"O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law; but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Corinthians 15:57).

Dear Friends and Family,

For the elect of God, death has lost its sting forever because Satan's power over it has been destroyed by Christ. Because of this, we as Christians should stop being so afraid of it. We need to be able to view it for what it truly is. Unmask death, and it is nothing more than a glorious trip to our heavenly Home. Death itself should hold no fear for the believer who is thinking correctly, that is, biblically. Our words should reflect this truth at all times, and yet in Christian circles today, they seldom do.

For many of us, life on earth may be our largest idol. Death is too often spoken of by believers in much the same way that the world speaks of it. Many of our funerals and memorials contain the same paralyzing sorrow and mourning as the services of those who have no hope (1 Thess. 4:13)! This should not be. It is not sad for the believer when he dies. Yes, we who are left will miss our loved ones for a few short years, but the time we have to endure without them is so insignificant compared to the eternal life that awaits us, that it should be peripheral and..."not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us" (Rom. 8:18).

When we live near the cross of Calvary, our thinking will be changed. Death can be thought of with pleasure, with longing, and with intense anticipation. It is sweet to die in Christ, as death is no longer banishment from God or exile from glory. It is a going Home to the place where many of our loved ones already dwell and are awaiting our arrival. However, if we make life in this world our idol, it will steal away the peace and tranquility of that blessed event. John Owen spoke well when he said, "It is impossible to have a lively hope in another life, and yet be deeply immersed in the enjoyments of this."

The distance between those glorified saints in Heaven and those of us who remain is but a breath away at all times. Heaven realized is but a heartbeat not heard. We are not far from Home, loved ones. Just a moment in time will bring us there ..."absent from the body, present with the Lord" (2 Cor. 5:8). Do not believe that a long period of time accrues between the time of death and the entrance into eternal glory. It is but a shutting of the eyes. For when the eyes close on earth in one moment, they will open in heaven the next. The darkness of this life will be instantly replaced by the glorious light of the sinless Savior (Rev. 22:5). What then is there for us to fear in death? Knowing that it is ordained by God (Psalm 139:16), and that the death of His children is precious in His sight (Psalm 116:15), we can have confidence that He will finish what He has started. The glory of Heaven awaits us!

Realizing these truths, it is our goal here at TFR to be making disciples who will not waste the days of life entrusted to them by the Lord. We believe that good stewardship goes far and beyond just physical possessions, but applies to life itself. To simply clean up a "dead corpse" so that it might go on to an irrelevant life and an inevitable death is a fruitless mission indeed. Our hope is that our graduates will go on to serve Christ and be zealous saints for His Kingdom (2 Tim. 2).

Such is the calling for Hannah. Hannah came to TFR one year ago, and is graduating on the 5^th of June. She has this to share with you: "The self-abuse of cutting on my own body had offered an escape, a solace in the midst of surrounding pain, but all I was left with was a physical pain that did not prove to eliminate the emotional. In protruding bones and the emptiness of a starving stomach I was told a beauty could be found, but it had promised more than it could provide and took more than I had to give. A lustful pursuit of pleasure had assured a satisfaction, but it provided only fallen moments of fallen bliss turned bitter in the act. In my finite and darkened understanding, I thought such an existence would be better off ended. Just as the Truth had long been suppressed, so with it, all light and hope had fled, creating a perpetual night of the soul. Buried in my own sin, slowly suffocating to death under its oppressive weight, little time was left before this rut would become my grave.

As I arrived at The Father's Ranch, my heart was restless and drained from the years spent in hedonistic pursuit, and so my heart would remain until it found its fulfillment in Christ. Oh so powerfully, yet tenderly, the Lord not only began to work, to open my eyes, soften my heart and restore my lifeless being, but He did so over and beyond what I had ever expected, until my cup ran over, His love and grace lavishly bestowed (Ephesians 1:7, 8). Within me He had planted a conviction of my sin and a repentance bringing life to my soul (2 Corinthians 7:10), thus restoring a sweet communion with my Lord. This was more than I ever hoped for. It was a change that occurred deeper than a simple curbing of the outward manifestations of my heart condition! This was a freedom born within that worked its way out, loosing bonds and setting captives free. Oh sweet blood, sweet propitiation, silencing wrath and condemnation of the mortal's soul, bringing life and life abundant. What a Savior we do serve, for I have seen the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living (Psalm 27:13). There is no freedom, no hope, no healing, no life apart from freedom in Christ (Isaiah 61:1), hope founded upon Christ (Romans 15:13), healing by Christ (Psalm 107:20), and life eternal in and with Christ (John 14:6). No longer was the blessed Truth a mere verbal proclamation, a mental comprehension, but it had taken root and become the Truth by which I sought to live. Oh see the power of His blood! Praise be to the Father for the love He has shown, to the Savior of my soul, and to the Spirit for His work in sanctifying me, His beloved chosen one. How exceedingly and abundantly gracious of Him to redeem me and to restore me, to use my darkened soul to hold a wealth not its own, to reflect a glory that is not its own, but the Lord's – a wealth, a light, a glory that radiates as He shapes and molds us until He sees His reflection in our redeemed lives."

