Try Again

On our first Sunday in Redding CA we spent 11 hours at Bethel church with worship services in the morning and at night, a class called Firestarters, and an afternoon prophetic session with two amazing people, Joel and Lori.  Yes, another Joel!

The free prophetic session for the two of us lasted only 12 minutes but certainly gave our world a spin.  We had struggled to make the appointment, having to go online at a certain time of morning to sign up ~while we were traveling.  With God's whisper in my ear to "TRY AGAIN" after I was told the sessions were full, I went back online and we were able to sign up for later in the afternoon on the 10th.  Yay!  Some of what was said confirmed for us that these were words from God. God likes to let us know He is in the midst of our seeking.   It was life changing..........did I say that already?

The prophetic is not something that is always understood in our world.  Even though it is one of the gifts, and Paul tells the churches they are desire it before some others, it can be misunderstood.  Prophetic words are given for wisdom, encouragement and confirmation.We are not talking about prophets here, like Elijah or Jeremiah.  We are talking about those with the gift of prophesy. Prophetic words speak of the present and the future, releasing God's purposes.  It is described as God speaking to us through others with pictures and words. 

We have not shared with many people what we received, precious gems given to us for this season of our lives.  Yet even with the trusted few that have heard our session, reactions have been from excitement to amusement, indifference and a few" uncomfortables" in between.  I was pondering this when God reminded me that these specific words were not for others, they were and are for us.  They would not mean to others what they mean to us.  God was speaking to our hearts.

Pastor Bill Johnson from Bethel has a spiral notebook filled with the words spoken to and over him.  Years of promises from God that build and encourage him daily and provide hope. It is what compelled me to listen over and over again to our recorded prophetic session when another health issue surfaced.

Have you noticed how our world seems a bit off kilter?  It can be scary.  North Korea alone can make us shudder.  The suffering of others is heavy in the atmosphere around us....the air if filled not only with the ash of fires, but with the grief of others.  Hurricanes, floods, threats, destruction, and death.  It is during these times that we have a choice to focus on the "what ifs" or the "we know's". 

We are given the opportunity to quiet our souls and remember what God has spoken over and to us.  We know God promises to give us beauty for the ashes....We know that all things work together for good...  We know that God sent His Son...........We know that Jesus came so that we may have abundant life......... We know His Word says He will give us back our health and heal our wounds......We KNOW and can stand firm on whatever promises He has highlighted and whispered into our individual lives!   The promises that encourage and release hope. Keep your own list of promises from God.  The Bible is full of them.  Pay attention to what is spoken to you and over you. Just hearing "TRY AGAIN" opened a door to others sharing God's words for us.  Be bold, listen for God's voice, and let the words penetrate deep into your heart.  They bring beauty for ashes in a much needed world. 

Our Bethel Adventure

It was a month ago last Sunday that we went to Bethel for our afternoon prophetic session we had scheduled.  Just getting the appointment had been ordained by God, so we knew we were to be there. Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians that we are to value prophesy.   The two prophetic ministers we met with were amazing and definitely valued their gifts well.  God spoke through them with such clarity, insight, and love.  We recorded it on our phones and refer back to it often.  God was in the midst.

I think that is how we would describe the ten days we spent there sitting under Bethel's ministries.  God was in the midst of everything we experienced. We opened our hearts to ALL He had for us, we said YES to everything, even that which took us out of our comfort zone and He opened up our world to the more.  On our way back home I added up the hours we spent in worship services, at the Healing Rooms, Sozo, adult Sunday classes, a seniors fellowship, the House of Prayer, and classes at their school~ it was 40 hours.  A significant number in the Bible and for us.

The Healing Rooms is open Saturday mornings at the church.  Many many trained volunteers with a heart for healing come and meet with all those who come for prayer for healing...of body, soul, and spirit.  The "encounter room" is filled with people and places to rest and wait for prayer.  There is a small area for communion, there is soft music playing and while we were there children and adults were expressing interpretive dance on a stage while about six others were painting what they felt God was speaking to them on canvases in the center of the vast room.  People were either quietly praying or being prayed for everywhere you looked.  We were there two hours when Joel told me he did not want to leave because of the peace he experienced in the room.

