Gear Up for God to Use You - by Justin Hatfield

Justin in the Horse Arena in Wyoming

  Have you ever been in a position where you want God to use you and your talents but you are not sure how He is going to do so?  Well, I say that He can use you in such powerful ways that you would never expect.  For the past two months, I have been following the Lord’s leadership to continue my education of the horse industry, thus leading me to Wyoming!  My time there has been so wonderful because I have seen how believers across the nation still serve the Lord with all their heart.  Let me explain: I have been working for a man who has a national platform as a horse trainer. He does clinics and has a weekly television show.  You would think that a man with this kind of platform would just want to live his life, but I have found it to be very different.  This man is one of the strongest Christians that I know.  He is very open about his faith and shares it with those around him.  Being his understudy sparked a desire in me to follow after the Lord with all my heart.  Sometimes I think that to be successful I do not need to worry about my faith; as long as I can fit it into my schedule, it will be ok.  But, in fact, it is the other way around!  Keep the Lord first and He will give you the opportunity to succeed!  God is so great and we need to keep Him first in all that we do.  

The Emotional Results of Camp Being Over

All we can say is...Uplands is a good place to be.

A Weekend Spent with World Changers - by Sue Hatfield

World changers - that’s who we spent the weekend with! This happens to be a group of college students from Mount Vernon Baptist Church. (The best church EVER! Especially since it is our home church!) We were able to share with them this past weekend during a retreat in Roan Mountain, Tennessee.   It was so awesome and refreshing to watch these young people allow the Lord to work in their hearts and yield to His Spirit.  At one point in the retreat every single student was either on their knees or prostrate on the floor making sure their hearts were pure and seeking His will for their lives.  I believe this is the only way we will see our nation come back to Christ – through young people.  They are so tender to what He is calling them to do and so willing to do it – no matter what!  What a privilege to be able to share with these young people this past weekend and with so many others throughout the year.  Neal and I are so blessed!

Premature Spring Fever? - by Matthew McNeil

Ahh...nothing like feeling the wind on your toes...

Is anyone besides me starting to catch a little bit of spring fever?  My eyes are catching on everything that’s green, and I’m already making the hopeless transition to Chacos and t-shirts, ridiculously denying the fact that March is the harshest of winter months around here.  So if you happen to see a URCC Staffer running around this summer missing the tips of his toes due to frostbite, try not to point and laugh.

What is a World Changer? - by Neal Hatfield

Every New Testament conversion was a radical conversion.  When you see a World Changer like Paul, everywhere he went there was either a revival or a riot.


  A World Changer has a passion to reach this world with the radical life-changing power of Jesus Christ. In 1967, 100,000 young people gathered in San Francisco for an event called the Summer of Love.  It was a major gathering during the hippie movement.  Sadly what many of those young people learned was how to use LSD, smoke marijuana, be sexually immoral, question authority, and turn their backs on the Savior who had been so gracious to them.  


When that summer ended, 100,000 young people invaded the cities of the United States of America and Europe and two great land masses began a downward spiral because so many had turned their back on the Savior. A World Changer for Christ wants to bring this nation back to her roots.  The roots of a nation that loved the Word of God, believed that Jesus Christ is the only way to heaven, embraced his sacrificial death for the sins of all people, believed in His bodily resurrection, and looked forward to His soon return for the Bride of Christ.  


A World Changer sees that their calling is to be a missionary where ever God places them.  Indeed they are an army of radicals whose personal life has been changed by the power of Jesus Christ and they are willing to take His message wherever they go.  Uplands Reach has a passion to raise up an army of World Changers.  These World Changers may bring about one of the last great revivals before the Lord Jesus comes again.

Hide and Seek, Mabel-Style - By Maryanne Tuck Grimmett

The ham-bone hiding, hide and seek ninja, Mabel

Call me crazy, but I love to muck stalls.  For some reason, nothing frees up my brain quite like shoveling horse poop into a wheel barrow.  It’s my thinking time.  And it also affords me the opportunity to witness my dog doing what she does best—clowning around.