Hannah is a trophy of God's grace! Please be in prayer for her as she starts a commitment of service to Christ at The Father's Ranch in her new role as an intern. She will spend a significant amount of time providing the supervision for our new students, and will begin the process of becoming a certified (NANC) counselor. She will have needs that TFR will not be able to meet in full as she serves in this capacity: needs for prayer, encouragement, and financial support top the list. Please remember Hannah as she begins this service to Christ.

We're EXTREMELY busy right now with cleaning up winter's downed trees, readying and planting the gardens, developing this year's water irrigation system, and staying faithful to the call of this Christ-centered ministry. Our weather has been beautiful and it feels great being outside again.

Please allow me to brag just a little bit about our singing group that the Lord has blessed us with here. Our women's musical group called "Harvest" had the opportunity to sing at Omak First Presbyterian church a little while back. This was a different experience for them as they were being broadcast over the radio on this particular Sunday morning. Our women did a great job, and we had a wonderful time getting to know the saints there. This extremely talented group of women has been serving in various places during the past months including Tonasket Lutheran Church, Tonasket Community Church, and Tonasket Free Methodist Church. In June, they are headed to the west side of the Cascade Mountains for a few days to sing in a number of churches and retirement communities over there. I've actually been turning down numerous requests due to time restraints. Still, this ministry service provides a great opportunity for exposure, fellowship, and bearing testimony to God's all-sufficient healing. In addition to this, our local county newspaper is running a story on The Father's Ranch very soon. Please pray that it will be an accurate write-up and God-honoring.

We have a number of prayer requests for you. We are hopeful that you will remember us in these ways:

First, please pray for the students who will be graduating very soon. This also means that we will be accepting new students to take their places. For whatever reason, the number of applicants that we receive during the summer months always skyrockets. Please pray for the Lord's leading, direction and discernment as we consider many new applicants for only a few available beds.

Secondly, please pray for Bethany as she transitions from being an intern here at TFR into a full-time staff position. She is in need of monthly financial support to help her with her bills and with making payments on her college loan. Again, just as a reminder, this ministry does not provide a salary for any of its employees, from the director to the interns, and no one receives even as much as an occasional stipend. All of the workers who have committed to serve in this ministry must trust in the Hand of Providence to supply their needs. Therefore, each dollar donated to The Father's Ranch goes directly to meet the needs of the ministry. We believe that this is the "high-road" of financial stewardship we have been called to.

Next, please pray for our building project as we seek the Lord for the provision of a new home here at TFR. Provision has been slowly coming in and we trust the Lord's timing to be perfect. A separate bank account has been set up specifically for the funds that come in for this ministry expansion project.

We are also in need of wide-mouthed (quart sized) canning jars and lids. We are canning for more and more people, and our supply of canning jars just isn't enough to preserve our garden's bountiful produce. This picture (below) is of last year's garden (potatoes in the forefront, corn in the back), which produced enough vegetables to sustain all of us here at TFR for an entire year and then some. We were also able to give to our local community food bank. Please pray for an abundant harvest again this year! We remember the principle: "So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth" (1 Corinthians 3:7).

Lastly, please pray for our finances. Giving has dropped recently with the economic woes of our nation, and we are finding things to be pretty tight here at TFR. We know that finances are tight pretty much everywhere right now. We also know that many of you are only able to give to this ministry because you have decided to go without something that you are normally used to. This sacrificial giving is acknowledged and very much appreciated. God provides for our needs through the generosity of His people, and we have testimony after testimony of God's faithful, providing Hand meeting these needs and even supplying many non-essentials. Thank you all for your faithfulness to Him and to us.

Your prayers, financial gifts, encouragement and service make this ministry function and prosper under the gracious hand of Providence. Thank you again for standing with us. You are loved and appreciated.

Soli Deo Gloria,

Craig Lofthus