Christian Living Magazine November December 2019

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November / December 2019

EXALT

Ministry

Good works, bad places

BOISE

Rescue Mission ‘Faith, Hope & Family’

THE ENVY

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CASH FOR

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Contents November / December 2019 “God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure.” — Ephesians 1:5 NLT

FEATURES

6

Need rest?: Go to Jesus

8

God speaks:

Are you listening?

Meridian Community Thanksgiving Dinner 29

Good works, bad places

Seven Springs Ranch: A vision comes alive

‘Twas the Night: A story in poetry

COLUMNS

20 24 28

Measuring your value

30

6th Annual Free Day of Dentistry

Editor Gaye Bunderson Submit story ideas, article submissions & press releases editorgaye@gmail.com

31

Sales & Marketing Kimberly McMullen kim.bcliving@gmail.com 208-703-7509 • Katy Nelson katy.bcliving@gmail.com 503-816-3042 • Scott McMurtrey scott.bcliving@gmail.com 208-841-4583

Net worth:

2019 Church Growth Collaboration 31

Boise Rescue Mission: Hope restored

Holiday Recipes

Saved by Grace:

A lesson learned Annual Interfaith Christmas Concert

32

Health: 18 Maximum Good food for kids

Get To!”®: 16 “I The envy bug

Keep Calm: 26 Mom A new gift

DEPARTMENTS

34

36

This: 12 Consider A ‘miracle marriage’

Man’s Toolbox: 14 Real Life’s seasons

39

Faith: 22 Challenging Spiritually shrewd

7 Your Daily Bread: Cash for Christmas 10 Understanding Relationships: ‘Stuck’ couples

IN EACH EDITION 4

Publisher’s Corner: Looking ahead

www.christianlivingmag.com

Publisher Sandy Jones christianlivingmag@gmail.com 208-703-7860

29

Church Bazaars

Calvary Baptist Church live drama 31

Cover Story — Exalt Ministry:

Volume 8, Number 6

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Graphic Design Denice King www.greentreedkdesign.com Contributors Daniel Bobinski, Roxanne Drury, Joan Endicott, Terry Frisk, Leo Hellyer, Tonya Holmes, Vincent Kituku, Janet Lund, Joel Lund, Rosie Main, Gary Moore, Bethany Riehl and Dan Woodworth Website Design SEO Idaho Distribution D&S Distribution Christian Living is committed to encouraging and instructing individuals in their daily lives by presenting stories of people in the Treasure Valley who are living on a foundation of faith in Jesus Christ and who serve as uplifting examples to others. Views expressed in Christian Living do not necessarily represent those of the publisher. Every effort has been made by Christian Living to insure accuracy of the publication contents. However, we do not guarantee the accuracy of all information nor the absence of errors and omissions; hence, no responsibility can be or is assumed. All Rights Reserved. Copyright 2019 by Christian Living Ministries Inc. Christian Living is published every other month and is available in over 600 locations throughout the Treasure Valley and Twin Falls, including grocery stores, convenience stores, medical waiting areas, and churches. If your church would like additional copies please email us today at christianlivingmag@gmail.com Annual subscriptions available for $12/year. To start your subscription or give one as a gift send your check or money order, along with complete address information, and a phone number to call in case there’s questions about your subscription to Christian Living Magazine, PO Box 867, Meridian, ID 83680.

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Christian Living | November / December 2019 3

PUBLISHER’S Corner

Looking ahead, learning from the past

By Sandy Jones They say time flies, and the older I get the faster it seems to go by. The other day I saw something that basically said, “There’s two months left in this decade. What are you going to do with them?” In the hurried hustle and bustle that is life, somehow the fact that 2020 is a new decade had escaped me, at least to this literal of a point.

This thought challenged me. What have I done with this decade?

What is still on my to-do list that should probably be completed prior to a new decade? What have I done for the Lord in this decade?

Have I dug deep enough into His Word, so that I understand Him more? What if He returns tomorrow — am I prepared, or am I procrastinating until I’m “ready” to take those steps to whatever may be distancing me from Him? Deep thoughts, with some time spent in serious reflection, and, yet, at the same time a growing excitement as the anticipation of what the 2020’s may hold for us.

Each morning I receive an e-devotional. Usually they go through a book of the Bible, with each day covering a different chapter of that book. Recently we went through the Book of Numbers and now are into the Book of Leviticus. While I realize that when Jesus died, the veil was torn as our sacrificial lamb gave up His life for us, the timing of these two studies couldn’t have been better for me personally.

Like everyone I sometimes struggle. Life gets overwhelmingly busy and my focus shifts, and the next thing I know I’m in a dry season.

At these times we often hear the enemy screaming in our ear things like, ‘you’re not worthy,’ ‘you’re never going to be enough,' or, to me, one of the worst things he whispers in my ear, ‘it doesn’t matter, He’s always there for you, you’ll get back to it one of these days,’ leaving me the impression I have all the time in the world — and even sadder yet is that this is often where the relationship between the Lord and I becomes far too casual on my end.

“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

— 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 ESV In studying Leviticus, reading all the steps Aaron was to take to prepare himself and the sacrificial animals to atone for his sins, and with such reverence, this is a huge reminder to me that God is holy and deserves my utmost love and respect.

All too often my prayers are a hurried ‘Thank You, Lord, for...’ and off I go. Reading Leviticus reminds me that the Israelites at this time

were still a traveling tent caravan; these sacrificial offerings were all that more difficult to do, as everything was done in a mobile unit, so to speak.

Just about the time I start feeling like maybe the enemy is right, that I’ll never measure up and never be enough, or I realize I’ve been buying into his lie that someday I’ll have time to be closer to God, the Holy Spirit reassures me this is not the case by taking me back to the studies in Exodus and Numbers.

If the Israelites could walk through the Red Sea, eat manna, and drink water from a rock (just to name a few miracles) and still lose their focus, and all the while God continued to love, guide and forgive them, showing them His grace and mercy time and again, then there’s hope for me. Yes, I know, they wandered in the desert for 40 years, and many never crossed over into the promised land because they continued to sin, they continued to disrespect God, and they suffered the consequences.

I’m not a Bible scholar but what I get from this study is that if the Israelites could live and breathe these mighty miracles, and still lose focus, that this is normal human behavior. God shared their story with us to inspire us to know that when the enemy tells us his lies, then we can reflect back on the Israelites' story and realize that there’s still hope for us. God invites us to re-center and re-join Him, wherever we are, as we are. It gives me great faith in my future.

So as we close out this decade and move forward into the next, my goal continues to be much the same: to do my best to walk with God on a daily basis, and to do all I can to grow closer to Him and to share His love with as many people as I can.

How does the current Casting Crowns’ song go?

“I'm just a nobody trying to tell everybody All about Somebody who saved my soul.”

I hope they don’t mind me borrowing this line; these words sum my life up perfectly.

I remember well the difference the Billy Graham Crusade made in my own life in 1982, and I admit I’m eagerly awaiting May 1-3 when Greg Laurie comes with his Boise Harvest Crusade. I can’t wait to see what the Lord will bring forth in the coming months as the Church comes together in preparation of this great event. I hope you’ll save at least one of these dates and join us there.

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Please know how much we appreciate our readers. The prayers you speak over us. The encouraging words you mail, email or phone in. While we are called to bring you His hope and promise, please know you make a real difference in our lives as well.

We couldn’t do it without our advertisers who have faithfully carried us through the past 6½ years.

Please support them, shop their stores, hire their services — without them, there is no Christian Living Magazine. While you’re there, please thank them for supporting this ministry, so they can see they are truly making a difference in our community.

Two years ago we followed God’s lead and became a 501(c)(3) nonprofit after much prayer and consideration. Why? Because although our advertisers are extremely generous with their support, we were still financially short of covering all of our overhead and our ministry was in jeopardy. As we answer God’s call to expand our delivery area, and with the release of our new website, we are able to reach even more people here and abroad. We could honestly use some help as we have stepped out in faith, knowing He would provide. Would you please consider going to our website at www.christianlivingmag.com? By clicking the “donate” button, your one-time gift or monthly donation could make a world of difference to someone who needs the hope and encouragement we have been called to deliver.

We thank you for all the support and encouragement you provide!

God bless you through this holiday season!

Until next time… n

Sandy Jones

“He made known his ways to Moses, his deeds to the people of Israel: The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever; he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.”

— Psalm 103:7-12 NIV

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Christian Living | November / December 2019 5

REST in Jesus

Stop leaning on your own strength

By Daniel Bobinski The more I learn about the person of Jesus, the more amazed I get, and the more I just want to relax and let Him take care of things. No, that doesn’t mean sitting around and scrolling though a social media feed while expecting Jesus to drop money into my bank account. It means resting “in Him,” and trusting that He will work things out for my good.

Struggling to climb higher and be acknowledged is the mindset of Satan. And, as you are probably aware, much of the world has adopted this mindset.

Before I proceed, let me review the five “I wills” that Satan stated, as quoted in Isaiah 14: • I will ascend into heaven.

• I will exalt my throne above the stars of God. • I will sit upon the mount of the congregation.

Daniel • I will ascend above the height of the clouds.

• I will be like the Most High.

Each of those statements has to do with “going up.” As you read over them, aren’t they similar to the ways of the world? If you look around, the ascending mindset is all around us. Perhaps most prominent is the proverbial corporate ladder, on which we’re to climb our way to success.

Again, don’t misunderstand. We need to do what God leads us to do, and that includes providing for our families. What I’m talking about is our struggle to do it all in our own strength.

As followers of Jesus, we do well to imitate His ways.

Philippians 2 tells us that Jesus took on the nature of a servant, and that he humbled Himself. Mark 10 tells us Jesus came not to be served, but to serve.

Psalm 25 also tells us, “He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble his way.”

So yes, I need to do what I’ve been called to do and be a responsible adult, but I think one of the reasons my blood pressure is doing much better these days is because I’m resting more in the Lord. In 1 Peter 5 we see, “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” Not some of our anxieties. Not most.

All. That was one of the first verses I ever learned when I initially started studying the Bible, but here I am 37 years later just beginning to understand it. I’m writing this in hopes that you might pursue this mindset change sooner than I did so you can enjoy the benefits much sooner than I have.

My wife teaches Worldview and Apologetics classes, and she has a very helpful visual for learning how to entrust God with our daily life. Quite simply, it’s holding out your hand, palm up, with fingers fully extended. By holding all we’re responsible for in this manner, God is free to make things work on our behalf when we seek Him and ask Him to do His will.

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However, as soon we as wrap our fingers around something, God basically says, “Okay — if you want to control it, go ahead.”

A few months ago, I enrolled in a class to learn Biblical Greek. This is something I highly recommend if you can afford the time, because it helps with understanding Scripture SO much more.

Greek grammar is much different than English grammar, and there’s so much more depth of understanding to gain by learning to read and interpret Greek. Most interestingly, one of the things I learned in class dovetails with this word picture my wife uses.

You’ve probably heard Philippians 2:5-6: Bobinski Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped.

Interestingly, another viable Greek translation could be: Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, while existing in the form of God, regarded not grasping to be equal to God (emphasis mine).

You get the idea. Grasping and striving to ascend are not what God would have us do. Operating as a servant to others and releasing our grasp on things is the way that God would have us live.

Obviously, saying this is easier than doing it. Remember, the Lord’s been trying to get me to understand this for 37 years, and I’m just now starting to comprehend it. My suggestion to my fellow believers is to seek to rest more in Christ. Whether it’s at family gatherings, or the workplace, or even at church, by holding out our hands palm up with fingers outstretched, we can say, “Here, Lord. These worries, cares, concerns, and projects I give to you. Please take them and do Your will. Show me my part and I’ll do it, but the results I leave up to you.”

With this, you can rest in Jesus and rely on Him to take care of the results. And who knows? Maybe your blood pressure will go down, too. n Daniel Bobinski, M.Ed. teaches teams and individuals how to use Emotional Intelligence (more info at MyWorkplaceExcellence.com). He’s also a home fellowship leader, a homeschooling dad, a best-selling author, and a popular speaker at conferences and retreats. Reach him at daniel@eqfactor.net or (208) 375-7606.

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YOUR Daily Bread

Earn extra cash, avoid holiday debt

• Tutor – Whether your talent is in math, music or

By Terry Frisk the language Mandarin, someone is likely to pay to In past articles, I have stressed the importance of learn from you. You can offer your services through controlling spending during the Christmas season. takelessons.com.

However, we all experience additional expenses • Harvest blood plasma – There is a huge during the holidays. Whether it is gifts for family need for plasma for transfusion. Help someone by and friends, travel to be with loved ones, or giving providing some of your blood and be compensated to your church or other charities that seek financial in return. Go to donatingplasma.org for a list of locasupport, we naturally spend more this time of year. tions in your area.

