining the youth group I began experiencing all these amazing things. I began to worship, I gave my life to Christ, I got baptized, changed my habits, began serving in the church, and before I knew it was the middle school youth pastor and here I am today getting to experience the joys in being a youth pastor to some of the most amazing students I have ever had the opportunity to work with.

Would you believe it though if I told you all this happened in just a matter of 6 years? That’s a short period of time. I mean we are talking about a guy (me) who went from not knowing what to believe to 6 years later preaching to students and occasionally adults about how Christ has changed my life and how He can change theirs. I’m not trying to brag by any means but I’m not going to lie, when I take a step back and look at how much I have been blessed over the past few years and how much God has changed me I can’t help but want to share that with others and brag about how awesome it is to be a follower of Christ.

So how did this all happen so fast? How did I, a kid who was agnostic, end up as a youth pastor 6 years later?

I kept taking the next step.

Over the years I have seen so many people come into church and just leave it at that. They come to church and hear the pastor speak and then go home. At first it’s exciting. They are enjoying the worship and loving the messages but eventually they either leave and/or stay wondering where that “high” went.

The reason this happens is because people fail to take the next step. What is your next step? I don’t know, but chances are, you do. Maybe it’s accepting Christ in your life, maybe it’s getting baptized, volunteering, serving, joining a small group, going on a missions trip, or inviting a friend to church. I don’t know what you’re next step is but I can tell you this: You have one.

In the Bible there’s this guy named Bartimaeus. Before he met Jesus he was sitting on the side of the road. The Bible teaches us that after he received his sight from Jesus he “began following Jesus on the road” (Mark 10:52).

People usually fit into one of two categories. They’re either sitting on the side of the road or their following Jesus. Which are you doing? Which do you think will change your life?

There’s only one way to follow Jesus: Take the next step.

It’s great to have faith, but faith is more than just believing in something, it’s about taking action.

“If people say they have faith, but do nothing, their faith is worth nothing” –James 2:14

Don’t let your faith be worth nothing. Follow Jesus and take the next step.

Even Your Flaws Can Bring Glory to God

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Even Your Flaws Can Bring Glory to God
by Rick Warren

“Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.” (Psalm 139:14 NLT)

When people are hurting, they need simple truth, not simplistic truth. It’s not enough to tell someone to pray, read the Bible, or go to church. You have to help them know how to make changes in their lives.

And we can’t make changes in our lives until we understand our identity. You cannot become all that God created you to be until you embrace your identity — the unmistakably unique and flawed you that God intentionally made for a purpose.

You are wonderfully complex (Psalm 139:14). To fulfill God’s purpose for you, you have to look at every dimension of your life and understand five factors that influence your identity. Then, you have to make the most of what you’re given. We may have all been given different parents, pains, problems, and potential, but we will all be held accountable one day for what we did with those factors.

It’s like a game of five-card stud poker: You don’t get to mix your cards. You don’t get to choose your cards. You have to play the hand your dealt.

The first factor that makes you who you are is your chemistry. This is your DNA, your genes, your hormones, your chemical makeup. Some of you were born with hypersensitivity; others have an extremely high tolerance for pain. Some of you have a low energy level; others are bouncing off the walls. Some of you have backs that are prone to fail you, weak eyesight, or brittle bones. Some of you have low levels of oxytocin, a hormone that affects how we relate to other people.

No flaw is sinful or shameful — it’s the way God wired you! I bought a pair of distressed jeans once that had a tag that read: “These jeans have intentional flaws in order to make them unique.” Your “genes” are the same way: They have flaws that make you unique. Those flaws are part of your custom design, and God planned them for his purpose and glory.

You will never be able to make a change in your life or fulfill God’s purpose for your life until you understand that you are wonderfully complex and uniquely flawed for God’s glory. The question then, is this: What will you do with the hand you’re dealt?

Talk About It

What are the flaws that make you unique?

How can you use those flaws to bring God glory?