River Of Life - Cold Spring

Key Question: When is it hard to be kind? If kindness is something that we know should be a part of our lives, why do we find it difficult to show kindness to others? Often, we find it’s easier to show kindness to strangers than those who are closest to us. We hope through this question and the discussion that will happen; preteens will start to understand how they can make sure they show kindness to the people they love. In week two, we head to Ruth 1 and 2, where we find Naomi and her daughter-in-law, Ruth. Their husbands have died, and Ruth has the opportunity to return home to her family. Instead, she chooses to show kindness to Naomi and stay with her. Ruth’s kindness doesn’t go unnoticed. Boaz sees how Ruth is treating Naomi and offers kindness to Ruth, changing her life in a huge way. Bottom Line: Be kind to your family and friends. When it comes to our family and friends, we can often find ourselves taking them for granted. We hope through the story of Ruth, kids will learn to show kindness to the p

We are starting a NEW series on LOVE and MARRIAGE. Join us for the next 6 weeks as we break down God's idea of marriage and speak messages that encourage, build up, restore, and challenge your marriage to go to the next level. "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves," -Philippians 2:3 NIV Greek Terms that We Translate to Love: 1.) Feeling Love "How beautiful you are, my darling! Oh, how beautiful! Your eyes behind your veil are doves. Your hair is like a flock of goats descending from the hills of Gilead. Your teeth are like a flock of sheep just shorn, coming up from the washing. Each has its twin; not one of them is alone. Your lips are like a scarlet ribbon; your mouth is lovely. Your temples behind your veil are like the halves of a pomegranate. Your neck is like the tower of David, built with courses of stone; on it hang a thousand shields, all of them shields of warriors." -Song of Solomon 4:1-4 NIV Romantic love is a wonderful gif

Family Ties (Ruth and Boaz) • Ruth We can be kind to others because God is kind to us. It isn’t always easy to be kind. Sometimes it’s hardest to be kind to the people who are closest to us—like our family members and our closest friends. The story of Ruth shows us how. Naomi’s Decision Naomi and her family were from Judah, but there wasn’t enough food there . . . so they traveled to Moab. While they were in Moab, Naomi’s husband died. But both of Naomi’s sons got married. One son married Orpah, and the other son married Ruth. BOTH of Naomi’s sons died. Naomi heard there was once again food in Judah; she decided to go back. Naomi told Ruth and Orpah to go back to their homes. Orpah left, but Ruth said she would stay with Naomi: Ruth 1:16. Meet Boaz Naomi realized that Ruth was determined to come with her. The two women left for Naomi’s hometown, Bethlehem. Boaz was related to Naomi, and he owned fields of grain. Ruth and Naomi needed food, so Ruth went into Boaz’s fields to try to get grain. G

God was kind to us even when we didn’t deserve it. Because of His love for us, we can be kind to everyone. Kindness is a fruit of the Spirit. And when you show kindness to others, you give them a glimpse into the heart of God, and how much God loves them. Kindness should be a characteristic of people who follow Jesus. Not only did Jesus model kindness, but He also commanded it. He taught us to treat others the way we want to be treated. We kick off the month of February with something Paul wrote in Ephesians 4:32. Be kind and tender to one another. Forgive one another, just as God forgave you because of what Christ has done, (NIrV). Even when we were separated from God, He showed us kindness through sending Jesus to rescue us and model what kindness can look like in our lives. Bottom Line: Be kind to others because God is kind to you. As we follow Jesus and look for ways to reflect His love to the people around us, kindness is one of the easiest ways to do that. God was so incredibly kind to us, that we can

The vision of River of Life Church has always been to reach the lost. Every week, we strive to teach christians the following - 1.) To Know Christ River of Life exists to lead people into a life-changing encounter with Jesus. "I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead." - Philippians 3:10-11 NIV 2.) To Grow in Christ River of Life desires to provide resources for all who come to faith in Christ to help them grow in their relationship with him! 3.) Show Christ to Others and the World River of Life encourages every believer to find an area where they can serve others in the church, locally, and around the world. "After this the Lord appointed seventy-two[a] others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. 2 He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, theref

When you choose kindness, you are choosing your words wisely. You are offering to help others. People will begin to see the love of God through you. Ephesians 4:32 "Be kind and tender to one another. Forgive one another, just as God forgave you because of what Christ has done." God sent Jesus to die for our sins, not because he deserved it, but because he loves us. God showed kindness by the way that he loves us. And we can return that same kindness to him by loving others. That means, forgiving people even if they let you down. It means, helping someone, even if they did ask you. Sometimes, kindness means just being a friend. Be kind to others, because God is kind to you.

River Kids Church Say What You Need to Say (Use Words Wisely) God tells us in Ephesians 4:29 to use our words wisely. Our words have a LOT of power. That’s why Paul thought it was so important for us to use words that build each other up and help us heal. We have the responsibility to choose words that will help the people around us.

Responsibility is showing that you can be trusted with something. Ephesians 4:29 "Use your words wisely."

