Off to Salt

Hi Family!

We leave tomorrow for our annual SALT conference. This year we're in Des Moines, IA. We have a handful of students going and we're all really excited :) Last night was our first on-campus meeting since break, and it was great. Fifteen students came, all of whom are invested and wanting to reach our campus. It's fun to think what God will do at BSU this spring.

We recently got an email from a former student- he and his wife both were in our group several years ago. They both are part of a new church plant and moving into full time ministry. They are on our support team now, and their email was so encouraging that we thought we would share it with you :)

If ever you're discouraged about numbers or attendance at Chi Alpha, please don't forget to think about the incredible things that God has already done through you at Bemidji State. You guys were tremendously influential on Jill and me. You mentioned being excited about our transition into full-time ministry -- quite frankly, I'm not sure we'd be here without you guys pulling us in all those years ago. Even our visit with you guys a year ago impacted us greatly -- it was at that point that we were really opened up to prophetic ministry and have been eagerly pursuing that gift since. (Even the simple act of having communion with you guys at the Sawmill was powerful -- it's a practice we took back to Hibbing with us, and communion meals in the home have become much more common around here.) In short, you guys rock! Don't lose your hope -- God has used you guys in meaningful, lasting ways, and greater things are ahead.

We aren't interested in ringing our own bell, but we are SO blessed when we get an email like this that it only seems right to share it with you who support us in so many ways. WE could not be here impacting people like this if you did not believe in us and our work. Sometimes we do struggle with whether we're doing enough, frankly. And then we get a letter like this and are renewed to forge ahead.

So pray for us this weekend, will you? Salt is an amazing resource- for leadership training, spiritual growth, group bonding- I could go on. It's a refreshment that we look forward to every year. Pray for our group in all these things, as we prepare to love our campus this semester.

I'll take a bunch of pictures and try to post while we're there. Have a great weekend!

Check out the New Chi Alpha Promo!

Hey family! Chi Alpha has released a new promo- check it out- so good! Love you! Us Thoofts

"Normal" Has Settled In !

Hi Family!

Life back on campus full time has taken over. We sorta have a normal again. Here it is:

Tuesday-Thursday: meet with students one on one, be on campus
Wednesday evening: pot luck and prayer at the Thooft house
Friday-Sat: time with our kids and friends, and sometimes game nights with students
Sunday: large group meeting with students on campus. We go to Sunday morning service when we can
Monday: REST, except for Phil's mens group in the evening

Sept- move in and welcome
Oct- Fall Retreat
Nov- Staff training and Father Heart Seminar in Duluth
Dec- Christmas Tea Salt fundraiser
Jan- SALT conference in Des Moines, IA
....and then it's three months til the end of the year!! TIME FLIES!

There are 34 names in my group text, and we talk to them several times a week. Some of them have been pursuing more time with us, and some haven't. Some come to Sunday night, some to Wednesday night, some we just meet with one-on-one.  One young lady I met with for coffee didn't know what I meant when I asked her to tell me her story with the Lord. She said, "I don't know- I need you to tell me what I need!"  So I spent the next hour telling her the story of the gospel. It was awesome.

Fall Retreat was amazing- we had fifteen students attend with us, and all of them saw God change their lives. Two were baptized in the freezing cold lake :) All of them have been involved in one way or another since.

There are signs of life everywhere. We have heard more than once from students telling us that God is changing their lives through Chi Alpha. Praise God!  Here's one I got after a Sunday Night Vive:

"God's timing is so perfect and he is so intimate with the details of our lives! Cuz tonight was exactly what I needed to hear for what's been going on with me!"  There is more work to be done than our little family can do- so please pray for harvesters!

Thank you so much for your love and support!  Here are some Fall Retreat pictures....

Need some encouragement? Listen to this!

Hi Family!!!  Fall Retreat this weekend.....we have 15 leaders going.....UMD has 100.....it's going to be AMAZING!!!!!  Pray for us- Phil and I are teaching a relationship class, and Ilsa and I are leading worship Sunday morning. This is one song we will be doing......it's been burned in my head for a week- give it a listen!

Last night I was the keynote speaker for our little crisis pregnancy center here in Bemidji. It was awesome- I am so honored to be able to speak to crowds like this and tell my story. Many people approached us afterwards and thanked us- said we "hit a nerve."  Praise God. Lets hit lots of nerves so God can heal them!

woohoooo! love you family!!!!

BEAVER NATION

Hello Family!

We are in process of finding out who wants paper newsletters and who would rather just read our blog. So if you receive a paper newsletter and would rather not, just let us know. Thanks!

