TEA CUPP Tools

Posted on March 8, 2011 by Jennifer Grace

...be prepared in season and out of season... 2 Timothy 4:2 (NIV)

You want to get started with My TEA CUPP Prayers, but how should you begin? First, know you can pray to Jesus anytime and anywhere without any special tools. However, to get you motivated for a daily routine at home, begin by collecting your “tools.” Just having everything you need at hand, will make your TEA CUPP time go smoothly. Here are the TEA CUPP tools I recommend…

Bible...God's Word

Bible…God’s Word…This is a must-have! God will speak to you through His Word. Select a Bible that is best for you. When I first started reading my Bible each day, I chose a One-Year Bible to keep me on track. It was the Living Translation version which was much easier for me to read. After a few years with that Bible, I tried a New International Version One Year Bible. Since I was already in a daily routine, I was able to handle a more challenging version. Then one year I found a daily Bible reading plan, so I was able to use a regular Bible, and I chose the New King James Version. It was a good challenge for me. Pray for God to show you just the right Bible to bring to your TEA CUPP time.

Book Mark…Prayer List…This can be just a folded sheet of paper you keep in your Bible with the names of all the people for whom you want to remember to pray. I like to divide mine up into the days of the week, as my list gets too long. Every few months I’ll make myself a fresh book mark as the prayer needs change.

Book Mark Prayer List

Prayer Journal

Prayer Journal…If you are having your TEA CUPP time at home (not while driving in the car), a journal is a great idea. The journal keeps you focused as you pray. It is harder for your mind to wonder if you are writing your prayers. You can chose a fancy bound journal or a simple spiral notebook. I prefer the spiral notebook, because I can fold it open flat. They are also inexpensive and I tend to use them quickly. But if you are more inspired by a pretty journal, go for it!

Pens…yes, more than one! Some days I’m sure it is satan who makes the ink run out of my pens! He just loves to interrupt my prayer time. So, if I have more than one pen, I keep on writing and praying, even if one runs out of ink. I prefer the Pilot G-2 pen with it’s smooth fine tip. You can use your pens for journaling, as well as underlining favorite Bible verses.

Good Pens

TEA CUPP or Mug

TEA CUPP…of course! You don’t have to have something to drink, but why not?! I often just have a cup of hot water. I like a big mug I can hold on chilly mornings, but I always imagine it is a dainty TEA CUPP I am sharing with Jesus. Pick your favorite CUPP and get ready for TEA TIME!

Today’s TEA CUPP: Today gather all your TEA CUPP tools together and put them in a special spot in your home, perhaps by your favorite chair. Designate this as your quiet time spot. When your family sees you sitting there, they will know you are having TEA with Jesus.

Saying Good-Bye to Butterscotch

Posted on February 18, 2011 by Jennifer Grace

In His hand is the life of every creature
and the breath of all mankind. Job 12:10 (NIV)

Butterscotch the Cat died February 1, 2011 at 3 p.m. in our ten-year old son Kevin’s arms. He was just 3 1/2 years old.

Butterscotch was Kevin’s best friend. Every morning Butterscotch would come in from the garage and go straight to Kevin’s bed to curl up under the covers with him until breakfast. Every afternoon, Butterscotch would hang out on Kevin’s bed and watch Kevin build Legos. Kevin celebrated every birthday and half-birthday with Butterscotch, buying him cat treats and toys. Butterscotch might have been the most loved cat in the world!

At Christmas time Butterscotch started sleeping for hours and hanging out by the wood-burning stove. We took him to the vet twice. They diagnosed him with an auto-immune disease which was attacking his red bloods cells and a virus. They put him on steroids and antibiotics. Twice a day for a month, Kevin and his dad gave Butterscotch his medicine. This consisted of holding his paws from scratching, and popping pills down his throat. Poor Butterscotch! Poor Dad who was scratched!

Butterscotch’s last two weeks they also gave him sugar water to boost his energy. But Butterscotch just wouldn’t eat and drink on his own. He was such a sad sight to see, looking more like those Build-a-Bear animal skins, than a real live kitty. His last week he could barely walk. We moved his litter box and bed inside so he could be warm. Kevin slept on the sofa each night so he could be near Butterscotch.

