"We are ashamed because we have heard reproach; disgrace has covered our faces, for aliens have entered the holy places of the LORD'S house." Jeremiah 51:51

Dear Friends and Family,

Where are the wise men of today? Where do we go to hear true wisdom being dispensed to the masses? Is it in the political arena where the solutions to our world's problems are being debated and where men brazenly brag of their problem solving savvy? Is it on the college campuses where the learned professors, who are bolstered by their many degrees and academic credentials, pass down their wisdom to the next generation for a hefty price? Is it to be found on talk radio? What about CNN? Oprah? Dr. Phil? How about inside the doors of the local church? We desperately NEED it to be the local church, for it cannot be found anywhere else. And yet...

This Sunday morning all across America, millions of people will go to a church building somewhere and sing praise and worship choruses at the top of their lungs. Hands will wave, livers will quiver, sermons will be preached, and "amens" will be proclaimed. Then, this same group of people will return to their homes, return to their jobs, and return to their communities and live lives that are very much like the lives of those who didn't go to church that Sunday. Their divorce rates will be the same. Their willingness to look at sexually explicit material will be the same. Their worldviews will be the same. They will vote the same, they will spend money the same, they will live the same and they will die the same...in their sins. The reason is because of the Truth that Jesus Himself taught: "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven; but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven" Matthew 7:21.

The church is facing a "Truth crisis" today. We are seeing its effects at TFR as well. The problem is that we as Christians are so interested in making lots of converts and having big churches and large youth groups, that the so-called "converts" we are making are not true converts at all! We are placing biblical Truth on the altar to be sacrificed to the "god of growth." What are the results? The results are unbelievers in leadership, uncommitted members, shallow minds, and an unequally yoked congregation where unsaved people feel comfortable and accepted having their ears tickled while the truly regenerate are spiritually starving. Unsaved men are not acceptable and they cannot "come just as they are" into the presence of a Holy God. There must be a change wrought through confession, repentance, receiving Christ's atonement, and submitting to Him as not only Savior, but LORD. The Church of Christ is not a business and success should not be measured by how many people are sitting in the seats, as it is in corporate America. This is "fleshly" thinking, not biblical thinking. Success for the local church is a mature and obedient congregation, no matter how large, where Christ and His Word are taught, exalted and obeyed. May He raise up uncompromising leaders that focus on Christ, His Word, and the Truth!

