My friend Seth

Dear Friends,

I write to you on behalf of Seth Jackson, my 13 year-old friend who was paralyzed in a surgical procedure in 2009.  We are coming up on the 3^rd anniversary of his paralysis. Kim and I and many friends of Come Rest Ministries have faith for Seth’s healing. Please join us in believing prayer.

Seth is a wonderful young man with a smile that lights up any room!  It breaks my heart to see him continue to struggle. When I visited him up in Minneapolis the day after his paralysis, I felt like Jesus spoke to my heart. I heard the Lord  say, “Tell Seth to ask Me to heal Him, Trust Me to heal Him, and work with Me.”  Seth is the son of Pastor Will and Jackie Jackson.  From 2002-2007 Will Jackson served  faithfully in our midst as Senior Pastor of Hus Presbyterian Church.  Pastor Will currently serves in a part-time pastoral capacity with Calvin Sinclair Presbyterian in Cedar Rapids and as part-time custodian at Faith Bible Church in Robins. I have witnessed Will, his wife Jackie, and all their children go through several painful trials in the last few years. They are heroes to me because none of them have given up on the Lord and they are always seeking Him as to how they can help someone else.

Two years ago we made an appeal on Seth’s behalf and many individuals and several churches responded with prayer and financial support. Those funds were expended to help Seth begin a recovery plan of prayer, therapy, training, and equipment in consultation with Project Walk in California. Spinal cord injured and paralyzed patients walk out of their clinic each year.  Seth spent one month out in California with Project Walk in fall 2009 and since then has worked with his family on Project Walk oriented home exercise.  With those exercises and lots of prayer, Seth has seen some significant progress with increasing feeling moving downward into his legs! Praise the Lord! 

However, he still remains wheelchair bound and was hospitalized last summer with infection issues. Due to this there has been a real setback because Seth’s infected tissue needed all this time to heal from the inside out and his exercises had to be suspended all these months as the tissue healed. This is a real challenge. With no exercise, Seth’s legs have lost ground in tone and strength.  We need the prayers of you and your church and ask your financial support for a plan to be enacted as soon as is possible.  Seth will need to begin a new plan of Project Walk home hopefully soon to build back and prepare for a 3 month immersion at Project Walk in California this summer. We believe, with his family, that he needs 3 continuous months on site in California to see sustained progress .  The Jackson family is facing great general financial challenge in addition to the understandable stress of coping with Seth’s injury. Many have asked us why the Jacksons don’t sue for damages and why their insurance doesn’t cover this.  First of all, the Jacksons have explored a very justifiable course of lawsuit but have encountered continual unjust roadblocks all along the way.  I have witnessed firsthand how the system is stacked against them. Secondly, Seth’s injury occurred during a time when he only had Title 19 coverage because his father was in between jobs without health insurance. Title 19 does not pay for Project Walk. I have personally witnessed Seth’s physical progress until this infection and scoliosis this past summer. I have personally witnessed the agonizing saga of unjust medical and legal processes under which the Jacksons are suffering.  I have a sense of righteous anger and resolute faith that compels me to ask you and your church to consider three steps on Seth’s behalf.

1.       Pray for Seth’s complete recovery from paralysis in the long run, and complete short term recovery from his tissue infection soon so he can resume strength and home exercise.

2.       Pray for at least $30,000 to be raised between now and May 31^st, 2012 to pay for Seth and at least one of his parents to go for a three month immersion at Project Walk this summer.

3.       Give personally  as the Lord leads and  ask your own local church prayerfull consider helping Seth. 

River of Life church here in Cedar Rapids continues to administer a Seth Jackson 2CMIRACLE  fund.  You, your family, your church face many needs. Some of you helped generously two years ago. I’m sure you have been blessed by the Lord for doing so. Others legitimately did not feel led by the Lord to help two years ago. I certainly understand if any you do not feel led to help now.  I simply ask you each to seek the Lord. He will let you know what He wants you to do.  If you believe the Lord wants you and/or your church to help, checks may be sent to River of Life, designated for the Seth Jackson fund. Please mail to River of Life, 3801 Blairs Ferry Rd, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, 52402.

In addition to helping Seth, I still believe this process will eventually bring hope to many spinal cord injured people in our city and nation—maybe even in your own family or church. We want to learn right along with the Jacksons. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at dickspeight@comerestministries.com.  Thanks so much for prayerfully considering this opportunity to be the Body of Christ.

