River Of Life - Cold Spring

Do you have a preschooler or younger? This weekend we will continue our journey into the Easter Story! We will take a look at what happened when the tomb was empty! Our Adventure Book in our Parent Toolbox will give you all the information you need! It will provide your child curriculum, activity pages, and a guide for you as a parent to become the teacher! We have a great opportunity to be our families spiritual leader and our River Kids team is devoted to equipping you as the parent. This service will be engaging, fun, and bible based!

Survivor: a group of average men and women against each other and nature on a deserted island What is the Secret to Survival? You must begin again, and again, and again, and again. "Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness." -Lamentations 3:22-23 NIV How can you begin again? 1.) Acceptance 2.) Attention 3.) Amnesty 4.) Affection

When you have to wait, remember God is with you.

"Grow old with me! The best is yet to be,The last of life, for which the first was made, our times are in his hand, who says, “a whole I planned, youth shows but health, trust God and see all, don’t be afraid." - Robert Browning 3 Stages of Marriage: 1.) Honeymoon Stage "Like a lily among thorns is my darling among the young women. Strengthen me with raisins, refresh me with apples, for I am faint with love. My dove in the clefts of the rock, in the hiding places on the mountainside, show me your face, let me hear your voice; for your voice is sweet, and your face is lovely. My beloved is mine and I am his; he browses among the lilies. Until the day breaks and the shadows flee, turn, my beloved, and be like a gazelle or like a young stag on the rugged hills." - Song of Solomon 2:2, 5, 14, 16-17 NIV 2.) The Party is Over Stage "A quarrelsome wife is like the dripping of a leaky roof in a rainstorm; restraining her is like restraining the wind or grasping oil with the hand." -Proverbs 27:15-16 NIV "I find

When you have to wait, remember God is with you.

For hundreds of years, God’s people lived as slaves in Egypt. They cried out to God, and He rescued them. God parted the waters of the Red Sea. He led them through to freedom in the wilderness. He showed His love and care by providing bread from heaven and water from solid rock. After three months, God led His people to Mount Sinai where they set up camp in the desert at the foot of the mountain. God calls to Moses. God called out to their leader, Moses, from the mountain. Moses shared God’s words with the people, and they agreed to do everything God said. Later, God called Moses to meet with Him again on the mountaintop. Before he left, Moses told the elders that if anyone had a problem, they could talk to Aaron and Hur. Then Moses and his helper, Joshua, went up the mountain. The glory of God settled on the mountain like clouds and fire. Moses stayed within the cloud on the mountain, talking with God for 40 days and 40 nights. The people went to Aaron and complained that Moses had left them.

It’s important to God that we choose to be kind—and not just to the people who you might expect. Crowds of people followed Jesus around. They wanted to hear what He had to say, which made the religious leaders nervous. They looked for ways to try to trick Jesus into saying something that would make Him look bad. Jesus chose to answer the man by telling a story, which was the Good Samaritan. Jesus’ story made it clear: ANYONE you’ll ever meet is your neighbor. Bottom line, be kind to people who are different from you. Everyone who needs you to show them God’s love is your neighbor. For more information, go to https://riveroflifeag.org/kids

"When the apostles returned, they reported to Jesus what they had done. Then he took them with him and they withdrew by themselves to a town called Bethsaida, 11 but the crowds learned about it and followed him. He welcomed them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who needed healing. Late in the afternoon the Twelve came to him and said, “Send the crowd away so they can go to the surrounding villages and countryside and find food and lodging, because we are in a remote place here.” He replied, “You give them something to eat.” They answered, “We have only five loaves of bread and two fish—unless we go and buy food for all this crowd.” (About five thousand men were there.) But he said to his disciples, “Have them sit down in groups of about fifty each.” The disciples did so, and everyone sat down. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke them. Then he gave them to the disciples to distribute to the people. They all ate and were satisfie

Wherever Jesus went, crowds of people followed Him. This made the religious leaders nervous. They looked for ways to try to trick Jesus and make Him look bad. One day, a law expert stopped Jesus with a question. Luke 10:25-28 The law expert wanted to find out the LEAST he had to do in order to obey the law. Jesus answered by teaching truth through a story. Jesus’ story is for US, just like it was for the people who listened that day. We should always be ready to show kindness, to ANYONE, because every person is important to God. Bottom Line: Be kind to people who are different from you.

In Matthew 5:41 is the story of the second mile. Sometimes we only feel like being as kind as we HAVE to be. In the story, the person who carried that backpack had to go a mile, no matter what Jesus said that you can choose to DOUBLE that . . . and carry it for two miles. Jesus wasn’t just talking about carrying a backpack for a Roman soldier. He meant that we can “go the extra mile” any time we choose to be kinder than we have to be. When you make your own choices beyond what you’re REQUIRED to do, you show the person how valuable they are to you. Be kinder than you have to be.

Communication plays a vital part in a marriage. What are some things that get in the way of good communication with your spouse? "Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” -Genesis 3:1 (NIV) "I would not obey my teachers or listen to my instructors.I have come to the brink of utter ruin in the midst of the whole assembly.” -Proverbs 5:13-14 (NIV) "Strangers will obtain your wealth, and someone else will enjoy the fruit of your labor." -Proverbs 5:10 (NLT) 1.) Schedules 2.) Children 3.) Television / Media 4.) Pornography In a world of busyness and constant chaos, how can we be intentional to jump start healthy communication with your spouse? 1.) Praise One Another Praise We need to do the same. In the Bible, King Lemuel wrote of his faithful wife, "Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: “Many women do noble things, but you surpas

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."