From our Executive Director, Clayton Wood
“How is everything at the Ranch?”
I get that question all the time. In a season where global wars are happening and new ones threaten to start, I am so
thankful to be able to say that things at the Ranch are going well. The Prince of Peace rules and reigns in our hearts
and minds. Children from difficult home situations are finding a place very different from their previous
experience. Children, who were once accustomed to angry shouting and high levels of stress, find calm adults, who
only raise their voices to shout encouragement to them during recreation. They notice that the rules against a
personal smartphone, which feel oppressive when they first arrive, free them from the former tyranny of searching for
unfulfilling affirmation by likes on the internet or from the fear and condemnation of bullying comments. They find that
they are noticed and nurtured by amazing adults who are filled to overflowing with the love of Jesus.
We now have a waiting list for our boys’ homes, our camp has added family camp options, and we even started
outreach activities for other students in our community. We serve more kids than ever! God has provided us with a
remarkable staff. He has called His people from all over the world to serve Him in East Tennessee. As our students
see carpenters and professors, truck drivers and teachers, artists and attorneys, all serving at the Ranch in varying
roles, they gain confidence and see in these people hopeful pictures of ways in which God will develop and use their
unique gifts and abilities to serve Him.
We hope to see you at the Ranch. Sometimes I feel like a football coach, wanting to get donors and potential staff
and students all on campus for the visit. But when you see what is happening here for yourself, it makes a profound
difference in how you view your own contribution to our students’ future. We love hosting friends and partners who
helped build the Ranch (sometimes literally) and who have upheld our work for years with prayers and giving.
While there are downsides to the internet, we are thrilled that you, and people from all over the world, can enjoy an
hour of the heartbeat of Ranch life each weekday at 11 EST through the live broadcast of Ranch Devotions. The
Ranch continues to grow and change, but as we seek to remain faithful to our calling to obey His unchanging Word,
the most important things will always stay the same. We seek to shine brightly for Christ in a world that grows
increasingly darker. In Isaiah’s words, we can see elements of our life as the new Israel:
Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.
For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the Lord will arise upon you, and his
glory will be seen upon you – Isaiah 60:2.
What does the Ranch need right now? We need operating funds. We know that inflation has hit many of our donors
hard. We see some significant challenges and hear about struggles as we talk with faithful supporters. Ultimately, our
reliance is not upon those who did the best job picking stocks this year, but rather we remain confident, in the good
times and the bad times, because we rely on God’s provision to supply our every need. We are deeply thankful for
those of you who give sacrificially to provide for our students and staff. We see the Gospel changing hearts and
children inspired, healed, and equipped to walk in joyful obedience to the King, whose birth we celebrate this season.
Our financial need is greater than it has ever been, and our confidence in Jehovah Jireh, our provider, is complete.
May the joy of the incarnation fill your hearts this season and throughout the year.
Rejoicing in Jesus,
Clayton
