Take a moment to make a list of the words you use to define yourself. Is Christian at the top of your list? Pastor Tony Pyle challenges us to place Christian, follower of Jesus, at the top of our list as our primary identity. It can be easy to allow other things in our lives

Are there things in your life that cause you to think that God can’t or won’t use you? Past or current sins? Trauma you’ve experienced? Inconsistency in your faith? Adam Burmeister, Riv’s Westside Student Ministries Coordinator, reminds us that although we are all broken, sinful humans, the message of the Gospel is that it is

When we find ourselves distracted by idols, or feel our hearts being pulled in different directions, we can cling to the truth of who God is and who we are in Him. TJ Auten, Riv’s Student Ministries Director, reminds us that as believers we are called to hold tightly to our relationship with God and

 Similar to the Levities in the book of Joshua, as believers in Christ we are called to serve God without being distracted by the things of this world. When we find ourselves envious of others, whether it be their physical possessions, relationships, or careers, we can find comfort in knowing that the Lord is

Every one of us needs refuge from something; whether from our thoughts, a difficult situation, a current emotional weight, or an ongoing struggle. God is our perfect refuge, and as His followers, we have the privilege to care for others in the same way. Eric Thomas reminds us that just as we receive God’s love

We all have things vying for our attention. Even as we seek to live a life focused on God, we can become fixated on our time, money, and health as we grasp for control in our lives. Jason Eagleston reminds us that as followers of Christ, we are called to fix our eyes on Jesus,

As followers of Jesus we need to be spending time in His Word. What kind of rhythm do you have for interacting with Scripture? Pastor Tony Pyle challenges us to spend some time reading parts of the Bible that we haven’t read before or that we’re not as familiar with. When we read the Bible

Much like the Israelites in the story of Joshua, we have our own humanity, wisdom, and knowledge that we may lean into when we’re making decisions. Young Yi reminds us that as followers of Christ, we are called to depend on the Lord and seek to glorify Him as we navigate our decision-making process. As

When is Riv going to re-start live services? We know this is the question on everyone’s mind as we grasp for some consistency in this new normal. Way back in March, we began work on a robust plan for navigating this pandemic season and for re-launching services when it passed. Because, surely we thought, it

One of the most powerful things we can do in the present is look back and remember how God has been faithful to His people in the past. Pastor Tony Pyle challenges us to spend some time listing specific ways we’ve seen God’s faithfulness to remind ourselves how God will continue to keep His promises.

God comforts us in all of our afflictions so that we may truly be a comfort to those around us as we listen well. With so much going on around us, we see lots of people speaking, but not many taking the time to listen and care for the brokenhearted. Eric Thomas encourages us to

Sometimes when we take a deep look at how we view the world, we find roots of selfishness and personal gain at our core. As we navigate our current culture and share the Gospel with our world, Young Yi calls us to keep God as the foundation of our worldview. With the racial injustice, political