OMIA Newsletter

This image came to mind: A lone horse running around a large track, round and round, never stopping. Then all of a sudden a checkered flag was being waved, but the horse raced right past it. This is the way our minds are. We can say we are resting or even be sleeping but, our minds can still be racing around the track. This may be a reason why I wake up tired in the morning!

Joshua 1:13 is our verse for 2011, and it talks about rest: “Remember the word which Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you, saying, ‘The LORD your God is giving you rest and is giving you this land.’” - (NKJV).
Recently, I have become very interested in single words and started researching the word “rest”. It was a very tiring, overwhelming and exhausting study… Haha. After much battle I have decided to focus on how we miss the opportunity for spiritual rest and how that can change.

So what kind of “rest” is this? Well, let’s start by looking at what else was happening in Joshua 1. In Joshua 1:1-9 (paraphrased by me) it says, Moses had just died and the Lord spoke to Moses’ assistant Joshua. The Lord told him it was time to lead the people into the promise land (after 40 years of wandering restlessly). The Lord told him that He would be with him, to be strong and courageous and to carefully obey the instructions Moses had given him previously. The Lord also said not to deviate from and to study the book of instruction continually and he would have success in everything he did. He also told Joshua not to be afraid or discouraged and again said to be strong and courageous.

In Joshua’s case, what could have kept him from entering God’s rest? Well for one thing he could have taken this promise land gift for granted or been ungrateful to God (hardened heart). Another way Joshua could have avoided the blessed rest was by not submitting to God’s plan (instructions) or being stubborn like the 40 year wanderers were. Yet another way Joshua could have avoided rest would have been by doubting that God would be with him (fear and discouragement). I wonder why the Lord used “be strong and courageous” three times in Joshua 1?

So we’ve talked about three things that can cause us to miss spiritual rest; a hard heart, not following God’s instructions and doubt, and here are a couple more. Unconfessed sin can weigh us down and make us feel downright weary. Proverbs 28:13 (NLT) People who conceal their sins will not prosper, but if they confess and turn from them, they will receive mercy. Another is unforgiveness.

Another thing that steals our rest is legalism. We believe that we must do, do, do to please God. We don’t realize how much God loves us just the way we are. We are not defined by our jobs, works, motherhood, fatherhood or anything else in this world. We can be free.

Galatians 5:1-3 (NLT) So Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don’t get tied up again in slavery to the law. 2 Listen! I, Paul, tell you this: If you are counting on circumcision to make you right with God, then Christ will be of no benefit to you. 3 I’ll say it again. If you are trying to find favor with God by being circumcised, you must obey every regulation in the whole law of Moses.

I like what Joyce Meyers had to say in one of her devotions: She said, “Finding rest and quiet for my soul means finding freedom from mental activity. It means not having to constantly try to figure out what I should do about everything in my life or trying to come up with answers I don’t have.”

So what are some ways we can enter into God’s rest (even in the middle of a race)?

Know Christ personally. Don’t just know a lot about Him. Obey Him. Matthew 22:37-38 (NIV) Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment.

Don’t turn away from difficulties of the present moment. Look at the reality of God’s promises in His word. Don’t doubt that God will fulfill His biblically confirmed promises (if it’s not in His Word don’t believe it).
Love others and forgive them. Unforgiveness and bitterness can eat away at your rest. Matthew 22:39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’

Don’t trust in your own efforts (waste of time and energy), trust in God’s power. Our rest starts when we trust Christ to complete His good and perfect work in us.

Make every effort to appreciate what God has already done. The cure for fear and doubt is praise and thankfulness to God.

Dear Lord, Thank you that you forgive and pursue us. You want so much to give us joy, peace and rest. Help us to see the checkered flag and stop. As we spend time with you, remind us to believe, forgive, be thankful and trust in You. We thank you for the refreshing, reviving freedom and rest we find in You. In Jesus Name, Amen

Even God rested! Amen!

In A Moment Photography is a business that was started by me, Shelby Uhler, 6 months ago. I started this business for the pure joy of taking pictures of the beauty of God's creation, and to raise funds for a mission trip to the Bahamas next summer.

All the money that you help me raise for my mission trip, either by buying photography or just donating, is also a scholarship that gets spread over 4 years of my College experience at LU. Please consider buying some of my photography, donating a small amount, or just keeping me in your prayers as I get ready to take this trip of a life time.

To donate money to my mission trip, go to www.xtremeimpact.com and click ‘donate’ at the top of the page. Then select ‘Shelby Uhler’ and the amount you would like to donate.

Or to purchase photography located on Facebook, type in the search bar ‘In A Moment Photography’. I am the owner, so my name should come up on the page. ‘Like’ the page and then go to my picture albums and click on IAM Photography. Those are the pictures that are for sale! And all pictures can have your own personal verse, no verse, or the verse that is already on it. All pictures include matting. To let me which pictures you would like, prices, and sizes, email me at shelbsmyspace@aol.com and I will send you an order form.

Thank you ALL for your support! I know that the Lord will bless you.
“Send your grain across the seas, and in time, profits will flow back to you.” Ecclesiastes 11:1

We are so amazed at what God has done in the past 2 years. Here is a quick recap:

November 2009 - Hello PA, goodbye Maniacs. Learning to see opportunities in the midst of turmoil.

