Encounter:

Our goal is for everyone to experience God encounters of the normal kind.   Yes, Jesus said, "My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me." John 10:27. We believe that Jesus talks and our part is to learn to listen and follow.   How do we learn to listen for the voice?

• Intentional listening:   The River Encounter is about setting aside intentional time to listen to the Father's voice.   Intimacy takes desire, purpose and hunger.   We are about creating a safe space to grow in intimacy with the Father, intentionally listening for His voice.
• Focus:   We begin with worship as a great way to move our attention and focus from ourselves and our situation to focus on the Lord.  In worship we still our hearts and mind.   When we focus our attention on the shepherd we are better able to pick up communication from the Lord.
• Receive:   The Lord will respond.   The promise is that when we draw near to the Lord He will draw near to us. (James 4:8).   When we intentionally turn our attention toward the Father He will meet us.   We don't need to make anything happen but simply trust that God will encounter us.   Authentic communication requires patience and re-learning some skills.   The Lord has promised that "When you seek Me, you will find Me."

Our desire is to maintain an emphasis on individuals receiving a word from the Lord by hearing and discerning.