Today I want to share a milestone with you from this past deer season. The camp baby has had a lot going on. I know if you haven’t been to Briar Ridge you may wonder who I’m talking about, but if you have had a chance to be around camp you probably have a good idea of who it is.

Annabelle, was just about 3 months old when we looked at the property, that we now lease, for the first time. She slept in her pack-n-play amid the saws and nail guns at the very beginning. She never meets a stranger, and calls everyone Aunt or Uncle by the end of the weekend. She is loved by everyone, and we are so grateful that God blessed us with her and her amazing personality.

Annabelle has been able to meet and be a part of so many lives. She has a heart that seems to be bigger than she is and a love that knows no bounds. She began to ask questions this past summer that even had our pastor scratching his head to come up with an answer. She thought long and hard about it, and during the alligator hunting trip we did this past August she decided to give her heart to Christ, and in February she was baptized. Amid all of her spiritual growing, her dad took her hunting and she held the gun, aimed and got her first deer all by herself.

I’m sharing her testimony with you today, because I want to share with you a little of the joy we all feel in her decision. To watch her grow to where she is today has been wonderful. We are excited to see the path that God leads her down and pray that she will always know she can call on Him.

Just like Annabelle, your life effects so many people. You are a huge influence to those around you. And just like Annabelle, you are loved by your Heavenly Father. He has a plan and a purpose just for you. So if you haven’t yet, make the decision to follow Him, today I urge you to follow Him. Make him the center of all that you are and all that you do. He loves you with an everlasting love. I pray God bless and keep you.

Love in Christ,

Briar Ridge

God has brought us a long way in the last eight years. We’ve watched around 3,000 kids come through our doors. We’ve seen the kingdom of God grow. We’ve been there to disciple and help others draw closer to our Creator. The memories of all the years are things we hold dear to our heart.

Year after year we have watched the ministry grow, and this year we had to turn a couple of groups away because there just wasn’t enough room. The past two years we have had weekends where some of our youth had to sleep in campers because the bunk house was completely full, and we had to deal with the overflow.

We have been blessed beyond measure to see God’s spirit moving. And as much as we love where we are at, God has blessed us with the opportunity to grow once again. We have been blessed with 65 acres near our original camp to build on, and the process will start soon. We are excited to be building bigger facilities, to house more kids and hopefully expand our ministry to have weekends spread throughout the year.

This is a huge step of faith, but we believe that God is leading us on this endeavor. If you would like to lend a hand in helping us build or donating materials please feel free to reach out. We are all called to serve in different avenues, we ask that you seek God’s voice on how he can use you. Please help us seek God for wisdom on what he would have us to do. We still have the original camp house to use for the ministry, so we are going to build in stages because there is no hurry. We will continue as we started, always being completely free to anyone who comes. We appreciate everyone that has helped with the ministry over the years, and we look forward to continuing the work of Christ and Briar Ridge.

Love in Christ,

Briar Ridge Children’s Ministries

Bro. John and Michael brought the messages and we got to take a couple of deer home with us to end the season. We had several that took their first deer, and that made for some happy kids.

The most excitement of the weekend came with a fire on Saturday afternoon, and that’s what I want to talk about. About half of the camp had been on the side by side either Friday afternoon or Saturday before the evening hunt. When we left for the hunt one of the men got in to drive and another mentor and a couple of the kids climbed in and buckled up to head to the stands. The driver smelled smoke and got everyone out, within 5 minutes all that was left were the flames and the frame.

God is good to us. You see a lot of people would see the loss of the side by side as terrible. But the owner shared what a blessing it truly was. You see his girls usually drive the buggy around the farm. If they would have been on the buggy at the house they may not have gotten out alive. The fuel leak that caused the fire could have been so much worse. But God was in control, and He had his hand of protection over each of those people that weekend.

You see, he has a purpose and a plan. Romans 8: 28 says “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” He works everything out for his purpose, and for our good. There are times, it may not feel like anything is working out, much less working for our good. But if we just put our trust in Him and keep doing the will of the Father we will be able to understand it all in the end.

Take a moment today and think of the times that God has spared you. The moments that you realized that He blessed you with more time to do His will. And Thank Him for those times. We never know when He is going to call us home, I’m just so thankful He was over the fire situation and He gave everyone peace about it.

And that’s how we ended the season, very thankful for his provisions.

If you would like us to speak at an event or learn more about our ministry please feel free to contact us.

Love in Christ,

Briar Ridge.

Some of the kids that came that weekend had never been hunting before. And that’s what I want to talk about. A lot of people in south Mississippi grew up hunting, fishing, and spending time outdoors. But there are a lot out there that haven’t lived that life. Take me for instance, I didn’t go hunting until I was well into my thirties. I just wasn’t raised with the same background that my kids have came up in. You know, we are all different, and that’s just the way God made us. He has a purpose and a plan for each and everyone of our lives. He has a reason that he places each of us into the circumstances and situations that we are in.

