Rising Valley Baptist Church

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03/27/2026

Before I go to sleep tonight:

Eternal God our Heavenly Father, thank You for how You lifted us up into your presence throughout this day and You allowed us to feel Your nearness as we maintained ourselves to be connected with you. In these troubled times we ask You to calm our fears and open our minds to Your will. Make us ready to receive what You have to give us even in the silence of the moment. What we seek from You tonight is courage and hope. We need them in a world filled with trouble as our nation is lingering in the midst of an escalated war. Dangers lurk everywhere, enemies abound. Violence and accidents and dreadful diseases seem to pursue us in every way imaginable. Protect and defend us. Capture our hearts with Your grace and drive out the fear that makes us compromise our values and draw back from challenges designed to make us better. Give us confidence in Your abiding care that we will live boldly and serve freely, as You call us to serve those among us. We thank You tonight for the many answers to prayer we have already received and for the gift of long life that you have blessed so many in our families with. We thank You for the chance to celebrate with other goals reached and the beginning of new adventures. We thank You for the faithfulness of family, friends, and for the support of others in times of trial. We thank You for those who extend themselves to help others, who offer friendship, and who speak words of wisdom. Hear our prayers tonight for those who need healing of body and spirit. Bind up broken hearts and drive away disease. Bring peace to those who we know that are nearing the end of life and patience to those who are learning to live with chronic illness. Help those who are caught in conflicts to think clearly and to remain committed to fairness, even when it seems to put them at a disadvantage. Help leaders everywhere at all levels and in all places that they might respond to the people who are crying out for justice and peace. And before we fall asleep tonight we ask you to hear those prayers that are in silence, those too deep for words. Guide and protect us, care for and direct us, now and forever, in the name of Jesus we ask and pray. Amen.

03/14/2026

A thought this morning.

The Bible teaches us that Jesus wasn’t the first person to get up from the dead. There is Lazarus in John 11; the son of the Widow of Nain in Luke 7; Jairus’ daughter in Mark 5. But He was the first to ever get up to die no more. All the others were what one might call just resuscitations, but Jesus accomplished a true resurrection. And because He was able to conquer death, all those who receive Him as their personal Saviour become partakers of that same resurrection power. At the very moment of salvation, His resurrection is imputed to us, and we become alive in Him. This is that "abundant life" which is what the Lord spoke of in John 10:10. And all this great resurrection power will be ultimately realized when Jesus returns and raises the dead in Christ. Imagine all those departed saints resurrected from the dead and glorified to live forever with Him. What a day of rejoicing that will be! So, if God’s people will take the time to look around and see what the Lord has done in saving the lost and changing the lives of the redeemed, it becomes plain that the resurrection power of Jesus is active all around us today. Every redeemed sinner is a testimony to the life-changing, life-giving power of the risen Savior. After all, a dead man doesn’t have the power to change anyone. But a living Savior can work miracles in any wretched and ruined life.

03/02/2026

Word: The Bible says “think on these things”.

If God only predestinated those whom He knew would become believers, then His sovereignty is forfeited to the will of man. In other words, God would be forced to accept only those whom He knew would believe in Him. In a sense this forces God's will to become the prisoner of man's will. That cannot and will not happen. On the other hand, if God picked some people and saved them whether they wanted to be saved or not, then the free will of man is unreal. It means that people are nothing more than automatons that have no say in whether they will come to God. This view also portrays God as a Creator Who is cruel because He obviously meant for some people to suffer in Hell forever. Both of these views present problems. Let's complicate things just a little more. Ephesians 1:4-6 tells us that God chose us before the foundation of the world and saved us by His grace. Well, let me say that I flatly reject the notion that man's will carries more weight than God's will. God will never be held captive to the whims of men. I also reject the idea that God handpicked a few for Heaven and the rest for Hell. Let's see if we can untangle this matter by looking at what the Bible tells us about getting saved. The final word here is this: If you are truly saved, you are saved forever. Nothing can or will derail the purpose of God concerning you. If you are in Jesus, you will be in Jesus forever. A good way to end this Word might be to look at the question asked in Romans 8 verse 31. What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? I think we might just answer that question by standing in pure amazement at the power of God.