The afternoon Butterscotch died, our oldest son Jacob and my husband Kent dug a grave for Butterscotch under the tree with the wooden swing where Kevin and Butterscotch spent many a summer day. It was 5 degrees and the sun was just going down behind the mountain when Kevin placed Butterscotch’s box in the frozen ground. Kevin helped cover the box with soil, and we put rocks on top. Kent said a prayer for Butterscotch.

Kevin now has two orange cats that will greet him in heaven, as he lost Jellybean during a 2006 forest fire evacuation. We plan to plant some orange and yellow flowers as a memorial in the spring.

Did we pray for Butterscotch? Oh, yes! Kevin loved him so much. At camp in the summer he would write Butterscotch’s name on a slip of paper for prayer at our Sunday praise service. In the fall he drew pictures of Butterscotch and started a card shop called, “Kevin’s Kat Kards.” When Butterscotch started to get sick, we prayed for him every night.

What did Jesus do with those prayers? I do not know. I know He heard us, but His answer wasn’t the one we wanted. We’ve had other cats disappear and we prayed for them to come back (Beany in 1998, Jellybean in 2006, Snicklefritz in 2009). We prayed for each cat for a year, and it didn’t return. I thought the not-knowing was the worst part. But watching a beloved pet shrivel up into skin and bones is just as traumatic. Why doesn’t God answer these prayers as we ask?

I don’t have answers. But I do know that Jesus comforts us. Kevin couldn’t do his school work for a few weeks after losing his kitty. But then he started doing school again and talking about a new orange kitty. Somehow the Holy Spirit comes and ministers to us in our deepest sadness and fixes the hurts that we can’t ever imagine going away.

I like to picture these pets in heaven. Jesus promises He loves the sparrows and all His creatures. I imagine they are running through a field of flowers, just waiting for their beloved owners to come to heaven, too. And when Kevin arrives in heaven, besides meeting Jesus, he will be tackled by at least two orange kitties who love him very much.

Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. Matthew 10:29 (NIV)

Doodle TEA

Posted on January 21, 2011 by Jennifer Grace

Praying in Color: Drawing a New Path to God Colored markers, drawing paper, my Bible and my TEA CUPP…what am I up to today? Doodle TEA!

Today I share with you a book that has blessed my prayer time. Recently I read “Praying in Color” by Sybil MacBeth. Just as My TEA CUPP Prayers offer you a new flavor of prayer, MacBeth gives us a refreshing splash of color as she shares her prayer method with the world. And I love it!

MacBeth, a math teacher by profession, has taken the God-given gifts of color for spending time each day in prayer with Jesus. Using artful language, such as “the stadium-seating of the 48 crayons in the Crayola box,” Macbeth draws me into her prayer world. She challenges us, saying it is okay to be childlike and to spend “almost every day coloring pictures with Jesus.”

Just as I set aside time and space for My Tea Cupp Prayers, MacBeth prepares a spot for her “Praying in Color.” She collects her drawing paper and markers and invites the Holy Spirit to join her. I thought I would try out MacBeth’s prayer method along with My TEA CUPP Prayers one day, and found it to be an inspiring change of pace.

I had already journaled my THANKS verse and prayers, so I started doodling with the EXALT section. My EXALT verse that day was…

To the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen. Jude 1:25 (NIV)

So in my prayer journal, in a sunburst doodle, I wrote God’s attributes from this verse (glory, majesty, power, etc.) as rays coming out from a center of EXALT. I pondered His glory as I colored in the sunburst, praying for God to be glorified that day.

For my ADMIT section, my verse was…

“Where is your faith?” He asked His disciples. Luke 8:25 (NIV)

The perfect verse for me, since I’m so strong on prayer, but continue to worry. I drew a cross and “nailed” my sins to it with blob words like “doubts,” “worries,” “losing heart,” etc. I asked Jesus to wash it all away and make me new and full of His Holy Spirit.