Bethel has around 9,000 members, and each week at least 1/3 of the people there are from other cities, states, and countries.  They are too small to accommodate them so have 4 services, a second campus, and two overflow rooms at the main church.  Worship services included great music an teachings.  Offerings?  If you are a visitor they request you give your tithes to your home churches, not them.  Often we were asked to lay hands on those around us who were in need of prayer for certain conditions, whether emotional or physical.  In fact, anywhere we walked in that church you would see people praying for others.  It was beautiful and powerful.

I went to a Sozo (Holy Spirit led) counseling session the last Saturday we were there. Bethel created this ministry, and they train people around the world.  Joel took the training in MN and says in all his years of counseling this was the most freeing for people he has ever used.   I received more insights and healing that I believe will bring more freedom into my daily life.

The House of Prayer is a separate circular building with all glass walls where people can go to quietly pray.  All chairs face out the windows, although many sit on pillows on the floor to study scriptures and pray.  There is a beautiful waterfall outside with more seating.  Another place to connect with God.

Carolyn and Austin from Toronto

The people we met were great....a couple from Ontario who sat with us for several services.  A couple from Vancouver who we had the privilege to pray over.  (40 years with Lyme).  Young and old who sat with or by us.  We even visited with and prayed for a young couple who sat by us in church and were on their way home from their honeymoon!  Another woman worked with refugees in Thailand and came to be "filled up" before flying back.  People are so friendly.  Kindness and openness abound!  Joel was also able to talk with one of the pastors, Chris Gore, several times.  We were also able to visit and get to know house guests and the host and hostess where we were staying.

Joel and housemate Chinbuzo (Nigeria) 

at Sundial bridge

Renee with housemate Nancy

Joel with host George 

Let me go back to the man with Lyme.  When we came out of our prophetic session the man walked up to me and asked me if our sessions was impacting.  Joel came up and his wife too and we visited a bit and then mentioned how we were healed from Lyme.  His wife immediately covered her mouth with her hand gasping as she did so.  Then she said, "My husband has had Lyme for 40 years".  Well, we knew that God had brought us together, so we encouraged them with our stories and then asked if we could pray. We went after that Lyme and we still stand on His word today believing that he is free from that horrible disease.

It is hard for me to describe my feelings while we were there.  I know I felt relaxed, and at home in the environment around me.  I felt so comfortable and at peace, like I could really be myself.  For me the atmosphere was almost palpable with the presence of God.   A.m.a.z.i.n.g.

We have been watching Bethel live-stream on the Internet for several years and were very impressed with their ministry.  We wondered how we would feel when we were up close and personal with the people and the leaders.  We believe they are the "real deal".

We are both amused and saddened that there are those who feel this church must be a cult, or the leaders are "false prophets" because of their beliefs.  There are even one or two who think we have strayed off course in our faith journey.  We are certainly not naive enough to believe Bethel is the perfect church or ministry.  We are all imperfect people walking out our faith in Jesus together.  We just love how they do ministry.  I will share that what we learned and what we experienced while there has reaffirmed where God has been leading us.  Who God wants us to be.

Two weeks after returning, I am once again on a medical journey that could steal our joy, but our focus is on our Papa God.  We are forever grateful, and looking forward to the "new thing" coming for us.  Which leads us back to the prophetic words spoken to us.  We know what was said was definitely from God.  He wrapped His loving arms around us, whispered words of comfort, knowledge and insight into our ears, and filled us with confirmation and hope for the new thing He has planned. 

Our Bethel Adventure was definitely an adventure with God!  We are so grateful for it!

South Dakota Beauty

After seeing Spearfish Canyon we headed south into Rapid City and then up to Mount Rushmore outside of Keystone.  We have stood looking at this monument to four of our Presidents several times over the years.  It never gets old.  We then drove to see what work has been done on the monument to Crazy Horse.  We had not been there in 30 years and were quite disappointed.  There is a great entrance and museum there now, which we and others enjoyed, but the monument itself looks no different than it did the first time we saw it.  That night we stayed in Rapid City, heading out the next day to see Wall Drug and then the Badlands.  We drove the scenic drive on a cloudy cold day, but our amazement was the same as if the sun had been shining.  So much to see!

