"GOD'S R and R" - A word from Gary

         When we hear the term R and R we automatically think about rest and relaxation; a short weekend vacation, or just a leisurely day spent just having a barbeque or a few outdoor activities.  However, an American soldier stationed in Iraq has a different perspective of R and R; to him it means a couple of weeks of being reunited with his family without any gunfire or traveling in a vehicle that could come under enemy attack at any time.

          We all definitely need “R and R” so let’s look at the word “rest” through another perspective.  The Lord desperately wants us to learn how to rest in Him; not to worry, fret or be anxious about things that may or may not happen to us.  Ps 37:7 - Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for Him…. and the Lord clearly directs us in Matt 11:28 (AMP) Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy-laden and overburdened, and I will cause you to rest. [I will ease and relieve and refresh your souls.]  I believe the Lord is drawing us to Himself but we as God’s people must learn to truly “rest in the Lord”. In Heb 4:9 the Bible says, “There remains therefore a rest for the people of God”. Let’s cry out to the Lord and ask Him, “Lord, teach me what Sabbath Rest means”.  “Rest” can be examined in two acrostics: Recognizing Everyone is Storm-tossed and Tempted.  Or we could look at the word “rest” and come to this conclusion: Realizing Everything is So Temporary!  If everything on this earth is temporary, then let’s learn to lay all of our “excessive baggage” at His feet.  1 Peter 5:7 (AMP) - Casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully.

         R and R can also mean to Remember and Reflect.  The Lord encourages us in Ps. 77 to “remember the wonders of the Lord, to meditate and muse on all of His deeds”.  The word “muse” here means being in a state of continual thought and meditation, to think upon something with heartfelt and sincere desire.  I remember the wonders of the Lord in my own life!  I remember when I was 19-years old that I was involved in an auto accident in  which my head went through the windshield of my friend’s car.  I remember a man putting a towel over my bleeding head stopping the bleeding and saving my life!!  I remember three years ago that my brother Ted didn’t have any kidney function; he was very sick.  I remember that I had two good kidneys and I gave my brother one of my kidneys so he could lead a normal life again!  I remember that my God is Jehovah Rapha, the healer of my body and the restorer of my soul!  AND I REMEMBER THAT IT WAS HIM AND NOT ME!!

         I remember climbing to the top of Mount Hood in 1999 and enjoying the wonders of God’s beautiful creation!  I remember seeing Mount McKinley in Alaska for the first time and just pondering that God is so awesome!  I remember the ever-present power of God that was poured out in Pensacola, Florida in 1995 in which hundreds of people each night ran to the altar surrendering their lives to Jesus Christ!  I remember seeing hundreds healed and delivered and the glory of God being so real every night for 3 ½ years!  I do remember and muse on the wonders of the Lord!  Can you remember what the Lord has done for you?  Remember that He has saved you from sin, hell and the grave!  Remember that He has His right hand upon you constantly, preventing you from falling down.  Remember the wonderful things He has done in your life over the last few years; remember His keeping power in your life, remember His faithfulness  to you in every area of your life, and remember His unfailing love toward you.

         Now, begin to reflect on His goodness and mercy in your life.  Ps 23:6 - Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.  Ps 136:1 - Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.  Reflect on the truth that the Lord has your best interests in mind; He is for you.  Reflect on that fact that His mercies are new every morning (Ps. 103:17) and both light and darkness are both alike to Him (Ps. 139:12).  Reflect on the fact that our God wants to do exceeding, abundantly above all that we can ask and think in our lives (Eph. 3:20) and He has given us the mind of Christ!  O that we may continue to remember and reflect on the wonders of our God every day.  Ps 19:14  NLT  May the words of my mouth and the thoughts of my heart be pleasing to you, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.

