Monday Can't Beat That Day

James and Larry kept busy working on the electrical in the shop and Diane and I between paper work and working with draftsmen and waiting on a new baby to arrive kept very busy.

Once again with all our hearts we thank you for what is a miracle forming before our eyes, and the blessing, that we get to be a part of as we do the will of God. We all have the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of those we love and to build hope for the next generation with all that we have been blessed with. Some of you have said,"I don't have much to help with", but it's not how much you help with, it's the condition of our hearts that God works with, and as He sees us use what ever we have to do His work here while we can that's when the miracles happen, all for the cause of Christ? It's that fork in the road,the channel we can use, and a choice among many that God gives us every day to be kingdom builders. God bless you all Harold, Diane and the Board of directors of the Battle River Ranch Camp.

Sunday can't beat that day

Thank you once again for taking the time to view our blog.The Battle River Ranch Camp is a non profit organization that is focused on developing trades, life skills and training opportunities for men and women that are searching and find it difficult to get the opportunities needed to develop a productive life skill. Many men and women today have no idea what they could be good at or how to find out their possible skill area or level. We are a faith based training center.

Harold and Diane Stephan left a life filled with addictions and bad choices. Their journey has taken them through different twelve step programs and life recovery through a relationship and healing process with Jesus Christ. If it were not for caring people in their lives that never gave up on them or thought they were a hopeless cause they too would still be lost.

We would love to hear from you and if you feel this is a program and facility that would help you or someone that you know, or you would like to be more involved with a ministry like this or support it financially we would love to talk to you and would very much appreciate your help in what ever way you can. WE DO NEED YOUR HELP AND SO DO MANY YOUNG MEN AND WOMEN IN OUR OWN COUNTRY.

This is a ministry for those that have a heart and desire to make a difference in the lives of others with the skills and gifts they have been blessed with and have a desire to pass on what they know to the next generation.

You are always welcome to visit and we look forward to your input. This ministry is prayer based, and we pray daily for the needs of others, if you have a need for prayer and not sure where to start give us a call and we will confidentially support and help you in this area. You may not know a lot about God but God knows everything about you and He loves you more than anyone can or ever will.

God Bless You and Your Family!!!

Harold & diane Stephan and

Board of Directors of the Battle River Ranch Camp

Psalm 23 (King James Version)

Psalm 23

¹The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.

²He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.

³He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

⁴Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

⁵Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

⁶Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.

Saturday So blessed

It may have been a stormy day outside but inside the shop the temperature was very nice and the work continued as we all kept very busy at electrical, plumbing, carpentry, and boiler installation. God blessed us with the help needed to accomplish so much in all these area's and then to top it all off the meal prepared by Dale and Eroca Wills was absolutley the best. They also brought out home made pies and did that ever go over well. Our devotions today focused on Romans 1:16 & 17 righteousness and what this means to each of us as God's representatives.

WHY WE PRAY AND HOPE THAT

YOU WILL GIVE JESUS A CHANCE

THE LIFE YOU REALLY WANT AND CAN HAVE IS UP TO YOU

HERE'S ALL YOU NEED TO DO

DON'T WAIT ANOTHER MINUTE TO DO WHAT'S RIGHT AND HERE'S WHY

#1

Because you have a past

You can't go back, but He can. The Bible says, "Jesus Christ the same yesterday and today, and forever" (Hebrews 13:8) He can walk into those places of sin, failure and hopelessness, wipe the slate clean and give you a new beginning. A beginning with a real and lasting future, full of hope.

#2

Because you need a friend

Jesus knows the worst about you, yet he believes the best. Why? Because He sees you not as you are, but as you will be when He gets through with you. What a friend!

#3

Because He holds the future

Who else are you going to trust? In his hands you are safe and secure - today, tomorrow and for eternity. His word says, "For I know the plans I have for you ...plans for good and not evil, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray I will listen". (Jeremiah 29:11-13 TLB)

If you'd like to start over, with a new beginning with Jesus today, Diane, I, the board of directors, volunteers and supporters of Crossman Ministries and the Battle River Ranch Camp would ask you, if you are looking for a new beginning to please pray this prayer:

LORD JESUS CHRIST

I am sorry for the things I have done wrong in my life. I ask Your forgiveness and now turn from everything that I know is wrong. Thank You for dying on the cross for me to set me free from my sins. Please come into my life and fill me with your Holy Spirit and be with me forever. Thank you Lord Jesus, Amen.

If you have made this commitment and would like to make contact, please call us. We'd love to talk to you and help in any way we can.

We are praying for all of you reading the blog every day.

