Jesus finds us sitting. Stuck and contented in our broken world, He walks up and invites, “Follow me.” Choice is no longer a concept but reality. At first there is excitement. The King is offering a different life, one full of joy, health, and expectation. But the thought is quickly replaced with fear. It is strange that Good can trigger fear, but it does. We fear that which is newly unfamiliar whether good or bad. New feels uncomfortable at first like trying on a new pair of jeans - stiff and not broken in.
Fear is not the only thing that keeps us stuck. Laziness is a close second. I will need to get up? I will need to do something different that takes effort? I will need to part ways with my “stuff?” Effort can be a powerful, self-imposed hindrance. I wonder how many moments have been missed simply due to lack of effort? Fear and laziness are enemies of life in Jesus.
Levi, in Luke 5:27, did something courageous. He got up. He left his place of brokenness and started walking with Jesus. He traded in his greed for the goodness of the King. He decided to acquire a new kind of wealth. He became unstuck. He looked at fear and laziness, and then into the eyes of Jesus. His choice was swift. He left his everything that brings emptiness to be with Jesus’ everything that brings fulfillment.
And you can too. Later Jesus is together with Levi at his table. With many others gathered there as well, Jesus Calls out to all of us. He declares, “I have come to help the sick because they need a doctor. And I have come to help sinners experience the joy of repentance and forgiveness.” Jesus is always Calling but He never forces us to comply - to get up. He offers His hand, His hope, His unfailing love, but we must choose to receive and obey. This Christmas season, don’t let fear or laziness hijack a life with Jesus - a life worth living. Get up.
Ex nihilo,
R.J. Rhoden
Saturday, December 2, 2017
Saturday, June 3, 2017
People Not Objects
With compassion and love in His heart, Jesus asked "How long has he been like this?" "Since he was a boy," the desperate father replied.
Jesus asked this strange question as the boy was convulsing on the ground in front of them in Mark 9. I call it "strange" because it seems unnecessary. Why does it matter? Doesn't Jesus already know the answer? Why make the boy endure one more second of pain as Jesus and the father have a conversation?
Strange usually means good when it comes to Jesus' ministry, and this is no exception. Jesus did not come to target people as mere objects of His mission. He came to relationally love people. He talked with and listened to people. He got to know them. He loved a long dinner together full of conversation. Dinner parties, not evangelism crusades, were at the core of Jesus' ministry.
Religion objectifies people. Jesus loves people. There is a big difference. The former spiritually bullies people while the latter spiritually builds people. Jesus talked with this father, not to delay the boy's healing, but to build the spiritual transformation that would follow the miracle. He connected with the father relationally because that was just as important to Him as healing the boy. Divine healing brings immediate joy. Divine relationship brings eternal joy. The first without the second makes Jesus' mission incomplete.
At Celebration we minister to people out of love and relationship because that is what Jesus did. We are Different because Jesus was. We never want the urgent need before us to create neglect in the person that comes with the need. That is religion not Jesus. That is an organized machine not a personal touch. Perhaps that is why so many are leery of the organized Church.
Let's love people as Jesus did.
Ex nihilo,
R.J. Rhoden
Jesus asked this strange question as the boy was convulsing on the ground in front of them in Mark 9. I call it "strange" because it seems unnecessary. Why does it matter? Doesn't Jesus already know the answer? Why make the boy endure one more second of pain as Jesus and the father have a conversation?
Strange usually means good when it comes to Jesus' ministry, and this is no exception. Jesus did not come to target people as mere objects of His mission. He came to relationally love people. He talked with and listened to people. He got to know them. He loved a long dinner together full of conversation. Dinner parties, not evangelism crusades, were at the core of Jesus' ministry.