After leaving the Badlands we drove across the state stopping to see the new Sacagawea statue outside Chamberlin SD.  It really was impressive.  Fifty feet high and stunning!  

                                                        

Soon we were on our way north to my sister Jan and brother-in-law Lanny's home.  We spent 2 days and three nights with them visting before heading to Minnesota to see three treasures participate in their sports activities, spending a couple days visiting with mom and dad too.  On our way home we took the back roads and stopped at the graves of my grandmother (who lived in Spearfish Canyon), grandfather and my dad.  We arrived home late in the afternoon, ending our 27 day journey with 5,022 miles added to our speedometer.

Lanny, Jan, Renee, Joel

Our thoughts return often to this trip together. With gratitude we recall so many beautiful sights in so many states.  We look at our time at Bethel Church and see God working in and through us.  We are grateful.  So grateful.

History, Hills, and A Canyon

The Black Hills of South Dakota are a beautiful sight to see, and for me they hold a long family  history.  I was hoping to find the general area where my Grandmother had lived in a cabin in Spearfish Canyon 60 plus years ago, with little knowledge about where that would be.  We stopped at a S.D. visitor's center to use the bathroom before heading into Spearfish and then the Hills.  What a nice surprise when one of the volunteers behind the desk asked me if I had any questions she could answer.  I paused and replied...'Yes"!  Have you ever heard of the town of Elmore.  I heard it is a ghost town now, but I could not find exactly where it was located."  She took a map, and showed me where to find it.  She let me know it was just summer homes now, but the sign for the town was still up.  So off we went.

Highway through Spearfish canyon

View point at Bridal Falls

The Black Hills are so amazing, Spearfish Canyon being created by the creek that runs swiftly through it.  The highway follows the creek,  and we enjoyed stopping to take in the sights along the way.  Joel decided it was his favorite place in all our travels.  Eventually we came near the end, and I was thinking we had somehow missed the Elmore sign when up it popped.  Elmore!

We stopped to take it all in the history, the beauty, the legacy............my grandmother did not live in town, she lived alone up against a hill in a cabin with no running water, just a well out front.  There are stories told of when my mom and oldest sister stayed there and coyotes were scratching at the door to get in.  And the time a bear was trying to enter and my grandmother shined a light in his face and yelled at the top of her lungs, scaring him away.  It took a lot of courage to live alone in such rugged country.  The beauty was almost overwhelming.  We absolutely loved it!

My grandmother Laura Lou standing by her well 

at the cabin she lived in 

up against a hill.  

This was before I was born.  

She was born in 1880 and died 

in 1950 when I was two years old.

A couple of side notes......Much of my childhood is locked away in a vault somewhere in my head, so It often rely on my older sisters to fill me in.  Finding the area where my grandmother lived gave me pause and I felt some deep connection that led us to Minnesota to her grave before going home after our trip.  I had asked my sisters for any info they had on this part of our history and was given two names.  One was "Whispering Pines" of which I found nothing, and the other was "Elmore", a town that no longer existed.  Unbeknownst to me, my sister Jan, who lives part time in South Dakota, had been to Spearfish Canyon and the Elmore area just a few weeks before we were there!  She knew where it was, but do to a lack of communication ("What we have here is a failure to communicate!") somewhere, we did not discuss this in our texts.  I am grateful God sent me to the right person who was able to direct me to the right part of the canyon!

So Many Places To Go, So Much To See

We arrived at Redding early on Friday afternoon and settled in to our lovely room at the house owned by Bethel members.  We were excited to begin our adventure with God......saying yes to all He sent our way.  We spent 10 days at Bethel ministries, and later when I added them up it came to 40 hours of sitting under their teachings, sessions, classes, and worship services during those 10 days. We are still processing it all, holding it close and praying over it.  I will share more later..........