Our first few weeks went really well!  Here's some pictures - first from the hayride, which was SO fun and we met lots of new students, and then the Pizza feed, in which we fed over 200 students. It's been a busy blast around here! (the cow picture is in there 'cause I want one. For real.) :)

During the Pizza Feed it was in the 90s, and one of the dorms set up a kiddie pool full of ice water. Elijah jumped in thirteen times. Yup. Thirteen.

And that's Al up there with his beast of a beard.

These guys are awesome.

Phil and I are reading a book called "College Ministry in a Post Christian Culture" by Stephen Lutz.  As most of you can tell every time you turn on your tv or internet news, or are randomly switching channels, or are reading your daily newspaper, our country is....struggling....to say the least. It is more urgent than ever before that campus ministry in the USA is critical - right now. Check these out:

·         77% of professions of faith come before or during the college years -but only 15% of current college students identify themselves as Christians

·         Close to 70 million people in this generation of college students are not Christians- they make up the largest mission field we have ever seen in North America

·         Of non-Christian people ages 16-29, only 16% have a favorable view of evangelicals

·         Nearly half of these agree with this statement: “Christians get on my nerves”

·         Two-thirds agree with this statement: “The Church is full of hypocrites”

·         The top 1% of the world’s population are privileged enough to go to college- they are the future leaders of the world

·         The campus is also significant from a global missions perspective, bringing students from nearly every nation of the world to our doorstep for these critical few years

·         In the college years, students make essential decisions about their identity, beliefs, and ethics – and whether or not God will have any part in their lives. College offers a window of opportunity before the rest of their life crowds in

·         The apostle Paul went to the synagogue, the marketplace, and Mars Hill to proclaim the gospel. Today, those places are represented in the college campus. 

So- we are extremely grateful to be back on campus full time. Our semester is full: Sunday Night Vive, Monday men's group, prayer in dorms on campus, prayer walking campus, Fall retreat, meeting with students one on one, movie/bonfire/game/hayride/canoeing/hiking events, Christmas Tea, international student events, and just plain being on campus and going to campus events, meeting people and building relationships, finding the gold in people that they don't see and telling them it's there. And telling them Who put it there. We are acutely aware that people are watching us and wondering if we are for real.

How can you help? Pray: for favor with all this stuff I just mentioned, favor with students, hunger in students. Pray we get a crowd for Fall retreat- those retreats really bond students together and give them the life-long friends and faith they need to be the leaders we need! Pray for our family as we juggle raising four kids/young adults in three different schools, and deal with the daily battle....pretty sure there are principalities that don't want us doing what we're doing. :) And pray that we can raise the rest of our budget- we are operating at about 60% currently. If you are able, click that donate button at the top right and help us out. You may not be able to take a student out to lunch or out for coffee and help them figure out who they are and who God is, but we can. We're also financing a new sound system and we need- desperately- a Mac Book Pro! Got one in my Apple cart.....can't quite push the "purchase" button yet...!

We really want to see the Kingdom come here in Beaver Nation! (Haha! that's our new school slogan for sports- I LOVE IT. I keep telling people that Beavers eat (fill in the blank) for breakfast....)  But it also tells us that BSU/NTC/Oak Hills are indeed a NATION that needs to be reached - so we can send healthy leaders that love Jesus out into our communities.

We love our job. We love you. Have a GREAT fall!!

us Thoofts xoxoxoxo

Countdown!

So.....I think I've had some fear lately. Move in is Friday, followed by the Parent Expo, cookout Saturday, bowling Sunday, book tables, pizza feed, hayride, and Sunday Night....and we've been excited about it all. We've got some serious expectation that God is already showing up at BSU and there will be a lot of hungry students...

and the thought always comes, "maybe more than you can handle."

Side story: We signed up for a fitness challenge at Snap Fitness this month. We have really felt as a family that we need to get in better shape- stronger. The challenge includes nutrition training, 2 classes a week, and a personalized work out regime for the rest of the week. Our trainer, after hearing my goals, gave me a lifting schedule, and I like lifting, so no big deal. But on day three, he showed up and coached me through my lifting session.

And I cried.

Ya, totally, I did. Not in front of him, in front of my friend Melissa who is my training partner and, as Elijah would say, "awesome-sauce" friend. I had no idea why I cried, and I pulled it together quick and grabbed the weights I was looking for and went back in. He was asking me to "deadlift" - if you don't know what that is, check this out.  Basically, you bend over at the waist, grab a heavy weight, and lift it straight up. It's scary to me because I'm always really careful about how I bend & lift, having wound up in chiropractors offices in spasm-ing pain because I've lifted incorrectly. And because I've neglected my body for twenty years, for the most part. Our trainer is a talented guy and he knows his stuff. But he was asking me to deadlift 135 pounds on my first try, WAY out of my "comfort zone."  He keeps insisting that I can do tons more than I think, and that I need to get rid of the "attitude" and just do this thing. Once I talked him into letting me start lower so I could at least feel comfortable with the form of deadlifting, we settled on 95 pounds. I didn't think I could do that. That's when I cried. But I did it. Then he had me do squats with 115 pounds on my back on a barbell. Freaked me out. I backed out of it twice. But I did it, and although it was uncomfortable, it didn't hurt. He says I didn't even touch what I am capable of.