Our latest graduate, Katy, was nearly a fatality of this "Truth crisis." It is a very dangerous thing for a person to be in church for years and years with a false assurance of salvation. Katy came to us from Illinois, and this is her testimony in her own words: "I write today just shy of a year since coming to The Father's Ranch. My story is similar to many. I fell into in a pit of sin when, at thirteen years old, an injury put me on the bench for six weeks. Wanting to stay "in shape" for my return at mid-season, I began to cut back on my food intake. It was a "diet." Soon, I not only avoided portions of meals, but was skipping meals altogether. These choices put me on a very slippery slope. With my freshman year starting soon, I was nervous, and as a way to further numb myself, I began to cut on my body. By my sophomore year, I had learned that I could throw up the food I ate. I started purging and also abusing laxatives. It only got worse. During the middle of my junior year, I got a job at a local health club and began exercising between six and seven hours a day. In one way or another, I justified my exercising and hid it from others. During this time, I started attending an Evangelical church. Here I grew in my knowledge of God, but that is all that it was. I thought I had put my trust in Him, and was soon baptized. I had believed and understood, but did not trust Him with everything. My life of habitual sin was evidence that I was not saved. After family, friends, and colleagues made numerous attempts to help me, the behaviors didn't change. My first hospital stay was in an eating disorder hospital ward. I was admitted the day before I turned 18. It was here that I learned of the damage I was doing to my heart. At one point along the way, I had a registered heart rate of 28, along with awful rhythms. (A normal person's heart rate is between 60 and 100 beats per minute.) My health had deteriorated. My behavior still wasn't changing, and after a couple more hospital stays, the next step was a residential center in Wisconsin. I didn't respond to the treatment there, and ended up coming back to a different hospital in Illinois. I was put on a feeding tube for four months there. Around this time, the number of medical and psych meds that I was on had reached double digits. I was released from that hospital, and spent the summer in an outpatient program. Then September came, and my grandmother died. My house was built on a sandy foundation, and when it cracked, so did I (Matthew 7:24-27, Luke 6:46-49). I tried to take my life a week later. I spent time in an ICU, and then at another psych ward. It was decided that I was a danger to myself, and I couldn't be trusted to live at home. My family and friends were at a complete loss as to how to help me get better. Over the next nine months, I lived in two different nursing homes, and was in and out of three more psych wards. In June of 2007, I was told to find a residential place that could take me. I had no other options. It was then that I called The Father's Ranch for the first time, and two weeks later I found myself on my way to Tonasket, Washington. During my first three weeks here, I was broken and convicted of the sin I was living in. I received Jesus Christ as LORD and Savior of my life. Since then, my life is completely different. I live for His glory instead of mine. He has continually shown me that His Strength is revealed in my weakness. I must rely on Him for strength, instead of my own worldly might (II Cor. 12:9). He has blessed me with salvation, forgiveness, and the promise of Glory—to enjoy and worship Him forever. I stand today with extremely minimal health problems from my life of sin. I am completely drug-free. He is truly Jehovah Rapha. He has blessed me with my family's forgiveness, and continues to restore our relationship. He has given me a family at TFR, and love that I never could have imagined. I have always enjoyed sports, but now I play for His honor and glory. He is an amazing, gracious, and merciful God. It is a privilege to serve Him. Thank you for supporting The Father's Ranch in so many ways, and giving so many the opportunity to have their lives restored by the Almighty Creator. I am completely undeserving, and it has been such a blessing. To God be the Glory!" Katy is another trophy of God's grace and is in need of your prayers as she continues in her new walk with Christ within TFR's Next Steps program.

Unfortunately, not all of the young women who come to TFR end up as Katy has. We love to share with you the success stories and the fruit of what the Lord is doing at TFR, and it is right that we should, but there is also a dark side to this work that I rarely share with our supporters. I will this time.

Kathy was an older woman who had been an alcoholic for more than twenty years. She started TFR's program in late June. Addicted to hard liquor (to the tune of over 1/5 a day) and prescription meds (pain killers, now much too easily obtained over the internet), and making really poor choices, Kathy decided to leave TFR after only two weeks in our program. She was warned many times not to return to where she came from. Nevertheless, unwilling to listen to good counsel, she returned to the South Seattle area and to people and places of temptation. She fell harder, faster, and deeper than she had ever known. The nightmarish lifestyle of alcoholism and drug addiction was crouching at her door, and she was unable to master it. On a dark evening in August, under the influence of pure evil, she threw herself in front of a train and took her own life. She left behind two children and a host of people who truly loved her and cared for her. I've said this before and I'll say it again: Suicide is the single most selfish act a person can ever commit. I know they are hurting and wounded and not thinking clearly, but it is the ultimate form of victimization, and is nothing more than a horrible, permanent solution to temporary problems. Our community here at TFR grieved Kathy's decision, and we have tried to use it, once again, as a motivating reminder that the work we are engaged in has eternal ramifications. Sadly, this isn't the first time a woman associated with TFR has committed suicide, and it probably will not be the last.

All of the folks at TFR had an opportunity to spend an entire week at Lakeside Bible Camp in July and hear some great Bible teaching from Dr. Art Azurdia. It was a wonderful break from the barn chores, gardening, and regular routines at TFR. If you've never been, LBC is located on beautiful Whidbey Island, Washington. The camp overlooks a gorgeous, pristine lake that boasts warm water and great fishing. It has excellent recreational activities and good food too! Our gals and families came away refreshed and encouraged by our time there. If you are ever looking for a great year-around retreat in the Pacific Northwest for your family or church group, might I suggest LBC? You can call the director, Kevin Craig, at 360-341-4170, or check them out at: www.lakesidebiblecamp.org.

