The Flood Gates Open

We have so much to be thankful for each day. First and formost we need to give praise and thanks to our Lord Jesus Christ for all that He provided for us this semester. I still am in awe of how God continually transforms our lives. Consistantly we prayed for God's provision for this semester. Some days we felt like hope would eveade our every effort. God just kept telling us to trust Him nevertheless. Through odd jobs, a yard sale, and the many blessings of friends we kept getting closer each day to what seemed an unreachable goal. God being the God of miracles ansered our prayers in full the other day.
I went in to pay more money on our bill the other day and something strange happened. The person in charge of students accounts wouldn't accept my money. I ask her why and she informed me that the bill had been covered already. I didn't believe her. So I tried again, but she persisted that the bill was paid in full by an anonymous donor. I couldn't believe it. Completely shocked I walked away rather dumbfounded after I thanked her for the good news. God simply laid it on someone's heart to support a student going into the ministry. I give God all the glory for the blessings poured out on us this past week.
Secondly I want to give thanks to all of you who have continually supported us whether it is a monthly gift, one time gift or simply all your prayers. Each of you are a blessing to us and we love and appreciate everyone of you. God continually teaches the act of trusting in Him. Thank you for allowing God to use you to bless us in my schooling and the ministries that we both are a part of.
God opens doors for us everyday to encourage many of the young people here on campus. We also participate in the college ministry at our church. Presently God has given us a passion for ministering to college students. Even though they are on a Christian college campus, many of them wrestle with some really heavy junk. God opens many doors for us to lift up and encourage them.
Rachel and I are truly blessed to be here at Johnson. We are both learning a lot about who we are in Christ, how to love as Christ loves, and to take the focus off of ourselves and trust in Him moment by moment. Thank you all for being a part of this journey.

Spiritual Genogram – My Spiritual Family Tree

What’s that you ask? Well, it’s not something that I had heard of either before working as the secretary at the Johnson Bible College Counseling Center. The grad students are required to do a regular genogram (extensive and intensive family tree) and then for one class they are also required to graph out a spiritual genogram. Well, I really didn’t give any thought to it until this morning. For the past month or so the Lord has been waking me up in the early hours to spend time with Him and this morning was one of those mornings. Well, as I was praying and the Lord was beginning to reveal to me a lesson that He has been teaching me on contentment (another former post), I began to think about all those who have contributed to my life spiritually over the years because this lesson began with a prayer that one of you had prayed for me about 5 years ago (that I would have a heart of contentment). As my heart was contemplating these things, I began to realize that the Lord has truly blessed me with a very rich spiritual family tree. Of course, first of all, my parents were the ones to plant the first seeds in my spiritual life with their prayers and example of loving Jesus and loving me in a way to direct me towards loving Jesus. Then, from the very beginning, starting with the pastor who prayed the prayer of dedication when I was a baby, and moving through until now, there have been so many who have enriched my life and pointed me towards Jesus in ways that perhaps they haven’t even been aware of. So I am writing this to thank you for being an instrument that the Lord has used to help to mold and make me into who I am today. Some of you were there when I was very young, some of you when I was in those tumultuous middle school and high school years, some during my years of young adulthood (not that I’m out of that stage yet :)), and some presently, and for Mom and Dad who have been there through it all -- THANK YOU! I know that they say “in ministry” that you may never know the impact that you’ve had on someone until you reach heaven, but I also know that it is nice to know that some of your hard work, tears, and prayers have been effective now when your heart needs encouragement here on earth. You are appreciated and encouraged to keep loving Jesus in a way that encourages others to do the same. As Mark, my husband, studies in the preaching/church leadership program here at Johnson Bible College, I have come to the realization that I may have the opportunity to have an impact on other's lives as you’ve impacted mine and that has made my appreciation for you and how you have allowed God to work in your lives more real to me. This is a responsibility that neither Mark nor I take lightly, and so if the Lord happens to bring us to your minds, please just pray that we would always remain close to the Lord and that we would grow in our love for Him and each other and those that He calls us to minister to. May God bless each one of you today and everyday!