            Mabel carries around a huge bone, a ham hock sans the ham.  She takes it from stall to stall, and, within each stall, corner to corner.  With six stalls each boasting four corners, that’s twenty-four corners.  And at each corner, she does the same thing.  She uses her gargantuan paws to shovel out a shallow hole, deposits the bone, and uses her long nose to push sawdust up over it.  After doing so in Corner A, she exits the stall for a few minutes before returning, circling the stall, digging up the bone, and duplicating said steps in Corner B, Corner C, and Corner D.  Every single time, she seems pleasantly surprised to find the bone and joyously excited about repeating the process in the next stall.  It’s a grand game of solitary hide-and-seek, wherein she’s both the hider and the searcher, and she is never disappointed.

            As if that’s not weird enough, she’s taken to playing the game in our house, where there is neither horse poop nor sawdust.  There are, however, a multitude of corners, and Mabel makes the best of them.  On many occasions, I’ve watched her haul an object into a corner, scratch at the ground, shove the object into the “hole,” and push imaginary sawdust over it with her nose.  She then trots away, a satisfied look on her wrinkled face and her long ears dragging behind her.

            The crazy thing is, in her mind, that object is covered, securely shielded from view by a mound of sawdust impenetrable to the naked eye.  In fact, it’s so well hidden that even she will walk right by it in search of another bone. 

            Mabel's one-dog game of Hide and Seek is self-imposed.  Deep down, I think she knows I’ll play with her.  In fact, I have a track record of prioritizing her, even over-rewarding her simple successes with exaggerated treats and praises.  Yet she chooses to play alone.

Kinda makes me think of me.  Even though He has proven Himself time and time again, I sometimes forget I have access to Him.  So I play the game of life solo, facing problems and fears on my own without consulting the One who actually has control over them.  But, wouldn’t you know, when I do trust in Him, He has that same habit of rewarding me with treats beyond my capacity of earning. 

How amazing.  The God of the universe patiently waits for me to acknowledge my desperate need for Him, so that we can traverse this road that leads from life into eternity as friends with no secrets on either side.  

The Cowboy of Uplands Reach

Justin Roping

1,700 miles and a twenty-eight hour drive away, just outside of Douglas, Wyoming, is the astute horse-training ranch of Ken McNabb (http://www.kenmcnabb.com/about.html).  For the past month and a half, Upland's Equestrian Program Director, Justin Hatfield, has been Mr. McNabb's right-hand man learning horse training techniques and how to teach these techniques to others in McNabb's unique hands-on internship program.

We're so excited that Justin is going to take these unique techniques and use them in his new equestrian ministry at Uplands called His Reigns.

At URCC, we love to see people take
the passions that God has put in their hearts and use them for His glory and to reach others with His love.

If you have something special that burns in your heart, join us this summer.  Our Boot Camp Program is perfect for budding world changers, because it gives you a unique platform to use your God-given skills in a ministry setting.  Also, our Teen Camp will offer campers the unique opportunity to choose from several MODs - a specific program that is tailored to their interests.

At Uplands, we love to see your God-given dreams come true!

Being a World-Changer at School

You’re alarm clock’s obnoxious bleeping pulls you out of a deep slumber, and your hand automatically hits snooze.

Ugg.  It’s Monday morning.  Between church, Saturday’s activities with the fam, and the game on Friday night, it all just flew by.  And now it’s 6:30 on Monday morning, and a long day at school is staring you in the face.  Again.

After you’re Mom knocks on your door for the fifth time trying to wake you up, you roll out of bed, pull on a hoodie and jeans, grab your backpack, and slump down the stairs for your usual Pop-Tart.  Without even saying “hi” to anyone in your family, you head out the door with a sigh and get on the bus with all the other half-asleep people.

Do you bring glory to God at school?

