Our dear friends,

     It doesn’t take much to see that we are truly living in the end-times…natural disasters, the mockery of God and moral decay of our society, famines, earthquakes, wars and rumors of wars on every hand (Matt. 24:6,7). 

     While the Bible says these things must come to pass before Jesus returns, it also says “see that ye be not troubled.” Those of us who are living in the Kingdom of God have nothing to fear; in fact, this is an exciting time to be alive! WE, THE BODY OF CHRIST, HAVE A MISSION! We carry the presence of God within us, and His GLORY shines through us to meet the needs of those around us. This is NOT a time for us to be silent — but to speak up. As my Dad used to say, “We are ‘fruit dispensers’ of God’s love, joy, peace and all the fruit of the Spirit!

     When asking the Lord about this New Year, He gave me a vision of a flaming sword stuck in the center of an open Bible, meaning the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, and the fire of the Holy Ghost. Our theme, “Carrying the Fire,” is taken from Jeremiah 20:9, “His Word is in my heart, like a fire shut up in my bones!” 

     Here at Christian Retreat, we have been seeing the power of God displayed in miraculous ways during our winter conference season. It seems we are in a season of miracles, with people being healed and their doctors astounded. Our faith is being increased as we hear these testimonies — and THIS is what makes the world pay attention…when they hear your testimony of being healed from cancer or heart disease or a lifelong painful affliction. 

      This month we mark the one-year anniversary of Dad’s transition to Glory. On a personal level, I feel the loss every day, but he equipped us to keep the fire burning. At our Partner Banquet last month, I was honored to receive an “Apostolic Consecration,” as the elders prayed over Jannette and me, acknowledging the leadership mantle of succession for this ministry. We humbly accepted the “passing of the baton,” and are excited about the future! 

      THANK YOU so much for standing with us and being part of our Christian Retreat family. You helped us bring Christmas joy to thousands of impoverished children in Haiti, providing at least $10,000 to feed and give a gift to each one. You also helped provide support to other nations—including Israel, India and Honduras, showing love in a tangible way. Our local community also has been a focus of evangelism, reaching out to new families in our neighborhood. God is growing the church, as a result, and we are blessed to serve them.

     We are continuing with renovations at Christian Retreat, now focusing on the 40-unit River House next to Miracle Manor. This will provide extra housing for our guests, youth groups and Institute of Ministry students. The new Warehouse Building also is underway, moving through the county permitting process. This will provide much-needed space for storing supplies and equipment at our facility. 

We have a great class of Institute of Ministry students who are on fire for God! They are being trained and discipled to be effective leaders in the Body of Christ. What a blessing to see the transformation in their lives over 10 weeks of intensive training.

It’s truly a joy to work together with you to “carry the fire” to this generation and beyond.   I would like to extend the same offer as we presented at our Partner Banquet last month. For your pledge or gift of $1,000 at the Gold Partnership level I will send you our “thank you” gift of a beautiful, 34-inch Star of David Ceremonial Sword and Scabbard, symbolizing the Word of God, the sword of the Spirit (Eph. 6:17).  For your gift of $300 or more, you are acknowledged as a “Blessings Partner,” and receive a lovely gold “Blessings” lapel pin. 

We are deeply grateful for your love and support. Your gift of ANY amount helps us proclaim the Gospel and keep serving those in need. You are in our prayers daily, and we welcome any special requests. Just reply to this email. May the Lord continue to bless you with His favor, and may His joy be your strength!

Keeping the fire burning,

Phil Derstine