Contentment -- A lesson not easily learned (Rachel)

What does it mean to be content – truly content? This is something that I’ve struggled with consciously and subconsciously for a long time! However, it is a lesson that the Lord has been gently teaching me probably all of my life, but more specifically in the past five or so years. About 5 years ago, a godly pastor prayed for my heart to be content. At the time, I was a bit resentful thinking “he doesn’t even understand what I’m going through and the difficulties that I face right now.” However, this morning in the early hours (2:30 am to be specific), the Lord finally allowed the scales to come off of my eyes so that I could see that His desire is not for all the circumstances of my life to make me content, but that in the midst of difficult and sometimes very frustrating circumstances to find my contentment in Him. For a long time, I thought that in order to be content I had to stuff down how I was feeling about certain situations and pretend to enjoy and be happy and I struggled and struggled to try and do this. However, this morning He has helped me to begin to see that even though I don’t like certain situations and/or circumstances, He desires for me to be content in Him meaning that I trust Him and His hand in my circumstances. When my heart is not content, I am saying to Him that He is not trustworthy with the events of my life. When I am content with Him even in difficult times, I am saying “God, I trust You and what You are doing in and through me in this circumstance. You have been, are now, and always will be trustworthy with the circumstances of my life.” Thank You, Jesus, for loving me enough to allow circumstances in my life to be sometimes difficult so that I can learn to trust You in them. Thank You for being more concerned with my character and molding me into Your image than in my desire to be happy and have everything go my way. Lord, You are so good and merciful and patient and faithful! I cannot praise You enough! You are worthy of so much more, but I offer You my heart and my life. Please help me as I continue to learn this lesson of being content in You. I realize that this may be a lifelong struggle, but I know that You are always right beside me through my struggles. I love You, Jesus!

Peeling The Layers

This morning I woke up later that usual yet earlier than I desired. God usually has something to tell us when we have these moments. Many of you know that I have struggled with my weight my whole life. The core of all the weight I gained consisted of eating fast food, extremely large portions, and not exercising. By the time I married Rachel I weighed 427 pounds. We knew that this was unhealthy and something needed to be done. We tried many diets. We tried exercising but would fall short frustrating our efforts. We prayed long and hard seeking God what He desired for our lives. What He laid on our hearts has transformed our lives. To make a Shrek reference This journey is like peeling an onion. God is peeling off the layers.

The first layer to go consisted I change in our thinking about what food is. Food had become a god to me. Whenever anger overwhelmed me I hit Wendy's, Burger King, or Taco Bell. The same thing happened during depression, fear, frustration, or even for celebration. Eating what I wanted and how much I wanted is exactly what I lived for. It became a wall between my relationship with God, and sometimes between my relationship with others. I started to recognize this as a spiritual battle. The focus on food had to change. After the diets didn't work we decided this cannot be I diet to quickly lose weight so that we look better. It needs to be an attitude shift to becoming healthier. Changing my thoughts from "What are we going to eat next," to "How can I honor God," became the battle cry. Beginning with the expulsion of Carbonated beverages the first ten pounds were shed in a matter of weeks.

For the next layer we peeled off the white carbs and changed everything over to whole grain wheat carbs for everything. This was the first major taste bud adjustment. After a few months of this we got used to the new flavor and actually enjoy it far better than any white pasta or bread. At this point we started to notice that we did not feel as lethargic after we ate.

Once the white carbs were abolished we noticed that there are a lot of chemicals and preservatives added into most of the foods we still ate. For example frozen pizza (even the "whole grain" thin crust), most meat such as bacon, sausage, yes even turkey sausage, hamburger, etc. These foods we needed to be weened off of because they were such a part of our regular diet. This took a number of months to get used to. At times I felt like we were running out of food that we could eat. Of course fruits and vegetables made their grand entrance at this point.

Salads, stir fry (Cooked in Olive Oil, not vegetable oil), Steamed fresh vegetables, fresh fruit (no more canned goods), all took precedence over this meat and potatoes lifestyle. At first I felt a little weak, but the more natural foods we ate the more energy we had. Stress had been prevalent in our lives at this point and Rachel started having stomach problems.

