HS Sweet Hearts!?!

If I were born in the fifties I would not have taken my eyes off this hottie.






Of course sportin' a bow tie like this it was destiny we would go steady. After 10 years of marriage I feel as if Emie and I are shifting into second gear now. With four beautiful children, amazing friends (who we miss), crazy God adventures, seeing the Holy Spirit poured out on us and others, witnessing healings, provision beyond calculation, traveling the world and connecting fewer times than Emie would like, here we are entering another decade of marital bliss. How could God be so faithful to us?

Emie and I had a strange beginning to our relationship (as many of you know). God spoke clearly to us on the same night that we would be married. The only hitch was we were not dating, nor were we close friends. So what were we to do with this revelation? Well, Emie freaked out and told me to drop off the face of the earth.

I was excited, I had found "the one." Life was going to be great. I had been given the most attractive, intelligent, driven women I could have ever asked for. I was told I needed to marry a housewife, but what I wanted was a teammate who would change the world with me. All the years I had been praying for my wife, Emie was the answer. She embodied God's reply to my heart. How could I have been so lucky?

Of course I do wonder why she has put up with me (maybe she didn't pray hard enough).

Over the last ten years I have taken her up and down, over and around the world. She has learned to be content with plenty and with little. She has had to re-establish a home 11 times, 4 of which while living with other families. She has put her desires (which mean "of the Father") aside countless times to fulfill what I believe God was asking of us. She has mothered our children amazingly and poured herself into discipling them for the Kingdom.

Emie has never once complained about what her Father has asked of us. She only wishes she could devote more time and energy to him. She is an ocean yet to be discovered and a treasure yet to be spent. The world is in for a shocker when God fully releases her into her destiny.

Coming from dysfunction junction myself I am in awe how God has blessed me so much with a woman who selflessly gives and can still laugh with me. Emie is my earth angel sent from heaven. I never thought I would ever admire someone as much as I do her (now if I could only tell the way she needs to hear it).

We have had our struggles (like all) but have learned to get up and fly again. We have seen the best of times and the worse of times. I guess that is what being married is all about, loving when our spouses are jerks. And wow have I been a jerk (that happens to be Emie's favorite word to describe me when I am in my element).

When we mutually submit to each other (as if we are one) then anything is possible. I am the luckiest man on earth to have such a woman as I do. And my children are equally blessed to be raised not only with a mother who adores them but who loves Jesus more than herself.

My prayer is that the world will see the Master in this masterpiece he has created between Emie and I. And though we weren't around in the fifties maybe we'll make it fifty more years. If we do I know this lady of mine will be just as hot then as she is now.

I love you babe!

Better than the Ark?

Though King David and all Israel were singing before God with all their might, with all kinds of musical instruments God was still not in it. Neither did he tell David to move the Ark of the Covenant. It was “the right thing to do” they all agreed, but it was not God’s thing to do, at least not his way of moving.

As a result when they came across the threshing floor, the most level place, the oxen stumbled. Mr. “Strength-in-Self” aka Uzzah puts his hand out to steady the ark and finds himself dead. “David was now afraid of God” and named the place “outbreak against strength in self, aka Perez-uzzah.

As a result an obscure gentleman receives a box. Obed-edom wakes up one morning to realize the King is bringing God over, in a box. “There was only one time God ever put himself in a box and he said, ‘If you touch this thing I’ll kill you’ (Graham Cooke).”
The result is astonishing; the Lord blessed him and his entire household. He is so blessed that David hears about it and wants God back.

What happened to Obed-edom’s house for the king to become jealous and want the Ark back? Did his crops grow larger, goats produce more milk, and/or his pigs have a record litter? Was his marriage outstanding, kids get into the top universities? Was he voted mayor? Did his businesses make the Fortune 500 list? What could have happened in three short months that everyone knew that God in the box was tangibly impacting his “entire” household? Whatever it was his mother-in-law was reaping the benefits and it was not just spiritually. I can’t help but believe we are in a better position than Obed-edom was. “God no longer dwells in things made by human hands” (Acts17:24), he dwells in us, his Body, his Temple, his Bride.

If Christ dwells in us then shouldn’t all aspects of our life be abundant? We are the Light, shouldn’t the world be a little blinded? We are the salt, shouldn’t they be thirsty? Better yet, we are co-laborers with Christ. "We know that the world around us is under the power and control of the evil one" (1 John 5:19), shouldn’t we be getting it back? Maybe we have had a wrong perspective, one that can't wait to leave this earth, that we no longer occupy ourselves with bringing His Kingdom now. . . . “His will on earth as it is in Heaven.” We have settled for preaching the gospel and getting people saved, only to have forgotten about preaching the Kingdom so the saved have something to do.