Hopefully, you have saved up to meet this need. But, • Work on demand – Are you a handyman, phoif you find yourself a little short on cash this year, tographer, house cleaner, garage organizer or possess here are some ideas to earn a little extra money for other trade skills? Your abilities are in demand. You the holidays. can list your services on thumbtack.com.

• Sell unwanted stuff – Your home may be • Your current job – A great place to look for a gold mine full of nuggets you are not using that extra money is from the same place that is currently others want. Someone may be looking for those paying you. Check with your employer to see if there odd pieces of glassware in your cupboard to replace are additional tasks or duties that you can perform missing pieces in their set. It is very easy to list items to earn more. Better yet, suggest ways you can help for sale on websites, such as eBay or Craigslist, and it Terry Frisk where needed in turn for extra hours or pay. If you costs nothing to place an ad. do well, this may turn into a permanent increase.

• Decluttr.com – This website will provide you an immediate ofThese are just a few ideas of ways you can help fund the additional fer to buy your old smartphones, video games, CD’s, DVD’s or other costs of Christmas while helping make someone else’s life better. electronics. They will even pay the shipping cost.

• Find a gig – With all the holiday events that are going on in No- Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. vember and December, there is a large demand for help. These are You are serving the Lord Christ one-time jobs that would include setting up, serving and cleaning up after an event. Go to Craigslist and find the Event link under Services (Colossians 3:23-24). Have a joyous Christmas and for a listing of available gigs. many blessings in the • Become an Uber or Lyft driver – People are on the go during the holidays and there is an increased need for drivers. To qualify, new year! n you need to have a valid driver’s license, insurance and a vehicle that Terry Frisk is a partner is less than 10 years old. Go to uber.com or lyft.com to apply. in the firm B2B CFO, pro• Be a product demonstrator – These are the people who viding financial advisory services hand out samples or demonstrate the features of a product. Hours to small businesses. He also counsels are typically flexible and pay can be lucrative. Look for listings on individuals on personal financial Indeed.com. matters through the Cathedral of • Home and pet sitting – A lot of people travel during the holidays and they need a responsible person to look after their home and the Rockies Budget Counseling ministry. He may be contacted pets while they are gone. Go to housesitter.com to register yourself through e-mail at and find available jobs. terry_frisk@msn.com.

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Christian Living | November / December 2019 7

GOD Speaks

Are you praying without listening?

working in an office setting. I knew my time there

By Roxanne Drury was done, but it was comfortable. I was paid Life is odd. It is sometimes filled with confuwell, it was close to home, so for literally months sion and uncertainties. You never know for I was asking God for direction — should I leave, sure what’s coming. One day is fine — the should I stay, blah, blah, blah… birds are singing, the sun is shining and the One Sunday I was sitting in church before serkids aren’t fighting. The next day monsters vice started and was praying again — God what come out from under the bed and out of the should I do? I flipped open my Bible and imcloset from all directions. The fridge breaks mediately focused on these words found in Isaiah down, all four kids wake up with pink eye, so 46:12: “Listen to me, you stubborn-hearted, you need to stay home from work but have no you who are far from righteousness.” LISTEN vacation days left. But wait, it gets better. You TO ME… Believe me, I got the message! Did have spent all your grocery money and don’t you ever see a child place one hand on either get paid for another five days. Stuff happens! side of his mom’s cheeks and turn her head so Am I right? she was looking him right in the eyes? The child Malcolm Muggeridge, a Christian scholar, is saying, ‘Listen to me, Mom. Focus on me. I am made a statement that I sincerely value. He Roxanne Drury trying to tell you something.’ said, “Every happening, great and small, is a That morning it was as if God placed a hand parable whereby God speaks to us, and the art of life is to get on either side of my face and turned my head in His directhe message.” tion. ‘LISTEN TO ME. FOCUS ON ME. I AM TRYING The parables Jesus told are to help people understand an unfamiliar concept or idea. He painted vivid pictures with His TO TELL YOU SOMETHING.’ I had not taken the time to listen or pay attention to the answer — my heart had been words so the people could ‘figure it out.’ He used commontelling me to move on. I wasn’t listening to my heart. place things to illustrate His point and help someone My family said to move on. I did not listen to them come to a conclusion. either. ‘Happenings great and small’ told me it At my current workplace, we have begun a was not the place for me to be. I failed to get study called Rooted. A recent study was on the message even in all that. However God, prayer. Matthew 6:33 says, “But seek first because He is who He is, kept His promHis kingdom and His righteousness, ise and got my attention by calling me a and all these things will be given to “stubborn-hearted” fool. Listen to Me! you as well.” Sometimes we pray and “Ask and it will be given to you; pray seeking God, seeking an answer seek and you will find; knock and the or clarity. We wait and wait and wait, door will be opened to you.” — Matperhaps thinking God is not really thew 7:7 hearing our cry.

Once we learn to listen and pay News flash! God does not send attention, we have an amazingly pera text or an email with an answer. fect resource to find peace, contentWe play a part in getting an answer. ment, understanding, direction, and Prayer is a two-way conversation. clarity. He alone brings calm in all Our part is to stop, be silent, and the chaos of life. However, we have listen. Pay attention to the “happento do our part, too: listen. ings, great and small” and find God I would encourage you to get in a speaking to you through them. In othquiet place for a prayer time today. er words, ‘get the message’ He has for After you are finished praying, spend you. He really could answer you and three minutes in the quiet and just lisguide you in so many different ways. ten.

Perhaps write down what you hear But we have to be paying attention. We from God. I suggest you begin to make have to be listening. What are some of this a daily practice. I think you will be the ways God speaks to you? Think about pleasantly surprised at what you hear from that for a moment.

God as you listen to Him. n I believe it is an art to find and hear God in the things that happen. It takes practice. It takes Roxanne Drury is a wife, mother, grandmother, and retired Chrisbeing still, and that can be hard. Take it from the tian preschool teacher with a teaching certificate in Early Childhood person who has to get up and do something during evEducation. She has served the Lord in children’s ministry for over 40 years and ery single TV commercial. It is hard to sit still. But hear Psalm is currently on staff at Rockharbor Church. Her heart is sharing the life applica46:10 – “Be still and know that I am God…” Be still!

God’s promise in Psalm 32:8 is, “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you.” I learned the lesson of listening and paying attention many years ago and have never forgotten it. I was

8 November / December 2019 | Christian Living

tion found in God’s Word. Roxanne has recently published her first children’s book titled, “Beyond the Blue.” The book is a descriptive biblical look at heaven that answers questions kids have and offers parents a tool to talk to their kids about Jesus. She also writes a Christian blog. For more information, visit thatslifemissroxanne.blogspot.com and www.roxannedrury.com.

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UNDERSTANDING Relationships

Are you and your spouse ‘stuck’?

everything, but we cannot get any resolution to this

By Gary Moore issue. We don’t know what else to do.’”

Because we’re in “sales and marketing” when More than likely they haven’t tried everything. we’re dating, the first five to seven years of our They have tried a few things multiple times. This marriage shift our attention from similarities to pattern drains marriage of fun and intimacy. You differences. It’s a time when we begin to realign our begin to think, “We’ve been down this road before, expectations with reality. We feel misunderstood and and here we are again. Why can’t we get anyat times devalued. We fight over money. We go to where with this? Why are we still fighting over the bed angry and quiet on many nights.

When a marriage gets stuck in the grind, the same old issues?” Don’t get louder and repeat. Try vacuum of intimacy sucks each spouse dry. It is something new. When your conversations feel stuck, exhausting and draining. When the relationship is at approach them from a new angle. Renowned family risk, couples are stuck. Sadly, many marriages end counselor, Gary Smalley, teaches an approach he because one or both spouses blame issues and each calls LUV talk — listen, understand, validate. We other as the source of the problem. all want validation of our thoughts and feelings as Are you a stuck couple? Here are what author and well as resolution to our issues. pastor Ted Cunningham says are the eight symp4. You rush decisions. When a couple is stuck, toms of a stuck marriage. And, according to him, they struggle to make wise and healthy decisions. most couples drift into these symptoms. Here are the Gary Moore Speed and hurry are enemies of intimacy. When eight symptoms of a marriage stuck in the grind: your marriage is stuck in the grind, you lean toward 1. You blame your spouse as the source of the problem. expedient rather than principled decisions. Healing the wounds of My wife is not my source of life. Neither are my kids, job, money, stuckness takes time. Stuck couples are usually anything but fresh home or possessions. When you look to your spouse as the source of and rested. Stuck couples are exhausted. When their tanks get low, life, you blame him or her as the source of all your problems. And or empty, they lose hope. When a couple is at their limits, their load when your spouse is the source of your problems, you automatically exceeds their limit. They throw their hands up in the air and quit. become dependent on him or her to create a solution. You are stuck, Never make a decision to walk away from your marriage when your waiting on your spouse to make the first move. When your spouse is load is exceeding your limit. Instead, get your tank refilled. When your source of life, you also spend your days trying to control, mayour physical, emotional, relational, mental, and spiritual tanks are nipulate, and change him or her into your image. empty, that is a horrible time to make major decisions about your 2. You question your compatibility. eHarmony and Match. marriage. You are not thinking clearly. com are selling the message that great marriages are the result of 5. You close your heart. Is your heart open or closed? The great chemistry and compatibility. But in reality, great marriages flow answer to that question determines everything about your life and from great character. Your character, not your chemistry, determines marriage. A closed heart is numb, detached, distant, and angry. An your commitment to enjoy each other for life. I’m not saying that open heart feels safe, non-threatened, and willing to share. Anger chemistry is not important. It is. It’s just not as important as charachas three primary sources: hurt, fear, and frustration. Anger is a ter. Chemistry does not hold you to your vows, but character does. secondary emotion. It’s not a primary emotion. You always feel 3. You repeat mistakes and develop patterns. Most stuck something before you get angry. Those feelings are amplified when couples experience what “Love and Respect” author, Emerson Egyour heart is closed. When you are stuck and your heart is closed, gerichs, calls “the Crazy Cycle. We all make mistakes. The real issue your marriage suffers. is whether we will learn from them. Couples often say, ‘We’ve tried

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6. You isolate yourself from others. Great marriages don’t just happen. Great marriages are the result of hard work. Dr. Scott Stanley said, “Everybody falls in love with the front end of the puppy.” But every puppy has a back end. Every marriage has a back-end story. Every marriage has a story of struggle, pain, frustration, trials, and disagreements. When you get stuck and isolate from others, you fall for the lie that no one understands what you’re going through.

When you feel stuck, press into a biblical community. You need to hear, “What you are going through is not unique to you. We’ve been where you are now. You can make it through this. We will help you.”

7. You doubt your future as a couple. Who is planting seeds of doubt in the soil of the decision you made on your wedding day? You stood before God and others to commit yourself to your spouse. Use discernment around family and friends who plant seeds of doubt. They may be well-intentioned, but their comments build doubt and erode commitment.

8. You explore other options. Here’s a definition of commitment that I like: “Commitment is making a choice to give up all other choices.” However, in our society we are taught to keep our options open.

Relate to any of these symptoms of stuckness? Don’t give up. Enjoying your marriage in the midst of the grind is possible. Others are doing it. So can you. n Gary Moore is currently a part-time staff member at Cloverdale Church of God in charge of Adult Education. He’s served as associate pastor there for the past 14 years. He does couples’ coaching and leads couples’ workshops and retreats called MUM’s the Word. He also does a weekly radio program called Life Point Plus on KBXL 94.1FM at 8:45 a.m. on Fridays. For information on his workshops and retreats, contact him at pastorgary@cloverdalechurch.org.

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Christian Living | November / December 2019 11

CONSIDER This

Insights into a ‘miracle marriage’

By Dr. Dan Woodworth My Most Beautiful Beloved Bride, Inspiring Irene, and I celebrated our 40th Wedding Anniversary on September 1, 2019 in the backyard of my sister’s house in Boise. My Faithful Friend, Transforming Trent Martin, a missionary to Germany, was the officiant for the renewing of our vows. There were 65 faithful friends and extended family relatives in attendance. Sandy Jones, the publisher of this magazine, and her husband, Steve, were also part of our celebration.

The ceremony was Blessed Beyond Belief because we prayed and prayed and prayed that the Right People would be Present with us.

Many faithful friends could not make it because of previous commitments.

Most everyone commented that it was an astonishing anniversary sacred celebration! They could see and feel the love that we had for each other. We were all inspired!

Why? It all started back in September of 1977. I was a seminary student at Melodyland School of Theology in Anaheim, Calif. I started in January, but that fall quarter I saw a Beautiful Young Lady who was a new student. I thought she was a professor. She was all dressed up and carrying a nice briefcase. I talked to her a few times, but I really met her in January of 1978.

