Greater Portland Baptist Church

Jesse and Tiffany Shanks: February 2006

The Bible says in I Peter chapter one that God has, "begotten us again...to an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you." As we travel around the country while on deputation, we quite often make a reservation at a hotel or a restaurant. When we do so, that hotel or restaurant saves the room or table for us, not allowing anyone else to use it in expectation of our arrival. It struck me as read this verse that as a result of our salvation, we have not only a place in Heaven awaiting us, but we also have a reservation for an incorruptible, undefiled, and unfading inheritance from our Father, and it is in Heaven right now just waiting for us to arrive! What a motivation this should be for us to stop devoting our lives to the temporal things of the world, and to "lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven." I just pray that God gives me even a greater burden to reach the lost and to exhort, encourage, and disciple God's people.

God has really blessed us this month with some great meetings. We began February in Great Falls, Montana at a missions conference. The church met and exceeded their goal for faith promise missions, and the people are excited about new areas of the world they can reach out to through their sacrificial giving.

During the following two Sundays we had the great opportunity to be with two churches that have been started within the past year. It is always exciting for us to see new churches being started in areas of the country that are so needy for the Gospel. The day after our meeting in Ashford, Washington, the pastor and his family took us near Mt. Rainier to go skiing. We had a really great time (except for the high-speed crash!), and so did Joshua. My mom came along and played in the snow with Joshua while Tiffany and I skied. By the end of the day, Joshua was done with the kid stuff and was ready to hit the slopes. Unfortunately, his confidence level still far exceeds his coordination level, so I decided to wait until he is older.

At the end of February, we began our cross-country trip to Florida. We will be gone for a total of eight weeks while we are in some great missions conferences and single-day meetings. Please pray for safety as we drive back in April. The days we will be traveling are April 10-17.

Thank you all so much for your faithful prayer and financial support!