God has commissioned His Body, the congregation of Christ-Followers, to go everywhere telling people about Jesus! But many times we, as His Church, forget to nourish and care for the members of our own family first. We get so busy with life and doing “God’s Word” that we leave our family’s to the influence of the worldly system.

It’s time for us to re-define, re-value, re-empower the FAMILY as God designed!

To be a strong Church, we must first be diligent at healing and strengthening our family relationships!

Please join us as we pursue God’s design for the Family, break the generational cycles of the past and become the Mighty Army of God that is victorious as we stand IN Christ our Saviour.

As You guide us through the counsel of Your Word through the direction of the Holy Spirit, may You prosper us in the midst of national economic and moral turbulence; may You strengthen us with Your glorious power so we may acquire the endurance and patience we will need to accomplish the task ahead with a joyful heart.

I give thanks to You Lord for blessing our families, for delivering us from the power of darkness, and transferring us into Your Kingdom as citizens through Jesus Christ.

Dear Father, may we challenge our hearts to focus on thankfulness rather than the situations that fight to distract us!

Rob & Belinda

Read Colossians 1

From end of school year festivities, awards assemblies, High School graduations, beginning of summer vacation, 4th of July weekend, Lompoc Community clean up, church facility upgrades, moving residences and a host of other wonderful yet time consuming things it seems that just yesterday it was May.

In the midst of our very busy lives, it seems that it is much more difficult to keep our focus on Christ and fulfilling the purposes for which the Father saved us. But for this reason, we MUST be more intentionally focused than ever.

Within the next few weeks, things will be returning to a resemblance of what we may consider normalcy. School starting, sports programs gearing up, and back to the proverbial grind. Take the time to reinstate the disciplines of your faith. You can't 'make' time so you must 'take' the time to read God's Word, pray, worship, fast and seek His face on a daily basis.

People you know and love are dying everyday without Jesus right here in Lompoc and Jesus is counting on you to tell them that God loves them. We can't afford to miss this chance; it may be our last.

Maranatha!

Rob & Belinda

"i choose CHRIST!"

That's us! Well at least it's supposed to be. We have lived through countless generations of humanity each one touting that they had the answers to age old questions that their ancestors could never figure out. As each generation comes and goes, we realize that we have all had our own theme, our own identity, our own way of making ourselves feel like we were the "one" who would straighten everything out from the failures of the past. When in reality within a few short years, we too become a past generation who failed the masses and brought our own special signature of arrogance to the heap of world tragedy. We do the same thing in the Church.

Ouch! Sounds a little rough, doesn't it? The truth hurts, and if we don't own up to it, we will keep reliving it over and over again. I, for one, am tired of the perpetuation of this type of mindset and have been asking the Lord to help me face the mistakes I have made, even though my motivation may have been pure, and begin the correction process. The truth is that it's not about 'one' generation; it's about a people. A people described by Isaiah in his 58th chapter as being made up of multiple generations, ALL colors, ALL shapes and sizes, and from ALL walks of life. A people that are willing to rebuild the places of past generational successes, embrace today's generational discoveries, and establish a foundation for the generational growth and conquests of tomorrow.

It takes all of us! We must embrace the mindset that Christ modeled and then reiterated on the Day of Pentecost saying, that He will pour out His Spirit on ALL of mankind. The multi-generational theme also transcends time as we see it revealed as an apocalyptic truth in Revelation when a great multitude beyond number of ALL nations, of ALL cultures, and nationalities, of ALL generations, and ALL diverse languages stand at the throne of God in a united mind and a united heart worshiping the glorious King of Kings, Jesus Christ!

Let us complete God's Kingdom work as the multi-generational church He has ordained us to be, and fulfill His greatest desire as we lift up the name of Jesus and reconcile a lost world back to a Father's heart.

Forever lifting up the glorious name of Jesus!
Rob

Isaiah 58:12 - Acts 2:16-21 - Revelation 7:9-10

What a God of Grace we serve!

