A week in the life...

Picture at left depicts a walk we took last Sunday on a rare, sunny day of 60 degrees. It was beautiful. Here we are (see our shadow?) standing on a bridge over the creek that feeds Whiskeytown Lake, about 30 minutes from where we live. Ahhhh...sunshine.

Here is what our week looks like...

Monday - A day off. We usually do homework, laundry, clean the house, go grocery shopping, and do more homework. Sometimes we catch a movie if there's one that looks good. We recently saw Blindside with Sandra Bullock. We highly recommend it! It's been years since we lived in a city, so we are enjoying movie theaters that are five minutes away. Lately, Rick has been doing carpentry work on Mondays, and I usually finish an article for the local daily newspaper - The Record Searchlight.

Tuesday - I work in the Bethel Pastor on Call office from 9 a.m. - 12 p.m.; then we join the student crowd waiting to get into the 1,000 seat sanctuary where we have our lecture classes. We start with worship - and there are dozens of great worship teams that get lots of good practice with us. We have to admit, our 58-year-old ears need ear plugs most days! Next is a lecture by one of the senior leaders - Bill Johnson or Kris Vallotton or a guest speaker. This week we heard Sergio Scataglini - who has been involved with the great revival going on in Argentina and presently co-pastors a church in Las Vegas. After the lecture, we break into our AMT (Advanced Ministry Training) or Ministry Tracks. I am taking a Prophetic Arts track where I am developing a line of greeting cards with a group of about 10 people. It's creative, fun, and I am going to be able to use some of my photography and others are contributing sketches, paintings, and other forms of art to a line designed to bring encouragement and hope to recipients. Cards will be sold in book stores and at conferences. Rick is taking a Church / School Planting and Leadership Track. He is learning about how you start a school of ministry that equips others to carry the kingdom culture and message. It's about not being a Bible study school, but a school that teaches how we can do what the Bible says as we walk the earth. After that class, we go to our training for our Tijuana mission trip we'll be going on in March. Rick will be doing kids' ministry, and I'll be doing photography, recording testimonies, and even trying my hand at prophetic art. On that trip we'll be praying for healing for people all over Tijuana, conducting services in six locations, and sharing the love of Christ. After that meeting, we go to Healing Rooms training and I also have a book writing class. That takes us to 9 p.m. and by then we are quite wiped out!

Wednesday - Wednesday mornings we study. School starts at 12:45 p.m. and we have a class called Kingdom Foundations; then Grasping God's Word; then a lecture by a senior leader or guest speaker. Then we split into small men's and women's groups. We love our small groups, where we get to know other students more closely as we share our lives, dreams and prayers with them. We have people from all over the world in our groups.

Thursday - Thursday morning starts early for me with more work on my creative greeting cards with members of the art group; then we have worship with the big class, followed by lectures, and then our outreach ministry groups. Rick and I are on a healing outreach. Our group of 7 people goes to hospitals, nursing homes, and individual homes who have called for our team to come pray with critically ill people.

Friday - We have worship, then more lectures, and then we break into what they call revival groups - our group of 45 that meets with a revival pastor for testimony and group discussion.

Saturday - We attend the healing rooms in the morning as observers. We have just been trained, and applied to be placed on a team that can actually minister healing prayer. Every Saturday sees 150 to 300 people coming from all over the world to the healing rooms at Bethel. Every week there are miraculous testimonies of healing from cancer, tumors falling off, bones being healed, vision and deafness being healed, pain completely going away, and more. I have worked several Saturdays in the healing room taking testimonies from people who have had healing. It is the most humbling and exciting experience to witness these people being so touched by God. I have to testify myself that, after going to the healing rooms a few times, and having healing prayer in class, that my back - which has hurt badly for many years - is totally without pain...and my migraines which I used to have once a week, are about 90 percent gone. Thank you God!!!!

If any of you would like to come to the healing rooms here, you can stay with us!!!!

Sunday - As students and prayer servants, we are supposed to go to morning and evening services at Bethel. I also take a Spanish class on Sunday afternoons in preparation for my Mexico mission trip!!!! Hola!!!  Rick works all morning cooking and cleaning in the dining room, where the church feeds up to 200 homeless or needy people bussed in from the city.

