A Tribute to Steve McRee by Pastor Brent Lokker

A Tribute to Steve McRee by Pastor Brent Lokker “Take as many mulligans as you want on every shot,” my dear friend Steve McRee would say to me with a glint in his eyes and a sizable grin on his face, “Why keep score? We’re here golfing to have fun, right?”   And that’s the way Steve and I played golf.  I know you golf purists out there are wincing…but, oh well. We easily played 100 rounds of golf together over the past 20 years and I’m sure I wouldn’t be able to count the number of mulligans we took (that’s a free do-over after a bad shot for you non-golfers), but boy did we know how to laugh together!  And you know what? By unashamedly hitting mulligans whenever we needed to, we ended up hitting significantly more impressive shots by the end of the round—making moments that would prove to be far more memorable than if we had spent the time muttering after a poor shot.   As many of you know, Steve’s life on this earth ended suddenly and without warning on Tuesday morning as he entered into the bliss of heaven’s reward with Jesus who he’s always been so in love with.   God, in His brilliant masterfulness, brought Steve and Carla McRee to our Tri-Valley 20 years ago to take the beautiful dream of a woman named Alice Ann Cantelow to help homeless and battered women and children regain their lives—a place called Shepherd’s Gate—to a whole new dimension these past two decades. The impact that these two have had on this region, with ripple effects to the world, is unfathomable.  Please be praying for Carla, who is leaning into the loving arms of Jesus as she navigates her life without Steve’s companionship.   Steve endured a tragic accident three and a half years ago that left him paralyzed from the neck down with doctors saying he would never have the use of his arms or legs again. We knew differently because of the miracle working power of Jesus. Steve not only regained the use of his limbs, but I even took him out to the driving range on a beautiful, sunny day last Spring to hit a few golf balls. Okay, so they only went about 20 yards, but straight up the middle, which I was quick to remind him rarely happened before his accident.  This, of course, caused Steve to laugh out loud which became another memorable moment etched in my mind. (Pictured below)

Steve, I will greatly miss your friendship, your laughter and your smile…until the day we’re sharing moments again in the glorious presence of Jesus.   So often we’re taking ourselves way too seriously and missing the moments of joy along the way that Papa God intends for us to have each day. It’s true that we’re going to have difficulties in life—sometimes painful ones. Yet even in the midst of our difficulties, our less-than-stellar days and our miss-hits along the way, God says to each one of us, “There’s plenty of grace for that. Why don’t you go easy on yourself and try again? Take as many mulligans as you need. We’re here to have fun along the way, remember?”   Please give yourself permission to laugh more and make more memorable moments with the ones you love. It's true that life is short, but it can also be filled to the brim with moments of love and laughter. "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." ~Jesus in John 16:33   "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." 2 Corinthians 12:9

Becoming As One by Pastor Susan Fochler

When I first got married, it was a big adjustment getting used to being “us” and not just “me”.  I gave up my maiden name Wilson and became a Fochler.  Where previously I had made decisions on my own without a second thought I now needed to consider my husband’s desires and plans.  All those things I had taken care of myself became ours and not just mine…the bills, the bank account, choices about vacations, events, etc.  I had been raised to think and act very independently, oblivious to how my actions and choices might affect someone else.  It took a lot of time and process to recognize my husband was a partner and not an adversary when making decisions together!   Living in Union Coming into a relationship with Jesus we make that same leap from independence to partnership.  Jesus yearns for us to have the same relational experience with His Father that He has.  It’s a mystical, supernatural but very real transformation; for when we choose Him, we become one with Him.  And even more, we come to  “live in union with (Him) as our source.” Jn 15:5 The Passion.    Engrafted directly into His Heart In this scripture where Jesus is preparing His disciples for His imminent death, He uses the analogy of a branch being engrafted into a vine.  We are that branch, which in and of itself cannot live.  But when the branch lives engrafted directly into Jesus, His roots draw deeply from the river of life which then flows through Him into us.  Our role is simple: receive all He has for us, unconditionally with abundance!  The more I have learned to dial in and be present with His life in me, the sweetness of His presence becomes tangible, my heart softens and soars and the cares of the world flee….so good.   His Joy is Our Joy Jesus desires that we would live fulfilled and enter into the same joy and affection that exists between Him and His Father.  May we all come to comprehend with ever increasing measure His heart for us when He says,  “My purpose for telling you these things is so that the joy that I experience will fill your hearts with overflowing gladness!”    Jn 15:11   Make it so for us all, Lord!                                                                         Love,                                                                                 Susan