The God of all creation chose you to be a reflection of His Holiness. Such an honor for you and I to mirror God's character, His image, to a world that is without hope.

He chose you for this awesome task and even when we willfully decide not to choose Him, Grace stands in the gap. His Grace patiently waits for us to respond to the Love that He displayed toward us through the giving of His Son to bring us back to Himself and empower us for the fulfilling of His purpose.

We have been called to be distributors of this Grace and vessels of His Love. We are His extensions to a world who desperately needs this glorious message of Hope and Good News! So let's stop following the desires of self, let's make the intentional decision to choose CHRIST and fulfill the task God has set before us.

Journeying with you for the glory of our King!

Rob & Belinda
Lead Pastor

We've heard a lot about change from our national administration over the past two years. And we've seen the sad result of change not initiated by God, but rather the pride of men and women who are under the assumption that they have the answers to life's problems and how to fix the plight of the world.

Wait, this sounds too familiar doesn't it? We need to be careful to cast to quick of a condemning finger when we have three more fingers pointing right back at us!

This does not mean we cannot make wise judgments of what has and hasn't worked in the past so that we may be wiser in our future generations. We not only 'can' judge these things, but are 'required' to do so. This in no way means that our forefathers did everything right, but it also doesn't mean that they did everything wrong either. The same holds true for the Body of Christ. Those who were previous leaders in generations past didn't necessarily do everything right, but they sure didn't do everything wrong either. God honored their sincere prayers and answered them in sometimes miraculous- supernatural ways that we haven't seen nearly as much as we would like in this current generation. He built His Church on the foundation stone of His Son as these heroes of faith poured out their hearts and lives in what was sometimes an offering of anguish for the lost souls of our community.

God is getting ready to bring change to His Church, beginning right here in Lompoc, California. Are we ready to go where He is leading? We have no options; we MUST be ready! The future of His Church depends on it! The future of your children and grandchildren depend on it! Don't lose heart, don't lose focus, we are Reclaiming the Central Coast for Jesus Christ and by the power of the Holy Spirit we will prevail. But we MUST be willing to follow the Lord's lead to change...

“The Lord your God will change your heart and the hearts of all your descendants, so that you will love him with all your heart and soul and so you may live!" Deuteronomy 30:6 (NLT)

Rob :^)
Lead Pastor

Time flies! February is here again. That time of year when everyone yearns to be wanted. When every girl looks for her knight to call her his very own, and every boy looks for that special princess to rescue. Everyone wants to be someone’s special someone. A place of acceptance, a place to belong, a place of safety, a place to feel valued and a place to be loved. Truly loved. Not for what you have or what your status is in the circle of society you may run in, but just to be loved for who you are.

This is a natural, God given desire that He has intricately woven into the fabric of our DNA. But too many times we turn to external sources to fill the need that only He can truly fill!

God loved you so much that He poured the fullness of who He is into His Son, Jesus Christ, so He could bring you back to Himself and make you ONE with Him through Jesus' sacrifice of His own life. And because of this, you stand in front of the Almighty Creator holy and blameless without one single fault.

You are accepted, you belong, you are safe, you are valued as priceless and you are loved. All because of what Christ Jesus did for you!

Listen carefully and you'll hear Him say, "Come away with me and Be My Valentine!"

Happy Valentine's Day and God bless you!

Rob
Lead Pastor

"i choose CHRIST!"

In 2010, we resolved to Choose CHRIST! As we enter into 2011, the resolve remains the same, yet is given greater focus. If we have truly "chosen CHRIST" then our focused resolve should be "To lift Him up!" In every area of our lives, our greatest goal should be to join the Father in exalting the name of Jesus for all the world to see. Ephesians 2:7 tells us that God desires to point the world’s eyes to us as examples of His incredible Grace and what the power of His love can do in a person’s life if we truly choose to follow Jesus.
In 2011 let us resolve "To lift Him up!" as we:

o Intercede for the Lost!

o Breakdown the enemy's strongholds! And

o Awaken the Church to rise up and BE the Church!

