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News & Stories

DIRECTOR'S VIEW: WHAT CAN BE SHAKEN

5/17/2023

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     As a Christian leader, my heart breaks when I encounter a young person who has been harmed by a Christian leader. If someone tells you God loves you, but then harms you, what do you come to believe about God? He is not trustworthy or good. He is dangerous, and his love is an epithet.
 
     It’s common, and in some ways even good, to develop anger against “God” in a situation like this. But this anger is really toward a false image–not the true God.
 
     The path to the true God requires first dismantling wrong beliefs. This disman­tling can be lonely and disorienting, and it takes time. Reality is shaking; in some sense you are broken loose from your foundation.
 
     But, if this is happening to you or someone you love, have hope! God under­stands, He has not abandoned you, and He is at work. Hebrews 12:26-27 gives us a glimpse of what He is accomplishing: “At that time His voice shook the earth, but now He has promised, ‘Once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heav­ens.’ The words ‘once more’ indicate the removing of what can be shaken–that is, created things– so that what cannot be shaken may remain.”
 
     A day is com­ing when God will, once and for all, remove all that is impermanent so that only the eternal remains. But until that day, God continu­ally does this on a smaller scale in our lives–not just in those who’ve been traumatized, but in every one of us.
We often build on sand instead of rock.
​Sometimes this even happens when we think we are building on His Word!
     We often build on sand instead of rock. ​Sometimes this even happens when we think we are building on His Word! ​Because He loves us, God brings shaking into our lives to remove our imperma­nent work. Sometimes the impermanent work is in the area of Christian service or ministry. Sometimes it is in the area of a faith we have constructed for ourselves. I thought God would _______. All this must be shaken, fall, and be removed so that a new work–something permanent–can be built in its place.
 
     The shaking and falling can be terrify­ing. But underneath the rubble will be the potential for something far better. Don’t run from the shaking! Don’t abandon the rubble! Dig deeper and find the true bed­rock, and begin to build again. God’s love can carry us through, all the way to the final, complete result. May He be glorified.
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     Nate Boyd, Executive Director
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THE 41ST AGONY RIDE

5/10/2023

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We have 61 riders committed to ride in the 41st annual Agony Ride! Among them will be four of our staff members, featured below. To sponsor a rider, visit agonyride.org.
 
Last year’s Agony brought in over $370,000, surpassing the previous record by over $110,000. We are so grateful for the outpouring of generosity from our riders, sag­gers, and donors! We hope you join us again this year.
 
JULY 28-29  |  SIERRA VALLEY

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Kevin Campbell, Business Office Assistant
Mileage goal: 266 miles
 
I am riding in the Agony Ride this year to extend and experience the love of God. By no means am I claiming that we must ride hours on a bicycle to encounter God’s love, but I have found in my own life, when it gets hard and painful I become more aware of the Lord’s peace and comfort. I believe the same to be true for students at Christian Encounter. I believe students all have the opportunity at the Ranch to allow the Lord to meet them in their pain, suffering, and uncertainty and to restore, heal, and give hope. If I can jump on a bike for 24 hours to give students a chance, count me in.

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Paxton Fitzpatrick, Assistant Intern Director
Mileage goal: 300 miles
 
My favorite day of the year at the Ranch is Agony Sunday. Like so many associated with the Ranch, a personal goal of mine has been trying to get people I deeply care about to come participate in the Agony Ride. I’ve been blessed to have my family and friends get involved. It’s important to me because I just know that if they can experience the sacrificial love on display, they will forever be changed. I was forever changed coming as an intern back in 2015. I hope this year that I can be the example to the next set of witnesses to a couple of things: the students are worth it, the Church is at work, and the Kingdom is at hand. In the 300 miles that I plan to ride, pray that suffering/serving leads to real spiritual transfor­mation in me, the students and all the participants this year.

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Zach Malech, Outreach Pastor
Mileage goal: 275 miles
 
As I process with students about their time at Christian Encounter, they all share about the genuine love and care they received here. Love is powerful. Unfortunately, too many people exist unaware of the depths of the relentless love of Jesus Christ. The kind of love that fights for, sacrifices for, and champi­ons His children. The kind of love that says “you matter, you have value, you are worth it.” That kind of love is transformational at its core. And when you experience it, you can never be the same. At the Agony, riders and saggers become the physical embodiment of that kind of love, and this year I want to join the riders in the proclamation of that message to those who need to hear it.

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Salena Unitt, Executive Assistant
Mileage goal: 202 miles

Recently a former staff member likened the Agony Ride to a story in the Bible. As told in Joshua 6, God collapsed the walls of Jericho after the Israelites marched around it for 7 days. They devoted the city to the Lord and protected those inside that feared Him. Although we (luckily!!) won’t be riding for 7 days, I love to imagine that the Agony is a similar special event, circling and destroying the walls in our hearts of hate, trauma, depression, and anxiety. Sometimes God has crazy ideas that I may be hesitant to participate in, but He is pleased by our obedience!
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STUDENT PROFILE: LEVI

5/1/2023

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     Levi’s first day at Christian Encounter was the last day of a family trip with his parents and sister, Lily. They had flown from Georgia and had some time to explore the area together before dropping Levi off. Just the day before, Levi and Lily had the opportunity to meet their pater­nal grandparents for the first time. Their biological father had passed away in 2013. Making this connection would hopefully give Levi and Lily an opportunity to ask hard questions.
 
