Conference in San Diego

I'm pleased to announce that Pastor Wright from Pleasant Valley Ministries is conducting a 5 day seminar in San Diego, CA on February 28 - March 3rd. He'll be teaching on Theology of healing and disease, pathways to health and wholeness, spiritual roots of disease and blocks to healing, insights into cancer, the immune system, allergies and other illnesses. He also ministers in a unique way, the Father's love and then followed by questions and answers. For more information and to register call 1-800-453-5774 ext. 161. I'll be going myself, so if you decide to go, please let me know so we can be sure to visit with each other there.

Vehicle Donation Program

For those of you residing in Northern California, we are now offering a program where you can donate your used cars, RV's, boats, etc., to this ministry. All donations are tax deductible, and FREE towing! Please call 1-888-220-DON8 (3660) - 24 hours a day. This is a great way to get rid of those unsightly vehicles on your property and at the same time provide support to this ministry. Thank you!

51 and strong!

"Mount up with wings as eagles." This scripture talks of older people having to be renewed as a youth - and that's what's happening in my life. It's as though I've been "born again" or something. I'm starting another chapter in my life that is full of hope, and my future is so bright I need sunglasses! I often told my husband that I feel like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz. I feel like my house has landed in the most amazing place where anything is possible! And that is exciting because many people at my age begin to think of the past and all the things they have NOT yet accomplished. I on the other hand is looking ahead of what YET to accomplish. Kind of a "glass half full" mentality I suppose, yet it goes much deeper than that.

I say this is a miracle for me because at my age my father decided he was too old to do anything so he stopped living. Many people who get to 50 and I suspect 60 too look at their lives with regret and sorrow instead of being content and thankful for where they are and that they actually made it that far, looking to God who is the author and finisher of our faith to keep us moving on. So I believe that scripture where the old will be renewed as an eagle and fly with great power and strength to whatever is ahead. If for one want to fly with the eagles, don't you?

Hot off the press! By Linda

I've often said that we can never outgive God. I've also known that we will eventually reap what we have sown. Well my dear friends, I've lived by this for my whole Christian life and during that time I have never been in lack of what I needed. I also knew deep inside that I'll never be found "begging for bread" as the scriptures say, nor will I ever be "put to shame." I know this because of my relationship with God. I know He loves me and not only that, but I have received that love for me personally. Every day my trust in Him gets stronger and stronger with every test, and with every situation.. I'm no different than anyone else, I have my set of obstacles to overcome, however, the past 10 years of my Christian life have been the most joyous because I have grown to understand my Heavenly Father's love for me, and I have learned to trust Him more and more every single day.

Well, it seems that I am actually seeing the fruit come to pass of this relationship with God.

I was going through a bad time during this time in my health. Yes, I still have bouts of things, strange things, and yet at the same time I do not fear it, I don't question it, I trust God in it. But I also know I needed someone to pray for me. So I called my friend Kathy who lives next door and shared what has been happening in my health. I told her that my spiritual life has never been better. That God is opening doors for more ministry, He's even providing more financially in ways that I didn't even perpetuate, I was even offered a job without an interview! As I shared these things with her, she said, "Linda, you have sown into peoples lives for a long time, now you are reaping what you have sown." When she said that, I saw that ever so clearly. I knew I was being blessed beyond all my expectations, but didn't realize that my sowing and reaping was actually at work right this moment. See, I retired exactly 13 days ago, and since the very first day I have seen amazing things happening in my life. I didn't see these things happening while I was working full time because I had what I needed to buy this or that, use money for the ministry, etc., so I didn't "need" anything out of my Heavenly Bank Account. Well, now I do. God is distributing it as it's needed, without me having to ask!!! He's meeting every need, without me having to ask!!! I am literally blown away, both my husband and I are just watching these things going on in our life as spectators almost because I'm not out doing a bunch of stuff to make anything happen. It's been being saved up for when God knew I was ready to withdraw from my Heavenly Account.

There is a scripture that says "Anything you do for Christ will last." Lay up for your selves treasures in Heaven where neither moth nor rust corrupt nor where thieves break thorugh and steal, for where your treasure is, there is your heart also." This is how I have been living for the past 10 years. Looking for ways to live in God's Kingdom, not my own. I haven't done everything right, I even have made some poor decisions, but I've always received forgiveness, accepted God's love in those mistakes more and more, and built more of my relationship with Him even during those hard times. I didn't run From Him, but To Him. I knew I could never do anything that would separate me from His love, and I lived by that.

As a matter of fact during this time of weird health problems I would wake up every morning saying, "Though you slay me, yet will I trust you." I lived this, ask my husband. He's the only one who truly knows the pain and suffering I've had and yet could "sing" in the midst of it. Because I have "learned" what it means to trust God in all things, and be joyful in all things.