That day we had a school celebration on a Saturday night with worship, a potluck and ministry time. A friend of mine, Randy Harris, asked her if she wanted to sit at our table. She sat right next to me! I was so nervous I shredded my napkin more than a squirrel could chew up a nut! I asked her if she belonged to a weekly Bible study for students. She said no. Somehow, I asked her if she wanted to come to ours. She said YES! We started praying together and researching and studying together.

My Master of Divinity degree was INTENSE. I was either studying, doing research and writing or in class from 8:00 AM to 10:00 PM Monday through Saturday for 2½ years. We usually did research on Saturday all day at Fuller Seminary in Pasadena because that had a HUGE library and our school was so new that did not have all the resources we needed.

From the first of January until the middle of March of 1978 we hung out together. The funny thing was is that I never thought of her as a potential mate. I felt like she was a faithful friend like my own biological sisters.

Then it happened! During the spring break I came back to Boise and my sisters told me they KNEW she was My Most Beautiful Beloved Bride! They did not tell me then, but they later told me that all I talked about was Inspiring Irene!

I flew back to LA International Airport (LAX) from Boise when the spring break ended. When Inspiring Irene picked me up, I knew that she was the One! My proposal to her was, “Is the Lord telling you the same thing that He is telling me?” She said YES! We announced our engagement on Memorial Day. My Fabulous Father-in-Love was home, and her mom and two brothers, and we were at the kitchen table. Gradually they all left except her father and me. I told him that I knew the Lord wanted me to marry his Delightful Daughter! The first thing he said was that she wanted to be the pastor of her own church and if I wanted to do that! I said YES! That was IT! Everybody came back together after they secretly heard our conversation and we all celebrated together!

Our engagement lasted 1½ years. One week after finishing my Master of Divinity degree, on September 1, 1979, we were married at Rose Drive Baptist Church in Yorba Linda, Calif., a block away from the President Nixon Library!

We planted four churches and survived 6 near-death experiences along with many other dangers, toils and snares. Our current church is miraculous! We moved 24 times before our 25th wedding anniversary. We have lived in our Healing Home in Boise since April 1, 2004. We adopted our Sensational Spectacular Son, Courageous Compassionate Chris, on January 29, 2007. He was 29 years old.

12 November / December 2019 | Christian Living

Irene and Dan Woodworth renewed their wedding vows on September 1, 2019.

(Courtesy photo)

The judge at the Ada County Courthouse granted an exception to the law allowing us to adopt him since he was over 18.

When we recited our vows on September 1, 1979, we never dreamed that we would have experienced so many losses and deep sadness together. For better or for worse, in sickness and in health were tested over and over and over. Our spiritual mentor for 26 years told us that she had never seen anyone go through so many dangers, toils and snares and still be living!

All the languishing losses and sinking sadness have been TOTALLY TRANSFORMED INTO INSPIRING HEALING and ASTONISHING WHOLENESS because of our commitment to our LIVING, LOVING LORD and EACH OTHER! We share LIVING LOVE, JUBILANT JOY and PERFECT PEACE because we completely committed to a SACRED COVENANT with our LIVING, LOVING LORD! The Hebrew word for helpmate in Genesis 2:18 is “ezer kenegdo.” That word means LIFESAVER. The same word is used for the Lord as our LIFESAVER! We see each other as our LIFESAVER! Neither of us would be alive if we did not believe who He created us to BE! My prayer every day is to fall in love with Jesus and My Most Beautiful Beloved Bride in a deeper spiritual, emotional, romantic relationship every EMPOWERING MIRACLE MOMENT! We have been tempted by the devil to give up many, many, many times. But we REFUSE to give up on our LIVING, LOVING LORD or EACH OTHER! We have come TOO FAR to give up!

We have sought every healing opportunity we could find. Our spiritual mother and our pastor, Evangelist Ann Wright, for 26 years never gave up on us and we never gave up on her. She went to heaven on May 3, 2003.

Without her we would both be dead. Many pastors have given up on us, but she NEVER GAVE UP on us!

We have been through a weeklong psychiatric treatment in two different hospitals. We experienced the Restoration Ministry of Wounded by Shame, Healed by Grace, Healing the Father Wound, Boundaries and Safe People in the two years I was a Pioneer Pastor at East Hill Church in Portland, Ore. in 2002 and 2003. That Restoration Ministry was required to plant a new church out of East Hill. We have taken every seminar on healing that we could find during our MIRACLE MARRIAGE! We have forgiven everyone who ever hurt us. We are Best Friends! We have NO secrets. Many times, we thought we would be destroyed and die, but we are still ALIVE!

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We have embraced GREAT GRACE and our shame has been swallowed up.

GREAT GRACE says we believe we are more than enough; we have what it takes, and we have made it, we are making it and we will make it! Shame says we are not enough, we don’t have what it takes, and we will not make it.

When we choose GRACE, we LIVE! Refuse shame! Embrace GRACE! Our story is INSPIRING and ILLUMINATING because we made a DEFINITE DECISION to BE and BECOME all who WE WERE CREATED TO BE! GOD speaks in Ephesians 5:21-29: “Be subject to one another out of reverence for Christ. Wives, be subject to your husbands as to the Lord, for the husband is the head of the wife as Christ also is the head of the church and is Himself the savior of the body. But as the church is subject to Christ, so also should wives be subject to their husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her, that He might sanctify her, cleansing her by washing of water through the word so that He might present Himself to the church in splendor, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she might be holy and without blemish. In the same way husbands should also love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife, loves himself, for no one ever hates his own body, but nourishes and takes care of it, just as Christ does the church, since we are members of His body. ‘For this reason, a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife and the two shall become one flesh.’ This mystery is profound, but I am speaking about Christ and about the church. Nevertheless, each one of you is to love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife is to respect her husband.”

Every Handsome, Healing Husband is created to LOVE and SERVE his Beautiful, Beloved Bride. Every Beautiful, Beloved Bride is created to SUBMIT to and RESPECT her Handsome, Healing Husband!

When we live according to our DIVINE DESIGN, marriage is a REFLECTION of Christ and His Church! n Dr. Dan Woodworth earned his Doctor of Ministry (DMin) degree from the King’s University in Los Angeles in 2009. His passion is to encourage and empower people with the transforming power of hope and healing to become all they are created to be.

He and his beautiful bride, Irene, have planted three churches. They are in the process of creating a cross/cultural, cross/generational healing community solving pressing problems in Boise and beyond. He may be reached at dan@danwoodworth.org, or visit his website at www.danwoodworth.org.

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LOCAL RAPPER HOSTS ANNUAL SOCK AND SUPPLY DRIVE Begins Annual S.O.S Service Drive To Help Idaho’s Homeless And Pets, Now-Dec. 22, 2019 Eleventh grader, RandyB Funk, is one of Idaho’s most active volunteers. He’s been creating his own service drives since he was 11 years old, benefiting multiple charities in Idaho. Last year, RandyB Funk’s promotions generated over 6000 items for Boise Rescue Mission and another 500+ for Meridian Canine Rescue. This year, RandyB is seeking new toys and food for pets, and new socks and supplies for people.

While he is best known for his annual S.O.S Service Drives, beginning in October, RandyB Funk is also a Christian Hip Hop artist who dropped his first EP in January 2019.

RandyB Funk has been writing songs that reach into the soul of all ages since he was 12. His entertaining lyrics will inspire and challenge listeners’ complacencies. He has been featured on Channel 2, Channel 6, Channel 7, Boise Weekly, Idaho Statesman, Meridian Press, and Idaho Press for his service drives. RandyB Funk is already working on his next album and has live performances scheduled throughout the year. This talented entrepreneur and rapper aims to make Idaho proud using his talents and his music to serve his community.

In 2018, while attending a Christian music camp in Nashville, RandyB Funk was contacted by hip hop legend, R-Swift. A few weeks later Swift flew to Boise to collaborate and record a song that RandyB Funk had originally written. The song “Life Gets At You” was recorded right here in Idaho. Besides the collaboration, the EP features four additional original rap songs by RandyB Funk. After three visits to Nashville, with chart-topping Christian artists, RandyB Funk is working on his next album to drop in January 2020 and it features some familiar names.

RandyB Funk has just returned from the International EXTREME tour, where he toured and performed with many bands, including international sensation, SULD. The “WALK THROUGH DARKNESS” EP is available now on all platforms.

Would you like to help? Team RandyB Funk is interested in speaking with event promoters and youth group leaders. You can help by allowing a collection barrel in your business, storefront or church! If you’d like to help RandyB Funk with his S.O.S Service drive or book him for your event, contact Team RandyB Funk. To view his performance schedule or help with the S.O.S Service Drive, reference RandyBfunk.com Contact: Team RandyB Funk Cell Phone: (208) 914-3793 Email: Mcfunk48@gmail.com Website: http://randybfunk.com Major Platforms: iTunes, Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music (Available Now)

Christian Living | November / December 2019 13

REAL Man’s Toolbox

The various seasons of a man’s life

is a very popular sentiment that goes, “The

By Leo Hellyer only thing constant in life is change.” This is Just as there are four meteorological seasons actually very true. There are a lot of changes during the year, there are distinct seasons in a that need to take place as we change from Boy, man’s life. There is a great study that would be to Adolescent, to Man, to Mentor, and finally to awesome for each man to participate in, along Patriarch. with other men that they ‘do life’ with. This On this journey through manhood it is easy to study is called Stepping Up – A Call To Aube led astray. There are many brick walls, road thentic Manhood. blocks, and hazards along this adventure of Dennis Rainey and FamilyLife have devellife that we are all on. Some men are stopped oped a study for men, in coordination with a at a certain point and stay there. There are number of well known Christian men, who are many reasons why this happens. Sometimes it is leaders worthy of being mentors to the Chrisbecause of something we have done, but many tian men of America. Some of these men are times it is because of something that someone very well known and others not so much, but else has done, or said. should be. Some of the godly men in this study If we are to successfully complete our journey, are Tony Dungy, Crawford Loritts, Robert Leo Hellyer we must somehow find the courage, strength, Lewis, Voddie Baucham and Stu Weber. and desire to Step Up and press on through the challenges that The DVD study starts off in a very impactful way with a depiction of Medal of Honor recipient Red Erwin and his heroic we face.

In the Stepping Up DVD series, Dennis Rainey uses the actions. There are many foundational and inspirational verses U.S. Army Old Guard at Arlington National Cemetery as an that are referenced in this study. One of the first verses includexample for us to visualize manhood. “Show yourself in all ed is 1 Corinthians 13:11, which says, “When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching, show integrity, dignity and sound speech that cannot be conchild. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways.”

Going through the seasons of a man’s life is definitely a mar- demned, so that an opponent may be put to shame, having athon. There are many ups and downs, twists and turns. There nothing evil to say about us.” — Titus 2:7-8

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If we are to progress through each of these seasons of manhood, we cannot leisurely relax and wait for it to happen. We must Take Initiative and respond. We must respond and Engage With Wisdom and Grace. We are in a battle. We are in a battle for our lives and the lives of those we are responsible for.

It is easy to look back at previous seasons of our lives when we were less responsible and had others to lean on. When our foundations, our Patriarchs, are no longer with us and we are becoming Patriarchs to others, all of a sudden reality can become a heavy weight on our shoulders. Sometimes it isn’t fun being the one who is in the lead, evaluating challenges, making decisions, and being the example for others to follow. It is for times like this that we have the Holy Spirit that lives within us. When we call upon Him, He guides our journey and strengthens us, so we can meet the challenges that we face.

One of the questions that Dennis Rainey presents to those who participate in Stepping Up is, “What is the most courageous thing you’ve ever done?” When asked this question, most men have a hard time recalling anything they did that was courageous. Most men haven’t saved other men on the battlefield, or pulled someone from a burning car, or performed CPR on someone who just had a heart attack. We are in spiritual warfare on a daily basis. Men, you are a hero, you are being courageous.

When you take the time to read the Bible to your family at home before bed, you are courageous; when others at work are telling inappropriate jokes and you do not laugh, you are courageous; when you are asked to do something to take advantage of someone and you do not go down that path, you are courageous.

A courageous man of God is someone who can come home after a long day at work and relax with his family without regretting anything that he said or did during his time at work.

It is time for the Christian men of America to STEP UP and honor God with their lives. We need to be Patriarchs for others to follow.

I thank God that a few of the men involved in Stepping Up became Mentors and Patriarchs in my life. Dennis Rainey, Robert Lewis, Voddie Baucham and Stu Weber have all impacted my life personally. I believe that God brought these men and I together, at the times that He did, because He knows that I needed a lot of guidance from truly courageous men.

As we live out our lives, men, we are not aware of the impact that we may have in others’ lives. Sometimes we do have direct relationship with men who are starting their life journey.