Reclaiming the Central Coast of California for Jesus CHRIST!

Rob and Belinda :^)
Lead Pastor

Reclaiming the Central Coast for Jesus CHRIST!

960 hours of continuous prayer; more fasting than we've done in the past 10 years combined; communion services, special prayer vigils. Interceding for the lost; tearing down the enemy's strongholds; waking up the Church beginning with Riverview Church of God!

What now? Why did we do all of this? What was the reason? Are we still praying? Are we still fasting? Are we still interceding? Are we still tearing down strongholds in our lives and helping other do the same? Are we still feeling the Holy Spirit stir us to our destiny, which is solely to "LIFT UP THE NAME OF JESUS CHRIST!"

Wednesday morning, October 27th, 2010, tired from three days of revival services with Sandi Querin and 50 days of preparation to ready our hearts to go where God desires to take us in reclaiming the land for His Son Jesus CHRIST!

I run to town around 7:00 AM. Looking around I notice a lightness, a lifting of sorts over the atmosphere. There was a greater clarity on the faces of the people and even in nature itself. In my spirit I was questioning what this meant. At that moment I heard the Lord, "I have re-written my Great Name [Jesus] on the hearts of men [mankind] and I have re-written My Name upon the heavens above, upon the earth beneath and on all of creation!"

He shared with me that in His mercy He has re-sensitized the hearts of men to hear and respond to the message of the Gospel and to the Name of Jesus CHRIST! But, we must BOLDLY proclaim His name! ONLY as the name of Jesus CHRIST is BOLDLY proclaimed will the lost be saved, the strongholds be broken, and the Church arise!

The Father then shared with me that this is only a small window of opportunity He has granted us before men's hearts once again grow calloused to His Word and the drawing of His Spirit. We must act NOW! We cannot cram for the harvest, it is a process of preparation. We must plow the hard ground, fertilize the soil, plant seeds and water them giving them time to germinate and grow to maturity so they can bear healthy fruit and provide an abundant harvest!

This is NOT the time to lay down and relax, this is the time to labor even more fervently, read Hosea 10:11-12. God has declared that "...the enemy will be completely broken by the end of the year IF we remain faithful to God's purpose!" He then said that, "...we must be ready for the harvest that will come at that time as well."

Time is of the essence! Listen for the Holy Spirit and BOLDLY declare the Name of Jesus CHRIST in your marketplace! God has authorized the reclamation of the Central Coast for His Son Jesus CHRIST! So let's seize the opportunity to lift up His Mighty Name and present to Him the prize He gave His life for, the reward He is worthy to receive, the heart and souls of a lost humanity!

Lifting up His glorious name, Jesus CHRIST!

Pastor Rob :^)

"i choose CHRIST!"

Riverview Church of God
1000 North 7th St
PO Box 3540
Lompoc, CA 93438
(805) 735-1000
Office@RiverviewCOG.com
www.RiverviewCOG.com

The challenge has been presented; the call has been issued. The Master is crying out to those He gave His life for asking us to join Him in fulfilling His vision for the lost, possessing the land for His glory and winning the hearts of mankind back to Himself.
"When ye see the ark of the covenant of the LORD your God, and the priests the Levites bearing it, then ye shall remove from your place, and go after it. Yet there shall be a space between you and it, about two thousand cubits by measure: come not near unto it, that ye may know the way by which ye must go: for ye have not passed this way heretofore.And Joshua said unto the people, Sanctify yourselves: for to morrow the LORD will do wonders among you." Joshua 3:3-5 (KJV)

So let us follow the Spirit of God where He desires for us to go, let us prepare ourselves for battle tearing down the strongholds of the enemy. In CHRIST, we are anointed to preach the gospel to the poor; we are sent to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, recovering of sight to the blind, to bring forgiveness to those who are crushed, and to proclaim that the time of the Lord's favor has come to humankind. Luke 4:18-19 (KJV)

Taking back the land God has redeemed to Himself, the fertile soil of the human heart! We must S.T.A.N.D.!