Whiskeytown Lake

We did a bit of sightseeing while at Redding, seeing Whiskeytown Lake, Mount Shasta, Burney Falls, and the Sundial Bridge in downtown Redding.  Whiskeytown Lake has deep clear waters great for fishing....it is a reservoir covering nearly 3500 acres.  We drove up north to see Burney Falls, an amazing place.  Joel was able to take the steep path down to the base pool.  You could see people fishing at the top further back from the powerful falls.  Well worth the drive on a very hot day of 106 degrees.

Burney Falls

Mount Shasta

 Redding was an easy city to navigate, with everything we needed within 15 minutes of where we were staying.  We attended a festival downtown at an organic store one Saturday where they had a booth with "pet" reptiles to "enjoy".  I found that out when I glanced to my right and saw a 10 year old boy with a boa constrictor around his neck.  It took me awhile to process what I was seeing, and since snakes are NOT my friend, I quickly left him to his pleasure.  Shudder.  We saw a lot of homeless people that burdened our hearts.  In a warm California city of 96,000 you expect to see some. The drought was obvious with the yellow straw like grass and intense heat averaging 102 while we were there. The sunshine was wonderful!  Cool mornings were refreshing!   Redding has intense heat in summer months, and does dip to 30 degrees in the winter season.

Sundial Bridge

Leaving Bethel behind was difficult, but it was time to head back home.  The fires were closing the only road to the Redwoods from Redding, so our plans to go to the Redwood National Forest and stay in a hotel on the ocean were cancelled.  We also changed our route home because of the fires in Oregon, Idaho, Montana, and more.  We headed back through Susanville, passing the shoe tree once again.  We stayed the first night in Winnemucca NV.  Joel went out to get gas after dark and came back to the hotel telling me about the mini Vegas strip through town. Definitely not in Iowa anymore. The next day we drove through the rest of Nevada and Utah, landing that night in a very nice, friendly hotel in Evanston WY, elevation 7,000 ft.  It was 30 degrees the next morning!  Yikes!  We saw a bit of snow as we drove through Wyoming, first East and then North.  Beautiful scenery!

Wyoming

We did see a great place hidden from the main interstates ~ Independence Rock.  A massive rock where people on the Oregon Trail passed by.  Some etched their names on the surface before heading further West.  There was a nice visitor's center giving the history of those pioneers.

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We landed in Gillette Wyoming pretty exhausted.  The miles and days seemed to catch up with us.  An early night would prepare us for what was coming.  Western South Dakota where my family history runs deep.

A Shoe Tree, Volcano, and Scenic Drive In California

As we drove to Susanville from Reno, we realized it was the first time we really saw any cattle or ranches visible along the roads.  At Hallelujah Junction we passed a strange looking tree on the side of the road that had shoes hanging from it.  We turned around and went back to get a closer look and take pictures of this phenomena.  I then googled the "shoe tree in CA" and came up with quite a story behind it.  Since the 1930's this has been a place where people have thrown their shoes over a tree's branches as a way to "make their dreams come true".  How quirky and fun!  You just never know what you are going to come across on the back roads of America!  By the way.....we left no shoes behind!

Lassen Volcanic National Park Visitor Center

After doing laundry and getting a good night's sleep at the Red Lion's Inn we headed to Lassen Volcanic National Park an hour away.  What a beautiful place!  The views were again spectacular, and the heights took our breath away.  Especially with no side rails along the way.  We drove the scenic highway through the park, stopping at the Visitor's Center first.  We drove by sulfur pools bubbling on the side of the road.  We climbed to heights of around 10,000 ft. stopping often to take in the views.  We learned that the Lassen volcano is still active with a 30% chance of erupting you our lifetime.  Not that day, thank goodness!  After spending three hours in the park we headed NW to Redding, CA.  We were scheduled to arrive around 2 pm at the home we were going to be staying in.  Seeing Lassen Volcanic National Park was a great way to end this leg of our journey.

Large rock on view point

Lassen Volcano

Upper Meadow with creek

Joel's favorite .....a creek!

