JToddVinson.com

Open your mouth for the mute,
for the rights of all who are destitute.

Open your mouth judge righteously,
defend the rights of the poor and needy.

WSBR is taking 3 new boys. Boys come to the ranch with a wide range of needs. All of our boys are in need of school clothes and school supplies.

If you would like to find out ways that you can help take care of basic needs at the Liddell House and McClendon House, please contact our office: 405.258.5176. You can also send me an email.

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My friend Sally with Faith Works of the Inner City told me a story about a man in OKC.

He told Sally, "I not always be a rake. Sally was not quite sure what he meant. "My father tell me not to be a rake. I not always be a rake. He say to me, be a shovel."

"I not always be a rake, Ms. Sally, one day I be a shovel."

The story brought me to tears. Rakes take. Shovels give. Both move dirt, just in opposite directions.

We all have times where we need others to help us in a time of need or crisis. However, we were not created to always take. We are made to give. This principle of being a giver not a taker has been instilled in this man by his father. This is a virtue that we strive to instill in boys at the ranch

We were not created to always be rakes. We were created to be shovels.

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Andrew Murray is one of my favorite authors. Today I have been re-reading part of his book, "Absolute Surrender."

I have been inspired by his faith and devotion to prayer. When he prayed things happened. This is because he lived moment by moment abiding in Christ. He looked to God for his provision.

Willow Springs Boys Ranch has been founded on these same principles. Prayer is the key to the success of this mission. God Provides. He takes care of orphans and widows. I can not tell you how many times the ranch has had a need and God shows up right on time in unexpected and unorthodox ways. It is the rule, not the exception. God does not just do for the ranch, but in my own life. He does it as I live surrendered to Him. He is the vine. I am the branch. He is my supply.

Early on as the ranch was beginning, I was discouraged and talking to Jim Riley. I told him that I felt like we lived each day hand to mouth. Jim told me,"that is how we are suppose to live-God's hand...to our mouth."

You can read Absolute Surrender online when you click on the link. It will challenge your thinking. I hope it will challenge the way you think, believe, and live.

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Ellie turned six years old today. She had a beach party tonight at the Chandler City Pool. Ellie has waited for months for this day to come. You can not imagine all the planning that has taken place for "The Pool Party." When she woke up this morning the first thing she said was, "Is it time to get ready for the party?" Oh, the joys of being 6 years old!

Ellie has a smile and a genuine concern for others that will melt your heart. Ellie is always thinking about other people. Her prize possession in life is her "blankie." She goes nowhere without it. She will share this treasure with any hurting soul.

It is amazing the power of the "blankie." There is hidden comfort in the smell of the blankie. No one but Ellie can fully understand the powerful calming effects caused by the holding of the blankie. It has been offered to her little sister on many occasions.

The song, All of the Above by Billy Sprague makes me think of Ellie and my girls everytime I hear it.

When I grow up, I want to be more like Ellie! Happy Birthday, Princess!!!

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Some prefer to live in cities,
Some like to live among the hills.
Where life's tides flow free and easy,
God and nature provide the thrills.

I'd like to sore o' friendly neighbor,
Always willing to forgive.
It's always good to have a neighbor
On the streets where you live.

I would like to have a neighbor,
Who would call and wish me well.
Who would wave at me in passing,
Or stop and chat a spell.

Folks who still accept the axiom:
"It is better, far, to give
Freely of our time and talents,
On the streets where we live.

~L. L. Weatherly 1887-1981

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"No one lights a lamp and then hides it or puts it under a basket. Instead, it is put on a lampstand to give light to all who enter the room. Your eye is a lamp for your body. A pure eye lets sunshine into your soul. But an evil eye shuts out the light and plunges you into darkness. Make sure that the light you think you have is not really darkness. If you are filled with light, with no dark corners, then your whole life will be radiant, as though a floodlight is shining on you."

Luke 11:32 NLT

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WSBR was given the opportunity to take an end of the summer trip to Lake Eufaula
with our staff and boys.

This was a relaxing time for our ranch before two-a-day's begin in football and school starts. Thank you to the friends of Willow Springs who made this trip possible. What a great way to beat the 100 degree Oklahoma heat!

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Goodwin Lake (elevation 10,500 feet) Westcliffe, Colorado

I was able to make that hiking trip after all this summer. It was a 4 mile hike up to Goodwin Lake. The view of the mountains along with the sounds of streams and water falls were breath-taking. With 100 plus degree days in Oklahoma, the drop in temperatures as you approached the mountain streams were so welcome. Cool weather and five rainbow trout made the 8 mile trip all worth while!

My friend Skip knowsthat I like fly-fishing. He likes to hike. This works out great for both of us. We put some deliberate thought as we looked at the map with hundreds of miles of trails along the Sangre de Christo Mountain Range. We sought out a trail that had a lake and some trout. We settled on the Goodwin Trail.

We were not going to stop until we had reached the lake and had trout on the line. The trail was rated Blue. Much of the trail felt like a Black. That did not stop our pursuit. I caught 5 rainbows on Goodwin Lake. Skip kept going and checked out two more small lakes as he went about another 1000 feet in elevation.

