Where Would We Be Without "The Office"?

Okay...we're not talking about the tv show...but something very near and dear to all our hearts - the Uplands Reach office and the great people who work there.  All year 'round, faithful people are working behind the scenes to make sure that the awesome camps, retreats, and conference that you enjoy can happen!  Although the job isn't always glamorous, the job is always joyful because we know that what we do will have an eternal impact.  Here's a look at a few of the champions that help make Uplands what it is!

Some of our awesome helpers busting out a mailing!

You can thank Maryanne for our awesome website, and all the great
brochures and materials that come from Uplands in the mail (among about a million
other things that she spins her magic on!) 

Matthew is the friendly voice you'll here on the phone when you call Uplands.
He handles registrations, paper-work, correspondence, and our database, just to name a few.

Life on the Upland's Farm - by Becky Hatfield

Ahhh...the smell of fresh tilled soil (with a little manure mixed in there), the feel of the warm spring sun on your shoulders, and the joy of watching things grow.  Gardening.  There's nothing like it.  

Or so I'm told.

You see...I am a city-girl, born and raised in Southern California - where one is proud if they can call a postage stamp of land their own.  Granted, my health-conscience parents make use of every inch of their postage stamp with an "urban garden."  But it was always kind of their thing - until now.

This city-turned-country girl is trying her hand at the art of gardening - but not alone, mind you!  I have three trusty pals at my side: my wonderful husband, and Matthew and Rachael McNeil, fellow staff members at Uplands Reach.  Truthfully, none of us really know what we're doing.  But that's okay!

We are learning as we go, and having a blast doing it.  

Hopefully, when you arrive at camp this summer, you will see many a vine-ripened tomato sitting plump on the vine (along with many other garden delicious-ness!). 

Here's a little photo-log of our "tilling up" day last Saturday.  We've made progress since then - and will actually be planting soon!  We are so thankful for this opportunity to spend time in God's creation, fellowship with one another as we work, and hopefully enjoy the literal fruits of our labor when summer gets here!  

Matthew and our helper, Kelsey, proudly present our soon-to-be garden patch

For some reason, I find it very cool that there is a stream right next to our garden.  Maybe because I come from a desert??

The horses don't know what they think about all the commotion on a Saturday morning.

Duke brought his A-game to our tilling-up day.    Look at that alertness.

There goes the pretty patch of grass - oh well.  Yummy veggies to follow.

I think snuggling with Duke was one of my fave parts of the day.

Rachael presents our patch...of dirt.

We promise it looks more garden-ish now!

More "Uplands Farm" updates to follow!

Intentional Dependence - by Becky Hatfield

Every Tuesday, my husband Jake and I gladly partake in what we call Date Night. It’s a chance for us to break away from our normal routine and the busyness of life and really focus on each other. Jake and I see each other every day, but something about saying “this time is for us” really makes us get real and talk about what matters.



But last Tuesday, we actually had a Date DAY! Jake was scheduled to work that night, so we flipped our normal routine and took off in the morning for Linville Gorge. I now affectionately call it “The Grand Canyon of the South.” My jaw practically hit the rocky ledge I was standing on as I gazed out over the massive, 360 degree view around me. 

Something about those moments - when I’m standing on top of a mountain, or maybe on the rocky ocean coast hearing the waves crashing - they just get me. It’s like everything I’ve been worrying about just melts away in the awesomeness of God’s creation. These moments leave me with a fresh desire to live for Jesus and be about His Kingdom work. 

As I’ve gotten older and graduated from college, these moments have become fewer and farther between. Real life takes over... getting our to-do list done, paying bills, and the basic tasks of the day that can overwhelm us. And all these things are essential if we want to live as responsible people in this world. But if you’re like me, being intentional about taking time to get away and seek my King and adjust my perspective can seem like an unnecessary luxury. I mean, there are dishes in the sink, right?

