August 2014

mountain lake Welcome! We are so excited to bring you a brand new website this month. It was created through a whole lot of hard work, for which I am so very grateful. Our prayer is that you'll be ministered to as God touches your heart with the Good News of Jesus Christ.

"Good News from far away is like cold water to the thirsty." 1

Dealing With The Past...

Forty-five years ago, the Tate/LaBianca murders took place, which I deeply regret. Life would have been different for many if it weren't for my bad choices in the 60's. As a result, the ripple effect still causes pain today. It has been said that,

"Some of us may wonder if we will ever get beyond the pain we experience on a daily basis. But even if the pain remains throughout our life, we will be changed completely when Jesus Christ returns." 2

I would like to do more to stop pain, but all I can do is point people to God, Who through Jesus Christ took our pain. In the New Jerusalem, we're promised:

"He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain." 3

Focussing On Healing...

In a couple of my books, I share not only about the crime, but my life with the Manson family as part of my testimony. I felt a responsibility to share my insights, but over the years, I've seen many become obsessed with the crime.

For health's sake, I had to take my eyes off the past and heal. This was the advice I received from a well-respected psychologist years ago.

We can't change the past, but we can grow towards a wonderful future through the grace of God. The apostle Paul gave us this advice:

"...I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Jesus Christ, is calling us." 4

This doesn't mean that we lack remorse, nor are we unable to empathize with those who lost their loved ones and friends. NO, we've made a choice to put healing first and to not let our past destroy our future.

Lord, Stop The Pain...

There's a man of faith in the Bible named Jabez, whose name means "son of sorrow, distress or pain." I believe we can learn a lot from a man who didn't want to fulfill the meaning of his name. He desired to be a blessing to others, as the Scriptures recorded:

"There was a man named Jabez who was more honorable than any of his brothers. His mother named him Jabez because his birth had been so painful. He was the one who prayed to the Lord of Israel, 'Oh, that you would bless me and expand my territory! Please be with me in all that I do, and keep me from all trouble and pain.' And God granted him his request." 5

This prayer can be granted for you as well as it has for me. Do you wand God to:

Bless you? He has in Christ's death, burial, resurrection and baptism of the Holy Spirit.
Expand your territory? He will is you only believe and receive.
Be with you in all that you do? He promises to never leave you nor forsake you. 6
Keep you from all trouble and pain? His grace is all you need. 7

Except For Faith...

We can believe that God heals and changes lives, but have no faith for Him to change ours. Faith is acting on what we believe. If we want to be healed, from our past (thoughts, emotions, choices and behaviors), we must not only believe, but act on these new beliefs. For instance,

We are saved by God's favor and ability through Jesus Christ. 8
Not by our works of righteousness, but by His mercy, by regeneration and by renewing of the Holy Spirit. 9
Simply through faith in God's abundance of grace and His gift of righteousness,
For all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one man, Jesus Christ. 10

Today is the day for you to leave the past behind and take a step of faith by believing and receiving the Good News of Jesus Christ in your heart.

“In fact, it says, ‘The message is very close at hand; it is on your lips and in your heart.’ And that message is the very message about faith that we preach: If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved. As the Scriptures tell us, ‘Anyone who trusts in him will never be disgraced.’ Jew and Gentile are the same in this respect. They have the same Lord, who gives generously to all who call on him. For ‘Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’” 11

It is time to ACT now, by praying the following prayer. Realize that God is doing a miracle in your heart this very moment. He loves you and desires to have a moment by moment relationship with you.

A Prayer For You...

Father God, I love You. I come to You today in faith asking You to forgive my sins. Jesus, I believe in You, I believe You died on the cross for me, You shed Your innocent blood for me, You took my place and all the punishment that I deserved. I believe You died and were buried and on the third day, You rose from the dead. Death could not hold You. You have conquered Satan and taken the keys of hell and death away from him. I believe You did all this for me because You love me. I want to be a Christian. I want to serve You all the days of my life. I want to learn how to live the new life that You have promised me. I receive You now, Jesus, and I give myself to You. Take me just the way I am, and make me the way You want me to be.

Thank You, Jesus, for saving me. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit and teach me everything I need to know. Now, I believe that I am saved, I have been born again, and I will go to heaven when I die. Father God, I am going to enjoy my journey and live for Your glory.

Scripture References (NLT)

1 Pro. 25:25
2 Stephen Arterburn/David Stoop
3 Rev. 21:4
4 Phil. 3:13,14
5 1 Chr. 4:9,10
6 Deut 31:6,8; Heb. 13:5
7 2 Cor. 12:9
8 Eph. 2:8,9
9 Tit. 3:5,6
10 Rom 5:17
11 Rom 10:8b-13