I pray that like me, your 2024 Advent celebration is increasing your joy in our LORD, and raising your anticipation of HIS certain 2nd Coming. Just thinking about that washes the heaviness in my heart away and resets my mind to a place of great peace. I hope you’re having similar experiences.This Sunday, in our Christmas Teaching series entitled NO…

Names matter! Based on information gathered from the Social Security Administration, the “Top Baby Names for 2023” were:For Boys For Girls1. Liam Olivia2. Noah Emma3. Oliver CharlotteBecause names matter, I actually work hard at trying to remember names. I wish I were better at it. It is something for which I regularly ask GOD’s help.While names in…

I love that our country devoted a “national holiday” to give thanks to GOD for HIS blessings on us. I pray that on the day of “Giving Thanks”, you were able to take a few moments to reflect on the goodness of GOD in your life and thank HIM for all that HE has done!If for nothing else, I pray you thanked HIM for sending HIS One and only SON, through…

I don’t know about you, but when I look at the culture around me, here in the country that I love, I don’t see very many people talking, or tweeting, or posting thankful thoughts. In fact, just the opposite seems to be true. About all I see and hear, is griping and grumbling.When JESUS walked among us, He called those who would follow Him to join H…

We are in a difficult season for many in our nation, and in our church. We’re still coming through an extremely contentious election season and entering a transition of leadership at the highest levels of government. We’re also entering the holiday season, which for many becomes a time of heavy-heartedness due to loss.All of this brings unique trig…

Like many, I am grateful that this election season is almost in our rearview mirrors. While I would never diminish the importance of any election, and hold with conviction that participation is a high privilege and the significant responsibility of every citizen, not every election can be the “most consequential election of our lifetime”!All too of…

Every person has some desire to see their life, and the lives of people they love, flourish!GOD’s Word tells us that our lives will flourish as we are “planted in the House of the LORD” (see Psalm 92:12-13).In this message, Pastor Joe Still explores how to best be “planted in the HOUSE OF THE LORD”!Oleh Riverbluff Church

I remember having a conversation with a farmer about ripe fruit. The farmer told me that when you pick fruit that is not ripe, that it can be very difficult. He mentioned that you could hit the fruit with a baseball bat and not dislodge it from the tree. However, when the fruit is ripe you can just brush it with your fingertips and it will fall int…

I believe it was Theologian Dale Bruner who first called the HOLY SPIRIT, the “shy member of the Trinity,” because He doesn't like to draw attention on Himself and He is always gentle. While I have personally found those attributes to be true, the scriptures also point out that the HOLY SPIRIT desires to be very active in our lives, especially help…

GOD’ Word is replete with accounts of GOD’s people marking HIS goodness with great celebrations and construction of memorial markers! This message will be such a celebration and it will become part of our “Memorial Wall to GOD’s Goodness” in our main hallway. We have so much to celebrate - our 82nd anniversary of GOD planting our church, the provis…

One of the realities of storms is they churn up insecurity when they blow into town. Our hearts and minds can be flooded and blown about with all kinds of concerning thoughts.One of the insecurities that Satan repeatedly tries to churn up in us relates to our “Eternal Security”. But, GOD has given us an assurance of our Salvation’s Security in the …

Many of us were taught to avoid conversational topics like Politics and Religion. I fear that teaching has played a significant role in bringing us to where we are in our culture today; the boiling point!Maybe instead of being taught to “avoid”, we should have been taught “how to”; how to have conversations about such topics, granting respect and h…

Pentecost - Let the HOLY SPIRIT be Your WORSHIP LEADER - September 15, 2024 by Riverbluff ChurchOleh Riverbluff Church

In Matthew Chapter 24, the Gospel writer records JESUS teaching His disciples about the global conditions before His 2nd Coming. There, JESUS tells them (and us), that before His Great Return, “There will be more and more evil in the world…” v12 (NCV). This week’s school shooting in Winder, Georgia, is but one example of the growth of “more and mor…

If you have ever seen a fish out of water, you know that it just flops around, wiggling and jumping all over the place. If it's out of water, it's out of its intended environment. The fish is trying to move but it can't go anywhere because it's not in the environment it was made to be in. So it flops and twists and flips, absolutely going nowhere. …

After my message two weeks ago (August 11, 2024) on the armor of God, the question came, “can we pray the armor onto someone else?” While the answer is, “not exactly”, the heart of that question is “can our prayers help others against the spiritual attacks of our great enemy and his minions?” The answer to that question is absolutely yes!While each…

I’ve talked often about growing up in the home of a Residential Home Builder. It gave me the skills to actually build the house Kathy and I have lived in since we married in 1983. One of the skills my dad taught me was how to spot good quality building materials, which is quite important, because all construction products are not created equally. P…