God bless,
Pastor Rob

"i choose CHRIST!"

I guess my question would be, "Are we as diligent as the world?" We talk a lot about the need to raise our children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. As Christian parents and leaders, we put a lot of effort into speaking words that sound like we really care. But do you? That's not to say that you actually "don't care", but more so to provoke you to ask yourself, "If I really do care, then how am I caring?"

Our children are one of God's greatest treasures. Do we share God's heart in this? Do we take the time to teach our children the Word of God when they are not at church? Do we lead by an example of Christ-likeness when we are "doing" life? You know what I mean: the daily chores, the hubbub of daily living, the mundane routine of the "system". This is when our testimony really counts. Are we living it out? Not just to "THE world", but more importantly to "YOUR world". How are you and I modeling Jesus to our children? What? You say you don't have children? Look around you, God has entrusted to you many young eyes that are all focused on "you". Yes, you are responsible to lead them as though they were your very own, because they belong to God.

Let's come alongside those who are dedicating their time to work with our children. Let's help Renee', Victoria, Pastor Belinda and their assistants make a difference in the lives of our kids! We only have them for a short time, and then the moment is gone. If we don't get it right, we will live in the aftermath knowing that it was us who lost them to the world, BUT if we follow the leading of the Holy Spirit we can revel in the glory of knowing that we were used by God as we watch our children, as well as grandchildren, take this nation's focus back to God and our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ!

"Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God." Mark 10:14

God bless,
Pastor Rob and Belinda :^)

Oh Lord, I will do what You want me to do. I will go where You want me to go. I will wait for Your return.

Until that day, I will occupy myself with that which occupies You. I will think of that which You think about. I will be consumed with that which consumes You.

If you, my King, came to “seek and save the lost” *, then what greater purpose am I to pursue than that which is most dear to Your heart? There is none other purpose, none other cause, none other business that I am to attend to, nor goal which I am to attain but that which is Your passion. The soul of man.

May You assist me in my plea to cry out to You for the salvation of the lost. May I aid in filling the satisfaction of Your heart. May you find me daily, even hourly, occupying the space between the ”porch and the altar” ✝.

All glory to the Lamb that was slain, to Him who is risen again, to him who sits on the throne! All honour to our glorious God and King Jesus CHRIST!

Pastor Rob

“i choose CHRIST!”

* Luke 19:10
✝ Joel 2:17

The world needs to see a people who are convinced about who they serve and why. We as the members of Christ's body should be the most convincing of any on the face of the earth! We serve the only Man who claimed to be God, then proved it by dying for our offenses against Him and returning from the grave as witnessed by over one hundred eye witnesses and returned to the Creator to make our case of forgiveness for us! Wow!

Why is it that we many times shrink back when we are handed an open door to share about what he has done in our lives? Why is it that we fear the wrath or even embarrassment of peers more than we anticipate the joy we would bring our Saviour if we would stand for Him with no shame or hesitation?

I'll start with this reason, it is because we are not true disciples of Jesus Christ. We don't immerse ourselves in His Word, in His presence, in His doctrine. Instead we immerse ourselves into the trends of our culture and then wonder why we don't have the answers to share or the boldness to stand when those awkward moments arise.

It's time to S.T.A.N.D.! We are the Church of Jesus Christ! It's not about standing "against" anyone. It's about standing on behalf of the souls who do not yet believe. It's about being so convinced of our personal faith in Jesus Christ that those around us, those looking for answers, will stop and take notice. And as they do we gently turn them to face the cross and introduce them to their resurrected Lord! But it won't happen until we S.T.A.N.D. as disciples and immerse ourselves in Him. It is worth it, He is worth it, the world is waiting. What will you do?

Join us as we embark on a journey of equipping, a trek that will challenge us and empower us to S.T.A.N.D.!

Supreme Truth And Non-negotiable Doctrine

For you are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God! Colossians 3:3

Pastor Rob :^)

"i choose CHRIST!"

