No Perfect People.... Really?

Have you ever noticed how some people treat those who are different than they are?

· Those who have chosen to decorate their bodies with tattoos or piercings?
· How would you react to discover that the person sitting next to you in church was an alcoholic, a drug user, struggled with pornography, had an abortion, struggled with a sexual addiction or homosexuality, was living with someone they are not married to, or they had a prison record?
· How would you treat a Jew, a Mormon, an atheist, a Jehovah Witness, a Buddhist, a Muslim, Christian Scientist, a witch or a warlock?
· How about someone who is African American, Hispanic, Asian, Iraqi, Iranian, or Pakistani?
· What about a street person, a poor person, under privileged?
For years the church has turned away people who desperately need the love and acceptance that God offers. Instead they have condemned, criticized, and ostracized.

Or the church opened its arms to them and once they started attending or indicated that they were spiritually interested they dumped a bunch of rules and expectations on them and turned them off.

Part of the problem is the church has misunderstood part of the Great Commission.
Matthew 28:19-20 “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.”

Some people think that teaching them to obey means that it’s our job to make people obey, to force obedience; often times forcing them to obey God even before they know God personally.

That’s not our job; that’s the job of the Holy Spirit!

So you have to ask yourself, what would Jesus do with the kind of people I just mentioned?

I know that sounds trite, but think about how Jesus treated the outcasts, the sick, the demon possessed, and the prostitutes. What did He do? HE LOVED THEM UNCONDITIONALLY!

He said in Matthew 11:28-30 (Msg) “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”

Jesus said the answer to life’s problems, burdens, and issues is to come to Him, lay them on Him, and learn to live freely and lightly. You can’t do that under rules and regulations!

He said I won’t put anything heavy or ill fitting on you who are already struggling; instead He says I will show you grace, I will give to you freely what you do not deserve! Forgiveness from their past, a purpose for today, and a future home in heaven!

If that’s what Jesus would do, then so should we! The question is how? How do we show grace to others, no matter what their background, problems, or issues are?

We do it just like Jesus. We tell people; just come as you are! There are no perfect people at The River in fact there are no perfect people allowed at The River. So come as you are!

God doesn’t expect us to change anything to come to Him. He just says come as you are, and when He says that He means:
· You don’t have to dress a certain way or look a certain way
· You don’t have to Act a certain way
· You don’t have to Fit a certain lifestyle
· You don’t have to give money
· It doesn’t matter what your religious background is, your class or your socio-economic position.
Jesus says come as you are! Bring your baggage, your issues, and your problems. God loves you just as you are and we should do the same!

In fact…At The River we are working diligently to create a come as you are culture.

So... come to the River Church... and come as you are! Our prayer is that when you come you will experience total acceptance and begin the process of transformation. (Romans 12:1-2)

Looking Back and Moving Forward at The River Church

If there is one thing that's true about church planting it that nothing stays the same for very long! Everything is always in a state of transition and you have to embrace being transition! That definitely been the case for our Ministry here at The River Church. Over the past year we have changed our location, our mission statement, our philosophy of ministry, and our strategy for reaching people for the Kingdom. Three key families came from sister churches to help us get started and they have since moved on. We started with three pastors all living on raised support and two have moved on as of the end of 2010. Our youth Ministry went through a change of leadership as we hired an intern in September who quit in October. We have since staffed the Youth Ministry with volunteers. Fortunately, and by the grace of God, we have fully embraced each and every transition!

We have seen small but steady growth every month for the past six months adding several new families and individuals who had previously been de-churched. Maybe the biggest change at The River is that we have embraced personal outreach by intentionally changing our world view to OIKOS: a paradigm through which a Christ-follower evaluates life, it’s purpose and events. The Greek word OIKOS translates to "extended family". God has given each of us our own little niche of humanity. Everyone has been given, on the average, anywhere from eight to fifteen people whom God has supernaturally and strategically placed in our relational world. God has placed these people in our OIKOS both for our benefit and for theirs; our benefit because we all need friends and their benefit so you can help them find their way to God. As we are in the process of understanding God's command to reach people for Christ, OIKOS has given us the intentional framework to reflect God's love to others. OIKOS help us see every relationship as a God given opportunity to reach others for the Kingdom of God.

We laid the OIKOS foundation of teaching in September and October and put it into action immediately. We initiated November as "Minute to Win It" month, taking about 3 minutes in our services to play a game for no other reason than pure fun! (Remember John 10:10; abundant life?) It was a huge hit! Also during November we started Friend Day, picking a specific day for everyone to bring a friend to church and our attendance that day grew by 50%! December we focused on Christmas. Our Chamber of Commerce sponsors "Eagle Country Christmas" in downtown Eagle where we had a booth giving away free hot chocolate and smore's. We had huge fire pit where people warmed themselves and "cooked" their smore's and we used that as an opportunity to invite them to our Community Christmas Eve service. Our attendance on Christmas Eve was up 20% from the previous year and we ended the year on a very positive note!

We excitedly looking forward to this what God will do at The River Church this year. Our focus through Easter is on spiritual growth and discipleship, while constantly keeping our eye on our OIKOS and who we can share our faith story with within our relational circle.

We appreciate your prayers for our continued growth; spiritually, numerically, and financially. Our biggest issue is finances. As a new church composed of previously de-churched and new believers giving is a sensitive subject. I will be teaching on giving once in January and once in February. I ask for your prayers in particular for these Sundays. We also face a new contract with the school district in March, which could see us looking for another meeting place; please pray for God's guidance and will to be done.

God bless you!
I love you!
Pastor Dave

Showing We Care - The River Christmas Offering, 2010

Dear River Friends and Family,

I am excited to share with you information regarding the SHOWING WE CARE! Special Christmas offering that begins now and runs through December 31st. Last year we raise $1,495.00. This year we increased our goal to $1,600.00.

As a new church in the Treasure Valley, we are committed to do everything we can to carry out the mission God has given us; “Helping people find their way to God and teaching them to become fully devoted followers of Jesus”. We are not looking for perfect people, in fact we say No Perfect People Allowed! Our community is not irreligious, it is packed with people who believe in God but have given up on the church for one reason or another. With this in mind we are a non-traditional, modern church for people who have given up on the traditional church, but not on God.

When we began The River last year, we determined to give our people the best opportunities available to discover what it means to become a fully devoted follower of Jesus. With this offering you have the opportunity to deepen your commitment to Christ, enlarge your ministry commitment and opportunities, and provide for the needs of others.

This offering is designated to: provide financial support for the hurting, hungry, and needy people in our area, our Children's Community Easter Outreach, Youth Camp Scholarship Fund, New Church Planting, and initial support for Ben and Tracy Slee - the newest Campus Crusade for Christ staff members at BSU!

I hope you will carefully look over the information about this exciting opportunity for us to give sacrificially. Will you join us and begin praying now about what God would have you give, over and above your regular giving, to our Special Christmas Offering? Allow God to stretch your faith!

Your Friend and Pastor,
Dave Griewe

The SHOWING WE CARE! Special Christmas Offering is a call to sacrificial giving with a goal of raising $1,600 for five specific ministry initiatives:

To share God’s love with our community by providing financial help to the hurting, hungry, and needy.

This year more people are suffering from unemployment and under-employment in our area than ever before. So we are partnering with the Eagle Community Food Bank to provide food, clothing, and finances to assist those families who are struggling. We will be collecting canned and non-perishable food along with good, clean, used clothing for both adults and children on December 12 and 19 at our Sunday services.

Children’s Community Easter Outreach.
Before we began The River we hosted an Easter Egg Hunt in the Lexington Hills Community. We put out over 3,000 plastic eggs filled with candy and prizes for the children. We had over 250 people attend this free event. This helped to develop a positive identity of The River and led to a successful Grand Opening Easter service. Last year we changed locations and we did not have time to plan for a successful community event. This year, with your help, we hope to develop a new Community Easter Outreach focusing on children.

To provide summer camp scholarships to help our youth go to camp.
Last summer our youth ministry took 8 students to summer camp in McCall. We provided half scholarships for almost every student making it possible for them to attend. This year our goal is to provide financial resources to send 15 students to camp.

To support New Church Planting in the Northwest and the Pacific Southwest.
Statistically the best way to reach non-churched and de-churched people is to start new churches. The River began with the financial support from individuals, churches, and organizations who are committed to new church planting. We want to be able to support and help other new church starts just as we were helped.

To provide initial financial support for Ben and Tracy Slee with Campus Crusade for Christ.
Ben and Tracy are the newest staff members serving Christ on the Boise State University Campus. Their objective is to WIN students to Christ; BUILD them up in their faith; and SEND them out to reach others for Christ. They reach students through one on one conversations, small group bible studies, and special events on the BSU campus.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Why a Special Offering?
As part of God’s plan to grow the faith of the people in His church, He calls us to sacrificial giving from time to time. This Offering is an opportunity for us to grow in our faith and to prepare us for what God wants to do through our church.

What is the difference between the Regular Offering and this Special Offering?
Your regular River offering is the proportional amount (your tithe of 10%) that you give on a regular basis to our church throughout the year. This Special Christmas Offering is one of those occasions where sacrificial giving stretches you and grows your faith. The special offering should be over and above what you give regularly to The River.

How much should I Give?
Since our goal is $1,600, this Special Offering has room for everyone to be involved. Some families within our church can give a large gift. Others are only able to give a small gift. The issue is not equal giving, but equal sacrifice. The precise amount you give is between you and God. Please prayerfully consider a sacrificial gift that will stretch your faith.

When should I Give?
The best time to give will be the next two Sundays. However, you may continue to give until December 31. Please use the “Showing We Care!” offering envelopes or indicate that your gift is for the Christmas Offering. Remember, consistent gifts over time adds up – a person giving $10-$50 a week over a five-week period will give $50 to $250 to this Special Offering!

Can I Give online via bank check, debit or credit card?
You may give online at RiverChristianChurch.com. Select the “about rcc” drop-down menu and click on “support rcc”. Then select the “donate” button. That will take you to our PayPal account. To donate by check online, you must have a PayPal account, otherwise you may use your debit card or credit card. You can also use your bank online payment option to send a check directly to the church. Simply mark in the memo area that your gift is for the “Showing We Care!” offering.

Can I Give In-Kind Gifts of Stocks or Bonds?
Of course! Since The River is a 501c3 organization there can be tremendous tax benefits for you by giving in-kind gifts.

Are My Gifts Tax-Deductible?
YES! The River is recognized by the IRS as a 501c3 charitable organization. All gifts are completely tax-deductible.

Welcome To The River!

At The River we work hard to provide a unique environment in which anyone, and we mean anyone can be comfortable.

We seek to provide a diverse, judgment free zone where a lasting, active relationship with God can be discovered and developed at your own pace.

As we grow and develop as a church family we are seeking to continually provide a safe, energetic environment, where everyone feels accepted and respected.

We know that no one is perfect, except God, but we also know that God wants us to continually be in the process of becoming more like Him, so we are here to encourage you to be everything that God created you to be.

Therefore The River is committed to be a place where you can become and belong.

Our Mission: Come as you are, Love Jesus, Serve Others, and Tell the Story!

We are The River!

The Mission of The River-Part 4; TELL THE STORY!

Our Mission is simple:
· Come as you are- No perfect People Allowed. We’re a church for those who have given up on the traditional church but not on God and we are a judgment free zone!
· Love Jesus – That’s why we’re here, it’s what God created us for – to have a relationship with Him by falling in love with His Son Jesus.
· Serve Others - using the gifts and abilities God has given us to serve Him by serving others.
· Today I am wrapping up this series by talking about the fourth part of our Mission – Tell the Story.
God has given every believer the responsibility of telling the story of God’s love for us and what He has done to prove His love for us and provide us with the opportunity to have a relationship with Him.

In fact Paul instructed Timothy in 2 Timothy 4:5 (NIV) “do the work of an evangelist” even though he was not an evangelist.

In fact look at what Jesus told His followers…
Luke 14:23 (LB) ‘Go into the country… and urge anyone you find to come, so that my house will be full.”
Jesus says that’s our job! Bring people to church and to Him!

Institute for American Church Growth put out these statistics about how people first come to church:
= 2% Special needs
= 3% Walked-in
= 6% Pastor
= 1% Home visitation
= 5% Sunday school
= 5% Evangelistic crusade
= 3% Programs
= 79% Friend/relative invited them to come
Jesus says that one of our main jobs as Christians is to go out and tell everyone we meet to come to church and then tell them the Good News about who He is. We are His ad campaign.

Madison Ave discovered this years ago. They discovered that the greatest advertising strategy around is word of mouth.

Jesus Advertising campaign was simple:
Go tell people about Me and bring them into My house.

What did He do to bring them in?
= Did He take out ads in the Jerusalem Times?
= Buy radio time on the popular radio stations?
= Send out postcards via camel express? No.

It was all word of mouth.
Think of TV commercials. Most commercials don’t ask or even tell you to buy their product.
Most Advertising, with the exception of infomercials, is based on word of mouth advertising.

They work tediously to portray an intimate setting where you are privileged to be a fly on the wall to watch a private conversation and hear all the great things a particular product does by "someone just like you."

= Commercials show people talking directly to me telling me of all the good things that their product could do for me.
= Or, you see people having the times of their lives, doing things that could only be enjoyed by people who used a particular product.

Every commercial is less than subtle in telling you about their product without ever yelling at you or condemning you for not using their product. They simply make very strong insinuations that your quality of life would improve if you used their product. And it is all done with the illusion of using someone we know, admire, want to be like, or relate to; personally talking to us.

But Jesus didn't have a Madison Avenue public relations team promoting him. Everything He did was passed on by word of mouth. And His message of love spread like wildfire!

People whose lives were radically changed by Christ told everybody they came into contact with what had happened. Even people, who didn't experience significant life change, saw life change in others and they told others what they had seen!

John and Peter were ordered by the rulers of their time to stop talking about Jesus; but look at what they said…
Acts 4:20 (NIV) “For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.”

It's like that really old Faberge' ad, I told two friends and they told two friends, and they told two friends, and so on, and so on, and so on...

That’s how the good news about Jesus Christ spread around the world; word of mouth, one by one, people would tell their friends, neighbors, relatives, and coworkers about Christ.

We have a word for that strategy of word of mouth advertising when it comes to Jesus, we call it evangelism.

That’s how Jesus grew the first church, word of mouth evangelism. Eyewitness accounts, and one on one testimonies.

Now for some reason the word evangelism strikes fear in most people’s hearts. Now before I tell you three ways to talk to your friends about Jesus let’s talk about some...
I. MISCONCEPTIONS OF EVANGELISM.

A. YOU MUST BE AN OBNOXIOUS BIBLE THUMPER.

For many people the term evangelism brings up all sorts of unpleasant images:
· Hellfire and brimstone Bible Thumpers,
· pushy salesman types,
· slick, insincere celebrities,
· money grubbing televangelists,
· bizarre, cult like figures,
· hustlers, con men,
· Jim and Tammy Faye, Jimmy Swaggart, and so on.

Most of us find the hard sell approach impersonal, overbearing, and obnoxious. We tend to mistrust the sincerity of the person talking about Jesus. We feel like we are being sold something; and that doesn’t feel sincere!

If we think this is the only way to talk about Jesus, we will probably want to stay as far away from this role as possible. We fear that people will think we’re religious fanatics.

But you don't have to be a bible thumper, just be yourself.

B. YOU MUST KNOW THE WHOLE BIBLE.

That's like saying before you ever play the game of baseball you have to know all the rules and how to play every position before you even try.

Many of us are afraid that someone will ask us a question that we don’t know the answer to and we’ll look stupid. Or that there is some secret formula that we discover only after we have learned the entire bible and if done right everybody we talk to will beg us to tell them about Jesus.

We think that we must have an answer for every question.

You know what? God doesn't give us all the answers! We're just not supposed to know everything; if we did we would be God!

If you don't have the answer to a question someone asks you, don't panic! Just tell them that if there’s an answer you will get it for them.

Then study the question, or call me or someone else who can answer the question or at least the ability to find the answer if, there is one.

C. YOU MUST BE PERFECT.

You can never lose your temper. You can never do anything wrong.

Let's face it - we’re going blow it; we’re not perfect.

So don't ignore your mistakes, admit them and correct them. Don't hide them, but don't publicize them either.

When you blow it, recognize that it is not an unforgivable sin, work to correct it, ask for forgiveness, and move on.

That’s the beauty of God’s grace. God forgives us and forgets what we did. Our slate is clean before a gracious God. Remember Jesus died for our sins to forgive us.

In contrast to those misconceptions….

D.L. Moody said, “If this world is going to be reached, I am convinced that it must be done by men and women of average talent. After all, there are comparatively few people in the world who have great talents.”

It takes average people, just like you and me to spread the Good News that Jesus died to forgive us from our sins. It’s our job to go out into our communities, tell people about Jesus and bring them into His church. It takes average people like you and me; there are no superstars in the Christian Community.
Remember Jesus ad campaign? Go tell people about Me.

Look at these two commands of Jesus:
THE GREAT COMMANDMENT:
Matthew 22:36-39 (NIV) "LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR as yourself."

THE GREAT COMMISSION:
Matthew 28:19-20 (NIV) "GO AND MAKE DISCIPLES of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you."

Jesus says, be committed to love God and love our neighbors and then be committed to make disciples, devoted followers of Christ.

If that’s the command of Jesus; then how do we do that? How do we love God and our neighbors enough to tell them about Jesus? Let's look at …
II. THREE KEYS TO TALKING TO YOUR FRIENDS ABOUT JESUS.

A. LIVE WITH A GREAT COMMITMENT

The greatest impact the average Christian will ever make will be through their life and actions.

Many of us have heard about the Sermon on the Mount. It’s where Jesus taught a large crowd of his followers.

A significant part of that message is Jesus explaining to his followers the true nature of their calling. They would be His light to the world.
Matthew 5:14-16 "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven."

In other words Jesus said let your life be an advertisement for me! Let them see me through you.

Don't hide your Christianity. Make sure you are doing good things, and then when those good things are noticed tell them it's Jesus who is shining through you.

Doing good deeds is a way of loving people into the family of God.
1 John 4:7-8 (LB) "Dear friends, let us practice loving each other, for love comes from God and those who are loving and kind show that they are the children of God, and that they are getting to know him better. But if a person isn't loving and kind, it shows that he doesn't know God - for God is love."

Let me ask you a question: If your neighbors had to depend on you to find out about Jesus, how much would they know?

You live a great commitment by loving people enough to let the light of Jesus shine through you by living in a way that people say, I want what you have.

Your Christianity should be contagious. That’s what we should be - contagious Christians.

A Christian who maintains an ongoing personal contact with a non-believer is far more effective than the polished appeal of an evangelist, because they are able to show their whole life as a witness. Our friends will almost always more easily relate to us than someone they do not know, and the trust that is built up through a relationship helps create open doors for talking to them about Jesus.

So if you want to talk to your friends about Jesus; love them by living a life worthy of imitation and let the light of Jesus shine through you!

Here’s a warning: everything you do is a reflection on Jesus. So
· If you’re loving to your neighbors it’s a good reflection
· If you’re the crab of the neighborhood, it’s a bad reflection
· If you’re happy despite the circumstances, it’s good
· If you’re the complainer…
Think of it like this, if you’re contagious, what will people catch from you?

Once we have a great commitment to live contagiously for Christ, then we need to explain why we live differently…
B. LIVE THE GREAT COMMISSION

We need to be prepared to talk to people about Jesus.

2 Timothy 4:1-2 (LB) "...I solemnly urge you before God and Christ Jesus, ...to preach the Word of God urgently at all times, whenever you get the chance, in season and out..."

There are many different ways to talk about Jesus.

1. The first thing you have to do is tell YOUR story.
So you have to learn how to tell your story. It’s pretty simple really; just take a few minutes and write it out.

Here is a simple three point outline to write out your story. Just write one or two paragraphs on…
What was your life like before you became a Christian?
How did you become a Christian?
How has your life changed since becoming a Christian?
Simply take about one minute for each point and skip all the gory details. Sometimes people get hung up on talking about how bad they were… in detail. It will derail your story.

If you like I can email you a simple worksheet to help you tell your story. Just ask for it on your connection card, and make sure I have your email address.

Once you have told your story you need to be able to tell a person how to become a Christian.

2. There are all sorts of tracts that are published that allow you to simply read it to another person. They’re designed to take you all the way through to a prayer of commitment. They are simple and easy.

3. But my favorite way to talk to people about Jesus is called the Roman Road.

I have memorized several verses in Romans that present the gospel completely. I can use these verses and make a short simple presentation or a longer more complete presentation.

They are
Romans 3:23 "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."

Romans 6:23 "For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 5:8 "But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

Romans 10:9-10 "That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved."
That’s the Roman Road. It’s a simple way to tell the Good news of Jesus Christ. You don't need a Bible handy, you don't need to carry a tract, if you memorize it; it's always there.

David was hiding from King Saul in the desert and he said
Psalm 119:11 "I have hidden your Word in my heart that I might not sin against you." He didn't have a scroll tucked away in his tunic; he had memorized scripture to carry it with him all the time.

1. So we live a great commitment through a lifestyle of love recognizing that we are not perfect, but striving to do all that we can to bring glory to God. Remember, People take your example far more seriously than your advice.

2. And we live the great commission as we back up our lives with words, a verbal presentation.
1 Peter 3:15-16 (LB)"Quietly trust yourself to Christ your Lord, and if anybody asks you why you believe as you do, be ready to tell him, and do it in a gentle and respectful way."

C. Live Strategically

Acts 20:24 (ICB) “The most important thing is that I complete my mission. I want to finish the work that the Lord Jesus gave me—to tell people the Good News about God’s grace.”

In other words, develop a plan to tell the story and talk about Jesus with your friends...

· I’ve been talking to people about Jesus ever since I moved here. In fact the very first people I talked to were the movers who unloaded our furniture from the moving truck. Today one of them plays a key part in our church.
· I go to the gym 5 days a week and I have developed relationships with several people there. Two families have come to our church as a result of my building a relationship and talking to them about Jesus and our church.
· One guy I have met with several times and talked to him about Jesus. He has not come yet, but He will!
· I have talked to every neighbor on our block and invited them to our church.
· Cathy and I have built a casual friendship with a checker at a grocery store and we have invited her to come and check us out.
I have a plan; and that’s to talk to everyone I can about Jesus and The River. I am intentional and deliberate everywhere I go.

The point is you need to live strategically. You need to deliberately look for opportunities to invite your friends to church and talk to them about Jesus.

You say, Pastor Dave of course you talk to everyone about Jesus and the church; you’re the pastor and it’s easy when people know you’re a pastor!

Not true! I don’t tell people I’m a pastor. When they hear I’m a pastor they think I’m a hired professional!

Who do you think do you think people trust more - the hired professional or the satisfied customer? The satisfied customer!

Your friends trust you. They see changes in your life, they see a difference in your life; and they want to know why? What makes you different?

The apostle Paul said,
1 Corinthians 9:19-22 (Msg) “I have voluntarily become a servant to any and all in order to reach a wide range of people: religious, nonreligious, meticulous moralists, loose-living immoralists, the defeated, the demoralized—whoever. I didn’t take on their way of life. I kept my bearings in Christ—but I entered their world and tried to experience things from their point of view. I’ve become just about every sort of servant there is in my attempts to lead those I meet into a God-saved life”

Paul lived intentionally! And he related to everyone without condoning their actions or taking on their way of living. He worked to see things from their point of view just so he could talk to them about Jesus.

That’s what it means to live strategically!

One caution... the people your talking to about Jesus must not get the impression that they are your save the world project!
= You invite them as you have earned the right through your relationship.
= You love them with your actions with no strings attached.
= Even though we hope and pray for them to develop a desire to know Jesus, we love them consistently whether they accept the invitation or not.

So live strategically with a great commitment to the great commandment and you will have the great joy of introducing your friends to Jesus!

Maybe today when I talked about the Roman Road, Christianity made sense to you for the first time. Then take the first step, invite Jesus Christ into your life.

Serve Others- Using What God has Given Me

Three weeks ago I began a series teaching on our Mission at The River. Our Mission is simple:
· Come as you are- we are a judgment free zone!
· Love Jesus – This is our ultimate purpose for being here, it’s what God created us for – to love Jesus
· And today part 3; Serve Others - using what God gave you. That’s what God wants us to do. He wants us to use the talents, abilities, and spiritual gifts He gave us to serve others.

Check this out: Several years ago, a fire destroyed a building that contained tons of ice. Although the building contained enough material to extinguish the fire, the water was not in usable form. The building was literally full of frozen assets.

I think that describes most of us. We have all kinds of potential locked up inside of us, yet it remains frozen, unused, and wasted.

For those of us who are Christians, We have even more potential because God has given each one of us an extra helping of abilities, skills, and talents called Spiritual gifts. And God wants us to use those abilities and gifts to serve others.

Let me review three things that God gives to us the moment we fall in love with Jesus and accept Him as our Lord and Savior…
I. GOD GIVES ME THREE GIFTS WHEN I accept CHRIST
God does more than forgive me of my sin, He also gives me…

1. Eternal life. When I open my life to Jesus Christ, instantly I'm given eternal life.
Romans 6:23 (NLT) "For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."
I never have to worry about my future; I know I'm going to heaven. It's solid and I’m secure.

2. The Holy Spirit. The moment I gave my life to Jesus Christ, God gave His Spirit to me to live inside me.

Romans 5:5 (LB) “…God has given us His Spirit to fill our hearts with His love.”

And He'll never leave you and you'll never be alone. God is with you for the rest of eternity.

3. A special ability to use for His purpose.

Romans 12:6 (LB) "God has given each of us the ability to do certain things well."
(NASB) “Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly."

When you become a Christ follower, God gives you a brand new purpose for living, and along with that new life purpose He gives you a special gift or gifts to fulfill that purpose and he expects you to use those gifts, they’re what we call spiritual gifts. The Bible has a lot to say about spiritual gifts.

Every Christian gets at least one spiritual gift. That's different from a natural ability. Everybody has natural abilities. But only believers have spiritual gifts.
· When you were born physically, God gave you physical gifts like hearing, taste, touch, sight, smell Maybe He gave you athletic abilities, the ability to write, do math, think outside the box. Those are natural abilities and everyone gets some.
· But when you become a Christ follower God gives you some spiritual abilities or spiritual gifts to serve Him. Every believer has at least one. They are given to you at the moment of salvation.
Now God chooses which gifts you're going to get; you don't get to choose. They're given by grace; you don't earn the gift, it's God's free gift to you.

There are several lists of spiritual gifts in the Bible.
Romans 12:6-8; 1 Corinthians 12-14; and Ephesians 4:7-16; 1 Peter 4:9-11

I don't think these lists are exhaustive. I think they're simply examples. When you include the special gifts mentioned in the Old Testament I think the list is much larger than the list of gifts that’s actually mentioned in these passages. I think they're just examples for us in Scripture.

Here’s my point: any time you're serving God and you're doing it well and you're having fun doing it, you're demonstrating giftedness; you’re using the gifts God has given you.

II. THE IMPORTANCE OF MY SPIRITUAL GIFTS

Why is it important to know my spiritual gift? Because, if I'm a Christian, God gave me at least one, probably several, and if He gave them to me He expects me to use them.

As a believer, there are 3 very important reasons, to discover, develop and use your spiritual gifts. So let’s look at them.

I need to know what my spiritual gifts are because…
1. MY GIFTS DETERMINE HOW GOD WANTS ME TO SERVE OTHERS.

I Corinthians 12:4-6 "There are different kinds of gifts but the same spirit. There are different kinds of service but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working but the same God works in all of them."

Your spiritual gifts determine how God wants you to serve Him.
Once you understand what your spiritual gift is, it answers a lot of questions. For example:
· "What is God's will for my life?"
· "What does He want me to do now that I'm a Christian?"
· "What should my ministry be?"
· "How should I spend my time?"
· "Where should I focus my life?"
Each of these questions are answered when you understand your particular spiritual gift.

Every Christian is called to serve the cause of Christ, but your spiritual gift shows how you, individually, are to serve Him.
· If you're gifted in leading then God wants you to be a leader.
· If you’re gifted in teaching then you need to be a teacher.
· If you're gifted in music then you ought to sing or play music
· If you're gifted in talking to non-Christians about Jesus you ought to be an evangelist.
However you're gifted determines how to use your life for God.

Notice the word different in 1 Cor. 12:4-6 it’s used 3 times.
· It says there are different kinds of spiritual gifts
· There are different kinds of service
· There are different kinds of working
Every gift in your life is unique, meaning God doesn’t want you to copy other people's spiritual gifts.

There is always a temptation to copy other Christian's gifts, because their gifts seem cooler or more important than yours.

But God doesn't want you to copy anybody else; He knows what gift is best for you. That's why He is the one who determines what gift you will get.

Spiritual Gifts explain why Christians who believe the same things see things differently.

Have you noticed that even though we believe the same, Christians disagree about a lot? Why?
It's because of giftedness. We see things differently. We tend to emphasize what we're gifted in.

Check this out… If seven spiritual gifts were represented in a family and somebody dropped their desert on the floor here's how each person would respond according to their giftedness:
· Mercy – Put your arm around and empathize
· Preaching - That's what happens when you're not careful!
· Administration - Jim, would you get the mop? Sue pick it up.
· Serving - Let me help you clean it up!
· Teaching - The reason it fell is because you weren’t carrying it right and it was too heavy on one side. They are practical.
· Giving – Can I buy you a new desert?
· Exhortation – There is a deeper reason you dropped your desert, the bible says….

Truth is we're all different. That’s how Christians become divided; they tend to over focus on certain gifts.
· Some people think the most important gift is teaching so they go to a strong teaching church.
· Another says the most important gift is evangelism. So they go to a very evangelistic church.
· For another it's miracles so they go to a miracle church.
But they’re all equally important. The key is to not expect your gift to show in others and don't project your gift onto others.

All the gifts are important and they’re all necessary. What you need to know is that your gift shows God's plan for your life.

I need to know what my spiritual gifts are because…
2. MY GIFTS SHOW ME THAT I’M IMPORTANT.

1 Corinthians 12:27 "All of you form the one body of Christ and each one is a separate and necessary part of it."

You're needed. You're important. There are no little people or little jobs; truth is all the gifts are needed.
You’re just as important in the body of Christ as I am or anyone else. Every gift is needed.
· My gift is the power God gives me to bless others.
· God gives you a spiritual gift to bless other Christians too.
· If I don't use my gift, you get cheated.
· If you don't use your gift, I get cheated
The fact is if we don’t use our gifts everybody gets cheated.

God designed you to make a unique contribution. You're not gifted by accident; without you the picture isn't complete.

It's like a jigsaw puzzle with one part missing. Every Christ follower is needed in the body of Christ.

I need to know what my spiritual gifts are because…
3. MY GIFTS ARE THE KEY TO MY FULFILLMENT IN LIFE.

Everyone has the desire to be used in some way. And every one has the desire to accomplish something, to feel significant, to feel like your life makes a difference.

When you use the spiritual gift that God has given you - you're not only productive, but you’re doing what God has gifted you to do, and when you do what God designed you to do - you enjoy doing it.

John 15:8 & 11 (PH) "This is how my Father is glorified --in your becoming fruitful (productive) and being my disciples… I've told you this so that you can share my joy and that your happiness may be complete."

· Real joy does not come from making a lot of money.
· Real joy does not come from having a lot of pleasure.
· Real joy does not come from things.
Real joy comes from knowing my life is productive, that it counts, that it matters that I'm not just taking up space.

You find real joy and happiness by being what God meant you to be, by taking the gifts and abilities He's given you and using them. You feel a sense of accomplishment and fulfillment.

The Bible says that spiritual gifts are given to help other people.
God gives me one to bless you.
God gives you one to bless me.
And there is enormous personal satisfaction that comes from being used by God.

Nothing else to compares to the feeling of serving God. Being used by God is the greatest feeling and thrill you can experience in life.

Some of you can't comprehend that. If you've never experienced what it means to feel used by God you're missing out on real joy, the joy that God wants you to experience.

Nothing compares to knowing that God gave me a gift and I'm using it and God is blessing it.

God wants you to feel that feeling. He wants you to unwrap and use that gift. He wants you to use it so you can experience a satisfaction that compares to nothing else.

III. WHAT DOES GOD WANT ME TO DO WITH MY GIFT?

He wants you to do three things:

1. Discover it.
1 Corinthians 14:1 "Eagerly desire spiritual gifts."
One of the marks that proves you’re a Christian is that you have a desire to know your spiritual gift and to use it serving God.

In fact, if you have no desire to know your spiritual gift, develop it and use it, you ought to question whether you're a Christian or not.

The mark of a genuine Christ follower is they have a desire to know the gifts that God's given them and to use them.

God gave you your gifts - so it only makes sense that He wants you to know what your spiritual gift is.
I Corinthians 12:1 "Now about spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be ignorant.” God says, I don't want you to be ignorant of gifts. I want you to know them.

So how do I discover my spiritual gifts?
Examination and experimentation. By examining my Christian life and by experimenting with different kinds of service.

1. Examination. First, I discover my spiritual gifts by looking back on my Christian life and saying,
· In the ways I've served God so far, and what have I really enjoyed doing?
· What has God blessed?
· Where have people been impacted?
· Where have I seen results?
If you've never gotten involved in serving in a ministry since you've become a Christian there's no way you're going to know your gift.

2. Experimentation. Secondly, if you don't have anything to look back on you're going to have experiment with different kinds of ministries and service.
So what interests you? Try out some different ministries:
· Greeting
· Small groups
· Hospitality
· Teaching children
· Work with youth
· Start a singles ministry
· Rock babies in the Nursery
· Sing or try to sing on the worship Team
· Play in the band
· Get involved with set up and take down
· Sound tech, computers, lights, etc.
One of them will feel like your niche. If we don’t have a ministry that fits… make one up! Truth is if your gifted in something that we are not doing, then God has put you here to start it! Use your gifts and start a new ministry here at The River.

You need to do what God's gifted you to do. It will be enjoyable and you'll like doing it. When you do that you've found your gift and your ministry!

If you had told me 30 years ago that someday I’d plant a new church in Las Vegas and then another one in Eagle Idaho, I'd have said, "You're nuts!" I never in my wildest dreams thought I would be a church planter. In fact at that time, I never thought I would be a senior pastor. I was a youth pastor and I loved it and I never wanted to be a lead pastor! But I discovered I’m good at it, I’m gifted at it, and now I love it!

Taking spiritual gifts tests can help. There are a bunch of them online. But every test has to be somewhat standardized and we're all unique.

If I'd taken a test, never in a million years would I have discovered I have the gift of Apostle; one who starts a new work or plants a new church.

When I planted my first church in Las Vegas the only way I could have known I was gifted to plant a church was to do it!

So we trusted God, packed our stuff and moved to Las Vegas. I found out I had a special gift for starting churches. Then 12 years later, did it again when we moved here.

The only way you discover your gift is get out there and start doing something. Try it.

2. Develop it

Paul tells Timothy
1 Timothy 4:14 (GN) "Don't neglect the spiritual gift that is in you."

Many of you already know what you're good at. You know how God's gifted you. But if you're not using it for God's glory, then you're neglecting your spiritual gift.

Why? Maybe you think…
· I'm too busy
· I'm not good enough
· What if I fail or embarrass myself?
Satan will do everything he can to keep you from discovering and developing your spiritual gift.

He'll even try to get you involved in all kinds of good things to keep you from the best thing so you don't know the thrill of being used by God.

So follow God’s direction….
2 Timothy 1:6 (JB) "Fan into flame the gift God gave you."

Strengthen your gift, deepen it, increase it, and cultivate it. Don't get discouraged. Don't quit. Get some training, go to conferences, read books, find someone who is good at it to help you.
Just because you're gifted in an area doesn't mean it's easy. You may be gifted in counseling or caring for people who are hurting but that's not easy week after week. You may be gifted in organizing events but that doesn't mean it's easy.

I can tell you from experience it’s not easy starting a new church or teaching every Sunday, but I do it, it’s hard work but I love it!

So don't give up. Keep on doing until it feels good - or until you figure out it’s not your gift, then try something else!

3. Use it.

1 Peter 4:10 "Each one should use whatever spiritual gift he has received to serve others faithfully managing God's grace in its various forms."

God wants you to use the gifts He has given to you -- and the church is the place to discover and develop and use your gift.

Ephesians 4:12 (LB) "Why is it that he gives us these special abilities to do certain things best? It is that God's people will be equipped to do better work for Him, building up the church, the Body of Christ, to a position of strength and maturity."

God's plan is brilliant: Every Christian gets a spiritual gift…
· so that everybody can contribute,
· so that everybody's important,
· so that nobody feels insignificant,
· So that we all function together in harmony.

He says, I'll give every Christian a spiritual gift so that every person can be a partner with God in the most important task in the world, building His kingdom.

So here’s God's plan:
· some people set up,
· some people organize,
· some people make artistic signs, banners, or decorations
· some people do music,
· some people teach,
· some people work with kids,
· some people know how to raise money
Everybody's important. No one is more important than the others. It's all God's plan. It takes everybody.

In Matthew 25 there's a story called the Parable of the Talents. Jesus tells this story to say, "One day you're going to stand before God and He’s going to ask you, `What did you do with what I gave you?'"

When you stand before Jesus one day and He asks, "Why didn’t you discover, develop, and use your gift?" What are you going to say?

