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An update to end 2023

The Nest has had a crazy year! From the many wonderful First Friday events we were able to attend, to our fourth annual March Against Meth. Our community outreach has continued to plant seeds in the communities of those affected by addiction and homelessness. Our hearts continue to go out to those still trapped within the walls of addiction and we fight to continue every day to give hope to the hopeless.

We had an amazing turnout at the march this year and would like to thank everyone that came out and participated. From the amazing testimonies to the wonderful programs we are able to connect others with, you truly are all the best.

We continue to host our Wednesday and Thursday classes at 6 P.M. at Aldersgate Church. Feel free to reach out to any of our members with any questions.

Encouraging Word from our board president

Yahweh is my best friend and my Shepherd.  I always have more than enough.  He offers a resting place for me in his luxurious love.  His tracks take me to an oasis of peace near the quiet brook of bliss. That’s where he restores and revives my life.  He opens before me the right path and leads me along in his footsteps of righteousness so that I can bring honor to his name.  Even when your path takes me through the valley of deepest darkness, fear will never conquer me, for you already have!  Your authority is my strength and my peace.  The comfort of your love takes away my fear.  I’ll never be lonely, for you are near.  You become my delicious feast even when my enemies dare to fight.  You anoint me with the fragrance of your Holy Spirit, you give me all I can drink of you until my cup overflows.

Psalm 23  (TPT)

So why would I fear the future?  Only goodness and tender love pursue me all the days of my life.  Then afterward, when my life is through, I’ll return to your glorious presence to be forever with you.  

I have included a link to a beautiful song Restore My Soul sung by Sherri Youngward

Be encouraged for our great Shepherd and best friend Holy Spirit loves us immensely.  He restores and makes all things new!

-The Nest Board President
Judy Parks

Joy to the World, the Lord has come!  I recently learned that the words of this popular Christmas Carol were written as a poem about the second coming of the Lord, Jesus Christ.   Years after the death of the author someone discovered the poem and created the music making it the song we sing today.  The reason we consider it a Christmas song is because it was made public during the Christmas season.   

I encourage you today to ponder the poem.  Each verse makes a declaration about our Lord and King then challenges the hearer to make a choice in response to the truth of God’s word.  And ends with an understanding of God’s love. 

VERSE 1 Joy to the world the Lord has come Let earth receive her King Let every heart prepare him room And heaven and nature sing.

VERSE 2 Joy to the earth the Savior reigns Let men their songs employ While fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains Repeat the sounding joy.

VERSE 3 He rules the world with truth and grace And makes the nation prove The glories of His righteousness And wonders of His love.  

CHORUS Joy to the world All the earth sings. 

JOY TO THE WORLD!  For God so loved the world that whosoever believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting life.  His first coming revealed God’s love as Savior of the world.  His second coming reveals God’s love as sovereign ruler and King. What Joy that will be for all who believe in Him.

LYT

Judy Parks

GOOD NEWS, a drink of cool water.

Proverbs 25:25
(TPT)  Like a drink of cool water to a weary, thirsty soul, hearing good news revives the spirit. 
 (The Message) Like a cool drink of water when you are worn out and weary is a letter from a long-lost friend.     
(CEV) Good news from far away refreshes like cold water when you are thirsty.

With the high heat levels, we are experiencing today, we really can appreciate a cool drink of water to revive our spirit. But what exactly is “Good News” that is like a cool drink of water?Christianity good news is the revelation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and that Is the best of all good news. However, good news does not only come from the truth of the Bible, it also, comes from many sources. The definition of good news is something that is positive, encouraging, uplifting, desirable or the like.We are waiting for the doctor’s report, we have been battling fear and the complications of the unknown. Then comes the good news, nothing is wrong. This news is really like that cool drink of water, our spirit is revived, and we are encouraged to continue on in positive actions of life.We are fearful about the confrontation that may be coming our way. Weary and worn out from the anticipation of a bad outcome has drawn us into a semi-defeated place. Then comes the confrontation and it is not at all what we expected. The good news is the confrontation is resolved and over and we are revived. Another cool drink of water to revive our spirit that all is well, and we can continue on in our relationship with positive interaction.We are in a rough spot in our life getting increasingly discouraged.  Then a friend seeks you out and encourages you. Your spirit is revived and can now progress on to better things while traveling through your journey. 