Apostasy: The abandonment or renunciation of a religious belief.

Have you ever wondered how to keep your faith strong in the midst of an aggressively approaching apostasy against the Christian Faith? People who were once loyal to their glorious Saviour Jesus Christ, those who were maybe sideswiped by a knowledgeable atheist, or drawn away by a weak faith. Or what about those who were once powerhouses, icons that we looked up to? What happened? It's simple... we lost sight of the MARK!

These are all too familiar examples, yet they remind us in a very realistic way that we are ALL susceptible to the drawing away of our flesh, the falling prey to our selfish nature, and the subtle entrance of pride into our daily routine. All of which eats away at the foundation of our faith.

If you have accepted the gift of Salvation given to you by God through His Son Jesus Christ, then as a Christian you must be able to stand on your own faith. You will find out soon enough that people fail. Yes, God forgives, and He absolutely restores, and the one who has fallen may at one time be you. So be careful to remain humble when praying for your fellow believer, or your pride could allow you to be blindsided. The prayer though is not to ask God to prepare us for "when" we fall, but rather to "keep" us from falling in the first place.

If you are at that place in your walk with Christ that these things I have just shared are coming a little too close to home, then you might be ready to give it All to Jesus, take up your cross and follow Him! Are you crying out for "more" of God; more stability; more discipline in your life; more steadfastness in your understanding of the basic fundamental teachings of Christ, then it's time to take the next step and learn to STAND on your own faith instead of riding the shirttails of others.

S.T.A.N.D. : Supreme Truth And Non-negotiable Doctrine

For the next several weeks it is our prayer that with the Holy Spirit's guidance, He will teach us the basic truths of the faith and instill them into each of us in a way that will establish us on the FIRM FOUNDATION of JESUS CHRIST. Not so we can engage in pointless arguments, but so that we can be built up in our most precious faith being able to thwart the attacks of the enemy and humbly convert those who are lost in false doctrine with the love of God through Jesus Christ!
Join us as we embark on this journey in the midst of these troublesome, yet exciting times when people are looking for answers that only the Word of God can truly give!

God bless,

Pastor Rob & Belinda :^)
"i choose CHRIST!"

Well, we've completed our second month. January 3rd, 2010 we came together in agreement that Christ would take the place of preeminence in every area of our hearts and lives and we've been walking it out each day of each week.

It's been a struggle at times, but are you really surprised? The enemy of your soul doesn't want you to succeed in this endeavor. satan knows what happens when God's children grow up and become adults in the Faith of Jesus Christ. It means he isn't as able to bully you around anymore and convince you of his lies. It means that you are becoming disciples of Christ, actual "Participants" in the Faith rather than just "Consumers". And as participants you are being prepared to be "Producers".

Producers? Yes, praise the Lord! In Christ, we have the incredible opportunity to become major "producers", "I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit:..." John 15:5a

"IF" we ABIDE "IN" Him, we will produce an abundance of fruit, in other words, our lives will be prosperous for God's Kingdom in everything we do!

Remain fixed in the "state of being" that Christ has purchased for you! Abide in Him!

God bless,

Pastor Rob & Belinda :^)

It's February 2010! Just one month ago, January 3, 2010, many of you stood corporately, yet as individuals, to make a formal public declaration to "choose CHRIST!"

Since then we've celebrated our resolve to "choose CHRIST!", when our true celebration should be focused on the fact that He chose you! And because of His resolve to choose you through the power of HIs blood shed on the cross He released to you the power to choose Him! "As many as received Him, to them gave He power to be the sons and daughters of God, even to them that believe on HIs name." John 1:12. Praise the Lord!

Later in the month God challenged your declaration to "choose CHRIST!" by issuing to you an Ephesus Challenge (Read-Acts 19 11-20). He was wanting to see proof, evidence, of your declaration, more than empty words. Many of you accepted God's challenge and found yourself purging your life of ungodly, anti-Christ material that had snuck into your homes through inappropriate movies, music, books, internet, video games, etc. You continued the purging by realizing that it's not just evil things, but time wasters, things that continuously take time away from our time with Him and developing relationships with those around us to whom we have been sent. We were humbled at the reality of God's grace and His mercy as we forged forward to declare in every area of our lives "i choose CHRIST!"

