Many women are trapped in a world of hopelessness, held in the bondage of drug and alcohol addiction, resulting in an endless nightmare of low self esteem and self-destruction. Mary’s Song Restoration Center for Women offers them an opportunity to permanently change their lives by showing broken women love and a future full of hope. Mary’s Song is a non-profit organization that relies entirely on the generous donation, funding, and volunteer efforts of both individuals and organizations throughout our community. It is our belief that community involvement is essential to recovery and is necessary in providing services that address the specific needs of the communities involved. For more information you can call and speak with our director, Debra McNabb at 504-606-9684.
Learning How to
Bless the Lord
Always By Pastor Parris Bailey
“
B
less The Lord oh my soul and all that is within me! Bless The Lord oh my soul and all that is within me and forget not his benefits.” Psalm 103:1-3
heed and bestir itself. What dictates you this morning? Let's join with all creation as they start early with their Song of Songs, forgetting not his benefits. Deut 8:11 says to "beware lest thou forget The Lord thy God, in keeping his commandments and his judgBlaise Pascal said, "The serene, silent beauty ments." I know if we spend the rest of our of a holy life is the most powerful influence in lives reminiscing all what he has done we will the world, next to the might of the Spirit of never grow tired of his graces. In fact it will God." awaken and deepen our affections for him as we stir ourselves up over all what He has I love to see the process of the change that done. "A good man will rouse himself and happens with the Mary’s Song girls. It makes coerce his sensuous and sluggish facilities." me think of the tripartite man of his sprit soul and body. Most of us go through life not tak- Everyday the girls are learning how to tap ing a second thought of what is driving you. into their spirit as they are "born again" and regenerated according the Christ's gospel. There is nothing so wonderful as learning to live through Christ instead of our emotions. “If we spend the rest of John Stevenson said, "Let your conscience our lives reminiscing "bless the Lord," by unvarying fidelity. Let your judgment bless Him, by decisions in acall what he has done cordance with his word. Let your imagination we will never grow bless Him, by pure and holy musings. Let tired of his graces.” your affections praise Him, by loving whatsoever He loves. Let your desires bless Him, by seeking only His glory. Let your memory bless We laugh at doctors who say to eat better, Him, by not forgetting any of his benefits. Let get more exercise and slow down even your thoughts bless Him, by meditating on though our hearts are giving out. We are his excellencies. Let your hope praise Him, by driven by our fears, anger and unbelief and longing and looking for the glory that is to be self medicate just to get through a day. But revealed. Let your every sense bless Him by David here in this psalm of Psalms arrests its faculty, your every word by its truth, and himself. He learned the hard way to say to his your every act by its integrity." soul---to bless The Lord. The spirit in him was commanding his soul man to awaken, take
Too frequently injuries are remembered and blessings are forgotten. Will you take today and contemplate how he forgave you, found you and put his seal on you? Who can under-
“There is nothing so wonderful as learning to live through Christ instead of our emotions.” stand this love? Why surely it will take eternity upon eternity to search this out. Are you in debt? Are you sick? Has life done something to you unexpected? Oh reach in the inside and let your praises rise above all of that. Surely he will come and bring his comfort. ●
M a ry ’s
S o n g
P r od u c t s
Change your skin. Change a life.
MarySong.net Organic products infused with essential oils & herbal extracts. Packaged with love by the Mary’s Song Women.
Face
Balms
Body
Facial Serum Facial Moisturizer Facial Exfoliant Facial Toner Eye Cream 3 in 1 Face Cream
Stress Balm Perfume Balm Lip Balm Body Balm Muscle Balm
Body Cream Body Lotion Bath Salts Muscle Gel Organic Soaps Body Spray
T E
S
T I
M
O
N I
E
S
Oh,
So Good to Me By Daile Tait
M
y name is Daile and I am 34 years old. For the past 21 years I have been a binge addict with chronic relapses. At age 9 my father died of cancer from smoking and drinking. I became very angry at God for taking my dad away and I took it out on everyone. Growing up I was scared of loving my mom and losing her the same way I lost my dad. That would be too devastating and painful. My anger and hostility became a shield of protection for me, it blocked my emotions. If I was angry, I wouldn’t love, and if I didn’t love, I wouldn’t get hurt. My mom suffered a slow progressive tormenting death on an oxygen machine. I knew the same thing would happen to me if my habits didn’t change. God showed me that He didn’t take my mom and dad away because He didn’t love them or because they didn’t know and love Him. I feared getting a double dose of their death. I wanted to make good choices in life. I knew what I was doing was wrong and would eventually put me on a respirator with cancer and lead me to the grave early. Even
knowing the consequences I just couldn’t stop. Over the years I have tried to quit numerous times on my own but that was only temporary. I always wanted to be happy and searched everywhere for it. Misery was always right around the corner. Depression and anxiety became my
relationship with Him, my life and sinful desires dissipated. I no longer desire the things of my past. I had to allow the Holy Spirit to manifest and dwell in my heart. As a child I blocked out love, but that love was God. Now that my heart is open, I can receive God’s love. Today, God’s love is with me and can flow through me to others, I no longer search for happiness and love anymore. Love resides inside my heart and I know He will never leave or forsake me. He has shown me that I am free, not by anything I could ever do, but what He has already done. He already paid the price and won the victory. I am free but not to do what I want. I am free to choose, not to do the things I know I can two best friends. I’ve learned that do. Now that I am free from drugs and God doesn’t give us a spirit of fear a life of sinful desires, I am free to and anxiety, but of love, joy and a love, adore, cherish and worship a sound mind. Today I have a peace great, wonderful and amazing God that passes all understanding because who is ,oh so good to me. Thanking, I have given my life to Jesus Christ. I praising and blessing the Most High heard before that love comes from God is what makes me happy today. ● within. I never understood that because nothing good was inside of me. When I accepted Jesus into my life and learned how to have an intimate
“I had to allow the Holy Spirit to manifest and dwell in my heart.”