Friday and away we go again

As we continue to move ahead with business and construction of the Battle River Ranch camp I was surprised the other day as someone asked if we were shut down out at the ranch for the winter and if not what in the world could we do any way. Well every portion of the ranch has continued at full pace and tomorrow at Saturday work day we have a lot of loose ends to deal with and that includes a great turkey meal with all the fixins by Dale and Erica Wills, now how great is that but it gets better as Dorothy Lavender has been baking and coffee breaks will be a complete delight, God is so good and we are so blessed it will be a real feast, how will we get any thing done. So get up and get out to the ranch tomorrow for some great fellowship with friends and family as we put our hands to the plow and bless the Kingdom of God. See you there. Dorothy has blessed the ranch with a very healthy supply of goodies for a lot of great coffee breaks.

Matthew 6:9-13 (King James Version)

⁹After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven,Hallowed be thy name.

¹⁰Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.

¹¹Give us this day our daily bread.

¹²And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

¹³And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

Matthew 6:9-13 (New International Version)

⁹"This, then, is how you should pray:
" 'Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
¹⁰your kingdom come,
your will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.
¹¹Give us today our daily bread.
¹²Forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
¹³And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one. For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Matthew 6:9-13 (The Message)

^7-13"The world is full of so-called prayer warriors who are prayer-ignorant. They're full of formulas and programs and advice, peddling techniques for getting what you want from God. Don't fall for that nonsense. This is your Father you are dealing with, and he knows better than you what you need. With a God like this loving you, you can pray very simply. Like this:

Our Father in heaven,
Reveal who you are.
Set the world right;
Do what's best— as above, so below.
Keep us alive with three square meals.
Keep us forgiven with you and forgiving others.
Keep us safe from ourselves and the Devil.
You're in charge!
You can do anything you want!
You're ablaze in beauty!
Yes. Yes. Yes.

Thursday A Day of Change

Another day of presentations and info to a lot of folks that are getting very excited about all that's happening out at the ranch. We do need to pay it forward if we are going to make a differance in the lives around home and in the world that we live in. I believe that if we don't stop looking out for just ourselves and not use the gifts we have to make a differsnce no matter what the out come, then the world as we once knew will cease to exist very soon. It's never too late.

We are all so unique and special to God that our lives should daily be waiting in anticipation of God plan for us. But we do need to be ready and prepared cause,

1 Corinthians 2:9 "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him" —

Probably the most misunderstood situation ever to occur is that we each and every one of us has a history. A history that includes the goodness of a God a God that loved us so much that He gave His one and only son to take away the sin of the world, and he is waiting to take you back. Yet so many today choose or have in the past chosen to walk away and trust in what ever feels good at the moment, or trusting in them selves and their own strength or trust in nothing at all and then to wonder why there seems to be no hope. A life with out hope is like a motor cycle with out a battery and spark. It's a lot of work to push that bike every where, you look good with that bike beside you but the only way to look good is by a lot of work to push that bike every where. Why not put a battery in and and ride that machine the way it was made to be ridden and get places that it can get you. That's like our lives with out God, we try everything but never get any where, the brakes always seem to be on, that could also be called pride and ego and when God isn't invited into our lives we will never find the purpose we were created to be. With out knowing the purpose of a life, that life flounders like a boat lost at sea, tossed and thrown every where and goes into eternity never knowing what it's purpose was.

Right now if you feel lost and with out hope there is some one out there that will spend time with you and listen, some one that won't betray you or laugh at you, but will be a true friend a friend like you never knew before. You probably know who it is already but you have been afraid to take that step or make the call.

Wednesday 's blessings

As more and more construction is done at the ranch we can see that our schedule for this year is filling up. Another youth group is arriving to help with construction this week end, food will be tasty, fellowship will be fulfilling and God will be blessed. We have been so blessed by so many people this Christmas, the card and words of encouragement the financial support all mean so much will go a long way to accomplish what God's plan is for the Battle River Ranch Camp. What has been done in only 8 months is an exciting picture of what God will do with each of us as we are faithful to think more highly of those around us than we do of our selves. The right purpose, the right people, the right results, go figure !!!!

Twenty Two Great Suggestions and Quotes.

ONE. Give people more than they expect and do it cheerfully , and when you say you'll pray , pray it's that important.

TWO ... Marry a man/woman you love to talk to. As you get older, your conversational skills will be as important as any other , especially with your best friend beside you.

THREE. Don't believe all you hear, spend all you have, Bless others regularly, God has blessed you for a reason and oh ya sleep all you want every weekend.

FOUR . When you say, 'I love you ,' mean it like Jesus did!

FIVE. When you say, 'I'm sorry,' look the person in the eye, and you'll see a miracle.

SIX ..... Be engaged at least six months before you get married, and seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added unto you.

