Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.  Therefore do not be partakers with them,  for you were formerly darkness, but now you are light in the Lord; walk as children of light  (for the fruit of that light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth),  trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord.  And do not participate in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead even expose them.  For it is disgraceful even to speak of the things which are done by them in secret. But all things become visible when they are exposed by the light, for everything that becomes visible is light.                                                                         -    Ephesians 5:6-13

  Our time in Spokane was coming to a close and it was definitely time to get new tires put on the pickup (picture to the left shows where the tread was at before I took it in to get the news ones put on), this was something we budgeted for as we knew it was coming up so that wasn't such a big deal. BUT as it always tends to occur, two other things failed around the same time as getting new tires put on. 

"Oh Lord, my GodWhen I, in awesome wonderConsider all the worlds Thy hands have madeI see the stars, I hear the rolling thunderThy power throughout the universe displayed

"Thus says Yahweh of hosts, ‘If it is too difficult in the sight of the remnant of this people in those days, will it also be too difficult in My sight?’ declares Yahweh of hosts. Thus says Yahweh of hosts, ‘Behold, I am going to save My people from the land where the sun rises and from the land where the sun sets; and I will bring them back, and they will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem; and they shall be My people, and I will be their God in truth and righteousness."  Zechariah 8:6-8

  We have been in Colorado for a little over a week now and have had ample time with the church here to get to know some of the folks (though we knew a few already) and for me to teach a couple of mid-week classes. There have been a few headaches here and there having to do with logistics and expenses. We made our way today from our RV park in Loveland up to a KOA in Wellington due to some clerical error with the front desk staff forgetting that we needed more than a week and the rest of the dates being booked out for the rest of September, but God is good, and we are here now and will only need to find a different spot for our last three nights in the area.

 There has been a lot going on since we arrived here a few weeks ago. There has been a lot of productive conversation about what the future looks like for this small group of believers in Reno where we have less than two weeks left and we are hoping that our time spent with the believers here has provided some amount of encouragement and help to them as they look forward and prayerfully decide how to proceed.

"O God, You are my God; I shall seek You earnestly; My soul thirsts for You, my flesh yearns for You, In a dry and weary land without water. Thus I have beheld You in the sanctuary, To see Your power and Your glory. Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, My lips will laud You. Thus I will bless You as long as I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name."  Psalm 63:1-4

  Throughout the last couple of weeks there has been a lot going on. We made our way back down to Wyoming (with tents and the Toyota) so that we could attend the Red Rim Revival outside of Hyatville where we spent some time recharging with fellow Christians. It was a great time of fellowship and enjoying God's creation. Daniel Mayfield was the speaker for our three nights of devotion, and it was great to be able to connect with him during the time down there. Our kids also were able to do some connecting since there were plenty of kids to be able to hang out with and enjoy games, stargazing, hiking and even some horseback riding. Even with temps in the 100's it was a blessed time, and we were very grateful to be able to attend.

 The end of the school year finally came. The kids wrapped up their work and we celebrated with them at a couple of events that were close by (Silverwood and a baseball game). We also had a couple of friends come up from Moses Lake and were camping in the area close to us, so we got to share some time and a couple of meals together. God is good and we appreciate the godly fellowship that we are able to have with his people all over the area and the love and hospitality that comes from them. 

 Today we got moved to a new location in North Spokane, we will be operating out of this site for the next 4 weeks working with the Westside church of Christ in Airway Heights, WA. Not much of a move in terms of distance (12 miles) but the area is much different compared to where we were located in Spokane Valley (now we are next to Highway 2 instead of a BNSF train hub).

 The last couple of weeks have been a very encouraging time spent with the congregation here in Spokane Valley, I have enjoyed the opportunity to teach through the book of Colossians on Sunday mornings and to preach. This Sunday the focus was not letting the past hinder your progress in his kingdom and to remember that God thrives where you are weak.

 In a spirit of gratitude and with a heart full of appreciation, I share our recent experience in the Spokane Valley. In my last entry, unexpected issues arose with our refrigerator. The cooling unit had failed, leaving us in a bit of a predicament. After thoughtful consideration and some prayer, we made the decision to proceed with the repair.