“Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor.” Ecclesiastes 4:9

July 15-19 may seem like a long way off, but it will be here before we know it!  There’s a lot to do to get ready for B.I.B.L.E. Camp 2025, and we spent a long weekend together making some preparations. 

​The girls’ cabin got a much-needed facelift!  Our dear friend from Brazil, Fabi, spent her vacation days with us in Franklin, and the Lord put it on her heart to spruce up the cabin in preparation for the next B.I.B.L.E. Camp.  Beds were painted, floors were painted and varnished, and some heavy-duty cleaning was done.  There’s still a bit to finish up, but WOW, what a difference!  We can’t wait for you to see it!

We are so thankful for Fabi’s servant’s heart.  What an inspiration she has been to all of us here in Franklin.  Please join us to pray for a miracle so that Fabi can come back in July to join us for camp!

God sent some other friends to help us work on building a new shed on the property.  We are so thankful for these hearts and hands that served the Lord with their hammers and power tools.

Work also was done to display signs at the end of our road to let passersby know about the weekly Bible studies that are held at Rehoboth.  This is a project that has been on our To-Do list for a long time, and it is so great to finally have it done!  Will you pray with us for God to send people to the studies?

More work days will be scheduled between now and camp in July.  If you’re interested in lending a hand, just let us know by sending an email to josiahh1208@gmail.com or calling (304) 360-7121.  There is something so special about working together in service to the Lord, and we would love for you to be a part of these joyful times!

 John begins with the beautiful revelation that Jesus is the Word of God, and we immediately jump to the broader vision of Him being God’s living Word in its entirety—which He is. But think for a moment: when we first came to Jesus, we didn’t know the whole Bible, all the prophecies, and promises. We only knew that which was shared with us and that God made sufficient to reveal His plan of salvation, touching our hearts. All we had was that word.

As our life in Jesus progresses, more Word is added. We begin to read the Bible, and the Holy Spirit begins to teach us (1 John 2:27). We become inspired by testimonies and by the preaching of God’s Word. As we grow in Christ, we become more familiar with who He really is, from Genesis through Revelation, or even before Genesis (Ephesians 1:4). We begin to have testimonies of our own to share, and we start to lead people to Him, the same way someone led us one day.

It is amazing how every page of the Bible is capable of revealing Christ—and Christ in me. And one way God has chosen to manifest all that is through words. So much so that in the last verse of John’s gospel, he declares:

“And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen.” John 21:25

Can you imagine having so much to say about what Jesus has done in your life that not even the world could contain the books? And that is only you. Imagine all the others who have given themselves to a life where Christ is their Master, who leads them to the fullness of His blessings. So many more books!

This is a beautiful picture of what our lives as believers can be. It begins with one word, and in the end, we are so full and spiritually rich that words cannot describe it, and not even the whole world could contain the books.
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Amen.

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​MATTHEW 25:40 

​Any time we try to describe the presence of God, what it means to feel Him, or to hear His voice; it seems like words are never enough. In some ways, God just IS. In every way, He IS. (Exodus 3:14.) During camp this year, we learned to listen carefully, or "take heed how you hear." (Luke 8:18) God gave us the idea to make wind chimes, and as the idea developed, we saw God work more and more. By the end of camp, we had over 20 wind chimes made out of recycled and reused materials. When I sat in the midst of all those wind chimes, I could feel the presence of God. I knew that when the wind blew, they sang. And I couldn't help but feel deeply, "So will I," by Hillsong United. This song says "If creation sings Your praises so will I." 
Though we try and try to explain God, define and describe Him, He just IS. And, as His creation, I want to just "be" in that. I want my every action to be a reaction to Who He is. He IS, so I will "be".
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Lily Hannah

 Many years ago, I sat in a Bible study where the foot washing of the disciples by Jesus was being taught. For the first time, I heard and understood something more than the humbleness and forgiveness of Jesus Christ in this lesson. I heard something wonderful and beautiful about the Kingdom of God - a kingdom that is spiritual - and how things that are seen and understood on a "natural" level are often just a shadow of things that are "spiritual" or spiritually true.

In Hebrews 10:1, it speaks of the Old Testament (the law) being "a shadow of good things to come." We can easily see things that are of a "natural" order, but there is so much more for us to comprehend in the spiritual realm. These are the things that help us understand the perfection and beauty of Jesus Christ in the kingdom of.His Father. There is something more real than  that which is "natural" (it's merely the shadow) and these are the things that concern the reality of our walk in the Kingdom of God.
 
