"But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts." Romans 13:14

Dear Friends and Family,

The flesh is a wicked traitor to its owner. Like the Trojan horse of old within the walls of the city, it waits for the opportune moment to send its troops in to wreak havoc and secure destruction. It is a sly enemy that kills its owner by fond embraces and by the "Judas Kiss." To pamper the flesh is to feed and empower it, and at the same time, to quench the Spirit of God within. The flesh chokes out and stifles holy intentions, and sides itself with the world and Satan himself. The result will be an impotent believer, and consequently, an irrelevant Christian life.

There is a nature within us that will not pray, will not obey, and will not believe. The flesh would have us believe in and follow a temptation more than the promises of God. Do you sense it? Can you discern it? If not, check your salvation, or at the very least, your spiritual maturity. Even in the best, oldest, and wisest of saints, it will spring forth unexpectedly with its inordinate lusts and desires. Our first day in glory will be our first day away from this age-old enemy. What a day of rejoicing that will be!

Until then, we fight an unholy trinity of three enemies on three fronts: the world, the devil, and our own sinful nature. It is my personal belief that an allied force consisting of Satan and this world will not inflict nearly as much destruction and pain upon the children of God as will our own flesh all by itself. It's a cliché, but we truly are our own worst enemies. Therefore, our sinful nature must be mortified.

It seems that the contemporary Church of Jesus Christ knows very little of mortifying the flesh. Even the word "mortifying" has an old-fashioned, out-of-date ring to it. When was the last time you heard a message from the pulpit on the importance of mortifying the flesh? Unfortunately, the pulpit has grown quiet on the issue and indeed, it shows. The pursuit of holiness and denial of one's self is now referred to by many as "legalism." As a result, the Church today enjoys all of the pleasures of this world and then some...and it too, shows. We are taking very good care of...ourselves...with so-called Christian cruises, Christian concerts, Christian conferences, Christian schools, Christian TV, Christian movies, Christian bookstores, Christian radio stations and the list goes on and on. If the result were a purer, more edified and more mature Church, then it would be time and resources well spent, but for the most part, that's not what we're seeing. We're seeing a spoiled and soft generation of milk-toast believers that knows very little of true discipleship, genuine service, or the self-sacrifice necessary to fulfill the requirements of real Christian discipleship. Pain and suffering are NOT to be avoided at all costs, and the cause of Christ must NOT take a back seat to self-indulgence and personal comfort. Let's be reminded once again of Christ's words as He describes a true follower of His: "Then Jesus said to His disciples, 'If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me'" Matthew 16:24. While we still have time on this earth to do so, let us follow hard after the Lord Jesus Christ, and die for the cause of Christ if need be.

We have some great information to share with you and consider it a privilege to do so. It's been an extremely busy summer so far, and the Lord has been gracious to us in every way.

In July the Lord gave TFR an opportunity to purchase a nearby piece of property. This three-acre parcel containing two homes, an artesian spring water source, outbuildings, and covered vehicle storage is located very close to TFR, and obviously, looked extremely useful. So, we e-mailed many of you asking for prayer for this opportunity. Within a few hours, we already had half of the purchase price as a matching/challenge grant, and the other half came in soon afterwards. The final result? We now have "The TFR Annex" just two miles down the road. It is completely paid for, and has already shown itself to be a beautiful and useful resource for TFR. It is being used daily for housing visitors and staff, and for other ministry needs. We are very grateful for this provision, and for all of those whom the Lord moved to help purchase it.

Next, as I wrote to you in our previous newsletter, TFR had a ten-thousand dollar matching grant that had been designated for our greenhouse and other projects around the ranch. At that time, we still hadn't had that grant fulfilled. Over the course of about one month the entire sum came in, and we were able to purchase all of the materials needed to finish our summer projects.

