One of the greatest things about being a pastor is that I get to witness God at work in the lives of various people every day. I realize that many of you never get to hear about the amazing things that happen within Riverside every week . . . so, I thought I would fill you in on a few. Through Riverside, you are a part of the movement of God!
This week a Riverside family donated their minivan to another family in the church whose car had recently become irreparable. This week volunteers began transforming the Riverside building for our first Vacation Bible School. This week several guys met on Wednesday night (as they do each week) to remodel the basement of the white house for the Jr. and Sr. High Youth. This week a team of prayer warriors met on Sunday morning (as they do each week) to pray for me and for all of the ministries and families of Riverside. This week a couple people helped move a treadmill from the basement of a Riverside family. This week a Riverside volunteer mowed the grass outside of the Riverside white house and the main building. This week a Riverside member began reading through the Gospel of John with a non-Christian colleague. This week, a car wash was held in the Riverside parking lot that helped send two people to Young Life Youth Camp. This week Riverside (You!) helped a woman fill up her gas tank so that she could go to Indianapolis and deliver deodorant, soap, and a toothbrush to her son who is in a detention center there. This week a Riverside member began collecting food for a friend in need. This week a Riverside member cared for a neighbor enduring marital struggles. This week a Riverside member wrestled with the unconditional love of God. This week countless Riverside members supported each other and their neighbors, friends and co-workers as they faced illness, job loss, doubts, loneliness, depression, and other life struggles.
This week I also had the pleasure of reviewing people’s comments about the E100 Bible Reading Plan, which we completed a couple weeks ago. Many people shared with me how they were powerfully impacted by the daily Bible readings that took them through the whole story of God. I heard, “The E100 was used by God to change my entire life.” Someone else said, “Not coming from a church that had us read the Bible, this was the first time I opened it 100 days in a row. It was fantastic! I am growing in my faith walk all the time and love the road I’m on.” Another family said, “What a wonderful and inspiring experience!”
There are countless other things that happen in the life of Riverside (You!) each week that I do not know about. We are God’s disciples at work. It is exciting to be a part of such a movement.