Most mornings and on the weekend, you will also find us studying, reading, and doing our carpentry and writing jobs.

In spite of this crazy schedule, we have loads of energy and are able to keep up with all the young people!

Again - we thank all of you for all of your love and support and partnership on this grand adventure.

God is a good God, and He's in a good mood!

Please know that, although this is a school, you are also partnering with us as we minister to many, many people here. Living in this Bethel "kingdom culture" gives us much opportunity to build relationships with students as well as visitors and our lives are spent speaking into people's lives, ministering Jesus' love through prayer, and much time spent praying for people for healing, provision, and a deeper relationship with God. It is so wonderful to see how God can touch people through the hearts of his children.

Healing

We have been busier than normal this past couple of weeks. Last week, Randy Clark was here with a healing conference that filled the Redding Convention Center day and night for 4 days. We attended during the days as students, and nights as prayer servants when people came from all over to attend free night services. There were many healings of blindness, deafness, lung disease, arthritis, pain, etc. One of the most remarkable was people who had metal screws and rods in their body were healed of pain and they were able to move and flex as if they had no metal in their bodies. This happened, I think, to about 25 people.

Ministry Work

Rick continues to work on Sundays, cooking and cleaning in the Bethel kitchen as they serve hundreds of homeless who come to eat and also low income families who bring their children. Many stay for church as well.

I volunteer for the church's "Pastor on Call" ministry team for three hours one day a week. We pray with people over the phone who call in for prayer. My first day was last week, and I talked to about 5 people from around the country who called in. Two other people worked the same morning. The phones were busy. I am learning so much by doing this ministry. I am also filling in for the testimony writer at the healing rooms while she is in Haiti with the Bethel team that is on its way there. I did that for the first time last Saturday and it was quite an experience to talk with so many people who had experienced a healing touch from the Lord that morning. I'll be doing that again tomorrow morning.

Rick and I love to host some of the students for dinner occasionally. They love a home-cooked meal and we love to get to know them better in this way. They are remarkable young people from around the world that have such a heart to serve the Lord and love Him so intimately. We are learning so much from them, and I think they like and need to be around us mom and dad type people.

Remembering to "Be Still" ...

Rick has a job lined up for tomorrow installing a garage door opener. We are still asking for God's hand in a job he can do around school hours. I've been so busy with Bethel this past two weeks, that I haven't been able to work much for the paper. But they did approve six ideas I had for stories that I'll start working on next week. I find myself so drawn to all that Bethel is doing for classes - both school and night classes - and wanting to volunteer that I realize I can't do it all. I have to cut back. Most importantly I can't forsake the quiet time I need every day with the Lord - learning to listen - learning to rest in Him. From that place I get direction, clarity, energy and creativity. Whew - we all have to remember that important secret place with God. It's not about us being busy doing His stuff. It's about our relationship with Him - our quiet times with him - and out of those, understanding what He's doing and entering into that. So...I am spending the weekend rearranging and cutting out some of the extra things I'm doing so I can still do my job with the paper, have my quiet time, and keep up with school.

By the way - I'm on Facebook - find me and be my friend! I'm listed under Christine Krohn Tracy - Northern Colorado

Love to you all!!!

Mission Trips

(Please be in prayer with us for the people of Haiti.)

We are preparing to go on our mission trips scheduled for March.

Rick will be going to Arcata, California - a coastal town - where he will be ministering through carpentry and service to the people of this community. Chris will be going to Tijuana, Mexico - just over the California border, (her first mission trip!) where she will be joining a large team to bring night-time services, healing ministry, and in-home visits to wonderful people who are hungry for God's love.

If you would like to support this outreach, in prayer - or financially  - we would be so thankful.

We are needing to raise an additional $500 toward these trips. (Chris - $300; Rick - $200).

Thank you so much to all who continue to pray for us and to all who have given so generously to our time here at Bethel School. We have been so amazingly and deeply blessed.

Donations may be made to Kremmling Community Church, P. O. Box 1330, Kremmling, CO 80459. (Please attach a note with our name so it will go into our account.)

2010 - A year of blessing and increase

Happy New Year to our friends and family!