Sulfur 

snow

Mountain view

I cannot help but be in awe of God's creation.  This trip we spent most of our time in some kind of mountain terrain.  Either surrounded by mountains or driving through them.  More than once we had mountain views from hotels where we rested.  I love mountains, and it seems, so does our new Enclave.  We got the best mileage in the mountains.  God used mountains to speak to Moses, for Noah's story, and so many other stories..........and certainly Jesus told us to speak to our "mountains".  Mountains hold a place in our Lord's heart.............and in mine.  

A Good Age

As I sit tonight and ponder tomorrow's birthday, I find myself in a place of reflection.  I feel the need, once again, to put pen to paper.  Tomorrow I will turn 69........my last year in a decade we thought I would never see.  It was 10 years ago I was diagnosed with Lyme Disease after 23 years of battling a mysterious illness.  Our Lyme practitioners revealed my body was dying.....working at only 22 per cent when I first walked in the office.  They could help me live, but could not heal me. Only God could do that.  I remember I was so ill I laid on the floor of the van to get to the Dr.'s office.  Joel told me after my health returned, that he really did not think I would reach age 60.  But, God.  But God had other plans.

In the past decade I have battled cancer twice when healthy cells went rogue and developed into uterine cancer and then a few years later, breast cancer.  It is gone now.  Lyme is dead and gone also, through a healing released in my body by Jesus, our Healer.  I have a new and better life with all the freedoms I experience now.   I. am. still. here.

Sixty-nine is a good age.  An age I find myself grateful to be.  I. am. still. here.  I also find myself deeply desiring 20 more years of life on this earth.  I look forward to great-grandchildren while treasuring each morning I open my eyes.  I still can battle fear of sickness or death, but I counter it with praise for the day I have.  I can name too many friends who did not reach the age of 69, but I can name more who arrived.

Isn't life amazing?  Aren't our bodies amazing?  And our God?  More amazing still!  Tomorrow the sun comes up on a new year and I will rejoice.  Reaching 69 is a gift I will unwrap and enjoy.  I will walk into it with praise, grateful for every wrinkle, gray hair, cellulite bump, and more.  I. am. still. here.

"The Trip"

Joel and I have been toying with the idea of traveling for a year across our vast country.  Getting an RV and taking off to see all the places we have wanted to see.  Bethel Church in CA is first on the list.  I am sure that this wanderlust is partly due to our good friends making their full time RVing plans for the near future.  Partly it is due to having had cancer a second time and now feeling good again, or maybe it is finding ourselves in the midst of yet another winter in the upper Midwest. Then lets add the gypsy blood that runs through my veins ~ moving constantly as a child....and then while married to an Air Force guy, then pastor.  Moving was part of the "job".

The recent discussions led us to reminisce about our family's big trip.  "The Trip" as we all named it. As a big family with mostly one income, a pastor's income, we did not vacation often and when we did there were more than a few times that we were called back from the vacation due to a death in the congregation.  One time we had to drive all the way back from Montana to Minnesota.  Not fun.

So in the mid 80's we made plans for a trip that would involve a month of traveling.  We found an older pop up tent camper and bought a little 2 man pop up tent besides.  We had our big old station wagon to pull everything and hold the 8 of us and we told the church we would not be coming back for any funerals unless those involved wanted to pay to fly Joel home and back to our location.  There were other pastors who could fill in.  Tough love and needing to putting our kids first.

We took off early one morning ~ 2 adults, 2 nearly adult teens, and 4 other grade school kids,  plus 1 dog.  We filled that station wagon for sure.  The need for an extra tent was obvious with 6 kids and a dog along.

Our camper broke the first night as Joel and Matt were putting it up, but Joel found a way to get it working so every time we stopped at night to rest Matt and Joel would finagle the sides up with effort and muscle power.  It looked a little like the Beverly Hillbillies, I expect, but we made it work.

We traveled through Minnesota, North Dakota, Montana, Wyoming, Idaho, Washington, Oregon, and South Dakota.  We visited a couple of colleges our oldest, Beth, was looking at and stopped to see several friends along the way.  We visited with Joel's Aunt Ruth in Seattle for 5 days of great fun!  Auntie Ruth liked to call us her "Rainbow Family".

