PEACE IN CHRIST ALONE, NO MATTER THE STORM

2 Timothy 1:7 "For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind."

Fear isn't from the Lord. There are many things in life that cause us fear. It's so important to remember who I am in Christ, and any feeling of fear is not from Him.

Instead, God has given me His power! What an amazing gift we have in the Holy Spirit! His power is given to me so that I may love in all circumstances -- it's a power to love and have a self-controlled mind, to not let fear control my mind. God has given us the ability to be calm, not anxious, no matter what the storm is that's brewing outside. Confusion and panic should have no place in my mind, but rather peaceful thinking. This "sound mind" or "self-control" as the ESV puts it, is a gift to us from the Lord, and comes from His power. This is peace.

John 14:27 "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." 

I recently read a story about an art teacher who assigned the class to paint a picture that depicts "PEACE". He wanted them to think beyond a sunset, or a good seascape... after viewing several students' work, he was still rather frustrated. It really hadn't been anything unusual; nothing had really stood out to him, until he came to one painted by a young girl. She had painted a strong storm at sea with tiny ship in the midst of it. Everyone aboard this boat has fear in their eyes as the huge waves crashed and rocked the boat... then your eyes come to a young little boy, being held by his father. He is sound asleep in his arms. His face showed neither fear nor concern. The storm was raging all around him, but he was peaceful in his father's arms.

I gave my children this same assignment today as one of their options. One child captured it well. She painted a  shepherd holding a sheep in one hand, fighting off wolves with the staff in His other. This is the security I have when I rest in my Lord. This is peace.

"The peace that the world gives depends on blue skies, safe surroundings, freedom from fighting, disturbances and worry. But the peace that Jesus gives lasts right through the storms. Nothing can touch us nor hurt us without God having allowed it to happen for our benefit. To know and trust that He is in control whatever our situation is to know peace." Patricia St. John 

BIG HORN CALVARY FELLOWSHIP

HARDIN, MT

Update: December 2013

The Van Order Family

Acts 11:23b “… with purpose of heart they should continue with the Lord.”

Hungering for the Word of God… 

Luke 4:4  “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.”

We are so thankful and privileged to share with you all that the Lord is doing in Hardin! His faithfulness continues to amaze us and as He continues to guide; our desire is to follow in obedience to His calling here.

                      

We are so grateful for the body of Christ here in Hardin. We continue to meet on Sunday nights for church in the basement of the local Methodist church. We are thankful for the Spirit of God that continues to direct and teach us during that time. We have several faithful families and singles that attend. There is nothing sweeter than the gathering together of the brethren to worship our Lord and study His Word! Both the Sunday meeting and the Thursday evening ladies study have been blessed with many new faces this year. It is so good to see people hungering and thirsting for the teaching of the Word of God and going deeper in time of prayer.

Discipleship… 

2 Cor. 7:1 “Therefore, having these promises beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness 

of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.”

One thing God continues to show us is that discipleship means living life with people. Every day there are opportunities to interact and encourage one another in daily life. Whether it be through horses, homeschool, fellowship or work, we are grateful for opportunities to disciple people and encourage one another in the Lord, as we live life together.

The men faithfully meet for breakfast every Saturday morning to encourage and edify each other in the Word of God. They often share what God has taught them through the Word that week and encourage one another as fathers and husbands.  Every week, these discussions filter down through our homes encouraging the women and children also. Most recently was a discussion from the book of Job, how God chose to reveal to Job more of His character and nature, causing Job to see God in a much deeper way than he was able to see before the trials in his life. We had many conversations surrounding Job, while taking walks, building fences and sharing meals together.

“The harvest is plentiful” and God is providing laborers!

Philippians 1:27b “that you stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel.”

After much prayer and patiently seeking and waiting for the Lord’s perfect timing, Tandra Tewell moved to Hardin in August to help with ministry here. She has been an active part of ministry here for many years and really felt the Lord’s call on her life to move here.  It was amazing to see the Lord miraculously open doors for her, making her call here so very clear. She has been a blessing and a wonderful addition to the body in Hardin. The Lord opened the same job in Hardin that she had in the school system in Billings, and also provided a wonderful little home for her to live in – two very difficult things to obtain in Hardin!

We are also thankful for the Lord’s calling on Dwight Zerbe to lead us in worshipping the Lord, “in Spirit and in Truth”, and for the Kauffman family, who are faithfully serving here in Hardin as well, since moving from Indiana two years ago.

The Church Building… 

Psalm 127:1 “Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it.”

This past July, we had the blessing of having 2 mission teams from Harvest Chapel in Lafayette, IN come again. We are so thankful for the body of Christ from all over coming together in obedience to the Lord’s calling to accomplish His will. So much work was accomplished on the church building during that time. Layers of old siding were removed. Two new furnaces and air conditioners were installed. Electrical work was accomplished. A platform was built. We are also thankful for the body in Billings who spent a workday installing new windows, cleaning up the yard, hanging sheetrock, etc. Thanks to many hands, we are making progress on the 105 year old building that God has provided us, the very first church building in Hardin. So, to those of you have labored and sweat whether physically or in prayer, THANK YOU!