Light Thrives in Darkness - Pastor Karena Lout

“A light that thrives in the depths of darkness, blazes through murky bottoms. It cannot and will not be quenched.”  - John 1:5 - The Voice translation -  Light seems to be the theme in my life lately. Whether I turn on the radio, open my bible or have a conversation with someone, light is mentioned. I recently spoke about human trafficking and the safe house I help at to some students from Bethel’s School of Supernatural Ministry. After I spoke, one of the students told me, “Even though you’re talking about such a heavy topic, I could see light the whole time. You gave us permission to partner with hope.” Her words really encouraged me. Even though our world often feels upside down and there is so much injustice around every corner, my prayer is that I would see light increasing.   This increasing light can also be applied to our hearts. There have been times that I was afraid to uncover pain in my heart, fearing that I’d be judged, disappointed or left to deal with it on my own. It takes time and trust to believe that Jesus not only enjoys being with us on our “mountaintops” but also in our “valleys.” He IS light and in Him there is no darkness, so when we invite Him in, every corner and every space of our hearts gets illuminated with light. “The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life, of whom shall I be afraid.”  - Psalm 27:1 When my nephew, Zion was little, he had a difficult time pronouncing his name and would go around saying, “My name is Shiny.” As cute as that sounds, it’s true! You are shining ones. Even as you brave your way through the seemingly dark places, the light inside you will lead you home. I pray for courage to invite Jesus to shine light on the places of your heart that have felt untouched and hidden. As the light of His face shines on your heart, you will thrive through the throes of every storm that comes your way. I pray that you would experience that in greater measure than ever before.

A Little Patience Please by Pastor Todd Lout

The other morning an interesting, and rather humbling, thing happened at the gym.  Having just climbed stairs in place for 15 minutes, I made my way over to the next set of machines I like to use.  When I got there I could see that both of them were occupied so I changed up my stubborn routine to wait.  I spent a little time on the chest workout machine, which is positioned such that I can keep an eye on those other machines I was waiting for.  While there I could see that both people, whose backsides laid claim on those two machines, were not actually using them, but were staring at their phones…and staring at them…and staring at them…and staring at them, all while sitting on MY machines! There I was, sitting on that chest machine, starting to get all judgey, impatient and crabby and trying to use my eyes as an unfruitful poking stick to knock those two off of those machines.  I mean, how dare they take up all this time at a machine that someone else, (who they don’t even realize is there, giving them the eye from across the room), wants to use it?!? Then I felt something.  I felt a something coming towards me that was very familiar because it was the very something that I was doing, pertaining to those two ladies across the room.  There was a guy staring ME down.  He was staring me down because he wanted to use the machine I was sitting on, not using because I was sitting there judging other people for the same thing!  When I realized this I was apologetic, “Oh, I’m sorry.  I’m finished with this one.”, and left my perch….or judgement seat.  When I walked away I heard Holy Spirit in my heart, “Ya’ll do this in many areas of life.  You waste time being overly concerned with what other people are doing.  Doing wrong and otherwise.  All the while you aren’t moving forward.  You could have followed My lead on things, gotten My heart, My energy and wisdom.  Instead, you stay in one place and often duplicate the very things you don’t like…..but I love you all and I’m still here saying, ‘Come up here.  Come up now.’” Also, I was reminded of Matthew 7:1 - 5 (The message tells it more like I talk) “Don’t pick on people, jump on their failures, criticize their faults— unless, of course, you want the same treatment. That critical spirit has a way of boomeranging. It’s easy to see a smudge on your neighbor’s face and be oblivious to the ugly sneer on your own. Do you have the nerve to say, ‘Let me wash your face for you,’ when your own face is distorted by contempt? It’s this whole traveling road-show mentality all over again, playing a holier-than-thou part instead of just living your part. Wipe that ugly sneer off your own face, and you might be fit to offer a washcloth to your neighbor. Here’s what this little incident spoke to me: “Toddy, remember that you have the fruit of the Spirit in you.  Patience and Kindness are two of them.  Let’s focus on those a bit more for the rest of today. I’m so proud of you for listening and being willing to grow.”  This was one of those times where I felt HIS correction and I welcomed it, knowing He has the best in mind for me.  Oh how He loves His kids so so much!

Jesus: The Slain Lamb, The Conquering Lion by Pastor Todd Lout

There are some seemingly contradictory themes in our beloved Bible.   For example, it tells us to seek God out:        *Jeremiah 29:13 You will seek Me and find Me when you see Me with all your heart.        *Isaiah 55:6 Seek the Lord while He may be found.   - But then it also tells us that God and HIs traits are unsearchable:       *Psalms 143:3 Great is Yahweh, and greatly to be praised!  His greatness is unsearchable.      *Job 5:9 God Who does unsearchable wonders.      *Eph 3:8 The unsearchable riches in Christ.        *Isa 40:28 His understanding / wisdom is unsearchable. These are mysteries that God actually invites us into, which requires intimacy with Him.  Lean into Him and come to know His heartbeat more and things will not only start making more sense, but the wonder of His depth and vastness will be revealed.  It also means that He is HUGE, TOTALLY OTHER THAN, so we are invited to just dive into Him and trust. Another such contrary concept is the Jesus is both the "Slain Lamb" and the "Conquering Lion".  In Revelation 5 we see an epic scene where God is holding a scroll with important revelations in it.  An angel announces a great search for anyone worthy to open this scroll and know it's contents.  The search explores all of Earth's history, all of Heaven and even Hell.  John is there, feeling stressed out that nobody worthy can be found.  Finally an Elder tells John, "Duuuuuuuude!  Stop cryin' dude.  Check out the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, the Root of David.  He's the one we've been looking for!"  John turns to see this Lion, but rather, sees a Lamb that's been slain.   Right here in this scene Jesus is fulfilling the prophecy of Genesis 49:9 when Judah is referred to as a "lion's cub" and is the Messiah Who would come from the tribe of Judah.  As the Lamb of God He is the perfect and ultimate sacrifice for sin.   Why is Jesus the "worthy" one here?  Because He has conquered.  We know this because of the massive passion expressed on the cross, defeating your sin, my sin and the sin of everyone throughout history. But He continues to conquer as a lion in Revelation 19 where He returns to defeat all of God's enemies.  HE'S AMAZING!!  A lamb and a lion! Jesus is the Gentle Shepherd, Who takes care of us, fostering the tenderness of our hearts while also acting as our fierce bodyguard.  Oh yeah.  He's got our backs while nurturing us.  It's a beautiful, wonderful contradiction that we get to benefit from, because we are the darlings of creation.

