If a few Christians gather regularly to pray and study God’s word and perhaps sing hymns or choruses together, are they a church?  What are the essential components of a church?  How can we know that this group is “a church,” and another group of people who lack certain characteristics are “not a church?”

Riverside will be pursuing two opportunities for us to share our resources with others this Christmas season: one overseas and one in our backyard.

Parenting your parents – How can adult children best follow the Biblical command to honor our fathers and mothers?  What does that look like as we both, children and parents, move through the life cycle?  These and other related questions will be our focus this Sunday, November 1 at 9 a.m. in the sanctuary.

This week inventor James Dyson (of Dyson vacuum cleaner fame) unveiled his newest product, which is a bladeless air pusher.  His Air Multiplier sucks in air from its base before propelling a constant stream through a thin gap in the fan’s ring.  The result is a powerful, yet soothing airflow.

Recently the St. Louis Post-Dispatch ran a cover story on my hometown of Mt. Sterling, Illinois.  Apparently my home county has the lowest unemployment rate of any county in Illinois or Missouri.  You can read the article here.  You can also watch a picture slideshow of Mt. Sterling’s not so urban landscape here.  (hit the play audio slideshow button)  If you find yourself enamored with Mt. Sterling after this exposure, make sure you get a t-shirt.

I have many wonderful memories of my time growing up in Mt. Sterling.  I, of course, loved the Brown County Fair, but what I think I loved most was recognizing just about everyone and being recognized by just about everyone. There is something special about seeing people you are familiar with and that are familiar with you where ever you go.

This week the Riverside men began studying 1 John. In the first chapter, John discusses how Christian opponents were not just affecting believers’ understanding of Jesus, but they were hindering their fellowship with God and each other. Sin was affecting how they related in general. One cannot have true fellowship with God and not walk the talk. And it is walking the God talk that is necessary for true fellowship with each other.