Come Rest Ministries is committed to ministering deeply to pastors, missionaries, and their families—as well as all God’s people. If there is any way you, your family, your pastor, or your church need prayer, rest, renewal, retreat or encouragement in any way, please contact us. Thank you so much.

Blessings,

Dick Speight

Come Rest Ministries

Relentless

rELENTLESS

Dick and Kim Speight invite you to join them in

A “Full Court Press” After

Constant Companionship with Jesus

February 21-April 8

We believe the Lord is saying, “Prepare room enough for Me.” This is both an invitation and warning of love. The Lord is relentless in reaching out to all. Let us become relentless in reaching out to Him. Then, and only then, can He help us help others in truly fruitful ways. Major changes are coming soon to our lives in this nation and the world.  It is time to prepare. I am not talking about disaster preparedness. If you want sound information about that, contact our wonderful friends at Wind and Fire Ministries here in Cedar Rapids. Yes, it is important to have a 30-day supply of food and water stored for emergency. Go ahead and do that. We have. If a crisis comes it’s important for you and your family to maintain strength so you can help other people and to witness for Jesus. However, some disaster preparedness (or denial and avoidance thereof) is driven by fear of death and suffering, not His love for the lost and the poor. 

The most important Way to prepare for what is coming is to die to sin and rise in love;  to die to our fears of pain, suffering, deprivation, dying, and death; to rise as relentless companions of Christ. It is time we stop making Jesus follow us around. It is time to follow Him around. It is time to stop playing self-absorbed church and start being self-sacrificial church. We say we want to walk with Jesus. But we most often want it on our terms, not His. It is time to end business as usual. Fear must die, love must rise. We must decrease, He must increase.

The term “Full Court Press” comes from basketball. A coach calls for a press to attack the opponent the moment he steps onto the court, instead of waiting for him to come to you. A coach sometimes calls for a press to wake up his own team, to snap them out of lethargy and bad habits, to find the way to victory. Kim and I invite you to join us in pressing into Jesus like a when a little child hugs his or her parent especially tight. Join us in following Jesus in His full court attack on fear, sin, disease, and the devil. By fasting and other means, let’s hold fast to Him!

We will seek the Lord during the Christian season of Lent which begins on Feb. 22^nd and gives way to Easter on April 8^th. Lent is 46 days of honoring our victorious sacrificial Lord Jesus: 40 days of prayer and fasting honoring Jesus for His 40 days of Spirit-led fasting in the wilderness and His ultimate self-denial atoning for our sin on the Cross; plus 6 Sundays of feasting celebrating His Risen Spirit-led Life for all who truly believe in Him. Join us as we prepare by emptying ourselves of worldly sin so He can fill us to overflowing with His love and power to truly help people in their sin and fears. Honestly, Kim and I see these 46 days as a time to experiment and train with the Lord, to make a radical adjustment in our lifestyle with Him to run with Him in the challenging times ahead.

Maybe you want to pray and live in the following ways with Kim and I in Lent 2012…and beyond. Come rest in Jesus’ love. But Come Rest does not mean come sleep! He gives real rest from sin and fear, and real fruitful lives, to all who become His constant companions. He does not expect you to be perfect to follow Him, but He does expect you to pick up your cross and follow Him nonetheless…relentless in resting, trusting, fasting, serving, paying  praising, loving, witnessing with Him.

rELENTLESS after Jesus

 “Jesus, help us become Your constant companions! Help us rest from all that is not of You, and be relentless in seeking and following You! Help us make room enough in our lives for You to love us and lead us through …”

·         Walking with You, Lord, in Fasting…

o   Every Tuesday—Liquids only.(From light supper Monday to light supper Tuesday)

o   Mondays and Wednesdays thru Saturdays—Eat small portions of fish, plain yogurt, vegetables, fruit, whole grains, cold pressed vegetable oils, herbs, and spices. Refrain from processed foods, sweets, fast food, carbonated and fermented beverages.

o   Sundays, the Lord’s Day, will be feast days (no fasting) to celebrate You, Risen Jesus!

o   Refraining from broadcast media & movies, relentless in thanksgiving and praise.

o   Use Christian CD/DVD’s for prayer/praise.

o   Experiment with non-electronic means of play and recreation in You, Lord.

o   Resting from lust of the flesh(comforting self with worldly pleasure), lust of the eyes(covetessnous, comparison, envy), pride of life(sitting on the throne of our own life, manipulation, doubt, arrogance, self-pity, resentment, grudges). Relentless in letting You comfort us, focusing on You alone, resting on Your merciful throne in our hearts.

o   Taking every thought captive to Jesus before speaking or acting on it. Learn to stay before Him in all your thinking, speaking, and actions.