This was a tumultuous time in our lives because everything Rachel would try to eat upset her stomach. This took us to and extremely restricted diet (especially for Rachel) of Fruits, vegetables, and buckwheat pancakes for protein. This became a consistent challenge for many months. I was still eating beans, rice, pastas, and oatmeal. Through all of this we constantly sought God for strength and direction. After visiting the chiropractor we discovered the root of Rachel's stomach problems. After a month of getting her back adjusted her stomach problems became less and less. She was able to eat foods other than the fruit, vegetable, buckwheat diet. We were over joyed to have a piece of Chicken again, or even a whole wheat biscuit. Beans and rice made their way back into both of our diets. Once in a while we even go out to a restaurant. This brings us to the layer that we are working on peeling away from the onion of gluttony.

Portion sizes, are a tough layer to peel away. I now desire to honor God with everything that I eat, but even healthy food taken in by unhealthy amounts is still sinful and gluttonous. I still struggle to keep myself from going back for seconds and thirds. My struggle with food came to a head this week as I had a flare up of gout in my big toe. It enlarged to double its normal size and the pain was almost unbearable. I compensated how I walked all week making my previously sprained ankle swell back up to the point that I could barely walk on Friday.

This weekend I stayed off of my foot most of Saturday as well as most of today. God is constantly teaching me how to rely on Him for strength to battle this addiction to overeating. Especially when I am not in pain. I weighed in yesterday at 309 pounds, a weight I haven't seen since my early high school days. I thought wow we are victorious. Then God reminded me that I'm not out of the woods yet, and the victory belongs to Him.

So my prayer this week is that God will continue to help me humble myself before Him and to lean on His strength moment by moment whether I am in pain or not in pain. Whether I eat or drink or whatever I do may it all be done to the glory of God, 1Corinthians 10:31. I took a look at Romans 7 today that prompted these thoughts and prayers. I pray that whatever any of us do whether we are eating, drinking, talking, or interacting with others, we can remember that Christ is the only one who can deliver us from the bondage of our own sins. May Paul's words bring you all encouragement today.

Hollow Man

pride rides my back like a gargoyle
while an angelic voice calls me back w/ gentle rebuke
w/ hunger pains & watery tongue I run
to dance w/ my demon
giving another foothold for the enemy to climb
my angelic love struggles
pulling me up the hill
in a cart I fill w/ sin
it flows like a rushing mill
she labors in doubt
as my heart cries out
for a host to help from above
come invade my raid
release me from these glutton's shackles
tear down these prison walls
knock me out of the cart
help me to rejoin my union
never again to pull the cart alone
gluttoness demons lose their grip
slipping away to their hunger pit
Angels rejoice to the victory at hand
as Jesus still loves this Hollow Man

