Matthew 6:19-24
19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust[e] destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
22 “The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, 23 but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!
24 “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.[f]
Hello Friends!
As some of you know, Just over 3.5 years ago, Jennifer and I felt that God had called us to start a Christian Youth Ranch in Spokane Washington to help children and families with trauma.
According to an article posted here, as of 2019 child abuse and neglect in Spokane County is nearly double the average of Washington State. The sad fact is that many children have nowhere that they can feel safe. LOA Youth Ranch (Love One Another) is based on the principle in the bible that we are most like God when we are loving one another. The ranch provides an opportunity to fulfill the command to love one another (John 13:34) by creating a safe environment where kids are loved, accepted and able to just be kids.
About 5 years ago, we were sent a promo video of a place called Chrystal Peaks Youth Ranch. For reasons later to be discovered – that video pierced us to the core, and we felt a call on our life to do the same type of ministry. This was a strange calling because neither of us had much experience with horses at the time, so deciding to sell everything and move to Spokane to run a youth ranch seemed crazy. Although we were nervous, we believed that God would provide the resources and people we needed to make it successful.
Fast forward 3.5 years. The reason we chose the scripture above is because today is the day that we decided to be all in with God. Today we took a step of faith and made the decision to put into practice what we say we believe by turning down a great business opportunity so that we can get focused on LOA and pursue God’s mission for this ranch. This has been the scariest thing we have ever done because we are unsure as to exactly how God will provide, but we believe He will. I am starting this blog so that I can create a book of remembrance that will give God all glory as we walk with him and pursue his purpose for our lives.
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