The Mission!

Psalms 144:1

"Blessed be the LORD my strength, which teacheth my hands to war, and my fingers to fight."

II Corinthians 10:4

"For the weapons of our warefare are not carnal, but mighty through GOD to the pulling down of strongholds."

Ephesians 6:11

"Put on the whole armour of God, that ye might be able to stand aganst the wiles of the devil."

Psalms 31:1

"In thee O Lord do I put my trust; let me never be ashamed: deliver me in thy righteousness."

I Corinthians 9:24

"Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? so RUN, that ye may obtain.

We're pilgrims on the journey
Of the narrow road
And those who've gone before us line the way
Cheering on the faithful, encouraging the weary
Their lives a stirring testament to God's sustaining grace

Surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses
Let us run the race not only for the prize
But as those who've gone before us
Let us leave to those behind us
The heritage of faithfulness passed on through godly lives

CHORUS:
Oh may all who come behind us find us faithful
May the fire of our devotion light their way
May the footprints that we leave
Lead them to believe
And the lives we live inspire them to obey

Oh may all who come behind us find us faithful

After all our hopes and dreams have come and gone
And our children sift through all we've left behind
May the clues that they discover and the memories they uncover
Become the light that leads them to the road we each must find

Blessed be the Lord!

Psalms 28:6-8

"Blessed be the Lord, because He hath heard the voice of my supplications. The Lord is my strength and my sheild; my heart trusted in Him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I prasie Him. The Lord is their strength, and He is the saving strength of His annointed."

Blessed be your name
In the land that is plentiful
Where the streams of abundance flow
Blessed be your name
Blessed be your name
When I'm found in the desert place
Though I walk through the wilderness
Blessed be your name
Every blessing you pour out,
I turn back to praise
When the darkness closes in, Lord
Still I will say...
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be your glorious name
Blessed be your name
When the sun's shining down on me
When the world's all as it should be
Blessed be your name
Blessed be your name
On the road marked with suffering
Though there's pain in the offering
Blessed be your name
Every blessing you pour out,
I turn back to praise
When the darkness closes in, Lord
Still I will say...
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be your glorious name
You give and take away
You give and take away
My heart will choose to say
Lord, Blessed be your name

May We NEVER Forget the BLOOD...

May we never forget the BLOOD that has been shed across this nation and all around the world for our freedom. But more importantly the BLOOD that was shed on a lonely mountain top that you and I might LIVE!

How deep the Father's love for us,
How vast beyond all measure
That He should give His only Son
To make a wretch His treasure

How great the pain of searing loss,
The Father turns His face away
As wounds which mar the chosen One,
Bring many sons to glory

Behold the Man upon a cross,
My sin upon His shoulders
Ashamed I hear my mocing voice,
Call out among the scoffers

It was my sin that helf Him there
Until it was accomplished
His dying breath has brought me life
I knoww that it is finished

I will not boast in anything
No gifts, no power, no wisdom
But I will boast inJesus Christ
His death and resurrection

Why should I gain from His reward?
I cannot give an answer
But this I know with all my heart
His wounds have paid my ransom

A Faithful Man...

A Faithful Man, what is he? What does he look like? How does he act or respond in a given situation? What kind of an impact does he have on the world? Why be a Faithful Man?

II Timothy 2:2 says, "....These intrust to faithful men...."

This is the theme for the 2009 ALERT Cadet camps. So far this year I have had the privilege of attending as staff 3 camps so far. So now I have heard these lessons and am a pro at being a faithful man? Right? NO!!! Not by any stretch of the imagination. I am far from perfect. Each day is a work in progress for me. By God's grace and power I seek to become a faithful man. But it is not an overnight process. It is a life long commitment to seek Him though His Word, pray, discipleship, and service. It takes determination and a whole hearted commitment on my part.

Here are just a few qualities of what a Faithful man does or is. This is not an exhaustive list so feel free to comment with others you see.