In this message, Pastor Joe Still continues our journey through the Bible, growing to know the Person and Power of the Holy Spirit! Join us as we celebrate the Goodness of our GOD!Oleh Riverbluff Church

Believed to be written in the 5th century BC, Sun Tzu’s, THE ART OF WAR is a military classic. I’ve read that it is still required reading for certain Marine programs, for Navy SEALs, and for Officer Training. It may seem “non-pastoral” to reference this, or to even admit that I’ve read it and it’s in my Kindle library; but it has actually become a…

THE PARABLE OF THE NEW CARA man who had never driven or even ridden in a car, was given the gift of a brand new car. He was so very happy with his new car. He invites his friend over to show them his new car. He shows them the beautiful paint job. He shows them the soft upholstery. He has them sit in it. He points out all the amenities like the ste…

While every week I look forward to the time we gather together to celebrate JESUS and fellowship with one another, I am especially eager for this week’s gathering. This Sunday we have the special blessing of Students leading us in worship and sharing what the LORD has done in them, around them, and through them, at FUGE Camp this Summer!I am also l…

Staying Calm When a Crisis ComesA message from Acts 27:9-29 by Pastor Joe StillOleh Riverbluff Church

I pray your celebration of being blessed to live in a nation filled with so many freedoms was filled with joy this Fourth of July. Our national freedom is a remarkable thing to be deeply treasured!So too, is our “Freedom in Christ”!Luke 22 records several discussions Jesus had with His disciples. In verse 35, we read Jesus asking them an interestin…

This past Wednesday our nation celebrated “Juneteenth”! The holiday, with it’s name derived by combining the month “June” and the ordinal number “nineteenth”, became a national holiday in 2021. While Juneteenth, also known as Emancipation Day and Jubilee Day has only been celebrated nationally for a few years, it has actually been celebrated since …

In this Father’s Day message, Pastor Joe Still will take some moments to honor and pray for dads.As little children, many of us grew up thinking of our dads as strong and powerful. They could lift us over their heads and throw us up into the air, evoking laughter and shouts of joy. It was a trait, for which we were grateful. While we now realize th…

Where are your roots? You might have been asked that question a time or two by someone wanting to get to know you a little bit better. How did you respond? Did you tell them your hometown, your college alma mater, or maybe even your neighborhood? Did you share about your family?The Bible speaks about our roots and also a seemingly unrelated concept…

The Apostle John included many truths and statements JESUS made about the PERSON of the HOLY SPIRIT. One of those recurring truths that JESUS points His followers to is a need one must have if they long to see the HOLY SPIRIT moving and growing in their lives, their church, and their community.If your heart is heavy to see a great movement of GOD i…

About ten years ago, news outlets began reporting on an outbreak of “Identity Theft” scams targeting the IRS and our tax returns. In that season the office of the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration released a report that “confirmed IRS identity theft cases, and these returns accounted for additional losses estimated to be more than $…

While I’m not a slave to what may be known as the orthodox “church calendar”, I do keep up with it, knowing that millions of my brothers and sisters in Christ live closely tuned into it. With PENTECOST Sunday approaching, I went back and reread a short, but wonderful book by A.W. Tozer entitled, HOW TO BE FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT.In my opinion, …

Proverbs 31:28 tells us something incredible about Godly Mothers. It says, “Her children stand and bless her.” The verses just before, tell us why that would happen: “She is clothed with strength and dignity, and she laughs without fear of the future. When she speaks, her words are wise, and she gives instructions with kindness. She carefully watch…

In our verse-by-verse journey through the Epistle of James, I am so grateful that the LORD arranged for us to study this passage on the Sunday following the National Day of Prayer. This gratitude exists, because any deeply thoughtful praying, over the serious problems that plague our nation, can sometimes leave one feeling confused, depleted, and m…

“How do we navigate the Hard times in our life”Jesus said in John 16:33"I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”We are warned that we will have trouble in this world. As we continue in the book of James, we note that the Bible does not shy awa…

Since the beginning of 2024, we have been digging deep into our study of the book in the Bible written by JESUS’ little brother James. James can pack a “literary punch to the gut” at times. He uses very practical, but very challenging words to call us to a FAULTless FAITH! (Which is the name of our series.)In this message, Pastor Joe Still looks at…

As we’ve seen from our study through the first four chapters, James was teaching Christ-followers how to develop a faith without cracks or weakness, a FAULTless FAITH!In this message, Pastor Joe Still turns our attention to the last five verses of chapter four, learning from James how to step into the future with a strong faith!…