- Mark A. Behr
9-6-09

Testing Our Spiritual Growth

If you haven't already guessed school is back in session. I got out of a class called "Spiritual Formations." It has left a lasting impact on me today and is forcing me to ask myself some hard questions about my walk with the Lord. I don't know that I have ever asked myself these questions, or at least in a way that I have simply taken the time to contemplate them and seek God to simply guide me through them. These questions usually come out when I am lost in a fit of rage, dispair, or even self loathing i.e. feeling sorry for myself. We are reading a book called "Invitation To A Journey" By: M. Robert Mulholland Jr. If you have never read this book I challenge you to pick it up.
The question is this: Are you more loving, more compassionate, more patient, more understanding, more caring, more giving, more forgiving than you were a year ago?.............. As I look at the things listed in this question my gut reaction is to cringe. The events that pop up in my mind are all the times that I have not been loving, compassionate, patient, understanding, caring, giving, or forgiving. I have really been chewing on this question for a while now, and as I look deeper into it, another thought arises. When I ask each of these questions I think about the people in my life that I would respond to in these ways and the people I know I definitely do not respond to in any of these ways. Then there are the people in my life to whom I respond to in both ways.
When I think about whether or not I am more loving than I was a year ago, I would say, "Ask my wife, that is where you will find the truth in that question." When it comes to other people I can definitely say that I have not lived that out in my daily life. Yet, deep in my heart that is where I want to be. I could even sheepishly say that I am trying to be more loving and all those other things. I just don't know how successful. There are people in my life whom I am without a doubt not understanding with, I am impatient with and the longer I am around them the less patient and compassionate I become.
I can do all the praying and reading of scripture I want. If I do not carry that with me the rest of the day then it was really done in vein. For instance this morning I became very impatient with a person for whom I truly do not like. The more he spoke the more indignant I became. It was kind of strange that it was less than hour before then I was praying that God would fill me with compassion and love and kindness and that I would live out His word today. It is amazing how quickly I can leave me prayers at home on the shelf waiting to be lifted back up again before I go to sleep.
So if these are the terms that I would lay out to measure my spiritual growth in the last year the most honest answer that I can give would be in some of these areas I feel like God has really taken over. In other areas I continue to struggle, and yet with some I continue to struggle well.
I think with asking myself these kinds of questions, God helps me to learn how to struggle well with them. It teaches me how to rely solely on God for strength that I think I might have. It is learning how to release that control into His hands. It is truly a freeing experience to get out of God's way and let Him do His work in me. I won't let you know when I have arrived, hopefully Christ will shine through and I will not be so worried about measuring my level of spirituality. I will be too in awe of what Christ is doing.
So today ask yourself these questions. Wrestle with them. Open yourself up enough to allow God to help you wrestle well and find your freedom in giving up the control. Have a great day.

The Queen of My Heart

There are many secrets locked in my heart
only she has the key
she sees beyond my frayed edges
she loves me
despite my ragamuffin soul

the only sadness
are the moments apart
and the anticipation of her return

With a practical heart
& compassion that doesn't end
the queen of my heart
draws me in like a love sick pup

With her my inspiration cannot fade
led by the Spirit and molded by the Father
she taught me how to pray
drawing us ever closer

Focused on the love of Jesus
at the center of our bond
my pride evaporates
at the sound of her gentle tones

it is a love that does not end
rooted deep by the love of the Lamb

Mark A. Behr
8-4-09

Love -- Forced or Freely Given

This is a topic that has come up more than once in the last few months in different conversations. I absolutely believe in the sovereignty of our God. He is sovereign over all things and consequently is able to "make" us love Him. In thinking about this and listening to the thoughts of others, I have come to the conclusion that I don't believe that God chooses people to love Him, but has paid the sacrifice for ALL men to have the freedom to come to Him and choose to love Him. No, it's not because we in and of ourselves have anything good that makes us love Him, but because we've all been created in His image and so He put within each one of us a longing for Him. Unfortunately, some turn to other things to fill this void, but each one has the freedom to come to Him and accept the gift that He has freely given us ("God so loved THE WORLD" -- not just those that He has chosen to accept Him). If He was choosing (i.e. making) us to love Him, is that really love? He didn't create us to be robots because relationships are not about force, but about a mutual desire for communion. We've all been created with this desire, but not all choose Christ to fulfill that desire. That desire under the curse of sin has run a muck just as everything else here on earth is affected by the result of sin.

Thank You, Jesus, for the gift of salvation! Thank You, Father, for the freedom that we have to come to You and accept this gift! Thank You also for the many people in my life who prayed for me and desired for me to know You in a personal way! I love You!

On The Edge of a Storm

So many times life feels like we are on the edge of a storm. The other day Rachel and I really were on the edge of a storm. We were driving home from grocery shopping and it had been sunny everywhere we had been. Then we could see these big dark storm clouds overhead in the distance. I thought, man, we're going to drive right into it. It was really quite fascinating because we were right on the edge of it. We were just close enough to see the rain, but not close enough to get hit by it.

I then started to think, how often is life like this moment? We can see the storms in view. Do we run from the storm or find shelter? In the literal sense most people do. Then there are just a few out there who instead of avoiding the storms in life, they trudge forward and press on trusting that God is going to help them grow even when the thunder is rolling and the lightning is striking all around them.