This didn't happen over night, it started happening more and more once I acknowledged God's love for me and then "received" it fully. I'm fully pardoned for all my wrongs, my sins, and poor decisions. Once I finally got off my "guilt trips" and trusted God, that's when things began really changing in my life. And now I'm seeing the "fruits" of my labor. Not only are these things falling in line in my ministry but those I've been ministering lately are becoming free. My personal ministry time with people are getting fantastic responses. One lady has been on anti-depressants for 15 years and now being weaned off, another lady hasn't been out of bed for 6 months, she's actually getting better, another has been able to release all her burdens and guilt that she has had for 20 years, and it goes on and on. I'm getting to see all the fruit of my labors - and some!

I don't' say all this out of pride, quite the contrary. I say it to give you hope NOT to give up what you are doing in the Lord. But as you are working for Him, don't forget the most important part, to trust His Love for you, and receive that love. I can attest that without knowing deep inside that he loves you, you will stay in a state of anxiety, fear and instability. "Perfect love casts out fear and anything that causes torment." This is simply stated - God's perfect love in us - and we can only get that by receiving it into our hearts by accepting it and thanking Him for it - casts out all doubt, fear, anxiety, stress, frustration and even anger.

God loves me, I know that so deep in my heart that as these trials and temptations come my way I am becoming more of an over-comer than ever dreamed possible, in every area of my life. I John 5:2 - 4 "By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep his commandments, for this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments, and his commandments are not grievous. For whatsoever is born of God over-cometh the world; and this is the victory that over-cometh the world, even our faith."

You can see above that to "keep" his commandments is to love. And then it says, "to love is not hard to do" when we have "received God's love" personally. Because then it says, for "whatsoever" it doesn't say "whosoever" - the "what" is LOVE of God!!! And it's His love and love alone that overcomes the world!! And by receiving God's love, not only are we going to over come, but it also increases our faith!!

I pray that this article increases your faith in God's love for you, for it's true when we hear that old song that says, "What the world needs now is love sweet love" is in fact the truth.

Tom's Tidbits
"Who are you trying to keep up with anyway?"

Since I've retired, I found myself working fervently on the ministry. I am putting documents in order, cleaning up emails, scheduling meetings, and conducting on-line teachings, and the list goes on. I felt like I was on a treadmill - already - to keep up. I shared this with Tom and he said, "Keep up with who?"

I looked at him and burst out laughing…. I was trying to keep up with myself!!! He said, "Sounds like you are chasing your own tail, how exhausting."

I'm in a new mindset these days having more time to do the things during the day since I am no longer working outside the home. And it's been an experience to get to a place that I don't need to compete or keep up with anyone or anything. The only thing I'm to do is love the Lord God with all my heart, soul and mind and trust Him to fulfill the rest. I read a little blurb the other day that confirmed this, "You love God and God will fulfill your ministry." And I'm seeing just that!!!

Something to Think About - by Linda:: "It's easier to give to people we don't know because we don't expect anything from them, but when giving to people we do know, we have expectations." (We need to give not expecting anything in return, especially from those we know. Many are hurt and offended by loved ones because they don't return appreciation, thankfulness, or what we gave them. Get off that treadmill. Get freedom now… Begin today to give to others because you want to, without any strings attached or without guilt. Then you will truly experience "it's more blessed to give than to receive." By following this insight, you will become free and have more peace in your life.)

FORGIVENESS OR PRISON by Pete Plitt

In Matthew 18:23-35 we read of a servant unable to pay his ten thousand talent debt because of it’s enormity. He listens to his lord’s judgement that his wife, children, and all his worldly goods, are to be parted up for sale as settlement of this huge debt. In a moment of time, he was destitute. His mind racing with images of his family being taken away by slave traders, realizing he may never to see them again, he did what anyone would do. He fell on his face and begged for mercy. His lord, seeing his pain, released him from his entire liability. But instead of reciprocating, this same servant pursued a fellow servant, demanding payment of a small debt, then, having him thrown into a debtor’s prison for not making good. As often will happen, word got back to his lord. This time standing before his master, he was called a "wicked servant" for his failure to be merciful to his fellow servant. Again indebted, he was turned over to the tormentors until he paid what was owed.

Since the debt of ten thousand talents had already been forgiven, that obligation no longer existed The debt now owed his master was the forgiving of his fellow servant, even as he was forgiven. Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." That was our Master forgiving the debts of the entire world, for all time, a debt impossible to have been settled by our own efforts. Now we do the small forgiving, the hundred pence size in comparison, the debt we owe to Jesus. If we don’t, two things happen. First, we imprison the one needing to be loosed from his bondage. Not exactly a "Great Commission" move. Second, we block our own forgiveness and get handed over to the tormentors, that is, the devils assigned to this arena of deceit. They are authorized by our own action [or inaction] to torment our mind with the memories, of every nuance of every unforgivable act done against us, plaguing our emotions with hate, fear, and each and every reason why we are perfectly justified in choosing not to forgive, thus perpetuating the bondage.

