ALL THINGS

Anybody who has been through a deep valley and rested on the promises of God has likely been to Romans 8:28.

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.

That verse is so powerful you can find comfort in the reference alone. Been through a hard time?—Romans 8:28. Anyone who's experienced God's goodness in the midst of pain would understand that question and answer.

Why? Because the verse begins with confidence: “And we know.” We don't merely think, we don't wonder, we know.

The word know communicates experiential knowledge—the kind that comes from life. You didn't go to church or to college to have this explained to you. You didn't Google the answer. You know only because you've been through it. Over time you've come to know something that only those who love God can know.

Only God's children—those who have turned from their sin and embraced Christ by faith, those who are increasingly learning how to love God more and more—understand the great promise of this verse. Only those who have tested the promises of God and proven once again His faithful love can know this.

I woke up in the middle of the night this week. While there have been times when fears have descended like a cold cloud in those dark hours, this time I lay in bed and talked with the Lord. I told Him how much I loved Him. I have found that the more you go through in life, the more you love the Lord. Can you identify? You test His promises and find Him to be so good and faithful. He knows what He is doing. He is worthy of every moment of trust.

Have life's difficulties caught you off guard? Do you wonder today if God is good? If He wasn't going to use that hard thing for your good, it wouldn't have happened. If He allowed it to happen, He's going to use it for good. That's not to say He wanted it; He's not the cause of evil, but He is the solution.

I have come to realize over time that the ultimate good of Romans 8:28 is not “my little blueprint for my life”; the ultimate good is God's plans for the universe and my place in it. I'm committed to God's purposes. I want to be a part of His will fulfilled and the advancement of His kingdom.

I believe God is working all things together for the good of those who love Him, for the good of those who are called according to His purpose.

Action steps:

• Do you have Romans 8:28-29 memorized? If not, commit it to memory this week.
• Hold in your hand the issue that is so difficult in your life right now. Offer it to God with a prayer of faith:
  
  Savior of my life, I have trusted You for the salvation of my soul, the complete forgiveness of my sin and life eternal. Now, with that same faith, I entrust this difficult situation to You. You are my Savior. Help me to trust You more. Amen.

~ Dr. James MacDonald

For more from James MacDonald on "igniting passion in the people of God through the proclamation of the truth," visit Walkintheword.com.

Every January I look forward to attending the Barrett Jackson Auto auction in Scottsdale, Arizona.  Each year Barrett Jackson allows several cars to be auctioned off for charities.  This is when I first heard about the Darrell Gwynn Foundation and how they have touched many lives.  Darrell Gwynn, a professional race car driver, on a test run had an accident that left him paralyzed with a devastating spinal cord injury at the height of his career in 1990.

Darrell could have called it quits, but decided to make a difference for victims with spinal cord injuries.  What I witnessed at the Barrett Jackson Auto Auction in 2008 was Darrell changing the life of a young boy by providing him with a $10,000 electric wheel chair.  This family did not have insurance or the means to purchase this chair themselves.

Moving forward to the 2009 Barrett Jackson Auto Auction I was able to meet with Darrell and discuss how MSF would like to team up with DGF and sponsor a wheel chair.  Darrell had just the person in mind; a young woman named Raquel Gil, who two weeks prior to her 17th birthday suffered a life-changing accident which required both of her legs to be amputated. 

Despite this terrible tragedy she was determined not to let her disability get in the way of living life to the fullest.  Raquel, now 20 years old, is enrolled as a student at the Miami Dade Community College.  The manual wheel chair that Raquel is currently using is several years old and in need of major repairs.  Because the chair had some problems Raquel was beginning to have pain in her shoulders.  Medicaid denied her request for a new chair or the repair of the old one.  This new chair will allow her to navigate the campus on her own without causing significantly more damage to her upper body.  This chair is going to dramatically change the quality of life for this young girl who is beginning a new chapter in her life.