I remember one day a car drove by us noticing ALL the kids, different ages and sizes, brown, black, white, tan.  After the car passed us they actually slowed down so we would pass them and they could take a second look!  We decided we should make up a sign that said, "YES, WE ARE ONE FAMILY!"

We seldom ate out, who had money for that?!  We cooked in the camper for breakfast and supper and lunch was sandwiches.  If I remember correctly, we ate out only 3 of 90 meals.  I do remember how delicious the fruit was in Washington state.  Especially the peaches.  So fresh and so sweet....nothing to compare.  We spent quite a bit of time in Washington, the state where I was born.

Of course there were things that were challenging about the trip, but that just makes the story more fun to share.  It was an adventure our kids still talk about.  "The Trip".  Joel and I ponder whether it is time for another such adventure.......It is hard not to think about it as 14 inches of fresh snow lay on the ground and more is forecast for the weekend.  Yeah.......another adventure in faithful living looks mighty good.  Something to rival "The Trip" in the gatherings around our table with the family.  Maybe......but if not, at least it passes the time as we dream away these January days.

Survival TV, Scrabble, Scones, and "Sully"

We made New Year's a 5 day celebration, even though we spent most of our time at home.  Backtracking to last Thursday, we watched a marathon of the survival reality show "The Last Alaskans" on Animal Planet.  Seriously, we don't do marathon TV but I had a bad episode of pain in the wee hours of Thursday morning that took away much of my sleep time, and I needed to rest and distract.  At 1 p.m. we sat down to lunch and I turned on this show.  Joel and I both like survival type stuff so it held our attention.  I can't believe I am writing this, but 9 hours later we headed to bed fully brain fogged from too much TV!  We did other things during the time including nap and wash, dry and fold laundry, but we tuned in at 1 p.m. and turned it off at 10 p.m. We even woke up the next day feeling draggy from too much TV!  Lesson learned.

Friday we headed with friends on a road trip which I wrote about here on Saturday's Scribbles. I ended up having to rest again most of Saturday, but that night we watched the movie, "Sully" about the pilot who landed the plane on the river in NYC.  It was both fascinating and stressful, and we enjoyed it very much.  Joel found it very interesting how Sully kept his focus and made such calm, calculated decisions during the short 3 1/2 minutes he had from the time of the bird strike until the water landing.  Steady, calm, focused, and following his instincts brought all 155 passengers to  safety.  Truly a miracle on the Hudson.  He did not let the voices of the traffic controllers, the plane's warning sounds, etc. distract him.  He did what he knew he had to do in a dire situation.  Pretty good analogy for much of life!

Sunday Joel preached at a church an hour south and I worshiped online.  Joel and I have been watching another reality show "The American Baking Show" on ABC.  For some reason we love this show......but it makes me want to bake.....and it makes Joel want to eat!  So Sunday morning while Joel was gone I made him a surprise.  Maple scones.  We both enjoy the scones we pick up at Farmer's Market but I have been thinking about how to make them using maple syrup instead of sugar.  And eventually almond flour in place of white flour.  It was a bit labor intensive, but using and adjusting The Pioneer Woman's recipe, I made scones.  We have enjoyed our New Year treat very much.

Today Joel and I played Scrabble.  We used to play quite often and I can tell I am rusty......You know, I sometimes worry about Joel's brain because he cannot pull names up very well.  He has always been this way I guess.  I think I better worry about my brain though since he beat me today 299 to 164. Yeah....that bad.  It has been awhile since I have picked up a Sudoku or crossword puzzle....a good goal for 2017.  Keep my brain active!

It has been an interesting holiday as we ushered in 2017.  My goodness, I still can't believe we are this far into 2000......With so many countdowns behind us, we give thanks for this brand new year that lies before us.

As I look outside I see Joel scrapping ice off the driveway.  Fog is settling in, ice is expected to continue to accumulate.  Winter is making itself known.  We are grateful for it all. Fellowship with friends, a warm house, family texting, survival TV, scrabble, scones, and a movie that makes us think.....We are here.  We rejoice~

Happy New Year!