February is a new month, a fresh start to once again formally declare our declaration as well as look back upon the greatness of God's glory that is being released to His children as we truly choose His Son! Because of your heart's cry to choose His Son and proving it by your actions, the name of Jesus will be magnified and God will begin to release His Word to grow mightily and prevail in displays of overcoming power!

Stay focused my brothers and sisters, Christ is coming soon, the world needs a Saviour and you have been deployed to bring Him to them!

In February of 2010, as for me and my house we will serve the Lord! As for me... I CHOOSE CHRIST!

May God richly bless and keep you in the grace and mercy of our glorious King, Jesus!

Pastor Rob

Another year come and gone, wow! I use to think my parents were crazy when they said that time was just flying by them. Of course now I am a parent, as well as grandparent, and am watching my parents' words ring truer than ever. 

This is the week for resolutions. What or Who will be your *RESOLVE? What goals will you put before yourself; what victories will you anticipate; what addictions will you break; what habits will you form? On December 31, 2010 what will you look to and say, "Look what God accomplished through my hands, and it was worth it all!" Will you instead make promises that you won't keep, or not make promises at all because you already know the outcome and are unable to deal with the gloom of the pending failure? Why do you have to face this type of failure, why do you have to make promises you won't keep? In lieu of breaking promises or not making them for fear of breaking them, how about this, "KEEP your PROMISES?" Let's get a firm grasp on RESOLVE! Let's seek the Father for His vision, His dream, His will and decide on a firm-determinate course of action, then let's make a formal public declaration and stick to it. TOGETHER we can RESOLVE!

We all understand that circumstances change and situations arise sometimes forcing us to adjust our plans, but more times than not, we can still keep our promise, IF this is our RESOLVE. The problem usually stems from a lack of our investment in searching out the Father in His Word and through prayer. Deuteronomy chapter 23, verse 21 through verse 23 reminds us that promises are made voluntarily. We are encouraged to make promises, but warned that it is better to make a promise that you will RESOLVE to keep than to make one you won't. This is not to discourage your making of a vow (promise), but to instill in you the seriousness of the vow and your fulfillment of it. In truth, God's greatest blessings forge the path of those who lay hold on to RESOLVE and don't let it go.

RESOLVE brings about change; it is the key to true leadership; it breeds trust; it imparts influence; it sets apart; it leaves a legacy worthy of being followed!

Jesus Christ RESOLVED to choose YOU and embraced the torture and suffering of the cross; He chose YOU over the grandeur of Heaven; He chose YOU to abide in His Love. Jesus Christ chose YOU!

Who will YOU choose? Will you choose the One who chose you? Will this be the year that you allow Jesus Christ the place of pre-eminence in your heart and life that He died to fill, and in which He lives to reign? I say again, "Who will YOU choose?"

As for me and my house we will serve the Lord! As for myself... I CHOOSE CHRIST!

May God bless and keep you as you step out into the unknown of RESOLVE!

Pastor Rob :^)

Riverview Church of God

1000 North 7th St

PO Box 3540

Lompoc, CA 93438

(805) 735-1000

Office@RiverviewCOG.com

www.RiverviewCOG.com

"To decide firmly on a course of action; a firm determination to do something; a formal public resolution; to separately distinguish."

Resolve: It's something we would all like to say we have, but for some reason it eludes us for the most part.

It's amazing how we can sign a two year contract with the local cellular phone company to acquire the latest, greatest cell phone, but when it comes to having a RESOLVE to do something that's worth while and may take time, resources and a longer commitment than five minutes, we scramble around trying to find a way out that won't leave us looking like the flakey person we have become when we don't fulfill our obligations.