I think that is an important moment for spouses in their marriages too. Marriage has storms just like the rest of life. We all have the choice of how we are going to respond. We can avoid the storm by burying ourselves in our work or play, but too often that is when the thunder crashes between two people. We can play it safe and walk on egg shells just to make sure there are no conflicts within the relationship and still never deal with any struggles. Or you can pull together as a couple and be a team by facing the storms together.....not against each other.

Our greatest weapon, or in this case, umbrella in the storms is prayer. I firmly believe in the old cliche' "A Family that prays together, stays together." If Christ is not the center of the relationship, then how can we build our marriages on the rock. A relationship that is not covered in prayer and that does not have Christ at the center is usually walking on shifting sand. Even when all these things are in place, it is still easy to become self-centered if we are not careful. We as couples have that choice to make on how we are going to respond when we reach those moments in our marriages or any relationship for that matter. We need to be praying more each day for our marriages and our friend's marriages that Jesus will truly be the center and the glue that holds us together whenever storms come near.

I love Ephesians 5:22-33. Unfortunately it is a piece of Scripture that gets under read. Most of us men stop reading after verse 23 and go, "Yeah submit to me for I am the head over you." We neglect to keep reading where it says LOVE your wives as CHRIST LOVES the church. It says we need to give ourselves up....for our wives. It also says we need to cleanse our wives with God's Word.....So does that mean they have to be worthy of our love?!! I think NOT! We are called to encourage and love them as well as become the men that God has created us to be for our wives. We are called to adore our wives and to present them as a radiant church. So before we get into our little macho attitudes, I think we need to look deeper into what the Word says. Yes, wives submit to your husbands and give him the respect he needs, but husbands, we really need to step up and be worthy of that respect. There are too many of us who are willing to die for our wives, but are not willing to do the dishes or make a meal.

Doing the little things can help prevent storms, or if you can see the storm ahead, drive forward and face that storm with the love that you have professed on your wedding day. These are just some thoughts that I had after seeing all of the thunderstorms (real literal thunderstorms) here in Knoxville the past few weeks.

Sometimes it's the storms where God helps us grow the most.

Reflection of My Heart

Fridays are actually tough days for me because I often lack direction. My natural bent is to sit in front of the television watching movies or spend countless hours on facebook. For the past couple of months Rachel and I have been reading through the Psalms and Proverbs when we get up in the morning and they have been making a real impact on our daily lives. Today reading Proverbs 19 rang even deeper in my heart than it ever has before.
In my struggle on Friday morning to focus on anything that is constructive I have really tried this morning to put my focus on my relationship with Christ by reading over the Proverb again and then going to my devotional book "My Utmost for His Highest" by Oswald Chambers who I now call "Uncle Oswald." The Proverb spoke on many things about being a sluggard and how it causes us more detriment than anything else. "Laziness brings on deep sleep, and the shiftless man goes hungry," v.15 This particular verse really echoes how I have spent my last few Fridays this summer. I really struggle not to be lazy. My heart desires to honor God but my actions prove a desire to only please myself.
Another issue that I often struggle with is trying to have control of my life. Instead of surrendering that control over to God. We often try to make our own plans for our life together Rachel and I, then we take our plan to God only to find out He usually has something far different or greater than we could have ever imagined. vs. 21 Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails. We can try to make all the plans we want but we must first surrender anything we do over to God first before anything else. No matter what we do God's purpose is going to prevail in our lives. Does that mean we never make any plans? No of course not, but we must remain flexible to God's will in our lives whenever we do. It reminds me of an earlier Proverb that our friend John Newbury shared with me on more than one occasion. Proverbs 16:9 In his a heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps. My desire as I plan my course today is to be open to the Lord determining my steps as I go about my day. May you be open to the Lord determining your steps as you plan your course today.

End Note: If you have a copy of Utmost for His Highest read today June 19. It has some really profound thoughts to chew on along with these other verses from Proverbs. Have a great day everyone..

Mark

Why Do We Fear?