Mary’s Song is Expanding! In just a few month, Mary’s Song is paying to move this house to the property to house more girls. We are so excited for this next step to enlarging our house needs. The budget is over $50,000 to move, reproof, build a foundation, along with electrical and plumbing. Will you pray about giving financially to this new addition? Go to MarySong.net and donate to the Building Fund.
T E
S
T I
M
O
N I
E
S
Storms in our
Lives By Kathyrn Turner
I
graduated the first two phases of Mary’s Song December 09, 2013, and I am currently in the third phase of the program. When I got to Mary’s Song August 21, 2012 I was very angry at God for all of the things that I had been through in my life. I was extremely tormented, scared, and felt alone. Through the first two phases of Mary’s Song I was able to build a relationship of trust with my leaders and learned to allow others to minister the love of Christ to me. Through this process God has been able to heal some of the deepest scars in my heart and deliver me from torments that I thought I was forever bound by.
storm plants would not be able to reach their maximum potential as a plant, and without the storms in my life I would be unable to reach my maximum potential in Him. Those bad things in my past that created a need for redemption in my life to where I was able to even realize my need for Him. So, I can now thank God for both the negative and the good things that happened and are happening in my life, because I now can see how it draws me to Him.
no change or growth in our lives, and we would become dry and wither as Christians. The word of God says that He sends the rain on both the wicked and the godly, and it’s not because He is unfair, mean, or He wants to torture us. It’s all because of His great love. God sends the rain on the wicked to create that need for Him, because He wishes that none would perish, and God sends the rain on the godly to produce Himself within; to mature that which He has already brought to life. The LORD is helping me to see that when storms come and fear tries to arise, Christ is right there in the midst of the storm bidding me to walk on the water with Him (Matt. 14:22-33). That it is all for the glory of God, and new life and growth will be the outcome, if I but trust and abide (Jn. 15). God opened my eyes to see a glimpse of His love for me, and how intimately He loves and cares for me through this. Even when the winds are whipping all around me and I feel like I am about to sink and I can’t see Him clearly, I am able to step back look around and recognize He is for me (Psa. 56:9), He is with me (Heb. 13:5), He loves me, and this too shall pass. ●
“He revealed to me that without the storms in life the seed of the Word cannot grow in us.”
I recently watched a documentary about the Wonders of God, and there was a part about thunderstorms that really stuck out to me. What was said in the documentary was that when there is a thunderstorm, the lightning in the storm sends off a gas called nitrogen that actually fertilizes the plants and helps them to grow. I had no idea that God was going to use this documentary to speak to me but He did. He began to use this illustration to show me how without the storms in my life, there wouldn’t be growth. Without thunder-
Through this Christ is helping me to embrace the storms in my life and to recognize them as the grace of God; His grace to change me and produce the character of Christ in me (both past and present). He revealed to me that without the storms in life the seed of the Word cannot grow in us, meaning there would be
T E
S
T I
M
O
N I
E
S
He’s the
God
of Another Chance
By Julienne Hodges
I was raised in Paulina, LA by my I’ve always been very attached to Christian when I was twenty. It grandparents until my parents my family. My mother opened up was supernatural and the Lord finished college. My grandpara restaurant when I was twelve Jesus changed my heart. I left my ents were kind-hearted, simple, and it was a place that kept my life of sinful pleasure and the devout people and I loved them extended family bonded toLord gave me a new life, a Chrisvery much. When I was in secgether. tian church family and a love for ond grade I had to move to Him and the body of Christ. He LaPlace with my older brother In my high school years I contin- even gave me a calling to teach in and my parents. I didn’t want to ued to be an A student, but with a Christian school. move and I would continue to go the rest of my schoolmates, I just to my grandparents’ house every wanted to have fun, go to drink- In 1996, after teaching for two chance I could get. My brother ing parties and find a cute guy. years, my poor self-image and a and father picked on deep depression overtook me all the time and I me. I stopped going to “I wake up praising God began to have a church and some old weight problem and an because He is worthy and I am friends set me up with my inferiority complex. I husband who was raised nothing without Him.” was told that I was fat Christian. I jumped right and ugly. Because of into marriage. I soon disthis, I’ve always been very sensicovered that I had turned against tive and plagued with self-hatred When I was nineteen and in col- “the organized church” which I so and depression. lege my parents split up. My dad deeply loved. left and my mom was very broAs a child I excelled in school and ken. I threw myself into my sin- My mother did not attend my loved learning. My parents ful relationships and only cared wedding because she had heard worked a lot and they gave me about myself. But my mother rumors about him and because lots of nice things and put me in found Jesus, and it greatly afhe was a divorced man. Catholic schools. fected me. I became a born-again
I felt severe rejection from her. Soon my mom made peace with us and I began to go to church again. I felt torn between my birth family and Christian family and my new little family and my husband. I wanted my husband to share in my affection for my family and the things of God, but he hated “those people.” He thought Christians were hypocrites and was always putting them down, along with women and fat people.
