Giving It All

We’re giving it all away, away. We’re giving it all to go Your way!

Our youth group worship band played this to kick off the night and a message on giving that I was privileged to deliver to the kids this week. Will work on posting the full message here soon, but for now, this great song to help get you in the giving spirit today.

You can give, no matter where you are in life right now – and you don’t need a dime to do it! God will bless you when you give, whether it’s financially or through acts of kindness…He sees your heart.

So, I encourage you to find a way to give today. You never know who you might bless in the process, and the blessing you may receive from it as well.

Have a great day!

Backpack Peoria – How You Can Help

It’s about that time again…time for one of the biggest charitable efforts in central Illinois. Backpack Peoria is this Saturday and this year, the folks who put on the event need your help to make it happen.

They need to raise $40,000 by this weekend, so thousands of kids can go back to school with supplies and uniforms.

The event is a big hit with the community every year. People line up hours in advance of the event – no really, hours. Like, before dawn. It’s kind of a big deal.

So if you are able to, please visit backpackpeoria.com to read a short note from the event’s organizer. You’ll find the link to donate at the bottom of the page, or you can go directly to the donation site by clicking here.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this and for donating. And hey, you’re social media savvy so please share this with your friends if you don’t mind. Backpack Peoria is a great program and it blesses a lot of families in this area.

Have a great day!

UPDATE: The event was a success! Thank you to everyone who donated or shared the donation information.

Here’s a recap from a local news station: http://goo.gl/jscBH9

 

The Debate

I read this today and thought I’d share it.

1 Peter 3
¹³Can anyone really harm you for being eager to do good deeds? ¹⁴Even if you have to suffer for doing good things, God will bless you. So stop being afraid and don’t worry about what people might do.

The way I interpret this is…it’s great advice for those moments when you have a virtual debate of sorts between doing something or living a certain way to please God and doing something or living a certain way to please others. It’s a debate I’d assume everyone has throughout their lives, whether consciously or subconsciously. I know I do.

It’s just nice to know that when that debate happens, something like this is here to show us which way to go.

Have a great day.

Meaningful Messages

Looking for direction? Guidance? Perspective? Encouragement? Purpose? Motivation? Hope? All of the above?

Click here:

http://www.riversidepeoria.com/resources/audio.asp?filterService=1

I trust that you will find what you’re looking for. If you can’t find any of those after listening to the sermons on this page, please let me know.

Meanwhile if you live in or near Peoria, Illinois I encourage you to join us at Riverside Community Church this Sunday. If you don’t, I still encourage you to enjoy one or several of the sermons online and check back for more in the future.

Every time I set foot inside this church I am thankful to be there. The messages I have heard at Riverside have truly changed my life.

Hopefully the words spoken in these messages will bless you as much as they have blessed me 🙂

Use Your Gift

(This is a reminder to myself as much as it is something for you to consider.)

Someone out there needs what you have to offer. You have a gift and it’s special, whatever it is. You may not even realize it but you have something can make a difference in the lives of others.

Could be a talent, could be a skill, could be a personality trait, could be wisdom, could be financial resources…could be anything. You have it though and it was meant to be shared.

So go bless someone today with what you have. Chances are the one who ends up feeling the best about it will be you.

Have a great day, friends.