"But God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." II Timothy 1:7 (KJV)

This is a verse that was taught to me during Teaching Bible class at Pensacola Christian College by Mr. Bower, and it has had a profound impact on my life in so many ways! Fear has been a natural part of my life since I was a young child. I believe the enemy of our souls saw my first moment of fear and pushed his way in knowing that he could use fear to control my mind and heart. I clearly remember fearing that I had been the cause of my sister contracting spinal meningitis when I was only five years old because of not watching her close enough and letting her eat some dirt while we were outside. That is my first recollection of fear and anxiety and it's been preying on my mind ever since then! I used to lie in bed at night stiff as a board fearing intruders with every noise or I would fear our home starting on fire and so I would plan in my little head how I would be able to rescue all of my family members from the flames. My sister (the younger one of us) can tell you stories of a flying object directed at her bed during thunder storms. Now, it would be easy to say that these are just common childhood fears, but the truth of the matter is that God does not desire us to fear, but our enemy does! He does not discriminate on the basis of age or anything else. If he can reel you in on his line of fear, he will do it in a heartbeat. And if he can set up a pattern for fear in your life, the earlier he can get started the better! Anxiety is a natural reaction for me now as an adult, but God has been showing me and helping to free me from this bondage to fear and anxiety. My journey to freedom began about a year or so ago and it continues until this day and will probably continue until I meet my Savior face to face. It began after hearing a message about how anxiety is a sin where we in essence say to God that He is not big enough or sovereign enough to take care of the things that are in my life. (I do want to say that sometimes extreme anxiety is due to a chemical imbalance that needs to be treated by a medical doctor, but I am speaking of the "normal" anxiety that many face.) Many times, I have shouldered things that were never my burden to carry, but the Lord's! The Lord revealed this area of sin in my life and I began to confess all of the times that I remembered being anxious throughout my life at different points. I then began this journey that is a daily if not moment by moment battle for me. Some days when I am leaning on my own understanding and strength, the anxiety and fears overwhelm me, but more days are spent learning to trust the Lord in new and amazing ways! He is soooooooo trustworthy and so desires for us to trust Him! He says in Isaiah 41:10 "So do not fear for I am with you. Do not be dismayed for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you. I will uphold you with My righteous right hand." So my encouragement for the day is to trust His hand to help you today and to hold you up throughout the day. Also, remember that "God has NOT given us the spirit of fear, but of POWER, and of LOVE, and of a SOUND MIND." (II Tim. 1:7) Be strong in Him, my friends, and He will carry you through!

Heading back to the Knox

Looking back on this past week it's hard to believe we are already at the end of our trip........almost. We covered a lot of ground. We have visited many friends. We have driven through five states and we have been blessed greatly along the way. Thank you Lord for all the family and friends you have blessed us with. Thanks to all of you who have made our trip such a wonderful experience. We have created many wonderful memories. For those of you who we didn't get to see, we are always thinking of you and keep you in our prayers. We wish you all well and hope to see all of you again soon.

Leaving Michigan and on to Ohio

Over the time we spent in Grand Rapids, Mark caught a terrible cold and had a rough couple of night's sleeping. Nevertheless, we did get some rest. After all the visiting we were both tired and it was nice just to sit still for a while. We then were on our way to Lima, Ohio where we stayed with Rachel's friend Ryan and Karen Huizenga. The girls stomped the guys in three close games of Uchre. It was humbling to lose so many times, but it was fun. This then will bring us back to our return stay in Springfield with Grace and Dan and Mark's Mom and Step Dad. We also have the added blessing of Rachel's parents as we are restfully enjoying our time with family once again.......Tommorrow we hit hit the road again for our current place of residence in Knoxville, Tennnessee......Johnson Bible College.

Visiting THe Frisbey homestead and Step Mama Behr

From Jenison we backtracked a little bit back to Whitecloud where we visited Dad and Mom Frisbey. It was a wonderful visit where Dad graciously taught Mark how to properly pack a car and Rachel was able to spend time with her mom and sister Debbie.

