A River to Cross

What this book is

A River to Cross is Hollis McGehee’s life story, told as a river: its headwaters in Franklin County, Mississippi, along the Homochitto; the floods, shortcuts, and fires of growing up; coming of age, marriage, and a son; God calling him out; the flood of a lifetime and the process of sobriety; and, at last, safely across the river. It is an honest account — the stagnant ponds as well as the flowing water.

The story is marked by nine “waypoints” — travel aids on salvation, the enemy within, looking upward instead of inward, and finishing the race. Part Two sets out who God is in Himself (one God, light, love, infinite, eternal, almighty, merciful, just, gracious, sovereign, holy, righteous), and Part Three faces the book no one wants to read — our sin problem and why we cannot fix it ourselves — before God’s amazing grace at work and “how then shall I live?”

What is inside

• Waypoint 1 — Salvation
• Part One — A River to Cross (Chapters 1–35): life along the Homochitto, from headwaters to coming of age, marriage, family, God's call, the flood of a lifetime, and the process of sobriety
• Waypoints 2–7 — The stream is rechanneled · The flood returns · As we sow, so shall we reap · I have met the enemy, and it is me · From looking inward to looking upward
• Part Two (Chapters 36–55) — Knowing and trusting God; who God is in Himself: one, light, love, infinite, eternal, almighty, all knowing, omnipresent, merciful, just, gracious, sovereign, unchanging, holy, fair, righteous
• Waypoint 8 — The book no one wants to read
• Part Three (Chapters 56–66) — What can I give to God to be righteous? · Why we can't fix our own sin problem · The Lord speaks to me again · God's amazing grace at work · How then shall I live? · Safely across the river
• Waypoint 9 — Finishing the race

Scripture in this book

This book quotes or cites Scripture about 366 times, from 41 books of the Bible. Each reference opens in the ESV at Blue Letter Bible.

Genesis (15 references)

1:1-5, 1:2, 1:26
3:1-8, 3:22
6:5
7:12
11:7
22:1-6, 22:14
27:73
50:15-21, 50:19-20

Exodus (4 references)

3:1-6, 3:14
13:18

Deuteronomy (2 references)

6:4
31:6

Joshua (3 references)

1:5, 1:5-9, 1:9

1 Samuel (4 references)

3:9, 3:10
17:32-37, 17:37

2 Samuel (1 reference)

11:1

2 Kings (1 reference)

6:15-17

2 Chronicles (1 reference)

7:14

Nehemiah (1 reference)

8:10

Job (3 references)

1:21
15:14-16
25:4-6

Psalms (32 references)

5:9
23:4
37:5
42:1-2, 42:5
46:4, 46:10
50:10
51:5
62:1
73:24-28
81:10
90:1-2
118:24
127:3, 127:3-5
139:1-18, 139:2-4, 139:13-16, 139:16
145:17
147:5

Proverbs (31 references)

1:7, 1:20
3:5, 3:5-6
5:21
9:10
12:15
13:20
14:12
16:18
19:21
20:24
22:6
23:31-35
26:12
27:6
29:1
30:32

Ecclesiastes (5 references)

1:1-10, 1:14
3:1
9:3
12:13

Isaiah (11 references)

6:1-7, 6:3, 6:5
42:8
43:1-3
46:9-10
53:6
55:8, 55:8-9

Jeremiah (6 references)

10:12-13
17:9
29:11, 29:11-14
31:3

Lamentations (3 references)

3:22-23, 3:22-24, 3:23

Daniel (1 reference)

3:16-26

Jonah (1 reference)

1:10

Micah (2 references)

6:8
7:2-4

Zechariah (1 reference)

3:2

Malachi (1 reference)

3:6

Matthew (33 references)

3:13-17, 3:17
5:3, 5:18-19
6:9, 6:24, 6:33
7:7, 7:7-11, 7:11, 7:13-14, 7:24-27
11:25-30, 11:28
14:19-20
16:16-17, 16:24
18:20
19:5, 19:26
20:28
22:14, 22:36-40, 22:37
25:40
28:18

Mark (3 references)

2:15-17
4:35-41
7:21-23

Luke (7 references)

12:30-31
14:28
15:18-24
18:10-14
22:42

John (48 references)

1:16
3:1-6, 3:1-8, 3:1-21, 3:3-6, 3:6, 3:16, 3:16-17
John 4
6:40, 6:44, 6:67-68
7:38
8:58
10:10, 10:14-15, 10:30
11:26
14:1-7, 14:6, 14:15, 14:20, 14:23
15:5
16:33
17:20-23, 17:24
19:28-30, 19:30

Acts (6 references)

1:4-5
4:12
13:22
17:28
26:14

Romans (43 references)

1:16-21, 1:16-32, 1:18-23, 1:19-20, 1:19-32, 1:20, 1:28, 1:28-31
2:1-3
3:5-6, 3:10-12, 3:21-26, 3:22-25, 3:23
5:1-2, 5:1-5, 5:2-5, 5:6-11, 5:8, 5:17, 5:20-21
6:23
7:15-8:5
8:26-28, 8:28, 8:28-29, 8:31, 8:31-32
11:32, 11:33, 11:36
12:1-2

1 Corinthians (3 references)

10:31
15:33

2 Corinthians (8 references)

5:14-17, 5:17, 5:17-21, 5:21
6:18
12:9

Galatians (11 references)

2:16, 2:20
5:16-24, 5:17-24, 5:22-26
6:7

Ephesians (10 references)

1:3-6
2:1-10, 2:8, 2:8-9
4:29
5:22-33

Philippians (20 references)

1:6
3:1-11, 3:1-16, 3:7-11, 3:10, 3:10-11, 3:12-14, 3:20-21
4:4, 4:4-7, 4:6-7, 4:7, 4:8, 4:13, 4:19

Colossians (5 references)

1:16
2:2-3, 2:10
3:17, 3:23

1 Timothy (1 reference)

1:15

2 Timothy (1 reference)

3:16

Hebrews (3 references)

13:5, 13:5-6, 13:8

James (8 references)

1:2-4, 1:5, 1:16-17, 1:16-18, 1:17
3:16

1 Peter (3 references)

1:3-5, 1:16
2:21

2 Peter (2 references)

2:22
3:10

1 John (21 references)

1:5, 1:5-10, 1:6-7, 1:8-9, 1:9, 1:9-10
2:1-2
3:4-10
4:4, 4:4-6, 4:8, 4:9-15, 4:10-12, 4:18, 4:19, 4:20-21

Revelation (1 reference)

22:13

Topics

AutobiographyTestimonyMississippiCountry LivingFamilySalvationSobrietyGod's GraceAttributes of GodSin and RighteousnessTrials