02/26/2026

Just a thought for Black History.

As Black people God has given us a guidebook with clear instructions on how to move forward toward the spiritual life and the desire for freedom that He built into our design. It is so much easier just to stay where we are--even when we become enslaved to habits that were at first exciting and pleasant, but now bind us with thick cords that we are too weak to break. Yes, we have many rationalizations and excuses and how dare we display them for the miserable things they represent. Yet, in this month of celebrating our heritage, we thank God for caring more about who we can become rather than what we too often settle for. It should be our prayer that God keeps showing us the ugliness that needs to be rooted out, so that we can become truly free, and find that land of true beauty and opportunity.

02/25/2026

Word:

Let me stress the importance of knowing and understanding our history. Why? Because when we understand our history, we can better understand our approach to our future. When we understand our past others cannot define it for us and tell us what we should already know, and ultimately believe based on “their” understanding of “our” past. When we know our history we can teach others who share a similar story that the past is not forgotten, and that they too can have evidence and fuel for the future. Black history month is not just about famous black Americans who have done something great. Everyone reading this message has a history. Black history month does not capture your specific history but focuses on the history of members of our race and community. However, this is where it stops and where our jobs begin. Black history does not capture the story of the single mother who worked more than one job to educate her children to be successful. It does not capture that father who was not educated but provided for his family and ensured that his children were well taken care of. It does not cover the teachers, who encouraged us in school to go further than society would have ever imagined we could go. It does not cover the school janitor who always had an encouraging word on Sunday morning because he was also a deacon of a local Church. It does not cover the acts of kindness done by many because they did not seek recognition for it. This is the history that we must tell our children. We must tell them our stories. We must tell them about our struggles and how we made it through. We must instill upon them a sense of self that is not based on how others define them, but how they define themselves based upon the belief they have within themselves. We must teach our children our history!

02/24/2026

Good morning. As we move toward the end of Black History Month 2026, let me just share some thoughts:

I remember when I was a kid how active the Black Church was involved in getting people out to vote. Although in many instances that is still true, we must also teach our people the importance of how to vote. We need to teach our people how to discern between candidates, political platforms, and track records of the candidates. Our people should not only train up our children in the way that they should go, but also, provide classes in how young parents should train their children. We must instill in our children that education is important and in those churches that have the ability to facilitate, take the lead in After-School programs, Tutorial programs, and Computer Classes. It is important to teach our children not to just be consumers but producers as well. We must teach them to not only be employees but strive to be employers, not only spenders but savers, grooming them to not just make money and waste it, but grow their wealth through wise investments. These are some thoughts that may not be popular by today’s standards and may not be effective in today’s time, but don’t you think that they may be worth a try, especially because of what we see happening in our country?

02/21/2026

Before I go to sleep tonight:

Eternal God our Father, as this day comes to a close, we pause to take a moment to breathe and rest in Your presence. Lord, thank You for the moments of grace you have provided, the strength that carried us, and the quiet blessings that we may have received, yet overlooked. Forgive us for the ways we fell short in all that was required of us in this day and help us to release anything heavy on our heart right now. Grant us peace tonight—peace in our mind, peace in our home, and peace in our spirit. For the sick tonight, may strength rise where the body feels weak, May peace settle where fear has taken hold, and may comfort surround every moment of pain. Grant wisdom to caregivers, calm to anxious hearts, and a steady hope that does not fade, even in uncertainty. Let healing—whether of body, mind, or spirit—unfold gently and fully. For those carrying the weight of loss of family and friends in death, wrap them in compassion that does not rush their grief. Give them rest when sorrow exhausts them, light when the days feel heavy, and companionship that reminds them they are not alone. May memories bring warmth rather than only ache and pain, and may love—unchanged by death—be their anchor.Watch over those we love, and guide our steps for tomorrow. Let us sleep in Your comfort and wake renewed with purpose and hope. In Jesus name we ask and pray, Amen.

02/14/2026

A Word of Love on a day of Love!