Once you arrive at school and reach your home room, you throw the backpack down, thud hard into your usual chair, put your hood over your head, cross your arms, and lay your weary head down.  When the teacher arrives and asks for homework, you pull out a crumpled piece of notebook paper and hand it in.  It’s only half done – but who cares?!  It’s a dumb class anyway.

Finally, Wednesday rolls around, and it’s time for youth group.  As you sit in your dimly lit classroom, your youth pastor starts to challenge everyone to invite their friends from school to church.

Your mind starts to wander: “I’ve invited people to youth group before.  But no one really seems to want to come.  They’re all too busy anyway.  None of my friends really seem to care about God.”

If this story anywhere resembles your life, and you call yourself a Child of God, it’s time to take a serious look at your school habits.  Are you giving an accurate picture of what someone who is saved from death by Jesus Christ should look like?  Or are you just like everyone around you – lifeless, lazy, and joyless.

The Scriptures make it clear that as Believers, there needs to be something noticeably different about us.  I Peter 3:15 says, “...Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.”  This verse implies that people should be asking us why we have hope – they should notice something different about us.  And we should be ready with answers!

If you are a student and have wondered why no one seems to care that you are Christian, maybe it’s time you evaluate your own heart.  Do you show honor to those who spend time and preparation to teach you?  Do you have diligence in your schoolwork?  Do you do it for the glory of God?  Do you treat your peers with love and respect, or are you gossiping about them and putting them down?  If so, you are not living any different than the world around you. 

Let’s step up and be leaders in this generation.  Let’s get people curious about Jesus and His life-saving power by how we live our lives.  Let’s start making a real difference in the areas that we can influence.

Book Recommendation:  Are you ready to start stepping out and doing “hard things” to bring glory to the name of Christ and bring transformation to this culture?

If so, read Do Hard Things by Alex and Brett Harris.  It just might change your life.

Baby Kate vs. Cow

Tip of the Day...

"DON'T SMASH YOUR FACE!!!"

So I was working out this morning with free weights, and this is what the instructor said on the video I was following.  “Practical,” I thought, getting an early morning laugh out of it.

Something was nagging me, though.  I slept too late to study my Bible and then workout like I normally do.  It’s like the LORD was saying, “You made sure you got your workout in, but what about your time alone with Me?”  Life crowds in so quickly, and if we’re not careful, spiritual things can get run over by our plans, our goals.  Am I saying I shouldn’t exercise?  No.  But if I can get out of bed to exercise, I can get up earlier to meet with Jesus EVERYDAY.  Am I going to go back and get in my Bible today?  You better believe it, especially since you’re reading this!

What "good things" are distracting you from Christ?

Are there things in your life that sometimes bump God out of the picture?  Find out what those things are.  You may need to totally remove them from your life—if it’s something you know is wrong—or you may just need to get things in the right order, like getting alone with Jesus in His Word and then working out.  Do what you have to do to get things right...and DON’T SMASH YOUR FACE.

Written by Matthew McNeil

Nowhere to Go...Thank God (Literally) - by Maryanne Grimmett

Newsflash: The Christian life ain’t always easy.  In fact, sometimes it’s downright difficult.    You, of course, are invincible.  However, I am a mere mortal, and sometimes I find myself disheartened.

But I must give credit where credit is due.  Satan’s specialties are doubt, disappointment, and discouragement.  He thrives on them, and he knows just how to sow seeds of opposition in my life. 

It is in these times that the precious Word becomes even more important.  Funny how God speaks through Scripture just what I need and when I need it.  Today, for example, my morning reading led me to the Gospel of John.  One passage in particular jumped out at me.

Jesus has just shared the simple truth with His followers.  He has described Himself as the Bread of Life and stated quite clearly the path to salvation.  But, alas, according to John 6:66, “After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with Him.”

So Jesus, being the straightforward kinda guy He is, turns to His twelve primary disciples and asks, “Do you want to go away as well?”  You see, Jesus is a perfect gentleman.  He doesn’t barge in where He is unwanted, and He sure doesn’t force people to remain in His presence.