Folks this is serious stuff. One day there's going to be a final exam and as your pastor want you to be able to give the right answer.

What we're talking about here is of vital importance.
· God is not going to hold you accountable for gifts He didn't give you.
· But He is going to hold you accountable for the gifts He did give you.

1 Corinthians 4:2 "Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful."

God has made an investment in you and it is a sin to waste what God has given you. So don’t waste it!
God has given you spiritual gifts that are to be discovered, developed and used.

WRAP-UP
We are getting ready for an out pouring of God’s blessing next month. As we have our Grand Opening I believe God has positioned us here in Eagle to further His kingdom in a significant way.

There are so many things that need to be done as we kick off.
· There are new ministries that we need to start
· We need to build up and support all our core ministries, like children, youth, small groups, setup, tech, worship, greeters, and hospitality.
· I would love for us to start a drama team, a food bank, a helping hands ministry where people can find someone in the church who can help them do something they cannot do for themselves, for free!
· We need people who are willing to go door to door and tell people that a new church is starting.

There is much to be done. Jesus Said…
Matthew 9:37-37 “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”

I’m asking God to send you out into the harvest field, serving others for His sake.

Prayer and Fasting

Acts 13:2-3 (GW)"While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, 'Set Barnabas and Saul apart for me. I want them to do the work for which I called them.' After fasting and praying, Simeon, Lucius, and Manaen placed their hands on Barnabas and Saul, and released them from their work in Antioch."

Matthew 17:20-21 (NASB) "... for truly I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you. 'But this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.'”

We are only a week away from beginning the next phase of launching The River (Our Preview Services begin Sunday, February 22). This is the end of phase one and the beginning of phase two... and so far God has supremely blessed! We have been experiencing God's awesome blessings and miracles. And I have been absolutely humbled by His faithfulness.

Now it is our turn to show our faithfulness. Normally God says "you first", but so far, based on what we have experienced, as God has blessed our socks off, we have simply watched Him show His grace and power as He has been establishing The River; having churches commit to helping us plant, gathering an awesome staff, and developing a committed core group of faithful believers.

So what are we to do? The Bible is clear, there is nothing we can do to make anything happen, it is only God that empowers, blesses, and grows. But there is ample teaching in the Bible that says we have a part in releasing His blessings. One significant thing we can do is pray and fast! Honestly, I don't understand in my own finite human mind (and my hungry body) how fasting works; however I do know that Jesus says, when I faithfully pray AND fast it empowers my prayers and releases God to do what He really wants to do.

What is fasting? Simply it is refraining from food. All through Scripture we see examples of fasting; fasting when seeking God's will, fasting to humble oneself before God, fasting to honor and worship God, fasting to sacrifice, etc.

As we enter phase two of launching The River I am calling on all our prayer partners to consider this Wednesday (2/18) as a day of fasting and prayer. I am not asking you to put on a monks robe and go to a Monastery in a self debasing way. Just fast, refrain from food, not water, and as you go through your normal day - pray! As you feel hungry let that be a reminder for you to pray. Pray when it comes to your mind. Pray during what would be meal times. You will be surprised at how often you will think about praying when you are fasting.

Will you commit to pray and fast with us this Wednesday? Please send me an email to let me know. I want to pray for you too!

Here are several things to bring to God in prayer for The River as we prepare to launch phase two.
-Pray that we can reach out to the non-churched people in our area; both those who have left the church for some reason and those who have never known God and lead them into a life changing relationship with Jesus.
-Pray that we can help people discover their God given shape and begin to equip them to serve Him, by serving others in and through The River.
-Pray that God would supernaturally charge all our advertising, newspaper inserts and handouts, so it is noticed and people respond by coming to The River.
-Pray that as people come onto the school property they would sense a spirit of love, caring, acceptance, and God's Spirit.
-Pray that we will fill up the school auditorium with people! Immediately forcing us to go to 2 services - even before Easter!
-Pray that we will bring Glory to God through every facet our services ; song, media, drama, teaching, announcements, communion, and the offering.
-Pray that as we plan our services we will experience the empowerment of the Holy Spirit to be creative, biblical, and point people to Jesus.
-Pray that God would spiritually supercharge our services with joy, encouragement, fun, discovery, and multiple challenges to new commitments to Jesus.
-Pray that we can develop a committed set up/take down crew that will view their hard work as serving the Lord not just a job.
-Pray for safety from the evil one. That God will bind him and not allow him to interfere, influence, or destroy anyone or any thing that is a part of The River.
-Pray for our staff: Don Steinke-Pastor of Connections, Dave Rowe-Pastor of Care, Kason Wedel-Worship Leader, Phil Eastman-Youth Director. Susie Tilton-Children's Director.
-Pray for all our volunteers who serve in hospitality, greeting, worship team, set up/take down, tech crew, children's ministry, youth ministry, and media.
-Pray for the staff at Seven Oaks Elementary School - that our use of their facilities will being blessings on them and their classes, and that they would recognize God's blessing.
-Pray for our finances. That God will continue to provide for our every need, and that our people will learn the value of giving.
-Pray for Cathy. Cathy was finally able to go to the Dr this past week. She has been given medication that prayerfully will begin to help her get back on track physically. She also did several lab tests and that suggested that there may be some other more serious physical problems. She has been referred to another Dr that she will see this week. We are praying for a miracle, we are praying for her complete healing either with the Dr's or not.
-Pray for me. I went back to the Dr on the blood clots in my leg and I have been referred to a vein specialist who I will see next week who will hopefully remove the veins. I am also scheduled for a full physical this week. Pray for a healthy outcome and no surprises!

God bless you!
Thank you for your prayers. We love you and appreciate all your prayers and support.

God's Love and Protection

"A thief comes to steal and kill and destroy. But I came to give life—life in all its fullness" John 10:10 (ICB)
"Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. " 1 Peter 5:8

I so appreciate God's love for us and how He has kept us safe and continued to bless us. We have had very little interference from the evil one. Yes Cathy and I have struggled with a couple of health issues, but all in all, God has blessed and the enemy has been restrained. Now I think part of this is because the Devil doesn't understand faith. I think he probably sat back like so many others and thought, who would go to Idaho, with no money, no church, and no people? Why would anyone make such a scary and silly decision? Well, like I said, the Devil doesn't understand faith. I think he sat back expecting us to fail, God to fail us, or for us to give up; not a chance! God has blessed and part of His blessing has been His restraint of the Devil and his followers! Thank you Lord for Your protection!

However, I must say he has taken notice of us, I am beginning to see his attacks on our church staff and some of our people. Now, understand, I am not a "the Devil is under every rock" kind of guy. But I know he is real, and I know he is dangerous. I have seen him work to take apart churches from the ground up. He is powerful, but only as powerful as God allows! For God is still in control! He is sovereign and He loves us! Praise the Lord!

We are coming down to the home stretch, so to speak, as we start The River, beginning with 7 preview services leading up to Easter Sunday when we will have our Grand Opening. Pray for us. Pray for God's continued blessings. Pray for God's continued protection from the evil one who hates the idea of another church reaching out to the unchurched and people far from God. Pray for us to know and understand what God is doing here and to have the wisdom to follow Him.

Pray for the staff of The River:

Dave Griewe - Lead Pastor
Don Steinke- Pastor of Connections
Dave Rowe - Pastor of Care
Kason Wadel - Worship Leader
Phil Eastman - Youth Director
Susie Tilton - Children's Director

God has miraculously assembled a talented and gifted staff with a huge heart for reaching the lost and seeing them grow in Christ. They truly Love the Lord and want to see people come to Christ and grow.