Today is Valentine's Day and many will be talking about love and expressing love in different ways. But do most people really understand how important real love is to a marriage, to a relationship, to the home, to the Christian life and even to the church? Paul writes in Chapter 13 of 1st Corinthians and basically says that without love we are nothing. Valentine's Day is a pagan holiday, but it is an opportunity for Christians to focus on what love is all about. Remember that to live without love is not to live at all! Today, if I were to ask you to complete this sentence, how would you complete it? ''My aim in life is...'' If you had to boil it down to one word, would it be, my aim in life is success, my aim in life is fame, my aim in life is approval, my aim in life is achievement, or my aim in life is wealth. What would be the answer if you had to say what your aim in life is? How you answer that question is important, but I want you to know that without love all you say is ineffective; without love all that you know is incomplete. Without love all you believe is insufficient; without love all you give is insignificant. Without love all you accomplish is inadequate. Whenever I pause from life long enough to ponder those types of thoughts it often stimulates more thoughts before I can process those previous thoughts. 1 John 3:1 says, “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! Anyway, I want you to know today that God loves you and He wants you to love others as well. Blessings to you and show some Love throughout this day of Love.

02/14/2026

Pastoral Prayer this morning:

Eternal God our Heavenly Father you have positioned us to awaken on another blessed morning after bringing us through another night of rest. We thank you for the mindset of this day designated as Valentine's Day, which for many of us represents and reminds us of the Love you have for us. As we come this morning we look beyond what we are to what we were meant to be, and may our present moments be shaped by the demands of a more perfect life yet to be. We would be remised if we did not bring the needs of our people today. If any walk in despair, touch them that they may run in faith. Some have come with special burdens and concerns that maybe no one else knows about, but you are aware and you can do something to arrest those situations. Many have physical needs and they're looking to you right now for healing and comfort. Some have spiritual needs, they've been defeated and have succumbed to temptations and they seek your forgiveness. Lord, you're the God of all grace, and our faith and our confidence are in you. As we reach out to you today, we know that you're already reaching out to us, and we just thank you for the help that you're giving right now. We remember your goodness in the past and we rejoice in your closeness at this moment because we know that you have the power for the needs of the future. There seems to be lately so many things that are happening in our country that seemed to further divide us as a people but we remember the words of the Savior in Mark 3:25 that if a house is divided against itself that house cannot stand. So we are so glad today that there is comfort in knowing that you are still on the throne and you have all power in heaven and on earth and we also know how everything is going to turn out, because we've read in your Holy Word that you and righteousness and holiness will triumph. And finally, help us to be a blessing to someone else in this day as you have and shall continue to bless us. In Jesus name we ask and pray, Amen.

02/13/2026

Good afternoon.

Word:

Sometimes anger causes us to hurt people by hitting them, throwing something at them, or just with the words we say. Anger is a dangerous thing in a family because it can cause you to do or say something that you will regret later. In the 4th chapter of Genesis, Cain was angry enough that he killed his own brother and then lied about it to God. God warned Cain ahead of time to control his anger instead of letting it control him, and of course, he didn’t. This led to some very harsh penalties for Cain that affected him for the rest of his life. God knows that we will become angry at times. He gave us anger so that we would respond against injustice and wrong behavior. But Cain’s anger was the anger of a hard and selfish heart. Here’s the thing: God wants us to have soft hearts as we think of others. If someone is really treating you or others badly or unfairly, stay calm and pray for help and wisdom to solve the problem with love.

01/26/2026

Good morning:

All who love and serve the Lord awake from your sleep for night is gone and the dawn of a new day has arrived. Outsiders and insiders, old-timers and new-comers, the young, old and the in-between can come to the Lord as you are, for this is a day that the Lord has made just for us. God’s presence can be felt by all people, and God welcomes each one of us to allow him into our heart today. Darkness once ruled our lives, but now the light of Jesus brings our salvation to life. Although we may not gather together physically, with like minds and kindred spirits we can still be on one accord, not only because we have seen fit to choose Christ, but because he has looked upon us, and called us to be his own.

11/30/2025

Josh Echols who had emergency surgery this morning is recovering in the hospital. Prayers are appreciated.

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Gloucester, VA

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