River Church NOLA

Insulated, Not Isolated Staying Pure in a Polluted World Boudreaux gets a new job at the sporting goods store, and on his first day the manager tells him, “Boudreaux, whatever you do, don't touch the register unless you ring somethin' up. It's an old machine, temperamental, and if you play with it, it'll…

What Is Holding Revival Back? 1. Prayer Is a Place of _Sacrifice_ 23 Then he said to the crowd, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow me. 24 If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my…

I don't know how often you fly, but picture this. You're standing at the gate. You checked in early, did everything the app told you to do, got there in plenty of time. Then the gate agent picks up the intercom: “Folks, this flight is overbooked — we need a few volunteers.” Nobody volunteers, so they…

Intro Boudreaux and Thibodeaux were sittin' on the porch one evening, and Boudreaux says, “Thibodeaux, I hear your boy Tee-Boy finally landed hisself a real job over at the bank downtown.” Thibodeaux just shakes his head. “Yeah,” he says, “but it ain't gonna last.” “Why you say that?” “Cause two months…

Intro Today, we celebrate ten years of River Church! As we look at these pictures, we see faces we love, places we remember, and moments that bring back stories. Some pictures make us smile. Some may bring tears. And a few remind us that our hairstyles have had their own journey over these ten years!…

Intro You know Boudreaux finally got promoted at the plant. His wife Clotile couldn't believe it. She said, “Boudreaux, how in the world did you get promoted over Thibodeaux? He's been there twenty years!” Boudreaux say, “Well, cher, the boss came by one day and dropped a dollar on the floor right in…

Making Right Choices Boudreaux and Thibodeaux were out on the bayou one Saturday morning, lines in the water, not a fish in sight. Boudreaux says, “Thibodeaux, you ever notice how the fellas we run with tend to rub off on us?” Thibodeaux thinks on it a minute and says, “Yeah — I used to run around with…

Intro Life is full of questions nobody can really answer. A long time ago, I started keeping a list of the ones I'm going to ask God when I get to heaven. Why did He make mosquitoes? Red Bugs? And poison ivy, for that matter? If nothing sticks to Teflon, how did they get Teflon to stick to the pan? Where…

Emotional Healing 1 O God, listen to my cry! Hear my prayer! 2 From the ends of the earth, I cry to you for help when my heart is overwhelmed. Lead me to the towering rock of safety, Introduction: The Cry of a Faint Heart Picture someone caught in a rip current. It doesn't happen the way the movies show…

Introduction Picture the worst version of an ordinary day. You oversleep because the power blinked out overnight and reset your alarm. You reach for the milk and find out it turned. On the way out the door you step in a puddle that has no business being in your kitchen, and when you trace it back you…

Intro Week 3 of I've witnessed it. We are in 21 Days of Prayer where we are praying and expecting Miracles. If God is working in your life, please fill out the Share Your Story form and either put in with your connection card or take a pic of it and send to me. If you have not participated jump in now.…

Intro We are in week two of our “I've Witnessed It” series, and day eight of our 21 Days of Prayer, as we ask God for revival — in our own lives, in our church, and in our nation. This series rests on two convictions: that God still does miracles , and that our faith has a great deal to do with whether…

Intro Let me start with a confession: I am not a patient person. If there's a slow car in front of me on the highway, I will pass it — and if I end up behind it again ten minutes later, it genuinely offends me. I'll hit the gas station, the bathroom, and grab a snack all in one stop, just so I don't…

Intro Today we're beginning 21 Days of Prayer. We'll finish on August 30. Our theme is Expect Miracles. Take a moment to fill out the connection card — we'll cut off the bottom portion, and those prayer requests will be placed at the altars on Wednesdays. Wednesday we will pray over our kids who are…

Why the Trinity is Not Up for Negotiation Intro The Trinity: The Doctrine Everyone Confesses & Nobody Defends Probably everyone of us in this room has repeated it at one time or another… in a creed, at a baptism, in a benediction. Father Son and Holy Spirit. We say those words like a zip code… accurately,…

No Walls to Climb Women in Ministry and the Heart of God Boudreaux was standing on the dock one evening, puffing out his chest, telling Thibodeaux how he runs a tight ship over at his house. “Mais, I tell you what,” Boudreaux says. “In my house, me, I am the head. I make all the big decisions.” Thibodeaux…

Intro Have you ever wondered, “Is this all there is? Have you ever felt there must be something more… that you were made for something greater but you just can't see what it is? All of us, whether you will admit it or not has wrestled with questions life… Why am I here? Does my life really matter? What…

Intro Somewhere along the way, most of us picked up a quiet voice that never seems to leave. It doesn't shout. It doesn't need to. It just whispers, at exactly the right moments: not smart enough. Not thin enough. Not successful enough. Not spiritual enough. Not enough of a parent, a spouse, a friend,…

Intro Joke : All the talk about alternative energy cars has finally reached the Bayou... but maybe it didn't translate too well. Boudreaux told Thibidoux, My uncle made him a new kind of car. He took the engine from a Ford… the transmission from a Chevy… and the tires from a Cadolac… and the exhaust…

Intro Let me start with a story. Boudreaux and Thibodeaux had been feuding so long that neither one could remember how it started — fifteen years, not a single word between them. Well, one Sunday the preacher got to preaching on loving your enemies, and it took hold of Boudreaux. After the service he…