The Scripture tells us the opposite is true. Luke 5:16 says, “And Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.” Psalm 46:10 says, “Be still and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I am will be exalted in the earth.” These times of “getting away” shouldn’t be an excuse to escape from reality, but an opportunity to show our real need and dependence on God. 

If Jesus needed to withdraw and pray, how much more do we, as sinful men and women, need to do the same? I’ve been challenged to notice the beauty around me and thank Him for it, to show my need and dependence on God by spending intentional time with Him, and to daily put it all in perspective. God is on His throne and the little things that get me down are usually not worth my brain space. 


Just like Jake and I  intentionally spend time together (outside of our normal routine) on our date night, being on that mountain has helped me realize I need to do the same with my Savior.


I would like to ask our readers: how do you intentionally "withdraw" like Jesus did?  What often gets in your way of deep communion with God?

The Only Salve for a Broken Heart - by Becky Hatfield

Matthew 18:21-22

 Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?”

 Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seven times seventy times. 

The first time I heard the song 7x70 by Chris August on the radio, I was already almost home. But it was definitely one of those, “I’m going to sit in my driveway and hear the rest of this” kind of songs. The story in the song drew me in with heart-breaking accuracy. Not because it’s a story I’ve experienced, but because I’ve sat and cried with so many that have.

In the song, Chris talks about the heartbreaking reality that many people face today: broken families.

I’ve sat and cried with friends as they’ve dealt with fathers leaving their families flat. I’ve talked with kids who have numbly told about their parents splitting up - their calm exterior belying the broken heart inside their chest. Each time I hear another heart-rending story of how someone has been hurt by their family, I realize once again that this is not the way things were supposed to be.

The first social institution that God ever created was family. It was smiled upon by our Father in heaven and meant to be a place of safety, comfort, and love. But since sin entered the world, families have often become the very opposite. It only took one generation: Adam and Eve’s son Cain murdered his brother Abel. And thousands of years later, relationships with family members still can be some of the most treacherous and hurtful relationships in our lives.

The thing I love most about Chris August’s song is that he doesn’t just talk about the hurt; he also talks about the healing that comes with true forgiveness from the heart.

When someone hurts us, it’s like they stick a fishhook in our heart, and they’re still holding the fishing pole. The longer that hook stays in our heart, the more likely we are to have an infection called bitterness form inside of us. This infection makes us see the world through darkened glasses. We become cynical. And while we think holding onto the bitterness is the only way to see justice come to the one who hurt us, it’s actually hurting us way more than its hurting them.

Forgiveness is like taking that hook out of our heart and saying that that person no longer has power to hurt us.  And only when we forgive can we allow Jesus to come in and clean out the infection that has taken place.  Forgiveness is the only way to be free.*

 When Jesus told Peter that he was to forgive his brother or sister seven times seventy times for wronging him, He knew our stubborn human hearts.  He knows how hard it is to forgive when we are wronged.  But He also knows the huge harm that comes to us if we don’t.  He made this command for our good, freedom, and healing.

To put it into perspective, how many times over has Jesus forgiven us?  How many times have we been ashamed to share His name with a friend, used His name in vain, or shunned spending time with Him?  He forgave us so we can forgive others. 

 My heart breaks as I write this blog post.  So many hurtful stories of families splitting and hurting one another ring in my ear – how many more ring in my Heavenly Father’s ears?  He is ever so mindful of each and every situation that I hear of.  But as I write this, I am also so thankful that He has provided us a way to live free of bondage to bitterness.  It is my hope and prayer that if you are hurting inside because someone has their hook in you, that today you would experience the power of forgiveness.

*This analogy comes from author and speaker, Dave Park

But...

But Justin...Bub is so short...and you are so tall!

What Sets Us Apart

Recently, my husband Jake and I enjoyed a little getaway in a nearby mountain town. While we were exploring our surroundings, we came across this awesome exhibit in front of a small church.