Isn't that just funny. I wonder how many times God looks at us like "what the heck are you so worried about? You've totally got this!" Hm. Just like my trainer kept looking at me....like he just couldn't understand what I was freaking out about. He has a lot more faith in me than I do.

Fast forward to today. We are in service, at a pre-service prayer meeting. I am on the worship team, leading a song. As we are praying, I am feeling this expectation of God doing really good things in our church, our community, our campus- and something else resisting that.  I asked the Lord about it and I felt him say that I had "positioned myself to not expect to receive anything- from the Lord or anyone else- at 'church.'"  Wow. I had no idea I was doing that. So after I got rid of that attitude and thanked the Lord for renewing hope and expectation, one of the elders stood up and basically said "Phil and Michelle, I want us to pray for you and bless you as you go into this school year. As ministers, you are always giving and giving, and we want to pray for the strength you will need to do this year well."  Something to that effect. I was floored. I had just gotten rid of the lack of expectation of anything good, and this guy is blessing us and our ministry.

Then, right before worship started, I went to hug Melissa. She asked how I was, and I told her my back hurt, because it did- lower and mid. I thought it was sore from lifting, but it's been sore a lot lately. All the time. It was a passing comment, nothing big.

But after the first song, our worship leader Justin stopped and said he felt that God was wanting to heal back pain today- lower and middle. Did anyone have any back pain? (He wasn't there when I told Melissa my back hurt)

Hello.

So Melissa came and prayed for me- and she said this:  "You will not buckle under this weight."  She said a lot of other things, and her husband said we were moving into a new season, which I have felt for a long time- so cool- but the buckling under the weight thing really hit the nail on the head. God is amazing. Whatever is going on spiritually, He seems to mirror in the natural. So I am freaking out at the gym because I am scared I am going to buckle under the weight of - the weights - and in the spiritual, I have been afraid that what is coming is more than I can handle. My heart was beginning to understand something that my mind hadn't grasped yet. I love it when that happens. You know something good is coming.

And then, to top it all off, our pastor speaks on Joshua being "strong and very courageous" and reminding us that the Jordan River didn't part until they stepped into it. And that if we don't do what God has called us to do because of fear, it's the same as rebellion. Because it's saying He isn't enough.

This is true for lifting the dead, and for deadlifting, both. We don't have to "handle" anything. We get to love a generation, help them learn to manage themselves well, and have the courage to step into their Jordan River with boldness.

Echo all this for Phil, just so you know. We talked all this through after service. He said, "go write it down!" So I am. And since you're our support team and friends, I thought I'd share with you.

We are so encouraged, moving into this new season. We have promises that we will not buckle under the weight of it- both physically and spiritually- and that this new season will be full of expectation and support. Our church is excited to work with us, our Chi Alpha committee has given every campus start up funds, God has enabled us to raise extra to replace parts of our sound system (I only have $900 to go!!), and our own budget raising is moving forward. We are in a good place, and really looking forward to what our "new normal" will be in a few weeks.

Pray for us, will you? We will update as much as we can over the next few weeks- because we have GREAT expectations!!!

LOVE YOU! Us Thoofts

August !

Hi Family!!!

Summer is flying by, which I am sure you have noticed!! We have:

• successfully graduated two kids
• had two grad parties
• ran a triathlon in the rain
• traveled to 10 states
• saw my son Ian marry his Chaley
• driven to the top of the USA (Rocky Mountain National Park) 
• Weeded a greenhouse, chopped a mountain of wood, and joined a fitness challenge

So far, anyway.

Being that it is August 5 - we are turning our thoughts and efforts to finalizing everything we have planned for campus this fall. We start August 23 with move-in and a Parent Expo, then onto cookouts and bowling and hayrides and pizza feeds and BOB fairs and community appreciation fairs and book tables and Sunday Night Vive.....and fall retreat! As a friend of mine would say, "DANG, child!"

We are really excited for what fall will bring. And we will keep you posted!