From there we headed back to Grand Rapids where we stayed with Mark's step mom Margie. It was a really good visit where we were able to have some Bible Study, awesome conversation and wonderful fellowship together.

A Day with Friends

Later after we said our see you laters to Grandma Behr we headed to GR specifically Jenison. We met up with a great group of Mark's friends that have been a strong support and great accountability for his walk as a Christian. We stayed at Mark and Suzanne Jager's house. We are very thankful for your hospitality and the wonderful fellowship that we were able to share with all of you. Good friends are not just found around the corner. Conversation does not need to float on the surface. When it goes deeper than our own comfort it is often worth hanging onto in our hearts forever................... Good Game

Checking Out Fremont and White Cloud

I am having to play a little catch up on the last few days due to many activities and limited Wireless access.

From Petosley we headed down to Fremont to visit Grandma Behr, Aunt Sarah, and Uncle Dick. We had an enjoyable time catching up them up on all that we have been doing down in Knoxville, and all that we had done on our trip so far. Grandma Behr is still kicking and very sharp for a woman at the ripe ole' age of 92. Aunt Sarah looked as vibrant as ever. Uncle Dick was pretty mobile too after he has had a couple of hip replacements. After a nice visit with Grandma and crew we headed down to Grand Rapids where Mark grew up as a kid.

Saying goodbye to the Great North

On our last couple of days in Petoskey we were able to gather for lunch with our former youth group who are all growing up quickly. Many of them already in their junior year of college. We had an awesome lunch at one of our favorite restaraunts The Grand Traverse Pie Company. We were also able to hit a few more stops to friends houses and had good fellowship with a lot of people in a short time. We were able to connect with our friends Jamie and Christie Woodall. Jamie who is an associate pastor at Genesis Church in Petoskey. He is also in the process of starting another Church plant in Boyne City. They have been a huge encouragement to us in the time that we have known them. We also got to visit with our friends that Rachel used to nanny for during the summer.

A Few Days In Petoskey

We would love to give a great big thank you to our friends up here for an incredible time of fellowship and an awesome cook out. We all were able to have some time to catch up and have some great food. It was really wonderful to be with everybody and to even have a few fun rounds of Mafia. Good times were had by all. We were able to get together.

Also a big thank you to our family who have made us feel so much at home so far the last couple of days. This morning we headed to our cousin Javen and Rebecca Chamberlin's for an amazing breakfast. We shared a few laughs and Mark wrestled Uncle Greg a little be as they both realized how out of shape they are. After that we were able to see our friends John and Jane Newbury with their daughters Arielle and Eliza. John and Jane have been great friends and mentors. They have been a great encouragement to both of us as we journey with the Lord.

We then we able to surprise the ladies of First Christian Church where we used to serve as the Youth Director. It was a wonderful opportunity to catch up and encourage those who were there. We even were able to pray with our friend Diane who also went to church there. The updates will continue as we stay up here.

It is such a joy to be near the Bay once again. It is also very strange as we are truly on a little vacation up here. We are what the locals call "Fudgies," no this is not a racist statement. We have a fun little name for all the people who come up here for three months pout of the year along with all the tourists. One of the we call fudgies because they come up for all the wonderful fudge made by Kilwins. The other name we have is "Cone Suckers" which are all the people who come up and enjoy all the ice cream. So there is a little tidbit from Petoskey Michigan..... Stay tuned there will be more to come.

The journey through Ohio

We got into Springfield early evening where we stayed with Rachel's Sister and Brother-in-Law Dan and Grace Johanson. We were able to visit with our niece and nephews, Luke, Hanna Grace, and Joshua. One of the big blessings we have staying in Ohio is that we have my mother there who lives two doors down from Rachel's sister.

Then Saturday we were back on the road by 11 AM and headed for the great North. It was really weird because it was about 80 degrees when we left Springfield and by the time we hit the Michigan border the temp literally dropped about ten degrees with a mass amount of cloud cover. Thankfully we only had a few sprinkles. The Lord has really blessed us with great driving conditions so far.

