A Season of Pruning
Over the past few months, we have seen the Lord remove several men from our ministry, and very few added. As of the beginning of September, on the ranch we only have one guy in first phase and our director, Michael Justis. While it is difficult to see so many guys go, it is a sobering reminder that the ministry is not for everyone. Jesus told us in the sermon on the mount:
“Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.”
Matthew 7:13-14
A friend/mentor of mine reminded me of this truth a few weeks ago. With this in mind, we see the hand of the Lord in all of these circumstances: taking away the old, dead branches and making room for new life to begin to grow. Please continue to pray that God would send men to our ministry who are ready to surrender all to Him. Pray also that God would raise up new leaders with a heart to disciple these men into strong spiritual maturity.
Grant for New Appliances
In mid-August, we applied for a grant from the Concho Valley Regional Food Bank that would allow us to buy some new appliances for our kitchen. By the grace of God, we received enough money to buy a working oven for the men in the program. We also had a new deep freezer donated to replace our old one. If you know anyone in our area who would be willing to sell or donate appliances (in good working order) to the ministry, they can call Michael at (325) 262-8845.