Religion objectifies people. Jesus loves people. There is a big difference. The former spiritually bullies people while the latter spiritually builds people. Jesus talked with this father, not to delay the boy's healing, but to build the spiritual transformation that would follow the miracle. He connected with the father relationally because that was just as important to Him as healing the boy. Divine healing brings immediate joy. Divine relationship brings eternal joy. The first without the second makes Jesus' mission incomplete.
At Celebration we minister to people out of love and relationship because that is what Jesus did. We are Different because Jesus was. We never want the urgent need before us to create neglect in the person that comes with the need. That is religion not Jesus. That is an organized machine not a personal touch. Perhaps that is why so many are leery of the organized Church.
Let's love people as Jesus did.
Ex nihilo,
R.J. Rhoden
Saturday, May 27, 2017
A Prayer for State Trooper Mike Walter and the Residents of Mosby Court
“One who is wise can go up against the city of the mighty and pull down the stronghold in which they trust.” -Proverbs 21:22
On this Memorial Day weekend as we honor and remember those who have sacrificed for our freedom, we are once again reminded that the battle continues close to home. With yet another senseless shooting in Mosby Court last night, this time involving State Trooper Mike Walter, our hearts are heavy with a longing for peace and flourishing in all our RVA neighborhoods.
How can we not call on God Almighty at this time to intervene, to grant us wisdom, to give a resolved unity among all seeking the solution, and to empower us with the fortitude to never give up? The enemy is NOT the residents of Mosby, Law Enforcement, Faith and Civic Communities that serve, City Hall, the Media or even systems of injustice that we have inherited from previous years (though we must continue to eradicate them from our community). The enemy is the dark forces of evil that seek to rob, steal, and destroy the hearts and minds of an emerging generation that have been deceived into acting as if there is no hope.
Oh God, if there has ever been a time that we need You, it is now. Bring us together to be Your hands and voice of hope. Bring down the strongholds of evil that cause some to do destructive acts they were never created to do. Galvanize the people of RVA to usher in a goodness, found in Your divine heart, that pushes out the darkness. Give rise to advocates, philanthropists, the people of God, protectors of peace, and all who have a civic conscience with unprecedented unity. Losing this battle is not an option.
Bring Your healing, peace, and strength to Mike Walter and his family and all those who live in vicinity of this crime. Protect the hearts and memories of kids who are more accustomed to seeing crime scenes than jump ropes. Let there be laughter, joy, and jubilee in the streets again. We are in desperate need of Your help and confess our sin of human independence. For we were not created to labor with out You but with You. May it be so.
Ex nihilo (out of nothing),
R.J. Rhoden
Saturday, May 20, 2017
An Invitation to All Who Want to Be Different
Jesus calls His Followers to be different because all things are possible. Jesus declares in Mark 9:23 "Everything is possible for one who believes." The "possible" flows from Him, but courageously standing on the foundation of belief is on us. Belief is not a momentary feeling just as love is not. Belief is a long commitment. It's a lifestyle whereby we trust and expect God to do what seems impossible. Belief produces a new level of sacrifice, joy, and trust in us. It brings abundant life.
Abundant life is good but not easy. It is not given to us; it grows within us as we walk out the heart and mission of Jesus. In so doing we discover that abundance is found not in what we get but what we get to participate in, see, and do for others in the power and authority of Jesus. That is the great secret to being different. You and I were meant to be givers not getters.
If following Jesus does not make us significantly different than those who are not than are we really following Jesus? Maybe we are instead following some 21st century, water-downed, safe version of Him? Maybe we are embracing a Gospel that encourages us toward worldly similarity rather than Godly distinctive?
Jesus is inviting you to be different. He is inviting you to a life of prayer and fasting that leads to mission. He is inviting you to witness and participate in the impossible where the sick are healed, the addicted are set free, the hardened heart is made soft, the horrible marriage is made whole, the generational cycle of poverty is ended, the violent one becomes the promoter of peace, and the people of God are the solution not silos of isolation.
