ANTIOCH RANCH NEWSLETTER

January 2012

(877)-460-7095

www.antiochranch.com

(Off-peak season specials still on)

Greetings to our Families & Friends

             As I write this we have 3 families in 3 of our guesthouses, all friends from the same church, with 15 (yes, 15!) kids between them. What a blast they are having. They hit Glass Beach yesterday with great weather, and I have not yet had a chance to see the glass they must have brought back. I told them about the beautiful collages our grandkids have made from this glass that still washes in from the old dumpsite in Fort Bragg. This has been a favorite adventure for many of our guests over the years.  

 Logging

             Our recent logging operation is over, with only some huge burn piles remaining. Hopefully that will be taken care of soon. The $$ we get from the sale of the 9 or 10 truckloads of logs that rolled out of here will be invested in a host of improvements that you guests will benefit from. It will take a little time, however.

 Our Cabin

             For the past several years we have rented our one bedroom cabin on a full-time basis to a long-time friend. He has moved on and Pat and Susan are already discussing decor and color shades. The cabin has been ideal for married couples or someone who wants to get away alone for a few days. We are working on making several additional improvements on it.

 New Truck:

                           Yea! I now have a 2004 black (my favorite color!?!?) Tacoma pick-up truck. I am still getting used to driving it as I was quite used to my “old,” and dear 1986 Mitsubishi. The Mitz is still here on the ranch, as I passed it on to Lance & Susan, our full-time buddies here.     

 December 16, 1961

                                    Yep, our 50th anniversary came & went! We celebrated by going out to dinner with some great friends. We received many loving cards from you folks. Thanks so much.

JERRY’S EMMAUS JOURNEY  

   (Where Jesus “sneaks” up on me)

 “Rejection, follow-up” 

     I’m doing much better in this area. The Lord is indeed helping me through.  Some rejection pain does pop up now and then. For example, someone recently referred to me as “persistent.”  Hmm …. I decided I could see that as a good quality. Jesus was very persistent in His pursuit of His heavenly Father’s plan for His life. There is no doubt that discernment is needed as to whether the persistence is for a worthy cause or not. Hmmm ……

 “Father and me” 

   That is the title of a Bible curriculum I started writing in the 1980’s. It was aimed at Christian pre-teen kids. I have been encouraged to pursue this venture, upgrade it, and even self-publish it.

   My goal would be to provide parents, particularly home-school parents, with an activity-oriented series of ventures to help kids understand some of God’s qualities, and become more like their heavenly Father. I have discovered 53 such attributes that are well worth emulating by all of us, but I am aiming at those precious pre-teen kids that have heard most of the traditional Bible stories and are ready for something fresh.

   Any feedback would be appreciated.

   It looks like I will be having a few weeks of quiet recovery time in February to work on this project. I am being scheduled for some eyelid surgery at UCSF. A little Basal cell cancer has crept in from my beach days as a youth in L.A. and Casablanca. Oh well, these kinds of things creep in with age, as some of you know.   

 “Silver Sneakers”

   Have you heard of this program? It works with Medicare somehow.

Pat & I can work out in a local fitness center or Curves without any cost to us. Blue Shield pays the fee. I work out 3 times/week on several of their machines and plan to keep it up, increasing both endurance and resistance. Any spiritual parallels here?    

 “Enhance our website?”

   On occasion we have been advised to bring our “homey” website up-to-date in its format and general style. Yikes, we like our “homey” website. But, our website is not aimed at us! Duh! It is aimed at folks like you.

   This is kinda like many of our churches. You hear the “old-time“ members say, “We like it this way.”  Well, what about those folks we should be trying to reach? What can they relate to?

   Scheeesh, we better take another look at our website and see what it will take to make it relevant to 2012 AD, and still keep our “homey touch. 

 Pat’s Pondering (from Jerry)           

       I, along with our daughters, would like to pay tribute to an awesome wife/mom.  Back in 1961 I realized she really had a deep love for Jesus. This has grown even stronger over these 50 years, and  she has grown  steadily  into a gifted Bible teacher. You’d be amazed at the work she puts into the women’s class she teaches, and the challenging and profound principles she comes up with. She enthusiastically loves it.

      Now our oldest daughter has this to say;

            “God did an excellent thing when He created moms!  He extends His love, mercy, protection, and guiding voice to children through moms.  He shares His love of beauty, music, adventure and creativity through moms. He exemplifies the love of learning, dreaming, and showing compassion for others through moms.   He gives us the gift of joy, faith, peace and contentment through moms.  He shows us the strength and power of His Word through moms. He teaches us the grace and gift of discipline through moms. He reveals the fruit of wisdom, sacrifice and fervent prayer through moms. ‘Mom, we rise up and bless you for being a most excellent example of a mom after God's heart!    I love you!”’             Jane Marie

   

   Now our middle daughter has this to say;

            “Mom, you hold a very special place in my heart because we are alike in so many ways (in our weaknesses and our strengths!), and when I see the fruit of your labor and your generous life-style, I can only hope that I will grow into the beautiful picture of a Prov. 31 woman that fits you so well. Your beauty shines, Mom, and you are so dearly loved because you fear the Lord and openly worship Him in so many ways!  Your tender and teachable heart seems to understand God’s heart like few other women I know, and you generously share your understanding and insight. Thank you for teaching me the value of pondering things in my heart to allow God to work -- in His timing.  Thank you for believing with everything in you that God is faithful and determined to complete the good work He began in each of us.  I love you and am so grateful for your very real, tangible and unconditional love for me!  May you continue to bless others with your beauty, strength and love.  These are my ponderings”        Lori   

    Our youngest daughters’ kids have this to say about “Mimi:”

Remy: "She makes the best apple crisp even when she is tired."

Nikki: "She doesn't yell at me, she is gentle."

Jazzy: "Mimi says 'would you like some WA-TER?’  funny as if she is singing."

 Our Feedback:

    “We had a BLAST”

    “Can’t wait for next time”

     “An amazing weekend …”

“What a special spot.”

 “This is away from ‘it’ all”

 “The best birthday ever”

 “I came with my mom and dad. It was very interesting. We saw lots of deer in nature. We went on the Skunk Train.

            Thanks for everything. PS I got tons of souviniors”

 “We will cherish the week we stayed with you forever”

We are here to provide our guests with a refreshing getaway from their usual routine.

 

Some local up-coming events

           March is whale watching time, and the Whale Festival, and Sea Glass Festival.  Mother’s Day in May. Father’s Day in June. Explore tide pools, tour 1908 lighthouse, visit quaint shops, swim/play in the new aquatic center, watch glass firing, museums, glass beach, toy stores, canoe Big River, bicycle/hiking trails, and the Mendocino Art Center has many events coming up. More at www.mendocinocoast.com

 As Always  We wish for you all, God’s gracious blessings!                                                        Jerry & Pat