Needless to say, we were both blown away. It’s pretty normal to see a cross on a hill or in front of a church, especially here in the Bible Belt. Sadly, I’ve almost gotten used to seeing it. Sometimes I have to remind myself that I’m staring at an ancient Roman tool of torture, humiliation, and death - and the very thing that my beloved Savior, Jesus Christ, hung on to pay the price for my sin-sick soul.

What I am not used to seeing, however, is an empty grave like we saw on our mini-vacation! This exhibit made us stop our car, get out, and explore. 

The simple fact about Christianity is that we have something that no other religion on earth can offer: our Leader, the One we worship, adore, and follow, is ALIVE!!! 

You see, Mohammed (the founder of Islam) was born, proclaimed many things, attracted many followers, but then he died. He was buried in the ground - and he stayed there. Although many still follow Mohammed’s teachings, that’s all they're following. Mere teachings. Not a real person. 

The same goes for Buddha. And Confucius. And Joseph Smith. 

Countless “religious leaders” have taught, attracted followers, and gone to their grave, never to be seen again...all except for One.

As believers in Jesus Christ, we have something no other “religion” on earth has. We have a relationship with a real and living God. Jesus died, not because He had to, but because He chose to. His great love for mankind drove Him the cross, where He bore the sins of all and died the death of a criminal, even though he had never done anything wrong.

Death could not handle our God. After three days, Jesus rose again and was seen by over 500 people before He ascended to heaven. He sits on His throne today and is coming again for those who love Him.

I’m so thankful for a church that has taken the initiative in proclaiming to the world the very thing that sets Christianity apart. Let’s take the same initiative in our lives, world changers, and show the world that we serve, love, and worship the LIVING God.

The Emotional Results of Camp Being Over

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

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.

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

When Grandmas Find Jesus

I’ll never forget it as long as I live.

The setting was a quant country church, and Reverend Neal was preaching to an enthusiastic group of congregants during their revival week.  The topic was the armor of God.

The room was comfortable – we sat in plush maroon chairs, the recessed lighting cast a glow on the stage, and the heater was dutifully pumping warm air to keep us snug while the winter weather outside blew gusts of freezing air.

But there was something decidedly uncomfortable about the whole setting.  Namely, the topic of the sermon.  This preacher seemed bent (as usual) to knocking people out of their comfort zone and into the scary territory of heart examination.

Then Reverend Neal gave the final kicker – “Do you know you are truly saved?”  He probed.  Silence fell over the crowd like a heavy blanket.  “Do you know, beyond a shadow of a doubt that if you were to die tonight, you would be with him in heaven?”  You could hear his heart cry – that people would come to the precious understanding of salvation just like he had. 

There was a lump in my throat; I had been in this position only a few weeks earlier – questioning, wondering if I truly knew Jesus.  I knew how a life of “good works” can confuse us into thinking we understand salvation.  As I looked around the room of sweet, church-going people, I began to pray that Reverend Neal’s words were striking a chord in someone’s heart.

The invitation to know Christ was given, and Jake and I stood on the stage singing, “What can wash away my sins?  What can make me whole again?  Nothing but your blood, nothing but your blood, King Jesus...” 

I had to blink twice to make sure what I saw happening was truly happening.  As we sang, a little sweet Grandma from the very back of the church hobbled up to the front.  She was no less than 80 years old.  Her face was solemn – she was on a mission.  The pastor of the church sat down with her and starting asking her questions...

“Do you know Jesus Christ is your personal Savior?”

“I don’t know.”  She said plainly.

What happened next brings such joy to my heart.  This sweet lady humbly bowed before the Savior and accepted Jesus Christ into her heart.  Finally, she could know.  Finally, her soul could be at rest.  Whatever good she had done her whole life was overshadowed by the goodness of what Jesus did on the cross.

We worship such a big God.  He is big enough to draw the heart of the tribal man who has never heard the name “Jesus”; He is big enough to forgive the man on death row; and He’s big enough to save the precious old lady who didn’t know how desperate she was for Him.

“Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save,

Nor His ear to dull to hear.”