We've just finished 21 weeks in the book of Joshua. One of the many things we should learn from Joshua's example was his RESOLVE. Joshua was not faint hearted as several of us post-modern Christians are today. He forged through 40 years in the wilderness and assisted Moses in leading a very ungrateful people to their Promised Land. At anytime none of us would have blamed him if he were to have packed his bags and set out on his own. But he didn't. His RESOLVE wasn't getting the people to their destination, it wasn't winning a popularity contest, it wasn't even settling in on his own piece of property. Joshua's RESOLVE was to "Serve the Lord". This RESOLVE allowed him to lead the children of Israel out of the wilderness and into their Divine destiny. His RESOLVE bestowed upon him the honorable accolade of being known as "The servant of the Lord" (Josh 24:29).

So what is your RESOLVE? It's CHRIST-mas time and the New Year is cresting over the mountain. What is it that you will RESOLVE to do in 2010? As you take time to reflect on the true meaning of CHRIST-mas, remember that even the very salvation to which you hold dear is a product of RESOLVE... the Father's RESOLVE.

May God bless and keep you this CHRIST-mas season, and may you find within yourself a RESOLVE to follow Jesus into 2010!

Pastor Rob & Belinda :^)

May we join the prophet Isaiah in a celebration of God's greatness, His mercy and His favor as it is poured upon mankind for the forgiveness of sin and His Spirit is poured upon His children to share in His glory!

"Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee. For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people; but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising."  Isaiah 60:1-3

Enjoy your families and friends this Thanksgiving month and reminisce of the wonders of His handiwork performed in your lives over the past year.

Happy Thanksgiving!

To God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ through the power of His Holy Spirit be the Glory, Amen!

Sincerely in the love and service of our King!

Pastor Rob & Belinda Kee  :^)

Senior Pastor

"God of our fathers, whose almighty hand leads forth in beauty all the starry band of shining worlds in splendor through the skies our grateful songs before Thy throne arise. Thy love divine hath led us in the  past, in this free land by Thee our lot is cast, be Thou our Ruler, Guardian, Guide and Stay, Thy Word our law, Thy paths our chosen way. From war’s alarms, from deadly pestilence, be Thy strong arm our ever sure defense; Thy true religion in our hearts increase, Thy bounteous goodness nourish us in peace. Refresh Thy people on their toilsome way, Lead us from night to never ending day; Fill all our lives with love and grace divine, and glory, laud, and praise be ever Thine."

Do these words sound familiar? Don't feel bad, they didn't to me either, at least at first. The inspiration for the writing of God of our Fathers was given to Daniel C. Roberts, an Episcopal minister, on the celebration of the centennial (100th anniversary) of the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1876.

Dear Lord Jesus, forgive us for denying our rich Christian National heritage by idly standing by and letting the lies continue. Forgive our president and convict Him of denying You of Your glory, but not before You first pour our Your mercy upon those who call themselves by Your name yet openly deny You by the life we live; the immorality that we have condone as entertainment; the excuses we make for lack of integrity and the self righteousness we exude calling it humility. 

Psalm 33:12 (KJV) Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance. 

Dear God, our glorious Father, thank You for Your grace and Mercy. May we cry out to you as a people for the salvation of this nation, even if it only allows us just one more minute to save one more lost soul and bring them to You.

Returning our nation to the "God of our Fathers!"

Sincerely in the grace and mercy of our King, Jesus Christ!

Pastor Rob Kee

Senior Pastor

Riverview Church of God

1000 N 7^th St

Lompoc, CA  93436

(805) 735-1000

office@riverviewcog.com

www.RiverviewCOG.com

Praise the Lord for another prosperous month in Jesus Christ!

God has been doing much in and through us as He takes us through the various lessons in Joshua over the past several weeks.

Last month we reflected on how the Word of the Lord came to us during our revival that at the very brink of what could have been disaster, a loss our vision, our passion and possibly even our place in the community as those called by God to aid in the fulfillment of the Great Commission.