But I love Peter’s response: “Lord, to whom shall we go?  You have the words of eternal life.”   

  

I get that.  And when clouds of discouragement fester in the skies of my life, I always go back to it.  The day I committed my life to Jesus Christ, He rescued me, in every sense of the word.  He gave me hope and peace that I had never, ever known.  He has gifted me with His sweet presence.  He hangs out with me now.  There is absolutely nothing for me to go back to.

There will be times when you feel like you are peddling a bike uphill with one foot...and maybe even without the bike.  Just know this: if Jesus Christ lives in your heart, you are not alone in the fight.  Disregard the lies the enemy sneers in your ear, because outside of Jesus, there is no peace, no hope, and no joy.   He alone holds the words of eternal life.  And He alone can hold you.

Suffering in the Light of Scripture

If you have a pulse right now, then you most likely have been through a rough patch in your life. 

Some have had it harder than others: a friend or family member dying, parents getting a divorce, or a hard break-up that left you crushed and confused, just to name a few.  But even if the hardest thing you’ve ever been through is getting a C on a test or losing your pet parakeet, it’s all a struggle in God’s eyes.  He doesn’t discriminate.

As believers in Christ, when tough times come, we know one place we should automatically look: God’s Word.  The Bible has literally hundreds of things to say about hardship in life; there’s even a whole book of the Bible devoted to it called Job.

Many people would like to tell you that God wants to take all your struggles away, but biblically that’s not exactly correct.  Sometimes God does take hard times away, but more often than not, God uses what we are going through to make us more like Him.

2 Corinthians 1:3-4 says:

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our afflictions, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we have received.”

Personally, I find it so amazing that God comforts us so that we can comfort others.  And the best part is, you don’t have to wait until your struggle is over!  One of the best things you can do if you are having a rough season is look for ways you can help, serve, and comfort others.  It will make their day, and you will be surprised how it makes you feel, too!  Sometimes when we are hurting, it helps to get outside of ourselves and see we aren’t the only ones struggling.  I Peter 4:19 says, “Therefore let those who suffer according to God’s will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good.”  Don’t wait!

Did you know hard times can be some of the most spiritually productive times in our lives?  Listen to this.  Romans 5:3-5 says,

“More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”

Isn’t that just like God, to take a rough thing and turn it into a beautiful thing?

If you are hurting right now, cling to Jesus.  If anyone understands what you are going through, it’s Him.  Hebrews 5:8 says, “Although He was a Son, He learned obedience through what He suffered.”  Jesus Christ gets suffering.  And He gets you.  He created you with His own hands (Psalm 139).  He will never let go of you, and He loves you infinitely. 

 “In the world you will have tribulation.  But take heart; I have overcome the world.”

John 16:33

For the Dudes...

Join men like yourself at Uplands Reach who have passion for following Jesus, no matter what the cost.
This twenty-five hour (6pm on April 15th - 7pm on April 16th) epic camp-out will challenge you to see yourself as the warrior for Christ that you are called to be.

Men from 7th grade to 12th grade, college-age, and Dads are welcome to attend (this would be a great father/son activity!).

And don't even get us started on how incredible the food is going to be...doesn't anything cooked over an open flame taste better?!

Go to the Upland's Reach website (www.uplandsreach.org) and check out our Facebook event for more info and to print off forms and registration.

Don't miss this camp-out that could change your life forever!

Are We Tempted too Easily? - by Maryanne Grimmett

My dog hates baths like celebrities hate silence.  This is unfortunate, on several levels.  First of all, she is a Basset Hound, which renders her naturally odorous and in frequent need of aromatic assistance.  Secondly, she often accompanies me to feed the horses, where she indulges in a veritable buffet of manure.  Finally, I cannot abide a dirty dog in my house, so I bathe her weekly (at the very least) whether she needs it or not.