Many times we do not know when we are being watched and by whom. God is the Master, and we are the instrument in His hands that He makes beautiful music with. n Leo Hellyer is a non-staff pastor with a local church and has been married to his wife Norma for more than 45 years. The couple volunteered with the Boise FamilyLife Ministry Team for 20 years. They are both employed by Boise Rescue Mission Ministries, Norma at City Light Home for Women & Children and Leo at River of Life Rescue Mission.

Leo is also the President and Chief Firearms Instructor with Helping Hands Firearms Training LLC. If you have questions about Real Man’s Toolbox, or need other assistance, Leo may be reached at silverplate426@msn.com or 208-340-5544.

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Christian Living | November / December 2019 15

“I GET TO!”®

Stop envy, refuse crippling comparisons

I remember such a mixture of emotions as my

By Joan Endicott heart sank into my stomach. First of all, I was Remember when you were a child and you wanted dumbstruck at what they got and happy for them, something so badly that that’s all you thought while simultaneously thinking about what I got and about? Like me, did you ever promise your parents, feeling embarrassed and even ashamed. I pulled my “If I could just get that one perfect gift for Christcoat tighter around my new clothes and when asked mas, I would never ask for anything else, ever again what I got, I sheepishly responded, “Oh just some in my entire life! Cross my heart and hope to die!”? clothes…” and quickly changed the subject.

Because you just knew that one thing would make This was when it really hit home for me that my you happy…forever after. best friend and I were in completely different categoOne such time for me was when I was in first ries. “Wow, they’re rich and I’m a loser!” I thought. grade and I wanted those super cool white go-go My Robin was truly my BFF for life — the best boots with the tassel in front — just like the Goldfriend anyone could ever have. (So blessed to say diggers dancers on TV had. Well, guess what? I got that’s the case still to this day.) So, I was happy for those groovy go-go boots for Christmas and loved her. But simultaneously, I was also sad for me once I them so much and felt like the happiest girl in the compared and was bitten by that big bad envy bug. whole USA when I wore them. In fact, I was pretty My friend, comparison steals your joy. Every. darn sure I looked as super cool as I felt — to the Joan Endicott Single. Time. point that, had I been taller, I just might have been I know so many people who get sucked into the mistaken for one of those Golddiggers from TV…at vortex of social media, and mindlessly scroll and scroll, leaving them 6 years old. feeling discouraged and disillusioned with their lives. They’re subAlthough those boots were made for walkin’ and dancin’ — which consciously programming themselves and feeding the lies that they’re I did plenty of — they eventually wore out. Then it was on to the not good enough or don’t have enough — in looks, career, money, black patent leather shoes I had to have instead of the practical and relationships, travel or other opportunities. If that’s you, dear friend, sturdy never-wear-out-but-wish-they-would brown and beige saddle shoes my parents opted for. That’s probably when I learned to dislike puleeze, stop it! Don’t you dare compare your real life to someone else’s highlight reel on Facebook or Instagram. Remember, if it the word “durable.” doesn’t serve a positive purpose, cut it out of your life — today!

Much of what we had was either homemade or hand-me-downs, All of us humans get caught in that darn “comparison trap” any so in fourth grade I just knew I’d hit the jackpot when I got some time we lose track of who we are — which always starts with knowing brand new, store-bought clothes, with tags still on them!I was so excited I could hardly wait to show my best friend, Robin. We talked on Whose we are.

God hates envy and jealousy. He did not design or intend for us to the phone and made plans to be together at her house the next day. compete with one another, rather, to work together to help complete Since her clothes were all store-bought, and very stylish, I just knew each other. When we remember that “It’s not about me,” the next she’d love what I got. I couldn’t wait to show her. question begs, who is it about? God alone. We are here to bring honor The next day, I put on a couple layers of clothes since it was cold and glory to Him. and that meant I could show her all of them when I went to her It’s actually simpler than we make it. We either believe what God house. I walked in and under their Macy’s-perfect-looking Christmas says about us or we don’t. Do your thoughts and words about yourself tree were duplicates of the following for herself and her sister: a steline up with His word that declares you are “fearfully and wonderfully reo; a pair of skis, boots and poles, and a season ski pass for Mount made,” or are your words critical and self-condemning, contradicting Hood Meadows…oh, and tickets for going to Hawaii with their His Word when you dare to compare? parents over spring break.

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I love the encouraging reminders of this truth in the song “You Say” (written by Paul Mabury / Lauren Daigle / Jason Ingram).

I keep fighting voices in my mind that say I’m not enough Every single lie that tells me I will never measure up Am I more than just the sum of every high and every low?

Remind me once again just who I am, because I need to know.

(Chorus) You say I am loved when I can’t feel a thing.

You say I am strong when I think I am weak.

You say I am held when I am falling short.

When I don’t belong, oh You say I am Yours.

I believe, oh I believe, what You say of me. I believe.

Verse 2 – The only thing that matters now is everything You think of me In You I find my worth, in You I find my identity.

(Chorus repeated) Verse 3 – Taking all I have and now I’m laying it at Your feet You have every failure God, and You’ll have every victory.

(Chorus repeated) Yes, I believe what You say of me.

Oh I believe.

••••• So what do you do with comparison and envy?

I’ve created a very effective framework that I take myself and my coaching clients through. I hope it serves you as well.

1. Pray and ask for love, wisdom and insight.

2. Read and memorize pertinent Scripture to counteract the cultural norm of comparison, which naturally leads to envy.

3. Acknowledge (with self-empathy) how you’re feeling, just like you would your best friend: “Right now, I’m feeling envious of this/that person because…”

4. Then change the word “envy” to “admire.” (Because we never envy someone we don’t admire something about.)

5. Identify what specifically you admire about them. (Let’s say someone is in excellent health and you’re envious of their energy level. The thing you admire about them may be their level of self-discipline.)

6. Then pray for God’s blessing over them. (Yes, really! No, you won’t feel like it — that’s why it’s so effective. You can’t be both envious and praying blessings over someone at the same time.) And ask the Lord to help you grow in that area as well.

7. To top it off (for bonus points), send them a message and let them know what you admire about them, and thank them for their example.

Listen, the reality is, we get to be stewards of the temple, talents and time God’s given us — we’re not owners. Our only hope for living a joyful, happy, meaningful and peace-filled life is when we lose ourselves in Whose we are and believe His Word!

If this has blessed you in a particular way, I’d love to hear from you.

Email me at: WeCare@JoanEndicott.com. n Joan Endicott is an Award-Winning Keynote Speaker, Author of “I Get To!”® founder of GIANT-Slayer Coaching and “WOW!” Women Owning Their Worth©. Her coaching reaches over 30 countries. Meet her and get her FREE videos, book excerpts and content at JoanEndicott.com. Follow her and enjoy her encouraging messages on IG!

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Christian Living | November / December 2019 17

MAXIMUM Health

Parents ask: ‘What do I feed my kids?’

By Rosie Main Many times I get asked by parents, “What do I feed my kids?”

Living in the culture we live in, it can be a struggle; but we as parents have to remember that kids only get exposed to the foods that we allow them to.

My husband and I have joined together and have chosen to raise our kids on whole food, or what we call “God food” or “real food.” The principle is that if the food is made by man, then it probably has been altered and has synthetic preservatives and chemicals. Real food or God food is more likely going to be free from the toxins and chemicals. If the real food or God food has been altered by man, such as wild rice to white rice, then we also don’t have it.

It is that simple. So what do we feed our kids? Just give them real food. Here are some examples.

Foods that are real or God food:

Vegetables (to be eaten in moderation) — Artichokes, Beets, Carrots, Chick Peas (Garbanzo), Legumes, Leeks, Lentils, Okra, Peas, Pumpkin, Squash (Acorn, Butternut, Winter, Summer, Spaghetti), Tomatoes

Grasses (wheat and barley) — Green Beans, Green Lettuces, Heart of Palm, Kale, Mushrooms, Mustard Greens, Olives, Onions, Parsley, Radishes, Snow Peas, Spinach, Sprouts, Sea Vegetables, Water Chestnuts, Zucchini

Rosie Main

Nuts and seeds (raw is best) — Almonds, Pecans, Cashews, Walnuts, Macadamia Nuts, Brazil Nuts, Pine Nuts, Pumpkin Seeds, Flax Seeds, Hemp Seeds, Chia Seeds, NO Peanuts (biotoxic and high omega-6), Black Beans, Adzuki Beans, Kidney Beans, Pinto Beans, White Beans, and Lima Beans

Meats/Proteins (all-natural poultry and grass-fed meat) — Eggs (cage-free), Fish (wild caught), Chicken, Turkey, Beef, Lamb Venison, Wild Game

Lower Fiber Carbohydrates (NOT on Healing Foods Diet, but on Basic Diet) — Amaranth, Barley, Brown Rice, Buckwheat, Corn (non-GMO), Ezekiel Bread, Millet, Quinoa, Sprouted Spelt Grains, Steel Cut Oats, Sweet Potatoes or Yams, Wild Rice

Fruits — Strawberries, Blueberries, Raspberries, Blackberries, Acai Berries, Goji Berries, Cherries, Lemon, Lime, Apples, Pears

Condiments — Sea Salt (Celtic or Himalayan), Apple Cider Vinegar, Balsamic Vinegar, Salsa, Guacamole, Hummus, Mustard, Organic Flavorings (Vanilla, Almond, etc.), Vegenaise with Grape Seed Oil, Cocoa and Carob, Herbs and Spices (Basil, Rosemary, Curry, Cinnamon, etc.) Soy Sauce (wheat-free), Liquid Aminos

Fruits (to be eaten in moderation) — Bananas, Oranges, Mangoes, Pineapple, Melon

Sweeteners — Stevia, Xylitol (Caution, Xylitol is extremely toxic to dogs)

Dairy (raw is best) — Goat’s Milk, Goat’s Milk Yogurt, Goat’s Milk Cheese, and Sheep Cheese

Sweeteners (NOT on Healing Foods Diet, but on Basic Diet) — Raw Honey (unheated in small amounts) Agave, Nectar, Maple Syrup Grade A or B, Brown Rice Syrup

Fats and Oils (organic is best) — Ghee, Butter, Coconut Oil, Grape Seed Oil, Olive Oil, Flax Seed Oil, Hemp Seed Oil, Pumpkin Seed Oil, Borage Oil (GLA – gamma linolenic acid), Fish Oil, Cod Liver Oil, Avocado Oil, Sesame Oil

Beverages — Purified and Non-Chlorinated Water, Natural Sparkling Water (no carbonation added – Pellegrino), Herbal Teas (unsweetened, preferably organic), Raw Vegetable Juices, Raw Lemonade (Stevia, lemons and water), and Fermented Drinks. n

Vegetables (high fiber and low glycemic) — Asparagus, Bell Peppers, Broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Celery, Collard Greens, Cucumber, Eggplant, Garlic, Ginger Root

Rosie Main, DC, owns Main Health Solutions at 2300 W. Everest Lane, Suite 175, in Meridian. She is also the host of Maximized Living Radio on 94.1 The Voice and KIDO 580 AM. For more information, visit MaximizedLivingDrMain.com.

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18 November / December 2019 | Christian Living

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Good works, bad places‌ courage required

Exalt Ministry

COVER STORY

Exalt Ministry staff members Dayna Mitchell, left, and Jennifer Friske, right, walk boldly into strip clubs to give messages of affirmation to strippers, telling them they are deeply loved by a God of grace. (Photo by Gaye Bunderson)

20 November / December 2019 | Christian Living

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By Gaye Bunderson Every community has its underbelly and some of the goingson in that unsavory underside are actually lawful. Within the otherwise wholesome family atmosphere of Treasure Valley, there are strip clubs legally operating within city limits. Men go there for entertainment; women go there to work.

Now, there’s a small group of women who go there for an entirely different reason: to tell the strippers they are loved. The women of Exalt Ministry, an outreach of Foothills Christian Church in Boise, walk into the strip clubs with a message of affirmation for women who nightly throw off inhibitions for the sake of a modest income.

On a surface level, it may not sound like much, and what the women of Exalt do is pretty low-key. They carry gift bags full of things women enjoy — such as chocolates and jewelry — into the clubs and give them out to strippers. Also enclosed is a card, telling the strippers they are loved by a God of grace and giving them contact information should they want to leave stripping behind.

Doing this takes courage. Dayna Mitchell, Exalt director, and Jennifer Friske, Foothills outreach coordinator, confirm that.

“It’s not an outreach we look forward to,” Jennifer said.

“It’s one we brace ourselves for,” Dayna replied.

Their courage lies in the fact the women of Exalt Ministry will not be intimidated.

“We’ll go no matter what,” Dayna said.