This warfare has rules. 2Timothy 2:5 says it this way: "And if a man also strive for masteries, yet is he not crowned, except he strive lawfully." It is exceedingly simple to forgive someone indebted to us, yet the enemy has a way of making that easy act of forgiveness the most unacceptable, repugnant process on the planet, thus neutralizing the work of the cross for all involved. That’s where he gets us to violate the rules. Don’t ever think forgiveness is a light issue. There’s a reason the enemy works so hard at keeping us offended and subject to his tormentors, void of God’s peace.

"But you don’t know what they did to me!" screams a voice inside our being. Forgiveness is not just the "Christian" thing to do. It’s the necessary thing to do, both for you and the offender. Forgiveness is a choice, not an emotion, and as tenaciously as is the attack of the enemy to our thoughts must be our response. Another typical taunt from the enemy might be, "I’ll never forgive them for what they did to me!". We hear these types of thoughts in our mind and feel them in our emotions in the first person, as if WE are thinking the thought, as if it’s our emotion. It is presented as our own. How does this happen? When we had a nature of darkness, we regularly communed with this creature of evil and became quite cozy in his thinking and feeling patterns, whether we intended to or not. He was, in fact, our spiritual father, as revolting as that may sound. It was that unfortunate "harvest" from the fall. From that "memory core" of darkness, what Jesus called the "heart" [thought-emotions] and Paul called the "old Adam" [thought-nature], the enemy attempts to gain access to our authority through our words and actions. It is that amazing merger of heart felt emotions and mind thought reasoning that, if not subjected to the scrutiny of the Word, will have even the most well intended believer acting like the devil in the world of offense. In Mark 7:20-24, Jesus spoke to the emotionally driven "evil thoughts" that proceed from the heart, the thoughts that defile. They are not little ideas that pop in and out of one’s mind, but are the emotionally driven strongholds that, without the power of CHOOSING to forgiveness, lead to "adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness." Obviously, the mental world of our enemy is incompatible with God’s, yet will we bow to offense, or neutralize it?

Having become Children of Light, it becomes clear why Jesus would have to instruct us to "think on these things," those things which are honest, just, pure, etc. There is a need for us to take charge of the thoughts bouncing around in our heads, being empowered by emotions. John 10:4-5 says that Jesus’ sheep know His voice, but the voice of the stranger they don’t know and won’t follow Once one recognizes a thought or emotion as foreign to the guidance of the Word and Holy Spirit, they will begin to realize that they can reclaim control of their imaginations and emotions, if they so choose. That does, of course, put the responsibility on us to "know His voice."

Also, when in unforgiveness, the enemy knows he can effectively accuse us for our inconsistencies. He knows it’s the way God made our thinker to think. There’s just something about a mind striving to be like Jesus that cannot live in two worlds. Either that mind, that person, will throw their hands up in surrender and rectify their situation, or they will push away their conscience, deepening and lengthening their own jail sentence, being judged as they judged. They can wrestle with the strongholds, those imaginations and high things, but until they forgive, the devil has a claim.

If the devil’s inroad to our wrong thinking is the malevolent relationship we once had with him and contentious language we learned while in his camp, doesn’t it track that as a new creature in Christ Jesus, our course of action would be to get to know our Heavenly Father and His Nature, His Language, His Ways? He certainly didn’t leave us without some help - His Word, His New Nature, the Holy Spirit, His Heavenly Language, His Sacrifice, Revelation, Fruit, Gifts, Promises, ad infinitum. We are told, "learn of Me," [Matthew 11:29], "draw nigh to God," [James 4:8], "seek first the Kingdom of God," [Matthew 6:33], and more. When we learn of His ways, our minds are renewed [Romans 12], thus being transformed from the dark way of responding to offences to the realm of forgiving just as we were forgiven. The offense may be ugly, like a co-worker preventing your promotion and raise, a "friend" ruining a close relationship you have with another, a "Christian" telling everyone your most intimate details share in confidence. We’ve all been there, or somewhere close. Lock this truth in, that forgiving is not based on emotions, but on choice. Our best example is Jesus, Who didn’t wait for us to smell nice or look good, but while we were a mess, Christ died for us.

Also, learn to recognize the enemy’s talent to maneuver you away from your intent. Again, it may sound like you thinking or deciding, but if thoughts are persuading you away from your time with God, identify it and resist it. That is what being "wise as serpents" means, to recognize his devices. Learn the most effective way of resisting him. Don’t spend half of your Worship time rebuking the devil and casting down imaginations. Rather, study the weapon found in I Peter 5:7-9 where we are told about this creature roaming about as a roaring lion, looking for ones to devour. These verses go on to tell us to cast our cares over on the Lord and resist the devil. You see, it’s the "cares" that make one devourable. If you are carefree, full of God’s peace, you have exercised one of the greatest forms of resistance against the devil. You have eliminated that which made you devourable. If you don’t "care" how others treat you or what they say, if you won’t accept offense, the enemy can’t torment or devour you through his designer reasons to not forgive, and you get to activate the work of the cross, forgiveness, on the offender’s behalf. Get the crown - play by the rules.

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