We are now fellowshipping with our good friends here in beautiful Petoskey where the air is cool and the bugs are plenty, but our friends and family have made the journey worth every moment. Thank you Lord for the fellowship that You have blessed us with in this place. Good friendships are not just found around the corner. When they are built on the fellowship of the Lord they more often than not last a lifetime. Til the next update......Cheers

Mark and Rachel

There and Back Again: A Behr's Tail

We left the Knox in Ole' Suzie Q

We said goodbye to friends from Belaru(s)

On I-75 we had a smooth ride

Driving a little faster than sixty five

Hooked up with more Friends at Max & Erma's Place

We cleaned our plates not leaving a trace

And on to the next leg

We arrived in Springfield on the edge of dusk

that's all for now

Stay tuned for more............

Alright Folks,
Here we go. We are gearing up right now for the journey to head back to Michigan. Keep a look out as we log our journey. Pray that the car runs well. That the Lord keeps us safe and that we have an awesome time on the road. We are geared up.

One Year Down

It has been quite a semester but we managed to make it. God has blessed us in many ways. We have learned many things as well.

Mark just finished his first year of college. We are just waiting to see the final results of his grades. We are very hopeful for the outcome. He had his struggles in classes and assignments, but he worked very hard.

Rachel continues at the counseling center. She is currently praying about a few options that will be later disclosed. She will be helping out this summer with an event called Senior Saints in the Smokeys. Many senior Citezens come to the campus for a week long retreat. There will be speakers and other events that they will be able to attend. So the campus won't be quiet for long.

We have continued to be a part of the prayer ministry at the church we have been attending. We are both very excited to see what the Lord is going to show in the months ahead. We are currently preparing for our first trip home to Michigan since we moved here. We miss home very much and look forward to seeing our friends and family. Again we thank all of you who have supported us and prayed for us. You all have been a huge blessing in our life. To the next update, we will post more hotos from our travels home.

Well.....

We are winding down the school year. I have one more project to complete this week and Rachel is holding down the fort at the counseling center. We would like to thank everyone for all the prayers. Things are looking up. We are on the look out for Mark to find a job for the summer; hopefully here on campus. Nevertheless we are praying for the Lord's guidance as to where He would like to have me work this summer. More updates soon...........

Bringing You Up To Speed

Well........
Since our last newsletter sent out as the Behr's Trails, a great deal has happened. I survived the first semester with a 3.419. For those of you who have known me over the years that is astronomical. I say it is the work of the Lord. Rachel has been doing pretty well with her job at the Counseling Center here on campus as the receptionist. We are very thankful that the Lord has provided for us in this area.
This semester has been far different than the first. The Lord has drawn us to get more involved in church after taking a short break from doing ministry last semester. We have gotten involved in the Prayer team at church. On certain Sundays, Rachel and I pray through an entire worship service, calling on the Holy Spirit to be present with our pastor, the praise band, and the people who are worshiping. This is a ministry that we feel is greatly needed. It sparked from a retreat we did back in January where we prayed over a teen event. We prayed with some of the Bands like Family Force 5 and with the people who were sharing the message. It was quite the experience. This has prompted us to bring this prayer ministry to our church along with a committed group of prayer warriors who are dedicated to lifting up everything to God in all situations. We have been met with a lot of opposition from the enemy as we have started this.
Rachel's stomach problems have increased. We think it is her gallbladder. Please be in prayer that the Lord will bring healing to her gallbladder. Pray also that the doctors will be able to figure out if that truly is the case so that we know how to treat it.
The Lord has also called to begin a prayer ministry right here on campus. We began the year with a prayer walk in January with the faculty, staff, and anybody who was willing to pray before the students returned from Christmas break.
We both believe that God has blessed these ministries. Please pray that God will continue to lead us in His path and that we will be willing to follow His leading no matter where it may be, and that He will protect us in our prayers.

Blessing to you all and may the Lord bless you and keep you in His care....

- Mark and Rachel

Just Getting Started

We're new at this blogging thing so bear (hehe) with us please! We've wanted to have something that people can go to in order to keep up with us and see what God is doing in our lives, and so now we're going to try and get started. Hope you all enjoy!