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My friend, Derin, told a story to a group of students on the low ropes course today. The group was a Decca Class from Edmond Santa Fe High School. Initially, the group was not very committed to the group process. After a good farm analogy, the group did an amazing job of working together as a team and showing commitment. We saw a whole new level of commitment. Here's Derin's story:

A chicken and a pig were talking one morning about providing a ham and egg breakfast for the farmer. The chicken was involved in the process providing the eggs. The pig was committed!

Commitment was the object lesson on the ropes course today. But it made me think about the pig. He was commited to breakfast. What has been my level of commitment in the activities that I have been involved in today? Have I been the pig or the chicken?

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"Having the same spirit of faith, we also believe. ~II Corinthians 4:13

The staff of Life Church South OKC was on our ropes course yesterday. What a great staff! We had an amazing time together during their retreat.

One of the staff had climbed to the top of our 55' Alpine Tower. After catching the view of the lake and his breath, he realized that in order to come down, he had to let go. He had to have faith in the person belaying him and his equipment. Those were the two things that were going to get him where he wanted to go. He could talk about faith all he wanted. His faith was not evident until he stepped off the deck of the tower.

Andrew Murray said that "faith is a fruit of the Spirit and leads the seeking soul to depend on God alone. Faith believe's God's Word, and clings to Him, and waits in perfect trust that His power will work within us all that He has promised. The whole life of the Christian each day is a life of faith."

That picture of the guy holding onto the tower is a good mental picture. That tower that the guy was holding onto was much bigger than the rope that he was hanging from. However, it was the rope that got him down. We should clinging to God daily, moment by moment, just like the guy was clinging to the rope.

Faith is not faith until it is all we are holding on to.

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A friend of mine introduced me to a book titled, "Let Go", by Fenelon. It is not a book that I would typically pick up. Fenelon was the Archbishop of Cambrai, France during the seventeenth century. You have look for it. It is not on the shelf by ESPN the Magazine. It is a simplistic yet very practical devotional book. The book is a collection of letters. Here is an excerpt from Letter 5.

" Learn to cultivate peace. And you can do this by learning to turn a deaf ear to your own ambitious thoughts. Or haven't you yet learned that the strivings of the human mind not only impair the health of your body, but also bring dryness to the soul. You can actually consume yourself by too much inner striving. And to no purpose at all!
Your peace and inner sweetness can be destroyed by a restless mind. Do you think that God can speak in those soft tender accents that melt the soul, in the midst of such inner confusion as you permit by that endless, hurring parade of thoughts going through your mind? Be quiet, and He will soon be heard. The only principle you need to be concerned about is to be scrupulously obedient.

You have been asking for comfort and peace. But you do not understand that you have been let to the brink of the fountain, and are refusing to drink. Peace and comfort can be found nowhere except in simple obedience. So be faithful in obeying even when you do not understand, and you will soon find that the rivers of living water will flow, as God has promised. You will receive according to the measure of your faith: much if you believe much; nothing if you believe nothing and continue to listen to your own restless thoughts."

~Fenelon

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There is a parable that says, "You reap what you sow." We take this farming parable to heart at the ranch as we live life with boys. This is a great life lesson. There is more to this parable. I heard my pastor share this. You reap later than you sow and you reap more than you sow.

Sow a 50 pound bag of wheat and you reap a harvest of wheat. Sow that same bag of goat-head stickers and you don't just get stickers, you'll have the whole herd!

My friend, Skip, asked a question at a feed store about seed. "If I plant one acre of wheat, and all conditions were right, how much seed will I have to replant for the following year?" The answer was amazing. With the right amount of rain and optimal weather conditions, he said that one could plant replant two and one-half times that. That is exponential growth when you keep doing the math. That makes my mind run wild when I think about all the seed that I sow in my life.

I read a great quote today from C. S. Lewis in the devotional book-CloserWalk:

"The terrible thing, the almost impossible thing, is to hand over your whole self-all your wishes and precautions- to Christ.

"But it is far easier than what we are all trying to do instead. For what we are trying to do is remain what we call 'ourselves,' to keep personal happiness as our great aim in life, and yet at the same time be 'good.'

"We are all trying to let our mind and heart go their own way-centered on money or pleasure or ambition- and hoping, in spite of this, to behave honestly and humbly."

"And that is exactly what Christ warned [that we] could not do. As He said, a thistle cannot produce figs. If I am a field that contains nothing but grass seed, I cannot produce wheat. Cutting the grass may keep it short, but I shall produce grass and no wheat. If I want to produce wheat, the change must go deeper than the surface. I must be plowed up and resown.