In November 2008, I accidentally burned my house down by discarding our cigarettes in the trash can that was propped up outside the house. Three weeks later my husband filed for divorce, got immediate temporary custody of our four children and required me to have supervised visitations with my kids. I then became numb. Even today I am not allowed to check my kids out of school and feel like an outcast.
was finished with me. I knew I needed something drastic to help me overcome my lifelong story of despair.
May of 2013, I asked Pastor Karen about Mary’s Song. I am here today to testify that Jesus Christ can deliver you and I from depression and negativity. The Good News is positive and depression no longer haunts me when I wake up every morning. I wake up praising God because In 2001, he built us a beautiful Soon after this I stopped going He is worthy and I am nothing home and moved me and my to church and gave up on God. without Him. He cannot come three babies to Ponchatoula. The next year I got into another second to a husband, children, After the move the marriage got very dysfunctional relationship. I parents or even my selfishness difficult. began to drink and became a workaholic waiting tables 12-14 or the lies in my head. Every-
“ For I know the plans I have for you , declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11 The Lord blessed me with the joys of motherhood and once again blessed me with a job working in a Christian school. He also gave me some genuine Christian friends. But I felt torn between my Christian faith and my submission to my husband and even though I prayed for my husband and my marriage and tried to be a godly wife and mother, I felt severely depressed and became suicidal. I sought the help of a Christian psychologist who counseled me and proceeded to medicate me. Neither his seven years of counseling nor the medication helped me. I began to neglect giving my children attention and would stay in bed all day and watch TV.
thing in me must bow down to his Word. I thank Him for plucking me up out of my empty life and putting me once again into His glorious Kingdom. He’s the God of another chance. He’s the Author and Finisher of my faith, and He’s my real husband. I know He has a good plan for me But God had another salvation and will work out my shameful plan for me. At the end of 2012 past, my present and my future after constant battles with my for His glory. I leave you with children, my boyfriend moved to this: Jeremiah 29:11, “ For I Gatlinburg, Tennessee, something inside told me to start go- know the plans I have for you , ing to Victory Fellowship on Sun- declares the Lord, plans to prosday nights after I dropped my per you and not to harm you, kids off at their dad’s house. I plans to give you hope and a futhen started feeling the presture.” ● ence of God again in my life whereas before I thought Jesus hours a day. My children lost respect for me because I wouldn’t break up with my boyfriend for them. I wanted them to understand that he was a comfort to me and made me feel loved rather than feeling the constant pain of the loss of not having them with me.
T E
S
T I
M
O
N I
E
S
Redemption By Samantha Malcombe
F
ive years ago today I walked into Mary's Song lost and without hope. Daily tasks such as getting up in the morning had become impossible. I was so weighed down by the lifestyle of immorality that I had chosen, I did not think it was possible that God could ever love
says, “I have blotted our as a thick cloud, thy transgressions, and, as a cloud thy sins: return unto: me; for I have redeemed thee.” When I look back at my old life today, I can hardly remember the person I used to be. It is like watching a bad movie, in which I know the story line, but someone else is playing my part. I have been redeemed, my sin is no longer my own. My Savior has “Little did I know really paid the price and I have become holy as He is holy. It has He was always not always been easy, life still right beside me” happens, but Christ is the anchor of my soul. In the times where I would have reached for the me; and my anger toward Him things of the world to sustain me made Him seem even farther I reach for Him, or maybe it is He away. Little did I know He was that reaches for me. Either way, always right beside me, and the He walks me through the valley moment I called out His name He and I praise Him on the mountook everything that the enemy tain. Today I am Student Adminmeant for evil in my life and istrator, of Mary's Song. I superturned it all around. Isaiah 44:22 vise the cafe and bookstore at
Victory Fellowship Church, and I attend Bethesda Bible College. I also teach Celebrate Recovery. As it says in Ephesians 3:20-21,
“Christ is the anchor of my soul” “Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly and abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be the glory in the church by Jesus to all generations, forever and ever Amen. “
Graduates & Phase Completions 3
R
D
P
H
A S E
Kathryn Turner
2
N
D
P
H
Rebecca Herb
A S E
Daile Tait
Julienne Hodges
A Full Gospel Christian Church Victory Fellowship 5708 Airline Drive Metairie, LA 70003
Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage PAID Permit No. 79 Metairie, LA 70002