Dayna originally worked in administrative support for the Idaho Coalition for Justice, an anti-trafficking organization started by Kim Peake, wife of Douglas Peake, lead pastor at Foothills Christian Church. As Dayna worked toward a master’s degree in innovation and leadership from Boise State, she was required to write and present an advocate speech. That’s when she got hands-on involved in the issue of trafficking and wrote an Exalt Outreach Capstone Project paper. Students nearing the end of their college years in Dayna’s major must create a project that encompasses what they’ve learned while working toward their degree, and that’s when Dayna laid out the workings for Exalt Ministry.

Exalt launched three years ago. Prior to that, Dayna studied with a faith-based organization called Treasures Ministries in Los Angeles. Treasures founder Harmony Dust worked in the sex industry beginning at age 19. But it was during this time, after a life of abuse, that she first experienced honor and respect — though not from clients. She wrote in her memoirs, “Scars and Stilettos,” that God pursued her “like a gentleman … with His infinite love.”

He turned her life around. That was, and is, the foundation for Treasures, and Dayna brought everything she learned back home to Boise, and to Exalt Ministry.

The ideal grouping for an Exalt visit to a strip club is 3 or 4 ministering women, or 4 women and 2 men. The men remain in the car but are there for support and protection if needed.

Nonetheless, Dayna and Jennifer have trooped into a club completely alone.

“The parking lot is the most scary,” Dayna said. When the two women are walking from their car to the front door of the club, men in the parking lot think they are strippers on their way to work and get a little too friendly with them.

Jennifer also admits, “We have felt scared,” and then mentions a time she felt “a strong sense of evil” at one of the clubs.

They said: “We pray a lot before going and then pray in the car once we get there; we also have a prayer support group upholding us.”

Once inside, it is about a 10-minute encounter, with a mixed reception. They have received smiles and hugs from some of the strippers, who gladly accept the gift bags. But others brush them off.

“Some say things like, ‘I don’t need that’ or ‘I sold my soul to Satan,’” Jennifer said.

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The managers and bouncers generally don’t give them any trouble — “they don’t feel threatened by us, and we’ve built longevity with them,” Dayna said — with the exception of a local club that is part of a national chain.

The bouncers can be friendly, and even sympathetic toward the strippers.

“Some of the bouncers seem to get it; they come to talk with us,” Jennifer said. “The bouncers have understanding and compassion. They know the girls have hard lives. One of them told me, ‘They don’t know they could sell insurance easier than selling their bodies.’”

“The bouncers feel they’re there to protect the girls,” Dayna said.

The women explained that a large percentage of the 20-something girls who work in clubs come from a background of childhood abuse and have grown accustomed to the idea their body is not their own but is for others’ pleasure. According to Dayna, some naively think they’ll work as a stripper “just for a while” and then get out. Instead, they risk getting sucked into deeper troubles, including illegal prostitution and trafficking, away from the strip clubs’ confines.

Also, alcohol is readily available at the clubs.

“The women have to ‘power drink’ on their jobs, often to get themselves up for doing what they do,” Dayna said. They end up trapped because they have no marketable skills, and leaving the profession can be more dangerous than staying, especially if they come under the influence of a pimp.

Dayna and Jennifer go to a club every 8 weeks and are working to find “the sweet spot” of when they should go — they don’t want to go too often or not often enough. They’ve gone 18 times in 3 years. They say that going to the clubs and creating a rapport with the girls is their primary focus, and they have established strategic relationships with area anti-trafficking coalitions, as well as organizations such as the Women’s and Children’s Alliance and Chrysalis Transitional Living. They depend upon the expertise and resources of these organizations because of the tremendous challenges in helping a girl leave stripping, get a real job, overcome addictions, and deal with poor mental and physical health and, sometimes, longtime abuse.

Exalt Ministry is planting a seed that could bud somewhere down the road. It is working to open doors in these girls’ hearts — if even just a crack — so that God might work with them at some point in their lives. Dayna and Jennifer have not yet seen a stripper turn her life around, but they will not be deterred from continuing the work of Exalt because their commitment is strong.

Both women are married and have the support of their husbands for this ministry. Dayna said her husband has been one of the drivers who waited in the car for her to return from inside the club. And Jennifer said, “My husband told me to get involved in this ministry to grow in my compassion for others.”

Though she laughed as she said this, the conversation pivoted to how easy it is to be judgmental toward women who disrobe, and worse, for a living.

Dayna and Jennifer said their favorite outreach time is at Christmas, when the bags contain special Christmas-related items, such as angels and cards with biblical Christmas stories.

They’ve held fundraisers to pay for their gift bags. They’ve held dinners, where everyone comes to help put together the gift bags, and for worship and prayer; and groups such as Lift, a local women’s organization, donate to the gift bag project, too.

Though it is an outreach with some fear involved, both women feel it is worth it to tell the young women in the strip clubs that, “You count, and we care.” n Exalt is a ministry partnership of Foothills Christian Church and the Idaho Coalition for Justice. It is the first and only such organization of its kind in Boise. For more information, go to www.exaltnetwork.com, www.icjustice.net, or www.foothills.org.

Christian Living | November / December 2019 21

CHALLENGING Faith

3 ways you must be spiritually shrewd

By Joel Lund The Background: You, like me, probably think of the word “shrewd” in a less than flattering way.

While these days shrewd may include connotations of being clever or canny, in Middle English “shrewd” described someone evil in nature or character, an evil person, or simply a villain. That’s generally the definition that I locked down regarding “shrewd.” Let’s just say it wasn’t a behavior my parents encouraged me to aspire to.

Plus, the Old Testament is full of negative examples of shrewd behaviors. See Psalm 83:3, Proverbs 19:25, Jeremiah 4:22 for examples. These also informed my poor view of shrewdness.

So, it may come as a surprise that Jesus tells his disciples and followers to be shrewd. Maybe that’s why you probably haven’t heard a sermon on Luke Joel Lund 16:8-9, which is the capstone in the Parable of the Dishonest Manager. It’s a bit difficult to wrap your head around. Still, in the age in which we live now it is imperative to not only get comfortable with the value of being shrewd, you must actively nurture becoming as shrewd as you can.

Be as Shrewd as a Serpent: Before sending out the twelve, Jesus told his disciples to “be as shrewd as serpents and as innocent as doves.” (Matt. 10:16, NASB) Do you find this command a bit difficult to track with? Me, too.

But then, how could we not? The universal symbol of peace is a dove, while snakes are considered by most people to be, well, snakes. “You’re a snake!” is not a declaration of affection.

It helps a great deal to recognize Jesus is employing a simile here.

Because we can’t become either a dove or a snake, we’re to behave like them. Shrewdness in this context isn’t to be understood as being deceptive, cunning or villainous, any more than being innocent is to be understood as being unthinking in our acceptance of events or people (gullible).

Clearly, Jesus was harmless in every way. Pontius Pilate declared him to be an innocent man three times (John 18-19). Still, He also showed shrewdness — wise in the ways of the world — in the way He taught.

S. Michael Houdmann puts it this way: “When Jesus told the Twelve to be as wise as serpents and harmless as doves, He laid down a general principle about the technique of kingdom work.

As we take the gospel to a hostile world, we must be wise (avoiding the snares set for us), and we must be innocent (serving the Lord blamelessly).”

We see Jesus do this in the parable mentioned above, found in Luke 16.

Be Shrewd Like the Dishonest Manager: Jesus tells a crowd of people, certainly including Pharisees and legal experts, a parable about a rich man who is cheated by his operations manager. Having been told by his master that he’d been found to be dishonest and that his accounts were going to be audited, the manager immediately went to debtors of his master and reduced their bills, further defrauding his master. But in so doing, he gained favor with them so he’d have a place to land after destroying his position of importance.

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Sounds like a snake, doesn’t he? Indeed, he was a villain.

But Jesus declares: “And his master praised the unrighteous manager because he had acted shrewdly; for the sons of this age are more shrewd in relation to their own kind than the sons of light. And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by means of the wealth of unrighteousness, so that when it fails, they will receive you into the eternal dwellings.” (Luke 16:8-9 NASB) Alexander MacLaren, a Scottish theologian and preacher in the 1800s, points out that even the rich master who was seriously wronged by the dishonest manager commended him for his “clear insight into what was the right thing to do.” The manager was clever. After knocking some of those bills in half, you bet he’d be welcomed by those folks, once he was kicked out by his boss!

Can you imagine the wide-eyed looks the disciples must have had when Jesus recommended the dishonest manager as a role model?

So then, how are we to be like this shrewd manager?

In short, we’re to be gentle without being gullible and generous without becoming victims. We’re to be wise about the world around us, like the Apostle Paul. He knew the legal system of his day, and his preaching was designed specifically for the greatest impact on his audiences.

But there’s more here, isn’t there?

What does Jesus mean when he tells us to make friends for ourselves by means of unrighteous wealth? Huh? Be Shrewd By Seizing the Day: Jesus doesn’t commend the rascally manager for his dishonesty but for his shrewd use of the vanishing opportunity before him. His only thought is on the moment. He had to act fast to create a favorable outcome (he hoped!) after he lost his job. He quickly maneuvered his way past a bad outcome of his own devious making.

How does that apply to us today?

Reverend Michael Stark says, “Jesus’ commendation is tantamount to stating that sinners are able to seize opportunity to promote wickedness while saints fail to advance the cause of righteousness. Another way of stating the matter is to note that the sons of this age are more proficient at being sinners than the sons of light are at being saints! Underscore that thought in your mind.”

Unless you have been living under a rock for many years, you’ll have noticed the world has changed. What was once seen as right is now wrong. What was once wrong is now right. Senator Patrick Moynihan spoke of “moral deregulation” back in 1993, by which he meant that society has a limit of bad behavior it can tolerate before it starts to lower its standards. Charles Krauthammer, the legendary columnist, stated that same year the reverse is also true: not only would society normalize what was once seen as deviant, it would also consider deviant what was once seen as normal.

That sounds a lot like our world today.

Why then are we to “make friends by means of the wealth of unrighteousness”? Because when it fails — and it will fail — we’ll be received “into the eternal dwellings.” Jesus isn’t saying we’re to

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CHURCH DIRECTORY BOISE become friends with wealth. He’s saying we’re to become friends by means of earthly wealth, to be good stewards of wealth here even with our eyes focused firmly on eternity.

The crooked manager only looked to the value of each moment and only for his own benefit. His shrewdness, which earned the commendation of his injured master, was praised by Jesus because it was clever, audacious, and resourceful, even if only for the moment and completely self-serving.

To be the church today means it is time for each member of it to level up. We must seize the day. We must make use of every opportunity to deepen our faith and widen our influence to those around us. We must dedicate ourselves to it with greater enthusiasm and effort than we do with our gym membership, hobbies, habits or any other pursuit.

What MacLaren said over a century ago is just as true today: The secret of success religiously is precisely the same as the secret of success in ordinary things.

Whether those ordinary things are shrewd management, wisdom in stewardship of our finances, or how we engage people on social media, we must become more proficient at seizing the opportunities that present themselves to us. Let us be clever, audacious, resourceful and quick to respond, seeking always to be shrewd but innocent, assertive because the time is short, advancing the cause of righteousness until we reach our eternal dwellings. n Joel is a certified master coach, business strategist, and author. Most importantly, he’s worked with a lot of people just like you. Chat with him. There’s no charge.

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SEVEN Springs Ranch

It all started with a heart attack

Tim and Julie Campbell stand near a building on the property in Emmett they call Seven Springs Ranch. (Courtesy photo)

By Gaye Bunderson Tim and Julie Campbell’s venture in the hills above Emmett all started with a heart attack — Tim’s heart attack to be specific. He asked a number of times, “Why me?” The surprising thing is, he wasn’t asking why he suffered an almost-fatal health crisis but, rather, why he survived it.

Tim didn’t see himself as a good enough Christian, worthy of God’s intervention on his behalf. Though he was saved and walking with the Lord, he admits, “I never read the Bible. I just went to church.” And initially, he pretty much went to church just to see Julie.

His heart failure occurred in 2017 in Southern California, where the Campbells lived. Tim was 56 at the time and got no advance warning from his body telling him his primary organ was about to go haywire. According to the Campbells, Tim’s heart stopped beating for 90 minutes; and during that time, two important things were happening. The medical personnel at the hospital where he was taken kept trying desperately to get his heart going again — to the extent they became exhausted.

“The staff were giving up; they were tired,” Julie said.

The other thing that was happening were prayers being offered up to God that Tim might pull through. Supplications were being prayed by church members; Tim’s fellowship, Band of Brothers; Julie’s fellowship, Hearts of Beauty; relentlessly by Julie herself; and by prayer warriors Julie got hold of on the phone. If prayers ascending to heaven made any sort of sound, that would have been a very noisy hospital. But nonetheless the physicians felt limited by the facts of medical science.