Over the next 7 weeks I will be challenging everyone, who will listen, to be different. The context for my teaching will be Mark 9:14-29. It is a blueprint for what is possible in Jesus. He is the embodiment of hope and love and mission.
You can have this world, but as for me, give me Jesus. I want to be different. Do you?
Ex nihilo (out of nothing),
R.J. Rhoden
Abundant life is good but not easy. It is not given to us; it grows within us as we walk out the heart and mission of Jesus. In so doing we discover that abundance is found not in what we get but what we get to participate in, see, and do for others in the power and authority of Jesus. That is the great secret to being different. You and I were meant to be givers not getters.
If following Jesus does not make us significantly different than those who are not than are we really following Jesus? Maybe we are instead following some 21st century, water-downed, safe version of Him? Maybe we are embracing a Gospel that encourages us toward worldly similarity rather than Godly distinctive?
Jesus is inviting you to be different. He is inviting you to a life of prayer and fasting that leads to mission. He is inviting you to witness and participate in the impossible where the sick are healed, the addicted are set free, the hardened heart is made soft, the horrible marriage is made whole, the generational cycle of poverty is ended, the violent one becomes the promoter of peace, and the people of God are the solution not silos of isolation.
Over the next 7 weeks I will be challenging everyone, who will listen, to be different. The context for my teaching will be Mark 9:14-29. It is a blueprint for what is possible in Jesus. He is the embodiment of hope and love and mission.
You can have this world, but as for me, give me Jesus. I want to be different. Do you?
Ex nihilo (out of nothing),
R.J. Rhoden
Saturday, April 22, 2017
Hearts on Fire
Hearts on fire should be the norm not the exception. Jesus was the slaughtered lamb on Friday but the risen, Lion of Judah on Sunday. Those three days didn't occur to give you mediocrity. They happened that your heart may burn within you. It's His mission.
Jesus is not waiting for you; He is walking with you. He shows us this in Luke 24. The newly, risen Savior prioritizes a walk with unknown Cleopas and his friend. Why would He do that? Doesn't He have more important things to do? Jesus has discovered plenty of people who don't want to be with Him but never a person that He doesn't want to be with. It's His mission.
Jesus' walk with you, if you receive it, sets your heart on fire. You will change because of who He is and what He has done rather than because of who you are or what you have done. Jesus opens us to a new way of believing and thinking and seeing that produces a heart on fire. It's His mission.
It's the long walk with Jesus in life that keeps your heart on fire. If Jesus were merely an event, or a brief emotion, or another religious program, the fire would burn out. Relationships are the most powerful, sustaining force on the planet. It's no wonder God chose relationship, and all it's staying power, as the central way to show His love for us. It's His mission.
We rarely know why things happen, but we always know Who is with us. The comfort in that has sustained me on many occasions. It is in those times that I have discovered an important principle, one modeled by Jesus in Luke 24. The more I pursue the solution, the less I find it. But the more I pursue Jesus, He brings about the solution. Cleopas and his friend encountered this principle as well that day 2,000 years ago. It's His mission.
Perhaps your heart is not on fire right now? It can be. Look beside you. Jesus is walking with you. As you open Scripture and allow Him to speak into your life, you will begin to feel the burning sensation spoken of in Luke 24. Who you talk with and what you open will define you because it will ultimately produce action in you. Jesus wants you to be with Him and to open what He has for you. Who you are becoming is His mission.
Ex nihilo (out of nothing),
R.J. Rhoden
Jesus is not waiting for you; He is walking with you. He shows us this in Luke 24. The newly, risen Savior prioritizes a walk with unknown Cleopas and his friend. Why would He do that? Doesn't He have more important things to do? Jesus has discovered plenty of people who don't want to be with Him but never a person that He doesn't want to be with. It's His mission.
Jesus' walk with you, if you receive it, sets your heart on fire. You will change because of who He is and what He has done rather than because of who you are or what you have done. Jesus opens us to a new way of believing and thinking and seeing that produces a heart on fire. It's His mission.
