Rob Ketterling

PASTOR SENTENCED TO DEATH

This is so sad and disturbing as I read that Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani in Iran is sentenced to death this Friday because he converted to Christianity from Islam. This must be reported and noticed by all ofthe world because the world continues to say Islam is a peaceful religion and yet in the name of Islam, this man is scheduled to be killed. I know that not all muslims are in agreement with this but I ask you, where is the outrage? Where are the nations of Islam interceding for this man? They are silent!

I also know that much evil has been done in the name of Christianity but let me ask you, when was the last time you heard of anyone being killed for not converting to Christianity? Or imprisoned for not converting? Or killed because they left the faith? 

It's time to call it like it is, Islam is not being practiced as a religion of peace around the world. Please pray for Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani and that the Islamic leaders in Iran will spare his life, set him free and not assassinate him once he gets out. People should be free to follow any faith they choose and be free to share their faith in the public arena. We all may disagree on what is the right way, (I am convinced in my faith in Jesus and believe 100%, it is the power of God for salvation only in the name of Jesus.) but killing, abusing and threatening people that convert or won't convert is wrong and should be exposed.

God bless you Pastor Youcef Nadarkhani, the Church of Jesus Christ stands with you. You are a man of God and if you are not delivered from the hands of your captors, you will be delivered into the hands of a waiting God that will welcome you home with a strong "Well done!" 

#originalslang

I am really looking forward to our next series, #originalslang and can't wait to preach this weekend about the "fly in the ointment". I know, it's probably not the most used slang/idiom but it gave birth to a few more notable ones of which "One bad apple spoils the whole bunch" is probably much more familiar. I promise you, it will be a good series, an informative series, a convicting series and one that you should easily be able to invite friends to! Here's how.

Anytime you hear a friend use a slang term or idiom, you can follow it up with an invite to the series. Easy isn't it?! For example, someone says, "I'll be back in a New York minute" and you can smile and say something like, "What does that mean?' Most likely they won't know exactly but that will get them thinking. Then simply talk about our series on #originalslang (Remember the # is for Twitter, we want to see how far the reach of the series is!) and see where it goes. See if there's an opportunity to invite them to church. It works as well to have the card we gave you in your bulletin as well! (If you need more of the cards, you can find them at the welcome center.) Easy isn't it?! As a matter of fact, it's as easy as pie. (I couldn't resist!)

GREAT TO HAVE CHRISTINE CAINE WITH US

It was so good to have Chris Caine with us this past weekend for our services and for Sparkle, I love her fire and enthusiasm and the messages she brought to the women and also to the entire church this weekend! Becca always seems to get the best preachers for her Sparkle conference and this year was no different, once again, amazing speaker!

I would have to say that it's one of my favorite things to do is bringing in guest speakers that can be a blessing to our church. When I realize the caliber of the guests we've had, I sure hope you realize that if we're bringing in someone, they're good! Doesn't matter if you've never heard of them, I hope my track record shows that they will be good, anointed and have a message. 

I'm curious now, who has made the biggest impact on you as a guest preacher? I'd love to know who it was and what they said or did that impacted you!  (Let me know if you don't want me to post it otherwise I will.)

ALL THOUGHTS SPARKLE

Right now it seems like everything is focusing on Sparkle and I'm so excited to see all of the details come together for this amazing women's conference! The decorations are being made, the tech is being installed and the band, and performers are rehearsing!

I'm prepping for my message (Becca's letting me preach!) and I'm sure that Chris Caine is ready to roll! I can't wait for her to be with us again, it's been a couple of years since we've had her with us and she is such an amazing preacher/evangelist/world changer! Ladies, if you're on the fence, sign up now! We only have a few spots left! (We have room for 1000) Also, this is for everyone, don't miss Chris this weekend at all of our campuses. Bring a friend and we'll make room for you! (Hey Apple Valley campus, we are opening up the youth auditorium for all Sunday services as an alternative venue. More elbow room, softer worship, etc. give it a try if the main auditorium is too full for your liking!)

