It has been a long time since I have written you and today is probably quite suitable. Thirty-six years ago today, a life changing event took place. The world viewed it as a tragedy, but in the hands of God it was so much more. On this day in 1979, my two brothers died along with another good friend. In this storm of life, Rainbow Bible Ranch was begun. I certainly miss my brothers and tears still ooze from the corner of my eye unsuspected. It happened today out of the blue as I told Rachel and Molly to "Drive Careful... we need you". As I walked away, I felt this shroud of emotion come over me seemingly from nowhere. And then I remembered my last words to my brother before their boat capsized in a storm. I had just called to them a short time earlier to see if they had their life jackets along. He held them up as I stood on the shore. My word of concern may seem as if they were wasted ... but then again they were required to have the life jackets along, not necessarily required to be wearing them at all times. There has been an increased interest from many to hear of the "life lessons" that come our way each day and in the storms of life. God has used events in my life such as the seemingly premature deaths of family and friends. He continues to mold my family and myself as we recover from the horrendous blizzard that took such a toll in October 2014. But in the processional of time, one realizes the evidence of preparation for eternity. Because of Jesus, we have a perspective of eternity that is contemporary and bright. Many do not enjoy this and eternity is distant, held only at bay by the fleeting days of life. And they are so uncertain. Simply stated, a life lived without Christ will lead to eternity separated from Him. That is what drives us to be faithful to the calling of God. We are moving into a new camping season this next week. We will spend the summer caring for children and young people allowing them to experience "challenging events" that will impact them for life and eternity. We pray that we will not deal with any situation that is life threatening, however we have the full realization that none of us live forever and we must make wise use of our time and to induce an awareness of eternity. The activities of Rainbow Bible Ranch are in place to do just that. Opportunities arise consistently and often to encourage spiritual, mental and physical development. My Dad took advantage of the life jacket story for years. He would say, "The boys had their life preservers along ... they just did not have them on". He would finish by saying, "It is not enough to just know where Jesus is at ... You need to ‘put Him on’ as well."
For the Kingdom,
Larry B. Reinhold
Rainbow Bible Ranch Executive Director