Almost everyday, I have someone ask me about Grace Place!  I get all kinds of questions.   People want to know:  What is it?  How does it work?  Who can come?  Is it really free?  Where does all of the stuff come from?  When does all of the work get done?  Will you take my stuff?  Can I participate?

I’ve written several blog posts and thought it was about time for an update, now that we are approaching the  one year mark of participating in this amazing ministry opportunity!  (We started in December 2010)  The most simple way that I know to put it is:  Grace Place is a place where the church can share the grace of God in a very real, tangible and meaningful way with others.

The concept is fairly simple:  People take new or gently used items that they are no longer using and donate them to Grace Place, who puts them out in a mini mall/store format for people to come and purchase.  The only catch is that people cannot purchase with money, they can only purchase with grace!  You cannot buy anything for money here!

We give out $50.00 Grace Place Gift Cards and people can use these to come to the Grace Place mini/mall store to shop for clothes, household items, toys, furniture, decorations and etc. as long as supplies last!  (Only one card per person please!)  (And if you don’t have a card, come see us and we will hook you up with one!)

People can come and shop once a month and every month they get to take advantage of $50 worth of Grace.  Let me emphasize once again:  You cannot buy anything from the Grace Place store for money.  “Some people call it free, but we call it GRACE!”  The receiving of stuff from the store that you have not earned or deserved is a tremendous picture of what God does for each of us by giving us His Son Jesus – Who we could never earn or deserve!

This ministry can be experienced at The Grace Place Community Campus located at 407 Ridgewood Drive.  Our current hours of operation for Shoppers is Monday and Wednesdays from 10 AM – Noon, Tuesday Evenings from 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM. and the 2nd Saturday of every month from 10 AM – Noon.

We also have a “GRACE DINNER” on the 4th Friday of every month at 6:30 PM.  This is a restaurant style meal prepared and served as if you were walking into a local eating establishment, just one catch – it does not cost you anything, you do not get a bill and you cannot leave a tip – its paid for by GRACE!

If you have items that you would like to donate, you can drop them off during any of our shopping times and we will be glad to assist you.  We also have a drop off building located in the front parking lot, where you may drop off donations 24/7!

We can always use help running the store, sorting, preparing and presenting merchandise. If you are interested in volunteering at Grace Place, then please give us a call – we would love to meet you and serve together.  (Questions  864-320-1071)

If you would like more information or would like to set up a tour, then please feel free give us a call or email rightdirections@aol.com  It would be a pleasure and blessing to show you what God is doing in our lives and the lives of the new friends that we are making every week!  You can also find us on Facebook at Grace Place Facebook Page!

Thanks so much for your interest in Grace Place, for your prayers, donations and for helping to make the dream a reality!  G3!

We tend to be a people who forget the things that we need to remember and remember the things that we need to forget!  Way to often, we take for granted the goodness of God in our lives.  We fail to appreciate the simple blessings, because in our minds they are simple!  We grow cool to the things that we should be hot for.

The fires need to be rekindled!  It’s time to stir the ashes, find the hot coals and bring them together, so that we can get the fire deep within our souls reignited and burning bright.  We take way too much for granted in our marriages, families and careers!  We take for granted the most important relationship of all relationships – our relationship with our Creator!

Don’t allow your relationships to grow stale.  Instead make sure that you take the time to appreciate them.  Get enthusiastic about what could and should be.  When you decided to do something, so it with all that you’ve got and then some!

God did not create you to walk through this world discouraged, defeated and depressed!  God created you to walk with your head up high, a smile on your face and a spring in your step!  God created you to be encouraged, victorious and happy!

It does not matter what you have been though!  It does not matter whose fault it was!  You situation may look impossible, the good news is that you have a Creator, Who loves you and Who has an amazing plan for your life and He is in the business of “turnarounds!”

God wants to restore and give you more!  Grab hold of and hold onto the victory that God has for you.  Start living with expectation, looking to see how God is going to prove Himself faithful on your behalf!  Dare to declare that you are victorious over anyone and anything that might try to come against the plans of blessing that God has for you.  Don’t you dare settle for a life of mediocrity!

Faith activates the power of God.  If you have faith, then you have expectation and if you have expectation, then God is going to show up and do more than we can dream or imagine!  Get excited about the life that God has for you.  Ask God to enlarge your vision, to give you positive thoughts and use the strength He has given you to live a life that brings Him glory!

God’s Word says:   ¹⁸ “Come now, let us settle the matter,” says the LORD.  “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.  ¹⁹ If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the good things of the land; ²⁰ but if you resist and rebel, you will be devoured by the sword.”  For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.”  Isaiah 1:18-20

The mistakes we have made and the sins we have committed cannot push us down, nor hold us back.  If we will receive the precious gifts of God’s love, mercy, grace and forgiveness, then we should live willing and obedient lives, these lives allow us to live in blessing and enjoy the good things of the land!  Faith in God activates the power of God to flow into and through my life, so that my ordinary life accomplishes and experiences extraordinary things!

Most people would rather disagree than agree.  We just seem to like to be at odds in this world.  Sometimes we will even disagree just to be able to argue with someone.  As Believers, we need to grab hold of and guard this very precious gift of God.  That’s right!  I called it a gift!  Agreement is a gift!  A gift that has the potential to bring great power into our lives!

Jesus put it this way:  19 “Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”  Matthew 18:19-20

Our authority and power over the enemy is increased when we are in agreement!  When you and I come together with Jesus, there is great power at work.  The power that brings us together and keeps us together grows in intensity and strength and allows us to accomplish supernatural things for God’s glory!

Deuteronomy 19:15 says:  “One witness is not enough to convict a man accused of any crime or offense he may have committed. A matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.”  We see this same principle in the New Testament book of 1 Timothy 5:19, where it says “Do not entertain an accusation against an elder unless it is brought by two or three witnesses.”

Ecclesiastes 4 puts it this way:   9 Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor:  10 If either of them falls down, one can help the other up.
But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up.  11 Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm.  But how can one keep warm alone?
12 Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves.  A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.

We could look at different examples of agreement and it’s encouragement and practice in the Scriptures all day long.  The Bible is full of examples, illustrations and directions!  We need to accept agreement as a reality that the Spirit has for us and utilize it for God’s glory!

If we are divided the house will fall and the enemy will triumph!  This is not acceptable, even if his triumph is temporary!  You may be tempted to think that this only applies to the church, but if we are divided and the house falls, then our lives are wide open and vulnerable to attack!  This is why Jesus prayed for unity and why Paul said that we are to make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit!

Our mission and purpose in this life is to go into ALL the WORLD and SHARE the GOOD NEWS with ALL CREATION. When we are obedient and work in unity, what is the result? Jesus will work WITH US, IN US and THROUGH US to CONFIRM His Word with many signs and wonders.

We can’t have agreement without unity and we can’t have unity without love!  We must take seriously the Great Commandment:  “To love the Lord our God with all of our heart, soul and mind.  And the second which is very close to it:  To love our neighbor as ourself!”

• Agreement increases the power of our prayers more than our minds can imagine.

• Agreement assures our success in victorious warfare against the enemy.

• Agreement insures the presence of the Lord in our lives and His blessings on our every endeavor.

• Agreement attracts the attention of our loving Heavenly Father, Who is waiting and wanting to work on our behalf!

• Agreement is a hindrance to the promotion of the devil’s kingdom and a discouragement to all of his plans.

And above all, Agreement is evidence to the world that Jesus was sent by God to be our Savior and this brings great glory to God when we get it!