Here's an example:
We all have feet. We put socks and shoes on them and we get up and go! Have you considered what feet might represent in God's Kingdom?
Our feet represent our will.
Our feet move us and take us from one place to another - from here to there, to good or to bad - and they get dirty, polluted by the dust of this world.
The same thing happens with our will. Like our feet, our desires will take us to places. They will move us towards God or away from Him. Our will also gets polluted by the filth of this world.
So, it becomes necessary that, as with our feet in a natural setting get washed, our will also needs washing by our LORD. Our will must be kept clean so it will always take us where it pleases Him. "Jesus saith to him, He that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit: and ye are clean, but not all" (John 13:10).
 
There is a deeper meaning to everything in the created world -the trees, the sky, the sun, the light, the darkness. Everything is natural and spiritual at the same time. The same is true about our bodies. We can't translate these things literally. The mystery of God is not revealed to us fully (see Deuteronomy 29:29 and 1 Corinthians 13:12), but we can search out what God may be teaching us through the natural/spiritual connection. What does God intend for us to know by these things? We can find inspiration and strength to consecrate ourselves in these deeper meanings so we can pursue the holiness to which we've been called.

The poster bellow is meant to be a guide for us to see the spiritual meaning behind a very natural drawing of a person. As you consider the spiritual aspects that are pointed out, look for God to speak to your heart and reveal to you His Kingdom and how you can walk in righteousness there. 
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 “Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart.” (Genesis 6:5-6)
The whole world had turned to sin and disobedience, and God was very angry about this. He decided to destroy all of the evil in the world He had created.
But there was one man who had found favor in the eyes of God. This man was Noah.
“But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD,” Genesis 6:8 says.
When describing Noah, the Bible says, “Noah was a just man, perfect in his generations. Noah walked with God.” (Genesis 6:9)
We don’t know too much about Noah, the man. We don’t know what his job was or where he lived exactly. There’s not a lengthy description about how Noah went to church every Sunday and read His Bible every day and never stole anything or told a lie. He simply walked with God, the Bible says.
Walking with God wasn’t a very popular thing to do at the time (or now, right?), but it was his salvation. Noah was the only one who was doing this. Everyone else was caught up in their own lives, following their own desires and forgetting about God. The Bible uses pretty strong words to describe what was going on: “The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence” (Genesis 6:11). The word “evil” is used to describe the people.
God was so angry about the evilness of the people that he decided he was going to destroy them all – all except for one person. God wanted to save Noah and his family from destruction because of Noah’s obedience and devotion to the Lord.

Standing alone
Imagine if you were the only person doing what is right. Everyone around you is serving their own flesh, doing what they want and not caring about God’s commandments.
There are people all around you who are making poor choices and doing things that God is not pleased with. It’s natural to be pulled into the sin that is around you. It’s easy to be swayed by the people around you and it’s hard – no, it’s impossible to stand for what is right unless you are walking with God as Noah was when evil was all around him.
Holiness means to be sacred and set apart from the profane (unholy) and to be for God. Maybe you think holiness is best left to pastors and priests who live their lives for God. But God calls us unto holiness (1 Thessalonians 4:7 and 1 Peter 1:15). He wants us to be holy in all our ways.
We can’t be just a little bit holy. Holiness is not just for Sundays or summer camp. Holiness is all or nothing. And it’s only possible with God’s help.
When we are holy, we can obey God’s voice – even when it’s difficult, illogical or unreasonable.
When God told Noah that he was going to destroy the evil people, he asked Noah to build an ark. Keep in mind that this was a ridiculous thing to do. No one could fathom what was coming (the torrential rains and the flood of destruction) and so they mocked Noah as he obeyed God’s commandments. But that didn’t keep Noah from believing and obeying God.
In Genesis 6, you can read how incredibly specific God was with Noah, giving him the exact dimensions of the wooden ship, telling him what kind of wood to use, where to place windows and doors, how to fill it with animals and food to sustain them, etc.
Here’s the beautiful thing … Noah did it all. He followed God’s directions completely.
“Thus Noah did; according to all that God commanded him, so he did” (Genesis 6:22).
And when the rains came and the earth was flooded, Noah and his family were saved. Everything that had the breath of life was destroyed from the earth. God wasn’t playing around. He did what He said He would do.
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Wholly holy
Most of us know how the story of Noah ended. After 40 days and 40 nights of torrential rains, the earth was flooded and the evil was destroyed. After 150 days, the waters started to recede and the ark landed at Mount Ararat. God put a rainbow in the sky as a sign of His promise to never flood the whole earth again.
There are a lot of lessons for us in this Genesis story, and we’ll tackle many of them during B.I.B.L.E. Camp this year. But for now, let’s think about how Noah stood up for what is right when everyone around him was doing evil and laughing at him for doing good. Maybe this sounds familiar to you.
God did an amazing thing in Noah’s life. He is The One who caused Noah to obey Him. He is The One who gave Noah a heart to serve Him. And He is the One who does the same thing for us.
Not much has changed in the world today from how it was in the days of Noah. There is still evil all around us. And, despite that, God is still calling us to be holy. Wholly holy.