“I no longer call you servants... I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from My Father I have made known to you.” -John 15:15 (NIV) Jesus describes the relationship he wants to have with us in this scripture Knowledge of someone is not enough. Relationships will altar the course of our lives. What is a friend? The definition of a friend is one who has your best interests in mind. - A friend loves you, a friend encourages you, supports you, sometimes holds you accountable, they listen to you, and they believe in you. - When you understand that Jesus loves you, and that He wants your life to have purpose, more than anyone in the universe...guess what means, we can fully trust him. Why are we talking about a real friendship with God in a series called Rise Up? At River of Life Church, we believe the idea of rising up in our faith may feel overwhelming for some of us, and that is because we are often times trying to do it in our own strength. We want to Rise Up in our marriage and be a bet

Today’s story is one that Jesus told His friends in order to help them understand something important. “Jesus often told stories when He wanted to explain something to the people who followed Him. These stories were called parables, and they took place in everyday situations so that people could understand God’s truth for themselves. Jesus’ parable was about a man who went on a journey. Before he left for his trip, the man left his money with his servants. He wanted them to be responsible for it until he returned. “The man asked his servants to take good care of his gold while he was gone. It was their responsibility to take care of what he owned. “The man gave five bags of gold to one servant . . . two bags of gold to another . . . and one bag of gold to another. Then he left. “After a long time, the boss finally came back home. He called all the servants together and asked them to show him what they had done with his money while he was gone. “The first servant showed that he had doubled what the boss h

"Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them. “Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything." -Luke 15:11-16 Guilt and shame kept the prodigal son from returning home to his family. Guilt admits that we've done wrong, and corrects itself through repentance. Shame takes over our joy and enthusiasm for God, and keeps us from experiencing His presence on a daily basis. Shame brings isolation and death. Shame tries to hide what we've done. It justifies and blames others for our actions. G

the Bible says that if we are responsible for what we are given, more will be offered to us. God wants us to use our talents and abilities to glorify God. One

God has great plans for you. In the Bible it says in Proverbs 6:6-8, "You people who don't want to work, think about the ant! Consider its ways and be wise! It has no commander. It has no leader or ruler. But it stores up its food in the summer. It gathers its food at harvest time." God also wants us to work hard at doing good. Work is hard. Many times, we would rather avoid it. But working hard can bring out our best. It gives us a sense of accomplishment. Working hard now, can save us from doing extra work later. Work also allows us to help others. God gave us work to help us get things done. When we work hard and do our best, it is a cool way to honor God. Choosing to work hard, doesn't mean that you can't rest and have fun once and awhile. It is great to have a healthy balance.

"Now the king of Aram was at war with Israel. After conferring with his officers, he said, “I will set up my camp in such and such a place.” The man of God sent word to the king of Israel: “Beware of passing that place, because the Arameans are going down there.” So the king of Israel checked on the place indicated by the man of God. Time and again Elisha warned the king, so that he was on his guard in such places. This enraged the king of Aram. He summoned his officers and demanded of them, “Tell me! Which of us is on the side of the king of Israel?” “None of us, my lord the king,” said one of his officers, “but Elisha, the prophet who is in Israel, tells the king of Israel the very words you speak in your bedroom.” “Go, find out where he is,” the king ordered, “so I can send men and capture him.” The report came back: “He is in Dothan.” Then he sent horses and chariots and a strong force there. They went by night and surrounded the city. When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early the next

King Solomon was young when he became a ruler of Israel after his father David. You can imagine he might have felt nervous about doing the job. But one night God spoke to Solomon in a dream. Can you imagine God offering anything you might want? Do you know what Solomon asked for? By making good choices, God says that he will entrust us with more (Luke 16:10). 1 King 3:5 NIRV The Lord appeared to Solomon at Gibeon. He spoke to him in a dream during the night. God said, “Ask for anything you want me to give you.

Hey River Kids! We are so excited for the new year, and are happy to hang out with you again! This month is all about learning simple rules for our lives. These everyday actions may seem small, but they will have a huge impact on our hearts and those around us when we put them into practice! Today we'll learn how it honors God when we share what we have with others. Join us this service as we worship with dynamic, fun songs for kids that lead us to the Father's heart, and meet some new characters who want to help teach us about sharing. Parents, make sure to head to www.riveroflifeag.org/parenttoolbox to find resources for you and your family, and make sure to head over to our website www.riveroflifeag.org to find out how you can connect with our church! Have an awesome week!

“Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you. See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the Lord rises upon you and his glory appears over you." - Isaiah 60:1-2 NIV What type of light are you shining? This week, Pastor Denny speaks about how as believers, we can let our light shine by the way we live our life. 1.) Get out of Bed! In today's passage, God is encouraging Israel to wake up. He is about to do something that He doesn’t want them to miss out on. What God does next is incredible, supernatural, and earth shaking. "For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light 9 (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) 10 and find out what pleases the Lord. 11 Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. 12 It is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. 13 But everything exposed by the light becomes visible—and ev

"He replied, "Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” -Matthew 17:20 NIV "Have faith in God," Jesus answered. "I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him." -Mark 11:22-23 NIV "He replied, "If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it will obey you. -Luke 17:6 NIV 1. Human Weakness "When they came to the crowd, a man approached Jesus and knelt before him. "Lord, have mercy on my son," he said. "He has seizures and is suffering greatly. He often falls into the fire or into the water. -Matthew 17:14-15 NIV Our human ability will only take us so far, even our normal spiritual walk won't change some circumstances.

Another week with the River Kids crew! We are loving our interaction with our viewers, and are looking forward to hanging out with you again! January we are bringing a whole new series on Playing well and finishing strong. To live with responsibility, you’ve got to play well and finish strong. That’s how you show you can be trusted with what is expected of you. Today we'll learn all about Loving God and Loving People. Join us this service as we worship with dynamic, fun songs for kids that lead us to the Father's heart, and meet some new characters as we discover what Christmas means! Parents, make sure to head to www.riveroflifeag.org/parenttoolbox to find resources for you and your family, and make sure to head over to our website www.riveroflifeag.org to find out how you can connect with our church! Have a great week!

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not put out the Spirit's fire Your Life will change radically when you stop making prayer your backup plan. Prayer should be our first response, not our last resort!