A Week in Paradise

Okay... technically, not a week - only four days. And, of course, not in Paradise (the eternal home of the saints in Christ) but in Asheville, NC. Billy Graham's retreat and conference center known as The Cove, to be specific. But for Patty and me, it was a tremendous place of renewal.

Our church family (http://www.mountianviewbaptistchurch.org) lovingly gave us the time to go and enjoy these days of grace. They watched out over our children while we were away and prayed for us during this time. What a joy it is to serve such a church family as Mountain View Baptist!

While in North Carolina, we were blessed with the music of Aaron Shust (http://aaronshust.com/site/). We had the opportunity to fellowship with tremendous friends with the Rapid Response Team (RRT) of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (http://billygraham.org/what-we-do/evangelism-outreach/rapid-response-team/about/). These were the same chaplains who deployed to my hometown of Darrington and blessed us with the love and compassion of Christ (http://billygraham.org/video/washington-mudslide-compassion-for-the-scattered-and-the-weary/).

In a remarkable act of grace, they brought us out to their retreat and conference center in North Carolina (http://www.thecove.org/) in order to give us a chance to rest and refresh. And what a refreshing time it was! We spent four beautiful days together, more time than we've spent together in the past three months, and found our hearts renewed in the wonderful mercy of God. On our last night with them (Wednesday), they allowed me to share with all who had gathered for the RRT conference and close out the session in prayer.

This letter is just a simple thank you to our Lord Jesus Christ for His incredible grace and love, to our church who lives the love of Christ, and to the members of the RRT. You have blessed us and truly reflect the heart and life of the Lord Jesus Christ. In Who's Name we glory.

In Christ,

Michael