Thank you to all of you who have been donating to help us replace parts of our sound system! If you still want to donate to that effort, please do. You can use the "Donate" link on this blog- just let me know so I know to designate your gift to the sound system. You receive a tax receipt :)

We just received word that we can bring a man named Rick Mattson from Intervarsity to campus this fall for an outreach to atheist students. We are on this, and hope to schedule him asap.  We have been telling people everywhere we go this summer that it is the most important time to be on campus- it is still the most strategic mission field out there, with both American and international students available to us. Phil and I are feeling a deep burden to reach as many students as possible, and help them get on the path of emotional, physical, and spiritual heath- so they can go out into our communities as part of the solution rather than part of the problem! Please take a minute to read these articles:

http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2013/07/30/why-are-millennials-leaving-church-try-atheism/?hpt=hp_t3

http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2013/07/27/why-millennials-are-leaving-the-church/

They will give you an idea of what is going on in our culture, and how you can be part of the solution. Never before has it been this prevalent and critical. 

We hope your summer has been glorious.  Let us know how we can be praying for you.  With MUCH love love- Us Thoofts

Picture 1- EPIC woodpile!

2- Changes on our campus!

3-Ian and Chaley's wedding

4- All our kids!!

RE-Vive!

Hi family!

There are so many things going on- good things! First- Phil and I were recently at our Staff Retreat:

Phil & Julie

Mike grilling us his amazing steaks

We had an amazing time. Just listening to staff from all over MN talking about their year, their ups and downs and mistakes and saves, was incredibly encouraging. We are not the first ones to have written the "202 Mistakes to Make in Campus Ministry."  !! Nope, and we won't be the last. It's so great to meet with people who have the same vision: reach the campus, and you reach the world. People who make mistakes and then get right back up and back at it. We are inspired by all of them.

We came home determined to clear our schedule and tie up some loose ends. We have resigned from several things that are very very good, but taking time and focus away from campus. We have Fall 2013 planned and in the calendars at BSU. It is the perfect time to be on campus- the world, frankly, is going a little crazy and we need to be on the most strategic mission field in the world right NOW.  

I have a new blog/website because of my new book, and I just posted a blog there that gives you more about all this.  But here is the best part- our top ten 2x4's: 

1. Instead of being overwhelmed by the need, we are looking to overwhelm the need. Just that tiny little shift in that sentence causes a great big shift in my thinking.
2. Faith changes the situation: the Lord saves by many or by few. We're asking for many....we're asking that even now, He would be calling leaders to BSU that come here because God called them, so they can be part of the transformation of our university and our whole area. And if you think about it, the whole world.
3. Rumors of our courage will rattle cages all around us. I have to remember this, so that when opposition comes it doesn't shut me down. (Hmmm. I'm rattling cages. Of course.)
4. I would rather die in faith than live in unbelief.  Unbelief is a sucky place to be. Like a freaking bog and your cute red flowered boots literally get stuck there and you have to leave them behind.
5. The assignment is so overwhelming that it keeps us dependent and humble. Uh, yeah. Check.
6. Extreme courage in me will flush out the backslider: they hate all the religious crap and are looking for the authentic. Sometimes I'm the first statement, sometimes I'm the second.
7. Next time I want to quit- remember that people are watching me and they will return. (See # 2)
8. The enemy will "add to our call" to minimize our impact. HELLO. Got that t-shirt. It's going in the burn pile. Or, no, actually, I'll keep it as a reminder.
9. If He has given us the same word several times, it's because it will receive the most opposition. (another t-shirt)
10. Find out what you're born for and don't pay attention to the other options.

I found these in an old notebook from two years ago. It's amazing how God will just reinforce stuff for you out of the blue. I randomly picked it up this morning and there it was. Here are some more facts for you:

There are over 17 million college students studying in the US:

11 million (7 out of 10) have never considered Christ

44% of college students binge drink

1000 students attempt suicide every year

There are over 700,000 international students

Over 50% of all Christian students attending college struggle with keeping their faith in college

Family, we have a big job. (see #5 above) A missionary we know said recently, "when hell is exploding all around us, stop for the one."  

And we have 2 graduates! Grace took and passed her GED with flying colors:

And Ilsa graduates Thursday night! YAHOO!!!!! Milestones in the Thooft family! 

Thank you for all your support and love and prayer over the past nine years!!

:) 

End of the Year......Again!

Hi Family!

I know we were not created to live in time, but dang! It always surprises me, even if I think I'm ready for it.....

End of the year again. Students leave next week. Summer is here (sorta).

Our Chi Alpha student president, Jolynne, is pumped and ready for fall. We have a full calendar starting August 23!  Over the summer, we will continue with our Friday Night Worship and the Fight Club (men's group) and the Leadership Development Program and Sozo.  I just published my book, and have some speaking engagements set up. Ilsa is graduating (June 6) and we have a family grad party for her and her cousin Allie in Winona on June 8th.  The Trinona triathlon, of which Phil and I and Ilsa and Maddie are participating in, is June 9.