It's the long walk with Jesus in life that keeps your heart on fire. If Jesus were merely an event, or a brief emotion, or another religious program, the fire would burn out. Relationships are the most powerful, sustaining force on the planet. It's no wonder God chose relationship, and all it's staying power, as the central way to show His love for us. It's His mission.
We rarely know why things happen, but we always know Who is with us. The comfort in that has sustained me on many occasions. It is in those times that I have discovered an important principle, one modeled by Jesus in Luke 24. The more I pursue the solution, the less I find it. But the more I pursue Jesus, He brings about the solution. Cleopas and his friend encountered this principle as well that day 2,000 years ago. It's His mission.
Perhaps your heart is not on fire right now? It can be. Look beside you. Jesus is walking with you. As you open Scripture and allow Him to speak into your life, you will begin to feel the burning sensation spoken of in Luke 24. Who you talk with and what you open will define you because it will ultimately produce action in you. Jesus wants you to be with Him and to open what He has for you. Who you are becoming is His mission.
Ex nihilo (out of nothing),
R.J. Rhoden
Friday, April 14, 2017
An Empty Gift Has Never Felt So Good
Who opens a beautifully wrapped gift expecting the box to be empty? Have you ever been anticipating an apology, and the words spoken are empty and meaningless? When a family member borrows your car and returns it on empty, how bad does that feel? Empty never feels like a gift, but there is one exception. God gave us the gift of an empty tomb because if it had been occupied by a corpse, there would have been no gift.
The emptiness of the tomb fills us with the hope of eternal life. It forever represents the conquering of death and future, celestial reunions with loved ones and friends. In the case of Jesus, the empty tomb was a gift to all humanity. It initially stirred feelings of confusion among the first discoverers, but those reactions quickly turned to joy.
The divine irony of Easter is that Jesus' death brings life, and His empty tomb brings fullness. The echoing hallows of that grave, the grandest of gifts, keeps multiplying and producing other gifts that we are able to enjoy daily. An empty gift has never felt so good when it's connected to resurrection.
Empty is the new good when it comes to God's "foolish" plan to demonstrate His love for us. The echoes are still heard around the world. The gift of the empty tomb has changed my life forever, and it can change yours as well. Do something different this weekend. Celebrate, believe in, and tell someone else about the Empty Gift.
Ex nihilo (out of nothing),
R.J. Rhoden
The emptiness of the tomb fills us with the hope of eternal life. It forever represents the conquering of death and future, celestial reunions with loved ones and friends. In the case of Jesus, the empty tomb was a gift to all humanity. It initially stirred feelings of confusion among the first discoverers, but those reactions quickly turned to joy.
The divine irony of Easter is that Jesus' death brings life, and His empty tomb brings fullness. The echoing hallows of that grave, the grandest of gifts, keeps multiplying and producing other gifts that we are able to enjoy daily. An empty gift has never felt so good when it's connected to resurrection.
Empty is the new good when it comes to God's "foolish" plan to demonstrate His love for us. The echoes are still heard around the world. The gift of the empty tomb has changed my life forever, and it can change yours as well. Do something different this weekend. Celebrate, believe in, and tell someone else about the Empty Gift.
Ex nihilo (out of nothing),
R.J. Rhoden
Tuesday, April 11, 2017
Do Something Different This Week
Something different happened this week 2,000 years ago. Jesus entered Jerusalem on a donkey, a symbol of peace, triggering seven days that would change everything. The week was highlighted by three events: a meal, a death, and an empty tomb.
At the meal Jesus gave us the elements of the Eucharist and washed His disciples feet. Remembrance and servanthood were the themes. We are Called to never forget and to serve. The noise of life has a way of robbing us of memories. We forget grateful moments, old friendships, impactful teachers from years ago, happy times, and, most importantly, Jesus' sacrifice. Do something different this week. Take some time to remember eternal influences on your life that are worth remembering. Too often we spend our time dwelling on memories that are destructive rather than those that bring life.