Rick and I spent a quiet New Year's Eve and day together, cooking, studying and watching movies. It's been a quick Christmas break, and we're almost caught up with the bunch of homework we have due as soon as we get back on Tuesday.

We had a great time with our daughter, Bess, who was here for Christmas and stayed nearly a week. We took a road trip to see the mighty coastal redwoods and were amazed at their beauty and how small we were next to them.

We also enjoyed having our young international friends over while Bess was here.

This past few days we have learned more of what it means to be still, relax, rest, and soak. We are learning that God meets us in the secret places of our quiet times, and in those times, fills us with himself, his purposes and a new and surprising knowledge and experience of His love for us.

In this New Year, may we all experience that love. The "no matter what" kind of love that doesn't ask for performance, busy-ness, or anything...but loves us madly with the Love of a kind, good, happy Father who is so proud of us and loves to spend time with us.

Our senior leader here, Bill Johnson, in his New Years message, said he felt God was giving him permission to share a promise that had been given to him years ago. Bill now felt God wanted to give that same promise to us. And Rick and I feel God wants us to hand it forward to you, since you are partnering with us!

Isaiah 45:2-3

I will go before you;

and  make the crooked places straight

I will break in pieces the gates of bronze

and cut the bars of iron

I will give you the treasures of darkness,

and hidden riches of secret places

that you may know that I the Lord

who calls you by your name,

am the God of Israel.

Bill said the crooked places are our problems and challenges and roadblocks - God will straighten them out.

The gates and bars keep us from His promises - and he is breaking barriers down.

The treasures of darkness are people. Our loved ones who don't know Christ, who aren't free.

Hidden riches can be many things, including financial provision. But also blessings, gifts, and spiritual things.

May this bless you in many ways!!!

We spend a lot of time in prayer and would love to pray for you. Let us know how we can pray. Write to us at ctracy@mac.com, or send us mail. Our address info is on this page!

Rick and Chris

MERRY CHRISTMAS

We are so happy to have our daughter, Bess, visiting us in Redding. Rick just took her down to Turtle Bay so I could get my newspaper article done, and wish you all a Merry Christmas!

God has been so good to us. We thank you all for partnering with us in prayer during this year and we thank God for His provision through so many of you.

We are humbled, and homesick for you all.

We extend a welcome to any who would like to come visit us and attend some of the services, conferences, and healing rooms. It is a special place, with amazing people from all over the world. We are so honored to be able to study, work, and minister alongside them.

I just want to let you all know that God loves you more than you realize. He's a good God and wants the best for you. His dreams for you are your dreams. He's for you all the way. And so are we.

With all of our love in this special season as we celebrate Christ, the Son - in us - our hope of glory,

Rick and Chris

Healing, praise and prayer

It's early Saturday morning and raining in Redding. I'm curled up on the couch with a cup of coffee and cinnamon toast and my trusty laptop thinking of our friends in snowy, cold Colorado, and missing the warmth of a woodstove. (Sigh...)

Holiday Feast

Today, Rick and I are doing food prep and clean-up for the Holiday Feast at Bethel Church, where 1200 homeless people and people in need will enjoy a wonderful meal. Church families sponsor tables and bring their own china, silver and Christmas decorations to adorn the tables and guests are treated like royalty. The children get photos with Santa, there is entertainment, and afterwards, they are invited to take home clothing, blankets and sleeping bags, collected for them through the year.

Pastor On Call Team

This week, our Pastor on Call outreach team manned the office phones and called those who had asked for prayer during the last weekend at Bethel. Cards they filled out were distributed among 7 of us and they were from across the U.S. and Canada and beyond. People travel from all over to visit Bethel for a weekend, attending services and coming to the Healing Rooms. It was so fun to call them. They were thrilled to get a call letting them know their request had been prayed for and asking them if there was anything else we could pray about.

Blood count goes to normal

I prayed with a woman whose five-year-old son with Down's Syndrome received some healing for a leukemia blood count concern. He had leukemia when he was younger, but it has been in remission. Lately his blood count concerned doctors, and he was due to have a medical test to see if the leukemia was back. His mother brought him to the healing rooms, and when they returned to Washington and he had another blood test, his levels were normal - a change of 1200 points! We praised God together for this healing, and then prayed for him to be healed of Down's Syndrome, a hernia, and just prayed for her and the rest of the family.