As Christians, we bring the very presence of God into everything. We have access to wisdom the world has yet to discover. When you show up at work believe what is reality. “Don’t be content with sitting in the Heavens, rather operate from it (Lance Wallnau).” Bless your pagan boss, Joseph did! It was Joseph’s sinful boss that God used to catapult him into his destiny.

I have had some great times at my current job. I see it in two parts; one to slow me down so our family can enjoy some stability. Emie is still the love of my life. After ten years of marriage I am still awed by her. With the days coming closer to having our own place, she has become a new woman.

Secondly, this new journey has taken me deeper into my destiny. I am getting wonderful training and being challenged in a new environment. The last 5 weeks have been an adjustment from having a boss to little time to hang with the family. Through it all, I have seen God show up in the market place. There are no professional ministers, we all minister. Life is ministry and we advance the Kingdom of God wherever we find ourselves.

In the last week I have had the opportunity to pray for one co-worker who had a pinched nerve in his hip. This created a twitching down his leg and he could only sit for a few minutes before he would have to stand up. Being a Christian himself, it wasn’t difficult to convince him to let me pray. I did and he sat the rest of the day without pain and the following Monday was still in shock that he was healed. God had not only rocked him in the healing but also rocked him back into a revived life.
Another co-worker (who is not a Christian) had the flu. After a day of kicking myself for not praying for her immediately I got the boldness to ask. After I briefly prayed, she said she didn’t feel anything. As she was talking, the shock was kicking in because all her sinus pressure had disappeared, then her ears cleared up. She couldn’t believe it.

Yesterday I was able to communicate the gospel to another co-worker who was living the player life. He was very open about his selfishness in relationships, so I was very open in how he probably should reconsider his lifestyle. We had a fascinating conversation about not lying, trust, character and integrity. I shared the simple truth of being separated from God and in darkness to being alive in Christ. I communicated that whether he agreed with his pastor/priest the truth is, he was still accountable before God with his life. He could not blame his view on God because of a priest he didn’t like. I could see the fear of God come over him and the wheels spinning.

It has been an amazing week on the job and I can see things rising in the supernatural realm. The Lord has also given me amazing dreams in my sleep that are glimpses of what is to come. What exciting times we live in.

If an obscure man named Obed-edom aka worshiper can be blessed, then the ones who worship in Spirit and Truth and put “no strength in self” can be blessed and have some left over to generously give away. We are better than the Ark, because in Christ, everything prospers.

Who knows maybe a king will be jealous of your blessing and come offer you a better job than the “prison” you’re in now.

Blessings
He@th

MLK

“I say to you, this morning, that if you have never found something so dear and precious to you that you will die for it, then you aren’t fit to live.

You may be 38 years old, as I happen to be, and one day, some great opportunity stands before you and calls upon you to stand for some great principle, some great issue, some great cause. And you refuse to do it because you are afraid.

You refuse to do it because you want to live longer. You’re afraid that you will lose your job, or you are afraid that you will be criticized or that you will lose your popularity, or you’re afraid that somebody will stab or shoot or bomb your house. So you refuse to take a stand.

Well, you may go on and live until you are ninety, but you are just as dead at 38 as you would be at ninety.

And the cessation of breathing in your life is but the belated announcement of an earlier death of the spirit.

You died when you refused to stand up for right.

You died when you refused to stand up for truth.

You died when you refused to stand up for justice.”

-Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
From the sermon “But, If Not” delivered at Ebenezer Baptist Church on November 5, 1967.

Cali at its finest

Family Pic

Livin' it up in Cali.

Where are we?