I am writing this today to remind you that He has you in the circumstances He has for His plan, not yours. I was reading in the book of Ruth this morning, and it was telling the story of Naomi. You see Naomi had left her home, lost her husband and both of her sons, and then returned home with only a daughter-in-law. But Ruth loved Naomi, and would not leave her side. Naomi became bitter, she felt like God had left her. But through the love of Ruth, and more importantly God, Naomi got her joy back. In Chapter 4 of Ruth at the very end we find these verses…

Then the women said to Naomi, “Blessed be the Lord, who has not left you this day without a close relative; and may his name be famous in Israel! And may he be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age; for your daughter-in-law, who loves you, who is better to you than seven sons, has borne him.”

This verse shows that Naomi wasn’t alone anymore, God had given her an heir through Ruth. God never left her, but He brought her through everything to fulfill His plan of salvation. Know today that everything you are going through is part of His plan. Just trust in Him.

Love in Christ,

Briar Ridge

We are available for speaking engagements, just let us know if you would like to learn more about our organization.

We had a couple of people give a devotion. Bro. John came and spoke to them a couple of times, and Bro. Carey Buckles got to do our Sunday message. It was a cold weekend, and with a group this big it was super busy at camp.

Bro. Carey brought a message on Sunday about calls. He got out his predator call and surprised everyone with it. You see when a fawn cries out in distress, coyotes and bobcats come running. Satan is just like that, the Bible says that he goes about as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. He’s looking for those that are week and weary, to destroy them. But the thing is, when a fawn cries out in distress, a predator may be coming, but so is the momma doe. She will come in to protect her young. She will fight the battle for her child.

I am here to tell you today, that you don’t have to fight the battle alone. You may feel like you are done, you can’t take any more. But in Ephesians 6 it tells us that After we have done everything, to stand. You see, there are going to be things that come against us, that we can’t get through on our own. But when those things come, He will give us strength and courage to keep going. He will give us a way of escape when we are tempted, but during the battle we need to stand strong and watch what God can do. Today, if you feel like running from the battle… if you feel like giving up or giving in. Take heart, Hebrews 13:5 says He will never leave you or forsake you. Just hold on and cry out to God. He hears your cry and He will rescue you.

Love in Christ,

Briar Ridge

If you, your church, or organization would like to know more about our ministry and what Christ is doing, we are available for speaking engagements. Feel free to contact us.

We started the year with a great group of kids. There were about 18 in total and out of all of them, 3 of them got their first deer. We had some very happy kids. As you can see in the pictures, lots of smiling faces.

Every week we ask God to give us the words to say that these children need. You see we all need to hear from God, no matter our age or where we are in life. He has a purpose and a plan for each of us.

We are entering a new year for Briar Ridge. And each of you are entering a new year also. Things change, our lives change, time definitely changes, but God never changes. He may have a different path for you to go down, but He does have a plan.

Today, I ask that you take the time and seek God’s face, look into His Word, and get on your knees in prayer. Take just a little time to see what God wants to say to you today. His mercies are new every morning and He has something to say specifically to you today. The Bible is the living Word of God, that means that when it was read a thousand years ago it was relevant to everyone who heard it, a hundred years ago it held the same wonder because it still had the same relevance, and today His Word has not changed. It will speak into your life the words that you need to hear. It will lead and guide you on this journey of life. His Word will never be out dated no matter how many years pass. He loves you, let Him speak into your life today. He wants to whisper a message just for you. I pray you allow Him to.

If you would like for us to pray for you just let us know. And if you know anyone that would benefit from our ministry please feel free to contact us.

Love in Christ,

Briar Ridge

We ended up with a group of about 13 kids and are so thankful we get to see a lot of them returning to see us and building relationships with them. And that is what I want to talk about today. You see, there are so many faces that come through Briar Ridge. This is our eighth year of ministry and we have seen about 3,000 kids come through. We’ve seen them grow up and get married. We’ve been with some of these kids as they made the decision to follow Christ, and some of them when they were trying to see how God could use them in ministry. You see, we may not remember every face, or every weekend… but luckily we know someone who does. God himself knows the very number of hairs on all of their heads. He knows their hearts and lives. What a good, good Father He is to care so much about each one of them.

Today, I want you to know that He cares about you just the same. You see if we lined up all the kids that has come through Briar Ridge this year that’s all you would see is a bunch of kids. But Christ sees so much more. He sees His purpose and plan in each of these faces. He sees His purpose and plan in you. He wants to encourage you today that if you feel like you are just part of the crowd, He knows you are so much more than that. He cares for you, just as you are. He has a plan just for you, and He wants you to step into that plan and purpose.

I encourage you today, seek His face and ask what His plan is for you is. It doesn’t have to be something life changing, He may just tell you to share your testimony with one other person, and I promise most of the time that is what truly changes lives. Share Christ and His Love for others today, seek His face and His will for your life.

