VIDEO: Men’s Retreat 2011
We invite you to join the men of RBC this fall at our annual Men’s Retreat where we will be challenged to live out the abundant life (John 10:10) in the context of Christ-centered community. This year, we’ll hear four addresses from Steve King, Senior Pastor at Cherrydale Baptist Church in Arlington. Pastor King will be speaking on Strength in Numbers. We will study Ecclesiastes 4 and see how relying on Christ-centered community can radically change our walks and thus our personal, family and corporate lives. Like as individual aspects of our walk such as faith, hope, love and the word, we will also see how prayer and evangelism are stronger when utilized in unison.
https://www.restonbible.org/mensretreat
VIDEO: Katie Gates
Katie Gates shares how an experience in the Amazon opened her heart to sin and the fullness of the Gospel of Christ and how that is leading her to minister to the poor and oppressed.
VIDEO: Women’s Bible Studies – Fall 2011
New RBC women’s Bible studies kick off in September 2011! For more info and online registration, visit https://www.restonbible.org/women/biblestudies
VIDEO: REVEAL Survey Update
In March of 2011, the RBC congregation was asked to take a survey that would help gauge the health of our body and provide insight as the leadership looks ahead in planning ministry strategy. In this video, Executive Pastor Ed Nalle gives a brief overview of the survey findings. (From June 2011)
Reston Bible iPhone App Now Available
I’m excited to let you know that the Reston Bible Church iPhone app is now available in the iTunes App Store!
If you look at the RBC mission statement, you’ll see the who, what, how, and where of our church. Reston Bible Church exists to know Christ and to make Him known. As a local church body, we believe that the primary means God is calling us to accomplish that mission is through biblical preaching/teaching, as well as authentic Christian community. We believe God is calling us to fulfill His purposes specifically in Northern Virginia – our primary location – but also around the world through global missions.
This app supports our church mission statement by expanding our ability to put solid biblical teaching and event opportunities directly into the hands of anyone, anywhere with an iDevice. The RBC app allows users to easily access media and web content optimized for iPhone/iPod Touch and share that content with friends. Specifically, you can use the app to:
- Stream audio and video from recent sermons to your device
- Check out current RBC happenings and upcoming events
- Read the latest blog posts from our staff and leadership
- Share sermons, events or blog posts with friends via email
- Access myRBC, RBC’s online community tool, optimized for iPhone/iPod Touch
- Access the RBC Twitter, Facebook and Vimeo feeds
- Easily email and call the church or get map/directions to RBC from your device
I’ve written before about why RBC uses social media as a tool for the advancement of the gospel, and I think this app certainly falls into that category. My friends at Mars Hill Church in Seattle point out:
God has often used technological advancement to spread the Gospel through the church. At the time of Paul it was the Roman’s system of roads. For the Reformers it was the printing press. For Billy Graham it was sound amplification systems and stadiums.
Likewise, we live in a country and an age where Internet and cellular technology is generally accessible and widely used. We are blessed to be able to redeem aspects of this technology with the purpose of knowing Christ and making Him known. My hope for this iPhone app is that on your daily commute, walk, or lunch break, you will have further opportunity to know Him and make Him known.
The leadership of RBC is grateful to God that the app was built and developed at no cost to us by an RBCer who volunteered considerable time and talent to make it happen. I’d personally like to thank Dave Smith of Cross Forward Consulting; Dave approached me last fall and offered to develop an app as a gift to RBC. He has been absolutely fantastic in walking us through the development process from beginning to end. We are deeply thankful to God for Dave’s generosity.
The RBC app is available for free at the iTunes App Store here, or you can search for “Reston Bible Church” from within the App Store application on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch. Please download the app, leave comments and ratings, and pass it on others so that more people might come to know Jesus and make Him known.
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UPDATE: So why doesn’t RBC have an Android app as well? Since releasing the iPhone app, many folks have asked why we don’t also have an Android version. The short answer is that we were able to develop the iPhone app at no cost to the church due to a generous gift of time and talent by an RBCer who develops apps professionally. We would love to develop an Android counterpart, but even simple apps can cost thousands of dollars. If you are an RBCer who develops Android-based apps on a pro level and would be interested in working with us on Android app development for our church, we’d love to hear from you – just email Jason.
