“For the time has come for judgment to begin with the household of God; and if it begins with us first, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God?”   1 Peter 4:17

Wow.  Reading this passage of scripture is not an easy thing for me.  Especially when I read it and really take it in for the reality that it is.  I don’t think I have ever heard a sermon preached anywhere about this particular passage before.  It certainly wouldn’t have been in my top ten favorite things to hear on a Sunday morning.  Lately, though, this declaration written to the churches of Asia Minor thousands of years ago is ringing truer to me than ever before.  Through this passage, I hear the Lord saying to me “Yes, the time has come.  And yes, it is for the whole church.  But, I first have to start in the hearts of individuals.  Are you ready for me to start with you?”

“Me?! I thought.  I mean, of course.  I would follow you anywhere, Lord, do anything.   I followed you here to Cairo, didn’t I?  This isn’t an easy place for me to live, ya know.  I sing songs saying ‘I am yours’.  I feel like I mean it when I say it.  So, O.K., God.  Bring it on.”
Ha.  I had no idea what I was asking for. 

Ever since I became a believer, I have not quite been at home in “church”.  Growing up as someone not walking with the Lord, I went to church pretty regularly until I was a teenager.  I saw many hypocrisies and injustices, even within my own congregation.  There were too many questions left unanswered, too many issues skirted around, while other issues were slammed down our throats with no explanation.  The church was pretty much an irrelevant entity in my life.  When I finally submitted my life to the Lord in college, those thoughts and experiences naturally came along with me as I tried to walk with the Lord.  And, yes, many of my issues with the body were relevant, were necessary to raise.  But, typical to my generation, I could wax very philosophical and idealist sitting with my friends in my dorm or in a coffee shop, but in the practicalities of my life, I was just as confused as the people I liked to critique.  I was no judgmental, closed minded bible beater, at least , I consoled myself.  I wanted to serve the Lord.  Of course I did.  I wanted something more than the superficialities of this existence, I felt in the depths of me there was much more to life than I was presently experiencing.  I wanted to show the love of God by serving others.  But, I still wanted to have my fun, live my life, and be “relevant” to the world around me.  

As I graduated from college and found myself in various forms of ministry over the years, this desire for more was still there and growing stronger.  I was doing everything I thought I could possibly do.  I lived among the poor, tried to love like Jesus loved, learned how to serve.  I flitted from experience to experience hoping to find an answer in all of them.  And, don’t get me wrong, I learned invaluable things from each one.  The Lord, in His mercy, meets us where we are at.  But I also knew there wasn’t something I was quite grasping. 

Fast forward to now.  As you all probably know, the biggest part of my role at Two Rivers is prayer.  I have spent more time in prayer over the past year and a half then I know I have ever in my life.  And naturally, as you spend more time before the Lord, asking Him things and letting Him speak to you, it becomes easier to hear what He is always trying to speak to us.  Because I have opened myself up to Him more, He has begun to change more in me.  The Lord is showing me how to be not just a hearer of the Word, or even an agreer with the Word, but a doer of the Word.  In Luke 6:46 Jesus says to his disciples “Why do you call me Lord, Lord and do not do what I say?”  Jesus was not talking to Gentiles, or even to the Pharisees, but to his disciples- the very people closest to him.  They walked with him, were taught by him, and saw him do miraculous things.  Yet they still struggled with doing the Lord’s will.  They quarreled among themselves about who was the greatest, asked arrogantly to call down fire from heaven on rebellious cities, and in the end, abandoned him at his crucifixion.  And I hear the Lord saying the very same things to me. 

