Rob Ketterling

GRASSHOPPER BUTTON STORY

I got my first email yesterday about the grasshopper button but it wasn't exactly what I was hoping for! I won't reveal who it was that got it but it was a teenager that shared the story with me. They shared that someone at their school asked them about the button and when they shared the story, the other student  got angry and said, "If I would have known you were going to share this Jesus crap I would have never asked!" They used a few more colorful words and then walked off.

I was hoping for good reports from the buttons but I knew there would also be sighs and some ridiculing but I was hoping for more positive responses than negative! I'm very proud of this teenager for standing up for their faith and I hope they have an opportunity to get a positive response in the future. Remember, they don't hate you, they hate the faith you stand for because it says there is truth that must be accepted or rejected. Live the faith in a way that demands that those that don't embrace it will have to notice your good deeds and wonder.

JUST A HEALTH CARE THOUGHT

Does it bother anyone that in order to get Senator Landrieu to vote for the health care bill Senator Reid had to give Louisiana 100 million dollars? Sad day for America...

Job 36:18 Be careful that no one entices you by riches;
   do not let a large bribe turn you aside.

Bean Ball video

Bean ball from Rob Ketterling on Vimeo.

JUST TESTING VIDEO - This is a spoof of a Soap Opera we did for our Forever series on marriage.

 

Almost Forever from River Valley Church on Vimeo.

 

I LOVE TO CAST VISION!

I think it's a joy when you know what your gifts are and get to flow in them. I also think it's miserable when you are not using your gifts or worse yet, don't know what they are and you are not doing what you love to do. That's why I love knowing what my gifts are and being able to use them to advance the Kingdom of God. (If you don't know what your gifts are, please sign up for Discover at RVC, it will help you discover where we're going as a church and help you discover what you're gifted at.)

One of the things I love to do is vision cast. I just love talking vision with members of the RVC staff and also leaders in the church. When it comes to my calling as Pastor, few things excite me as much as vision casting. On the other hand, few things take my energy away as much as detailed management does! (I know what I'm good at and I also know what I'm bad at!)

So today has been a great day to strategize with staff and to also look ahead into 2010 and 2011 and see where we're planning to go and where our vision will take us. I'm looking forward to revealing a lot of this in January when we start the series "The House", but until then, I'm focusing as much as I can on the upcoming Christmas series.

GREAT MIRACLE OFFERING WEEKEND

No, this is not a revealing of the Miracle Offering this past weekend, it's just my thoughts on the weekend! (The reveal is for the first weekend in December and you can still give this week if you want to get in on it.) I really enjoyed it that we changed it up and had everyone come forward to give, we won't make e it a regular thing, but it really felt like we did the right thing doing that.

I thought the weekend went great and I had a blast preaching four times with an illustrated sermon. The music team did amazing and our tech team put in some really long hours. Thank you guys, we have a very talented and amazing team!

If you haven't already done it, go to the website and download the lists of who you are in Christ and what His promises mean to you. In addition to that, you ca get Kami's book of her thoughts of who she is in Christ, it's very inspiring for those struggling to believe the ppromises of God. (Oh yeah, one more thing, if you didn't get a "I am not a Grasshopper" button be sire to get one of those as well!"

Well, I have to get going, I'm speaking at the Assemblies of God Theological Seminary at 9:30 today so I have to gather my thoughts. Thank you to all of you that call RVC your church home and help with all the wonderful ministry we do. It was a great Miracle Offering weekend!  

GOT OUR MIRACLE OFFERING CHECK READY

Becca and I got our check ready today in anticipation of this weekend's miracle offering and we're really looking forward to all that's ahead! We're believing that many of you will join us in giving towards the youth centers (In Russia, Minneapolis and Apple Valley) and also the renovations to our Faribault campus. It should be a time of anticipation  and celebration as we see how all of us doing something, can amount to something amazing. Please pray and make plans to participate in this opportunity to change a generation!

I keep thinking about the changed lives that will result in doing all these projects and I hope you can see this as well. Teens will fill these buildings and we will have the opportunity to change the next generation and really make a difference. Please join us in making this a reality and ask God wat he would like you to do. I'm praying that there will be a huge level of participation and also some large gifts that can really help us get this done.

The best is yet to come!

FCA AT OUR HOME

I've enjoyed my day off today just hanging out with Becca, running a few errands and getting caught up on some things. It's a much needed time of rest after a busy weekend of church four times and other ministry. Now tonight, we're hosting the Lakeville North Fellowship of Christian Athletes at our home and I'm looking forward to it. It should be fun packing the basement with teenagers having a Bible Study with Coach Zweber and the leadership of FCA. I would have loved to have a basement like this to host events in when I was a Youth Pastor! (It starts at 7PM if you are part of Lakeville North High School and want to attend.)

I'm glad we get to do something like hosting FCA because it just feels like ministry and it's not related to RVC where I serve as the Lead Pastor. It just gives Becca and I an opportunity to serve and minister for some other ministry just like people do for us at RVC. I think it's important that we do things like this and have other ministry involvement so that not all of our serving the Lord is done at our church. Now don't get me wrong, I love serving at RVC and I think you should too, but I think those of us on staff should have some other ministry involvement so that it's not all done at the place we work at. Does that make sense? I guess what I'm saying is that I need to make sure I'm doing stuff because I'm a follower of Jesus and not only doing it because I'm the Pastor.

GREAT SERMON PASTOR

Yesterday I was in a clothing store just waiting for Becca and looking at some T-shirts when a lady in the store walked by me and said, "Great sermon yesterday Pastor Rob."  It caught me off guard because we were in Edina and honestly, I didn't think anyone in the store knew me or was at RVC this weekend but it was fun to hear the compliment from her. I asked her, what did you like and she told me that it was the real life application that she enjoys so much. That's what I'm trying to do so I'm glad it's getting through!

I've heard that there are three approaches to preaching/teaching. 1) Teach the Bible to people. 2) Teach people the Bible. 3) Teach people how to live according to the Bible. I like the third one and that's what I'll be teaching to the Pastoral students at North Central today when I teach the Homiletics II classes. The point of preaching/teaching is not to make smarter sinners, or just cover the material, it's to teach people how to be doers of the word and not hearers only.

Church growth expert Josh Hunt makes the point that the great commission says that we are to make disciples, teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. I hope I can do that, help you and others learn to obey and apply the word of God to your everyday life.

URGE ALERTS

I was reading about this recently and I was wondering if the church could do something like this or do we even need to? Does the fact that our church services are at the same time negate the need for a URGE ALERT? I know when I see the Hot Krispy Kreme Now light, it's like a beacon calling me in (Even after my "Change Before You Have To" series!) and it demands that I rethink my plans! So, is there anything the church can do to get people to re-think their plans and have an Urge Alert? Is that what Twitter is? And does Twitter as an Urge Alert even work?

Just thinking...about church and ...hot donuts!