·         Walking with You, Lord, in prayer and meditation on scripture…

o   1 hr/day in 20/20/20--silent resting prayer, scripture meditation, & intercession.(We will provide our detailed guides on request.)

o   30 min/day using the Seek God for the City prayer guide.(Contact servethecity.org)

o   1 hr/wk gathered in one accord with committed believers(Our home will be open 730-830pm Tuesday nights from Feb.21-April 3, or gather with your own friends at your home or church at other times.)

·         Walking with You, Lord, in outreach…

o   90 min/wk in real New Testament fellowship(Acts 2:41-47).(Our home will be open from 7-830pm for our Isaiah 58 Outreach Group for sold out believers who are hungry to live for, Jesus, not themselves. The Lord may be calling you and your friends to open your homes to your gatherings. What have you got to lose? )

o   1 hr/wk in a Men’s or Women’s group for prayer support/accountability.(Our home will be open from 6-7pm for our new Wellsprings Groups starting March 4. Groups only open to those who attend Isaiah 58)

o   30 min/day prayer walking in our neighborhoods. (We are happy to give you suggestions as to how.)

o   Refrain from speaking ill of anyone one and relentless in speaking to build them up.  Refrain from all rumors, gossip, lies, and accusations as in Isaiah 58.  

o   Refrain from pressing down on people, relentless in lifting burdens off them.

o   Seeking Him for spontaneous divine appointments to love, witness, and pray for people.

o   Seeking Him for intentionally planned helping the poor, hungry, and troubled according to Isaiah 58. (Who do you know that is worse off than you? Ask them how you can help them. Do it. If it’s too big for you, ask others to help you. Also, explore volunteering with local ministries to the poor, hungry, and troubled. You might contact our wonderful friends at Serve the City.org!)

Come rest, come press--relentlessly as His constant companions!

Blessings,

Dick Speight

Awestruck

It was a sublime moment. My wife Kim gasped in hushed delight at the sight. We stood before a tranquil scene of water and foliage in the National Wildlife Refuge on Sanibel Island in Florida. Suddenly alighting upon the waters, like planes landing at O'Hare, were Rosiate Spoonbills by the dozens! These rock stars of the southwest Florida wildlife scene are large bright pink and white birds with long spoon-like bills. They draw quite a large slightly awestruck crowd where the only sounds are the birds rapidly flapping wings upon the water and continuous camera shutters. It is one of the highlights of our Christmas season week of vacation away from our frigid home of Cedar Rapids. As we drove along the evening streets of Sanibel reflecting upon the wondrous encounter of Rosiate splendor, we viewed all the Christmas lights while listening to Christmas songs on the radio.  Yet, something seemed discordant for we Iowans as our windows were rolled down in 80 degree weather while we were eating ice cream taking photos of palm trees covered in red and green lights! No snow, no parkas, no defrosters. Then we drive upon a sign, "Episcopal Church of St. Michael and All the Angels."

Suddenly, everything comes into common focus.  On a dark Bethlehem night long ago there were no snowflakes, no electric lights, no radios, and no Rosiates we know of.  But what a flock of fearsome angels arrived in the midst of some more than slightly awestruck shepherds. Fearsome, awesome angels declaring the best news and giving directions to where the true Rock Star was just born. Funny thing about this fragile child laid afresh in a feeding trough. He would always be true to His Father and true to Himself all the days of his life. He would fear no man and die for every man. He would rise from the dead and is sitting right next to you now as you read this...loving you...as if you were the only person in the world. 

Are you looking for just the right feelings, just the right circumstances as this Christmas approaches? How about looking away from such things? 

As we drove just a little farther down the main road of Sanibel Island we came upon Sanibel Community Church. It's campus was so cheerily lit in green and red we just had to get out and stroll for a while on such a gentle night. As we returned to our car and prepared to drive away, we looked up to see the large lit banner in the front church yard, "Wise Men Seek Him Still." 

If you seek Him you will find Him and eventually find yourself awestruck at how much He loves you and the whole world. And who knows, many hurting people in the future may flock to Him through you. Your Spirit filled life can become His human wildlife refuge. Because when you seek Him, the angels flock around you too.

