A great week at camp

Many of you know that Julie, Melanie and I joined our CSM staff in Europe for a week of camp ministry. We were in Italy at a large sports camp with over 220 of us!  Students from five different military communities and from all different walks of life.

We had a great time there in fun and fellowship. Our speaker was Todd Arnett from California and did he ever do a great job connecting the dots from the WORD to the lives and hearts of our students.  His desire to share with them was evident every time he taught and spent time with the students.

The three of us were part of our community from Wiesbaden as small group leaders. Julie also used her decorating skills to turn the program room into a look of our theme...The Illusion!  With the help of Becke, Delilah and Julie, they did an amazing job!

I had the privilege of helping Dan out with games. We planned them from our living room in Oregon and their living room in Wiesbaden and then once we arrived in Germany, we began to put the final pieces together.  God was good in working out the details to it all.

One day on our final event, we did a 9 event Great Race and ended with....ANGRY BIRDS!  It was a ton of fun and will do it again!

Thanks for praying for us and the ministry here in Germany!

First week in Deutschland & Good Friday!

It is hard to imagine that on the 8th of April it will have been two years since the Lord began to direct and guide us to begin our new adventure in ministry with Cadence International and the Student Ministries team in Germany.  Who would have ever thought that!

Well of course if you know the whole story, Julie did. You see over 31 years ago while living in Frankfurt, Germany, the Holy Spirit prompted Julie to begin to pray for the students of the US Military serving here in Germany.  This vision to see them reached for Jesus began in 1979 and it would become a seed that would grow, be watered, cultivated and then now, years later, come to LIFE!  It is after years of prayer, passion and patience that we are serving and doing what Julie earnestly prayed for.

Little did she know that God would answer her prayer back in 1979 at the same time, direct Cadence, then OCSC to ask Dick and Margaret Patty to leave Kaiserslautern and move their family to Frankfurt and see if there was a way to reach the students of the military.  Cadence (OCSC) was working with with the military through the hospitality houses and had yet to work with the students.  Well, scripture tells us, "that the prayers of a righteous person, avails much."  Her prayers and the Patty's prayers and their ministry team then and now see the benefits of constant and passionate prayers.

As we have just finished our first week of ministry in our new adventure, we are still seeing the Lord answer dozens of prayers! We see Him working in and through us as we meet new people, start ministry, look for housing, secure a vehicle, get ID, acquaint ourselves with live internationally and a myriad of other things.  God is good and moving to bring glory to His name for His kingdom sake.

To finish a bit more of the story of a 19 year old girls prayer, we are doing Student Ministries just 20 minutes from Frankfurt on the Army post in Wiesbaden,  WOW!!  Is God ever good! He does provide and He does answer prayers!

As we reflect today on the fact that it is Good Friday, we are thankful for God's provision of the perfect Lamb sacrifice for your sins and mine. As we reflect on the gift that forgiveness is, we rejoice that we get to share that with the students, families and others here in Germany.  Together, with His leading and help, we can see the dreams of a young girl answered and come to life!

Praise be to the Lord Most High...who was, and is and is to come!  Oh Lord, we thank You for all You have and will do!

Two years in the making...

This journey we are on now, 28 May 2012, started before time began in the plan of the Maker of all things.  We also know that because the Word says that.  We also know it, because He has been directing every step of the past two years to get us to this place.

Sitting in the airport in San Francisco, I am amazed at the journey of our life and ministry that started 8 April of 2010. God began to set somethings in motion that would redirect our lives.  With the redirection come refocus and with refocus comes a clearer picture of what He wants for us.

With the tool set that God has given us and the team that is backing us, we are launching out in a new ministry and journey that will land us in Wiesbaden, Germany.  There, Team Shackelford, you included, will begin to build relationships with the military, their family and their students.  We will serve there and provide for them an opportunity to become acquainted with our Lord and Savior. We will also work towards building relationships where we can disciple them in their walk with God.

What a joy and opportunity it is! We are blessed to know that the Lord wants to do some great things that has been two years in the making.  A lifetime vision to see the lives of students introduced to Jesus that Julie had 31 years ago is now about to happen!

Holding on to His hands and committed to Him, we are excited to see what He is and will do!

Building Crates For the King

This morning four men, "Friends" came and built 3 wooden crates for us to ship our household items to our new home in Germany!  They were building crates for the King. Not me...the King!!  In less than two hours, Mark Kost, Steve Banister, Bill King and Jeff Dickey took a trailer full of wood and made some amazing crates that are now filling up with household items.