Marriage Conference: Dinner Questions
It’s almost here! I’m excited about this year’s conference. It’s going to be great to just spend some time with my wife and focus on strengthening our marriage. A marriage conference is kind of like an oil change. Get one every 3000 miles and the car tends to run a lot better. Forget to change the oil and it’s just going to be a matter of time before there’s major engine damage. Of course, RBC marriage conference’s are a whole lot more fun than oil changes! To that end we want to get you started thinking about Friday’s dinner date and the overnight conference.
Remember that the plan is for you and your spouse to go out to dinner on Friday and arrive back in the RBC Sanctuary by 8pm. You’ll really want to get back to RBC around 7:45pm so that you can check in at the registration table and find your seat in the sanctuary. We want to mix the tables up with couples of different number of years married. So when you walk in the sanctuary you’ll see colored circles on each table in front of the chairs. Just find a colored circle that fits the number of years you’ve been married and have a seat. It’s really easy.
We have some discussion topics for your dinner date. The discussion is meant to open the lines of communication with your spouse and to help frame the conference for you as a whole. Take some time to think about your responses to the discussion items, particularly #1 and #3. Make sure your spouse has a chance to see them in advance of Friday as well. That way the two of you can make the most of your time together over dinner discussing your thoughts. Here are the discussion items:
1) Describe to your spouse how you feel about each of the below aspects of your marriage. Include your thoughts on things that are going well and why, and things that could be improved. Be honest and transparent. For things that could be improved, share how you feel without being judgmental (e.g. “I feel like…” instead of “You don’t do…) — Physical intimacy, including sex — Emotional, friendship bond between you two — Spiritual side of your relationship with your spouse
2) After hearing each other’s views, which area of your marriage do you feel there is the greatest difference of opinion between you and your spouse?
3) What do you hope happens as a result of this marriage conference?
One more thing. For the Ice Breaker time at your table, be prepared to tell one of your favorite local places to go, say within an hour’s drive, that others might not know about. It could be a restaurant, a park, a local activity, anything that might not be as well known. Each table will have a piece of paper to write these places down. We’ll collect them and e-mail them all out to everyone who attends after the conference.
That’s it! Get ready for a great time with your beloved! We have over 80 couples attending making this one of the largest marriage conferences at RBC yet.
See you there,
John & Jana Smith
Marriage Conference Coordinator
RBC Marriage Conference: The Power of One
It’s been a busy Spring so far hasn’t it? With so much to do, it’s easy to lose focus on the things that are really important. One of the biggest takeaways couples said they had from the last marriage booster was how important it was to make their marriage a priority in their life. That sounds so obvious but isn’t it the truth that in our busyness, we often take our spouse and our marriage for granted. My wife Jana and I have been married for almost 28 years, and I know I’ve been guilty of that several times.
On May 6-7, 2011, RBC is hosting our fifth annual Marriage Conference. This is going to be a great opportunity for you to take a break for the busyness and invest in your spouse and your marriage. It’s a time to really focus on improving your marriage and move closer to each other in “oneness.” In fact, that’s the theme of this year’s conference – “One in Body, Soul, and Spirit.”
On Friday night, Mike Minter is going to talk about the physical intimacy aspect of marriage. Saturday morning, Paul Goodnight will talk about the emotional/friendship aspects of marriage. Then Tony Pedroni will talk about the spiritual aspects of being a husband and wife. Then, based on your feedback, finish with an interactive Q&A session with Mike, Paul, and Tony. You’ll be able to text in your questions anonymously during the conference or ask away during the Q&A.
If you’ve been to a marriage booster or conference in the past, you know how great they are and how much fun they can be. Jana and I go to these every time they’re offered. Sign up online at www.restonbible.org/marriage.
As a veteran of many marriage conferences, I really encourage you to take advantage of the special arrangements at the DOUBLETREE by Hilton Hotel to make it a real overnight get-away. The hotel has extended the registration for guaranteed rate/rooms to Friday, April 29th.
See you there,
John Smith
Marriage Conference Coordinator
Parking Update
NEW PARKING LOT CONSTRUCTION: We are happy to announce that construction for the 150 additional parking spaces (between the Main Building and Cascades Parkway) has officially begun! During the next 2-3 months of construction, we may lose up to 25 of our current parking spots. Please consider carpooling, parking in the RBC Overflow Lot, or attending the 8:15am or 11:45am services during this time to alleviate some of the parking congestion.