We come home the 10th, have another grad party for Ilsa on June 15, and leave for a road trip to Texas on about June 18!

sheesh!

But after Ian's wedding, we should hit northern MN again around July 4, and then be HOME for the summer :) The Lord has told us, through our own communication with him and from friends (who communicate with him regularly :) )  that we are to REST for the rest of the summer. We can do that!

I will keep you updated on all good things. We hope you are doing well and your school year is winding down strong....and your snow is melted. What a year!!  It's been melting here so fast that our sewer backed up into our laundry room last weekend. Eeeew.  Turns out our septic was full full full, so we had it pumped out, but by the next morning, it was full again.....of water. That is the extent of flooding for us- others in our area are not so lucky. I don't believe there have been any injuries, just.....lots of water.

Here's Eli with his buddies from school. I was just trying to find a picture for you and love this one, so..... pray for these little guys! They will be buddies for a long time....

and here's a few more:

Eli's idea of Date and Time......

Maddie drowning in her Prom dress.......

The kids and their cousin Elise after Prom......

Our Masquerade girls!

We also had a GREAT reunion time with some of our first students last weekend. Kerri, Brit, Megan, Jayme, Jill, Angela, and Susan and I were able to grab lunch together while some of the out-of-town-ers were here for a visit. It was such an encouraging time- being reminded of the lives you got to be a part of. And still are! Like we've said....we love this job.

So family, I hope you're all doing well. Let us know if we can be praying for you specifically. We love you and bless you!! 

Us Thoofts

Dear Family

It is done.....my new book is available. You can order it in print right now, and Kindle will be available by tomorrow.

This is our first run, so please let me know if you find any typos :)  I can edit and upload corrections anytime. It's as clean as we could get it for now.

So exciting. ohmygoodness.  Thank you so much for all of your love and support....

:)

https://www.createspace.com/4245526?ref=1147694&utm_id=6026

March Awesomeness

Hi Family!

I remember Phil saying to me once early in our marriage that no matter what the weather outside, he was determined to find the fun in it and enjoy it. That seemed like a wise statement to me, so I have adopted it these past twenty years. So when we started getting our northern MN snow in March, we have LOVED it! Snowshoeing has been a hoot, hoarfrost amazing, and currently we have 2 moose in our front yard. They're made of snow, but whatever. A moose is a moose.

Speaking of early in our marriage, check this out:

Ilsa is graduating this spring and the school needs some pictures, so we are digging through our picture bin and sorting ...... and found some treasures!

Other family news: I (Michelle) am about ready to release the re-write of The Gift of Sam on Kindle. The book will be available in print as well shortly after. I will keep you posted! We are looking at a new title, and so far, You Smile as You Show Me Grace is the top contender. It's a line from an old DC Talk song, Mind's Eye. I am hoping to write a journal companion to the book, potentially entitled You Laugh as You Heal Me, that will take readers through forgiveness and getting rid of wounds and lies they're believing. It will be based on the Sozo ministry we have learned and are facilitating here in Bemidji.

We went to Illinois for the kid's spring break, so they could hang out with their cousin, and Phil was able to speak in his sister Louise's 6th-7th, and 8th grade classes. He told them that God wasn't mad at them, and for some, that was a revelation. Maddie got to attend a school day with her cousin Elise, and experience a different high school than what she is used to.

This was last night's Chi Alpha gathering:

Side note.....the guitar you see in the picture? It got bumped, and the neck smashed. It's un-fixable, unfortunately, and it was Ilsa's guitar that she has been seriously working with. Sigh. If anyone has a good quality guitar you would sell us, would you let us know? Thanks!

Our new president, Jolynne, is in the bottom picture right under Eli. She is a freshman this year, and is really excited to be our president! Last week she went to the office, sat down, and asked God what she should do for Chi Alpha on our campus. This is what she gave me:

Jolynne is in track and cross country, so we have been meeting students from these groups, and enjoying track meets. She wants to have a "hot tub night" at a local resort....when I asked her what students needed she said "a hot tub! Our muscles hurt all the time!"  I thought- perfect. We'll have hot tub nights at Rutgers, a local resort. Now that's ministry!

We are feeling that we are to move Friday Night Worship to campus next fall, and that would be our large group gathering. It will still be open to other adults in the community, but we will meet on campus. Until then, Phil is still facilitating his guy's group on Monday nights along with Andy, a former student who is now married and working in the community. They see a dozen or so guys every week- some students, some not- who are wanting to get healthier :)  Both of us are meeting students one on one, and having students over for pizza and game nights (last night we played Mafia- hilarious. One guy's alibi for why he didn't "kill" the person in question was "because I was in another town killing someone else" !) Love it.