SEVEN.. Believe in love at first sight, the wait is worth it God has the right person for each of us.

EIGHT. Never laugh or mock at anyone's dream or vision. People who don't have dreams and visions don't have much and will often do what ever to destroy others.

NINE . Love deeply and passionately. You might get hurt but it's the only way to live life completely, just ask Jesus.

TEN. . In disagreements, fight fairly. No name calling.

ELEVEN. Don't judge people by their relatives the church they go to or the truck they drive.

TWELVE. Talk slowly but think quickly and with purpose.

THIRTEEN. When someone asks you a question you don't want to answer, smile and ask, 'Why do you want to know?'

FOURTEEN. Remember that great love and great achievements involve great risk, great friends and strong faith.


FIFTEEN. Say 'bless you' when you hear someone sneeze.


SIXTEEN. When you lose, don't miss the lesson and don't be to proud to admit your wrong!

SEVENTEEN. Remember the three R's: Respect for self; Respect for others; and responsibility for all your actions.

EIGHTEEN... Don't let a little dispute injure a great friendship..

NINETEEN. When you realize you've made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.

TWENTY. Smile when picking up the phone... The caller will hear it in your voice.

TWENTY-ONE. Spend some time alone with the only one that will never disapoint you, He was a carpenter and a friend. He believes in you and loves you more than anyone ever can or will. Give Jesus a chance you have my word he won't dissapoint you.

Twenty -Two. Occasionally in life there are those moments of unutterable fulfillment which cannot be completely explained by those symbols called words. Their meanings can only be articulated by the inaudible language of the heart.

Thank you once again for taking the time to view our blog.The Battle River Ranch Camp is a non profit organization that is focused on developing trades, life skills and training opportunities for men and women that are searching and find it difficult to get the opportunities needed to develop a productive life skill. Many men and women today have no idea what they could be good at or how to find out their possible skill area or level. We are a faith based training center.

Harold and Diane Stephan left a life filled with addictions and bad choices. Their journey has taken them through different twelve step programs and life recovery through a relationship and healing process with Jesus Christ. If it were not for caring people in their lives that never gave up on them or thought they were a hopeless cause they too would still be lost.

We would love to hear from you and if you feel this is a program and facility that would help you or someone that you know, or you would like to be more involved with a ministry like this or support it financially we would love to talk to you and would very much appreciate your help in what ever way you can.

This is a ministry for those that have a heart and desire to make a difference in the lives of others with the skills and gifts they have been blessed with and have a desire to pass on what they know to the next generation.

You are always welcome to visit and we look forward to your input. This ministry is prayer based, and we pray daily for the needs of others, if you have a need for prayer and not sure where to start give us a call and we will confidentially support and help you in this area. You may not know a lot about God but God knows everything about you and He loves you more than anyone can or ever will.

God Bless You and Your Family!!!

Harold & diane Stephan and

Board of Directors of the Battle River Ranch Camp

Terrific Tuesday

We are so blessed with donations of materials for the ranch construction and wouldn't you know that every thing God blesses us with we are able to put to use. Everything from used steps to used showers and sinks. The cats have found a home on the seat of my motorcycle not sure what to do with that. Preparing for a blessed meeting tomorrow so please pray for favor.

PRAYER FOR OUR WIVES

Lord as much as I love my wife, I know that it's your love she needs first and so much more. I realize I cannot meet her every need and expectation, but You always can. I pray that you will bless my wife with the fulfillment of knowing You in a deeper and richer way than she ever has known You before. Help her to be commited and consistant in her walk with You, never doubting or wavering. Lead her to be strong in spirit and give her an ever increasing faith that always believes that You will answer her prayers as she seeks You and your Kingdom first Matt: 6:33.

Help her to crave time every day to spend with You in Your word, bathed in the Holy Spirit, prayer and praise. May Your Spirit abide in her, so that when she prays You will fill her with the desire of her heart and that is an over flow of Your Spirit. Help her to draw nearer to you each and every day. May she turn to you for everthing as you become her constant companion. Give her discernment and revalation and enable her to hear Your voice instructing her. Help her to stay focused on You, no matter how great the challenges of life are around her, so that she never strays off the path you have for her. Please Lord as her husband and friend, keep me aware always of when she needs a fresh filling of Your Spirit so that I will pray for her.

I know it is important to her heart to be a Godly example to her friends and family, so give her patience with every one she encounters. Help her to be so filled with Your Holy Spirit that people sense Your presence when they are in her presence. I know she wants to serve You, but help her to understand when to say no if she is being asked to do more than she should. May she glorify You in her life in all she does, says, and thinks.

In the name of The Father And The Son And The Holy Spirit Amen