Do something different this week. Be a servant not a recipient. Give don't receive. Grab a towel and wash feet. There is something that comes alive in us when we get our hands messy with the needs of this world. Jesus has commissioned us to be His ambassadors, making His appeal through us, not to keep us stuck on safe, comfortable pews but to serve. He is the God on the move, and so it should be with us. Do something different this week.
In His dying breath, Jesus modeled His greatest expression of peace. He pleaded forgiveness for the very ones killing and mocking Him. It's one thing to forgive those close to you. It's another level of love to forgive those trying to destroy you. In Jesus' moment of anguish, nails, and blood, as He took on the sins of the world, He spoke peace and love. Do something different this week. In your own place of pain, extend peace and love to those near, even the tough ones that don't deserve it. Forgiving those that have hurt you will bring a freedom and joy that is immeasurable. It will be your finest hour. Do something different this week.
And finally, God gave us the gift of the empty tomb. Jesus conquered death allowing us to proclaim with Scripture, "Where, O Death, is your sting?" Life, free from the fear of death, is a new kind of living that words fail to adequately describe. It allows us to walk with confidence during the "light and momentary troubles of this world." The gift of the empty tomb empowers us to not only do something different this week but to begin seeing life through the lens of eternity. One small, different choice this week can launch you into the plans created for you before the creation of the world.
So why not do something different this week?
Ex nihilo (out of nothing),
R.J. Rhoden
At the meal Jesus gave us the elements of the Eucharist and washed His disciples feet. Remembrance and servanthood were the themes. We are Called to never forget and to serve. The noise of life has a way of robbing us of memories. We forget grateful moments, old friendships, impactful teachers from years ago, happy times, and, most importantly, Jesus' sacrifice. Do something different this week. Take some time to remember eternal influences on your life that are worth remembering. Too often we spend our time dwelling on memories that are destructive rather than those that bring life.
Do something different this week. Be a servant not a recipient. Give don't receive. Grab a towel and wash feet. There is something that comes alive in us when we get our hands messy with the needs of this world. Jesus has commissioned us to be His ambassadors, making His appeal through us, not to keep us stuck on safe, comfortable pews but to serve. He is the God on the move, and so it should be with us. Do something different this week.
In His dying breath, Jesus modeled His greatest expression of peace. He pleaded forgiveness for the very ones killing and mocking Him. It's one thing to forgive those close to you. It's another level of love to forgive those trying to destroy you. In Jesus' moment of anguish, nails, and blood, as He took on the sins of the world, He spoke peace and love. Do something different this week. In your own place of pain, extend peace and love to those near, even the tough ones that don't deserve it. Forgiving those that have hurt you will bring a freedom and joy that is immeasurable. It will be your finest hour. Do something different this week.
And finally, God gave us the gift of the empty tomb. Jesus conquered death allowing us to proclaim with Scripture, "Where, O Death, is your sting?" Life, free from the fear of death, is a new kind of living that words fail to adequately describe. It allows us to walk with confidence during the "light and momentary troubles of this world." The gift of the empty tomb empowers us to not only do something different this week but to begin seeing life through the lens of eternity. One small, different choice this week can launch you into the plans created for you before the creation of the world.
So why not do something different this week?
Ex nihilo (out of nothing),
R.J. Rhoden
Saturday, April 8, 2017
God's Perfect Plans: It's Never Too Late
It's never too late. Let me say it again, "It's never too late!" Satan works tirelessly to convince you it is. That crafty one knows the power and boldness that is yours if you stop believing the lie and start walking in God's truth. Thankfully, God knows your potential even better. He created you, never gives up on you, and works circles around Satan's efforts to derail you.