September 2010- Grants Pass, OR. Old friends and new visions. Multiple opportunities to encourage.

October 2010 - The birth of Will Work 4 Food and Outside the Box.
November 2010 - Outreach to our families.

March 2011 - Mardi Gras, Mobile, AL. InsideOut Fest, Thomasville, GA. Jesus River Fest and Wakulla One Prayer Event, Crawfordville, FL.

June - July 2011 - Back to Maine to visit. Rest… Alive Fest, Mineral City, OH.

Creation Fest, Shirleysburg, PA. Visit with family. Mountain Days Fest, Carbondale, CO.

August 2011 - Glenwood Springs, CO. Multiple outreach opportunities. Prayer walking and learning to rest in the Lord.

September 2011 - Finding out what’s next for Gary, Collette and Shelby. Outreach at Burning Mountain

We arrived in Colorado on July 25th. We have decided to stay here until October 1st. At this moment we cannot afford to go to Washington or Oregon, but will head directly for Sacramento, CA.

We have decided (after praying) that we will both work in California for 4 months or more. It is not that we are in major debt, but we feel that we need to have no debt in order to do what God has planned for us in 2012. We have always been honest about our financial situation and to give you a glimpse of what it looks like now seems appropriate. Our total debt is approximately $76,000 dollars. This includes the truck and trailer, taxes for 2009, doctors visits, etc.

I know it sounds a little crazy, but please pray that we will be able to make at least that amount in 4 months. We also have a wedding or two and Shelby’s graduation to help with in 2012.

Our goal is to leave California on March 1, 2012 and head for Florida for a month to be part of the JRF and Wakulla One Festivals. Then we will head for Virginia sometime in April. Shelby graduates in May and then we will fly to California for our son and new daughter-in-law’s wedding. From June until August we plan to work in Virginia. Shelby will be on a mission trip outside the country for the month of July and then starts college at LU in August.

Our goal is to be ready to head for a YWAM (Youth with a Mission) base in September (It’s called Seniors with a Mission for us - Kidding), or join some other mission organization (Hand of Hope, Samaritans Purse, etc.). We would like to spend the end of 2012 and possibly part or all of 2013 outside of the country as missionaries.

We will continue to reach out across America with hope and encouragement no matter where God places us, because we know that His plan is for our good and for His glory!

Our goal is to glorify God by reaching out to people across America with hope and encouragement through the Holy Spirit. Each person will have different needs and there is no rule book, only the Word of God, and HIs Spirit leading us. We are to be obedient even when we are not sure of the outcome.

There is one and only one living and true God in three person’s of the Trinity. Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The Bible is the divinely inspired Word of God and should be read daily. Salvation comes freely when we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. The Church is the body of Christ. As such, we are to have a powerful impact on the world around us. We do this by loving and sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ.

Gary is originally from New Kensington, PA and Collette is from Sacramento, California. We met in 1989 and were saved in November of that year. We have six children and five grandchildren. Our 17 year old daughter, Shelby travels with us in our RV, which we have named “The Life Boat”. Shelby is committed to missions and youth. She home-schools through Liberty Online Academy and is dual-enrolled in five college classes as well. Collette is a registered nurse and Gary owns his own business, named N.Ur.F., LLC (advertising).

We have been ministering across the country for two years now and are excited about the future. So far, we have been self-supporting, but see God blessing us with families and churches to support us in 2011. We are accepting donations to offset the costs of doing God’s work. Our prayer is that all of you will be super-abundantly blessed financially to enable you to support us. We currently have several “home away from home” churches, in many states that we look to for spiritual wisdom and accountability and these churches are from many different denominations (we are all the body of Christ).

In our travels over the last couple of years we have learned some very valuable lessons. I would like to share just one for now.

While studying about evangelism I came across a study that pretty much said, most Christians know less about their own faith than Atheists. Another study said that non-Christians have a better “World-View” regarding religion than Christians. What does this mean? I believe it means that we as Christians need to step it up and know more about our own faith and different world views.

It makes it very hard to share our faith with others when we don’t even understand it ourselves. It also makes it hard to understand where a person from another religion is coming from, when we have no idea how their religion operates.

Shelby had an opportunity to go on a mission trip to Utah and reach out to Mormon youth last year. This was a good learning experience for us all.
Right now, I am reading a book called: So What’s the Difference. A look at 20 Worldviews, Faiths, and Religions and How They Compare to Christianity.

And before I go on, I would like to thank my friend Jayne, who through her great discernment (a gift from God), always gives me books that totally relate to my current circumstances!

Second, always test every book against the Word of God.
So I have learned that we do nothing to earn God’s love, but in order to share God’s love we must:

Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. - 2 Timothy 2:15

I want you to know that is not meant to condemn you, only to convict and encourage you to know more. So that when an opportunity arises for you to share your faith, you will feel comfortable in your knowledge of the God you serve. I also believe that the Holy Spirit can speak through us when we don’t know what to say.

I hope that this encourages you and that you will make it a priority to know God.