Okay, so I'm officially changing our updates from Locke Adventures to Locke Life BECAUSE HOPEFULLY we'll be keeping it on the low with adventures! Many of you will be glad to hear that we are landing in the Porterville, California area for awhile. Settling? I hope so, for a few years at least. Working? As always, but this time Heath has been hired at a citrus farm here as a project assistant (project manager). He starts tomorrow. Housing? We'll be staying with our friends Mike and Jonelle for a bit longer until we find a place for our family to settle. As amazing as God has been at providing hosts who are gracious and loving through the last 3 years, we are ready for some space of our own.
Heath and I felt that we may not be back in Portland for awhile as we drove off to the unknown in June. Once landing in Lindsay, CA and staying with our friends, Jonelle and Mike, we felt like we were home in many ways. Ministry has been a lot of fun here and we feel like they are family (as they truly are). Our family is very tired, physically, emotionally and spiritually as we have had to pick up and move every 3 to 6 months for the last year and a half. As you look at our life, there are many ways to interpret the last year and a half and each of you will come to your own conclusions. Some will believe that due to all the upheaval in our lives, it may be evidence that we should've never sold our house and embarked on the adventures of the last 3 years. Others will look at our life and think we had a good adventure. Others will just be frustrated by our constant wandering and gypsy lifestyle. And some of you have lived every step of the way with us, gleaning the good stuff that we were able to pick up through our travels and lessons the Lord put before us. I'm sure there are a variety of other interpretations of our life.
You may conclude what you want, it won't affect us much! What really matters is how we feel that the Lord is looking upon our last 3 years of adventure and what he is seeing for our future. And as much as we have seen plans change, difficulty upon difficulty, and not being able to see what's ahead, we are confident that we have been walking this journey in obedience to the Lord. We are by no means convinced that difficulty = out of the will of God. In fact, as you read Scripture, nowhere is it proposed that when you are obeying and walking in the will of God that life works out as you plan with no difficulty or change.
The future? We aren't sure. But as Paul, sometimes he worked as a tentmaker as he ministered and sometimes he lived by the support of others. All the while, he ministered. Right now, we are being led to a season of stability of circumstance for the sake of our kids and the sanity of their very tired mommy! All the while, we will be ministering. As we get into a routine and gain some structure to our chaotic life, I will be able to update a bit better.

We have no change of address yet and will keep you posted on that. Our cell phone is still 971-404-6128.

***IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE REMOVED FROM OUR UPDATES LIST, JUST ASK. NO FEELINGS WILL BE HURT.

Thank you all for your continued encouragement and support through this crazy journey. We couldn't have done it without you. If you have any questions, just ask. As always, our lives are an open book!

Love and peace to you all,
emie for the locke fam

Family Union

Southern California has been a hot time. With temperatures in the 100’s it is noting short of Hades. I believe 111 was the high, but the reassuring aspect is by 11pm it is down to 95 degrees.

It has been years since my siblings have been in the same town together. We have all found our home away from home. So when our brother graduated from Police academy we migrated back to our old stomping grounds. It was great reconnecting having cousins meet for the first time, celebrating birthdays and realizing how old our parents really are.
White shirts for everyone pull out the cameras and let’s call it a family reunion.

I am so proud of my younger brother Darrell. He has spent every weekend the last 11 months putting himself through the Police Academy. Unlike Oregon (get hired first and then sent to academy) he has had to push through the months hoping that in the end he will get hired onto a law enforcement agency. It has been difficult and yet entirely rewarding.
The graduation ceremony was the typical pomp and circumstance, introductions and speeches. My brother kept me up-to-date with his progress and standings in the class so I knew he had a shot at one award. It was marksmanship/firearms he had the best chance of getting. The class shot over 1500 rounds over the last 11 months, using hands guns and shotguns in many different scenarios. The award description was read to the audience stating that the recipient had scored a perfect 100%. A gasp fell over the audience and shouts followed as Darrell Locke was mentioned as the receiver. What a stud.
Awards were given for Report writing, Weaponless Defense, Physical Training (which my brother should have gotten, politics!) Outstanding Practical Performance, Leadership and Overall Achievement. What I thought was the most prestigious award given was in honor of a SWAT member who was killed in the line of duty. The recipient of this award was chosen after an extensive interviewing process to see if they displayed that same attitude for duty, would go above and beyond what was expected and be “true blue” in all areas of life.
As the testimony of this fallen SWAT officer was being described there was not a dry eye in the room. It seemed that no one was worthy to been granted such a high honor as this young man had display in his service for community and career. The award went to Darrell O. Locke for his character, selflessness and attitude that Officer James Rapozo had displayed 10 years earlier as he took point on a warrant arrest of a criminal in his home. As Officer Rapozo entered through the front door he was met with gunfire that claimed his life, but not his legacy. My bro is a stud and we are so proud of him.

California is still hot but we plan on staying around for one more week. Then we head up north through Utah (see my sister again) and into Montana to finish the reunion of relatives. Thanks for the prayers, encouragement and love along this trip.