Pray for us as we get ready for regular Sunday services beginning on February 22, just two weeks away! Pray for people to step in and get involved, particularly in set up and take down. We are excited about opening the church with a full ministry and staff to provide leadership for each area. Pray for creativity as we program to reach the non churched and pre-believers in our area.

Praise God for His unimaginable gracious gifts and blessings! He has really blessed us every step of the way as we have followed Him preparing to give birth to The River!

Thank you for your prayers!

God is blessing!

PLAYING IT SAFE - NOT!

You can’t please God by playing it safe. You say, I’ve got my cushy, comfortable life here and I’m going to coast the rest of my life. If you’re coasting right now, guess what? You’re headed down. You’re not improving your life, it’s deteriorating.

Why does God say you can’t please Me if you’re playing it safe? Because God wants you to learn to trust Him; Trust is faith.

One of the great lessons of life is learning to trust God. You can’t trust God if you never take any risks. In order to have faith you have to take some risks. God says if you’re not taking any risks in life, if you’re not doing anything that stretches you, then you don’t require faith. And if you don’t require faith in your life you are being unfaithful.

Romans 14:13 (KJ) “Whatsoever is not of faith is sin.”

Hebrews 11:6 “Without faith it is impossible to please God.”

God says I want you to learn to trust Me. It’s one of the great lessons of life. The only way to do that is putting yourself out on a limb. Never be afraid of going out on a limb. That’s where the fruit is. Don’t be afraid to rock the boat if God’s in it with you. He’s going to help you, He’s going to protect you.

If you want to please God, If you want to live life abundantly, if you are ready to grow in your faith, quit playing it safe and take a giant leap of faith.

God would rather have you attempt to do something great and fail than attempt to do nothing with your life and succeed.

We have taken on a huge goal of starting a new church. Most people aren’t willing to try something that’s risky. Everybody wants to success but they want it the easy way. If you talk to anyone who is successful in any area they will tell you they made it because they took a risk, maybe calculated, maybe not, but they took a risk and that led to their success.

If you have lost your joy; or you’ve lost your enthusiasm for life; There’s no spark. You just don’t feel totally alive any more. Maybe it’s because you’re playing it safe.

Step up, step out, live for God, and quit playing it safe!

Prayer mail 10-9-08

"I will sing of the LORD’s great love forever; with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known through all generations." Psalm 89:1

God is so good! I sense God's presence and power with every step I take. It is such a blessing to be doing what God wants me to do, and know and to feel His approval. That is the way I feel about the ministry here at The River right now. I know there will be difficult days, but for right now I am basking in God's unparalleled blessings!

I have been waiting, sometimes not very patiently, for our first Bible study for The River and we finally had it this Wednesday! It went great! There was good attendance with 18 people in total attendance with several people who planned to come but did not make it for one reason or another. I began a three part series called "How to Spend a Day With God". It went very well. We are struggling with meeting at Rembrandt's Coffee House. Wednesday night is a pretty good night to meet, not as big of crowd, but we are in a room right next to the counter and the blenders and counter noise is very distracting. Pray for us to come up with a great solution. I love being at Rembrandt's, everybody knows where it is, it is a very popular place in Eagle, but if God has anther option, pray that I will hear Him clearly and be willing to follow His lead.

As a church, we are in the core building stage. My focus is on building a core of committed believers who can and will carry on the bulk of the ministry. At that same time I am putting together my staff and leadership team. I am finally talking to someone with experience and availability that may take on our Children's ministry! Please pray, I have said this before, but this is a key position as Eagle is VERY family oriented and we need to have a significant ministry to Children if we are going to really reach into the community. Please continue to pray for the other staff positions I have mentioned previously. There are two very qualified pastors who are ready to make commitments to The River and begin raising support. I hope to announce their names to you soon so you may pray for them individually. I am still looking for a worship leader/team and a youth leader. Again very vital parts to reaching the non churched in our area. And having a worship leader is key to starting any preview services, without one, we will not begin.

While I am doing all that I can to build the core group, I am still reaching out to people in our community who are far from God. I have been building a relationship with a man at my gym for a couple of months and I asked him to come to our Bible study last week. He was speechless, in fact could not speak to me for at least 10 minutes. It was the first time he found out that I am a pastor and I think he was replaying everything he had said to me (not Godly stuff to say the least...) and had no idea how to respond. I don't think he has ever considered God as an option. On Tuesday I was in the middle of a set of sit ups and he sat next to me and just began to vomit out his life, bad choices, issues in his marriage, issues with his step children (18 & 20 yrs). It just poured out of him for about 10 minutes. Then all of a sudden he realized where we were and jumped up to leave. I had finished my sit ups, put my hand on his shoulder and asked if I could pray for him. Again, speechless... he looked around and said, "Th... th... this is not an appropriate place." He was very uncomfortable so I said no problem, He could go his way, but I wanted him to know that I would pray for him, and he bolted! Haven't seen him for two days, but that's not that unusual. Pray for this man, his name is Bob and he really needs the Lord! Pray for more opportunities, divine appointments, where I can gently weave in the message of God's grace, and that he would respond. This is why I am here! I love these conversations.

Praise God that Cathy continues to heal. She told me that Tuesday was the first day she had no headache and she could actually feel her finger tips! More progress! Two steps up, one step back. God is healing her, slowly but surely. Thank you Lord for Galen Danielson, owner of Rehab Authority, who volunteered to treat her physical therapy for free. We could not have done it without him. As for her job, she took in a letter to announce her leaving and looking for another job. Her manager decided she really needed her so she designed a job for her as a co-teacher in a 2-3 year old class. She was offered a regular schedule and less chaos. Cathy and I have prayed about this a lot. In fact this week I was praying and fasting asking for God to do something significant. We feel He has. It will not be perfect, far from it, unfortunately, the center is more concerned about accomplishing their goals and business than they are in loving and nurturing children. And Cathy is all about loving and nurturing. She believes the co-teaching position might work well. The biggest variables, besides their erroneous theory of child care, is if her manager can manage to let her staff do their jobs and not create additional chaos. It should be interesting to see if she can. Keep praying for Cathy, she has been the light of Christ at her place of business. I am very proud of her as she has maintained integrity and worked hard in the face of adversity and physical discomfort and pain, all the time keeping a smile on her face. She is ministering to the workers, loving the children, and looking forward to extending that loving care to the parents of the children she works with.

We had someone volunteer to give us a complete portable sound system with a built out 20' trailer to haul it with last spring. We have been trying to follow up on this offer, but there have been several snags, mostly with people being out of town . Pray that we can make the necessary connection and that the offer still stands... and that if we are going to get this equipment that we can get it by November 1 so we can learn the system and be able to use it; that is if we have our first preview service on November 23rd. Pray that either the offer for equipment comes through or that God will provide other options for a sound system and equipment transportation.

Thank you for your prayers and support!
God bless

Dave Griewe
1-208-570-3732
http://www.riverchristianchurch.com/

Prayer Mail 9-26-08

Dear Friends,

"So you must be brave. Don't give up! God will honor you for obeying him."
2 Chronicles 15:7 (CEV)

My wife has this verse pasted on her computer screen. It's one of several verses that she leaves there most of the time. She is great at finding encouragement from God's Word. This verse is particularly powerful for us as we have taken a risk and stepped out in faith, uprooting our lives and moving to Eagle to plant a new church. We gave up everything we had, moved from our children and their husbands and our grand kids, with no security or guarantee of the future, just trusting and believing that we are being obedient to God's call. We have been here for a couple of months, working quietly but diligently while looking forward to what God is going to do with us here at The River. Finally, last Wednesday night we had our first information meeting; a meeting to gather people we have been talking to about starting a new church. Let me put this in perspective; when I started Desert Horizons Church, after 5 months we had our first meeting and we had two people show up. This week after 2 1/2 months we had 12! God is awesome!

