Hello from Head Waters!

“Go; your faith has made you well” Mark 10:52

The above words from Jesus come from my favorite account in the Bible, the story of Jesus restoring Bartimaeus’ sight. It is the first story I can remember reading as a Christian and one from which I continue to glean many life lessons. For Bartimaeus, it was literally blind faith that led him to Jesus. It was the faith that Hebrews 11:1 speaks of: “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” Bartimaeus had heard of Jesus, but had not seen Him; and when he realized how close Jesus was to him, he cried out for mercy. He hoped in something he could not see. All he simply wanted was to see! Jesus was more than happy to grant Bartimaeus his request. In fact, Jesus asked, “What do you want me to do for you?” to which he enthusiastically and simply replied, “I want to regain my sight!”  It appears that Bartimaeus could see at one time, but that over time it had dimmed to complete blindness. Perhaps many, if not all of you, can relate to this. Before Jesus, you had sight, but it was the sight of the world and over time you became blinded more and more by the darkness that is in this world. But, just like Bartimaeus, Jesus came by ready to help, ready to heal, ready to restore your life. He simply and lovingly asked, “What do you want me to do for you?” You simply replied, “Help me to see again.” Jesus did and does just that - except this new sight was different than how you had ever seen before. Suddenly, you saw the truth, you saw Jesus, and you were free to follow Him, in faith. To Bartimaeus, Jesus said, “Go; your faith has made you well.”  Perhaps He has said the same thing to you. The past 2 weeks we have seen 16 young people give their hearts to Jesus here in the wilderness at YDI. THANK YOU JESUS! They were blind, but now they see. But it wasn’t that they just gave their hearts to Jesus; it was what they were saying and asking afterward. “I want to follow Jesus!” There was life, an eagerness to “Go!”,as Jesus had let them know that their faith in Him had made them well. It is an exciting and wonderful time to watch the moment a person passes from darkness to light, lost to found, blindness to seeing Jesus. The joy, the brokenness, the tears, the life, the realization that we can GO and follow Jesus’ plan for our life! What are you doing with the sight Jesus has given you? Are you doing what Bartimaeus did? We read at the end of Mark 10:52, that he regained his sight and immediately began following Him on the road. There is nothing more beautiful in this world than a person wholeheartedly following after Jesus! How beautiful Bartimaeus must have looked that day. Are we still on the road, following Him on the walk of faith to which He has called us? Many times I have stopped following Him. Then, while praying and repenting, I find He has been patiently waiting for my heart to return. I hear Him again whisper, “Go; your faith has made you well.” Thank you for your prayers and support. Please continue to pray for the 16 youngsters that gave their hearts to Jesus. Continue to pray for a great harvest as kids are lined up to come to YDI throughout the year. YDI is ready to GO and follow after Jesus – to pursue the lost and blind hearts of today’s youth. Let’s follow Him together.

Blessings,

Ronny Breen

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February 2010 Newsletter