Blessings
Heath

Art Website Launch

It has taken me a lifetime to recognize and months to develop but here it is! I have officially created a website to sell my watercolor art. I see it as another step in how the Lord is directing to fulfill his dreams for us and our destiny in Him.

The website goes into a little detail about how I view my art and why I paint the way I do, so I will spare the details here.

I finally feel I am connecting my art with my heart. I have set the price of each art print with the desire to use the profits for furthering the kingdom of God (and putting food on the table). Lord willing I believe this is how the Lord could use my art to impact lives worldwide. The price is high but the benefits are far reaching.
As Christians everything we do becomes supernatural and ministry.
This is one aspect of fulfilling my destiny.


heathlocke.com

Mountains

I have seen the top of the world. It is a lonely frozen peak only a select few reach. Each year climber’s throw down $70K, acclimatize for 3 months, breathe supplemental oxygen, endure sub-zero conditions and if they are “lucky” celebrate for a brief 20 minutes upon the illustrious peak of Mt. Everest.

I have had this theme of mountains reoccur over the last year. I have always loved the mountains and prefer it to the ocean. We felt the Lord had us in a conditioning phase before our move to Africa to climb that “peak”. The Lord told Emie to “plant your flag in Africa before you go down”. I have been reading scriptures about mountains, watching moves about famous climbs. A friend gave me a book about climbing the 14 highest peaks in the world and said, “You need to read this.” The home we are staying at is located on the top of a mountain (we are the highest) and has a perfect view of one of Northwest’s largest peak.


The best part thus far is when my great friend Steve mentioned he was to climb Mt. Hood but his plans had fallen through due to his climbing partner being on his honeymoon. The weather was going to be perfect (at least on the forecast), the weekend available so I jumped on the opportunity and we went. Located in Oregon, Mt. Hood stands at 11,232ish feet it is not a technically difficult mountain to climb. Thousands of people climb Mt. Hood every year but 130 have lost their lives over the years.


We set off and arrived at Timberline Lodge around 8pm on Friday night. We climbed until 10pm and set up camp just above the last ski lift at 8800 ft. Sleep was limited as I dozed in and out of it. At 1am I thought we had missed our departure time of 3am and never really fell back to sleep. Finally we were out of the tent with crampons and axe in hand. About 40 minutes into the climb we ran into a group of 15 coming down the mountain. They were concerned the electrical storm in the distance was going to engulf the mountain leaving no visibility for a descent and some shock. Steve and I discussed that we would climb a little and assess the storm as we went. As it turned out the storm went right around the mountain leaving it clear and perfect for us. We later saw the same team coming back up the mountain.


We summited at 5:30am to a glorious sunrise and hollowing winds. After our celebration cookie and a few photos we still had to complete the second part of the climb, the descent. This is where most climbers fail and accidents happen. They get lazy, tired and make dumb decisions. We had an uneventful decent and made it back to the car at 8am. After 5.5 hours of climbing and a sleepless night I had conquered a dream and created an addiction. Goemans says, “Dreams are not made to put us to sleep, but to awaken us.”

(me on the last 100 feet to the summit)

I am still not sure what the Lord is attempting to communicate through the mountain theme but I do feel as if we are conditioning for another ascent. Until we summit and the wind blows anew we will keep putting one foot in front of the other and hold onto the promises of God.
On a mission trip to Nepal years ago we flew by Mt. Everest. I have seen the top of the world and one day I hope to stand there.
Blessings and . . . when is the next one Steve?
Heath

After a hard days work

Red Bull

Here we are fully loaded with all we need to survive and a bit of everything else
(Oh, and our new van from the Lord).

Glory Shadows

I have been meditating these last few weeks on God's presence in us through the Holy Spirit. What do people see when they look at us? Is there an "aura" around us? When I walk pass someone do they feel a "presence"? Is the Holy Spirit that tangible, that present in my life? Can the glory of God be evident at the grocery store? Can our shadow, like Peters, heal people when we walk across them (Acts 5:15)?

What about when people look into my eyes? Do they see peace, depth, compassion, love? "The eyes are a window into the soul" Proverbs says.

In 2 Corinthians 3 Paul describes the New Covenant being so much more glorious than the Old Covenant. "The Old Covenant etched in stone led to death, yet it began with such glory that the people of Israel could not bear to look at Moses' face. . . shouldn't we EXPECT far greater glory when the Holy Spirit is giving life? In fact, the first glory was not glorious at all compared with the OVERWHELMING glory of the new covenant" (3:7-8).