As a pastor I often hear people, with sincere transparency, say to me, "I just feel like maybe its too late for me. I wouldn't blame God if He has given up on me." My heart aches when I hear those words. Though I know and affirm the real feelings behind them, I have an even greater passion for God's capacity to never give up on us.
God created perfect plans for your life before the creation of the world. The question is not: Has He really done that for me? But rather: Will I walk in those perfect plans? It would be great if God walked them out for us but He does not. His joy is in preparing them and then seeing us enjoy them. I wonder how many plans we have missed simply because we weren't willing to enter?
In the magnificent grace of God He has a way of helping us overcome regrets. He is the God that creates and delivers hope for us today. Can you hear Him whispering in your soul? "It's never too late. It's never too late. I have perfect plans for you." If you purge the clutter and noise of your life, you will hear His still, small voice.
One little warning: Your idea of a perfect plan is never God's idea of a perfect plan. Circumstances, people, events, realities, and timing is for Him to orchestrate. Many have failed to arrive at the conclusion of His plan because it didn't look or feel like they thought it would. Don't stop simply because it unfolds differently. You might be only 5 minutes away from it all making sense.
I am personally grateful for God's perfect plans and the comfort of knowing it's never too late. My prayer for you today is full of hope. It's full of understanding. It's full of excitment to see how God is going to release in you the potential He intended all along. Take a big step of courage today: Believe that it's never too late.
Ex nihilo (out of nothing),
R.J. Rhoden
As a pastor I often hear people, with sincere transparency, say to me, "I just feel like maybe its too late for me. I wouldn't blame God if He has given up on me." My heart aches when I hear those words. Though I know and affirm the real feelings behind them, I have an even greater passion for God's capacity to never give up on us.
God created perfect plans for your life before the creation of the world. The question is not: Has He really done that for me? But rather: Will I walk in those perfect plans? It would be great if God walked them out for us but He does not. His joy is in preparing them and then seeing us enjoy them. I wonder how many plans we have missed simply because we weren't willing to enter?
In the magnificent grace of God He has a way of helping us overcome regrets. He is the God that creates and delivers hope for us today. Can you hear Him whispering in your soul? "It's never too late. It's never too late. I have perfect plans for you." If you purge the clutter and noise of your life, you will hear His still, small voice.
One little warning: Your idea of a perfect plan is never God's idea of a perfect plan. Circumstances, people, events, realities, and timing is for Him to orchestrate. Many have failed to arrive at the conclusion of His plan because it didn't look or feel like they thought it would. Don't stop simply because it unfolds differently. You might be only 5 minutes away from it all making sense.
I am personally grateful for God's perfect plans and the comfort of knowing it's never too late. My prayer for you today is full of hope. It's full of understanding. It's full of excitment to see how God is going to release in you the potential He intended all along. Take a big step of courage today: Believe that it's never too late.
Ex nihilo (out of nothing),
R.J. Rhoden
Saturday, April 1, 2017
5 Words That Will Change Your Life
Into Death In Order That
Death brings life. The grape must die to produce wine. The grain must die to make bread. A parent must put to death selfish needs to care for the needs of a child. The reality of death bringing about life is around us every day.
It's no wonder the same principle is found in Jesus. His death brought life and not just any life but life eternally abundant. Life in Jesus also brings with it a meal of remembrance and a bath. The meal reminds our grateful hearts of His death. The bath testifies to the newness of life we are experiencing in Him.
Newness of life must be preceded by death. Those five powerful words, found in Romans 6:4, -Into Death In Order That - are the key. They are simple to write and read but take great courage to embrace and trust. Many get stuck someone between death and life. As they stand, one foot in death and one in life, they find themselves immobile and neutralized. In that position the lukewarmness spoken by God in Revelation becomes a reality of discouragement, doubt, and despair.
Go into death in order that life may take a hold of you. Die to the ways of this world so that the ways of the Word can change you. It's not magic; it won't make you perfect. None of us are. However, it will change how you think, perceive, analyze, communicate, dream and live. In short, it will align your life with its original, divine blueprint.
