To undo the heavy burdens, to let the oppressed go free, and that you break
every ... Then your light shall break forth like the morning, your healing shall
spring ...
Grace Place Ministries
“Ordinary People Serving an Extraordinary God” A WATERED GARDEN Grace Place Ministries, Inc. P.O. Box 1296 Monroe, Louisiana 71210 _________ 318-361-9702 318-509-9755 (cell) _________
[email protected] www.graceplaceministries.org
Founder/Director Rhonda Grace ________ Assistant Directors Charles and Pat Evans ________ Intercessor Aundria Price ________ Advisory Board Ann Angell Fred Caldwell, Jr. Ramona Gates J. Lawrence Mullens Sharon Wood Rick LeBrun
SEPTEMBER 2013
Summer days are now behind us and we have cool, crisp fall days to look forward to! This summer was hot and dry. As a young girl . . . well actually . . . I have always loved holding a water hose. Both of my grandmothers would let me water their flower gardens of roses, dahlias, gardenias, etc. My mama didn’t let me water very often because I would tend to spray water not only on her flowers, but also on my sisters . . . and our cats . . . and I could have run the well dry! As I have watered many hours this summer, I have often heard in my spirit the phrase, a watered garden, and I knew it was from the Bible. I think we would all agree that God has abundant blessings He wants to pour out on us . . . but He has conditions to follow in order to receive these blessings. Read Deuteronomy 28. Read all the blessings IF we obey the voice of God” and read from verse 15 . . . IF we do not obey”! Now read the following passage from Isaiah 58:6-14 . . . pay attention to the progression of conditions and highlight all the times the Word says IF . . . THEN, and you will also see the phrase . . . watered garden. Is this not the fast that I have chosen: to loose the bonds of wickedness, To undo the heavy burdens, to let the oppressed go free, and that you break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, And that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out; When you see the naked, that you cover him, and not hide yourself from your own flesh? Then your light shall break forth like the morning, your healing shall spring forth speedily, And your righteousness shall go before you; The glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard. Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; you shall cry, and He will say, Here I am. If you take away the yoke from your midst, The pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness, If you extend your soul to the hungry and satisfy the afflicted soul, Then your light shall dawn in the darkness, and your darkness shall be as the noonday. The Lord will guide you continually, and satisfy your soul in drought, And strengthen your bones; you shall be like a watered garden, And like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail. Those from among you shall build the old waste places; You shall raise up the foundations of many generations; And you shall be called the Repairer of the Breach, the Restorer of Streets to Dwell In. If you turn away your foot from the Sabbath, from doing your pleasure on My holy day, And call the Sabbath a delight, The holy day of the Lord honorable, And shall honor Him, not doing your own ways, Nor finding your own pleasure, nor speaking your own words, Then you shall delight yourself in the Lord; And I will cause you to ride on the high hills of the earth, And feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father. The mouth of the Lord has spoken. I would not like to spend time in my garden if I had not taken the time to water . . . everything would be parched and dried out! I believe that as we obey the Lord in what He requires . . . and we can only meet His requirements by His grace . . . and as we put Him first in everything . . . spending quiet times sitting in His presence . . . then His sweet presence waters all the dry places in our spirits and souls. He will satisfy all that our souls thirst for and we will be like watered gardens!! God’s awesome presence was in the Garden of Eden, and His presence was in the Garden of Gethsemane. God loves gardens! Let’s invite Him in to weed, prune and especially water the gardens of our hearts where He can come and find rest within us!! Resting! Waiting! And being watered by the Lord!! I love you!
Grace Place Ministries . . . . “Ordinary People Serving an Extraordinary God”
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TOTAL MEALS SERVED THIS SUMMER (JUNE - JULY - AUGUST) 9,933. That's just 67 short of 10,000!! We couldn't have blessed this many hungry souls without your financial support and all the volunteers that gave of their time and efforts! Thank you!!!
Jim & Mae Mackey with their grandsons 2 generations serving the Lord together!!
First United Methodist Church Lake Providence, LA
CURRENT NEEDS: ADOPT A CHILD CHRISTMAS OUTREACH Last year Grace Place blessed 350 needy children at Christmas. There was a shortage of full size blankets, caps & gloves in the local stores, so we are encouraging those of you who want to participate to purchase these items early. You can call us at 361-9702 for all the details for this year's outreach. I wish everyone could see the smiles on these precious faces as they are given their new blanket!
Winter clothing & socks for children Canned goods Blankets Incoming financial support has been lower than usual for an extended time now. As always, we are trusting God to provide. Please help us pray to see the needed funds flowing in to keep our ministry to the poor flowing out. Thank you for your support!
www.graceplaceministries.org
Grace Place Ministries, Inc. is a totally faith based ministry and is also a 501(c) (3) non profit religious organization with the Internal Revenue Service. All donations are tax deductible.