My challenge for us today is to be the Good News bringing a drink of cool water to those in our sphere of influence. Every one of us can say something positive, encouraging, uplifting  to our worn-out and weary people around us. Philippians 4:4-9 is a well that flows for you to draw your cup of cool water to share. Verse 9 encourages us to put into practice the righteous life you have seen in the Bible and others who have given you, your cup of cool water.Be cheerful with joyous celebration in every season of life. Let your joy overflow. And let gentleness be seen in every relationship for our Lord is ever near. Do not be pulled in different direction or worried about a thing.  Be saturated in prayer throughout each day, offering your faith-filled requests before God with overflowing gratitude. Tell him every detail of your life, then God’s wonderful peace that transcends human understanding, will guard your heart and mind through Jesus Christ. Keep your thoughts continually fixed on all that is authentic and real, honorable, and admirable, beautiful, and respectful, pure, and holy, merciful, and kind.  And fasten your thought on every glorious work of God, praising him always. Put into practice the example of all that you have heard from me or seen in my life and the God of peace will be with you in all things. —

Judy Parks

Encouraging Words

Mic 6:8  No, the LORD has told us what is good. What he requires of us is this: to do what is just, to show constant love, and to live in humble fellowship with our God. 

God wants us to know who we are in Him and walk in this world as he has created us to be.  We often will not allow ourselves to expect that we can do what the Lord requires of us to walk justly in love and humility.  Today in our Wednesday morning Bible study we learned that being humble is walking confidently in knowing and really accepting the truth that we are no longer the old sinful man that was trying to live life.  If we have been born again into a new life of confidence, we can walk humbly before God without pride while accepting the fact that we have a new redeemed life in him.  A quote from our study book “The Supernatural Ways of Royalty” states, True humility is not the absence of confidence but strength restrained.  The only way we can truly be humble is to have an honest assessment of ourselves before God.”  

Knowing this truth of our new and confident life in God we can open the gates and let the King come in.  He is the King of Glory and we are his royal children.  

The King of Glory  Psalm 24
The world and all that is in it belong to the LORD; the earth and all who live on it are his. 
He built it on the deep waters beneath the earth and laid its foundations in the ocean depths. 
Who has the right to go up the LORD’s hill? Who may enter his holy Temple?  Those who are pure in act and in thought, who do not worship idols or make false promises. The LORD will bless them and save them; God will declare them innocent.  Such are the people who come to God, who come into the presence of the God of Jacob.  Fling wide the gates, open the ancient doors, and the great king will come in.  Who is this great king? He is the LORD, strong and mighty, the LORD, victorious in battle.  Fling wide the gates, open the ancient doors, and the great king will come in.  Who is this great king? The triumphant LORD—he is the great King! 

-Judy Parks
March 8, 2023

GEARING UP FOR THE MARCH

We are getting ready for our fourth annual March Against Meth, Recovery Awareness Fair. Please join us October 22nd at 10 am at Alderstgate, College Station for a community event where there will be door prizes. This event brings together all the different recovery related agencies for you to explore the options for recovery that the Brazos Valley has to offer.

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THE NEST AT FIRST FRIDAY

     This last October, 2021 The Nest went on a couple of outreaches. We started the month with joining the city of Bryan and Promises Brazos Valley for First Friday. It was an amazing event! We were able to speak with many people and share our vision for the 21 day, non-medical, social detox facility. We had an amazing time with our partners in recovery sharing with the community all about the services offered in the Brazos Valley to help people overcome addiction. We plan to continue attending First Friday and sharing Christ and recovery to our community. Come on out and see us at the next one!

Continue reading THE NEST AT FIRST FRIDAY

WORD OF ENCOURAGEMENT

Are we loving one another?

God test the depth of our fellowship with him by the reality of our fellowship with our sisters and brothers.

1 John 3:14-18 Yet we can be assured that we have been translated from spiritual death into spiritual life because we love the family of believers. A loveless life remains spiritually dead. 15 Everyone who keeps hating a fellow believer is a murderer,  and you know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him. 16 This is how we have discovered love’s reality; Jesus sacrificed his life for us. Because of this great love, we should be willing to lay down our lives for one another. 17 If anyone sees a fellow believer in need and has the means to help him, yet shows no pity and closes his heart against him, how is it even possible that God’s love lives in him? 18 Beloved children, our love can’t be an abstract theory we onlyi talk about, but a way of life demonstrated through our living deeds.

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The Lord gives you confidence.

Unleash the Spirit within you… When you praise My confidence, I will confound your enemies. They see no fear in you. They see you confident in your source. They cannot see the Me in you.

It is Me in you that keeps you free. Praise me, my people. Go free in all your ways. Praise me confidently. Confound your enemy.

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The Name of the Lord is a Strong Tower

He who dwells in the secret place of the most high shall abide under the shadow of the almighty. (Psalm 91)

If you dwell in a place you live in that place. You are familiar, at peace and comfortable in that place.

Think of your attitude towards yourself while you are inside your own home. It is a place of security, a refuge, a place of rest; a place you look forward to being within. You know all the secrets of that home. You know what works and what does not. You know the individual personality in everything that is attached to your house. You know exactly what to do to get everything to work.

God so reveals all His secrets to you if you dwell in the secret place of the most high with Him. You become familiar and at peace and comfortable in His place.

What is a secret? Who shares a secret? Where is the secret of the most high? It is found in the name of the Lord Most High.