          I remember the wonders of the Lord that Pat and I encountered during our first few months of ministry this year.  I remember praying with a man who had just been diagnosed with terminal lung cancer; he could now face his future with a newfound attitude because everything was well with his soul and his spirit.  I remember the Lord releasing HIS JOY in several churches as people began to worship the Lord with abandonment and came out of their cocoons after a long winter!   I remember praying with a man who recently came back to the Lord, being a part of the worship team and opening himself to the fullness of the Holy Spirit in his life!  I remember the Easter Sunday conversions and rededication of lives to Jesus Christ!   I remember the combined service with a Spanish Church that our God is not concerned about skin color or language but that His people be touched and healed!  I remember many lives touched, strengthened, and encouraged as Pat and I prayed for people around the altars of churches in Oregon, Washington, and Idaho during the last few months.  As I remember and reflect on the goodness and mercy of the Lord, I am overwhelmed at times of His overwhelming love and concern for His Bride!!

                                          "Get up and Move On" - A word from Pat

         Thanks to our good friends Syl and Carolyn who provided plentiful R & R for Gary and me during our recent trip to Idaho. Their “homestead ranch” in Council, Idaho provided a wonderful place for rest and also reflection of what we are seeing the Lord do in the Northwest. Obviously my mode of transportation here was different than my “Harley Days”.
          The Lord has been speaking to my heart that it takes courage to “Get Up And Move On” beyond our sorrows, our failures, our disillusionments and disappointments. The Bible speaks of those who were not able to “get up and move on” and records the victories of those who did move on.
           Tamar, King David’s daughter is an example of a woman who was not able to move beyond the tragedy in her life. Her story is recorded in 2 Samuel 13:1-22. She entered the room of her brother, a beautiful young virgin with a life full of hope and promise, but was thrown out of the room after being raped by her brother Amnon to face a life of shame. The Bible records in 2 Samuel 13:20 NLT, “So Tamar lived as a desolate woman in Absalom's house”. Tamar lived with guilt, shame, and without children in her brothers house because she wasn’t able to move beyond this tragic event in her life. What about you? Remember, the Lord does not consult your past to determine your future. Don’t let the poisons of the past continue to contaminate your life!
           Again, in the Book of Ruth, Naomi whose name means “pleasant”, was suddenly faced with three (3) major tragedies in her life; the deaths of her husband and her two sons. As she traveled back to Bethlehem which means “House of Bread”, the women asked her in Ruth 1:19-21, “Is this Naomi? And she said unto them, call me not Naomi, call me Mara (“bitter”); for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. I went out full, and the Lord has brought me home again empty. Why do you call me Naomi, since the Lord has testified against me, and the Almighty has afflicted me?” Naomi didn’t see these tragedies through eyes of faith and was not able to move forward. We sometimes do the same thing; fighting against God for our will to be accomplished. But God in His great mercy and grace allowed Ruth, Naomi’s daughter-in-law, to marry Boaz, bear a son named Obed, and Naomi was able to rock the grandfather of Dave on her knee.
          In Samuel 16:1 the Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you mourn for Saul seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? Fill your horn with oil, and go…”. Samuel loved Saul and was mourning the loss of Saul much too long as we sometimes do when we lose a loved one, when we lose a person with a long, close relationship, or sudden circumstances change our life. It was difficult for Samuel “to go” but he did what the Lord requested. He went to visit Jesse the Bethlehemite where he took the horn of oil and anointed David as King in the midst of his brothers. Samuel got up and moved into his kingdom purpose just as we should do.
In 2 Samuel 12, Nathan the Prophet had just spoken truth to King David’s heart about his adulterous relationship with Bathsheba and his sin of killing Uriah the Hittite. But, Nathan also told David he wouldn't die. Then the Lord struck David’s young son and he became ill. David wept, pleaded with the Lord, fasted and prayed all night on the ground trusting that God would heal and raise up his son. But when David perceived that his son was dead, the Bible says in 2 Sam 12:20 (TM) “David got up from the floor, washed his face and combed his hair, put on a fresh change of clothes, then went into the sanctuary and worshiped. Then he came home and asked for something to eat. They set it before him and he ate”. David was indeed able to “get up and move on” even in the midst of his son’s death.
          When faced with sorrows, failures, disillusionments and disappointments we can make the choice to remain desolate and become bitter or we can make the choice to worship the Lord; to get up and move on into our kingdom purposes. Lord, give us the courage and strength to get up and move on!