Isaiah 59:1

The Diary of a Goody-Two-Shoes

If you were a fly on the wall in my childhood home on a Sunday morning, this is what you would see:  a girl with sun-bleached brown hair and skinned knees walking out the door with a huge bow in her hair and a Precious Moments pink Bible headed to church with her family.

That night, you would see me again with sweats, a tee, and blue Cubbie vest on, going to AWANA (a Bible memorization club) at church.

I was the youngest in the Claflin family, and growing up was awesome.  Church was my second home, and Bible study on Friday nights in our house was the highlight of my week. 

Once, I was doing a project for a geography class when I was eight, and I remember crying over all people who didn’t know Jesus.  My heart was hugely zealous for people who didn’t know the Lord – the King of my heart and the One who had given me all I held dear in my little world.

But as I grew older, something changed.

No, I didn’t start sneaking out with my friends; I didn’t get hooked on drugs or drinking; I was never rebellious in my teen years.  But the attitude of my heart changed – I started trying to be a Christian.

I did it all.  In high school, I dressed modestly, obeyed my parents, didn’t date, had godly friends, started an accountability group, played my guitar in the worship team at school, got good grades, and went to AWANA summer camp.

After that, I attended a Christian college, and delved even deeper into Christian activities – leading worship in Chapel, being my class’ “Minster to Women”, mentoring younger girls, fasting once a week, even joining the evangelism club.

By all outward appearances, I was “the girl that had it all together,” but my private walk with God was full of shame, anger, and guilt. 

Every time I would attempt to pray or worship, I always felt guilty and thought God was mad at me for not being good enough.  Because of this feeling of guilt, I would go through seasons of being mad at God for his perceived anger at me.  “Why do you make it so hard to know you?!”  I would often cry out.  It seemed as though God was hiding himself from me in a dark cloud.

It wasn’t until CORE Camp at Uplands Reach that the pieces came together in my mind about what was truly going on in my heart.  Reverend Neal was preaching to the campers about true repentance and faith in Jesus Christ.  I sat stoically in the back of the gym as he talked, glad that all the campers were hearing the Gospel, but not letting it sink into my own heart...until...

What was that?  I felt a tug at my own heart.  I tried to push it away, “this message isn’t for me!”  I thought.  “I’m a Christian and have been a long time.  I mean, look at my life.”  My prideful thoughts hindered my response that morning.  I even prayed with campers who were excepting Christ.  But all the while, my heart felt heavy within me and doubts flooded my mind.  Did I truly understand salvation?  I didn’t even know anymore.

That night as I talked to my husband Jake about my doubts and fears concerning my personal salvation, I was hoping that he would just shrug them off and tell me I was worrying too much – “Of course you are saved!”  I wanted him to say.  But, being the Godly man that he is, he questioned me further.  “Read the book of Romans,” he encouraged me, “that’s the book that taught me what Salvation really is.”

I poured myself into Romans.  I underlined and highlighted; I wrote notes in the margins; I discussed confusing passages with Jake.  But one tension remained in my soul that chewed at my heart and kept me awake at night: what about all the good things that I had done all my life?  Didn’t they count for something?  That whole time I truly thought I was giving my whole heart to the service of God.  Did all that time and service count for anything?

God answered my question in Romans 10:2-3, “For I bear [the Jews] witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge.  For being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness.”

If ever a verse was speaking to me, it was that one.  In all my growing up years and beyond, my zeal for God was great.  I would have done anything to prove that I loved him.  What I didn’t understand was that my salvation isn’t dependent on my zeal or desire to please God.  The only thing my salvation is dependent on is the work that Christ did on the cross for me.  Nothing that I can do can make me good enough – it is only though Christ that I am made acceptable.

This realization drove me to my knees in repentance and acceptance of Christ’s cleansing blood to wash me clean.  I can now enter his throne room knowing that God isn’t mad at me – for he sees a princess clothed in pure white robes; robes made white by the blood of his one and only Son.