“Doctors told me that Tim wasn’t going to make it; they said they could give me no hope. The head cardiologist said that even though they had gotten a stint into his heart, he was not optimistic. He said that Tim’s lungs were full of fluid, his kidneys and liver were shutting down and he didn’t think he had any brain function. … He said that Tim most likely wouldn’t make it through the night; and if he did, he probably wouldn’t be able to walk, talk or feed himself,” Julie said.

But Tim made it.

“A day and a half after the heart attack, Tim was sitting up in bed with nothing more than a little oxygen into his nose, communicating beautifully and laughing,” his wife said.

That’s when Tim’s “why me” questions began. He wasn’t impressed with himself as a Christian — certainly there were others more deserving of being brought back from the brink of death than him. His pastor told him, “This is not about you. This is about God, showing this world that He is still here, He is sovereign, and miracles still happen.”

The pastor added, “God just needed someone big enough, strong enough, and dumb enough to withstand what God was going to put you through.”

All of them felt Tim had been spared for a reason, that God had something in mind for him, and for Julie. While no one at the time was certain what that might be, the couple mutually agreed they would be ready to act in obedience to whatever plan God had in mind.

Tim did not come out of his medical trauma unscathed. In trying to revive him, the EMTs “broke everything: all of his ribs, his collarbone, and a fractured sternum,” the couple said. He spent time recovering, and because of his illness and injuries, he was out of work. Julie was teaching art and substituting part-time, and there was not much money in the family budget. “We had zero dollars in our account too many times,” Tim said.

During this time, Tim experienced a recurring vision, sometimes in his mind while awake and at other times in his nightly dreams. The vision was of a piece of property where people were gathering, and there was a rock fireplace and a soaking pool — like amenities in a guest facility.

The recurring vision motivated the couple to take day trips to view properties in states nearby to their then-Southern California location, in an attempt to find in reality the place Tim kept seeing in visions.

They have friends in Eagle who are real estate agents; the Campbells came up to stay with them, and the couple showed them a listing the Campbells thought sounded “too good to be true... and it had been on the market for 450 days.” The property was located on East Black Canyon Highway in Emmett.

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The 57-acre site came complete with a number of structures, and a hill. Tim said, “It was like a hill I saw in my vision.”

Perhaps this was where God was leading them?

The Campbells decided that, yes, the Emmett property was the one they’d searched for. They met the owners, Dick and Holly Smith.

Dick is in his 80s, and Holly is about 15 or so years younger. They are both Christians. “Their kids prayed to have a Christian couple buy their place and continue the vision,” the Campbells said. The Smiths had run S Bar S Ranch on the site — an old-fashioned, Western-style place for people to gather. The Smiths’ enterprise matched the Campbells’ faith-inspired dreams.

Next came the mechanics of agreeing on a financial transaction and lining up the funding. Dick and Holly agreed to carry half the note (loan). But even at that, it was still a big financial commitment. “Bear in mind,” said Julie, “we had no money.”

She said the Holy Spirit would ask her, “Do you trust Me, Julie?” and then remind her of all the things He’d brought them through, including Tim’s health scare.

Tim said: “God put on my heart Hebrews 11 — ‘Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see...’”

The full price for the property was $500,000, and the Campbells needed to come up with half of that right off. They started seeking a partner or partners. At one point, they thought some friends were going to partner with them, but the friends had to pull out at the last minute. In the meantime, the Campbells had sold their California home and had everything all packed up for a move to Emmett. They now had 30 days to come up with the money. Together, they sat in an empty house, boxes packed, and consoled one another with “God’s got this.”

Honesty • Integrity • Results

Said Julie: “Right then, we were more on our knees than on our feet. We had nothing but Jesus.”

In 30 days, a group of like-minded investors — a total of 7 people — came together, and the purchase of Seven Springs Ranch in Emmett became a reality. Tim and Dick settled it all with a handshake.

Originally, the property was held as a corporation but is now a 501(c) (3) non-profit. Tim and Julie live full-time on the site and are working hard every day to create a place in line with what God has laid on their hearts.

Their ultimate goal is to have a warm and welcoming Christian event and guest ranch, and even though much work remains to be done, they’ve already hosted a wedding, youth groups, and a cowboy camp with Blaine and Molly Lilly of Church in the Dirt in Homedale.

They said every time they have a problem, “God brings grace out of it.”

And they’ve had plenty of problems. For instance, Tim was injured in a vehicle crash and has an area on his face that clearly took the brunt of the accident. But again, the seemingly invincible Tim Campbell is recovering and continuing to build Seven Springs Ranch into the place he conceptualized with God’s help.

Walk around the acreage with Tim and he details the plans he has for the property — which seem daunting. Asked if naysayers tell him it’s too much to achieve, he answers, “Yes, all the time.” But he and his wife carry on in faith.

In their previous lives, the Campbells gained a lot of experience in various capacities, such as construction and catering, and they’ve both run big corporations. It’s all been leading up to Seven Springs Ranch, and they couldn’t be happier with where they’re at. Tim said, “Julie likes to say, ‘It feels like we’re 100 miles from nowhere but we’re 10 minutes from the supermarket.’”

“I feel God everywhere on this ranch,” Julie said. n For more information, visit Seven Springs Ranch on Facebook.

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Christian Living | November / December 2019 25

MOM Keep Calm

Give a whole new kind of gift

By Janet Lund

‘Twas the Night Before Christmas

Ahh, pumpkin spice is in the air. Can you smell it?

Probably pretty easily, right? But can you hear the wheels turning in your child’s head? It’s that time of year when Christmas lists are being dreamed up and written down.

We all love surprising our children with gifts. The twinkle in their eyes as they unwrap a present warms our heart. But whether it is Christmas, a birthday, or any other time of the year, we can take gift-giving too far. Sometimes, parents even struggle with feeling like they owe their kids whatever they want.

Well, you don’t. In fact, giving them whatever they want, all the time, is not a gift at all. When you go down that path, your child starts taking things for granted, expecting to get what they want, when they want it.

All the Noise! Noise! Noise!

It’s a challenge though. We are bombarded with messages every day on the radio, TV, and social media. Advertisements pressure us to go out and get the latest doodad. (Did you know that it’s estimated we’re exposed to more than 4,000 ads…per day?)

Clearly, always giving your kids what they want doesn’t fulfill what they need. Because delayed gratification is an important life skill, kids need to learn to be patient and to persevere. On the other hand, helping your child chase a goal? Now, that is an excellent gift! Why? Because life is full of challenges. Your child needs to develop emotional muscles of determination to push through the hard times and to accomplish great things.

Help Your Child Develop Perseverance

Let’s look at seven ways of doing just that.

1. Pay attention as your child shares their dreams and wishes. The wishes we have as children often stick with us throughout our lives. So, listen closely to discover what your child would love to accomplish.

2. Explore ways to help them get started. Help your child get the ball rolling. Here is one example: Your child dreams of playing the guitar on stage. Gift wrap a jar labeled Guitar Fund. Fill it

26 November / December 2019 | Christian Living

with a small amount of money. This will get them started on their journey.

3. Share a story to inspire them.

Accomplishing a goal is hard work. Your child may have times when they feel like reaching their dream is impossible. Share an inspiring story with them.

Here is a story I told my daughter: Once upon a time your dad and I decided to do the Seattle to Portland Bicycle Classic ride on our tandem bicycle. That meant we would ride 200 miles in 2 days. We gave ourselves 6 months to train. In January we started riding our bikes 3 to 4 days a week. These workouts were hard and not always a lot of fun, but we knew we needed to do them. When the big day came, we got on our tandem and took off. Riding, eating, and taking breaks.

We were doing great!

But at the 75-mile mark when we stopped at a park for a rest stop, a spider bit my leg right above my knee. While we rode the final miles of the day, the venom went straight into my knee and made it swell. By the next morning it was clear I couldn’t ride anymore, because my knee was the size of a cantaloupe. I was so disappointed and frustrated.

But by the time we got back home we had already agreed to go for it again next year. We were determined to cross that finish line.

So the next January we started training all over again. When the big day came, we rode hard and had fun. On the second day we were sore, but we climbed back on that tandem and rode again. It was a lot of hard work and it took determination to keep going.

But when we crossed the finish line, it had been worth it. We were ecstatic!

If I had given up after being bitten by the spider and never tried again, I would never have felt that deep sense of accomplishment when I crossed the finish line. No one could do it for me. I could only do it myself.

Share either your own story of perseverance, borrow mine, or find one that will resonate with your child.

4. Remember, you can’t do the work for them. It is difficult to see your child frustrated. You can certainly encourage them, but

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your child must do the work. That is the only way they can experience the joy and pride of reaching their goal…on their own.

5. Celebrate the little victories. Small accomplishments along the way are what make it possible to reach the big goal. Pause and cheer with each victory they experience along the way.

6. Empower your child to cheer themselves on. Buy your child a journal to write down their celebrations. Encourage them to write each victory and happy moment on their journey. Every positive thing they write down will make Janet Lund their journal more powerful. It will motivate them to keep moving forward. Even if what they write is, “I am proud of myself for not giving up when I wanted to today!”, pushing through tough days is a great accomplishment. And imagine how helpful it will be to read their own handwriting, when facing a greater challenge a few years later.

7. Encourage your child to give thanks to God. God has given your child the gift of life and the opportunity to chase their dreams.

What a blessing! A grateful heart will charge up their determination to continue the journey and cross the finish line. Practice gratitude, so they can see how important it is to you. Then they’ll model that habit.

Good Tidings and Cheer

Perseverance is an excellent gift that you can help your child develop within themselves. Encourage your child to work hard, cheer, and strive to persevere. This trio makes for a whole new kind of gift to give your child.

You go, Mom! You’ve got this. n

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Christian Living | November / December 2019 27

‘Twas the Night

By Bethany Riehl

‘Twas the night of Christ’s birth and all through the land The only noise to be heard was the bleating of lambs.

Shepherds that kept watch stood warm by the fire Longing for hope in a world so desperately dire.

In a manger was newborn Jesus, wrapped in swaddling clothes; God’s precious answer to man’s lifetime of woes.

His mother, Mary, a virgin, lay nestled nearby And Joseph, her husband, worked to keep them all dry.

Unaware as they looked on the fragile babe in awe, That angels joyously proclaimed the fulfillment of the Law. To frightened dirty shepherds that kept watch through the night, Cherubs worshipped the God of glory and light.

The infant’s heavy eyelids closed in newborn sleep, But soon Jesus was startled by the bleating of sheep.

As Mary and Joseph looked on in surprise, Shepherds approached God’s only Son with tears in their eyes.

His hands—someday to be stained with our sin— Were in tight little fists thrust under His chin.

His eyes that beheld the world when it was new, Now glistened and sparkled a soft baby blue.

He cried out in hunger for His mother to hear, And she tucked Him in close as more shepherds drew near.

“This,” they wondered, “is the hope for all men?”

Then each one believed what the angel told them: “Born to you this day and lying in a manger Is Christ Jesus the Lord, your only true Savior.”

Having seen Him that night, they hastened to spread, Good news to Bethlehem’s people, who slept in their beds.

Mary held all of this deep in her heart; When His life came to an end she would think of this start.

In a humble manger with a trough for a bed, A cross on Golgotha is where He would be led.

Hope for sinners would be hung there to die But three days later would victoriously rise.

Triumphant and whole, our Savior would then, Sit down beside God—ransom paid!—for the sin of all men. ©Bethany Riehl 2011

28 November / December 2019 | Christian Living

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Meridian Community Celebrate Christmas Thanksgiving Dinner With A Gift of an Annual Subscription To Christian Living Magazine

Meridian Community Thanksgiving Dinner, for veterans, retired and active military members, will be held Thanksgiving Day, November 28, from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 1827 W. 3rd St., Meridian (behind US Bank on Cherry Lane).

For more information, call 208-809-5952.

Country Christmas Bazaar Fri, Nov 1 9am-9pm Sat, Nov 2 9am-3pm Greenleaf Friends Academy 20565 Academy Rd., Greenleaf

Zion Lutheran Holiday Bazaar Sat Nov 2 9am-3pm Zion Lutheran School 1012 12th Ave Rd, Nampa Laurel Tilzey 208-546-8035

Harvest Bazaar Sat Nov 2 9:30am – 3pm Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church 2981 E Boise Ave, Boise

18th Annual Holiday Craft Bazaar Sat Nov 2 9am–3:30pm Trinity Lutheran Church 8 S Midland Blvd, Nampa

LWML Fall Bazaar Sat Nov 2 9 am - 3 pm Christ Lutheran Church 1406 W Cherry Lane Meridian Sandra Cooper 208-888-1622 Souper Saturday All Church Bazaar Sat Nov 2 10am-2pm Meridian United Methodist Church 235 E Pine St, Meridian Holiday Bazaar Sat Nov 2 8am-3pm Nampa First United Presbyterian 400 Lake Lowell Ave, Nampa Harvest Bazaar Sat Nov 2 9am-3:30pm Nampa Christian Schools 505 W Orchard Ave, Nampa Fall Harvest Festival Sat Nov 2 9am – 5:30pm Southside Blvd United Methodist Church 5420 Southside Blvd, Nampa

Holiday Bazaar Fri Nov 8 9am-4pm Sat Nov 9 9am-4pm Legacy Life Church and Meridian Assembly of God 1830 N Linder Rd, Meridian 10th Annual Vineyard Boise Christmas Market Fri Nov 8 12-7pm Sat Nov 9 10am-4pm Vineyard Boise Church 4950 N Bradley St, Garden City Beth Routhier or Sharon Prosch 208-377-1477 Holiday Bazaar Fri Nov 8 9am-7pm Sat Nov 9 10am-3pm King of Glory Lutheran Church 3430 N Maple Grove Rd, Boise Festival of Hope Christmas Bazaar Fri Nov 8 10am-6pm Sat Nov 9 10am-4pm City Hope Church 8650 W Fairview Ave, Boise

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Two Ways to Subscribe: Just $12/year Online: ChristianLivingMag.com under “Shop” Tab Mail: Name, Info & Payment - or - Christian Living Magazine PO Box 867, Meridian, ID 83680

Annual Christmas Bazaar Sat Nov 9 9am-3pm.

Cloverdale Church of God 3755 S. Cloverdale Rd., Boise Sharon Bernard, 208-362-1700

10th Annual Holiday Bazaar Fri Nov 22 9am-6pm Sat Nov 23 9am-4pm All Saints Episcopal Church 704 S Latah St., Boise

Annual Holiday Bazaar Sat Nov 9 9am-1pm Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church 3100 S Five Mile Rd, Boise

Holiday Bazaar Fri Nov 22 9am-5pm Sat Nov 23 9am-4pm Sacred Heart School 3901 W Cassia, Boise

With Grace and Goodies Christmas Craft Fair Sat Nov 9 9am–4pm Bethel Nazarene 3001 12th Ave Rd, Nampa

Holiday Bazaar Sat Nov 23 9am-2pm Meridian Friends Church Fellowship Hall 1021 W Pine Ave, Meridian

Candy Cane Lane Bazaar Sat Nov 9, 8am-2pm St Paul’s Catholic Church 510 W Roosevelt Ave, Nampa

Holiday Craft Bazaar Sat Nov 23 9am-4pm Middleton United Methodist Church 104 E Main St, Middleton Admission: Please donate 2 items for the Middleton Food Pantry

Holiday Bazaar Sat Nov 9 9:30am-2pm Plymouth Congregational Church 207 SW Ave., New Plymouth, ID Fall Bazaar Sat Nov 9 9am-3pm Pilgrim Lutheran Church 208 SW 1st Ave, Ontario, OR Holiday Bazaar Sat Nov 16 9am-3pm Risen Christ Catholic Community 11511 Lake Hazel Rd, Boise

Women’s Fellowship Christmas Bazaar Sat Dec 7 8am-Noon First Congregational Church United Church of Christ 515 E 15th N, Mountain Home NHS Boosters’ Holiday Fest Sat Dec 7 9am-4pm Nampa High’s Aux Gym 203 Lake Lowell Ave, Nampa Contact nhsboosters@gmail.com

Christian Living | November / December 2019 29

NET worth

How do you measure your value?

By Vincent Kituku “What’s your net worth?”

That’s a question one expects to be asked by financial institutions when he/she is applying for a loan or when working with a financial adviser.

It is a question I never thought I would be asked in public. But it happened on June 20, 2014 when I was the featured speaker at Tala High School (my alma mater) in Kenya. A student with astonishing journalistic skills hosted an impromptu interview with me as his guest (prey).

The setup (trap) was humbling. He talked about the assistance tuition sponsorship for needy students that the school has received from Caring Hearts and Hands of Hope (CHHH), the organization I founded to help with high school and college tuition for poor orphans and children from poverty-stricken families in Vincent Kenya.

Then the question, “You have been so kind and generous, what’s your net worth?”

A day earlier, I had visited Alex, a boy born with multiple disabilities. His story was fresh in my mind.

After his father’s family recognized his multiple disabilities, they associated his condition with witchcraft. When that happens, even medically treatable conditions are not given a chance. When I was young, there was a family that believed in witchcraft and ignored taking their loved ones, suffering from tuberculosis, to a hospital. Those people suffered miserably and died, but only after they had infected others, who also died eventually. Alex was not offered medical attention.

His legs were weak and his head reclined backwards, forcing him to face the sky permanently. His maternal grandmother heard Alex’s paternal grandfather call him a derogatory name when he was a baby. Alex had been disowned by his father, so the grandmother asked for and was given the child.

A simple medical procedure strengthened his legs, and Alex was able to start schooling. But his neck’s condition kept on getting worse because his grandmother could not afford $1,500 for the initial surgery.

Alex sat for his 8th grade exams and passed with points that allowed him to be admitted to one of Kenya’s best schools for children with disabilities.

But he was always suspended from school because of lack of tuition ($500/year). Tuition is what his grandmother asked CHHH to help with.

I met Alex and his grandmother in January 2014 after CHHH started sponsoring him, and I learned of his neck’s treatable condition. He kept to himself and never attempted to hide his sadness when we posed for a photo. Being rejected by your own parent leaves a painful wound in your heart.

Caring Hearts and Hands of Hope sponsors raised the needed funds to get the surgical operations started. Alex was operated on in early June of that year. I spent most of the morning of June 19 with him at his school. I still cry when I recall Kituku his unrestrained smile — far different from the sad face I had seen a few months earlier. He talked about his classes, the ones he wanted to concentrate on for his junior and senior years in high school. He was looking forward to seeing his mother on Parents Day — she had not seen him for years, not even when he was in the hospital for two weeks.

“My net worth is the smile on Alex’s face. It is the hope I witnessed in him as he shared what he wanted to do after graduating from college,” I said, before adding, “it is the lives of the girls who will be women of honor because Caring Hearts and Hands of Hope rescued them from child labor, forced early marriage, or from a possible life of prostitution and crime.”

Net worth is not measured by what is visible or tangible. It is also not measured by the credentials we earn. It is measured by the lives we touch when our fellow human beings’ suffering prompts us to do something, even when we don’t have full knowledge of what that something is or how and when to do it. n

30 November / December 2019 | Christian Living

Dr. Vincent Muli Kituku, award-winning international speaker and author, is the founder of Caring Hearts and Hands of Hope and Caring Hearts High School in Kenya. He may be reached at (208) 376-8724 or vincent@kituku.com.

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6th Annual Free Day of Dentistry

Ustick Dental Office will host its 6th Annual Free Day of Dentistry, with Dentistry From The Heart on Friday, November 8, at the dental office at 9733 W. Ustick Rd. in Boise.

Vince Rigby, DDS, and his team of dentists, sponsors and volunteers plan to help people in need of dental work, providing free extractions and cleanings. Starting at 10 a.m., Dr. Rigby and his volunteers will treat the first 50 patients, or however many they can service by 4 p.m.

Registration begins at 9:30 a.m. and will be on a first-come, first-served basis.

Dentistry From The Heart (DFTH) is a national non-profit organization with a simple mission: making people smile. Founded in 2001 by a dentist in New Port Richey, Fla., DFTH was created to aid those in need, including the growing population of under-insured Americans.

Over 100 million Americans lack dental insurance, and over 29 percent of adults have untreated cavities.

For more information, visit www.UstickDental.com or the organization’s national website at www.DentistryFromTheHeart.org.

If you love Christmas, you will love Heritage Reflections!

Calvary Baptist Church live drama On November 10, 11 and 12, Calvary Baptist Church in Boise will present a live drama titled, “Heaven’s Gates and Hell’s Flames,” an evangelistic outreach to the greater Boise community.

“Heaven’s Gates and Hell’s Flames” is a multi-media production.

The cast will act out a series of vignettes about people who make choices throughout their lives, die, and find themselves facing their eternal destination. The presentation is designed to impact the audience with the biblical reality of Heaven, Hell, “life after death,” and the importance of believing in Jesus Christ to assure a person’s eternal destiny in Heaven.

Admission is free, and child care will be provided for children ages 9 and under. Each performance begins at 7 p.m.

The church is located at 911 S. Cole Rd. For more information, call 208-375-0465 or email cbcboise@gmail.com.

2019 Church Growth Collaboration

The 2019 Church Growth Collaboration program will be held Thursday, November 7, at Life Church, 3225 E. Commercial St. in Meridian. Join like-minded Christian leaders at the one-day event from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

CGC is designed to help churches break through to new levels of influence and effectiveness. The program will be highlighted by strategies and examples designed to help churches grow and flourish. Resources will be included for immediate implementation.

There will be breakout sessions in the afternoon, including youth groups, small groups, worship, young adults, media, Life Bible College, children’s programs, church security, outreach, and volunteers.

A continental breakfast and lunch will be provided.

Register at LCBoise.com/CGC. Use the word “GUESTS” for a 50% off discount.

The event is a partnership between Life Church and 89.5 KTSY.

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Christian Living | November / December 2019 31

BOISE Rescue Mission

‘Restoring Faith, Hope and Family’

A group of people graduate from Boise Rescue Mission’s New Life Program. NLP is an addiction recovery program for both men and women. (Courtesy photo)

By Sandy Jones Imagine, if you can: You’re a single mom with 3 youngsters to support, working a job-and-a-half, or even two full-time jobs, and getting the notice that your $700 rent is going up to $1,110 next month. You’re already strapped; barely making ends meet. Where is the money supposed to come from? What are you supposed to do, sleep in the car with your kids?

-ORYou’ve got skills, but you’ve lost everything. No tools. No appropriate clothing. You want to work, but they’re not going to hire you empty-handed or looking homeless.

-ORYou’re already homeless. Regardless of how you got there, you find yourself extremely ill, or injured, needing surgery. Who’s going to take care of you when the hospital discharges you? Where are you going to recuperate?

-ORYou’re drug- or alcohol-addicted, abandoned, broke and nowhere to turn to for help. You desperately want to get clean, but it all seems hopeless.

So, what do you do?

“Whatever it takes to get you out of homelessness, to restore Faith, Hope & Family, that’s what we want to do.” — Rev. Bill Roscoe, President/CEO Boise Rescue Mission So often we hear the name “Boise Rescue Mission” and immediately think of the homeless.

Googling “definition of homeless” brings up: home·less /1hõmləs/ adjective (of a person) without a home, and therefore typically living on the streets Seems simple enough; homeless describes a person without a home, who is living on the streets.

32 November / December 2019 | Christian Living

It’s easy to lump all of the Mission’s guests in one category: homeless. But what does that really mean? And how do the wonderful folks at the Boise Rescue Mission help restore “Faith, Hope & Family”?

The Boise Rescue Mission has 5 primary facilities in Ada and Canyon counties: The River of Life Rescue Mission for Men and The City Light Home for Women and Children, both in Boise; The Valley Women and Children’s Shelter, The Lighthouse Rescue Mission and the new Rescue Mission Recovery Lodge, which are all located in Nampa. These shelters and their services are all on a no charge basis, i.e. FREE. As Rev. Bill Roscoe and his team have discovered, that just scratches the surface. While we’ve all heard of the homeless who sincerely chose to live that lifestyle for their own personal reasons, all too often it’s someone who has fallen on hard times, or suffers from mental illness, or has a drug or alcohol addiction, just to name a few of the issues these downtrodden souls are dealing with.

While the snow swirls outside and the rest of the world is busy picking up their turkey or last minute gifts, we think that the homeless just need a hot meal and a warm, safe bed.

What Rev. Roscoe and his team have learned over the years is that with the proper programs, training, assistance, and care, they can help vast numbers of the homeless back on their feet, and back into a home of their own, and a productive lifestyle.

Kind of like the old adage: ‘Give a man a fish and you’ve fed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you’ve fed him for life.’

One hundred percent community supported, Boise Rescue Mission receives ZERO tax dollars. They provide programs and assistance for the downtrodden, and do so as the Hands and Feet of Christ, while sharing about Jesus’ love for His children.

Many of the staff at BRM are people who have walked a mile in their clients’ shoes. Rev. Roscoe himself loves to share with those he counsels that 45 years ago he was “a hopeless dope addict, and now he’s a dopeless hope addict, and it’s because Jesus changed my life!”

He continues on to share with them, “I lived like you live. I used

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to drink too much. I used to get in trouble with the law, and Christ changed my life, restored my hope and my family and my future.”

Today he and his team live to fulfill the BRM mission statement: Restoring Faith, Hope & Family, because many of them know what it means to lose all of these things.

