Up Close and Personal! Pastors David Camera and Greg Lanier have launched a mini-series on YouTube called “One-on-One.” In these short episodes, they interview each other as a way to get to know each other better and, more importantly, to help YOU get to know them better. We miss seeing Read more…
Reading the Minor Prophets Afresh Micah is not a book of the Bible that many people spend a lot of time reading. In fact…you may be wondering, “Is that even in the Bible?” It is sandwiched between Jonah (which most everyone knows something about) and Nahum (even less famous than Read more…
Anticipating the Extraordinary Jump to today’s reading Holy Week—running from Palm Sunday to Easter—is a cherished time of year for the Christian church. In this final week of Jesus’s life, things quickly spiral downward as he goes from entering Jerusalem hailed as king to dying on a Roman cross outside Read more…
“Should we cancel church?” How should the church respond to a crisis such as this? That is a question I continue to turn over in my mind and filter through a biblical framework. In the face of the present epidemic, there have been a variety of answers offered by Christians on this question. These answers Read more…
The Shelter of the Most High Greetings, River Oaks! As you know, the leadership of ROC, following guidance from local officials, has made the decision to suspend weekly services due to the COVID-19 outbreak. This is not a decision made lightly, but it is a decision made in love for Read more…
God is Patient with Us! Throughout February we have seen God continue to pursue His people even in the midst of their unfaithfulness and the dividing of the kingdom. In March we will finish learning about Elijah and Elisha and look at some of the other prophets God sent throughout Read more…
Seeing Ourselves Clearly in 2020 We hope that the 20’s have gotten off to a great start for you so far. They sure have in the student ministry here at ROC! We’ve started a new series for the semester in the book of Ephesians — Chosen: Life in the Family Read more…
Winter Sunday School Series “I want to talk about Jesus with my non-Christian coworker, but I don’t feel like I know the answers to all their questions.” Many of us have expressed a sentiment like this. Life is complicated. Ideas, philosophies, religions, arguments, counterarguments, hot-takes, and viral memes that go Read more…
Protecting the Vulnerable Unfortunately, any glance at the news on any given day is a reminder that sexual abuse and predation, particularly of children, is and has been on the rise for years. And even more unfortunate is that the church is not immune from it. We at River Oaks Read more…
God is the Source of Wisdom! After taking a break to look at the wonder of Advent in the month of December, we are jumping back into our journey through the timeline of the Bible with Solomon. Previously we looked at great King David and heard God’s promise that a Read more…
Emmanuel: God with Us! As we enter the month of December, one of the highlights is obviously Christmas, the celebration of Christ’s birth. But do we let familiarity with the story dull us to the wonder of it? The birth of Jesus is without a doubt one of the most Read more…
Cool(ish) Weather, Cool Events Ho, ho, how is it 70 degrees outside and I’m hearing Christmas music on the radio? At least wait until after Thanksgiving people! As we enter the holiday season our schedules tend to fill up quickly with many exciting events and get togethers with family and Read more…
Jesus is Our Perfect King! This month in children’s ministry we will be looking at the life of King David and His relationship with God. In some of the stories we will see King David living out Godly character and being the kind of king God’s people needed. But we Read more…
Guiding the Conversation This quarter, we will focus on developing as leaders in the area of fostering God-focused and heart-oriented dialogue in our small groups. As CG leaders, our goal is not to ensure maximal amount of Bible content is firehosed on the group. Nor is our goal to host Read more…
The Refuge Scott and Tiffany Kelley are engaged in mentoring refugee youth and young adults to understand and live out their God given purpose to make Jesus known. They do this through a ministry called The Refuge, based in north Georgia. Scott and Tiffany began mentoring refugee kids in 2009. Read more…
Fall Sunday School Series We were created for fellowship with the living God. The Bible teaches that we have confidence to enter into the presence of God through Christ (2 Cor 3:4). We are called to meditate on his word (Psalm 119). To pray to the Father by the Spirit Read more…
God is Great! In the children’s ministry this month we will be looking at the transition from the time of the Judges to the Kingdom of Israel.Although God was Israel’s king and had shown them (and their enemies) how great He was and that He would always take care of Read more…
Big Bang and Macro-Evolution The Croods. Ice Age. Ice Age 2: The Meltdown. Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaurs. The Flight of the Butterflies. Even A Land Before Time (if you’re older than 30). What’s similar about all these movies? They are all aimed at children. And they all Read more…
Orlando ⇄ Japan Warren and Yukari Griffith are based in Orlando but seek to advance the gospel of Christ around the world through Mission to Japan. This ministry focuses on hosting Japanese students in Orlando (with a focus on learning English), which then provides opportunities for Bible studies, retreats, sightseeing, Read more…
God is Forgiving! In September we will be studying the book of Judges, where we will see how — despite Israel’s cycle of unfaithfulness — God is patient and forgiving and continues to deliver them time after time. What a blessing that in our lives God is forgiving and faithful Read more…