Resting Secure

One Sunday morning, after a worship service, I approached some visitors during snack time. A toddler was safely nestled in her father’s arms, eating a cookie. She had chocolate all over her face. She looked deeply into my eyes, and then she pulled the mushy cookie out of her mouth, offering it to me. YUM!
How intently generous! How messy—but how intently generous! I will never forget the lesson. If she had been wandering alone in the midst of towering strangers, she might have been frightened or confused when I approached
her. However, safe in her daddy’s arms, she could look me in the eyes and offer me that which was most dear to her at the moment.
This is the Lord’s desire for us. It is a picture of His people at rest in Him—at His return. Are we secure children of the Father, joyfully giving our lives away for the lost and the poor? Let’s not wait for His return. Let’s return to His embrace, look deeply into the lives of others, and give them all He has for all they need.
Not ready for that? Are you all stirred up with the cares of this world? You can begin by spending time looking deeply into His eyes.
But you can’t look deeply from a distance. He is not pointing a finger at you, He is just opening His arms. Let go of what holds you back. Run to Jesus. Stumble, crawl, fall—whatever! As you rest in Him, you will grow more content with Him. Then you will be able to freely give His gifts to others.
Jesus and His disciples were on the Temple grounds one day when he saw a perfect illustration of secure giving. “Then he saw a poor widow put in two pennies. He said, ‘The plain truth is that this widow has given by far the largest offering today... she gave her all!’ ” (Luke 21:2–4, MSG). This account of the “widow’s mite” is often trivialized, even by the use of the phrase itself.
Jesus was reaching into the disciples’ hearts by pointing to the widow’s generosity. He was redirecting their focus onto His kingdom. However, they quickly drifted away and begin to fixate on the beautiful stonework of the Temple and the memorial decorations on the walls.
Isn’t that just like us? We hide from the hand of God by admiring the handiwork of humanity. We trade love and mercy for bricks and mortar. We trust strategies rather than the Spirit. We preach doctrine instead of the Gospel. We pursue our own self-interest rather than God’s glory. And the last barrier we hide behind is the idol of self-preservation.
Just as Jesus longed for the disciples to avert their gaze from the worldly temple, He longs for us to stop worrying about building our own life and begin resting in His love.
The widow’s gift was biggest of all because it came from a resting heart that trusted God. Jesus knew she gratefully gave all she had. Big trusting hearts are cultivated in quiet rest in His arms of love.
A great shaking has begun. When we stop and get honest with ourselves we can observe and feel a haunting dread and increasing anxiety in the world. All creation is groaning. The tsunamis, earthquakes, and floods are increasing as a natural sign of the deeper spiritual shaking. World markets are unstable.
More followers of Christ have been martyred in the last twenty years than in the previous two thousand years.
The Lord Jesus is not worried. He said these things would come. The truth is that God’s mercy is now raining down over all humanity, flooding the earth with real love. God’s judgment is falling hard upon the Devil and the raging forces of darkness. This is a wonderful time to be alive! This is not doomsday; this is God’s day!
The shaking will become so great that only those resting in Jesus will not lose heart. The shaking will drive many broken people into the arms of Jesus. We must be ready to receive them with open arms—from a position of intimacy in Him. It’s cookie time!
Let’s begin the “receiving” now and rest ourselves in His embrace of grace. Let us lay down our lives as we speak tenderly to the whole earth, “Come rest in His love!”
Secure in His arms, you can begin cultivating a resting heart by turning away from your fears.
Secure in His arms, you can begin talking to Him through honest prayer.
Secure in His arms, you can begin tuning into His voice by reading His Scripture.
Secure in His arms, you can let go of trying to run your life in this big troubled world.                    
Secure in His arms, you can let Him grow your heart big with childlike trust.
Psalm 131 is one of the shortest psalms. Memorize your favorite version and pray it aloud often. Stop striving in your own strength and start cultivating His love.

God, I’m not trying to rule the roost,
I don’t want to be king of the mountain.
I haven’t meddled where I have no business
or fantasized grandiose plans.
I’ve kept my feet on the ground,
I’ve cultivated a quiet heart.
Like a baby content in its mother’s arms,
my soul is a baby content.
Wait, Israel, for God. Wait with hope.
Hope now, hope always! (Psalm 131, MSG).

This is taken from Chapter one of my first book Come Rest which is also available as an EBook.

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