As in previous summers, we have once again been enjoying many visitors. An extremely handy and productive group of men and women from Edmonds Foursquare Church-The Courtyard came and built our women's home a brand new and enlarged cedar deck. They also landscaped our fruit trees, helped in the beginning stages of framing our new greenhouse, and to top it all off...they purchased for TFR 50 fir trees that now provide a beautiful privacy hedge. All of this happened over the course of one long weekend! These guys and gals have a spot by our campfire anytime!

Next, a great group of servants came from SeaTac Bible Church. This was their fifth year in a row serving at TFR, and they came with the experience of legit ranch hands! This group was a mix of men, women, and youth, and they too cleared a high bar of service as they bucked hay into the barn, split and stacked firewood into the shelter, completed all of the framing on the greenhouse, and helped scrape and paint our never-ending miles of fencing. To top it off, we had our traditional wiffle ball game at the end of a work day. TFR was pitted against SeaTac's best and brightest, and thanks to a bottom-of-the-ninth rally, TFR was again victorious! A perfect ending to a perfect day! Seriously, they served wholeheartedly and fruitfully and we look forward to seeing them back again very soon.

Many different families, couples, and individuals have stayed at TFR, lending a hand as part of their vacations and road trips. Now that's sacrificial service! Because of this, we have been able to completely landscape the grounds surrounding the women's home, replace and/or paint all of our fencing, keep our garden and lawns green and lush, install a new irrigation system, and accomplish a host of other facility-enhancing tasks. We even have a newly updated website that will have fresh and current pictures. Thank you all for your help!

All of this is for the purpose of having a Christ-centered, biblically based, beautiful place where hurting young women can go to find help and healing in their times of need. This facility plays a useful part in that endeavor, not the other way around. I hope as you read this letter you too are seeing the wonderful blessings of God on this ministry. Grace continues to be defined and redefined for us with every season of life. It is the "manifold grace of God" in action! (1 Peter 4:10).

As a trophy of God's grace, let me share with you another testimony from one of our current students and soon-to-be graduates. Dawn has this to say... "The Lord saved me at a young age and I walked closely with Him for much of my life. Before I came to The Father's Ranch I was in the Word daily, participated in small groups, fellowshipped with Christian friends and served in the church and other ministries, but I was also engaged in ongoing self-centered sin. When painful trials came I increased my sin instead of casting my anxiety on the Lord (1 Peter 5:7). I isolated and starved myself, losing touch with reality. I dishonored God and alienated my family.

'When I concealed my sin, I did not prosper, but when I confessed and renounced (my sin) then I found mercy' (Proverbs 28:13). I met with my church elders and through their guidance I came to The Father's Ranch in November of 2006. 'The Lord was my hiding place. He protected me from trouble and surrounded me with songs of deliverance' (Psalm 32:7). I was broken spiritually, physically, emotionally, and mentally from the consequences of anorexia and other sin. Instead of the wrath I deserved God gave me abundant grace and mercy (Titus 3:4, 5). In love, the Lord forgave my sin (Isaiah 1:18) and brought me to His Ranch where I've grown in relationship with Him. He restored me to my family (Ex 20:12), strengthened me physically, emotionally and mentally (Psalm 139:23, Proverbs 3:5-7), brought victory in spiritual warfare (2 Cor 10:3-5), and gave me peace and joy (Isaiah 26:3, 4; 1 Peter 1:8,9).

At the ranch I've learned of God's sovereignty in all that has occurred in my life (Psalm 139:16). I've gained accountability through others (Matthew 18:20) and learned to renew my mind and not be conformed to the pattern of this world (Romans 12:1, 2). I joyfully desire to serve (Deut 10:12) and obey Him (Phil 2:12, 13). I now know that God's Word is sufficient for every trial, problem or question (2 Tim 3:16, 17), and understand the importance of sound doctrine (Titus 2:1). Words cannot express my eternal thankfulness to my great and gracious Lord who protects His elect (Isaiah 41:10) and orchestrates all things for His glory (Romans 11:36), all for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28). 'Praise God for He is Holy and the whole earth is full of His glory!' (Isaiah 6:3)."

