I’m writing from within the context of the Feast of Tabernacles, presently being celebrated here at Fairwood by a growing crowd of believers. Wish you could all be here with us!  Let me share a few highlights so far. Perhaps they’ll enhance your Sabbath rest this evening and give you something much better to think about than what’s going on in Washington these days.

The theme is “Lift Up Your Heads!” — Jesus’ words in Luke as He taught the people about the End Times. “When these things begin to come to pass…” meaning hard things and even catastrophic things, then is just the time to take fresh courage. Why? “Because your redemption draweth nigh”!  That is encouraging–and our intent is that in the midst of unspeakable wickedness here on earth, we, as followers of Jesus, do not need to be afraid or even too deeply distressed. No, it’s time to “take courage!” and for a very good reason: He is coming!

We were reminded in the opening service, that no matter how the enemy rants and roars and threatens, there is surely coming a day when we are going to look around for him–and he will be missing! Then we’ll see what’s left of him and say, in Isaiah’s words, “Is this the man that caused the earth to tremble??”

David Hansen edified us Tuesday evening calling for “courage, not fear” whether for international upsets or things as close to home as raising a family.  The next evening David Wargo gave us a talk based on the key need to Know Our God (as Daniel 11 tells us some will do in the last days). He gave us seven characteristics of God to dwell on, concluding with His justice and His mercy. Both these talks were well prepared and well delivered.

Thursday morning at 9:00 Nathan  Brown edified the company with a powerful message from the parable of the Unjust Judge: “Pray always, and never give up!” It’s not the size of our faith that matters, it’s in Whom we put our faith–and for Whose Glory we exercise it: in God, and only for His glory. That kind of prayer gets results. And later in the morning Pastor William Abram took the verse, “When the foundations are destroyed, what can the Righteous do?” and informed us that the answer was, “PLENTY!” He went on to list 10 things we can always be doing, even in days as dark as the ones we live in. We don’t have time to list them all here for you, but it was certainly encouraging to hear them and to know that here too is good reason to “Lift up our heads.”.

In the afternoon yesterday there was a great prayer meeting, chiefly for sick and needy folks, and concluding with a short consideration of the needs of Israel today. There were spontaneous requests for recovery from depression, hardness of heart, and healing from emotional traumas, as well as from physical suffering, and we were encouraged to believe that our prayers were being answered in full. There was a spirit of faith among us, and we await the full answers.

This is a mere recap of highlights, but be assured, Good Things Are Happening at the House of God. We do not keep these Feasts in vain. There is coming the Day when the Harvest will be all gathered Home, as we hear the sudden sound of a trumpet in the sky.  Then–“hearts are brave again, and arms are strong”–even as we greet that Day from afar.

Peace be with all of you–and courage and confidence in the unshakable reign of Him who sits on the Throne!