You know Boudreaux and Thibodeaux got in a debate about who could pray the loudest? Boudreaux said, "I once prayed so loud in the deer stand, I scared off every buck in the parish." Thibodeaux said, "That ain't nothin'. I prayed so loud over my gumbo, the Lord sent an angel just to ask me to pass the…

Boudreaux and Thibodeaux were sittin' out on the levee on the Fourth of July, waitin' on the fireworks. Boudreaux says, “Thibodeaux, you know why dey call it Independence Day?” Thibodeaux says, “Non, why?” Boudreaux says, “Cause it's de one day a year my wife lets me sit outside wit' a cold drink and…

Intro Boudreaux decided he was gonna throw a boucherie all by himself this year. He told Thibodeaux, “Me, I don't need nobody. I'm gonna cook, I'm gonna season, I'm gonna stir the cracklin', I'm gonna play the accordion, AND I'm gonna eat.” A few hours later Thibodeaux come by and find Boudreaux sittin'…

Intro You know you're a workaholic when your family has to schedule an appointment to see you. You know you're a workaholic when your vacation consists of answering emails from a different location. You know you're a workaholic when your smartwatch tells you to stand up and you think it's being lazy.…

Developing Self Control Mastering Anger in an Age of Outrage Opening: The Storm Inside Picture an ordinary Tuesday. A driver cuts you off on the way to work. An email lands in your inbox with a tone you don't appreciate. You open your phone and three headlines are engineered to make your blood boil.…

The Bible There isn't a course you can take called God 101, where when you are done, you know everything there is to know about god. People have near had the opportunity to interview God to find out what he's like. However, God has taken the initiative to reveal to us who He is and what He's like. When…

Introduction We are living in a culture that has perfected the art of blame. People blame their parents… People blame their past … People blame their spouse… People blame their kids… People blame the government … People blame their boss… People blame their enemies… And some even blame God. But here is…

4 The property was yours to sell or not sell, as you wished. And after selling it, the money was also yours to give away. How could you do a thing like this? You weren't lying to us but to God!” 41 So while these new residents worshiped the Lord , they also worshiped their idols. And to this day their…

Good morning and Happy Mother's Day! Today we will celebrate and honor something incredibly powerful… but not just motherhood… but the influence of a godly mother. Story about my mom… Recognize - Newest mom Most children FT grandmother Single moms Oldest mom or grand mother Mother's who have lost a child…

Have you ever had your moment… and missed it? Like something important came into your life… an opportunity, a calling, a chance to make a difference… and somehow it slipped through your fingers? Phone call you didn't return - You saw a name pop up and thought… I'll call them later and later never came.…

Intro - Have you ever felt invisible? Maybe you show up for work early… every day. Stay late when extra stuff needs to be done. You do the things no one else wants to do. But when it's time to recognize people for good work… you name is never mentioned. Maybe you are on a group chat and you send a message…

Intro Today we want to look at having a second chance to fulfill your dreams. Let me ask you... What did you dream of being when you grew up? Some kids when I was growing up dreamed of being a Major League Baseball Player hitting the winning home run in the world series, or making a running catch in…

Intro We will end the Book of Colossians tonight. The last couple weeks (before our Good Friday on Wednesday) we've been talking about how new this new life is. We've talked about who Jesus really is, His preeminence, the fact that He's first being declared, His firstness was defended. Then we've been…

Intro Last week we learned that the Resurrection Changes Everything. It's the most pivotal historical event… ever. We also saw that because of Jesus resurrection, we get a 2nd chance. Anybody besides me glad for a 2nd chance? Everyone loves a 2nd chance. Has anyone ever done poorly on a test, and the…

Intro Tonight we will get off of Colossians for this week because it's Holy Week. A lot of Jesus ministry occured this week. On Saturday , Jesus arrived in Bethany ( John 12:1 ) and ate Supper On Sunday (Palm Sunday) Jesus had the Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem where crowds shouted Hosanna. Jesus wept…

Intro Have you ever noticed how what fills your mind eventually shapes your life? If you constantly think about fear … you live anxious. All you have to do is to watch the news… any news station. They are all trying to make you afraid so that you will watch. If you dwell on offense… you live bitter.…

Over the past three weeks in this series, God Never Said That , we've been learning to listen more carefully to what God has actually promised—and to let go of phrases that sound comforting but don't always tell the whole truth. We learned that God never said life would stay within our ability to handle…

Tonight we're going to look at some intellectual dangers that this church at Colossae was facing. Paul warns them because there were some philosophies he felt could threaten the joy and the life of this young church if they wandered too far away from the truth. I'm going to read this passage and as I…

Over the past two weeks in this series, God Never Said That , we've been learning how easy it is to believe things about God that sound right—but slowly shape our faith in the wrong direction. Sayings like: God helps those who help themselves... everything happens for a reason... follow your heart...…

Last week, we began a series called God Never Said That —a journey into some of the most common phrases we hear in Christian culture that sound biblical, feel comforting, and get repeated often… but aren't actually found in Scripture. Last week, We started by confronting the idea, “ God will never give…

Intro We're going to take a look tonight at one of the best ministers to people the world's ever seen. His name was the Apostle Paul. He was pretty good at it. By God's gift and his use of those gifts, God used this one man to be a catalyst to reaching most of the known world of that day. so, What does…