[] Does what is in God's heart and mind - 1 Samuel 2:35

[] Trusted in business dealings - the temple workmen in 2 Kings 12:15, and 2 Kings 22:7; also applicable as a husband, or son Proverbs 31:23

[] Trusted to do his work - 2 Chronicles 34:12

[] Fears God - Nehemiah 7:2

[] Handles money Properly - Nehemiah 13:13

[] Does not reveal secrets - Proverbs 11:13

[] Does not lie - Proverbs 14:5

[] Does not proclaim his own goodness - Proverbs 20:6

[] He abounds with blessings - Proverbs 28:20

[] Judges the poor well - Proverbs 29:14

[] No error or fault found in him - Daniel 6:4

[] Is given rule over a household - Matthew 24:45

[] Is faithful in a few things - Matthew 25:21

[] Gains the joy of his master - Matthew 25:23

[] Able to carry a message - 1 Corinthians 4:17

[] A fellow servant of the Lord - Colossians 1:7

[] Serious, not slanderers, sober - I Timothy 3:11

[] Their children are not accused of riot or unruly - Titus 1:6

[] Keeps promises - Hebrews 11:11

[] Steadfast in the truth even unto death - Revelation 2:10

Thank you to Major Farr for all the lessons he has given about being a faithful man in the past two years of working with him at Cadets. And most of all to my daddy who displays Christ so clearly to me and is truly a Faithful Man.

Stand Strong!

Blessings,

Richard

Buffalo River Cadet camp.

The first week of this month I was the cook and organized the logistics for the Buffalo River Cadet camp. I had a lot of fun organizing the camp in the months leading up to it. We had 41 fathers and son's. We stayed at Tyler Bend State Park near Harrison, AR. Major Farr was able to join us for most of the camp along with his son Brian, and Peter Janowski. It was a great time of fun, fellowship, teaching, skill training, canoeing, kayaking, building relationships, sports, and RAIN! No matter what happened the guys were all still full of energy and never let the environment or weather change their enthusiasm for what God was doing in and through each person. God did a great work in all those who attended. Please pray for them as the run the race of life that they will keep the focus.

http://picasaweb.google.com/Alpha.2nd.Oklahoma/2009061013_AC_Buffalo_River_FatherSon_Camp#

Wow... Where has time gone?????

The month of JUNE has litrally FLOWN by... More coming soon but for the time being feel free to check out some pictures.... :)

Week One found us visiting friends in Texas and seeing even more friends at a wedding... http://picasaweb.google.com/elizabethjoyshoe/GregAndSarahSWeddingAndNicholsonSHouse#

Week Two found all the guys and I in Arkansas attending or working at a cadet camp that I was in charge of organizing and cooking for. It was a blast!!!!

Weeks Three and Four were spent for the most part in Kentucky teaching at a horse camp and making runs with the FD.

http://higherground-ministry.blogspot.com/

http://picasaweb.google.com/highergroundministry/

God's blessings were abbundant during the time and I look forward to sharing more of them with you all soon.

And you say Freedom is FREE????

Because of them and HIM we have this FREEDOM.

1. The American Cemetery at Aisne-Marne , France . A total of 2289 of our military dead.

2. The American Cemetery at Ardennes , Belgium .. A total of 5329 of our dead.

3. The American Cemetery at Brittany, France .. A total of 4410 of our military dead.

4. Brookwood , England American Cemetery. A total of 468 of our dead.

5. Cambridge , England . 3812 of our military dead.

6. Epinal , France American Cemetery. A total of 5525 of our Military dead.

7. Flanders Field , Belgium . A total of 368 of our military.

8. Florence , Italy . A total of 4402 of our military dead.

9. Henri-Chapelle , Belgium . A total of 7992 of our military dead.

10. Lorraine , France . A total of 10,489 of our Military Dead

.

11. Luxembourg , Luxembourg . A total of 5076 of our military dead.

12. Meuse-Argonne. A total of 14246 of our military dead..

13. Netherlands , Netherlands . A total of 8301 of our military dead.

14. Normandy , France . A total of 9387 of our military dead.

15. Oise-Aisne , France . A total of 6012 of our military dead.

16. Rhone , France . A total of 861 of our military dead.

17. Sicily , Italy . A total of 7861 of our military dead.

18. Somme , France . A total of 1844 of our military dead.

19. St. Mihiel , France . A total of 4153 of our military dead.

20. Suresnes , France . a total of 1541 of our military dead.

And how many are still missing from Tarawa and the South Pacific………………….

Apologize to no one. Remind those of our sacrifice and don't confuse arrogance with leadership.

IF I ADDED CORRECTLY THE COUNT IS 104,366

Is Home!!!!!!

Home sweet home.

Yesterday Elizabeth and I flew back home arriving in Tulsa at 9:51am. Our awesome brother Michael graduated a few hours later along with nearly 50 other young men and woman of character and integrity from our home school group. That evening we had a great time catching up with old and new friends, and playing sports, and more talking till LATE!!! :)

Today is Michael's 18th birthday. What an awesome joy it is to have a brother so Godly as him. He is truly a man of integrity, passion for the Lord, and smart as all get out. :) I love you bro.