Are You Faithful

“The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.” (2 Timothy 2:2)

Who has impacted your life in eternal ways? Last week Melva and I were in Waco TX to sing at the “Celebration of Life” for Walter Bradley. Dr. Bradley, an amazing engineering professor, author, Christian speaker, and most of all man of God, was one of those people kind enough to take time to share life with us. Others like Milt Hughes who shared the difference between “religion” and a “relationship with Jesus,” Jerry Schoel, Doug and Marie Stewart, who stood by us in the early years, Jerry Bridges, Robert Coleman, Jack Hough, Jerry Bugg, and so many more. Men and women who were faithful to invest in our lives the truths of Jesus and how to live Christ-centered lives.

There’s a temptation, isn’t there, to receive all the blessings of these faithful servants of our Lord and yet, not be intentional in passing them on to the next generation. Will you join Melva and me in prayer that each of us will be faithful men and women who will “teach others also”?

This may be the most amazing spring and summer of ministry we’ve ever had! After a wonderful winter of sharing Jesus on the mountain at Crested Butte, Melva and I headed to Guthrie OK for services. Then it was off to share in Palm Desert CA, followed by Pitkin, Tin Cup, and Ridgeway CO (where 4 small churches joined together for a service in the city park). Following Ridgeway I served as chaplain for our annual professional rodeo and our Rodeo Church Service. Packing up after the rodeo we headed to Dallas where we met with friends and supporters, then off to Jackson MS where we met with our alumni, Levi and Katari Gill and Diane Johnston, who serve in inner-city ministry. From Jackson we headed north to a church outside of Bentonia, MS for meetings. Then off to Waco followed by Celeste TX to speak at a wonderful church. Four souls committed their lives to Jesus that we know of! Another huge blessing was the number of teenagers on fire for the Lord in these small churches!

Upon returning home, we joined our Board of Directors in Colorado Springs for meetings. Then we drove back to Gunnison to lead the service for a man I prayed with shortly before he passed into glory and baptize a man who gave his life to Jesus in our Saturday Night Worship services. Now we’re taking a few weeks of “down time.” Your prayers and support sustain us!

​Upcoming: Lord willing, we will share in Tin Cup (Sept 7) and Pitkin (Sept 28). Thank you for your prayers for these meetings!

Seminary Student Intern: Dalton Stuart, a student at Southern Seminary, joined us for June and July. Dalton was a real help as he visited our senior saints and preached while Melva and I were away. The Lord opened doors for him to share with 3 other churches as well, which I know he enjoyed. We believe this “hands on” experience will really help Dalton in the days to come!

1st Responder New Testaments and Devotionals: Requests continue to come in from chaplains around the country and even other countries. This spring and summer we sent several thousand Fire/EMS and Police New Testaments and devotionals to British Columbia, Africa Fire Mission, NY, FL, MI, CO, and more! Your investment allows us to send these out free of charge!

Family: Joy and Stephen (Hannah and Bethan) are in the process of moving into a different parsonage their church has purchased in London. The girls are excelling in their schoolwork. Hannah is transitioning to a new school focusing on the Arts. Nick and Rebekah (Kailani) stay busy with their restaurant and Kai is very active in sports and activities of all kinds! We were able to attend her kindergarten graduation and Grandparents Day events and loved it. Steve and Annie (Samuel and Abigail) are active this summer with Steve leading worship and video production keeping him busy. Annie is already preparing for a new school year. Samuel and Abigail are staying busy, and Samuel is growing in his reading of God’s word! Tim and Sara (Elizabeth and Sydney) are staying busy with their work, and the girls are staying very active! Melva and I are so grateful we were able to visit all of them this spring (except for those in London, who we hope to see next summer).

Finances: We are sooooo grateful for your faithful investment in RBM! Along with the offerings from our Saturday Night Worship group, your support has allowed us to send out New Testaments, train an intern, travel to small churches, provide benevolence to families in need, send support to missionaries, widows of missionaries, small church pastors, and more! And, of course, it allows Melva and I to continue to serve. Thank You!

Hanging up my fire gear: I fought my first forest fire in 1967. Since then, I’ve had the privilege of “chasing smoke” and sharing Jesus on over a hundred fires, hurricanes, floods, and even the space shuttle recovery. This spring, after passing the required tests, Melva and I determined that because of an extremely busy ministry schedule, as well as knee problems, the Lord was telling me to “hang it up.” Even my paperwork was chewed up by the post office! Do you think the Lord was saying…?

Prayer Requests:

1. For the anointing of the Holy Spirit to be upon us as we share locally and out-of-town.
2. For the Lord to heal a flareup of planter’s fasciitis on my right foot which has me hobbling.
3. For the Lord to draw all of our family close to Him.

By His grace and to His glory! Rick and Melva