Hype

Recently, someone pretty close to me said that while he liked the message he had just heard at Riverview and he liked the pastor he heard....Riverview was just a bunch of hype.

Ouch.

That hurt. But why?

First, it hurt because of the source. My dad told me when I was young to always consider the source. The person who said it meant a lot to me and I think he was trying to bring me down a little. I also think that maybe he had a point and while I wanted to hear it, the "disagreement" we were having was too heated and emotional.

Second, I took it personal. Riverview did not change my life. The Lord changed my life and He used Riverview to do it. And my first impression of this church I love so much? Yeah. You remember. Hype. The music, the message, the laid back attitude....it was all hype to me. But I came back and thank God I did. Riv has taught me that I don't want to just be a believer. I need to be a sacrifcial follower. I need to walk my talk and talk my walk. I learned how God loves me and uses me. I learned how and why Christ died. I learned so much about myself and other people. Bridges replaced walls in my life.

Riverview is a diverse place. The staff changes things up all the time. Today, the music style was a lot harder and I could tell people were a little uncomfortable with it. Riverview was trying something new, though. They were daring to be different to help us embrace other forms of worship. Not that we have to like all of it but I think we need to be a little more accepting. I thought about Christians from other churches and denominations walking in while the band played today. I think many would call the music satanic even though the band was singing about Jesus and being saved by Him. You have to stop and get beyond your own opinions and crap sometimes to see the heart of people. Yes, Riv is sometimes cutting edge and that is what people might call hype. But Riv is also traditional and folky at other times. You can be both.

I looked around the room during the last song today and I saw the diversity: old and young were singing as one. A woman in her 60s was standing in front of me. As the band played "How Great Is Our God," this woman rose her hands into the air in praise. Soon, she was wiping tears from her eyes. This edgier and harder music was moving this woman in her 60s to tears...and in a good way. Suddenly, the band broke into "How Great Thou Art" and I almost had to wipe tears from my eyes. This isn't hype. This is real and true. Riverview is combining the old with the young, the new with the traditional. They do make mistakes but today was not a mistake because people are being saved and they are running towards God. Just to clarify, Riverview isn't saving people. God is using Riverview to save people and He's doing it in new and old ways.

Great message.

Great music.

Awesome power, God.