My CALL section began with the verse…

Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma. Ephesians 5:1-2 (NKJV)

I drew my five-finger plate, and each thing God calls me to do on a finger. In the palm I drew a big heart, asking God to help me do each activity with love. Such a visual display of my prayers, were images I could carry with me throughout the day.

Skipping ahead to my PETITION prayers…doodling gives me so many new ways to journal my prayers of intercession for others. My PETITION verse that day was…

“Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.” Mark 10:9 (NIV)

I drew a big cross for Jesus, and wrote the names of all my family around it, that no one could separate us. The next day I had even more fun praying and doodling, writing my family members inside hearts, with their prayer needs around the hearts. For those in need of jobs and homes, I drew a house and wrote all their names inside. For those in need of healing and comfort, I drew a big hand labeled “God” and wrote all their names in the palm of His hand. And when the prayer requests came by email that day from our church, instead of being overwhelmed by the half-dozen emails, I doodled-prayed their names.

I thank the Lord for Sybil Macbeth and her “Praying in Color” book. I hope you will check it out yourself and be blessed as she draws you into her doodle prayers. Get your markers ready when you join Jesus for your next TEA CUPP time!

http://www.prayingincolor.com/praying.html/

Heaven and Airports

Posted on January 6, 2011 by Jennifer Grace

But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them. Hebrews 11:16 (NKJV)

Heaven and airports. Arrivals and departures. Terminal illnesses and terminals. I wonder if others have pondered this connection while waiting in an airport terminal for loved ones? If it’s a light day, you can get a seat to watch the action. Otherwise, you may be standing to observe the tearful or joyful embraces.

Last August we put our daughter on a plane from Montana to Guam for her junior year of college. As we said good-bye, and watched others say farewell, there were plenty of tears (from others, not our brave daughter, of course). It seems that airports and funerals are two places it’s okay to show love and grief. Why do we display more emotions at these times than we do when sending someone off to work or school each morning?

If we knew it was the last good-bye, would we hold our friends and family closer when we depart? My testimony begins with a plane crash, and I never got to say good-bye to those on board. It was my college cross country team returning from the national meet. My two coaches, three team mates, the athletic trainer and pilot all died that icy November day in 1985. While their plane lay shattered in Des Moines, Iowa, the plane of my life continued to spiral downward as I questioned how God could let this happen. Two years later I gave my life to Jesus Christ, and I soared for Him again.

One of the many joys of being a Christian is knowing I will always see other Christians again. If I don’t see them here on earth, I will have eternity to visit with them in heaven. We live at a church camp where there are good-byes every week of the summer. Volunteers serve and become our friends, and then they depart. I am thankful that we will get to see these folks again in heaven. Perhaps Jesus will line up some of these great workers to help prepare houses for more people coming to heaven!

Four months after we put our daughter on that plane for Guam, we found ourselves at the airport again on a frigid December day. As we eagerly waited for our daughter’s return, I watched couples and families reunite. I thought of heaven and how loved ones will welcome us. Hugs, tears, slaps on the back, ruffling hair…all these say, “I love you!” I imagine our relatives there will be delighted when we finally reach heaven.

Our daughter, however, did not arrive on schedule. She was not on the one o’clock flight from Denver, or the two o’clock, or the three o’clock. With no cell phone, we didn’t know where she was or when she would land. A desk attendant said she wouldn’t arrive until the next day. I felt like crying. We waited for the four o’clock flight anyway, and guess what, at just a little before five o’clock our daughter appeared! After checking the faces of every blond girl that afternoon, we finally saw the face of our daughter!

I wondered if that could happen in heaven? Will we be dismayed when our loved ones don’t show up? God says He’ll wipe away every tear from our eyes and there will be no more sorrow. So, will I be somber if my brother doesn’t pull in? I think there will be an empty spot in my heart, because Jesus desires that none should perish. While I’m still on earth, I’d better make sure my family knows they are invited, that they know Jesus and His salvation. I may be distressed when my family members depart from this earth, but I’ll be delighted when all my loved ones arrive in heaven, even if it is a day late.

For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 2 Corinthians 5:1 (NKJV)

Where was the Prodigal’s Mom?