God brought several different people with different backgrounds to come and check us out. I shared my testimony and the journey that led us to Idaho. Then I shared two key values and our mission statement. All 12 people indicated great interest and excitement about being a part of something new for the Lord.

One man I invited from my gym talked to me after the meeting. He said that when I invited him, he wasn't sure if he was going to come or not, but when he looked at our brochure he read on the front cover one of our key values, "No perfect people allowed". After reading that he said he had to come and find out what we were all about. He said he is a Catholic, who loves God but not the church! (Another key value for us: "We are a church for those who gave up on the traditional church but not on God"). He was very excited about finding a church that emphasized grace and forgiveness. I heard a very similar comment from another man who attended; he was one of the men who helped move us into our home back on July 1.

Cathy and I are so blessed that God is working like He is. We have had a quiet confidence and faith that God would provide, and He did. Now we are looking forward to October 8 when we begin our weekly bible Study and begin to develop our core group.

This Sunday I will be speaking at both services at Eastwind Community Church and meeting with their board to share my vision so they may consider providing financial support for the next year. The following week their pastor will meet with people who live in or around Eagle (about a 30-40 minute drive to their church) and he will be encouraging them to come and help us get started. The following Sunday I will be at a meeting at First Baptist Church where their pastor has invited people to come to an information meeting and he will challenge them to consider being a part of our church plant and I will share the vision God has given me for The River. Honestly, I have never been around pastors who were so kingdom minded that they were willing to give away their people for the sake of build the kingdom of God! It is refreshing and an absolute blessing! May God bless them!

Our next step is beginning our Bible study on October 8th. We are praying for a good turnout.

I will attend a Regional Pastors Conference next Monday through Wednesday. I am looking forward to meeting other ABC-NW pastors and sharing the vision of The River with them.

Our Crown Small Group study has begun and I am very excited about the truths we are encountering and learning. It's a real blessing to attend a group and not lead it! I am praying that we can begin crown small groups at least three times a year. The truths, if practiced, are absolutely life changing!

Prayer requests:
Pray for me as I speak on Sunday and a positive response from the people at Eastwind Community Church and from their board.
Pray for a positive response from the people at First Baptist.
Pray that God would send a solid core of committed believers from both churches providing the core group that will provide a spiritual and financial foundation for The River.
Pray for wisdom for me as I seek God concerning putting together the right team of pastoral leaders for The River. I am hoping to make some significant decisions in the next two weeks. God has led me to two excellent and Godly men who may form the core of ministry leadership for The River.
Pray for God to lead us to someone who is qualified and trained to start and run a children's ministry and another person to lead a youth ministry.
Pray for God to provide His person that can lead our worship ministry and band.
A note on Cathy:
This has been a much better week for Cathy. Last week was one of the worst, and this week has been one of the best! It seems that she is not in as much pain, the physical therapy seems to be working! We know there will be good days and bad days, we are praying that her good days begin to out number the bad ones and that she will be totally healthy soon. One of our big concerns has been she is struggling with speech and memory issues. Cathy has always had a near photographic memory but that seems to be affected. We had renewed a prescription her OB gave her after her hysterectomy and I read all the possible side effects and it seems that everything she is struggling with could be related to the medication she has been taking! It did not create her nerve and soft tissue damage but it may be hindering her healing and creating other issues (speech, memory, and unusual body pain). So Sunday she stopped taking it and we are waiting from her Dr. Please keep praying for her healing. Even if the medication has caused problems she needs for her nerves and soft tissue in her neck to be "regenerated" according to the PT, or what we call HEALED.


Thank you for your prayers. We couldn't make it with you! Keep on praying!
God bless,

Dave

Our Journey To Plant a Church

About a year ago, Cathy and I began to sense that God was making some major changes in our lives. With our daughters raised and gone, we felt God asking us to take a new step of faith. It was rather unsettling, sensing that God had something different for us; we had grown comfortable in our home, our church, and in Las Vegas. We had no idea what that change was going to be, but we quietly began praying and seeking God’s Will as He gently tugged on our hearts.

We visited Boise last fall for what we thought was a visit to check out Boise State University for our youngest daughter, Emily. The last thing on our minds was packing up, leaving the rest of our family in Las Vegas and moving to plant a brand new church! It caught us completely by surprise; but God used that initial trip to plant a seed in our hearts for the people and community of the Treasure Valley. Honestly, we didn’t know what to do with our desires at that time. Neither Cathy nor I discussed it openly with each other. We both thought it was just a silly idea in the back of our minds. But as we prayed and committed to seek God’s will, the desire continued to grow intensely. When we moved Emily into the BSU dorms in January, we drove the entire ten hours home talking excitedly about the strong pull we both had for the community. We still didn’t know what to do about it, honestly it confused us greatly. We knew we had a wonderful church family in Las Vegas that loved us dearly and that we loved ministering to.

Beginning last January we prayed, fasted, and sought the prayer support of close friends, pastors and family to help us discover what God’s next steps would be for us. Immediately after Easter, I sensed God very clearly telling me: Dave-go plant a church in the Treasure Valley!

Why? Idaho is currently the third fastest growing state in the United States. The Treasure Valley is the fastest growing area in the state and is expected to grow by 40% in the next ten years, to over one million plus. According to the Southern Baptists, nearly 90% of the people in the Treasure Valley do not have a personal relationship with Jesus. Statistics continue to prove that new church planting is the quickest and most effective way to reach people with the Good News of Jesus Christ.

In an exploratory trip to Boise last Fall, Cathy and I met with several pastors, most notably Bruce Young of First Baptist Church, Mark Traylor of East Wind Community Church, and Jim Steinert of Second Baptist Church. God had already been preparing them for our meeting. Each shared that they, along with some other pastors, had been praying about planting a new church! God bound our hearts together and each pastor committed their support. They next question was where would we plant a new church? I met with business people and pastors and every single one agreed the place with the greatest opportunities and need was Eagle! I went back to my church in Las Vegas and shared God’s new call for my life and began making plans to move to the Treasure Valley.

We rented a house in Eagle and moved in it on June 23rd. We have had our house on the market in Las Vegas since April. Knowing that we are trying to sell it during the worst housing market downturn ever in that area we decided to move to Idaho on faith leaving our home in God’s hands. We have it listed as a short sale and we are praying that God sells it before we lose it, but whichever way it goes, we are at peace. We trust that God is in control. We raised partial support before we left Las Vegas and we are living on that and our savings until we get the River started and it is able to support us.

We are excited about the opportunities to further the kingdom of God here in Eagle. God continues to open doors, but we cannot do this alone. We are asking you to partner with us, as your pastors have, through prayer and support.

Specifically:
· We need your prayers! If you will pray for us we will send you a weekly “Prayer Mail” email. It generally comes out the end of every week.
· We need your financial support. Church planting costs money! There are many needs that are unmet right now and there are even bigger needs in the near future. Here are several ways you can help meet those needs. You may support us on a monthly basis or you may choose to donate towards specific needs; i.e. office expenses, advertising, health insurance, rental space… If you are interested in financially supporting The River let me know and I will show you how.
· One of the greatest ways you can support us to join us! Again there are several options available to you: You may choose to make a commitment to help us in the start up phase. You may choose to make a one or two year commitment to The River or you may choose to make the River your new church home!
· We need God’s people to fill vital leadership roles for The River. Specifically we need leadership over connections/small groups, Worship/Youth, Children, and Administration. These are all key and vital roles that need to be filled if we are going to effectively reach non churched people and minister to the whole person and their family.


God bless you!
Serving our Savior,

Dave and Cathy Griewe