Winter 2025: Promise of Presence
Living in the Promise
As we write this Winter newsletter, we sit in the tension that so often is winter in Colorado. The sun is shining; we're finishing nearly a week of temps in the upper 50's and low 60's.
And we have blizzard warnings for tonight and tomorrow!
The Colorado winter is a metaphor for our journey through the past several months: the hard stuff of today tempered by expectancy of warmth and relief tomorrow.
At the end of November, Mark's father passed away after a years-long struggle with serious health issues. Holt is now with Jesus, no longer confined to a wheelchair and fully capable of engaging in Heaven's non-stop worship of the King and the Lamb.
Most of our December and January were filled with preparation and coordination to move Mark's mother from Houston to Colorado Springs. Nancy is now fully settled into her new independent living apartment, and we're all embracing the new rhythms that God has for us, as we do life together in the same city.
We experienced the very sad passing of one of our horses just a few weeks ago. After nursing him through some metabolic issues (the equine equivalent of diabetes), Red took an unexpected turn for the worse, and we had to make the hard but responsible decision to let him go. Thanks be to God for His care and encouragement through that difficult decision process.
And in the midst of it all, we were continually reminded, as we so often remind our ministry clients, of the depth of God's love and faithfulness and the promise of His Presence through every moment we have.
We take encouragement from the closing words of Psalm 27: "I am certain that I will see the Lord's goodness in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart be courageous. Wait for the Lord."
Walking with the Courageous
Our support group for friends and family of LGBTQ-identified loved ones (At My Right Hand) continues to provide a boots-on-the-ground witness of courage and resolve in the lives of those walking out their Christian values while in relationship with LGBTQ loved ones.
The two groups, one in-person and the other virtual, now include 10 families in addition to the leaders. Each group meets twice monthly, and we are working our way through a wonderful book by Melinda Patrick, entitled "The Daring Rescue: Joining Jesus Christ In His Pursuit Of Your LGBTQ-Identified Child's Heart". Please continue to pray for these precious families and for their loved ones and for the Spirit's wisdom as we facilitate these small group settings.
If you would like more information about either group, please reach out to us via email at info@redeemedseasons.org.
Being Presence in the Flesh
Our active spiritual direction practice has grown to nearly 30 individuals. We have several clients who are working their way through our video series, Rescue & Restoring, supplementing the video lessons with one-on-one spiritual direction. We (and our clients) are finding this a very productive and helpful approach to deepening relationship with Jesus.
For all of our direction clients, having a safe context with a trusted listener and companion helps open their heart to the healing and redemptive work the Holy Spirit wants to do. We are so grateful to God that we have the sacred privilege of being present with these precious men and women as they engage with their Creator/Savior/Helper God.
A Special Request for Provision from the RSM Board of Directors
Mark and Christy have the opportunity to participate in a week-long retreat designed specifically for respite and renewal of ministry leaders and ministry workers. Sonscape Retreats is the retreat provider, and they are located just 90 minutes from Colorado Springs. You can find more information about the retreat providers and the planned content at sonscaperetreats.org.
We believe this renewal and growth opportunity would be of deep benefit to Mark and Christy and to Redeemed Seasons. The cost of the retreat is $3,000 per couple, and we are asking our partners to prayerfully consider making a special donation to Redeemed Seasons to help fund the cost for the Summers' to attend.
The retreat takes place at the end of April. You can make a tax-deductible donation to support this opportunity via our website at this link:
