The Ancient Path

In the summer of 2002, my husband and I moved from Austin, Texas to Fort Smith, Arkansas. It was a job transfer that brought us here, but it was the Lord who led us here.

One of the first things we did was to begin searching for a church home. David had picked up a welcome packet from the Chamber of Commerce, and inside was a list of area churches. We sat down one afternoon and began looking it over. Having met while serving at an outdoor church for the homeless in Austin, we both hoped to find a local body of believers with a strong emphasis on outreach - a city vision.

As my eyes scanned down the usual choices, there was one name that captured my attention - City Christian Fellowship. Nice and simple, not fluffy or flashy. That Sunday, we walked into what immediately became home for us. We've been there ever since.

Our pastor has for many years been a worship leader/psalmist, and his latest recording, The Ancient Path, is a meditative worship album with Psalm 23 as its theme. It's something I would like to share with you now.

Rather than rant on about how much I love this album and how I think everyone should have it, I will instead refer you to The Ancient Path's website, where you can read about the story behind the project, download your free copy of the entire album (and the accompanying book), and learn more about the missions work in Belize that receives 100% of the proceeds from donations. Craig receives nothing from any of the money raised with this project. Donations are not required to download the album or the book. But they are appreciated.

Blessings all over you and yours,
Rachael

Walk with Me

Music from the Heart: Unwritten by Natasha Bedingfield

A few years ago, three friends and I (the core leadership team of what is now The River Fort Smith, an outreach church), felt a pressing need to get away for a few days to refresh, recharge, reconnect. So the four us piled into the car and headed to St. Louis to attend the Joyce Meyer Women's Conference. We jokingly called it our "Elders Retreat," but it quickly became a weekend filled with laughter, tears and memorable moments, with laughter presiding. Way before the weekend was over, we all knew this girly getaway was destined to become an annual event.

We have since left our mark on Tulsa & Branson. This year we made our trek through the Ouachita National Forest to Hot Springs Village for three days of doing absolutely nothing. It was glorious.

In terms of personality and life experiences, we are about as diverse a group as you can get, which is probably why we enjoy each other so much - and definitely why we need each other so much. But when it comes to a desire to bring hope, healing and restoration to hurting people, we share a strong and common passion. We are girlfriends and partners in ministry.

We have laughed together, cried together, made fun of each other, even hurt and forgiven each other. We have worshiped together, prayed together, and ministered shoulder to shoulder. We have seen each other at our best and our worst, from dressing up for a "Putting on the Ritz" dinner event to lounging in wrinkled pajamas with bed hair & no make-up. We have counseled each other, corrected each other and cheered each other on. These relationships are real, rich & genuine, and I wouldn't trade them for the world.

Back to Hot Springs Village this past weekend. This was a no-agenda, all-diets-are-off, total chill-time weekend with the girls. On Saturday, it was after 4 o'clock in the afternoon before we shed our pajamas and got dressed to go out for a little nature walk. It was a perfect autumn afternoon in Arkansas - a warm sun peeking through leaves of orange, red & gold, playful squirrels at every turn, and the unmistakably nostalgic rustling sound made only by feet shuffling through the leaves that have already found their way to the ground. It was perfect.

Being a photo junkie, a nature walk doesn't happen in my world without a camera. I managed to snap several shots of multicolored leaves, trees & sunlight reflected on the lake, and even a couple of a squirrel who agreed to pose for me. But my favorite picture is one that I caught when I lagged behind the other ladies while they walked ahead on the hillside path. It captures three friends walking side-by-side on life's journey, drawing strength and comfort from the presence of each other. While this picture may be found lacking in quality in terms of photographic excellence, it is priceless to me because of its content.

One of our little entourage is headed to MD Anderson in Houston next week for surgery. She will remain there for about a month, then recover for two more months at home before returning to work in February. Over the weekend, we presented her with a Healing Basket filled with all kinds of goodies - soft fluffy socks, candles, healing worship music, teaching CD's, her favorite candy, comfort foods, bath & body stuff, framed photos of the four of us, and a wide variety of other trinkets & tokens of our friendship. We also gave her a stack of get well cards, to be opened one per day while she is in Houston. Some contain inspirational messages or prayers, but most of them are designed to invoke laughter, which we all know is the best medicine for whatever ails you.

We are trusting our precious sister/friend to the capable skills of some of the leading specialists in the country But even more so, we are trusting her to the healing hands of the Great Physician, Who also just happens to be the One who designed and created her, knows her best and loves her most. She will walk through this experience with the three of us at her side, laughing, crying, whatever it takes to bring her through to the other side of this. And as soon as she is up to it, we have next year's trip to plan.

"Don't walk in front of me, I may not follow.
Don't walk behind me, I may not lead.
Just walk beside me and be my friend."

Albert Camus

Listen to the Lyrics

While leading worship last night at The River, the lyrics to one of the songs seemed to call to me, beckoning me to pause and examine them more closely. Too often we sit in church and sing songs with powerful words but our minds and spirits are not really connecting with what we are singing. Last night, I connected, and I believe others did, too, as we stopped for a moment to really take in what we were singing. Words have power - the power of life and death, and whether we speak them or sing them, their effect on the spirit realm and on our lives is profound.

With this in mind, I am simply going to share with you the lyrics of this song that captured my attention last night and encourage you to ponder each line and what it can mean for your life today - right now, in this moment.

What cry of your heart needs to be heard and answered today? What hope needs to be renewed? What deep, dark thing inside you is longing for freedom? There is safety in this place. He is here.

Here I am once again
I pour out my heart
For I know that you hear every cry
You are listening
No matter what state my heart is in
You are faithful to answer
With words that are true
And a hope that is real
As I feel Your touch
You bring a freedom to all that's within
In the safety of this place

I'm longing to...

Pour out my heart
To say that I love You
Pour out my heart
To say that I need You
Pour out my heart
To say that I'm thankful
Pour out my heart
To say that You're wonderful

Song: Pour Out My Heart
Artist: Brian Doerksen
Album: Light the Fire Again
Written by: Craig Musseau
Copyright: 1994 Mercy/Vineyard Publishing

Attention Grabbing Title Here

Busy is as busy does. Okay, that makes absolutely no sense whatsoever, but I needed a catchy opening line for this not so spectacular posting.

I really just wanted to make available for your viewing pleasure a short video comprised of photos from this year's Hope Fest. Normally I would have preferred to have this done much sooner after the actual event, but as my opening line indicates, I've been quite busy and just finished the video this week.

For more details on what we did and why, as well as why the song in the video is significant, please take a minute to check out the post from June 17 entitled "You're the One."

Otherwise, I'll let the video speak for itself. Enjoy, and remember, He will leave the ninety-nine to pursue the heart of one. You, dear friend, are indeed the one.

PS: Before you start the video, don't forget to go to the music player on the left side of this page and stop or pause the song that is playing.

The song: Leaving Ninety-Nine by Audio Adrenaline

Two Funerals

It's Tuesday morning. Through the closed blinds on the living room window I can see a pink glow, evidence that a new day is already well underway. Today millions of Americans will watch as the king of pop is laid to rest in Los Angeles. They actually printed and distributed tickets to the memorial service, and rumor has it that several singers will perform for the crowds that gather in the arena to witness this spectacle. Amid the lights, cameras and fanfare, a grieving family will say their final goodbyes to their son and brother, and three young children will bury their father.

Back here in the real world where the rest of us live, I will be attending another funeral today. I didn't know Paul Padilla very well at all, but what I did know of him blessed my heart. He started coming to The River about a year ago. He had a gentle spirit and a deep love for the Lord. There was a quiet humility about him that simply reminded me of the presence of Jesus. Paul had a smile that was contagious, even though it always to me seemed to stand in front of some hidden sadness. During worship on Monday nights, I would hear his deep voice softly praying and agreeing with whatever God was doing at the moment. "Yes, Lord, yes," he would say. Afterward, on his way out, he always made a point to catch my eye, smile at me, tip his head forward slightly as a gentlemanly show of respect to a lady, and say, "Bless you, sister Rachael." Then he would be quietly on his way.

Last week Paul, only 42 years old, quietly slipped from this life into the next. The suspicion is that he died of heat stroke. I don't know anything about his past or where he came from. But I have no doubt that the nanosecond after he closed his eyes for the last time here, he opened them to see the face of Jesus and heard the words we all long to hear, "Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into your rest."

Today there will be no lights and cameras, no fanfare at a little church in Barling, Arkansas. There have not been tickets sold to witness the memorial of a man who lived simply and loved God. There will be no spectacle for millions to gaze upon - just a handful of friends and family, gathered together to honor the life of a good man.

It's Tuesday morning. Through the closed blinds on the living room window I can see a pink glow, evidence that a new day is already well underway ...

You're The One

Music from the Heart: Leaving Ninety-Nine by Audio Adrenaline

This past weekend we (The River) hosted the second annual Hope Fest, a community missions outreach held at a local low-income apartment complex. In the final days of preparation, some of the ministry leadership began to sense that the turnout may not be what we had originally hoped for, but that the Lord was encouraging us to move forward with all the passion and vigor as though there would be 100% participation from the residents. We sensed a burden for individuals (although we had no idea which individuals) that seemed to grow heavier as the event grew closer.

As it turned out, there were fewer people there than at last year's event. In fact, at the No-Walls Worship service, there were more worship team, ministry team and volunteers on site than residents. But that's okay. In fact, it's better than okay.

One of our team members, Sarah, was supposed to leave on a family vacation prior to Hope Fest, but felt so strongly that she was supposed to stay and be a part of the Hope Fest that her family postponed their departure until the day after Hope Fest ended. A couple of weeks prior to the outreach, we were praying about KidzFest (the Saturday morning children's event), and Sarah stepped in and said she felt she was to take the Bible activity time. What she did not realize was that her obedience had a prophetic element to it and ignited something in the spirit that would permeate the entire event.

Sarah's theme for the Bible activity with the kids was the love of the Shepherd for His sheep, and how He would leave the ninety-nine to go after a single lost lamb. She did a beautiful job of illustrating this and bringing it into real-life application for the kids, even donning a shepherd's costume as she told her story.

Hope Fest ended, and I called Wendy (pastor of The River) while I was on my way home Saturday night. I shared with her what was on my heart - that if one person was eternally affected by what took place over the weekend, it was all worth it.

"It's kinda like Sara's message with the kids," I said. "He will leave the ninety-nine to go after the one." Wendy's reply: "Well, he went after the one."

She began to share with me what had taken place that night with a young man, a self-proclaimed atheist, who had been brought by his girlfriend. Throughout the evening, it was obvious the Lord was working on him, and while he has not yet given his life to the Lord, we believe it is only a matter of time. By the end of the evening he was obviously enjoying himself and was almost engaged in the worship. The Shepherd has His eye on that one.

The testimonies are beginning to trickle in of several "ones" that the Holy Spirit latched onto this past weekend. More details on those later, as we are still compiling them.

Until then, here's the thing. You are the one. You are the one He will leave the ninety-nine to come chasing after out of a deep and passionate love for you and the insatiable desire to see you where you belong - with Him. You are the apple of His eye, the love of His life. You are His favorite.

No matter what today brings, remember this: The Good Shepherd Himself watches over you day and night. You are what He is all about. This assurance brings with it great hope, great peace, and great purpose.

The LORD watches over you—
the LORD is your shade at your right hand;
the sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon by night.
The LORD will keep you from all harm—
He will watch over your life;
the LORD will watch over your coming and going
both now and forevermore.
Psalm 121: 5-8

Smoke on the Mountain

Music from the Heart: Glory Come Down by Jason Upton

There are many things I could write about tonight, but only one thing is prevalent in my spirit at this late hour. The warfare in the heavenlies is intensifying.

I have experienced this myself over the past few days, and I am reading about it from others around the country who are also seeing an increase in spiritual activity, specifically where it pertains to God's people being released into their destinies, and more specifically when that destiny includes some form of ministry to hurting people.

I had a dream last week where I was praying for a woman I did not know, and as I opened my mouth, I began to speak into the pain of her past, naming specific things that had wounded her and caused her to question her position in Christ, among other things. As I spoke, she began to weep, leaning into me with her head down as she surrendered to what the Lord was initiating for her release and freedom.

Over the past two days, I have encountered a level of warfare I have not seen in quite some time, and it involves some things the Lord is showing me about a woman I know of, but do not know personally (not the same one from the dream). The details are not relevant in this posting, and I'm not completely sure why I feel compelled to share this in this arena. But here is what I believe:

Someone will read this who has been experiencing an increased level of some combination of spiritual warfare and/or prophetic insight into people and situations around you. This has come after you have prayed for more of the Lord's presence in your life, and you are not sure what to do with what you are beginning to see and sense. You may even be a little frightened by it. You have hesitated to share this with anyone, because you aren't sure how it will be received or if it will be understood by those close to you.

Let me tell right here and right now that you are not alone. Be encouraged that what you are seeing and sensing will happen and is happening even now. As God has been strategically positioning His people for the activity that is coming, He is also calling us to a deeper level of awareness of His presence and a greater sensitivity to His ways. His presence can appear frightening to those who are not prepared to see Him.

When God told Moses to have the people consecrate themselves in preparation for coming up the mountain to meet with Him, He wanted all of Israel to participate. Instead, the people were frightened by the smoke and the clouds that accompanied His presence on the mountain, and they shrank back, sending Moses up alone to meet with God.

Let us not be like the children of Israel in this hour as God is again calling us up the mountain, His holy hill, to meet with Him. Let our hearts be like that of Moses, who boldly but humbly approached God's manifest presence with a tenacious fervor.

God is speaking, and we must be still and quiet enough to hear His voice and ready to obey. Like the children of Israel who were led through the wilderness by a cloud and a pillar of fire, we must move when He moves and stay when and where He stays. When it's time to move, we must be unhindered by things that hold no eternal significance. When it's time to stay, we must remain with Him, not eager to rush ahead and make our own way.

In other words, we are to live simply, listen closely, love Him deeply, and obey completely. This is essential if we are to embrace and fulfill the destiny for which we have been created.

And the LORD said to Moses, "I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and I know you by name." Then Moses said, "Now show me Your glory."
Exodus 33:17-18

Seven Years in the Making

Yesterday a prayer was answered. It happened during the message at church. Our pastor was sharing on ... truthfully I don't recall all of it. There were two words he uttered that ignited something inside me. As he continued his message, I began to tune out, only half-listening. Okay, there I admit it. Let's move on.

These two words I wrote down. Then I paused. Then I wrote down a few more words, as I heard them in my spirit. Again I paused. A few more words, now coming more readily, and before the service was over, what lay on the page before me was the chorus to a new song.

We went about our regular Sunday afternoon activities, and in the evening, in a quiet room, I sat down at my keyboard. I began to play. A simple chord progression began to rise from the keys. Then I began to sing. Thoughts were coming almost more quickly than I could keep up with them. I hesitated with some of the lines I wanted to write down, because of their boldness. The strong words painted a picture that was unlike anything I'd written before. Truth isn't always pretty to look at. But it does result in our freedom when we dare to look it in the face.

The end result was a new song, the answer to a prayer, a cry of my heart that has gone up to the heavens for years. There was a time in my past when songwriting was as natural to me as breathing. Lyrics and melodies came from a place deep inside me where I was not alone. One of my secret disappointments over the last several years has been that I had not written a single song in seven years, since just before we moved to Arkansas.

Not that I haven't tried. I could sit down and come up with something just for the sake of writing something, but this has never been my desire. I have always wanted my music to minister, first to the Lord, then to the earthbound fellow worshiper. My songs have always been intimate, very personal, and mostly vertical in their message.

Here is the truth I have uncovered regarding this new breakthrough. When my life was surrounded by noise clutter, I could not hear the songs that have been lying dormant deep inside me. Now that I am spending more time surrounded by silence, my spirit, my mind and my heart are coming together to a quiet place and are allowing the songs to be heard. In the silence, my soul sings.

The two words Pastor Craig uttered during his message Sunday have become the title for the new song, "Undivided Heart." I am believing the Lord that this is only the beginning of what will become a series of songs born in a new season of my life and my relationship with Jesus. Many of my songs in the past were born out of pain and healing and restoration. These new songs, I believe, will be songs of deliverance and renewal, of returning to a secret, holy place of personal communion and worship, and of taking broken, hurting people to that place for the first time.

"But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers
will worship the Father in spirit and truth;
for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers."
John 4:23

Seasonal Craziness

What a week! I found myself several times wishing I had a few moments to sit down and gather my thoughts in such a way as to present them here, but it simply did not happen. Here's the condensed version of my week:

At the Office
In addition to diligently plowing through a huge mound of insurance applications that found their way to my desk in recent weeks, I spent a good deal of time assisting a co-worker prepare enrollment materials for a new client she recently acquired. Scheduling and prepping the monthly enrollment for a large client of ours and brainstorming with my coworkers on what to get the boss for Christmas rounded out the week.

Church Life
Tuesday night was our women's ministry's annual Christmas Ornament and Cookie Exchange. We had a great time, enjoyed lots of yummy holiday goodies, shared tons of cookies, and laughed a lot. If you can imagine 45 women in a white elephant-style ornament exchange, you can get a little glimpse of the antics that ensued. I had three ornaments "stolen" from me and ended up with a cute little painted metal Santa who feels right at home on my country themed tree. I brought home lots of yummy cookies, many of which have disappeared already, mostly into the belly of my chocolate-loving hubby.

After church yesterday, the Tribe of Judah (small vocal ensemble I lead) sang carols in the foyer as people were leaving. Caroling is one of my favorite things about this season.

Last night was the church Christmas Banquet, the theme of which was "I'll Be Home For Christmas." A pickup truck pulling a trailer greeted us in the parking lot and carried us around the block to the "barn" (other side of the building) where the party was being held. The fellowship hall was decked out like the inside of a barn, complete with a huge wooden frame from which were hung lanterns. On the stage, a country Christmas tree with popcorn garland, hay bales and baskets of apples. The catered dinner was yummy, and was served by the youth, who worked as waiters and waitresses for tips that will be used to help send them to the annual Desperation Conference in Colorado. The "entertainment" (designed to be nice and simple) was Mr. Bill Spilman (our resident Santa-favoring story-teller) reading the Christmas story from Luke 2. The children, who sat on the stage while Mr. Bill read the story, tried their best to be still and quiet, but sitting through the entire passage proved to be a little too much for some of the little angels, and they turned to entertaining themselves (and the rest of us) by carefully disassembling the apple baskets, distributing the fare to their friends, and picking apart the hay, tossing it into the air, and watching it land in the hair of the unsuspecting kids sitting in front of them. They ended the evening by singing "Silent Night". No grand holiday production could have been more memorable.

The River
We had two events this week to prepare for, the first of which was the blanket giveaway at Boardwalk apartments. We had been collecting fleece blankets to distribute to the residents of a local apartment complex that we have been working with. The Tribe of Judah caroled around the complex, and we handed out cookies and punch (we nixed the hot cocoa and cider when the day turned out to be unseasonably warm). Thanks to the generosity of those who gave, we had more than enough to give blankets to every child and baby, every single and every couple in the complex. We even had some left over, which will be given to residents of another apartment building (elderly disabled residents) where we hold a weekly Bible study. God is SO good!

Tonight is our River Christmas banquet. This will be a formal sit-down dinner, something our precious people don't get to experience very often, and we take great pleasure in serving them start to finish. The Tribe of Judah will be caroling table-to-table and providing some special music after dinner. Can't wait!

At Home
Most of my time at home was spent relaxing, wrapping gifts and being thankful for my husband, who has helped me with cooking, cleaning and shopping while me ankle continues to heal. He keeps making me sit down so he can take care of things. Yes, I know what a blessing I have in him, and yes, I am thankful beyond words.

So this was my week, having fun, working, and getting ready for a couple of River events. Believe it or not, in spite of the full schedule, there actually have been some precious moments when the Lord has spoke some very deep things to me this past week, one of the most powerful of which came from an unexpected source yesterday during the outreach at Boardwalk. God has a way of capturing our attention in ways unique if we are watching and listening.

Now and always, may we be like the wise men,
seeking Him with hearts filled with worship and wonder,
like the shepherds, whose fear was replaced with hope,
and like Mary, who pondered all these things in her heart.

Hope for Dusty Dreams

Last night something happened to me that surprised me. David turned on the television to find the last few minutes of Sister Act 2 on the air. This is one of my favorite movies, and I didn't really realize why until last night.

If you're not familiar with the movie, Whoopi Goldberg stars as a lounge singer who has been summoned by a group of nuns (old friends of hers from the first movie) to come and help them salvage the remnants of an inner-city Catholic high school. The school and the neighborhood are gasping for final breaths as the sisters and their male counterparts try desperately to inspire hope and inspiration in the young hearts and minds entrusted to them. Sister Mary Clarence (Goldberg) breathes new life into the near-dead music program and in the process plants, waters and nurtures the dreams of a better life into the hearts of her gifted students as she teaches them to sing together as a stage choir.

As the youngsters prepare for a state-wide choir competition, they reclaim an old music room, scrubbing walls and windows, and making it their own by repairing an old piano and painting the walls. In the process, the sisters discover an old box of trophies and awards that the school choir had earned in decades past. It seemed the destiny of the school was to produce an award-winning choir. But years of deterioration in the community and a mindset of settling for less than what they were capable of had reduced the school's former achievements to a dusty box filled with forgotten glory.

This brings us to last night. As the choir was waiting to take the stage at the contest, a larger, more experienced and much more formidable choir performed the same song our group of dreamers had prepared. The other choir's arrangement was traditional and stuffy - impressive, yes, but definitely old-school. Like the spies who reported to Moses of giants in the land, Goldberg's choir saw the other group and wanted to quit out of fear and intimidation. A quick pep talk from their favorite teacher, and the group decided to go on.

There is much more to the individual stories of the characters and their personal insecurities, aspirations and secret fears than I can get into now, but as the group took the stage and the auditorium was filled with color, light and unbelievable harmonies, tears filled my eyes. I have seen this movie I don't know how many times, and while it is one of my favorites, I have never had this reaction before. I watched as a group of young people, inspired to greatness by a teacher who managed to see just a glimpse of their potential, shed their choir robes and danced and sang their way to a first-place finish with all the exuberance and passion and energy they had inside them.

Even now, as I write this, my eyes are filled again, as my heart yearns to see more and more people (in real life) stepping out of the stuffy traditions and dream-killing mindsets that have held them back, and dancing their way into their God-breathed destiny.

So to you, dear reader, if you have dusty dreams that have become little more than an empty shell of a would-be memory, if you know that you have not yet stepped into a destiny that has been long-since packed up and forgotten, if you are ready to shed the ill-fitting robes of conformity that hide your beautiful individuality, this prayer is for you.

Father God, Giver of dreams and Designer of destinies,
please come and breathe new life into our dreams.
Blow away the dust accumulated by years of waiting
and listening to dream-killing lies that our lives will
never account for more than they already have.
Restore hope, resurrect dreams and rebuild destinies
and teach us to dance and sing our way into the
fullness of what You have created us to be and to do.
Ignite a passion within us that we have never known before -
a passion for more of You, for seeing Your Kingdom come,
and for being a vital part of Your will being done on
earth as it is in heaven.
Amen.

Moments, Critters & Bling

The River Fort Smith is an outreach church I have mentioned before. I am honored to serve alongside a team of gifted individuals from a variety of backgrounds, with a host of talents and giftings. The core leadership of this group happens to be all women. These are my co-laborers, my sisters, my friends.

Every fall, we go an a weekend getaway, a retreat, to help us refresh and refocus. This year, for the first time, we went with no agenda to follow, no schedule to keep, no other ministry to visit or conference to attend. We spent the weekend at Big Cedar, a lodge just south of Branson, Missouri. When I started packing, the first thing I packed was my fuzzy pink slippers, followed by my pajamas. This weekend was all about resting, relaxing, and hanging with the girls. We stayed up till the wee hours of the morning talking, lingered over the breakfast table talking, and enjoyed browsing the gift shops, wandering the grounds at the lodge, and stopping for a picnic lunch on the way home, talking the entire time.

We did have one little run-in with nature on the last evening. We had set out a lovely candlelight dinner on the patio of our first-floor condo and were just sitting down to eat. Wendy, out of the corner of her eye, saw movement, and assuming it to be the cat she had seen earlier, started to lean down to pet the kitty, only to discover to her horror that the kitty had a stripe down its back! She promptly went to doing her best to stifle a scream, and not wanting to alarm the creature for obvious reasons, Kim and Lisa froze in their seats while the little critter quite casually made his way under our table and around Wendy's feet. Being the one in the best position to try to lure the little fellow away from the open door to the condo, I grabbed a piece of bread off the table and tried to get his attention with it in a futile attempt to lure him away from the table and back into the grass. He was not interested.

Wendy quickly went from stifling a scream to praying that this critter be gone in Jesus' name, and after about a minute of wandering around the patio, he did leave. We took the opportunity to create an assembly line, passing everything from the patio to the dining room table as we hastily moved the party inside and closed the door, leaving our dear Mr. LePew to fend for himself. What could have been a very unpleasant experience, fortunately turned into nothing more than a funny story, which Lisa told her husband, Mike (our drummer) on the phone. His tongue-in-cheek reply about being a part of "this stinkin' ministry" generated a roomful of laughter, which is what these moments are all about.

The next day at a gift shop on the way home, we found a stuffed skunk, which Kim could not resist purchasing as a souvenir from our trip. Our new mascot, Pepe, joined us for a creek side picnic lunch and was welcomed with open arms.

As a sidenote, we also found at this same gift shop a "design-your-own necklace" area, where we found charms that read "Daughter" and "Destiny." The women's conferences we conduct are called "Daughters of Destiny", and we were unable to pass up this opportunity to create the first Daughter of Destiny bling as we all purchased matching necklaces. God has a way of reminding us who we are when we are least expecting it.

Here is a video from our trip. Since this was a casual weekend with little or no primping, we promised each other no pictures of each other. What you see here is rather a little bit of what we saw while we spent time enjoying one another's company. We actually did manage to get a few things accomplished, by the way. All that talking really did pay off. Enjoy the video, and be reminded that simple things can bring great joy and simple moments can last a lifetime.

Hugs,
Rachael

Hope

Hope. It's a small word that carries enormous possibilities. Hope sees us through life's darkest moments and promises us that tomorrow has the potential to be brighter and better.

This weekend, the River held our first neighborhood missions outreach at a local apartment complex. The event was called HopeFest, and while we were there to minister hope to the families and individuals who call Boardwalk home, I have come away with a renewed sense of hope in my own heart.

Our hope was that this event would open the door for us to establish a foundation for ongoing ministry to the residents of Boardwalk, and we plan to launch an onsite Bible study there this fall. If you've ever done any kind of outreach or missions work, you know that no matter how grand your plans and sincere your intentions, you can never really know how a people group will respond until you just get out there and do it. The response was very positive this weekend, and we are greatly encouraged. We saw the the beginnings of relationships as some shared their personal stories and lives with us.

One of our own River members, Paul, lives there at Boardwalk, and he has opened up his apartment for the Bible study, which is an answer to prayer, because though the complex manager is very supportive of our efforts to minister to these residents, there is no available meeting space. Paul's offer solves this problem, and we had several people sign up for the study already. The hunger is there - all we have to do is show up and feed them.

There is much more to tell about this weekend than I can share here and now, but one of the things that blessed my heart the most was seeing some of our own River members, who themselves live in similar circumstances as the people we were there to minister to, rising up to step outside of their own difficult situations and whole-heartedly serving others. What a joy to see this new wave of first fruits. These precious people are the reason we do what we do, the reason we have persisted when it seemed that we were laboring in vain and we thought no one was listening. They are the fruit of our lasting hope to see lost, lonely and hurting people found, restored and healed.

"... those who hope in Me will not be disappointed."

Isaiah 49:23

Go Through the Crossroads to the River

The outreach ministry we have been a part of since we came to Fort Smith, Crossroads Outreach, is making a transition this summer to a full outreach church (a church within a church, we call it). Our new name is The River Fort Smith, and we are very excited about what we see the Lord doing here. We are gearing up for a neighborhood missions outreach at a local apartment complex. HopeFest (as the outreach is called) will be held August 1 and 2. More on that as the event draws closer.

For now, the River has a newly formed worship band called Mission 61. I will be rehearsing the musicians tonight for the first time. I'll work with the vocalists separately at first, then pull everyone together for full rehearsals soon. I'm really excited about this new phase of this ministry. While I have been leading worship for the River (formerly Crossroads) for a number of years now, this will be the first time I've worked with a full band in quite a while. I'm really looking forward to it!

For now, I continue to pray for direction, pray for my team, and seek the Lord's face in all things. I am believing for a no-walls worship experience, where freedom opens the door for us to enter into life-altering moments with our Creator not only on special occasions, and not just during weekly worship gatherings, but at any time in any place for any moment that we acknowledge who He is and who we are because of Him.

We stand before an audience of One.