"In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it." John 1:4, 5

Hello Friends and Family,

We are now deep into the days of December and the Christmas season here at TFR. It's a very special time of year isn't it? So much beauty surrounds us during this time of year! The beautiful Christmas music that teaches of His incarnation, the bright colors, the white snow, the scrumptious food, the short days and long evenings with family, the colorful decorations, ornaments, candles, wreaths...it's all so wonderful. Still, as we wade through the pageantry of the season and examine its' true meaning, we are once again reminded that not all of Christmas is beautiful. There is a dark, sinister, ugly side of Christmas. The true story of Christmas tells us of the selfishness of a Palestinian village that had no room for a young couple ready to give birth to their first child. It tells of the Christ child being born in the unsanitary conditions of a barn stable. It speaks of the megalomania of a man named Herod and his murderous rampage of young children. I could go on, but you see that not all of Christmas is "calm and bright." Still, there's an ugly, darkness that goes even deeper than this.

Behind every Christmas card, every Christmas carol and every kind Christmas sentiment lies the most wretched, heinous and evil reality of the entire universe. The dark and ugly side of Christmas is sin. The true meaning of Christmas is that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners, and this was terrible work. This is Christmas, and it's all about sin. Let me show you what I mean...Matthew 1:21 says: "And she will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for it is He who will save His people from their sins." Again in 1st John 3:5 "And you know that He appeared in order to take away sins;" and here in 1st Timothy 1:15 "It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners". The real and full meaning of Christmas is found in the ugly, gruesome, blood-soaked cross of Calvary. This is the dark side of Christmas. We should never see the Babe in the manger without also seeing the Savior on the cross. Without the cross of Calvary, Christmas actually has very little meaning. Without the cross of Calvary and the empty tomb of Easter, we are still in our sins and Christmas means little more than what it means to the countless numbers of people who go blindly forward without Christ. The real beauty of Christmas is to know and accept the vileness that it cures. The ugliness of sin that damns every unrepentant soul to hell can be cured by a right understanding of Christmas. Without this right understanding of the dark side of Christmas, there can be no true Light in life. Indeed, it is only this right understanding of the dark side that will usher us into the beautiful side of Christmas. So this year as you and I enjoy the beautiful pageantry of the season, may the Lord give us the ability to see, understand and believe what Christmas is truly all about, the forgiveness of sins. He is Immanuel: God with us and us with Him for all eternity. The wages of our sins have been paid in full! A Merry Christmas to you all!

Our December here at the ranch has been busy! We started the month off with Christmas music concerts in the Seattle area. It was great to see so many turn out for these concerts at SeaTac Bible Church, Edmonds Foursquare Church, and Judson Park Retirement Home. They actually had so many come out at Judson Park that they had to remove a temporary wall to fit all of the audience! What an encouragement to our "Harvest Singers" and everyone involved. One man had this to share with us via e-mail:

Hello,
Just wanted to say how much I appreciated the music of the "Harvest Singers" last Saturday night. What a wonder it is to see the smiling faces of ones who were once enslaved to sins of various kinds yet now have been set free to bless others. I hoped for a "word" testimony but in reflecting, the thought came to me that just their presence and willingness to stand up before strangers and smile and sing of the good news of the season was a powerful testimony in itself. It was the sweet fragrance of the work and presence of Christ in all of you. It was a testimony of the power and grace of the Potter who, when people come to the end of themselves and surrender completely to Him, He then begins using His loving and skillful hands to craft and mold the earthy, unlovely mud and clay into something beautiful that reflects the heavenly image and purpose for that person that was in Gods mind from before the foundation of the world. Romans 9:17 talks about people raised up to demonstrate His power in them that His name may be proclaimed throughout the earth! May I say to all whether in word or deed, keep on proclaiming His Name! Thank you?for your ministry.
Rejoicing in Him, R.E.