Tonight at Celebration Church & Outreach Ministry I will be teaching more on this promise of new life. At the conclusion of the service we will also be celebrating water baptisms. Join us at 6pm at The Big House at 5501 Midlothian Turnpike. Watch online through Fb Live or our YouTube channel.
You are only 5 words away from changing your life forever.
Ex nihilo,
R.J. Rhoden
Saturday, March 18, 2017
What Can God Do With One Dollar?
Nothing is more spiritually thrilling to me than watching God do much with little. He is the God who transforms mustard seeds and mangers. With a little fish and bread, He went to work - divine creativity, infinite wisdom, and holy imagination converging to bring about abundant provision. How does He do that?
The best part of the question, What Can God Do With One Dollar?, is that we don't know the answer. God's masterful orchestration of possibility, causality, relationships and timeliness makes His work mind-blowing and unpredictable. We get to be in His work, even a supportive, meaningful part, but He is the writer, producer, director, and lead role. Submit to God a little of anything, and get ready for unparalleled greatness. God will set things in motion that impact generations not yet born.
The only unfortunate piece, from a selfish perspective, is that we do not usually get to see how it all unfolds. On this side of eternity God limits what we see and know, probably for our own good. If we saw it all right now, we might, being so consumed with awe, never rise from our knees. But do we not have all of eternity to be overflowing in awe and revelation?
The What-Can-God-Do-With-One-Dollar Revolution begins tonight at Celebration (ccomrva.org) at 6pm at The Big House (5501 Midlothian Turnpike). As we give everyone $1 tonight, we will be asking God to do much with it. We want to see a revolution of giving and blessing begin that will produce God-stories everywhere. Come be a part of it in person or through live stream (Fb Live or YouTube). I can't wait to see what God is going to do with a dollar in your hand.
One dollar can change everything!
Ex nihilo,
R.J. Rhoden
The best part of the question, What Can God Do With One Dollar?, is that we don't know the answer. God's masterful orchestration of possibility, causality, relationships and timeliness makes His work mind-blowing and unpredictable. We get to be in His work, even a supportive, meaningful part, but He is the writer, producer, director, and lead role. Submit to God a little of anything, and get ready for unparalleled greatness. God will set things in motion that impact generations not yet born.
The only unfortunate piece, from a selfish perspective, is that we do not usually get to see how it all unfolds. On this side of eternity God limits what we see and know, probably for our own good. If we saw it all right now, we might, being so consumed with awe, never rise from our knees. But do we not have all of eternity to be overflowing in awe and revelation?
The What-Can-God-Do-With-One-Dollar Revolution begins tonight at Celebration (ccomrva.org) at 6pm at The Big House (5501 Midlothian Turnpike). As we give everyone $1 tonight, we will be asking God to do much with it. We want to see a revolution of giving and blessing begin that will produce God-stories everywhere. Come be a part of it in person or through live stream (Fb Live or YouTube). I can't wait to see what God is going to do with a dollar in your hand.
One dollar can change everything!
Ex nihilo,
R.J. Rhoden
Saturday, March 11, 2017
Something Holding You Back
God promises through the prophet Ezekiel (chapter 36) to give you a new heart and a new spirit. A new heart brings you passion for the things of God rather than the world. A new spirit provides you empowerment to do the mission of God that you never envisioned yourself doing.
God is not interested in bandaids. He opts, instead, for a heart transplant that leads to life and, not just any life, but life abundant. So what is holding you back? The promises of God are there for the taking.
Most of you know exactly the "something-holding-you-back" list that lingers in your heart. The list probably includes pain, regrets, destructive habits, doubts, insecurities, hopelessness, confusion, fatigue, unrealized dreams, inconsistencies, and many other tactics of the one who seeks to kill, steal, and destroy your life.
