In 1 Samuel 16:7b the LORD said to Samuel (the Prophet), "The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."

Just in case you don't feel like you "measure up" on the outside (your cover) just remember that God is concerned with your heart (who you are on the inside). Here's a little video that might inspire you to see your inner beauty that God has given you. I love this!

Hey Rocky River Church! Many have been asking what we can do to help folks in the wake of super storm Sandy. You may or may not know but at RRC we have a HUGE heart for disaster relief ministries. It is a longer story than I can tell here in a blog post but during the aftermath of hurricane Katrina we worked for over a year in Gulfport, MS. We have also worked in disaster relief in Kentucky, Alabama, Florida and right here in Cabarrus County after major storms and floods. We have a great church with a HUGE heart. I love this church!!

That being said, here's what we are working on and some things you can be doing right now.

1. I have a real heart for NYC and NJ. I have many friends there and one of my best friends, Nelson Searcy, is the pastor of Journey Church in Manhattan. I have reached out to them to find out what we can do and how we can help. They are a great church on the ground. For example, they are sending an exploratory team to Staten Island to work on partnerships and to do an assessment of that area to see how they/we can help. Partnerships are invaluable at times like this.

2. The needs will be great and varied. For example, cleaning supplies will run out very quickly. So they will likely need LOTS of household cleaning supplies. They will also need cash on hand to take care of immediate needs. I talked with a friend this morning who told me that they have folks walking into shelters in Staten Island that have lost everything. Literally, they are barefooted - no shoes or socks. Winter is on them so they will need the basics like blankets, etc. So we will probably have a "basic needs" drive and collect money as well.

For now, let’s not start collecting until we find out EXACTLY what they need. We don't want to send items they just have to store (we don't want to be a burden).

3. I may send a "SMALL" team to NYC to check things out on the ground. It may/or may not make sense to you, but we found that sending a team to Gulfport for a day or so to see what the needs were to be invaluable when we started doing work in Gulfport after Katrina.

4. PRAY! Folks all along the eastern seaboard are hurting and will be for a LONG time. They need our help but more importantly they need to know God loves them.

5. Stay informed. Watch the news to keep up with what is happening.

6. We also are exploring sending crews of men to help with clean up in Jersey Shore and Staten Island. The real clean up won't begin for another month or so. Right now the focus is on people and helping them get some footing in their lives. BTW, creature comforts - especially for children - are so very important in times like these.

Here’s one more thing to keep in mind. The Red Cross and other national organizations are great at responding to crisis as first responders. Eventually, they leave areas while there are still great needs. They also have limitations on what they can and will do. AGAIN AND AGAIN we heard people say in Mississippi, Louisiana, Florida, Alabama and Kentucky that the REAL and LASTING help came from churches. Folks, times like these are great opportunities for the Church to "BE" the Church. Let us soften our hearts and get ready to be the hands and feet of Jesus.

Love you guys. I'll keep you informed.
Jimmy

Jimmy Britt, Lead Pastor
www.RockyRiverChurch.com

This week's super storm Sandy and all of her destruction of life and property is a great reminder to us that our truest riches in life are the ones that cannot be bought with money. Our truest riches are the people around us - those we love and those who love us. My prayer for you is that you have someone in your life to love and some who loves you. If you have that, you are a rich person.

All of the pumpkins at the Rocky River Church Pumpkin Patch are now HALF OFF! So come and get em'! Btw, the proceeds are going to support local missions through our student ministries (the Flood) at Rocky River Church! Thanks everyone for your support!

Hey guys. In case you missed this last night after the World Series game on Fox News Charlotte. Pretty cool! BTW, thanks to Pastor Donnie and his team for a great event last night! It was SO much fun.

Just a quick word about your failures. Making mistakes and screwing up in life doesn't make you a failure. It is HOW you respond to your failures, and what you DO with you failures that determine your future. Don't give up! Don't let past failures beat you! With God's help you can make it!

One more thing. A lot of times we let failures keep us away from God and the Church. I can understand that because Satan tries to make us think we're not any good or that God doesn't love us and we are not good enough to go to Church. BAH! That's a lie! God never looks at you like you are a failure. He only sees your value. Let your failures drive you TOWARD Jesus, not away from Him. He'll be there for you even if everyone else runs away.

At Rocky River Church we are a church for people, no matter who you are, or where you've been, no matter what you've done and no matter what has been done to you. You are valuable to us because you are valuable to Jesus.

Hey Rocky River Church (and friends of Rocky River Church). I just wanted to ask you to be in prayer for all three of our Sunday services tomorrow. I believe more than ever before that God wants to do something BIG in the lives of the people in our church and the community. We are currently in a LifeTalk series called "Conquering The Giants" and tomorrow I am going to teach us how to conquer the giant of FAILURE. All of us have failures in our past but it is what we do with those past failures that determines our future.

I believe Satan will do everything he can to keep our people away from church tomorrow. Just pray that nothing will keep people away tomorrow.

Just so you know, I'm praying for you. I'm praying that God will work in your life like never before. I'm praying that you'll hear God speak and let Him lead your life. I'm praying that the folks in your life who are spiritually lost will come to know Christ as their Savior and Lord.

I hope to see YOU tomorrow at 9AM, 10:30AM or 12NOON. Again, I'm expecting and believing God for BIG THINGS!

Thanks for your prayers! I love you guys. See you tomorrow...
Jimmy

Is this really want the Presidential election of 2012 has come down to? This campaign video for President Obama is just shameful in every way. Our young people today are in real trouble if this is their view of themselves, this country, voting and their first sexual experience. BTW, the Bible says that marriage should be between one man and one woman in the context of marriage.

I don't know about you, but I can tell you that as the father of a teenage daughter this is offensive to me. It should be offensive to all of us.

Hey Rocky River Church - do you know why we exist? Rocky River Church exists to give people the best opportunity possible to become fully committed, growing followers of Christ. This is why we started Rocky River Church 13 years ago. It is our hope that through our events people will come on Sundays to learn about Jesus and use their abilities to serve Him.

We have been doing the Halloweenie Roast and Trunk-o-Treat for many years now, and it is one of our largest outreaches. This event is about more than just candy, costumes and hotdogs. We want to reach as many people as we can to expose families to our church and then invite them to a Sunday morning service. In fact, we have a BIG Sunday planned for November 11, 2012. Everyone who comes to the Halloweenie Roast will receive an invitation to join us on the Big Day where they will hear one of our members share his story on how God saved him from a near death experience.

Your involvement is key to making the Halloweenie Roast a big success! We are praying for 1,000 people during this event on Sunday, Oct. 28th. We your need help in several areas: volunteers, event food (hotdogs, ketchup, mustard, buns), tons and tons of pre-wrapped candy and lots of decorated car trunks. If you can help in any way, email Donnie at Donnie@RockyRiverChurch.com.

Here is what you can pray about for the event: 1,000 people, full funding for the event and great weather the day of the event and several days before the event.

Thanks so much! THIS IS GOING TO BE AN AWESOME TIME!
Jimmy

I am so glad I am not the pastor of the person who wrote this check. BTW, we DO NOT have folks like this at Rocky River Church. Just in case you're wondering... :)

I LOVE ROCKY RIVER CHURCH!!!!!!!