Our "Harvest Singers" have one last Christmas concert at the former Tonasket Free Methodist Church building on Saturday evening, the 20th of December, at 7:00 p.m., and then they will be caroling and delivering cookies around the businesses of Tonasket on the 22nd. We hope to see many of you there!

Speaking of service, our gals are preparing a dinner for the elderly Saints in our community tonight. They are borrowing a Church basement fellowship hall to cook up a scrumptious meal for the "more experienced" folks in our community, and it sounds like it's going to be a great time and well attended. They have been on a visitation schedule that makes sure everyone on the list gets a visit from our gals at least once a month. We believe this to be "true and undefiled religion" and our gals always come away blessed by the giving of their time, treasure and talents. We believe service to others is one of the vital components that keep Christians healthy and these are great opportunities for us!

Some discouraging news came our way last month. The large, private foundation that had shown so much interest in funding TFR's additional housing project through a matching grant decided not to help fund this project after all. This was obviously quite a turn-around blow to us all as they had expressed so much interest, commitment and enthusiasm originally. While our hearts are saddened by this news, we are reminded once again that it is the Lord who builds houses and we will continue to trust Him for His provision and timing in all things.

Winter has hit us out here in Tonasket with a vengeance! Some of the coldest temperatures that any of us have ever experienced have come upon us within the past few days. Actual temps of -20 with an additional 10-15 degrees wind chill (that's right -30 to -35 degrees!) has made keeping animals alive, cars running, and water flowing quite a challenge. We go outside and do the minimum amount of required chores before retreating back into the sanctuary of our houses. We've all been in cold weather when it makes you uncomfortable, but this kind of cold weather actually hurts! Still, the Lord is providing for our needs and we are so thankful for His provision of abundant firewood, food, and clothing. However, would you please pray for our transportation situation? One of our vehicles is approaching the 200k mark and isn't quite as dependable as we would like it to be. Breaking down on the side of the road with weather like this is extremely dangerous, so we are praying for a newer vehicle with less miles and better dependability for our transportation needs. Thank you.

We are bringing in at least two more women during the first week of January and both are extremely hurting. Neither of them knows Jesus Christ as Lord and they are in desperate need of His healing-physically, emotionally and spiritually. One gal is barely 75 pounds (up from 63 pounds!) and must reach at least 80 pounds before she can come to TFR. This bulimia/anorexia is a life-threatening situation that doesn't just go away if ignored. It will not stop until all health and life has ebbed. "Emily" is in urgent need of your prayers for the salvation of her soul and the renewal of her mind.

The other woman coming to TFR (Lord willing), is addicted to drugs and alcohol and has been for many years. She is crying out for relief from the pain that consumes her life, but has absolutely no idea how to stop the vicious cycle that is killing her. She has applied to TFR because "it looks like a safe place" and because she cannot afford the costs of any other treatment facility. "Ann" also needs your prayers, desperately.

While we're at it, we too could really use your prayers! The economic hardship that America has experienced has impacted everyone, including us. There is obviously a substantial amount of cost involved with housing women who cannot afford to pay for their stay. Financially, we are making every bill on time, but things are extremely tight. To be bringing more women into this program while donations slowly dwindle is a scary prospect. Many supporters of TFR have lost their jobs and have been forced to decrease or stop their giving all together. Still, bringing in additional women who are in need of Christ's healing is a step of faith that we believe the Lord would have us do to be found faithful. We are praying that the Lord will continue to bring His people (You!) along side of TFR to lock arms with us in meaningful ways. Please honor your commitment to your church first, and then if the Lord makes it possible to give additionally, we hope you will prayerfully consider this life-saving work of the Lord.

We want to thank you all again for your sacrificial service, support, and prayers. May you have a wonderful Christmas with friends and family. May 2009 be a year of tremendous blessing for you, and may you rejoice in the Light given to man, once and for all. "Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, "I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life" John 8:12. We love you.

Soli Deo Gloria,

Craig Lofthus

Winter has come to TFR!

A quick group shot of some of our favorite people!