~ C. S. Lewis

We all sow seeds. We will reap later and we will reap more.

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Genesis 28:16-17

When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he thought, "Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it.
He was afraid and said, How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God; this is the gate of heavan.

This passage is where Jacob's Ladder Camps derives it's name. We hope that each group that comes out to camp has the same revelation as Jacob...that the Lord is in this place. We hope that none leave unaware.

This weekend JL was able to host St. Paul's Lutheran Church of OKC again for their fall retreat. Also out this weekend was a "small-group" of "big-hearted" 8th graders from Henderson Hills Baptist Church of Edmond. Sunday First Presbyterian Church of Edmond will bring out 80 students and leaders from their Confirmation Class.

The Lord is not only in this place, He wants to reside in the lives of people. How awesome it is when that is revealed to people. How awesome is it to watch that happen at Jacob's Ladder.

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It has been raining at the ranch today...in more ways than one.

I have had a number of emails regarding tutoring at the ranch. Thank you to all of you who have volunteered. This is a big help. Thank you for investing your time in our boys.

Thanks also to the response to the Needs List posted a few weeks ago. A small group from Henderson Hills Baptist Church is coming out this Sunday. The families in this small group are coming out to dinner and have helped with some of the needed items. All the items posted will have been provided. We are humbled at people's generousity. Thank you to all of you who contributed. We appreciate you!

Thank you to all of you who help make Willow Springs Boys Ranch happen. Thanks for your impact!

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I just started reading the devotional book, Closer Walk, edited by Bruce Wilkinson. I picked my copy up at Mardel. But I just found a great deal on the link above.

There is a great quote from Martin Luther on the day marked DAY 254-September 11. The tile of the devotion is "God Feeds the Sparrows, but He Doesn't Throw Them Worms."

II Thessalonians 3:10
We hear that some among you are idle. They are not busy; they are busybodies. Such people we command...to settle down and earn the bread they eat.

"To put it briefly, God wants people to work. It is true that God could support you without work, could let food and drink grow on your table. But He will not do this. He wants you to work and to use your reason in this matter."

"He does not want me to sit at home, to loaf and wait till a fried chicken flies in my mouth. That would be tempting God." ~Martin Luther

The devotion goes on to say that God promises to meet our needs, but He never promised to deliver our meals!
This reminds me of the issue of faith and works. You can learn much about a person's faith, by his works.

Many have lost the gift of work. They sit back idly on their faith. Some of the players from OU Hockey Team wore a shirt to Jacob's Ladder last week that said, "Hard Work is Not Hard." Not when we are working unto the Lord. And He is our supply.

(I Corinthians 10:31...Look it up.)

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"Then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free." ~John 8 32

Here is a quote from George Muller's autobiography written in August of 1829:

" ...for all true knowledge must be derived, by the Spirit, from the Word.
And as I neglected the Word, I was for nearly four years so ignorant,
that I did not clearly know even the fundamental points of our holy faith.
....for it is truth that make us free (John 8:32). The Word proves it; the
experience of the saints prove it; and also my life most decidedly proves it.
For when it pleased the Lord in August, 1829, to bring me really to the Scriptures,
my life and walk became very different.

If the reader understands very little of the Word of God, he ought to read it very
much; for the Spirit explains the Word by the Word. And if he enjoys the reading
of the Word little, that is just the reason why he should read it much; for the frequent
reading of Scriptures creates a delight in them, so that the more we read them, the
more we desire to do so." ~George Muller

This summer has been one of extreme heat and drought for much of Oklahoma. It is funny how stuff does not grow when there is no rain. Same is true in my life. When I look back at dry times in my life it is usually because I have not been watered. God's Word is living water to our lives.

I beat myself up when I look back over weeks and months where I have spent very little time with the Lord or in the Word. I feel as dry as the one inch cracks in our dry dead pastures. And yet God whispers, "Come to the Well, and drink. Drink long. Drink deep."

As I read more about his life, it has been encouraging to me to see that George Mullerwas human and had many of the same struggles. His life is one known for being a man of prayer, yet he struggled and had dry times.

It is not God who shuts off the water tap. It is me that hits the snooze and sleeps through an opportunity to meet with Him. I am the one who puts a kink in the hose and can not figure out why the water is not flowing.

And yet, like tonight, when I do meet with Him, get in His Word, and be silent, it is like much needed healing rain! It is like drinking out of a fire hydrant! The wider I open my mouth the more I get. I want to drink like my three year old. When it comes to meeting with the Lord, I don't just want a drink. I want to get wet all over, head to toe!

When we seek God in dry times and drink deep from the well of Scripture, like Muller, we find that our " life and walk become very different."

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The McClendon House has several boys who could benefit from a Math Tutor. If anyone would be available even one afternoon a week from 4-5p, please contact me.

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Oklahoma Sooners Hockey spent time on the ropes course at Jacob's Ladder for the second year as they prepare for the 2006-2007 season.

The Sooners open up with Nebraska on Sept 22nd and 23rd Check out their schedule for start times. Go out and support Sooner Hockey.

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The University of Oklahoma Women's Basketball spent the Labor Day at Jacob's Ladder as they prepared for the 2006-2007 season. The Sooners are headed for another great season. The Sooners are ranked #3 in the Athlon Pre-Season Poll.

Athlon Sports Preseason Top-25
1. North Carolina
2. Maryland
3. Oklahoma
4. Stanford
5. Ohio State
6. Duke
7. Tennessee
8. Georgia
9. LSU
10. Baylor
11. Arizona State
12. Vanderbilt
13. Connecticut
14. Kentucky
15. UCLA
16. Purdue
17. BYU
18. Rutgers
19. California
20. Bowling Green
21. DePaul
22. NC State
23. Louisiana Tech
24. Texas A&M
25. Western Kentucky

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I have been reading about the life of George Muller. His life has had a significant infuence on my faith and the work at WSBR.

In the introduction to the autobiography, Jim Elliff writes that George Muller knew what few understood-"God delights to show himself strong to those whose greatest aspiration is to demonstrate to the world that God is who he says He is."

Elliff goes on to say that "People do not care so much what you can do for God, but they desperately need to see what God will do for you."

The autobiography says that in his lifetime, George Muller cared for over 10,000 orphans. He humbly claimed that the Lord had answered 50,000 requests. 30,000 of those same requests were answered in the same hour of day that they were asked. Everything was accomplished by asking God alone.

This says to me that we ask and/or expect too little from God. We strive to do things out of our own abilities. What if we did those things with God's vision, God's direction, and God's provision?

We shouldn't have to go back 200 years to read about the amazing work that God has done. They are great reminders and road markers. We should to be reading stories daily in the morning papers about the works that God is doing! There are opportunities right now, right in front of us each day where God is busy at work doing amazing things. The fields are ripe for harvest!

God searches the world over for people whose hearts are completely His. He wants to show us who he is. What happens if we truly live our life believing God is who He said He is? What if we lived our lives believing that He is Jehovah Jireh--the Lord who Provides?

The ranch received an unexpected gift today. There have been 10 years of these type gifts. However, I continue to be surprised! The gift took care of our three new boys for this month! It came from an source that I did not expect. The Lord loves to do the unexpected. He continues to provide more than I ever hope or imagine.

Like Elliff says, God delights to show himself and to demonstrate the He is who he says he is!

When it come to the life of a Believer, the life of Muller should be the rule not the exception. Muller will stretch and challenge your faith. His life challenges you to get out of the boat where faith is concerned and begin to walk places you have never walked.

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Today the Bell Cow Bike Rally was held in Chandler, Oklahoma. The day ended with a concert with Christian artist Kristy Starling.

The third annual rally raised $2,000 for Willow Springs Boys Ranch. Thank you to all the organizers, sponsors and participants. Funds will be used to scholarship boys at Willow Springs.

Thank you for your impact on boys and for your investment in WSBR!

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There are many projects at WSBR where volunteers and some sweat equity are needed. If you would like to volunteer for projects lasting from one hour to all day, please email the ranch.

Ranch Projects:

Mowing
Clean up Crews behind construction at the Nichols's Graduate House
Weedeating fence lines
Pruning and cutting down trees
Building benches on brick square
Weed-eating fence lines
Touch up painting in homes and cabins
Concrete paint camp kitchen floor.
Building railroad tie stairs at camp
Setting two gates at barn
Exterior painting at ranch homes
Replace guttering
Cutting trails
Clearing and building 6 camp sites at Jacob's Ladder

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Laron scored 4 touch-downs in Chandler Lions 40-0 win over rival Stroud. Laron was mentioned in the Sports section of the Sunday Oklahoman.

This is an exciting year for Laron. Thank you for all of you who are invested in him!

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