Renewal In Christ Ministries: Columbia Reflections

Dec 8, 2004 Re-Entry Following a Field Trip to Heaven by Vicki Hall

I have read that blasting off into outer space is tough. The “G” forces pull your body in ways it wasn’t meant to be pulled. BUT, finally you reach the edge of the atmosphere, look down on the Earth, hear the sound of absolute peace and you KNOW there is a God. You are in a part of His universe to which Satan cannot come. God’s Holy Spirit hovers over the Earth—taking care of business. This is a glorious realm and your desire is to stay put—to float in the peace.

Then, there is re-entry. Once again, it’s tough. It’s frightening, hot, bumpy, to say the least. There is fear that you will crash and burn. The G forces pull on you again, you experience a sense of loss as you come back to earth.

Going on an RICM weekend is like that. The week leading up to a weekend usually is hectic. It can be difficult to get everything accomplished in order to get away for a weekend. There are chores to do at home so that kids are fed and cared for; there are tasks at work that must be accomplished. The evil one knows what you are planning to do on the weekend and he’s not happy so he does everything he can to make it hard.

For me, just before the “Family Gathering” weekend, lift-off on Friday was rocky, hectic, I felt like I was pulled in a hundred different directions as I dealt with “running out of time” at work to get a necessary task accomplished. I was also in the middle of finishing up a project for my sister; I needed to come home and take care of some family matters, and then I needed to pack and drive the ½ hour to Toddhall. All these things pulling at me were things that I wanted to do, I just wasn’t sure I had the required amount of time.

Thankfully, I arrived just in time to join in the worship and I soon hit the edge of the atmosphere. During the evening, Friday, we broke through and entered into that worship—2 hours of it. During the rest of the weekend, we were in space, in heaven, really, removed from the cares and frustrations of our homes and families and work. It was glorious. We felt God’s presence all weekend. Nothing could touch us. We flew and looked back on our lives on “earth” with renewed hope and joy. Saturday night, we knew we were on a field trip to Heaven. We joined with the angel choirs singing praises to God. There was laughter, there were tears, there were prayers for others, there was prayer for me. There were words from the LORD, there was much wisdom coming from the speakers.

I joyfully received prayer from my table family that gave me hope and expectations and a promise that things would be better. I left Toddhall taking a group to the Metro station and carried Heaven in that car with me.

Just as Satan has a way of trying to mess you up before the weekend, he also does his best to steal joy and peace right out of your heart when you get back to the world. Like I said, re-entry can be tough. We have to remember: the people we are coming home to haven’t had the experience we had. They didn’t orbit the earth for 2 days. There is a certain amount of re-orientation, debriefing or decompression that must take place. Satan does his best to mess up what God is doing in your life. It’s so important to understand this so that you can put on your flight suit (the armor of God) and protect yourself from the G-forces of the evil one.

Yes, re-entry is tough, but our God is tougher. Always, always, always, remember that.

“David – a Man after God’s Own Heart,” August 2004

A reflection on an RICM Weekend

by Apryl Beardslee

What a wonderful thing it is to be blessed by the Holy Spirit! This phrase has become my mantra and my husband’s too, as he has given his life to Christ as well.

We recently attended a retreat in a beautiful location, very conducive to peace and relaxation, and a place where a group of people from several different parts of the country came together with Father Gary and his helpers. It was a wonderful time to be together with a diverse group of people to reaffirm our faith, exchange ideas, and to participate in a spiritual coming together.

During these meetings, there are readings of Bible passages, discussions, wonderful singing, and an atmosphere of holiness that is beyond description. There are very few people that we have met in our lives that have had such an effect on us, but Father Gary and his wife, Judith, of Renewal in Christ Ministry have been beacons of light and have shown us the way to a place where we have had no doubts as to the presence of God’s love for us and the power to guide us in our personal journey to seek the love of Jesus Christ.

Reflection on RICM Homecoming in Columbia, Illinois
December 6-8, 2002
by Gregg Rannizzisi

"May the Glory of the Lord God endure forever; May the Lord rejoice in His works." Ps. 104:31

    Just as we we're really getting into the preparation of hearts (and homes for that matter) for the coming of the newborn King, we had the opportunity to once again gather as a family to praise and thank the Lord for all He has done for us in the past and will continue to do in the coming year. The tradition of all of RICM coming together in fellowship is a relatively new and exciting one. This year's was no exception. The Spirit of God was felt just as much as ever, if not in new and dynamic ways for many.
    One of the many exciting aspects of this weekend is its freedom to move in the power of the Spirit without restraint and enter in fully, and quickly, to deep praise and worship. With nearly every community of the RICM family represented, it truly was a new Pentecost with each person bringing their own unique giftedness from the Lord into worship and reflection. Unlike virtually every other renewal weekend, this time was not limited to any one particular theme but rather allowed each speaker both in meditations and teachings to move as he or she felt called to. And once again, as if we didn't know already, our God truly is Jehoviah Jireh - our Provider! It is amazing to see how the Lord put each piece of the puzzle together perfectly, more than our detail-centered minds could ever plan. Each talk was truly anointed and allowed us not only a time to learn about our call from Christ but to even pray in ways we've never experienced before. Repentance, ministry and a personal friendship with our Abba Father were all integral aspects of the reflections. Perhaps the most intriguing part of the weekend was praying with each other in smaller groups but remaining in one large room. Much like the Twelve seated in the upper room on that first day of the week, the anointing power of God was felt strongly!
    No matter what may come along our path during our days, weeks and months, Renewal in Christ Ministries has been a beacon of God's enduring love and faithfulness through it all. The Family Reunion Weekend provided a wonderful opportunity to reflect on those times we gather locally to experience our Creator. Most of all, it demonstrated how we are all called, not only as individuals, but as the whole Body of Christ - with all our short-comings, failings, hopes, dreams, even separations and different walks of life - to serve Him, our God by loving and serving one another, thus bringing about the Kingdom of God.