A couple things we are praying about: our church, First Assembly of God, is hiring a new pastor. We had a great retirement party for our Pastor Vern and Mary a few weeks ago, and we now have a really wonderful intern pastor. So life there is kind of up in the air.  We are praying for a Kingdom-minded pastor who sees the importance of college ministry and loves students....will you pray with us?

Another thing we have been praying about, and for, is a campus center on our campus. There is a property right across from the dorms and right next to Diamond Point Park that we have "circled" in prayer. (Read The Circle Maker, if you haven't already!) We see some student apartments, a coffee house, and a large meeting area for FNW and other Chi Alpha events. Offices, study rooms, a meeting room maybe. It's a big audacious prayer, and we can't even imagine the cost, but the idea of having a place on campus where we could interact with students on a daily basis keeps growing in our hearts. We have an office on campus, but it is really out of the way and not many students know its there. We hang out in the union, but it is closed and empty at 2 o'clock. We have done some things in the dorms, but you have to be invited to be in the dorms- you can't schedule something regular in them. We can get a room for FNW on campus, but rarely can you have the same room every week. So we have felt, for a long time, that a regular place for Chi Alpha - a presence- would be a great thing. Kind of like the Newman Center or the Lutheran Campus Center. Our coffee shop would be open early and late, giving students a place to go and study and hang out. Would you pray with us about this? And if you happen to know any millionaires who need a tax break, send them our way?

There is more to tell, but I will save it for another blog. Thank you so much for your love and support! Have a wonderful Easter!

February In Bemidji

Hi Family!

Just thought I'd send a little Bemidji State University your way this lovely morning......

Enjoy!

:)

LDP

So we have started a year long Leadership Development Program. The first vide0 conference hasn't even started, and I am flattened by the pre-course work. We are reading a book called Victorious Mindsets by Steve Backlund, and I want to buy a copy for everyone I know.  Each page is a truth that God says about us. Chapter titles include "I Love Life," "I Don't Have to be Perfect," "I Have a Great Work to Do,"  "My Past Does Not Determine My Future," and "I Welcome Resistance," things like that.

And there are sixty of them.

He talks about doing small things in a great way, that we are on God's training ground for greater things, right now. "The things we are doing now may seem small compared to the promises we've been given and are believing for, but our willingness to do them 'in a great way' is the key to opening the door to these promises." (10)

He talks about knowing we are strong, even when we don't feel strong. "Victorious Christians have learned that they continually have an anointing- a divine influence on others- that is ready to be released. They function from faith rather than from emotion. Leaders are thermostats, not thermometers."  (12)

He says that "the enemy of our souls hopes we will limit our ministry to times when we feel anointed." But we have an anointing that "abides."

He tells me that I am part of the solution. He has called us to focus on contributing instead of trying to get our life from people and situations around us. (13)

He reminds me to be thankful for everything He has already done, and focus on what He is doing, rather than get caught up in my "needs list." (14)

He tells me that, like David, who "aggressively confronted the obstacle in his way," (Goliath) he "ran at his problem, not away from it." Procrastination drains power from life.

All the reminders we need, every day, in one book. LOVE.

And I think of one of our young men, Alex. This boy is taking the bull by the horns- he is aggressively declaring God's truth over his life, every day. I have seen his demeanor change, from someone who was sort of quiet and always hanging back, to someone who has confidence and clarity in where he is going. His whole manner has changed.

We feel like we are on a "re-boot"  in so many ways. Physically, emotionally, spiritually,  Every good thing comes from God, He is our source for everything. And I determine my future with my words. Dang. All of that together: look out.

So excited for what is to come!

A Great Reminder

I had this on my facebook, and then it migrated to our fridge, and now it's being printed to hand out at our small groups tonight. It's such a great reminder! I hope it ends up on your fridge!

We don't really appreciate the fact that the woman is the "successful" one and the man is the "unsuccessful" - but if you can ignore that, enjoy!

Love, Us Thoofts

2013!

Hi Family- Happy New Year!

The relief around here is tangible. We are done with our house. Who knew, seriously, that it would be a four year journey? We've assessed and re-financed and all is well.

So what now? Campus! Phil and I are excited to be back at BSU several days a week. We did as much as we could do before, with all the finance and house stuff hanging over our heads, but now we are free of that.

First off, our yearly SALT conference is coming up- Jan 18-21. We have a handful of students going with us, and we're teaching a Restoration Prayer session again, and I am doing worship for the "worship cafe" which is kind of a pre-service prayer. We are so looking forward to it all!

Second, Phil and I are looking forward to campus opening up again (they return for classes on the 14th) so we can prayer walk. We are re-booting Chi Alpha on campus, and we don't know what that looks like. We figure God does, and He will show us as we walk the campus and ask Him what he's up to. Pray for divine connections and meetings!