If you've been reading TFR's newsletters for any length of time, you know that I like to give our women who have been at the ranch for at least nine months an opportunity via this newsletter to tell you what the Lord has done for them. Every once in a while a woman will decline the opportunity because of shame or personal-safety reasons, but most jump at the opportunity to glorify God in this way. As they do so, I've noticed a distinct commonality amongst their testimonies. I wonder if you have also. The commonality is this: The Holy Scriptures are quoted abundantly, and men's names are curiously and consistently absent. There is a very good reason for this. These Scriptures are not just "window dressings" or "word fillers." Jesus Christ, through the power of His sufficient Word, heals these women from the inside out. Healing does not come from a program, a group of clever men and women, or from some Gnostic, hidden knowledge that only trained professionals can dish out. True healing comes from Christ through His Word to the broken and repentant sinner. "Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble; He saved them out of their distresses. He sent His word and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions. Let them give thanks to the LORD for His lovingkindness, and for His wonders to the sons of men!" Psalm 107:19-21. This verse describes exactly what we are attempting to do, and what we will continue to attempt to do as long as He gives us breath to breathe and life to live. It is our hope that God will be glorified and man minimized as His work continues on here at The Father's Ranch.

The first week of July saw the whole TFR crew up at Lakeside Bible Camp on beautiful Whidbey Island. There our students and staff enjoyed the strong, biblical teaching of Dr. Art Azurdia for an entire week. We focused on the Gospel of Jesus Christ, taught exegetically from the book of John. This was a sweet time of learning and fellowship, and a welcome break from the regular barn chores, gardening, and ranch work at TFR. After our time at Lakeside Bible Camp, we had the privilege of hosting Dr. Azurdia, Melissa Leary, and the Dr. Cvancara family at The Father's Ranch. This was another great time of fellowship and edifying conversation.

We had some scary days in mid-July as fire swept through our neck of the woods, consuming large portions of acreage and burning within nine miles of TFR! I don't know if you've ever seen the speed with which fire can spread, but under the wrong circumstances, a man cannot outrun a wildfire. As the fire was just nine miles from TFR, we would have very little time for evacuation if the winds blew in the wrong direction. The Tunk Grade Fire, as it was being called, threatened over fifty homes and spread quickly to consume over 16,000 acres, with over 300 firefighters, planes and helicopters on the scene. As you can imagine, it provided for some intense days and definitely increased our prayer life! With zero percent containment, things were not looking good and we were beginning to look for places to evacuate, both for ourselves and for our animals. Within about 12 hours, the fire went from zero percent containment to one-hundred percent containment as it rained overnight. Did you get that? It rained in Okanogan County, in Eastern Washington, in mid- July! What a lucky coincidence, huh? Come on! We know better. This was an absolutely incredible example of God's saving power and grace.

Speaking of God's saving power and grace, I would like to end this month's newsletter by dedicating it to a dear brother in Christ who was used by God to encourage the founding of The Father's Ranch. Norm Huber went to be with his Lord on August 15th, 2007. Norm's legacy in my mind will always be that of a Joshua or a Caleb (Numbers 13:30) encouraging us to enter the "promised land". When many were advising us against this ministry venture because it was a "bad financial business plan," or because of our "lack of monetary resources," or other "giants in the land," Norm had the wonderful ability to buck this man-centered thinking and look vertically to the One he knew held all things in His hand. Norm, along with his encouraging, faithful, biblical counsel and jovial sense of humor, will be missed by all who knew him. I personally will miss him terribly and look forward to our Great Reunion all the more.

I am hoping this newsletter finds you well, encouraged, and trusting in the One in Whom we have life, and life more abundantly (John 10:10). Thank you all for standing with us. You are appreciated.

For His Glory,

Craig Lofthus