Why do I call him my Lord and God when I do not do what He says?  When He tells me in His word to “Be holy, because I am holy”(Lev 11:44), why do just shift uncomfortably in my chair and just continue as I did the day before?  Why do I still long to feel comfortable in this world when I know that I was not created for it and scripture states that I am to be set apart?  The finger I have pointed for so long is slowly turning around to me.  And, you know what?  It is the best place I could be right now.  Judgment is coming to the household of God.  I believe that is a biblical fact.  But, if it starts with me, or with you, what will that mean for the body as a whole?  As the famous quote by Gandhi states, I must first be the change I wish to see in the world.  It must begin in individuals to begin in a body.  At the end of the day, will I allow the Lord to truly have his way?  I pray that, by God’s grace, I will.  I also pray that same grace is extended to you. > 

You know the phrase “the more you know, the more you realize how much you don’t know”?  This phrase pretty much sums up my life as it is right now.  The more I find out about God, the more I find myself confused, sobered and uncertain of the next step.  When I moved to Cairo, I had to come face to face with a God I had never known up until that point.  A God I wasn’t sure I could deal with, or accept.  One of great love, but love in a way I have never seen.  A God that shows compassion and justice, but cannot tolerate sin and executes judgement.  Buddy Christ was gone from my life and the Lion of the Tribe of Judah was set before me. 

It has been hard to deal with this lion, I aint gonna lie.  I didn’t know what to do with him.  I still don’t on many days.  I walk cautiously around him, eyeing him in awe and bewilderment.  And he stands there staring back at me, waiting patiently.   A few times I have come close enough to stretch out my hand and touch him.  He has let me stroke his mane.  I have felt incredibly safe in his presence and wanted to stay there with him. I know he would let me, that he even wanted me to stay.  As soon as I felt comfortable, he let’s out a loud roar.  Doubt and confusion fly through the air and hit me like an arrow.  Maybe this isn’t so good after all.  I don’t understand why he is roaring. 

I don’t understand why it scares me so much.  His power is displayed and there I go, booking it back to the perimeter and thus begins our watching and staring contest once again.  I know there is a sadness in his eyes that grows each time I play road runner, but I can’t help it.  I don’t know what I think will happen if I just stay beside him in the midst of all the roaring.  Maybe that I will get swallowed up in the backlash, or that I won’t be able to stand in the midst of all the proverbial poop hitting the fan. 

What is the alternative, though?  Sure, I could run back to my buddy Christ and fling myself into his arms.  I can try to find comfort in that version of Jesus once again.  I am sure he would welcome me back  Maybe I would be comforted for awhile.  But I would know that this Jesus I am clinging to is just my own taylor- made opiate for the masses.  I am just burning more offerings on the altar of idolatry.  That’s right.  Idolatry.  It is not some golden calf or wooden statue, but it is not Him in His fullness.  Accepting anything less is not accepting Him. 

So…I am still learning.  The staring game continues.  But I know that the mystery of Him is not too big for Him to communicate to someone as little as me.  His word says His desire is to reveal these mysteries to us.  So, I will reach out and take hold of that truth.  HIS GRACE IS SUFFICIENT ENOUGH FOR MY INSUFFICIENCIES.        

“Whether I feel it or not, whether I mean it or not, Your Word is truth.”

The lion stalks, looking for something to devour.
there are two trees…and each hold life or death.

I need you, yes I need you, every step of the way…

Take up your positons. Stand firm and see what He will do

Right by my side….
Everything I ever wanted I have found in you….

We hope that this first month of 2007 has already been showing you more of God’s goodness as we all begin a new year! The end of 2006 was full of many transitions for us as 5 of our staff were in and out of the country at various times on trips to Israel and Mozambique. Before we knew it, Christmas was upon us and we were at our different home with our families. Now, we are all back together and are looking forward to a very busy and exciting next few months. Let the updating begin!

Two Rivers Staff Getting Dunked!

We aren’t talking about basketball here, folks. Our Two Rivers family had the privilege of baptizing three of our staff in December. Sara, Amanda, and Heather A. were all baptized as children, but wanted to show their commitment to Christ by following in His steps in a public profession of their faith. Gary performed the baptisms, which were done at River of Life Church, a nearby congregation that we have become very close to. As each one stepped into the water, they all had proclamations of the Lord’s faithfulness and goodness in their lives. Many tears and shouts of joy were heard as they rose out of the water, symbolically shedding off the former self and showing themselves as a new creation in Christ. We were incredibly blessed to be apart of that very special day.

Amanda, Gary, Sara, and Heather before the ceremony

Sara after-Praisin the Lord!