Third, Friday Night Worship is still going strong. We are meeting at First Assembly for awhile currently. We continue to soak our campus and city with worship and intercession.

Phil's men's group, "Fight Club" is going amazingly well. There are even unbelievers that come- how cool is that? He is building young men  to fight for their relationships and marriages. Guys are getting real about what's going on inside of them, and learning to manage themselves well and lean on God instead of addictions. Bottom-line transformation for you. We love it.

Michelle's women's group, "Real Life" is going well also. We are studying much the same stuff as the men's group- how to get healthy, in every way. Friendships are deepening and women are getting freer than they ever have been before.

We just really feel like we finally have the tools to help people get free of debilitating stuff- emotional, spiritual, physical. It comes from a lot of sources, but most of what we've been blessed with comes from Danny Silk. You can get his stuff for yourself on Amazon, or at www.ibethel.org in their book store. His DVD series "Defining the Relationship,"  "Honor Among Us," and "People Helping People" are the foundations for what we are living, experiencing, and teaching in our lives. Not to mention the Sozo ministry, which is going strong here. People helping People. So good.

Our kids are doing great- Ian is getting married this summer (! in Dallas!), Grace is looking to move into a house with a bunch of friends this spring, Ilsa graduates in June, Maddie is working hard as a 10th grader and loving all things Student Council, and Eli is rocking the third grade at Lincoln Elementary. Keeping up with them is fun. They are such a part of everything we do.

We had a wonderful Christmas. I didn't sell toys, and we rested and enjoyed the season. I am working on the rewrite of The Gift of Sam. Phil is joining us this summer for the triathlon, so we are all gearing up for "training season."  Sean Smith is coming to Duluth at the end of January and we hope to take a crew to learn from him.

And whatever else comes, I'll keep you posted! We love you family!

Hi Family!

Good news: we finished our house! The assessor came today, took all her measurements and pictures, and sat down to have coffee with us. She asked what we were hoping for, and when we told her, she didn't tell us to lower our expectations, she simply said "I will do the very best I can for you."

Whew. Done. Wow.

There will always be more to do, of course. But we're done with the sixteen hours a day every day jamming. In fact, due to the last week finish the house jam, we didn't get to go to Grand Marais for Thanksgiving this year. Sad. But we had a crowd here and it was a blast. Those are the pictures above.

So this means- what? All the people we've been putting off, all the meetings we've wanted to attend, all the time on campus we've wanted to spend can happen. We came back full time last spring, and it's a reality now.  It means that our budget will be in a much better place. We may still need to fundraise, but that's fun anyway, we get to come see you :)

Friday Night Worship has been great! When the remodel started, we moved from our home to Destiny Fellowship, a church that meets downtown. We were hoping the closer to campus location would be helpful, and it was fun to meet there in their second story building- we could see the city. But starting this Friday, we are moving to First Assembly. We're really excited for this move too. Our pastor at First, Vern Lathe, has retired, and the church is in huge transition. Pastor Vern called for a 21 day fast, and we all started today. FNW will be a great addition to this time of transition/prayer/fasting.

We had a great time last weekend visiting the church in Hibbing and sharing in music and testimony- what a blessing. We have former students who live there- Aaron and Jill Reini. So we stayed with them and just drank in the wonderfulness of their little family and friends. Aaron and his dad Allan have written a great sci-fi/end times-ish book called "Flight of the Angels."  Wow. It's awesome.  I was privileged to have a small part in the revisions- check out the back page. Give it a read! It's available on Kindle and hard copy.

Buy Flight of the Angels

Tomorrow night we are having a crowd of students over to watch "Father of Lights," Darren Wilson's third documentary on the move of God in our world. His first and second movies, "Finger of God" and "Furious Love" were amazing- wow, if you haven't seen them, give them a look! He was a bit of a skeptic at the beginning, and decided to make a documentary on what God was doing. It took him all around the world where he met amazing people and saw miracles. We watched Father of Lights the other night, and Elijah, who is now 9, was bummed at us for not letting him play wii instead. But as the movie progressed, he was completely sucked in. He told me later that at one point, he went to his room and told God that he LOVED him SO MUCH. He then asked Him if he would take any "gunk" he had inside him. "Mom, I got goose bumps, all over, for a long time. It felt really good."  Then he said he asked Him if there was anything He wanted to say to him. He said, "God said thank you.  And I said, 'you're welcome.'"

I just can't think of enough good stuff to say about that :)

HEY! This is more news- remember my son Ian (Sam)? We were reunited three years ago, super fun, super amazing. He did the Trinona with the girls and I this past summer. Happy news is, he's getting married! Ian met Chaley at a wedding in Texas  a few summers ago. They have had a long distance relationship, with lots of plane flights, and they got engaged last month. The Thooft family will be driving to Dallas next summer! If you live on the way, we may come see you :)

Finishing the house also means I can now finish the second edition of my book. Will keep you posted!