Have we ever been overwhelmed with the glory of God? Can people spiritually "sensitive" see what is going on around us? Ezekiel says, God's glory is a weight, a sphere within sphere, with translucent colors (Ez.1). My friends son (5) walked up to me one day with his hands cupped, looking as if he was holding a ball. He went on to depict Ezekiel's description of God's glory without knowing it. I asked him if he had seen these "glory spheres" before. "Yes, all the time", was his humble reply.

If the old covenant started with glory but led to death, then it makes sense the new covenant would start with death and led to glory. When the glory of God is present sickness is healed, demons are cast out and we are changed. Ephesians explains, "the church is his body; it is filled by Christ, who fills everything everywhere with is presence" (Eph. 1:23).


"If the old covenant, which brings condemnation, was glorious, how much more glorious is the new covenant, which makes us right with God! In fact, that first glory was not glorious at all compared with the overwhelming glory of the new covenant. . . the new covenant, which remains forever, has far greater glory. Since the new covenant gives us such confidence, we can be very bold" (2 Cor. 3:9-12).

The question is obvious, how do we allow the Holy Spirit to dwell in us so potently the world "senses" God in us? Paul gives us insight, "as the Spirit of the Lord works in us, we become more and more like him and REFLECT his GLORY even more" (3:18).

Should people look at us and be overwhelmed with the glory of God we display? Shouldn't it be evident "that God no longer dwells in things made my human hands" (Acts 17:24) rather he dwells within us?

Let us reflect the glory of God so much more people are overwhelmed with his presence when we cross paths.

As for why my shadow is not pulling people off the pavement? Simple, in Oregon, there is no sun!

Blessings
He@th

4 Lockes & 1 Truax

Are you sent?

During a prayer meeting last Friday night, a friend asked all who were present, “Are you sent?” Many of us responded with a “yes”. Towards the end of the meeting, he brought the question back up pointing to a scriptural truth. If the Lord sends us, then those who receive us are also receiving the Lord. Much like when we receive a prophet we receive a prophet’s reward. He was wrestling with what it looks like to receive the Lord by receiving one who is sent.

At that time I was so focused on speaking at a Church about the supernatural, I failed to see the bigger picture the Lord was revealing to me. (I tend to catch things a bit late.) It hit me. We are not simply moving out of our barn, staying with friends for a few weeks in Washington and heading down to California for my brothers graduation, because we have no place to live. The Lord is sending us out.

Before returning from Africa only 3 months ago, the Lord impressed upon us traveling in the near future. At that time, it was due to our living arrangements . . . we thought. Once we got to Oregon, we were so exhausted spiritually, emotionally, and physically, we couldn’t even imagine trying to travel for months on end. We clung to the idea of stability. Maybe we began to get a bit too settled! Now we need to leave in June instead of July like we originally anticipated!

It’s clearer now. The Lord has set up “appointments” for us to connect, share and pray with people. So this next step is quickly turning into a missionary journey. With different people asking about prayer meetings, we could end up making a loop from Oregon to California to Texas, Colorado, Montana, Washington and back round again. What started out as, “we have no place to live, let’s go stay with relatives” has quickly become another adventure (don’t take it personally mom).

The Lord JUST provided a minivan for us!!! We were just GIVEN a minivan!!!!! I do believe the Lord never tires of shocking our socks off and blessing us beyond our imagination! THANK YOU to the two couples making this happen! June 1st is still our departure date from Oregon up to Vancouver for two weeks. From there, potentially Seattle for 2 weeks to start a prayer meeting, visit relatives and friends. Then we head to California for my brother’s graduation. From there we plan on visiting the many prayer meetings taking place through the ministry of friends. We are not sure how long we will be in each location, we are praying for some significant time at every place or until our hosts kick us out.

“Yes, I am sent.” I can confidently say that. As for what it looks like to receive, I guess you can tell us when we show up at your door.

Blessings
He@th

cheap, efficient, or made out of wood?

What seems like the best use of money (when it comes to needing a car)?

I can either purchase an old beast (mind you I have a family of six) for $2000.00 and spend $15,000 in gas. Or I can spend $15,000 on an "efficient" vehicle and pay $2000.00 in gas. Hmmmm.

Maybe a stagecoach and a few draft horses would be better on the environment. Yet, I'm not sure if the mall has pooper scooper's.


He@th