Our pursuit of trout made me think about God's pursuit of us. God's pursuit came with a cost. Just like our trip. The trip was not free or cheap. That is also what makes it valuable. It cost us time, effort and money to get to the mountains, not to mention the hike.

God is passionate about me. He created me. He places high value on me and my relationship with Him. HE wants a relationship with...ME.

Sometimes that is hard for me to grasp. God offers that relationship by way of His Son, Jesus Christ. It is a relationship driven by a passionate love, not legalist religion. That relationship is more inviting than Goodwin Lake and the sounds of the mountain stream.

I am passionate about trout fishing. Jesus is passionate about us. He pursues us, even more diligently than I pursued that trail to Goodwin Lake. The question is, "Am I willing to drop everything to follow after Him. I am a fisher of fish. He has called us to be a fisher of men."

Passing alongside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew the brother of Simon casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And Jesus said to them, "Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men." And immediately they left their nets and followed him. 19 And going on a little farther, he saw James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, who were in their boat mending the nets. And immediately he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants and followed him.

Mark 1:16-20 ESV

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Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. James 1:27 NIV

That verse sums up what Willow Springs is all about. Not everyone can move out to work on a boys ranch full-time. However, there are some things that you can do to have a full-time impact on the boys at the ranch.

WSBR operates solely on private donations. To put it simply, if it doesn't come in, it does not go out.

Currently the ranch is blessed to have almost 40 families that invest in this mission every single month, many since the beginning. You are the backbone for all the heavy lifting that goes on here! Thank you! You are why we are able to do what we do in a first class fashion.

If we are going to do it at Willow Springs, we are going to do it first class. To do that we need 100 more of you. We are filling the McClendon House and have a matching challenge grant for house #3.

We are looking of other individuals, families, small groups and businesses to join us in caring for boys.

I have listed below some current opportunities at Willow Springs. Please contact us about where you would like to have an impact.

CURRENT AND ONGOING NEEDS

Prayer Partners

Volunteers

Current Scholarships (6) $27.00/day each ($800.00/month each)
We have 4 more boys coming soon who will also need sponsors

Work Projects Contact office for more information

Mowing Equipment
Riding mowers
Gas trimmers
Push mowers

School Supplies

Household Cleaning Supplies

Personal Hygiene Items
Shampoo
Deodorant
Tooth Paste
Soap

Gift Cards For
Clothing: Old Navy, Target, Walmart, Academy Sports, etc.
Groceries and Household Items: Walmart
Gasoline: Phillips 66
Entertainment: Sonic, Johnnie's Burgers, McDonald's, Movie Theaters (AMC), etc.

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A family to me is like a book,
Inside the pages we love to look.
The protective love the parents give,
Could mold the life their children live.

The children are pages of spotless white,
God help the parents to guide them right.
They're the leaves like leaves of gold,
The parents watch as they unfold.

Each tender thought with loving care,
Deep in their hearts will linger there.
In years to come when they are gone,
They'll remember lessons at home...

~L. L. Weatherly (1887-1981)

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Bridgeway Church from Edmond, OK is at Jacob's Ladder Camp this week. Today they were on the ropes course. Before each group climbs, instructors give some instructions on safey issues and on belaying.

The person on belay is the one anchored in to a belay bench. They are also responsible for the climbers saftey. We have a standard set of commands between the climber and the belayer. They have to function as a team. The commands go like this:

On belay?
Belay on!

Climbing?
Climb on!

Whether on the Alpine Tower or 55' Carolina Straight Wall, there are great opportunities for lessons in trust and faith.

During the wrap-up time at the end of the day, the question was asked, "What did you learn?"

One participant said that they learned that God was her belayer.

She said that she had to place her trust in her Belayer to keep her from falling and to keep her safe. She had to say that she had to trust Him to give her direction on the best route to take. What a metaphor!

For who is God except the Lord? Who but our God is a solid rock?
God arms me with strength; He has made my way safe.

~Psalms 18:31-32 NLT

If he stumbles, he's not down for long; God has a grip on his hand.
~Psalms 37:24 The Message

"On belay?"

BELAY ON!

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One thing that I don't do very well is sit still. I am always going or doing. Abiding is often a foreign concept to me.
Sometimes I confuse abiding with resting. Both are needed. Neither means being lazy. We live in a driven society where both are often in short supply. I confess that I am often the worst.

We are called to abide (remain) in Christ. Mike Wells talks about living life moment by moment. Mike has a wonderful grasp on what it means to trust God moment by moment. He has insight to simple truths that will point you to a relationship with God that many people have never experienced. Listen to his downloadable seminar on abiding. Mike has dramatically changed my perspective on how I live my life.

When we live momemt by moment, we are not worried about what will happen tomorrow or controlled by what happened in the past.

We abide like the vine abides in the branch. The vine does not worry or toil. The vine gets its supply from the vine. God has called us to live the supplied life. He is the supply. We are called to abide.

Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.
The Holy Bible : English standard version. 2001 (Jn 15:4-5).

Posted by Todd Vinson at 09:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Two kinds of people in this world of ours:
One sees the thorns, the other-flowers!
One sees the beauty of birds and bees,
One sees the tares among the trees.