But, God! I love the sound of that! “BUT GOD!” That phrase usually always prefaces something that is beyond our control and in a state of hopelessness, then God shows up and does what only He can insuring He alone gets ALL the Glory! Praise the Lord! May I always be available to allow God to be God!

Our time in the Book of Joshua has been instrumental in challenging us to continue our walk of faith in Christ, to pursue Him even above His promises! May we have God in His fullness, dwelling in us and may we allow God in His fullness to love through us!

Stay focused on Jesus Christ, don’t allow yourself to revert to “self-focus”! It’s never been about US, it always been about JESUS!

Sincerely privileged to be co-laboring with you for the glory of our God and the Majesty of our King!

Pastor Rob

Again I say, Wow!

Words cannot begin to describe the gratitude I am feeling toward our Father for His tender mercy and His unfailing love. It was made very clear during our revival services that we as a local body were teetering on the very brink of losing everything. Our place in this community, as those called by God to aid in the fulfillment of the Great Commission, was almost nullified. The Word the Lord spoke over this body in 2007 was truer than any of us could have ever imagined. We had lost hope, we had lost purpose, we had become ineffective.

But, thank God for His grace, thank God for His mercy, and thank you for your obedience to follow Him regardless of the cost. Over the past fourteen months, many of you held your ground against some very painful odds. By the end of 2008, there were only thirty of the original congregation still in attendance who were members of Riverview when my family and I came to be your pastors on May 25, 2009. This number was prophetically given to Pastor Mike Sharp and it wasn’t until the beginning of 2009 that God made me aware of its realization.

The choice you made was never about choosing me, it couldn’t have been, you didn’t even know me. You chose to follow Christ! In no way am I saying that those who didn’t stay chose otherwise, but you knew in your heart that God was doing something at Riverview and for some reason you were supposed to be a part of it. You have stayed the course and God has been glorified by your steadfastness. Now it is time to go forward!

The Father has beckoned us to pursue Him and seize His promise! Focus on the Spirit of God, remove from your place, and go after it (Joshua 3:3)! May we be the vessels God has designed us to be and fulfill the purpose for which He planted this congregation in Lompoc, California!

The time is right, the time is now!

Sincerely privileged to be co-laboring with you for the glory of our God and the Majesty of our King!

Pastor Rob

July 4th, 2009, celebrates 233 years of freedom as One Nation Under God, the Land of the Free, the Home of the Brave!

At one time a Patriot was the one who feared God and fought for Righteousness. Regardless of whether or not he/she had surrendered their life to Christ they still stood for and upheld Christian values. These were the ones who stood against evil and demanded that good prevail.

Today those who stand for true patriotism, as defined by our forefathers, are labeled as radicals, extremists, hate criminals and accused of lacking tolerance. If our patriotic founders were judged by the ‘new law of the modern-day’ many of them would be imprisoned for being politically incorrect and a threat to our national security or the uniting of the new world order that is being escorted in.

What happened? We as a nation are quickly losing the Fear of God, which is being rapidly revealed as a decline in our moral condition as a nation.

The Bible sternly warns us not to be of those who will call evil good and good evil; of those who will say that dark is light and light is dark; or that bitter is sweet and sweet is bitter. (Isa 5:20)
This type of growing decadence is being seen all around us. From the pulpit to the White House we are willfully turning away from that which formed this great nation, the very principles of the Judaeo-Christian faith and a trust in the Almighty God of the Bible.

The leaders we depend on for direction are looking evil directly in the eye and calling it good, while they condemn those who stand for that which is morally right and threaten the freedoms that are afforded to them as American citizens.

During this time in our nation’s history it is now more important than ever that we stand in thanks for the independence our forefathers fought and died to bestow upon us that we might be “One Nation Under God”. Let us honor God this July 4th and return to the principles our nation was founded on as we reflect on the day of our true independence when Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God, arose from the dead on the third day and has granted us freedom from the tyranny of sin.

Sincerely in the Glorious Name of our King, Jesus!

Pastor Rob