We're only a few days away but right now, all thoughts Sparkle!

SPARKLE, SPARKLE, SPARKLE!!

Ladies, don't miss out on the pre-registration rate today for Sparkle! If you're coming to the conference and you haven't registered, this is the day! Chris Caine will be speaking, Becca will be hosting, I'll be speaking, our amazing worship team will be leading us in worship and God's going to do amazing things!

We also will have the after-party, food and a few surprises! In addition to all of that, we are going to try and raise $30,000 for A21 ministries as they fight against human sex trafficking. If you are attending and would like to help with this, we are asking that you bring in your old, unused, broken or bad memory jewelry so we can donate the proceeds to the A21 ministry and raise money to set women free!

So much fun, so much good, so many opportunities for God to touch your lives ladies, be there!  

READY FOR FALL

I guess that I have no choice but to embrace the fact that Summer is really over and Fall is here. Yesterday's weather had me confused but now this morning, the crisp, cold air has reminded me that Fall is here and it's not leaving. I think the weather is the only thing that I don't like about Fall (Don't get me wrong, the Fall is great, it just means Winter is coming!) because so much of what happens around the church in the Fall is really great. Here's what I mean.

This past weekend, hundreds and hundreds of more people were in church. Almost 200 of them made decisions for the Lord and for that, I am eternally grateful. Our Fall sermon series is always an outreach type and it always makes me glad to see so many of our regular members inviting friends. It's also great knowing that people are more consistent in attending the services and being with the church family. I really like that!

Fall is also a time when our kid's ministry cranks back up on wednesdays and this year, we have the amazing youth center in Apple Valley open and last week, 440 teens worshipped in our new space. Wow, that's an encouraging thing to see and it wasn't only in Apple Valley, it was at all of our campuses!

It's also a time for special things and one of them I love is Sparkle! My wife has done a wonderful job with the women's ministry and her Sparkle Conference is huge! Ladies, don't forget to register by this Wednesday and get in on the reduced rate! This is all part of the Fall season and the more I think about it, I'm actually ready for Fall!

L

YOU ARE I AM!!!!

It's official, YOU ARE I AM is out on iTunes and you can download it now! Go to iTunes and search "River Valley Church You are" and you will find it for only $9.99 so go ahead and start the downloads!
Great Job team! I'm so proud of all of the hard work that all of our Fine Arts/Worship team put into this effort! Today is going to be a great time watching this CD go all around the world via iTunes!

BIG WEEKEND AND MORE AHEAD!

We just finished a great weekend as we get ready to close out Summer and head into Fall! I'm not excited that the weather will be changing but I'm excited as we get ready to see people coming back to church after a long summer break and also looking forward to our True North in 3-D starting up this week! 

Michael Murphy did a great job preaching a pre-3-D sermon and if you were at our Savage, Faribault or Minnetrista campus you heard a great message from one of our teaching team as we focus on what's ahead! 

This week, we have our CD release date on itunes on Tuesday so do all you can to spread the word, buy the CD (You are I am) on itunes and seriously help us get out a great set of worship songs! In addition to the CD release, on Friday we will be having our CD release party! If you are interested in joining us for an amazing night of worship, join us at 7PM at our Apple Valley Campus! I promise you it will be a great night of praise and worship! 

We start our True North in 3-D next Saturday and Sunday so do whatever you can to get someone to come to church with you! The intro video really will be in 3-D and we will be handing out 3-D glasses! 

GREAT VIDEO SHOOT

Just want to give a shout out to our video team at church. They do such a great job of shooting, editing and producing some amazing videos for our church. Next week they're trying something new with 3-D video and I can hardly wait to see the final product! True North in 3-D is going to be great because of some hard work by Tom, Nick and Paul. Thanks guys for your hard work!