Love in Christ,

Briar Ridge

If you know someone who would benefit from our ministry please contact us. We are available to share about what God is doing in the ministry anytime.

A couple of the kids got deer and one gave his heart to Christ. I was hoping to talk today about the two deer that were taken. You see one of the kids has been up for several years in a row and hasn’t had the chance at a deer. He has seen deer, but the opportunity to harvest a deer just hasn’t been in the cards for him. The other deer that was taken was by one of our camp kids. She has her heart set on a big buck. She has passed several deer for the last two years waiting on the exact deer that she wants to get. The does have been safe with her, as she watches them weekend after weekend. And that’s what I want to talk about. The Bible talks about waiting in several places. Most importantly in Isaiah 40:31 it says But those who wait on the Lord Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.

You see when we know God has a plan and a purpose, it helps us wait. He gives us strength and patience to withstand all that we are going through. Just like those kids waited until the time was right, we have to patiently wait on the Lord to see where He is leading and guiding us.

Today I want to tell you that you are not alone in the waiting. He has a purpose and a plan, even in the waiting.

24“The Lord bless you and keep you; 25 the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; 26 the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.” Numbers 6: 24-26

If you or anyone you know needs our ministry or our prayers please reach out to us.

Love in Christ,

Briar Ridge

When I was thinking about this group and sharing the weekend with everyone, all I could think about was the firsts. You see for a lot of these kids it was their first time hunting, it was there first time for a weekend away from parents, and a few of them even killed their first deer.

You know our lives are filled with firsts. Some of these milestones fill baby books, first tooth, first steps, first words. We look forward to our children making these steps, but one step we fail to make a note of is the First step to following Christ. You see that step doesn’t come at any particular age or stage in life.

The spirit calls us to repentance and that comes at a different time for each of us. I was hoping today that you could pause and reflect over your life. Do you remember making that first step into a new life in Christ. Turning from the life you lived, and turning to a life of obedience to God. If you can’t pinpoint that moment, you may not have had it yet. Today could be the first day of the rest of your life. Christ loves you with an everlasting love, He wants to lead and guide you to a more abundant life. A life filled with His Spirit leading and guiding you. Take that first step today, and if you remember that first step… and find yourself not quite as close as you once were then take that step back to Him today. He is calling today, answer the call.

If you need prayers, or know someone who needs our ministry please give us a call or let us know.

Love in Christ,

Briar Ridge Children’s Ministries, Inc.

Everyone that comes to Briar Ridge holds a special place in our heart. And these girls are no exception. We were also very lucky to have a new mentor come up to help with this group and although unforeseen circumstances cut the weekend short for her we hope that she is able to come back and help us again soon.

We ended up with a couple of deer taken and everyone going home with some good memories. The messages for the weekend were brought by one of the founders of the ministry and they were all centered around the path we are on.

My favorite devotion that was given, was about Queen Esther and I was going to try and share it with you today.

You see Queen Esther’s life didn’t start out to good. When we begin reading her story, we find her as an orphan. Her parents had died and she had no one to take care of her. She finally ended up being taken care of by a cousin. And there she found a home. Her and Mordecai got close and she got comfortable. But although she was comfortable a lot was going on where she lived. The king was looking for a wife and she was selected to once again lose her home and be taken to live with all the other girls that would vie for the position as queen. With hundreds of women living under one roof, and a year long beauty regimen and diet Esther remained humble and gained favor from those over her. King Xerxes chose Esther from among all the women and once again she was set, or so we think. There was political and religious unrest and the Queen’s people were about to be slaughtered. When Mordecai learned of what was to happen to the people he went into mourning. When Esther heard about Mordecai her life of leisure changed, the Bible says she was in great distress over what was happening. When she found out why Mordecai was so upset, well the truth was life changed for her that very day. She called the people to a fast for her to have guidance from God on what she should do. So here is Esther the orphan, the adopted, the Queen… and now her and her people have been sentenced to death. You see when we think of Esther we think of how the story turned out. We think of her as the hero that saved a nation from annihilation. But there is so much more to her story.

I want you to know today, that there is so much more to your story. People may look at you and see your circumstances. They may label you and put you in a category. But, I want to make certain that today you know…. You are so much more than a set of circumstances. You are so much more than just a snap shot of your life. You are amazing, you have a purpose, and God has a plan for each and everything that you are going through. Don’t be discouraged, because you can be sure that his purpose and plan will come to life if you just trust in Him.

I encourage you today to take the time to read the book of Esther. It’s the only book in the Bible where God is not mentioned by name, but his handiwork and purpose is seen throughout the book. Know that if you look, you will see his hand in your life as well. Trust in Him to get you through every situation, and you can know that He is working on your behalf.

Love in Christ,

Briar Ridge

PS… if you or anyone you know needs our ministry please feel free to contact us.