He Chose You by Lonnie Ellis

We are part of Gods master plan that He put in place to show a lost people that they are not lost after all but they are His.   He loves His children so much that He sent His Son Jesus to pay the price for ALL sin so that they can be in right relationship with Him and into eternity.   Now He has chosen and sent you to spread this good news to them about a good, good Father and let them know that He is for them and wants them to share in His heart, His love, His light and His wonderful truth.   He gave you the title of Ambassador with His stamp of approval and His authority – (a diplomatic official of the highest rank, sent by one sovereign or state to another as its resident representative).   2 Corinthians 5:20 (AMP) So, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making His appeal through us; we [as Christ’s representatives] plead with you on behalf of Christ to be reconciled to God.   Jesus not only passed you His torch but He placed His torch inside of you so you can touch the life of another.   You are His Ambassador and He only sends His best – YOU!   Blessings,                 Lonnie Ellis

A Kairos Season by Pastor Brent Lokker

We're In a God-Orchestrated Time!

I woke up this morning and felt my heart strongly pulled towards Papa as I cried my way through Psalm 37 (a really good cry). I want to share these three verses from the Passion Translation to encourage you today:   4 Make God the utmost delight and pleasure of your life, and he will provide for you what you desire the most. 5 Give God the right to direct your life, and as you trust him along the way, you’ll find he pulled it off perfectly! 6 He will appear as your Righteousness, as sure as the dawning of a new day. He will manifest as your Justice, as sure and strong as the noonday sun. (Psalm 37:4-6, TPT)   We’re in a kairos (God-orchestrated ideal opportunity) time. It’s something Kris Vallotton preached last Sunday at Bethel Church in Redding which confirmed what my heart already sensed undeniably in this past month or more.   To fully glean from this Kairos season, it’s imperative that we recognize and embrace the vastness of God’s heart that’s being extended to us.  Let’s face it, for most of us the waiting time and transition time we’ve been in for the past few years (especially 2016) has been tough. As my wife Suzanne tells me (I couldn’t know), the transition time just before birth is the toughest time of the entire birthing process of a baby entering into this world.   We’re now in a time, orchestrated by God for hugely significant purposes, when the baby is arriving! And in the passage above, the Hebrew verb for Righteousness in Ps. 37:6 is also the same word used for giving birth!   What does this all mean for you?   You’ve been trusting Papa and waiting on some important promises in your life. As you continue seeking and enjoying Him as the ultimate pleasure in your life and invite Him to guide you in all you do by listening to His tender voice, He’ll not only provide for everything He’s asked you to do, but He’ll pull it off perfectly—brilliantly because our Dad’s AMAZING! AND, He'll give birth to His promises through you and make the wrong things right, bringing those things that are out of order into His divine and perfect order.   Keeping His promise to bless you will always be God’s heart for you, but as Kris Vallotton prophesied last weekend, we’re in a kairos season when Papa will do this suddenly (acceleration), against all odds (unusual occurrence) and in a way that makes no earthly sense (supernatural intervention).   It's Time!  My spirit knows we’re in an extra-special time, but please don’t take my word for it. This is something your own spirit must discover and embrace so you can partner with God as His son or daughter and also as a king or queen in His royal family who knows how to carry out His heart on this earth. It’s imperative that you inquire with the Lord what this means for the promises you’ve been waiting for in your life as well as for the transformation you’ve been longing to see in society. It’s time to reengage with the promises of God in your heart! It’s time to let hope arise in full force! It’s time to know your authority as a king or queen and call down heaven’s realities! To remind yourself of Papa's unchanging heart towards you, the One who keeps His promises, it might do you a world of good to sing One Thing Remains out loud and strong: Higher than the mountains that I face Stronger than the power of the grave Constant through the trial and the change One thing remains, yes one thing remains. Your love never fails, it never gives up It never runs out on me (3x) On and on and on and on it goes It overwhelms and satisfies my soul And I never, ever, have to be afraid One thing remains, yes one thing remains. In death, In life, I'm confident and Covered by the power of Your great love My debt is paid, there's nothing that can Separate my heart from Your great love...  With Much Love & Anticipation in my Heart,   Pastor Brent