Posted on January 4, 2011 by Jennifer Grace

Pray without ceasing.
I Thessalonians 5:17

In Luke 15:11-31 we read the story of the Prodigal Son. I know this parable is an illustration of our Heavenly Father welcoming home His lost children. However, if I consider it as just an earthly family, I often wonder, “Where was the Prodigal’s Mom?”

Where was the Prodigal Son’s Mom? Was she mending clothes when she first noticed this son’s rebelliousness as a youth? Did she sit by his bedside every night and pray for him as he grew up? Did she often go without meals as she fasted for her son, pleading with God for him to give up his rebelliousness?

Where was the Prodigal’s Mom when he asked his father for his share of the inheritance? Was she heartbroken, crying in the bedroom? Was she pleading with him not to go? Was she praying constantly for him to stay?

Where was the Prodigal’s Mom when he was squandering the money on wild living? Was she distressed by his friends who had led him astray? Was she begging God to watch over him? Was she longing to go and find her son?

Did people tell the Prodigal’s Mom not to worry, that her morals were too high, that all kids need to spread their wings? Did they make her feel like a failed mom for raising a rebellious son? Or, did they come to her and pray with her and claim God’s promises for her lost son?

Where was the Prodigal’s Mom when the son was feeding the pigs? As she fed her chickens, was she wondering what her son was doing? Was she praying and fasting again for her son to come home, day after day after day?

Where was the Prodigal’s Mom when his father saw him coming at a distance? Was she right beside Dad, running to hug her long lost son? Was she in her room, praising God for His answers to prayer? Was she in the kitchen helping to fix the fatted calf for the celebration?

Where was the Prodigal’s Mom during the party? Did she sit beside her son with joy? Did she comfort her other son who had stayed to work? Did she thank God over and over again for the safe return of her son? Did she ask God to forgive her son and wash away the scars from his journey?

Where was the Prodigal’s Mom?

Today’s TEA CUPP: My dear TEA Mom, as you complete your TEA CUPP journey, praying all the parts of prayer, meeting with Jesus each day for TEA, you may expect everything will go just right. But our children will still make their own choices. Our job is to keep praying for them. Please don’t give up. Be the Prodigal’s Mom. Keep praying, even if it takes decades until that child comes home to you and Jesus.

Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.
Luke 15:10 (NKJV)

LORD, be gracious to us;
we long for You.
Be our strength every morning,
our salvation in time of distress.
Isaiah 33:2 (NIV)

Eagle’s Wings

Posted on November 17, 2010 by Jennifer Grace

But those who wait on the LORD
Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint. Isaiah 40:31 (NKJV)

It was a beautiful fall day, an extra one God blessed us with in November, before the winter snows. The breezes were just right for kite-flying, so our son Kevin took his multi-colored bird into the big field. As he tugged the string and the kite rose upward, I gazed in awe at the beauty, wanting to capture the moment in my memory. The rainbow kite flew against a clear blue sky. This picture was framed by snow-capped mountains and evergreen trees. My son happily watched his kite glide on the wind, as I soaked up this memorable moment.

A few times when the kite plummeted to the ground, Kevin picked it up and tried again. His big brother Jacob pedaled over on his bicycle to help. With Jacob holding the kite and Kevin running, the kite rose into the air and was sailing again, soaring like the bald eagles we’ve seen recently in our valley. Kites and eagles — two beautiful visions.

What features did God give the majestic eagle? With 7,000 feathers, this bird can fly at 35 mph, soaring up to 10,000 feet above sea level. While gliding, the eagle spreads its tail feathers to get more surface area to catch the up-drafts. A faithful bird, the eagle mates for life. Though it was removed from the Endangered Species List in 2007, the bald eagle remains a symbol of freedom to all who live in the United http://www.healthsupportyou.com/accutane-isotretinoin/ States. Freedom is what we can enjoy as followers of Christ who have been set free from our sins.

This past summer we watched the small group series, “If You Want to Walk on Water, You have to Get Out of the Boat,” by Max Lucado. The series is based on the Bible story of Peter walking on water. The main idea is we can’t walk on water unless we try, and Jesus will be there to help us if we sink. The final session of the video series shows an eagle, much like the ones we have in our valley, gliding through the sky-blue heavens. This crowning moment was to encourage us all to get out of our boats. How I want to be like that eagle, soaring on God’s spirit.

Brilliant kites, beautiful mountains, soaring eagles, brothers helping brothers…these are the things God uses to remind me of His Word and His promises. When my kite comes crashing down, He uses friends and family to raise me up on eagles wings, so that I can shine for Him. I claim His promise in Isaiah 40:31 and He renews my strength to fly again. I look forward to that day when I am soaring like the eagles.

And He will raise you up on eagles’ wings,
bear you on the breath of dawn,
make you to shine like the sun,
and hold you in the palm of His hand.

(by Michael Joncas, 1979)

New King James Version (NKJV)

“Foot-in-Mouth” TEA

Posted on November 9, 2010 by Jennifer Grace

Did you ever have a cup of “Foot-in-Mouth” tea? That bitter taste of shoe-leather just stays with you all day, even all week. It’s the kind of tea you drink again and again, wishing you had never had it the first time. Oh, this happens to me sometimes. The wrong words come tumbling out, and then over and over again I replay those words in my mind, trying to erase them from my memory. What can we do at a time like this? Come to Jesus.

It’s time to sit down with Jesus for TEA CUPP prayers and focus on the “A” today. Let’s ADMIT our sins to Jesus, who already knows them anyway. Give Him all the wrong words and let Him wash away the hurts with His special “Foot-in-Mouth” anecdote…God’s Word…

First, He convicts us with His Word…

The words of the reckless pierce like swords,
but the tongue of the wise brings healing. Proverbs 12:18 (NIV)

But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken. Matthew 12:36 (NIV)

But the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart, and these defile them. Matthew 15:18 (NIV)

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. Ephesians 4:29 (NIV)

But no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. James 3:8-10 (NIV)

If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:8-9 (NKJV)

Then, I ask for His forgiveness…

Surely I spoke of things I did not understand,
things too wonderful for me to know….
Therefore I despise myself
and repent in dust and ashes.” Job 42:3, 6 (NIV)

My soul is in deep anguish.
How long, LORD, how long?

Turn, LORD, and deliver me;
save me because of Your unfailing love. Psalm 6:3-4 (NIV)

Jesus promises me my sins are forgiven…

Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” Luke 7:48 (NIV)

“I, even I, am He who blots out
your transgressions, for My own sake,
and remembers your sins no more.” Isaiah 43:25 (NIV)

As far as the east is from the west,
So far has He removed our transgressions from us. Psalm 103:12 (NIV)

Finally, I pray that I won’t drink “Foot-in-Mouth” TEA again…

I said, “I will watch my ways
and keep my tongue from sin. Psalm 39:1 (NIV)

“Teach me, and I will hold my tongue;
Cause me to understand wherein I have erred. Job 6:24 (NKJV)

Set a guard over my mouth, LORD;
keep watch over the door of my lips. Psalm 141:3 (NIV)

May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart
be pleasing in Your sight,
LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer. Psalm 19:14 (NIV)

No more shoe-leather…a fresh new day…God bless you, my friends!

In Memory of Angelica May

Posted on November 6, 2010 by Jennifer Grace

Thus says the LORD:
“ A voice was heard in Ramah,
Lamentation and bitter weeping,
Rachel weeping for her children,
Refusing to be comforted for her children,
Because they are no more.” Jeremiah 31:15 (NKJV)

We have been with child, we have been in pain;
We have, as it were, brought forth wind…Isaiah 26:18 (NKJV)

What do you do when you come to such sad verses in your Bible? For those of us who have lost babies, these words can bring us to tears. Yet we know the God of the Universe understands our sorrow, for it’s right here in His Word. I underline the verses and write a “U” for “Understanding my story” next to them. This is my story right in God’s Word. Perhaps it is your story, too.

