APRIL 2025 GLAD TIDINGS 9 The Keen Agers "O God, thou hast taught me from my youth: and hitherto have I declared thy wondrous works." Psalms 71:17 He Is the God of Nations, and the God of Me and You! Jan 12, 2025 The God of All During a worship service at our church, I was overwhelmed by a revelation I received—one that was not new to me but that God was taking me so much deeper into. And it was for you, his sons and daughters. In this revelation, I first saw Him as the God of all creation— the God who reigns over nations and the God who holds together the heavens and the earth. It was holy and it was awesome. But then He showed Himself as the God who created me and created you—who reigns over us, holding us and all that pertains to us together. It was holy and it was awesome... and it was healing, because who He is over all creation and who He desires to be in me and you is of equal importance to Him. He wanted to remind me that one isn't greater to Him, but that He is the God of the macro and the God of me! It is both/and, not either/or. “I Want to Inhabit Every Part of My Sons and Daughters" As I sat and pondered what I had just seen, God said, "I want to inhabit every part of My sons and daughters. I want to inhabit their entire lives—even the places that need to be overcome. For My habitation will bring all that they need to overcome strongholds. "I want to inhabit their dreams, their burdens, their every breath, their faith, their time, their thoughts, and their fears. I have come to inhabit their longings and inhabit their prayers. Ask them to invite Me to dwell with them and inhabit every place within them." As I continued to bask in this deeper revelation of His desire toward us, I began to realize that, in some way or another, everyone in the room was receiving a deep personal touch from the Lord. That night we had all come to give to Him, but it was His desire to pour out upon us. If you struggle with feeling like God has better things to do than to personally inhabit and take upon Himself the intimate places of the longings, struggles, dreams, burdens, etc. that you carry, then know this: THAT IS NOT TRUE. He can hold together the heavens and the earth and reign over nations while still equally giving you the most personal attention you'll ever know or experience—and He wants to! Remember, He is the God who took the answer to every desire and need that will ever exist on Earth and put it in the form of a baby. He entrusted that baby to an unknown teenage girl from a small town of no reputation. He put God into the form of man—of a tiny baby—because only He can confound our understanding with such simplicity and innocence. Open Your Heart and Believe Again Do you not know that His Son has come to dwell in you and inhabit the womb of your life? You may feel unknown, unimportant, and of no reputation, but He sees you and wants to dwell in you. Today He sits at the right hand of His Father, and has authority over all things, yet He bends low to pick you up and to see every detail of your life. He is not too busy or too big to dwell with you and engage in everything that pertains to you. He longs to do that. You capture His affections and His attention as if you were the only person ever created. Open your heart and believe again. Believe that He not only cares but He carries you. He is not distant, but He intimately inhabits every place in you. If the Son of God can become a baby born in a stable, then the risen Son can surely dwell in you! He's not too big to inhabit you. He's the God of the nations, and the God of me and you! u Permission Granted/Elijah List Kathi Pelton Inscribe Ministries Email: jkpelton@sbcglobal.net www.inscribeministries.com Kathi Pelton Portland, OR decades later, he still maintained the same friendship with Bob. “Up until a few weeks ago … we’d see each other in the gym,” he said. “We’ve been doing it since I was a kid.” In addition to those personal acts of service to Simpson, he said Bob and Lori were also known for kindness, goodness, and faithfulness in their local community. “The best definition of integrity is doing the right thing when nobody’s watching,” he said. “And they just did the right thing and didn’t need people to know.” The couple, according to Simpson, was driven by their Christian faith and values, expressing a “tremendous, walkedout, fruitful faith.” As time went on, Simpson began to have more spiritual conversations with Bob. And, about a decade ago, Simpson confided in him about a calling on his heart: to work with at-risk kids from “hard places.” When he told Bob he was considering quitting his job and getting into this ministry, Bob gave him faith-filled advice. “I was getting ready to quit my job running cranes in the oil field to come out and be a part of the ministry full time,” Simpson said. “Bob … just encouraged [me], like, ‘Man, is this what you feel like the Lord’s wanting you to do?'” It was then Simpson realized Bob truly follows the Lord’s promptings and he was encouraged to head down the path of helping young people. Simpson suddenly understood that “this is a guy that just doesn’t go to church and just doesn’t say that he’s a follower of Christ.” Instead, Simpson saw a deeply rooted faith. The support carried well beyond that, too, as Bob ended up supporting Freedom Gates Boys Ranch, spending what was likely tens of thousands of dollars to help make the pasture look good for the kids, among other assistance. The kind deeds haven’t been lost on Simpson. “I didn’t have a lot of friends like that,” he said. “They don’t make a lot of people like that.” Simpson, like so many friends and loved ones of those lost in this tragedy, said he’s been experiencing “waves” of pain in recent days as he reflects on the loss of Bob and Lori. One area of reflection has been Simpson’s care for young boys in tough situations — something he now realizes was likely motivated, in part, by Bob’s investment in him as a child. “I’ve never really thought about that until the last couple of days,” he said. “I never really put a lot of those pieces together until I’m like, ‘Wow, well, we have a weightlifting program here at the ranch.’ You know, why? Because I know how powerful it was for me to have that program and to have people mentor me into helping me get myself better physically.” Simpson continued, “That would not be the case if it wasn’t for Bob and a couple of other guys there at the gym that encouraged me.” Looking back, he sees the pure love and care through which Bob operated — a kindness ... See ETERNITY - Page 16 ETERNITY - Con’t
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTk2NjczNQ==