River Valley Church Podcast

Episode: Message | The Best Is Yet To Come

Speaker: Pastor Rob Ketterling
Date: October 5, 2025

Episode Overview

This special episode celebrates the 30th anniversary of River Valley Church. Pastor Rob Ketterling delivers an uplifting message centered around gratitude for God's faithfulness over three decades, the importance of remembering with purpose, and an inspiring challenge to the congregation: to believe and act on the conviction that "the best is yet to come." Drawing from Psalm 30 and biblical milestones around the number 30, Pastor Rob calls on every listener to embrace their God-given calling and participate in the church’s ongoing mission.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. A Time for Celebration and Remembrance

[00:00–03:10]

• Pastor Rob opens by expressing thankfulness to Jesus, crediting Him as the foundation of the church.
• He acknowledges the original members present, including his wife, mother, brother, Isabel, and Tim Convoy—“the OG right here” (01:00).
• Humorous reminiscence about the very first Bible study: 13 people, with nine related or employed—“only four possible members” (01:25).
• Anecdote about offering steaks and hamburgers from a donated cow, which increased attendance from 13 to 46—"If you feed them, they will come." (02:10).
• Expresses deep gratitude to his mother and Dabeka for their tireless efforts.
• Emphasizes that this is not just nostalgic reminiscing; it’s remembering with worshipful intent: “We're not just...remembering the passage of time, 30 years, but we're remembering the God who carried us for 30 years.” (03:15)

2. The Significance of 30 Years

[03:20–07:10]

• Highlights the cultural and biblical weight of 30 years:
  • Anthropologists note it takes 30 years for a cultural shift.
  • Oak trees and vineyards often require 30 years for maturity or best fruit.
  • Many businesses don’t last half that time.
  • In Scripture, 30 years often marks a transition from preparation to calling (Joseph, Levites, David, Jesus).
• “Thirty years in the Bible is where preparation becomes calling.” (04:03)
• Encourages listeners that 30 years is not a finish line but a launching pad for the future.

3. Psalm 30 – Looking Backward and Upward

[07:11–11:25]

• Pastor Rob links the 30th anniversary to Psalm 30, noting its themes of deliverance, healing, and collective gratitude.
• Emphasis that past stories belong to everyone in the community: “It was his. But then they said, no, this is ours.” (08:02)
• Open invitation to newcomers: “Welcome home. We've been praying for you for 30 years.” (08:15)
• Explains the psalmist’s imagery: being drawn up like water from a well—“God gets the glory... the water was there, but God has done the heavy lifting.” (09:05)
• Open transparency about hard times and setbacks—"God keeps bringing us up. He’s not letting our problems gloat over us." (09:40)

4. God’s Healing Power and Miraculous Testimonies

[11:26–14:50]

• Shares powerful testimony of his son Connor’s healing from autism after years of prayer, culminating in prophetic prayer by Pastor Bill:

  “He looked at me and he said, God has heard that you've said that he's a loving God and a kind God, but he's gonna show you that he's a powerful God. And for his glory, he's gonna heal your son. And he laid hands on Connor, and Connor was instantly healed of autism.” (12:50)

• Urges churchgoers not to approach prayer as a routine but with confidence in God’s power.

5. The Power of Collective Praise and Remembrance

[14:51–18:10]

• Psalm 30:4—sing praises together: “Celebrating is something that you do together. Remembering is something you do together. Praising God is something you do together.” (15:12)
• Cites Psalm 77 and the Hebrew sense of “remember,” emphasizing an active, covenantal gratitude.
• “When we remember today... we’re bringing past grace into our present situation so we can live differently in the future.” (16:35)
• Warns that forgetting God’s past work leads to spiritual drift.

6. Looking Forward – A God of the Future

[18:11–24:10]

• Declares God is always forward-looking—from creation’s “be fruitful and multiply,” to His promises and prophecies.
• Echoes Deuteronomy’s dual focus on remembrance and the future.
• Prays for “greater glory and greater future for our church,” asking God to do in the next 10 years what took the first 30.

  “I’ve been praying God, it took us 30 years to get here, but could you, in the next ten, do it again?” (21:00)

• Recalls church growth milestones—first 10 years to a thousand members; now 13 campuses.
• Cites Kingdom Builders outreach: “It was just under $40 million in ten years... we're on trajectory now... to $130 million in the second ten.” (23:15)
• Reaffirms, “The best is yet to come.”

7. The Call to Action – Everyone Has a Part

[24:11–28:00]

• Emphasizes participation: “It’s not automatic. We all have to use our gifts. We all have to use our talents.” (24:20)
• Quotes 1 Peter 4:10 on stewardship of spiritual gifts.
• Dispels the myth that individuals are unnecessary in a large church:

  “The lie that the enemy says to a large church is you're not needed. You're little won't make a difference. No, no... God is using you and your gift is needed.” (25:10)

• Calls the congregation to rededicate themselves: “We dedicate everything we have, our pastors, our leaders, our church, our buildings, we dedicate all of this to you...” (26:00)

8. Final Blessing & Declaration

[28:01–End]

• Pastor Rob closes with prayer, inviting God to "do it again" and exceed every expectation.
• Affirms God’s past, present, and future faithfulness:

  “The pain was real, the tears were real. The struggle was real. But it is all for your glory and for your honor. And we say, God, we believe you're not done. You're not done.” (28:40)

• Repeats the central affirmation: “The best is yet to come.” (29:00)

Memorable Quotes

• “It took 30 years to get here. But 30 years in the Bible is never the end of the story. Thirty years is the launching pad... I declare right now that 30 years is not the finish line. 30 years is the launching pad—that’s where we’re at, and God says, now is the time.”
  – Pastor Rob (04:00)

• “We’re bringing past grace into our present situation so we can live differently in the future.”
  – Pastor Rob (16:40)

• “The best is yet to come.”
  – Pastor Rob (Throughout; notably at 24:50, 29:00)

• “God is using you and your gift is needed. And we have a world to change.”
  – Pastor Rob (25:15)

Important Timestamps

• 00:00 – Opening celebration; honoring founders and early members
• 03:20 – Significance of 30 years (cultural, biblical context)
• 07:11 – Introduction of Psalm 30; worshipful remembrance
• 11:26 – Testimony of Connor’s healing and God’s miraculous power
• 14:51 – The power of collective praise and remembrance
• 18:11 – God is a forward-looking God; vision for the future
• 24:11 – Call to action: use your gifts, everyone matters
• 28:01 – Final blessing, declaration, and prayer

Tone and Style

Pastor Rob’s message is warm, humorous, deeply grateful, and confidently forward-looking. He balances storytelling, biblical exposition, encouragement, and challenge—with an undercurrent of infectious hopefulness and faith.