Sunday, December 14, 2008

snow!!

It is snowing a bit today! Gotta love it! Our home is in the foothills below mount Shasta so we get more snow than Redding. Enjoy!!

Thursday, October 9, 2008

Snippets from Sermons

Worry is a sign you don't know who your Dad is.

You don't typically see the world the way it is, you see it the way you are.

Anytime someone loves you more than you love yourself, you will sabotage the relationship.

Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it is thinking about yourself less.

You are God's most impressive creation. You were born to be amazing!

We are not sinners saved by grace. We are saints because we were saved by grace.

A lot of people are one courageous act away from a miracle.

If you want to kill giants, follow a giant killer.

If you don't live by the applause of men, you won't die by the criticism of man.

We were born to torment the devil! He gets to watch while we tear down his fortresses.

If you don't come up at the end with joy, you forgot to put Christ into the equation.

Monday, September 8, 2008

California Coas

Patrick's Point State Park
Fern Canyon

Wow! We went to the California coast this weekend and it was beautiful. We saw elk, redwoods, the ocean and a beautiful place called Fern Canyon located just north of Orick, California.

Steve started school this week and is enjoying seeing friends from last year and getting great teachings from Kris Vallotton and Eric Johnson. For Patty it's pretty quiet. 1st year students start class on Sept. 16.

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

Summer in the Tri-Cities is Almost Over

Summer has come and gone rather quickly. It seems that we just arrived and now it is time to return to Redding. Both of us will be attending school this fall. Steve will be a second year student and will be leading a small group of 7 and working in the Healing Rooms. Patty will be a first year student and will be involved in the inner healing ministries Trees of Life and SOZO.

It has been quite a year of change. Jason and Danielle and their four children have moved to South Carolina. What an adjustment! It is a great opportunity for Jason job-wise and we all believe that God has great plans for them in their sphere of influence.

Jenni has moved to Canoga Park, CA and missed experiencing the last earthquake there as she had been in the Tri-Cities visiting and was on her way home that day.

Stephanie will be holding down the home front and will have two friends living in the home with here.

We have had a great summer of visiting friends. Several people have had their knees healed during times of prayer. Praise the Lord! God is so good and he loves to lavish His love upon us.

We've heard several of you complain that we didn't update our blog all summer and will try very hard to update more frequently this school year.

Sunday, April 6, 2008

Testimony Time

I have two excellent testimonies for you...

1. This is "Missions Week" at school and the 700 of us are scattering to 22 different places. One team headed for Mexico came upon a car wreck. It seems a car had blown a tire and went out of control. A baby was ejected in the mess. A nurse had come upon the scene too and had stopped to render aid. Our team asked if they could pray for the injured and the nurse pointed to a very distraught mother and a lifeless baby. The baby had just died about 5 or 10 minutes before our guys got there. They went and prayed over the baby and the baby came back to life. Then they checked the baby out as well as they could and all they could find was a small scratch on its back. Very cool! The mom gave her heart to Jesus as a result. Good start to a missions trip!! Praise Him!!

2. This is from Australia where Pastor Bill is. Seems a lady came into service very upset and when prayer time came she went up for prayer. She said that she had had an abortion two weeks earlier and was feeling so guilty and so bad for what she had done. They prayed for her and then she left. The next day she started feeling sick and went to a hospital for treatment. The Doc examined her and ran some tests. He came in with his findings and reported to her that the reason she was feeling bad was because she is 4 months pregnant!!! God had restored her baby to her!! Is that extreme cool ??? Yes, God!!

3. Just for fun I recommend that you listen to Bill's Easter Sunday message. It is on ibethel.org ...Then you will understand the phrase, "I want my knife back."

I leave for my trip on April 8. We will return April 15. Wonder what wonderful things God has for us? I wonder what God has for the CFC interns??? Be expecting guys!!

Tuesday, March 11, 2008

Monday, March 10, 2008

God's Economy

We signed up for new cell phones before beginning school and were supposed to get $160 in rebate money. Patty checked on-line to see the status of the rebate about 3 weeks later and it said there was no record for rebate information for our phone number. At church there is an Offering of Thanks that we read asking for God’s provision for us to be a blessing to Him and bring God’s kingdom to earth. Because of the Offering of Thanks (rebates and checks in the mail) (asking for favorable settlements) she began claiming that the rebate would happen. Two weeks later, the check came in the mail.

In mid-January a friend (fellow student) had her car break down. She called and asked us for a ride to church and we told her she could borrow a car until she got hers fixed. Her car was beyond repair and we said it was fine to keep our car until she could make arrangements to get one. We felt early on that maybe we should give her the car, but wanted to make sure that was what God wanted to have us do. Arrangements for her to get another car were not looking good (unknown to us). We decided to go ahead and give her the car. When we called she was sure we were calling to ask for the car back. Much to her shock, we told her the car was now hers.

Meanwhile, Patty has been praying about money to finish school. Her focus was on an old claim that we had filed regarding Steve’s dad, with the government back in 2000 for money that was available to children of employees who died as a result of cancer while working at the Hanford Atomic Works back in the 40's. My claim was denied about 1 ½ years ago and I had forgotten about it.

Patty said that she felt we were due the money and started praying that God would somehow get them to reopen the case. WELL, they did! Out of no-where we get a letter stating that we have been granted a special case and that they were going to send us money! This last Saturday I got a call from the case worker in the Department of Labor saying that all was in order and we would be getting a letter. I got the letter yesterday asking if I wanted a electronic transfer or a check. I asked for a transfer and mailed it off today. They said that I will get money within two weeks!! God is good!! It was enough money to get me through school for another year. We are talking TAX FREE - not bad!

Prior to receiving this money, Patty had to work through a few details about God’s economy. Pastor Kris frequently asks the congregation if anyone needs money, and she always said she didn’t because we have everything we need. Well she began to realize that we can always use money for God’s purposes and began to believing that she did NEED money after all.

Monday, February 4, 2008

My Spot on the Highway of Life

The Road of Life!
When you are young the road spreads out before you. After schooling and college the road narrows from many choices to just a few: what job, what town, wife, kid(s)? And slowly you choose or let life just carry you along and let circumstances and “what-ever” guide you. That was how the road of life looked to me. I was just plodding along my way, It seemed very familiar and well-marked. Then The Lord asked me to attend this crazy school in California...

This school is different. Instead of narrowing your choices they have stretched and widened my horizon until I can see a vast number of roads, some well traveled, some not, and they call out to me!! Which way should I go? Skills are nice but not required in the Kingdom. Knowledge is good, wisdom better but my relationship with the Father is Key! Physical strength doesn’t mean much compared to a mustard seed. Tools and gifts are free for the blessing of others. The Lord is even giving students: gold, jewels and greenbacks for the work of the gospel. So what’s left?? What’s your will Lord?? I instantly hear back, ”What would you like to do?” I feel His love and care for me and my family. What wouldn’t I do for my Lord and friend?
I do have dreams and I know that He is the dream-giver! Let’s keep our options open and see what all is out there for Patty and I to do!!