Thoughts of Josh Dryer

I would define God-sized movements as events in our world that no person or persons could ever have accomplished on their own. As a church planter (someone working to start a new church) I often pray for God to move. I ask Him to use me and others in our ministry for His glory. Today I caught myself wondering if I was really ready for Him to move in a God-sized way. Do I really want to be a part of a God-sized movement? Am I willing to follow His lead wherever it may lead? What if He moves in a way I am not prepared to go? This led me to check out some of God’s great movements in the Bible. I wondered if studying these would help me prepare to be a part of what He is doing here in Dubuque. Check out these top 3 movements of God in the book of Acts and how they were so far outside of the box for those involved: 1) Acts 1: The disciples eagerly anticipate Jesus’ immediate restoration of Israel. Instead Jesus is taken away, the Holy Spirit came, and He would begin God’s wo...

Hello everyone! Just wanted to write and ask you to visit our new website: www.rccdbq.com . We would love to hear your feedback as our website is a work in progress. Thanks to my cousin Tony for designing this for us!

Hey everyone. I just wanted to write to invite you to come check out our pre-launch worship service (River City Church Underground), which takes place each Sunday at 4:30pm @ 419 N. Grandview Ave, Dubuque, Iowa (New Life Church). We would love for you and your family to come join us as we prepare to officially launch our new church sometime in the spring. Our worship atmosphere is upbeat, casual, and family-friendly. We offer childcare but are always happy to include the whole family in our worship services. Our worship music is led by Jonny Dirks, lead singer and guitarist for "Doxa", the River City Church worship team. Over the next four weeks I will be talking about our pursuit of happiness. I believe that Jesus gives us 8 character attributes in Matthew 5:1-12 (The Beatitudes) which lead us to be blessed or approved by God and thus truly happy. Come join us as we discover "The Pursuit of Happiness According to Jesus."

Let me just start this post by stating that I love holidays. Ever since I was a child, holidays have always been a great time in my home. Christmas, Thanksgiving, and New Year’s day were always times of wonderful celebration. Most of my extended family came together to eat, laugh, and enjoy a card game or two. I can safely say that I am not a holiday hater but I do have a rant to make today. For the second time in a couple of days I have heard someone say that they are really looking forward to Thanksgiving and prefer it over Christmas because it doesn’t have the stress attached to it like Christmas. It seems some prefer Thanksgiving because they don’t have to buy gifts, spend hours putting up decorations, and rush around from place to place. This makes me sad. Not because Thanksgiving is an unworthy holiday but because the Christmas holiday has become unworthy of what it represents. What was once a day set aside to celebrate the birth of Jesus, God in the flesh who came to save ma...

Hey everyone out there. Recently I had an experience that I have to share with you. While my family and I were traveling to raise funds for the River City Church plant, I happened to run into a soldier in the U.S. Army. He was traveling home to be with his family for a week or so and we were waiting for the same connection flight. I asked him what he did and he explained his job, which is the Army equivalent to the bomb squad on a local police department. The biggest difference, however, is he defuses bombs in combat situations on foreign soil. I thanked him for his service and asked him how he was doing. I explained that I am a pastor and would gladly pray for him. He explained that he is a believer and hopes to be a light for Jesus to his fellow soldiers who so desperately need Jesus in their lives. He said every day people die or are seriously wounded and wishes they would have believed in Christ. Anyway, he asked me to pray for his recovery as he had recently suffered injuries af...

Sometimes in the midst of our complicated lives we miss the point. Amidst Fourth of July parties, work, school, and whatever else consumes our time, it becomes easy to become nearsighted about the purpose of life as believers in Jesus Christ. This post is not meant to be tool used to berate everyone who enjoys these parts of life. It is obvious that Jesus wants us to enjoy these things. The post is, however, meant to remind us of the grand purpose for which we are here. Just in case we have forgotten, Jesus said: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matt. 28:18-20). What does that mean? I think it means different things for different people depending on what the Lord has called him or her to do in ministry. For some disci...

Hey Everyone! We are excited to present the name, logo, and mission of our new church plant in Dubuque, Iowa: River City Church. Check out the logo and videopresentation describing what we are about. Also, here's a link to the pdf of the slide show just in case the video doesn't work for you: River City Church: What We're About