     As a child, Levi struggled to integrate into the social and academic environment of public school. A heavier kid, he was often targeted on the playground. As he moved into middle school, things didn’t get easier, and he began to take an offen­sive stance, initiating fights on the black­top. To gain acceptance, he would starve himself to try to lose weight.
 
     As he transitioned into high school, Levi was introduced to vaping and began dabbling in other forms of drugs and alcohol. Levi would meet up with friends to skate near a vape and smoke shop where things quickly escalated.

     Levi’s choices began to impact his siblings, as much as he tried to hide his addictions from his family. He had dropped out of school and had been asked to keep his distance from his church community for a time. He had broken trust with his own family and his spiritual family. He was in counseling, but he needed more support. Levi had been living with his maternal grandparents when his dad set up a time for Levi to meet near his home in Atlanta with two former students from Christian Encounter. They shared about the opportunity the Ranch had given them.
 
     When Levi arrived, he felt the weight and sadness of the separa­tion from his family. He felt like the bad apple that was being thrown out. But this time he was hundreds of miles away from home, where he couldn’t cause any more dam­age.

​     Levi had an initial honeymoon phase at the Ranch that ended quickly when he started to feel walled in by the rules and structure. He saw the interns as rulekeep­ers and gatekeepers, and everywhere he turned he was boxed in. Consequently, Levi’s behavior resulted in him being suspended from the program twice in his first five months.

 
     In between these disciplinary measures Levi experienced the Agony Ride. He got to serve with the staff and interns and help those who were there to help him. He was able to give back, to serve. He felt alive that weekend. At the end of the sum­mer, he embarked on the annual 15-day backpacking trip. Upon his return, there was a noticeable shift in his attitude and demeanor. Out on the trails and on top of mountains, Levi’s heart and mind roamed free. His relationships deepened, and for the first time he realized that the interns weren’t the bad guys.
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James and interns David and Alec with Levi on the backpacking trip.
     “I’ve been given this chance to fix the things I’ve done. ​I’ve grown in ways I wouldn’t have been able to outside of here because of the environment I was in.     

​     “When I got here I didn’t want any­thing to do with God because I was mad at Him. (Interns) Alec and David were great examples of God’s love and showed me a lot of who God is.”

 
     As Levi began to bring things to God in prayer, he began witnessing little things that were undeni­ably the work of His hand. He saw the Lord provide for him through a Ranch church member buying flights for his sister Lily to come visit him for Thanksgiving - something he had longed for but thought was impossible.
 
     Levi has continued to build on the newfound relationship with his paternal grandparents, grateful to have the sup­port of family nearby. He is on track to graduate high school here in June and complete the program.
 
     “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9
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     Zoya Lee
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DUPLEX REMODEL COMPLETE

2/22/2023

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Foreman Aaron Pellerino worked with a team of volunteers spearheaded by Dave Russo to see this renovation to completion. We are so grateful for the addition of two staff housing units on our property!
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INTERN VOICES

2/14/2023

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intern voices

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Hannah Cayetano, from Medford, OR, completed her internship last December. She returned to Liberty University to fin­ish her Bachelor’s degree in Social Work this spring.

Hannah shares, “I have never laughed more in my life than I have in the three months of being at the Ranch. I never expect­ed to care this much about a group of teenagers. I never thought that I would want to cry in loss at the thought of finishing my field internship. God made these beautiful, ridiculous, and bold teenagers. He placed them in my life for this time. And yes, they drive me crazy with their antics. But they make me laugh in pure joy and they inspire me through their resilience to get back up again and again after being hurt. What an honor it is to love them. What an honor it is to know them.”

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Alec Thies also completed his intern­ship in December, returning home to Kalamazoo, MI.

Alec reflects, “I’m a big picture person; I spend a lot of my life thinking about the overarching truths of my life: God’s purpose in creating the world and me, heaven and hell and what happens after death, and just the mind-blowing fact that I exist.

There’s nothing wrong with dwell­ing on those realities, but God has begun to show me that there’s a disconnect between these realities and the way that I actually live my life. Maybe I can put together a great sounding dialogue on God’s sovereignty or the problem of evil, but can I fight my selfishness enough to take extra weight from someone’s backpack when they’re struggling? I can spend hours reading the Bible or a theo­logical book, but can I take five minutes to come alongside someone in pain? Jesus didn’t spend his whole life reading books and pondering theology; he was with people, living with them, healing them, loving them. He didn’t keep score with a transactional, this-for-that love, expecting something back from those he loved and growing resentful if it didn’t happen. He loved freely, sacrificially, unconditionally.
I feel that God is calling me to love in that way. To bring the key realities in my life from heaven and down to earth; to live them out in whatever season or wilderness trail or dorm room He’s called me to. I’ve missed this call for a long time, and I will continue to struggle and fail, but I know that God’s grace and  the power of the cross will sustain me.”
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    • Events >
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