One is completely full and the second one is 1/2 full.  In the next few days, the house will be emptied, painted and the containers will be at a warehouse awaiting our arrival and new house being found.

WOW!!  It is simply amazing to see what these men did as well as what the Lord is doing! We are truly blessed by each and every member of our team as well as what He is doing in and through us!

You are all amazing those that pray, play and pay as part of TEAM SHACKELFORD!  Thanks for following His leading in your lives for His sake and His people.

As Melanie, Julie and I prepare to leave on the 28th, we want you to know how much we value each of you and all you do for us!

Thanks men for your help as well as being available to be used by Him.  Thanks to all of you for all you do as well!

Shack

What a life!!

I recently attended the 90th birthday for a special and dear friend!  She is one of those people that when you are with her, you not only feel like you are the most important person, you feel her love and acceptance.

It is because of nothing that I have done, it is because of who she is! She is a Child of the King!

The King has made her so special and she radiates that to those that come in contact with her.  Her demeanor and her personality is so attractive and her attitude is one of making sure you know her King and that you are of value.

When you look at Margaret Hovey, you see not only the beauty of a love for Jesus, you see the beauty of a life transformed and of real value.  Her beauty is rooted deep inside and it is there for all to see.  When you talk with her over a cup of tea, she always communicates her love for the King and her desire for you to know Him and love Him too.

It is infectious and it is so real! How do you get there? Ask her and she will tell you, "He finds me of value and worth and that means, so are you!"  WOW!!  That is a life lived out in all ways.

It was an honor to be there with my friend and also was an honor to pray a blessing over her from the King, our King on His special daughter! What a life!  Oh, that I would have a life that would do the same.  Is your life radiating the King?

How to hear from God

Last Sunday I had the privilege of teaching at our home church in our Sunday School class.  The Prime Mover class is such a great class and they are a real blessing to us and so many.

As I sought the Lord for what He wanted me to share it became apparent that the lessons of the week were for me to work through and live out His topic for me.  So as I prayed and prepped, I found myself searching the scriptures for those who had either learned the lesson or didn't learn how to hear from God.

Moses, Abraham, Jacob, Elijah, Jonah, David and Paul just to name drop as well as to know, that everyone that follows God, has to learn how to hear from Him.  The key two ingredients to this I found was that we have to first be clean before Him.

Secondly, we have to stop, be still and get low before Him.  When our lives, circumstances and chaos is always going on, we are distracted and then, we don't always hear.  When we put the advise and counsel of the world and others, that can and does distort the way we hear and listen to the Lord.

I also found that His desire is for me to Be Still!  One way I found that was through the scripture as well as a song by the group Selah titled, Be Still.  It moved me to tears all week long as I reflected on the Word and the lyrics to the song.  You can find it on YouTube and I would encourage you to take a moment and listen to it.  If you are friends with me on Facebook, you can find it linked on my wall too.

So, in the middle of life, chaos, heartache, disaster and even in the calm, we all need to practice a bit of being still so we can hear from God.

Thanks to the body in Prime Movers that let me share and allowed me to just be me and teach His Word from my own life experience.  If you would like to hear it, here is the link to the download. http://goodshepherdcc.org/content.cfm?id=213 once there, scroll down to January 29th and you should see my name.

May the Lord bless you as you hear from Him!

Another Year!!!

Well, we made it some may say.  Others start out the new year with a new resolution.  And then there are others, like me, that make no resolution but desire to see a new and different year.  Either way you do it, we are in a new year!

Just looking back over the year, we are so thankful for all that the Lord did.  Provisions in so many ways, direction in life and ministry, opportunities to share and teach His Word, mentorship opportunities for both of us as well as time just to see His beauty.

As I write this, I am so thankful for the beauty of His creation outside my office window.  His creation sings of the newness and freshness of His hand.  His power and might shown in so many ways,  The trees, the lawn, the flowers, the sunset and the list goes on! Thanks Lord for all you have done!!!

I am also grateful for the time that we have had with our family! The Lord has provided many opportunities to be together with them.  The holidays were all special this past two months and the joy of being together was so fun! Meals, movies, games and even just sitting around the living room.  What a great thing.

As I reflect on these few thoughts, I am mindful that the Lord is so much in control of all things and it requires me to know that, accept that and rejoice in that.  He knows all things and He is in control of all things.  My response, thanks for the new year to service Him!  Thanks for the time I have that He gives so that I can make a difference.

May the Lord bless you as we serve Him together!  What will you do for Him this new year?