coning home

Heading home from beautiful Montana today! I saw a moose yesterday walking outside my dorm room! See him in the center of the above foto? It's been a great trip and I'm so thankful the Lord made it possible. I hope to see many of you in the next couple of weeks and as I digest this experience, share some of the things I learned with you.

May the Lord richly bless your week ahead. May He use you to bless others with His amazing love and compassion. May He give each of you fresh vision for what He has ahead for you personally. May you hear his Word speak to your heart as you seek to honor and serve Him!

In His Arm's,

Pat

Nice Day

Looks like it's gonna be a nice day to be outside! I pray you have a blessed day too!

Pat

Reflecting

Today was more a kickback day in Montana. It snowed again on and off but the temp got a little warmer as the day progressed and by late afternoon the sun was shining for the first time since I got here. It was a day to reflect a little as well as rest. I had mentioned before about having many opportunities to serve and I am thinking the greater challenge for me will be having too much to choose from. And with that, I'm realizing the need for prayer and wisdom about what, where, when and how is greater than ever.

The idea of doing extended ministry outside of Escondido is still almost surreal. But I can see God opening all kinds of doors. I don't think I'll be sitting around waiting for stuff to do after my medical stuff is done. Already, I look at my calendar for the next three months and see the present dilemma - lot's of things to do and places to go and dear friends to see - but there's a fog over the calendar called surgery and recovery - dogonit :-) I want to get my cart before my horse and that never works. So again I ask for patience. Being up here and participating in an

intensely relational ministry whets my appetite and I want to dive in - but I know this is just a time of searching out - and I will still need to wait and pray for what He wants rather than what I want. One thing for sure, the next few months will be very interesting.

Love you guys! Thanks for all the comments you've made!

In His Arm's,

Pat

Montana #2

Hello again from Pottersfield Ranch in Whitefish Mt. Below is the scene I woke up to this morning:

It's snowed each night and early morning I've been here. It melts by noon and the snow turns to rain - but this morning it totally looked like a scene out of Narnia!

Had a wonderful day with the students and staff here and have made a whole bunch of new friends! It's so invigorating to see young people on fire for Jesus and wanting to commit their entire lives to serving Him.

This evening, we enjoyed a Seder dinner presented by Pastor Dave Mercer.

Got three more days to rest up here then it's back to Escondido on Monday. I should be around for the next few weeks if any of you would like to get together and have some good fellowship time!

In His Arm's,

Pat

PS. Had to throw in at least one picture of my grand daughter Kaylee with me at the Flower Fields in Carlsbad last Saturday!

Whitefish

Made it safely to Pottersfield ranch in Whitefish, Montana. What a beautiful place God has provided here to help train up our next generation of servant/leaders. Doing good physically so far - thanks for your prayers. They have wi-fi so I'll be able to send and receive email while I'm here. No phone however - it only works in town which is about 15 miles away.

Got some nice pics of the scenery and I'll take a few of the students, interns, and staff tomorrow.

Love you all!

Pat

Montana

So here we go! I'm flying out tomorrow to the Pottersfield Ranch in Whitefish, Montana to visit with long time friends, Mike and Pam Rozelle and meet some of their staff, interns, and students - and talk and pray with them about future ministry possibilities down the road. I've never been there before but I understand it's quite a beautiful and restful place. A little rest and quiet reflection would be nice after the emotional intensity of transitioning the leadership of our church. Their next term starts in late summer - about the time I should be healed up from the next surgery. Please pray for wisdom and travel safety - and also that my ileostomy doesn't act up too much. It's been quite irritating on the surrounding skin lately. This is a trip I was planning to make before the last surgery went south. I had hoped to be hitting my stride about now, if the reconnect had gone the way it was supposed to, but instead am only at about 60% of where I had hoped to be strength and stamina wise. Still, I felt I could make the trip so I'm going and will be back home next Monday. I can't wait for these medical issues to be over.

I was blessed by the word one of our elders gave during the "turn-over" service Sunday about me having the strength of Caleb who was as strong in his 80's as he was in his 40's.  That would sure be cool after the trials of the past couple of years. Make it so Lord!

More from Montana if I can get an internet connection. You can check out pictures of the Ranch and info about the ministry in Whitefish at www.pfranch.org/

In His Arm's,

Pat

 

Transition

Hi folks! Well most of of you probably have already heard of our (the pastors and board of CCE and I) decision to "pass the mantle" of the leadership of CCE to Pastor Miles DeBenedictus. We had a beautiful turn over service this morning and I praise God for His Spirit guiding everything that was said and done. What a great church family we have! Please pray for Miles and I as we head into the new things God has for us. Miles will certainly have his hands full with the responsibilities of leading the church here on out and will need you who are part of CCE to be lifting up his arm's and helping him the best you can in his new position. I too will need prayer as I seek the Lord for His next chapter in my life and ministry.

I'll continue to be in relationship with CCE but likely in more of a missionary status. It will probably be somewhere around mid-summer before I'm ready to hit the ground running in what I hope to be a broader ministry to the Calvary Chapel movement and wherever else the Lord may lead. I can't make any commitments until I'm recovered from my yet to be scheduled, colon reconnect surgery...which I still hope to be sometime in late may or early June.

I'm quite excited about all this and just pray my full health will return soon.

I will continue posting to my blog and welcome your comments and input regarding this new venture of faith for me and Miles and our church.

In His Arm's,

Pat

A little break

Been taking a little break on my blog entries. I'm working thru a bunch of things and doing OK.

God is taking me thru each day and showing His kindness and goodness to me in many ways. Still no date yet for my reconnect surgery but the doc is supposed to order the scan of my colon around the first of May. If that shows all is well then the surgery will be scheduled soon after that. I'm hoping early June - but it's still a waiting game. Thanks for your continued encouragement and prayer!

In His Arm's,

Pat

9 Months

A blessed weekend to you all! I wrote the following to a friend of mine who lost her husband a few months ago to cancer. Her husband was a pastor and she was very involved in ministry as well - and still is. She was commenting on upcoming women's retreats she would be doing and what she wanted to be able to impart to the ladies attending about serving and trusting God in the dark times. That prompted my response, which I felt would be good to share with all of you - especially those of you who may be really struggling thru a dark season of your soul.

 

"I think there is a process in how God teaches us the deep things - like serving and trusting and loving and forgiving in the dark hours. We learn the principles through good teachers and our own study of the Word. We nod our heads and say, "Amen, brother!" when we hear profound truth expounded. We even copy it and tell others that these things are true! Then....then the then comes - it always does - sooner or later - and then the dark and frightening stuff of life here smashes thru all that we thought was strong and stable. Then God begins an ever so slow yet miraculous reassembly of our shattered lives. Only we're not the same anymore - we're different; our outlook, uplook, worldview, inner heart has been changed - the direction of the river has been altered. And then we get to share with others these marvelous truths of the faithfulness of our God. He uses us to touch others as we never could before."

Today it's 9 months since my Joyce finished her race and I am not the same. The direction of my life has been altered by the One Who changes the course of rivers and Who moves the mountains. And though life is so different now it is still good and God is working! May He flow thru your life today as well!

In His Arm's,

Pat

His Instruments

A Blessed Thursday my friends! Hope your week has gone well and you're staying close to the Lord in your daily walk! I'm praying this morning that your hunger for His Word is insatiable and your availability for the Lord to use you today would be wide open! We are all called to serve Him and be His instruments of love and care to those He has put in our sphere of influence.

Rain or shine let's do that today!

In His Arm's,

Pat