            On bath day, we play a little game called Mabel Hears the Water Running and Hides Behind the Recliner.  After that game, we play Maryanne Calls and Calls, But Mabel Never Comes.  Today, however, I was three hours behind schedule and in no mood for games.  Therefore, I resorted to bribery, knowing full well that Mabel is motivated by two things: food and sleep.  So, I grabbed a formidable weapon in this battle…a handful of Cheese Puffs.  (Sidenote: Cheese Puffs, when you do the math, sell for about $12 a pound and are made solely of air and calories.)   Sure enough, after only two measly Cheese Puffs, she was standing outside the bathroom door.  Just one more Cheese Puff later, she was neck deep in warm water getting scrubbed down with Garnier Fructis.

            As I dried Mabel off, I considered how easily she had fallen.  For three years, she’s taken a firm stand against bathing.  For three years, I’ve had to physically haul her to the bathtub, which is easier said than done when dealing with a 50lb. dog dead set against getting clean.  Today, however, she didn’t even put up a fight.  She was a traitor to her own cause, and all because I tempted her with a few Cheese Puffs, and stale ones at that.

            But I am not unlike Mabel.  I have a cause, one that I have staked my eternal destiny on and committed my life to.  I am a follower of Jesus, and I am called to live for Him.  However, I find myself so easily distracted by bribes just as empty as the Cheese Puffs offered to Mabel.  A little extra sleep when I should be spending more time in the Word.  A few moments of silence when I could be sharing my testimony with a friend.  A bad attitude when I ought to be praising the One who has blessed me so abundantly.  Satan’s bribes are so cheap, and I am often too weak to resist them. 

            Fortunately, my God doesn’t change, which means His great love and compassion are unfailing, even for a flawed being such as myself.  And since my salvation is secure, He has, for reasons unbeknownst to me, obligated Himself to join me in the cause and aid my efforts along the way.  I am so comforted to know that the one-and-only Jesus is hanging right there with me, no matter how many Cheese Puffs the enemy rolls out.

Status: Inspired

Here are some awesome Facebook status updates from 
our favorite preacher, Neal Hatfield: 

January 24th:

Psalms 51:6 The LORD wants us real on the inside. The old hymn says: "Prone to wander LORD I feel it, Prone to leave the one I love, take my heart LORD, take and seal it." I want a life that the LORD is pleased with from the inside out.


January 16th:


 Thessalonians 4:16-18 Maybe today is the day the LORD will come back for HIS bride. I want to live like a bride arrayed in fine linen, clean and white. Revelation 19:8


January 8th:


John 3:30 The battle of my life is surrendering to the one who loves me most. 31 years of trying to follow the SAVIOR and I have never regretted the result. Let me learn from my past surrenders and relinquish my present selfish rights.


January 2nd:


I JOHN 1:9 We all have a chance for a brand new start in 2011. Lets confess and forsake any known sin and allow the LORD JESUS CHRIST to cleanse us and use us in a great way. It feels so incredible to be clean with the LORD. 


December 26th:


John 3:16 What an incredible time to serve and love the SAVIOR. The next great biblical event in history will be the return of JESUS for HIS bride. Can you imagine seeing the SAVIOR whom you have served with all your heart, mind, and soul since you got radically saved. Live with an eternal perspective.


December 20th:


Luke 2:1-7 It is so incredible that JESUS loved us so much that he made only one way to get to heaven. We dont need to be confused, HE made it simple. Its all about JESUS, HIS virgin birth, HIS sinless life, HIS blood willingly shed as HE gave up HIS life, the SAVIOR taking my sin, and the great fact that HE rose from the dead and is alive today! JESUS the real reason for the season.


December 13th:


Luke 2:30 I love to meditate on what it must have been like for Simeon to see the everlasting SAVIOR. It is so cool that I will see HIM some soon day.


December 6th:


Colossians 1:20 Peace can only come from the PRINCE of PEACE. The scriptures say, "having made peace through the blood of HIS cross". Seek JESUS and find real peace.