But I don’t need to stop there, for God also has words of comfort for me…

I will rejoice in Jerusalem,
And joy in My people;
The voice of weeping shall no longer be heard in her,
Nor the voice of crying.
“ No more shall an infant from there live but a few days… Isaiah 65:19-20 (NKJV)

He will swallow up death forever,
And the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from all faces… Isaiah 25:8 (NKJV)

I underline these verses and write a “P” for “Promises” next to them. I claim God’s promises that He will wipe away every tear, and that babies will always live in heaven. Jesus comforts me with His Word and promises, as we share our TEA CUPP time together. And that is how it is today, as I remember our dear Angelica May.

In Loving Memory of Our Babies…

Angelica May

November 6, 2009

Gabriella Hope

June 10, 2010

Gloria Anne

July 25, 2009

Dear Jesus, please hold our babies for me until you call me home.

Pray and don’t give up!

Posted on November 3, 2010 by Jennifer Grace

Then Jesus told His disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. Luke 18:1 (NIV)

The Parable of the Persistent Widow

¹ Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart, ² saying: “There was in a certain city a judge who did not fear God nor regard man. ³ Now there was a widow in that city; and she came to him, saying, ‘Get justice for me from my adversary.’ ⁴ And he would not for a while; but afterward he said within himself, ‘Though I do not fear God nor regard man, ⁵ yet because this widow troubles me I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.’”
⁶ Then the Lord said, “Hear what the unjust judge said. ⁷ And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them? ⁸ I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?”

Luke 18:1-8 (NKJV)

Today I want to encourage you to pray and don’t give up! I often feel like the persistent widow, praying over and over again for the same things. I pray for our children, I pray for our camping ministry, I pray for those with cancer, I pray for our country. Every morning I bring my petitions to Jesus, just as the widow did to the judge. Unlike the judge, Jesus doesn’t grow weary of my persistence, and at just the right time He sends His answers. Jesus is always ready to hear our prayers and share a CUPP of TEA. My friends, pray and don’t give up!

But I am poor and needy;
Make haste to me, O God!
You are my help and my deliverer;
O LORD, do not delay. Psalm 70:5 (NKJV)

The Narrow Gate

Posted on October 18, 2010 by Jennifer Grace

Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Becausenarrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it. Matthew 7:13-14 (NKJV)

We live at a church camp way up in the mountains of south central Montana. Like most of the ranches in our area, we have a log rail fence to define the property. At one point in the fence, a small walk-way was installed so hikers can pass through without climbing over. This is handy if you are the right size. I found when we had little kids that I didn’t fit if I had the back-carrier or stroller or wagon. We could only fit through the narrow gate one at a time.

This narrow gate is such a symbol of God’s Word above. Most people would rather go through the main entrance because they can do it their own way, bringing the big vehicle, the family, the horse trailer, the RV…all their extra stuff. But God says, “Enter by the narrow gate.” We can’t bring our stuff or anyone else to heaven, only ourselves. We can’t even do good works or give big offerings to enter heaven. All we can do is believe in Jesus and point others to the narrow gate.

We can tell our family and friends that Jesus is “the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through” Him. John 14:6 (NKJV) We can explain “for God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” John 3:16 (NKJV). And we can urge them to “believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved.” Acts 16:31 (NKJV).

Looking at my photo of the narrow gate, you might suggest that a person could just climb over or through, or crawl under the log rails. That might just work to get to camp, but God does not allow that for getting to heaven.

I tell you the truth, the man who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. John 10:1 (NKJV)

We don’t want to be thieves and robbers. We want to enter the way God intended, through the narrow gate. How hard can that be? Jesus says, “And again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” Matthew 19:24 (NKJV) A camel wouldn’t even fit through our narrow camp gate, let alone the eye of a needle. How then is it possible that we can enter the kingdom of God?

Jesus responds, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Matthew 19:26 (NKJV) I pray this possible miracle for all my family and friends and even my enemies, that they will believe in Jesus, my Savior, the Narrow Gate, the only Way to heaven.

If you would like to bring your family or church to this beautiful church camp in Montana, I will be delighted to show you our narrow gate, and share a devotion with you. Please visit…

http://www.campontheboulder.org/

I am the gate; whoever enters through Me will be saved. John 10:9 (NIV)

“Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to. Luke 13:24 (NIV)