A Comissioning

Our leadership sees Two Rivers as a launching pad of sorts. All of the staff that come through our doors are not going to be in Cairo forever. We come to this seemingly desert place to get trained and equipped to partner with God in His Kingdom work, wherever that may lead us next. We have recently experienced the first leaving of the nest, so to speak. Amanda Dums, who has been on staff with us for more than a year, has transitioned into a year of mission work around the world with an organization called Adventures in Missions. She will spend 11 months in 11 different countries with a team of 6 ministering, growing, and learning more about God’s heart for the nations. Our last prayer time all together, we laid hands on Amada and called forth the gifs and promises the Lord has been teaching her about and growing her in during this season with us. As we commissioned her out from this place, our hearts were a mixture of sadness and excitement, sadness in losing a member of our team, but excitement in seeing what the future has in store for her while knowing that we will always be connected in the Spirit. You can follow Amanda on her journey around the world, too at www.amandadums.theworldrace.org

Tech Center in Full Swing

Our technology center, which opened back in October, has seen much growth in the past few months. Around 200 different people have stepped through the doors to utilize the services we offer. The lab is open on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday afternoons from 3pm-6pm for Open Lab and on Saturdays from 9am-12pm. We also offer classes on Saturday mornings rotating through basic introductory classes such as Intro to Computers and Intro to Microsoft Word. We are also offering classes on Wednesday nights in more advanced areas such as Adobe Illustrator, Digital Photography, and Film Editing. So far we have had an average of three or four students per class, which allows for great one-on-one training. We hope that the lab continues to bring in community members that we would not interact with otherwise. It has been an amazing blessing so far.

Heather teaching Adobe Illustrator

Open lab

Sacred Assembly- Feb. 2, 2007

“Declare a holy fast; call a sacred assembly. Summon the elders and all who live in the land to the house of the Lord your God, and cry out to the Lord” Job 1:14

One of the main calls we feel the Lord has on our ministry is to bring the Body together across denominational lines to pray for our city and region. As we have lived and worked in Cairo for over a year now, God has brought us together with many others who feel the same urgency as we do for the Lord to move in this area. Gary has been meeting weekly with five other local pastors to pray for the city and to encourage one another in their respective ministries. Each of these men and women represent different denominations, races, and socio-economic backgrounds that make up our city. They are brought together under the common belief that God desires more for Cairo than the city is currently experiencing. Some would say Cairo is in a state of crisis with no hope on the horizon for a change. So, what can us as believers do in the midst of such a hopeless situation?

In the book of Joel, the prophet writes of the crisis that Israel was experiencing (locust) and prophesized that there was much worse things to come (Babylonian invasion). What is important to us is that through Joel God gave us His five step program on how to respond in the midst of a crisis. Job 1:14 tells us to “declare a holy fast; call a sacred assembly. Summon the elders and all who live in the land to the house of the Lord your God and cry out to the Lord.”

Pretty straightforward, wouldn’t you agree? So, on Feb. 2, 2007 we are “summoning the elders”- pastors, intercessors, and leaders in this region to come together for one night to cry out to the Lord together for His will to be done in this town, in this region, and in our lives. Letters have been sent out to each church congregation in Cairo, as well as to regional partners we have in the area. We recognize the power in coming together as the unified Church, the Church that Jesus told Peter that the gates of hell would not prevail against (Matthew 16:18). Please remember us in your prayers as we continue to prepare for this sacred time.

24/7 Prayer

Speaking of keeping us in your prayers, here is a fun way you can be a part of interceding for our Sacred Assembly. For the entire week leading up to Feb 2^nd, we are having 24/7 prayer in our House of Prayer starting January 26^th at 6 p.m. Our staff is committed to filling all of the time slots, and we are encouraging others from our community and region to join us during those times as well. Most of you live too far away to join us in our Prayer Room, but we would love to have you partner with from your very own home. Click here and sign up for a time that you will keep our gathering and Cairo in your prayers. Sign up for as much or as little time as you feel led, we appreciate any help in this area that we can get! For more info about this or 24/7 prayer, email us at prayer@tworiversweb.com