God’s Continued Provision… 

Psalm 126:3 “The Lord has done great things for us, and we are glad.”

Every step of the way He has provided! We were praying about how to fix the large front window, which we uncovered after 50 years of having siding over it. It has been a great visual in this town facing a main road and many long-time residents were blessed when it was uncovered. We were uncertain, however, how to pay for its restoration when God, through a windstorm, blew the window into the building. At first we did not understand why this storm and subsequent damage had to happen, but after contacting the insurance company it became very clear. The Lord provided the resources for a complete new custom window to be built AND the money to have a contractor install it for us! He has been faithful in every detail, every step of the way. The new window is being constructed and will soon be put in place!

Also, we recently ordered the siding for the building, receiving a check the very morning Evan went to order it, which covered almost the entire expense of the materials. Praise the Lord for His faithfulness to provide, and may the Lord bless those of you who faithfully have given to this ministry! THANK YOU for your obedience, and all glory to God!

Needs for the Upcoming Year… 

Luke 18:1b “…men always ought to pray and not lose heart.”

1) Prayer: Our desire is to be obedient to God’s call moment by moment, day by day. To know and be in God’s will, we must be abiding in the Lord. It starts with our own hearts being in tune with His. We must remain faithful in our own walk with Him. Please pray that our desire will always remain to know Jesus more and to become more like Him, that nothing will distract us from that! Please pray that God will protect His Word as it is planted into the hearts of people here; that Satan will not be able to snatch it away before it takes root. Pray that the thorns & thistles of the cares and worries of this world will not choke God’s Word from being fruitful and that His Word will fall on good soil, so it will bear much fruit! Pray for the lost! Pray for eyes to be open, for people to come to repentance and brokenness and see their need for a Savior!

2) Provision: Secondly, our desire is to be able to meet in our own building. While we thank God for His provision thus far, we also trust Him to complete the work He has brought us to. Please pray for continued finances and laborers to finish the building project. Also, if you are interested in helping out in any way, please let us know. We hope to have more workdays ahead!

To God be the glory, great things He has done! 

Psalm 148:1a “PRAISE the LORD!”

May all glory go to the Lord, Creator of heaven and earth! Who gives us life and every breath, Who sustains us, Who has saved us, Who is great and mighty in power! His understanding is infinite! We exalt Him as God most high and worship at His feet. To God be all the glory! PRAISE the LORD!

IT'S FAIR WEEK!

Well, it's time for the 4H fair once again. The craziness starts tomorrow and goes through Saturday. I will attempt to update along the way, but if you don't hear from me, you will know why! :)

Myah's projects:
Cooking: making bread and cookies
Horse: western, bareback, trail, showmanship and freestyle reigning
Swine

Joel's projects:
Poultry: he's taking his faithful friend, Cheep Cheep, the rooster
Woodworking: he made a bird house this year
Swine




Kiana's projects:
This is her last year as a clover bud. She has greatly enjoyed photography and created a display board with dozens of photos she has taken this past year. She is also walking her miniature horse through the clover bud parade.

Hopefully more pictures to come!!

THE COMFORT OF ISAIAH THIS MORNING

Isaiah 40:1 "Comfort, yes, comfort My people!" Says your God

Isaiah 40:11 "He will feed His flock like a shepherd; He will gather the lambs with His arm, and carry them in His bosom, and gently lead those who are with young.

Isaiah 40:28-29, 31 "Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might He increases strength... But those who wait on thte LORD shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint."

.... LORD, mount me up with wings like eagles today...

Isaiah 41:9b-10 "I have chosen you and have not cast you away; Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand."

Isaiah 42:6 "I, the LORD, have called You in righteousness, and will hold Your hand;"

"RESTORING THE LIGHT"

This picture speaks so much to me. I was unable to be present when the unveiling of it actually happened, but when I walked into the church a couple hours later, I was speechless and emotional. The physical restoration of this 102 year old building has always spoken so much about the spiritual restoration we know that God is doing.  Last summer when we shoveled out tons (literally) of pigeon poo including dead dry pigeon bones, the Lord quickly brought to mind Ezekiel 37 and how HE alone can breathe life into bones as dead as those and make them new. Just like the restoration of this building is all HIM, so the restoration of sinful lives is all HIM. He desires to restore, to bring beauty from ashes and to bring to life something completely dead. Praise God He did that in my life!

When I first saw the light pouring through these windows, it was as if God was pouring His light into that place fresh and new, just like He desires to do in the hearts of people. That is our hearts' desire for the ministry He has placed before us -- to show people Christ, the Light of the world.

We are coming off two weeks of having 40+ people here to help us work on this building. What an encouragement to our hearts and a blessing to the community. It did not go un-noticed!  The Big Horn County News even did an article on it all, which you can read by clicking their link. I love how the author titled it "Restoring the Light". 