WEEKDAY PARKING: The area to the right of the main building (next to Cascades) is considered a construction zone while the lots are being put in. If you are on the RBC campus during the weekdays, for your safety, please do not park in the side lot or in the lot behind the building. (While some of these spots will be lost during the new parking lot construction, but these areas are open for parking during weekend services.) Please take extra precaution – particularly with children – while in the building vicinity as construction traffic will be going on during the week.
WEEKEND TOWING: Effective immediately, we ask that you park ONLY in the RBC Parking Lot or in the designated RBC Overflow Lot. All other lots off Oakbrook Court will start towing this Sunday morning (2/13/2011). The towing is being enforced by some of the neighboring firms who have lost their parking spots on Sundays. We want to be good neighbors, so please limit your parking only to our lot or the designated overflow lots. Again, please consider carpooling or attending the 8:15am or 11:45am services during this time to alleviate some of the parking congestion.
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While we know parking has been a bit of a pain at RBC lately, we are thankful to God to have a church home where so many people desire to engage. As far as church issues go, I hope you’ll agree that “not enough parking spots for all the people who want to attend” is not necessarily a bad one to have. It can be annoying, yes – but it is a tolerable inconvenience.
As my family and I walked in from the Overflow Lot a couple Sundays ago, I was telling my kids about what Pastor Minter shared after his recent Brazil trip, how many pastors there traveled for days to be taught from the Word of God. Although my young’uns thought it sounded kind of fun, I personally was glad I didn’t have to paddle a canoe down the Amazon to get to my church home. It struck me then that walking a few hundred feet to worship the God who has blessed us so abundantly – in ways far greater than parking lots and nice facilities – didn’t seem like such a big deal.
Find yourself grumbling about the inconvenience of the parking situation? It takes a little extra time to get in and out of RBC on Sundays, but even that is time we should steward well. Ask God, then, to help you use that time for His glory. What might this look like for you and your family?
One practical idea for a great use of this time is prayer. As you drive in on Sunday morning, pray aloud for the people leaving who have heard the Word, that they would take its light back to their families, their neighborhoods and their workplaces. As you walk across the parking lot, pray for your pastors and leaders. As you drive out, pray aloud for others coming in to worship and hear from the Word of God, that their hearts would be made ready to engage with Jesus in fresh ways.
May God grant us the grace to steward even parking lots for His great glory.
Running Scared: Resources for Dealing With Worry, Fear, & Anxiety
Thanks again to all who were able to attend the RE:NEW 2011 Conference featuring Ed Welch. The leadership of Reston Bible was greatly encouraged by the turnout and we pray that the conference content would be of great benefit to all of us in our walks with Christ. We hope you have been able to process and implement some of the things God brought before you during that time.
Since fear and anxiety are things we all deal with, let us recommend some reading resources that will help strengthen you for the battle. Included here are several books and studies that were mentioned during RE:NEW, as well as others that have been hand-picked by RBC staff. These resources are available in the RBC Bookstore. (Our bookstore is not-for-profit and open between Sunday services.)
Running Scared: Memory Verses for Dealing With Worry, Fear, & Anxiety
The RBC leadership is thankful for the many who were able to attend last weekend’s RE:NEW conference with Ed Welch. As a help to you were (and were not) able to attend, here is a list of most of the Scriptures Dr. Welch referenced in his sessions. The beauty and power of the Word of God cannot be overstated, so great is the power of committing Scripture to memory. We pray you will commit these to memory; they are vital tools in our battles with fear, worry, and anxiety.
“Do not be afraid, for I am with you.” (Genesis 26:24)
“Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you where ever you; he will never leave you or forsake you.” (Deuteronomy 31:6)
“Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God” (Isaiah 41:10).
Do not fear, for I have redeemed you. (Isaiah 43:1)
But Zion said, “The Lord has forsaken me, the Lord has forgotten me.” Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me.” (Isaiah 49:14-16)
“Peace be with you.” (John 20:19, 21)
“And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20)
“I will ask the Father and he will give you another Helper (alongside of one), to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth. …He dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans.” (John 14:16ff.)
The Lord is near; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:5-7)
“Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” (Luke 12:32-34)
Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. (1 Peter 5:6-7)