Tho' both may travel by plane or car,
Each finds the things they're looking for,
One sees the beauty of the rose,
The other, the thorns on which it grows.

One sees the beauty of the desert road,
The other, lizards, snakes, and toads,
One sees the beauty of the stars at night,
One fears to camp without a light.

One sees the beauty of the mountain stream,
An ideal place to doze and dream,
The other sees the mountainside,
Where creeping things and serpents hide.

One sees the beach where people go,
While others see the under tow,
One sees the evil the world employs,
One;innocent laughter of girls and boys.

It's Heaven to one, to the other Hell,
Whether either Saints-or- serpents-dwell!
We make our Heaven, or we make or hell,
In the very place we choose to dwell.

~L.L. Weatherly (1887-1981)

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My hiking buddy, Skip Cannon took this picture without me last week while hiking the Horn Creek Trail outside Westcliffe, CO.

I met Skip as I was beginning the ranch. Skip has become a dear family friend, mentor, executive coach, counselor, my Mexican restaurant connoisseur, the maker of fine trail-mix, along my Colorado hiking buddy.

Right after I first met Skip, he came out to the ranch property on one of his regular retreats. There were no buildings on the property at that time, so he camped during his time along with God. While on his retreat, he walked. He walked and prayed over the ranch. Several times since, he has walked the fence-line of our 180 acre property as he has prayed for the Lord to move in people's lives at the ranch, along with praying for restoration and provision.

It is amazing to watch what happens when people pray. God is still in the business of answering prayers. The question is, "Are we in the business of coming to God in prayer?" God already knows our needs. Praying is our acknowledgment to God of those needs. The last ten years on the ranch is a testimony to God's provision of needs that continues to be well beyond our own ability to provide.

Skip and hiking have taught me much about the wilderness. The wilderness is easy to embrace when it looks like that picture after you have reached the top. However, the passageway up the mountain often requires more effort than many want to exert.

Skip and I made a sixteen mile hike last summer up the Venable Trail and back down the Comanche Trail. The views at almost 13,000 ft. would not have meant as much if we had just been air-lifted in. Many of us just want the view at the summit. We just want the trophy without the years of dedication, sweat, and sacrifice.

The real lessons come from the journey in the wilderness. I am usually in too much of a hurry to reach my destination. Sometimes in my rush to reach my destination I miss out on the moments along the way. I miss out on seeing the flowers along the trail on the way up the mountain. What do you notice on the cover of Skip's Book? Is it the steep, bare, rocky trail or the flowers along the path?

In the cover of Skip's book, he wrote me a note... "Embrace the Wilderness."

Embrace the Wilderness? That's crazy talk! I just want to see the view at the top!
Read Passageway: The Benefit of the Wilderness. There are benefits from the wilderness. Embrace the Wilderness!

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We often go back thru time and space,
To visit again our old home place;
There seems to be some mystic charm,
Where once we ran our dairy farm.

How clear it all comes back to me,
When we got up to milk at three;
Though winter's icy winds may blow,
Or it may rain, or sleet or snow.

I've forgotten why, but this I know,
At five, we thought the milk must go.
We called our dairy "Willow Springs,"
And time slipped by like birds on wings.

The crystal spring was never dry,
A grove of willows grew nearby;
This spring, a part of nature's art,
Leaves Golden Memories in our heart.

~L.L. Weatherly (1887-1981)

L.L. Weatherly was my great-grandfather. He did not begin writing until after he was seventy years old. By the time of his death at age 93 in 1981, he had written over 500 poems. Grandad had a tradition of writing a birthday poem to his children, grandchildren, and in-laws on each birthday. He sent me a one dollar bill with each of those poems for as long as I can remember.

Grandad had a unique style of writing which reflects the life and time he lived in on the dairy at Willow Springs. My mother says that these poems emphasized the values that he had about the simple and natural things in his life, and the high priority that he placed on the family. My mom gathered up many of his writings and placed them in a book for our family to remember and share. I look forward to sharing some of these with you from time to time. I hope that they cause you to reflect on your own family and the value of these relationships.

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I first met Sally Goin after the open house of the Liddell House. Sally worked with kids from Oklahoma City's inner-city. She told me a story about a boy named Miguel. He was in need of a safe environment out of the city where he could experience success. He became one of our first residents. He soon asked if his brother could join him.

That was eight years ago. This fall He will be a senior in high school. He is also about to take his second mission trip to Mexico. He works summer camps at Jacob's Ladder with kids from the same neighborhood where he grew up. Miguels wants to do Faith Works with Sally when he graduates from High School. What an inspiration!

Miguel is the inspiration for Faith Works of the Inner City. FWIC has been a vital partner in the mission of Willow Springs Boys Ranch.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR: The 5th Annual FaithWorks/Willow Springs Golf Tournament will be held at Coffee Creek on August 12th. Champions Tour Professionals, Dr. Gil Morgan and Doug Tewell will hold a clinic prior to the tournament.

You can support both FWIC and WSBR by signing up your team to play in the scramble, being a hole sponsor, or making a donation.

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