We have a new addition to our ranks here at TFR. Barb Huber, bookkeeper extraordinaire, has decided to flee the city of destruction (Seattle) and call Tonasket her new home. Leaving behind a very good job at a professional law firm, she has already shown herself to be a diligent worker whether in the gardens or with the women. However, her expertise that TFR will be tapping is in the accounting arena. She will be assuming some of the heavy load that has been on the shoulders of our overworked treasurer, Bill Smith. Much of the day-to-day financial responsibility of paying bills, recording deposits and cutting checks will be transferred to Barb, allowing Bill to breathe just a bit easier and continue on in his service as TFR's board treasurer. Welcome aboard, Barb!

Some unique ministry opportunities came a few weeks later when an 18-wheeled semi truck sideswiped a mini-van containing a family with a small child, just outside of TFR's borders. The side of the mini-van was literally ripped off by this truck, whose driver didn't bother to stop and see what had happened. Police later apprehended him in town, and we had a chance to help some bloodied and glass-covered folks recover from a pretty frightening ordeal. Miraculously, none of them were seriously injured and they were able to continue on in their vacation plans the next day...minus one mini-van, which they were lamenting had just been filled with gas. The Lord's mercies are amazing and miraculous.

Fire! Closer, hotter, and bigger than ever! It seems every part of this beautiful country has its dangers: Florida has its destructive hurricanes, Kansas has its fierce tornadoes, Arizona has its paralyzing heat, and California has its liberal judges, but this fire thing is definitely becoming a hindrance! Started by a campfire on private property about five miles west of TFR, this thing was hit by the winds and we were on the news before you knew it. Spokane sent its news crews to The Father's Ranch to grab some firsthand interviews and testimonies from those of us who were right in the fire's path. I think they got more than they bargained for as our folks did a great job giving praise and glory to the One who controls these fires. Of course, these testimonials were cut by the news editing team. No matter, the Lord did some miraculous things once again as this fire came within 300 yards of TFR's western boundaries, only to be turned by winds right before we were ordered out for a mandatory evacuation. If you come by TFR, simply look to your left (traveling east) and you will see proof of the Lord's protective mercy over this ministry. The charred ground is, once again, a reminder of sin's darkness, and the new growth (which is coming up already) is the wonderful promise of the New Birth found only in Jesus Christ for the elect of God (Ephesians 1:4).

We are hopeful that TFR is on the verge of some major expansion activities. A very large and generous charitable trust is considering backing TFR with matching funds for our current expansion plans. We should know more about this exciting blessing within the next couple of months. Until then, please pray for our finances and the need for ministry expansion. Just like many ministries and churches, we have been hit hard by our country's economic woes. Still, the Lord is sustaining us and we are paying our bills on time, and even doubling up on our mortgage payments to remove this debt once and for all. Please pray that the Lord would raise up churches and individuals to help TFR with its ongoing work. Thank you.

Over the next few months, TFR will be sharing what the Lord is doing here at the ranch in a number of different churches. In September, we will be at Northwest Missionary Focus at Northgate Gospel Chapel in Seattle, Washington. Also in September, we will be at Calvary Bible Church in Wenatchee, Washington. In October/November we will be at Curlew Community Church in Curlew, Washington. If you happen to be in the area, please come on out to see us. We'd love to talk with you and see you.

I do enjoy closing these letters thanking you because you are the means that the Lord uses to support, encourage, and increase this vital ministry. We know that times are really hard financially right now for many here in the US. Home foreclosures are at a record high. Mandatory staples like food and utilities are absolutely skyrocketing in price, and very few have money left over for the non-essentials that we had been so used to. Still, many of you continue to remember TFR in your giving and support, and it is important to us that you know that it is very appreciated. We always attempt to be faithful stewards in all that He entrusts to us, so that you can give with confidence and assurance. Thank you again for standing with us in this work of the Lord.

Soli Deo Gloria,

Craig Lofthus