A quick visit to the BRM website, www.boiserm.org, tells about the facilities and their programs as follows (taken from the website): The River of Life Rescue Mission plays a vital role in providing shelter, care and respect to homeless men in our community.

Whether that be through education, a hot meal, or counseling and recovery, everyone is valuable to us. River of Life is an important part of one of Boise Rescue Mission Ministries’ goals of serving homeless men in Boise.

In addition to emergency food, shelter and clothing, this Boise shelter for men offers: • Education • Job-search assistance • Mental health counseling • New Life Program (addiction recovery) • Veterans Ministry Program City Light Home for Women and Children offers a safe haven of hope and love, providing emergency services such as meals, shelter and clothing, as well as education, work-search assistance, mental health counseling, addiction recovery through the New Life Program, and children’s programs. Through the ministry of City Light, Boise Rescue Mission Ministries has been providing help for homeless women and children in Boise since 2000. Whether homeless, escaping a domestic violence situation, addicted or struggling, all women and their families are welcome to the City Light Home for Women and Children.

Continued on page 38

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A man named Bill eats a meal at River of Life Rescue Mission in Boise. River of Life provides shelter for homeless men. (Courtesy photo)

Christian Living | November / December 2019 33

Celebrate with these delicious recipes Crockpot Loaded Potatoes Submitted by Jackie Sadler Each year my family looks forward to prime rib and all the trimmings for dinner on Christmas night. I don’t have a double oven or convection oven and usually am baking a 16 (+/-) pound prime rib.

I decided to make my version of “loaded potatoes” and use my large crockpot. These potatoes are almost as popular as the prime rib.

These can be made the day before and kept refrigerated or scooped into a large Ziploc bag (gallon, quart, whatever size you need) and frozen for use later.

Ingredients:

(Add or reduce these amounts depending on the size of your group.)

8 lb. russet potatoes 1 lb. bacon 1 sweet onion, diced 1/2 – 1 c. butter 8 oz. cream cheese 12 oz. sour cream 12 oz. grated sharp cheddar cheese Salt & pepper to taste Directions:

Peel and boil potatoes until just tender (but not mushy) in a large pot.

I add 1 T. salt to the potatoes while they’re boiling.

While the potatoes are cooking, fry the bacon until crisp, then crush or chop it finely and set aside.

Drain all but 1-2 T. of bacon grease from fry pan and add the diced onion to the grease, cooking until caramelized – translucent and tender. Set aside.

When potatoes are tender, drain completely and return to hot pot.

Mash, either with hand masher or electric beaters, and add all the other ingredients. Stir until everything is well blended. If using the next day I put this mixture right into the crockpot bowl, cover, and refrigerate overnight.

If not using for a few days, I scoop it into a Ziploc bag(s) and place it in the freezer until the morning I want to use them. Then simply remove from the bag and put directly into the crockpot and set it on low, allowing 3-5 hours to get thoroughly heated through.

Notes:

If you are freezing this, allow the longer time for reheating to help reduce the extra liquid which comes naturally from ice crystals caused by freezing.

Savor the Season

34 November / December 2019 | Christian Living

Candy Cane Cookies Submitted by Jackie Sadler This is the all-time favorite of my daughters’. Even though they are now both grown, married, with children of their own, and I have shown them several times how to make these, they ask me every year if their tray/box of Christmas vookies will include “Candy Cane Cookies.” I cannot refuse them. Today there are a few “shortcut” recipes out there, but these are the originals.

Ingredients:

(Add or reduce these amounts depending on the size of your group.)

Oven: 375° 1/2 c. butter 1/2 c. shortening 1 c. powdered sugar 1 egg 1 1/2 tsp. almond extract 1 tsp. vanilla 2 1/2 c. flour 1 tsp. salt 1/2 tsp. red food color (*Optional: 1/2 c. crushed peppermint / 1/2 c. sugar / frosting or glaze) Directions:

Mix butter, shortening, powdered sugar, egg and flavorings. Blend in flour and salt. Divide dough in half, stir red food coloring into 1 half.

Shape 1 tsp. dough of each half into ropes on lightly floured surface.

(Dough is very tender.) Gently twist the two ropes together (creating a spiral of the two colors) and curve the top to look like a candy cane.

Bake on ungreased cookie sheets 9 minutes.

Optional:

Sprinkle with crushed peppermint or sugar before baking; or make a glazetype frosting with powdered sugar, milk and either vanilla or almond extract and drizzle over the cookies after they have cooled.

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SAVED by grace (only)

Riding accident teaches valuable lesson

By Tonya Holmes We went back to the scene of the accident that occurred a decade ago. The hill looks steeper yet. Memories of what happened in 2009 came back....

I remember being thrown over the front of my horse, landing on my back, and seeing the shadow of my horse, Robie, jumping me before both of his hind feet crushed my chest.

The impact bounced me onto my hands and knees. I could not breathe. I felt warmth in my chest, and I was very weak. I knew I was going to see my Jesus. My husband, Dennis, was ahead of me, farther down the hill. He didn’t know anything happened until Robie trotted next to his horse without me.

When Dennis got to me, I still had not taken a breath. He grabbed me around the arms and said he would put me on his horse to get me off the hill. The pain was excruciating and made me scream. He quickly laid me back down on my back.

That scream got me to take a breath.

Dennis tried his cell phone to get some help. As God would have it, he caught a wave where cell service is not normally possible. However, he lost the connection before completing the call with our location. I told him I was fine. “I am going to be with my Jesus,” I said. Not words of comfort for him. He told me he was headed down the hill to find cell service near the cabin. He threw the reins over Robie’s head and went pell-mell down the side of the mountain on his horse; Robie followed. I felt relieved that he wouldn’t have to watch me die.

I remember a pine tree to my right that was shading my face on that sunny September afternoon. My body kept sliding down the mountain. I couldn’t hold myself on the steep, loose ground. My jacket was slipping up as I slid down. (Later in the hospital, I had thought they had done major surgery when I woke up in ICU; my belly looked like it had been stained with betadine solution, but it turned out I was tan from laying on the mountain.)

The sun was soon beating beyond the branches of that lone pine. I waited for help. I was so very thankful for so many things. Giving God praise for all my wonderful blessings, mostly for letting me die riding horses on this beautiful mountainside with the man I loved. But then I became fearful. I began praying fervently for forgiveness for everything I could think of.

During these pleas for forgiveness, I felt the spirit of God in me saying clearly, “Tonya, you know I can’t see your sin!”

I hadn’t been raised to believe this, as I had grown up in a total works-based religion. But lately His Word had been so plain.

He died on the cross to forgive me of all my sins — even those I was going to commit in the future. I was no longer a slave to the Law, but free in Christ. Unbelievable! I was overwhelmed with peace.

I didn’t die on that mountain. At the time, I was so disappointed not to go be with my Savior. But He had different plans. I had more work to do for Him here.

As Dennis and our son Ben started up the hill with help, I was able to raise my right hand to wave, indicating I was still with them. As God could only orchestrate, Dennis’s call had alerted — on Labor Day Monday — Cambridge volunteers, a Weiser ambulance, and Life Flight from St. Alphonsus Hospital, not Tonya Holmes was seriously injured by a horse 10 years ago. It was while waitto mention the EMT who happened to be at his cabin next to ing on a mountainside for medical help that she received a valuable lesson about ours for the weekend. her salvation. (Courtesy photo)

36 November / December 2019 | Christian Living

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Ben carried the oxygen tank brought by the Cambridge volunteers up the hill. The EMT stabilized me, and oxygen from the Cambridge volunteers kept me out of shock. We waited for the Weiser ambulance to get meds. The pain was too great to move me to a backboard and down the mountain. They were worried they would lose me to shock if they tried. Life Flight could get as close as three miles to me. Each emergency personnel worked together to get me off that mountain and to the trauma unit in Boise within a few hours of the accident.

My left lung was collapsed and my right one wasn’t working great. My left side was totally collapsed. All ribs on my right side were broken in multiple places. My chest was caved, broken off the sternum on both sides. I had a horseshoe print right over my heart. One broken rib had lacerated my liver.

Before I got off the mountain, people were alerted on Facebook and were praying for me (small town love). My daughter in Salem knew before Dennis got to the hospital in Boise. Praying people changed everything. Miraculously, I was out of ICU in two days and home in nine. I did spend the rest of the year in a hospital bed, but I was so glad to be home. I worked hard to get back on my feet and riding again.

I remember leaving the hospital crying, telling Dennis how sad I was to think I may never ride again. He said just wait to make that call. “Just get better first,” he said. Good call.

I thank God for that accident. His intervention in my life was miraculous. Not only in saving my physical life, but saving me from a marginal Christian life. He has made it rich and full. I never knew it could be so good. Amazing grace, so sweet! A free gift, all I had to do was accept His sacrifice for me. But I added working to be good enough. A requirement He doesn’t want.

He just wants my love. There is so much I don’t understand, still, but I trust Him as a mighty God. Not a God who needs my piddling acts to help Him do anything.

As Dennis and I went back to the spot 10 years later, this Labor Day 2019, we thanked God for saving me. We are thankful to still have each other. Things haven’t been easy. God is still teaching us to trust Him. But we can’t think of a better place to hang our hats. n Tonya Holmes lives in Midvale, Idaho.

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Christian Living | November / December 2019 37

Homeskool by Samantha Tovalin

Boise Rescue Mission Continued from page 33 Lighthouse Men’s Shelter in Nampa continues to be a place of refuge for individuals throughout the Treasure Valley area, offering meals to community members and shelter for homeless, addicted and struggling men. As part of Boise Rescue Mission Ministries, our goal at the Lighthouse is to be a light to the needy in our community.

Additional services we provide to homeless men in Nampa include: • Education • Work-search assistance • Mental health counseling • New Life Program (addiction recovery) • Veterans Ministry Program Liberty Veterans Garden at Lighthouse is home to a therapeutic garden built specifically to honor our veterans.

Valley Women & Children’s Shelter in Nampa strives to provide a safe place for women and children to recover from homelessness. Valley is our newest location as a part of Boise Rescue Mission Ministries, having opened in 2014 in Nampa. With 66 available beds, our shelter for homeless women and children offers a safe, clean place to sleep, in addition to clothing, meals, and case management. Valley Shelter is the only emergency shelter for women and children in the Nampa and Western Treasure Valley area.

Boise Rescue Mission Recovery Lodge helps BRM guests who need special attention and care because of temporary health concerns.

To meet this urgent need in our community, the Mission purchased the 6,000 sq. ft. building this past October immediately adjacent to Mission-owned Valley Women and Children’s Shelter in Nampa. As a former assisted living facility, it is uniquely suited to serve medically fragile guests. The Recovery Lodge serves up to 45 homeless individuals at a time in need of short-term medical recovery services.

The life you want to live, the price you can live with

One of the distinct purposes of the Recovery Lodge is to offer a Medical Respite Program, providing structured health care and wrap-around support services to guests with medical issues that can’t be effectively addressed in the normal emergency shelter environment. Recovery Lodge case managers coordinate care through partnerships with health care providers and community agencies, helping guests regain their health and successfully transition out of the Recovery Lodge into other appropriate housing.

This kind of respite care assists guests in navigating complex health systems, maintaining ongoing relationships with medical providers, and coordinating transportation to and from appointments and support service. It provides the personalized support needed to stay on track with their individual care plans and lower the chances they will return to the hospital.

The Boise Rescue Mission Ministries has a policy to never turn down anyone for food or shelter due to a lack of space in any of our facilities.

Transitional Housing Program is the only program the BRM offers that has any type of fee attached to it. It is offered to male graduates of BRM’s other programs who need the option of transitional living where they’re accountable for their income, they’re working, making money and are able to cover the nominal fee that basically covers the cost of their apartment.

Boise Rescue Mission Ministries would not be where it is today without the people who have helped make the day-to-day of our ministry possible. Each person who serves with us, whether on staff or as a board member, is committed to the mission of our organization and has dedicated their lives to ending homelessness in Boise, Nampa and across the Treasure Valley. n For more information about volunteering or donating, go to www.boiserm.org.

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Annual Interfaith Christmas Concert

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Endorsed by the Meridian mayor’s office and benefiting the Meridian Food Bank, this year’s Interfaith Christmas Concert, “Sing of Him!”, is set for Sunday, December 1, at Mountain View High School’s auditorium, 2000 S. Millennium Way in Meridian.

Doors will open at 6:15 p.m., with a pre-concert performance by the Cathedral of the Rockies Bell Choir at 6:40 p.m. This free, family-friendly community event will begin at 7 p.m. Anyone who wishes may bring non-perishable food items to the concert. Church choirs and groups from several denominations in the valley are participating. Event organizer is Shannon Smurthwaite. Questions may be directed to her at shannonisitalian@gmail.com.

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Christian Living | November / December 2019 39