But God, who is the originator of the heart transplant, is bigger than anyone or anything holding you back. He miraculously and graciously specializes in the worst of cases - shattered hearts that everyone else, including yourself, have given up hope.
Tonight at Celebration (ccomrva.org) people will receive a new heart and a new spirit. It is time for you to allow God to remove whatever is holding you back and replace it with the life you were created to live. Come join us at 6pm or watch on our YouTube channel (or FB Live).
Ex nihilo,
R.J. Rhoden
God is not interested in bandaids. He opts, instead, for a heart transplant that leads to life and, not just any life, but life abundant. So what is holding you back? The promises of God are there for the taking.
Most of you know exactly the "something-holding-you-back" list that lingers in your heart. The list probably includes pain, regrets, destructive habits, doubts, insecurities, hopelessness, confusion, fatigue, unrealized dreams, inconsistencies, and many other tactics of the one who seeks to kill, steal, and destroy your life.
But God, who is the originator of the heart transplant, is bigger than anyone or anything holding you back. He miraculously and graciously specializes in the worst of cases - shattered hearts that everyone else, including yourself, have given up hope.
Tonight at Celebration (ccomrva.org) people will receive a new heart and a new spirit. It is time for you to allow God to remove whatever is holding you back and replace it with the life you were created to live. Come join us at 6pm or watch on our YouTube channel (or FB Live).
Ex nihilo,
R.J. Rhoden
Saturday, January 21, 2017
God Can
God can heal the deepest wounds of your heart. The wounds that seem untouchable and untreatable; that you woke up with this morning and will go to bed with tonight; that have robbed you of your innocence and kept you in the grips of fear; those wounds can be mended by the Spirit of the Living God.
God can heal your broken relationships. He can bring prodigals home, turn the hearts of fathers back to their children, supernaturally intervene in broken marriages, establish peace and trust among different ethnicities, and bring an end to raw hatred. He is the God that brings the lion and the lamb together.
God can heal your anger. He doesn't change what happened to trigger your anger; instead, He heals the way you think about it. He gives you peace like a healing balm which produces forgiveness where anger previously existed. You are no longer a prisoner of anger when the healing presence of God invades your life.
God can heal your physical pain and infirmities. He can bring strength where there is weakness; freedom where there is bondage; health where there is sickness; joy where there is depression; and light where there is darkness. God cares so much about the body that He raised it on the third day.
God can heal your distrust and cynicism. He has the ability to prevent the past from destroying your present. He fixes that place in your heart that allows you to trust and believe again. He wants to write the ultimate come-back story in your life.
And finally, God, not time, heals all things. God works in time and space, but it is His work. God can establish your feet on solid ground, give birth to new dreams, and change who you are. God can do this and immeasurably more. God can Today.
Ex nihilo,
R.J. Rhoden
God can heal your broken relationships. He can bring prodigals home, turn the hearts of fathers back to their children, supernaturally intervene in broken marriages, establish peace and trust among different ethnicities, and bring an end to raw hatred. He is the God that brings the lion and the lamb together.
God can heal your anger. He doesn't change what happened to trigger your anger; instead, He heals the way you think about it. He gives you peace like a healing balm which produces forgiveness where anger previously existed. You are no longer a prisoner of anger when the healing presence of God invades your life.
God can heal your physical pain and infirmities. He can bring strength where there is weakness; freedom where there is bondage; health where there is sickness; joy where there is depression; and light where there is darkness. God cares so much about the body that He raised it on the third day.
God can heal your distrust and cynicism. He has the ability to prevent the past from destroying your present. He fixes that place in your heart that allows you to trust and believe again. He wants to write the ultimate come-back story in your life.
And finally, God, not time, heals all things. God works in time and space, but it is His work. God can establish your feet on solid ground, give birth to new dreams, and change who you are. God can do this and immeasurably more. God can Today.
Ex nihilo,
R.J. Rhoden
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