In the works- Christmas cookie bakes, sleigh rides, movie nights, FNW, sozos, ecumenical prayer meets on campus, and hopefully a trip to Fargo to glean from Brad Lewis (Chi Alpha director of NSDU and Moorhead State XA) with our faculty advisor, Rick Goeb.  Rick is the Athletic Director at BSU and he is full of encouragement and excitement about XA on campus. So fun.  So much is in store.

Thank you for your love and support. Dang. We love what we do.  You rock.

Have a wonderful December!!!

To check out the Father of Lights Trailer- click on the link below.

Father of Lights Trailer

PS- thanks for the reminder Eric! :)

Fall Retreat

Hi Family!

I know this is cliche, but, Aslan is on the move.

Fall Retreat was last weekend, and so many good things happened. Students were saved, healed, and delivered. A few weeks ago at InterVarsity here on campus, six backs were healed. Last night at Chi Alpha, one of our students who is a cross country runner had her foot/ankle/knee/hip healed.

It was, and is, amazing! We have been talking about how every time Jesus spoke, he followed up with demonstrating the love and power of God. He told us to go do the same, so, after the message, we asked if anyone needed prayer, and this runner raised her hand. We gathered around, and asked God what He was doing. Another student, a new believer who has been getting rocked with emotional healing, said, "He wants to strengthen you in every way." So we released strength to her leg.

After about five minutes, we asked her how she felt. "Amazing," she said.  Could she try something she couldn't do before?  She got up, stretched her leg, and did some tentative jogging around the room, all the while saying "oh my gosh, oh my goodness."  Then, "Holy Toledo!!"  as she disappeared from the room. We all waited, and suddenly she comes SPRINTING into the room. Whoops and shouts erupt from our students, and she runs into Phil and hugs him, crying.  The room was in chaos, laughing :)  We told her to bring the team next week, and we'd pray for them all.

woooohooooo!!!

Fall Retreat with UMD was wonderful, not only for our students, but for us personally. We had more confirmations that we can count, telling us we're doing exactly what we were created to do- from almost the whole student body showing up at our break-out session, to Chuck directly from the pulpit encourage us as ones who have gone through the fire and come out changed. And many more in-between.  We are energized and blessed.

Thank you thank you thank you for helping us do this! WE LOVE IT!!

LOVE YOU TOO!!
Us Thoofts

September!

Hi Family!!!

I know we say this every year, but what a whirlwind fall!  Highlights:

Our friends at the Newman Center had a brat feed. They bought 60 brats. They served 150 students. They had 200 brats left in their fridge after the event.

!!

I was sortof thinking, to myself, "well Lord, what about Chi Alpha?" and he immediately said, "Isn't this what you've been asking me for? That I would pour out my spirit on ALL the campus ministries? This is your win, too!"

:)

And remember our first Nepali student, Sudhir?  He is finishing school in Pittsburgh, and called us the other day. He and his girlfriend Bina were traveling home the night before at midnight. The truck in front of them started dropping its cargo somehow- chunks of metal. A 400# chunk hit Sudhir's car at full speed. It smashed every bit of glass on the vehicle, and literally took out the axles and wheels. Their car flew through the air, missing the steep banks on either side of the road. An EMT heading the other way on the highway saw them sail through the air and turned around to come to their aid, fearing the worst.

Sudhir had a small scratch on his hand, Bina was unhurt. He attributed it all to God's protection, because we loved him and took care of him in Bemidji. He said that if he was here right now, he would come to our house and praise and thank God with us for three days.  :)

The policeman who handled the crash said, "How is it that you two are not dead?"

!!!?!???!!!!  God is definitely on the move.

We are fully into fall. Chi Alpha meets on Tuesday nights, Phil and Andy's men's group meets on Monday nights, Friday Night Worship is going strong, and I have been taking girls out to coffee.  We have our fall retreat with UMD the first weekend of October, and the second weekend of October we're hosting a basic sozo training here in town. All of this while finishing the house- the trailer is moved away, the worst of the renovations are finished. We hope to be refinanced by mid-October- pray for godspeed and good weather- and please, family - pray we assess HIGH.

Our kids are doing great- between school, Judo, driver's ed, Swing club, Chi Alpha, canning salsa, and building, we are all busy and well.  Making time to keep the important things at the forefront, guarding each other's hearts, dealing with pain and disappointment, it's all life. We hope you are well- let us know how we can be praying for you too.  Because of you, a Hindu is praising God. How's that for good news!

Love, us Thoofts