So much to tell of these past couple weeks -- God's fingerprint was on it all. A verse we have clung to (which even got printed in the article) is Psalm 127:1: “Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it.” We are trusting God for every penny and every ounce of labor to restore this building, and He is building! Spiritually, we trust God to build our lives and any ministry He calls us to, because we do not want to labor in vain. Some things we have learned along the way -- 1) it's HIS timing, not ours, and 2) it's not about the end product, but about the journey we are on. I am thankful for every ounce of ministry He has done and is doing in the lives of every person who has labored on that building. We do not wait for a finished product before He can work.... He is so greatly at work already. All glory to God! What a privilege to participate!!

FROM TODAY'S READING

2 Kings 17:33

"They feared the Lord, yet served their own gods -- according to the rituals of the nations from among whom they were carried away."

Interesting to me that they not only knew there was a God, but they even feared Him. They eased their conscience enough by fooling themselves with a false religion, but were carried away by the rituals of their culture because they served their own gods.

"This described the pagan peoples that the Assyrians brought into populate the area of the northern kingdom of Israel. They gave a measure of respect to the God of Israel – after all, they did not want to be eaten by lions. Yet they also served their own gods and picked and chose among religious and spiritual beliefs as it pleased them.... this describes common religious beliefs in the modern world." (Guzik)

 “Are you sure this is not a true description of your own position? You pay an outward deference to God by attending his house, and acknowledging his day, whilst you are really prostrating yourself before other shrines.” (Meyer)

“Is not worldly piety, or pious worldliness, the current religion of England? They live among godly people, and God chastens them, and they therefore fear him, but not enough to give their hearts to him. They seek out a trimming teacher who is not too precise and plain-spoken, and they settle down comfortably to a mongrel faith, half truth, half error, and a mongrel worship half dead form, and half orthodoxy.” (Spurgeon)

DESIRING TO WRITE AGAIN....

God is doing so much. I have kept so much of it quiet for a while, feeling the need to have my focus in other areas. It has been a season of silence for me. Quiet here. Quiet on facebook. I have been enjoying life with my family and those that God has put in our path... and that life is very busy!

Silence, on the other hand, has kept me from giving God glory in areas that He deserves to have His name proclaimed! So, Lord-willing, I hope to share on here again, as the Lord leads. I want to share what God has been doing, what He has been teaching me, and the direction He continues to take our family in.

Please forgive me if it is not regular yet!

(Photo taken in the Big Horn mountains in June. We visited there for my birthday!)

LISTEN

"And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped, and said to Him, 'What does my Lord say to His servant?'" Joshua 5:14

Just before Joshua led the Israelites into the Promised Land, "the Commander of the LORD'S army" comes to give Joshua instruction. Are you listening to what the Lord is saying to you today? Before we do anything.... worship, listen, and then obey. Joshua did, and look what happened! It starts with humbly meeting with the Lord.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

You know you're getting old, when you go to bed before midnight on New Year's Eve, in spite of having company over. :)  The guys (& Myah) were getting up early the next morning for a duck hunt. The moms and younger kids, well, we were just tired.

In processing the new year, here are some personal goals:

* Read through the Bible again this year. This has changed my life. I use this plan, and love it.
* Pray more... and more... and more... This is where the power lies, and yet it is always such a battle to begin.
* Memorize Psalm 119... or at least a lot of it. :)

A new thing I have started with Myah, my 12 year old daughter:

We share a journal and write back and forth. What a blessing this has been! I write in it when it is my turn, and leave it on her bed for her to find. She then responds and write back, and leaves it on mine. What joy comes when I walk in my room, and find that special treasure waiting to be read. :)

Regarding homeschooling:

Relax. Enjoy the moments. Don't worry about being legalistic about finishing every task in the curriculum. I am learning that my kids learn so much from avenues I never dreamed of. They learn from having responsibility and tasks. They learn from every day life. Yes, the other is important, but it isn't all that is important.

Finally, "Seek first the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added unto you." My life must be an example to my children and all around me that no matter what task I am doing, my goal is to be a vessel used by the Lord to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with others. Aside from Christ, I have no hope. He needs to be everything in every moment. I need to shine His light in all I do.

PONDERINGS FROM 1 JOHN 3 -- Part 2: Hope

1 John 3:2-3, 5 "Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. Everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as he is pure...and you know that He was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him there is no sin."

Living with the hope of knowing that someday I shall be like Him, gives me the drive to "purify myself". My hope can be in nothing, but Jesus. He is the One Who saves me. He is the One who is "manifested to take away our sins". 

When contemplating this thought, I read some things by David Guzik that really put some light on these verses.  In thinking about sin... all my hope of being saved from sin is in Christ. None of it lies with me.  Jesus saves me from the penalty of sin (justification), the power of sin (sanctification), and the presence of sin (glorification) in my life.  It is a work we must respond to, but it is HIS work.  I do not need to clean myself up before coming to Christ, but I come to Him, and let Him do the cleaning.  This is why I can say, my only hope is in Christ.  My ONLY HOPE is in CHRIST. When He is my only hope, my response will be to purify myself.

The question isn't, 'Do you sin?' but rather how do you respond to sin in your life? 

ARE YOU DOING BATTLE AGAINST SIN IN YOUR LIFE?

Battling sin and hating it in our lives is the process of "purifying ourselves" and is great evidence of genuine salvation.

"The grace that does not change my life will not save my soul." ~Spurgeon