The LORD performs righteous deeds and judgments for all who are oppressed. Psalm 103:6
And the slave said, ‘Master, what you commanded has been done, and still there is room.’ And the master said to the slave, ‘Go out into the highways and along the hedges, and compel them to come in, so that my house may be filled. Luke 14:22-23
Psalm 103 is so right for the Thanksgiving holiday from which we came a few weeks ago. After beginning this wonderful psalm with a carol of praise in verses 1-5, David sings of the character of God in verses 6-14. The first verse dealing with God’s holy character tells us of His heart for those who have been wronged or exploited. He tells that God will make all things right on their behalf. What a joy to know that in the gospel of Jesus Christ, even the most downtrodden are made whole.
When we come to the Parable of the Dinner in Luke 14, we see that God desires an abundance of people from all ranks and classes to feast at His table. When the Master of the House told his servant to invite certain people and they did not come, others were called, poor, crippled, blind, and lame, and they did come. But the servant went back to his master and said, “Master, what you commanded has been done, and still there is room.” The servant was told to go to the highways and hedges and get more to come. Our God is the God of abundant love, mercy, and grace.
When Jon Hager was a teen, he had the opportunity to teach the Bible and give the Gospel to inner-city, at-risk children; to tell them of this gracious merciful heavenly Father. He developed a real love for these kids but realized that most of them were from terrible home situations. Further, most had never been in rural areas and had never seen a horse or a cow or experienced the beauty of God’s creation.
An idea formed in Jon’s mind for a ranch ministry, a day camp where at-risk boys and girls could come and experience the wide-open spaces, ranch life, and hear the Bible taught and the gospel of Jesus Christ proclaimed. Any of these children who trusted in Jesus would be connected with a mature believer from a church in the child’s community for further discipleship.
Fast-forward from 1998 to January, 2021 when Jon and Katherine Hager were able to purchase a 123 acre piece of property outside Llano, Texas. Jon, Katherine, and their three children (Zoe, 3, Gabriel 2, and Patricia Kate, almost 4 months) now live on that property. The ministry has been named “Gospel Rocks Ranch”, a board of directors named, the Ranch incorporated, and 501c3 (non-profit organization) paperwork filed.
We are praying that God will be pleased to glorify Himself by saving many young souls through the ministry of Gospel Rocks Ranch. If you would like to join us in prayer here are some specific ways you may pray.
Requests
1. For many faithful, Bible-believing churches in Llano and the surrounding communities to catch a vision for the ministry of Gospel Rocks Ranch and desire to partner with us.
2. For Gospel Rocks Ranch to find favor with the Internal Revenue Service and be granted 501c3 status. After the paperwork was filed, the IRS replied with more questions. Please pray that we will answer in a way cause that agency to grant 501c3 status. This is most important since it will likely determine to what extent we can proceed with the GRR ministry.
Praise
1. We recently had a meeting of the Discipleship sub-committee at which we decided what materials to give to churches to use for follow up with kids who trust Christ. We were all in agreement that AWANA materials should be used.
2. Jon spoke to the Llano County judge about the ministry of Gospel Rocks Ranch, and he is “on board” and supportive.
Because still, there is room,
Steve Hager
P.S. Want to stay in the loop on what is happening at GRR? Reach out to us using the “Contact us” form and we will add you to our mailing list!
Gospel Rocks Ranch 