In this message from Pastor Joe Still, we continue our celebration of the Resurrection of JESUS, as we look at final moments Jesus spent with His followers before ascending into Heaven. The Gospel writer Luke records some of the most exciting and hope-filled words ever spoken by angels to humankind!We'll take time to reflect on three incredibly bea…

This service is a meaningful and sobering prelude to the Easter weekend, commonly called Maundy Thursday. It is solemn and focuses on Jesus’ last supper with His disciples and His subsequent arrest, rejection, and death. It’s a truly different kind of worship experience that allows us to live out the teaching that Jesus gave His followers to “remem…

The Friday before Easter Sunday is known as “Good Friday”. It is a day recognized and celebrated by followers of JESUS all around the world!Some might think, “well it wasn’t such a good day for JESUS”, and while I understand that line of thinking, it truly misses the heart of the Gospel and the heart of our Savior. The scriptures tell us: “FOR THE …

HOPE is not a frivolous nicety to have; it is an essential human need!This message from Pastor Joe Still takes the first step on “THE ROAD TO RESURRECTION HOPE”.Oleh Riverbluff Church

The story is told that Winston Churchill was once attending an official ceremony in London in his later years. Two men sitting behind him recognized him and began to whisper back and forth to each other. “They say Churchill’s quite senile now,” said the one. “Yes, they say he’s doing England more harm than good,” replied the other. “They say he sho…

“WHERE DO ALL THE FIGHTS AND QUARRELS AMONG YOU COME FROM?” (James 4:1)What a great question for our day and times!As I write this, I know that our President will be giving his “State of the Union Message” tonight. Any who plan to watch, go into it anticipating “FIGHTS AND QUARRELS” to arise from his talk, as well as from the “other party leader” w…

**Please Note: There is a small lapse in the sermon at minute 24:55, due to a power failure.There In 1990, the term “Emotional Intelligence” was coined by two researchers, Peter Salavoy and John Mayer in their article “Emotional Intelligence” in the journal Imagination, Cognition, and Personality. It was later popularized by Dan Goleman in his best…

In an age when words have been weaponized like never before, those of us who follow JESUS, must pattern our “way with words” from the clear teachings of GOD’s Word and not the way of the world. No place in the scriptures, are GOD’s instructions for how to use our words more clearly addressed, than in the letter written by James, the little brother …

In this message, Pastor Dean Infinger continues our study of the book of James. The passage focuses on James 2:14-26 which concerns the combination of Faith & Works. As Christians, we can struggle with the topic of works. Often we feel we need to make up for past sins with works. We can desire to earn the grace that God freely gives. Scripture is c…

"To dwell above with those we love, that will be a glory.But to dwell below, with those we know, that's another story."While I was not quickly able to find who authored that brief poem, their words still hold great truth! If you’ve been in church for any length of time, you know some relationships in the church can be a bit challenging. So how do w…

In our study of the incredible letter written by the earthly brother of our LORD JESUS, we have celebrated how “down-to-earth” and practical the counsel is that James gives us for growing a “Faultless Faith”. Unfortunately, James’ practical approach to living the Christian Life, has been misunderstood by some, leading them to a “works-based” pursui…

God’s Word speaks of our salvation in three different tenses. We have been saved. We are being saved. And, we shall be saved. These do not create contradiction nor tension. All three truths are there. I have been saved, that is, in the past when I received Jesus Christ as my personal Savior; I was saved forever from the penalty of sin. And one day,…

Have you ever heard of daredevil Bobby Leach?On July 25, 1911 he became the second person to ever successfully go over Niagara Falls in a barrel. Later in his life, Bobby Leach died from surgical complications after slipping on an orange peel, severely damaging his leg. Which once again proves the saying, “It’s the little things that kill you!”Far …

What could be the possible connection between, our suffering, God’s Wisdom, and our faith and doubts?In this message, Pastor Joe Still turns our attention to James 1:5-11 for answers to this question by examining back-to-back verses, the first we love, but the second sinks our souls if we misunderstand what James writes.…

The word “FAULT” has several synonyms that provide different shades of meaning. One is “WEAKNESS”, such as a moral weakness. Another is “RESPONSIBILITY”, as in the case of wrongdoing or failure. Yet another meaning is “GEOLOGICAL”, as in the San Andreas Fault.There seems to be no real positive aspect to the meanings associated to the word “FAULT”; …

During this service, we sing “WHAT CHILD IS THIS”. I’m not sure if there has ever been a more important question in the history of humanity.The impact that Jesus has had on human history, on the human condition, and on our understanding of the obligations of one human being to another is unmatched, there’s not even a close second. With the coming o…