The Mitchell Swaback Foundation is grateful for the opportunity to provide this wheel chair for Raquel through the Darrell Gwynn Foundation.  If you would like more information about the Darrell Gwynn Foundation please check out the web site at www.darrellgwynnfoundation.org.

MSF looks forward to the opportunity to provide more wheel chairs for individuals just like Raquel.  For more information on wheel chair provisions please contact Bob Swaback at rswaback@msfcares.org.

Join us Monday, June 15th, 2009 for a day of fun & fellowship you will not want to miss!

This year's outing will be held at:

Rolling Green Country Club
Arlington Heights, IL
Map & Directions >>

Included in your fee will be gifts, lunch, golf and dinner. Dinner program will include awards, live auction, a video of "The Mitch", the new Mitchell Swaback Athletic Center at Harvest Bible Chapel in Elgin, Illinois, special entertainment by "Splat Experience" and closing words by Dr. James MacDonald, senior pastor of Harvest Bible Chapel.

For the non-golfers, please join us for the silent auction beginning at 4:30 p.m., with dinner and program to follow. Dinner-only participants will receive a special gift bag.

All proceeds from this year's event will go directly to fund current and future projects.

Please view the information sheet for fees and participation. All registrations must be submitted online.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Bob Swaback at 602.763.0590 or rswaback@mitchellswabackfoundation.org.

REGISTRATION >>

My name is Jeff Harbeck and Mitch was my cousin and absolute best friend in the world. To say we were close is quite an understatement! Mitch and I shared many similar loves and passions and one of those was a love for mountains.

Together we shared so many memories, many of them borderline dangerous, and together we felt completely at home when surrounded by a majestic peak. Looking back it seems fitting that we shared my first successful summit of a “real” mountain together. A summit that I can never forget as Mitch and I got lost in the dark coming down the mountain, yet somehow under a full moon made it home!

Since Mitch has gone home to be with the Lord I have continued climbing many peaks and developed a real love for mountaineering. I find great peace when I am exerting my energy to my breaking point and must rely on God’s strength.

This brings me to the objective at hand: Mt Baker, Washington. Mt Baker is a cascade volcano heavily glaciered and snow covered year round. Though not as high as many peaks in Colorado, it is in fact, a massive stand alone mountain and has a vertical gain of almost 8,000 feet. As we attempt to summit this mountain it will require an overnight stay on the mountain which for the majority of our climbers will be a first.

Seven individuals have taken up the challenge of summiting Mt. Baker with me, please take some time to read each of their bios, each person had a relationship with Mitch which is going to make this trip extremely special. Our primary goal is to raise money for the many projects MSC is working on and we are asking for your support. We understand times are tough and are grateful for any size donation that you can contribute at this time. Remember, 100% of all of our donations goes directly towards our projects! I join the other 7 climbers when I say thank you for considering partnering with us on this adventure.

Please pray for our safety and success!

God Bless-
Jeff Harbeck

LEARN MORE + SUPPORT THE PARTICIPANTS >>

Saturday 3/20/2004

We lost our b-ball game this morning. No one on our team could get into the game! I broke my thumb in the game! Went home and watched college b-ball all day. Then went to Jeff's and watched more. I love b-ball!

Today God taught me about my relationship with Him - must be #1 always! We can let so much get in the way. It's a choice we must make daily.

Mitch spent the last few months of his life not only living his life for the Lord but putting his thoughts in his journal everyday. How do we want to live our lives? Why don't we all try something radical today for the Lord!

> Visit Mitch's Story on our website

We will be changing our name from "The Mitchell Swaback Foundation" to Mitchell Swaback Charities." This change is necessary as we switch from a private foundation to a public charity. When this is complete, we'll have many more options on how we can run this organization. This change will allow us to continue to grow in a way that will increase the amount of lives we can impact.

In addition to the name change, we will be creating a new website and logo (pictured on the left).

Please feel free to call Bob Swaback if you have any questions at 602.763.0590 or email rswaback@msfcares.org