A changed life

Another 56-year-old man had been to Bethel and had an encounter with the Holy Spirit that has changed him. He was so happy to hear from us, and said he was coming back for some inner healing.

Cancer in remission

A man Rick prayed with was from Colorado. He came all the way to Bethel to receive healing and was excited to get a followup call. He had Stage 3 cancer - lymphoma - and after returning to Colorado, everything that had been visible signs of cancer on his legs was healed. His doctor was astounded, and told him it looked like he was in remission. Rick shared Colorado stories with him and prayed for further healing.

Home blessed

Another woman I called has cancer through her body. I prayed with her caregiver - her sister - for healing, and for peace over both of them and the Lord's presence in their home.

In recent weeks we have prayed in people's homes and a local hospital for those who have called Bethel to ask for us to come to them. They've had such conditions as injury, H1N1,cerebral palsy, extreme birth defects, epilepsy, and depression. We have prayed not only for the patients, but their families and caregivers. Our team brings God's joy, peace and love into their atmosphere. It is quite an experience.

We feel so privileged to be able to do this kind of ministry. Prayer is so powerful!

We appreciate your prayers!

Although I have been working for the local newspaper, it is not enough to cover our expenses. Rick has been unable to find a job here. The unemployment rate is high and jobs are scarce. We are learning to trust in God's promises of provision. We know many of you are struggling as well, and we want to let you know we are praying for you and for our home county - Grand County - for new jobs, prosperity, and blessing!

"And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:19.

More Praises!

(The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. Rev. 19:10)

Jobs

Rusty, our son, who was laid off in November, will be starting a new job in January!

Healing

Chris, who has suffered from migraines for many years, has been healed of migraines, and back pain too. One day, Bill Johnson, senior pastor, called out a word of knowledge that God wanted to heal migraines - the kind that are weekly and tend to have something to do with allergies. I stood up, and when I did, I felt electricity moving up my spine. That day I had a migraine headache. It was gone in three hours without medication, and I have not had a migraine in 8 weeks now. I have also had much healing in my back. It's a process, but I'm believing for more!

Help

Rick and I have been able to keep up with homework. Yes!

They're growing!

God is a God of joy and fun. Two of our young students were out with their outreach teams, and witnessed legs being healed. One leg was shorter than the other and causing back pain. So the team prayed, and the leg grew out even with the other leg. The person was quite delighted and instantly felt better. This is so common in the healing rooms for people with back pain. These two young women - Steph from Kansas and Naomi from England - are beautiful and absolutely love Jesus. They are both rather short, and decided they would ask God to make them taller. They declared that over themselves and both have grown 2 to 3 inches. Steph laughed and said she can't wait to see her sister at Christmas because now she'll be taller than her.

The Blank Check

The Blank Check

As kids, many of us dreamed about being granted one wish. Solomon got the "one wish." When God appeared to Solomon and gave him that opportunity, it forever raised the bar of our expectations in prayer. The disciples were given the same "wish," only better. Instead of one blank check, they were given an unlimited supply of blank checks. And this gift was specifically granted in the context of their friendship with God.

Surrounding their promotion to friendship, Jesus gave His disciples this amazing list of promises. Each promise was a blank check they were to live by and use throughout their lives for the expansion of the kingdom. They are as follows:

"If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you." (John 15:7)

"You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you." (John 15:16)

"If you ask anything in My name, I will do it." (John14:14)

"And in that day you will ask Me nothing. Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Fatherin My name He will give you. Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full." (John 16:23-24)

In order for us to properly receive what Jesus has offered us in these verses, any robotic understanding of what it means to be a follower of God has to change. God never intended that the believer be a puppet on a string. God actually makes Himself vulnerable to the desires of His people. In fact, it can be said, "if it matters to you, it matters to Him."

While much of the church is waiting for the next word from God, He is waiting to hear the dream of His people. He longs for us to take our role, not because He needs us, but because He loves us.

From the book Dreaming With God, by Bill Johnson, Senior Pastor, Bethel Church