The Orchard Ruston

08/25/2026

We are having our Play Date Kickoff THIS WEDNESDAY!🩵

Join us for a fun morning of playing, fellowship, and connecting with other moms and kiddos!

For more information, please private message our page. 💌

08/24/2026

The Night No One Came
Mathew 6:1-7

According to legend, one winter night, composer Johann Sebastian Bach was scheduled to debut a new composition. He arrived at the church expecting it to be full. Instead, no one had come. Without missing a beat, Bach told his musicians they would still perform as planned. They took their places, Bach raised his baton, and soon the empty church was filled with magnificent music.
This story made me do some soul-searching. Would I write for God if He were my only audience? How would my writing be different?
When I write devotionals, I try to keep my readers in mind. I want to say something they will want to read—something that will encourage them and help them on their spiritual journey.
I doubt the “devotional writer” David, whose psalms we turn to for comfort and encouragement, had readers in mind. His only audience was God.
Whether our “deeds,” mentioned in Matthew 6:1 (NKJV), are works of art or acts of service, they are ultimately between God and us. He alone is our audience.
~ Julie

08/22/2026

Come Shop The Orchard Ruston’s Rummage Sale!!!!
We will be here at Calvary Baptist Church until 12pm!

08/20/2026

Just a reminder, ladies! Don't forget about our Community Rummage Sale coming up. This Saturday, August 22. Can't wait to see you there.✨️🗓

08/20/2026

08/20/2026

Hey Ladies! Mark your calendars for some upcoming event at The Orchard...🗓🎉

Message for more details

08/17/2026

Full-Circle Compassion
2 Corinthians 1:3-7

Following a tumultuous season in her life, Bethany Haley Williams battled shame and brokenness. The journey was difficult, but through Jesus she experienced healing that transformed her life.
Prompted by the grace and mercy she received, Bethany formed Exile International, a nonprofit that implements art/expressive therapy and long-term, rehabilitation care to restore and empower war-affected children in Africa. Of her efforts, Bethany said, "When your greatest heartache becomes your greatest ministry, grace comes full circle".
Bethany now devotes her life to living out the words of 2 Corinthians 1:3-4. Having received God's comfort, she is now able to give others "the same comfort God has given her" V. 4 NLT. God knows about our suffering and misfortunes, and He is with us in the pain. He is merciful, loving, and attentive to our needs; and He can use whatever we experience to lift up and help others who are in need. No matter what we've done or what we're facing, God is there to shower us with His compassion and love-gifts we can then share with others. ~ Roxanne

08/10/2026

Someone to Trust ( John 13:33-35)

"I just can't trust anyone," my friend said through tears. "Every time I do, they hurt me." Her story angered me. An ex-boyfriend she thought she could trust had spread rumors about her when they broke up. As she struggled to trust again after a pain-filled childhood, this betrayal proved it to her: people can't be trusted.

Her story was painfully familiar, reminding me of moments of unexpected betrayal in my own life. In fact, Scripture is candid about human nature. In Proverbs 20:6, the author voices the same lament as my friends.

What I could say to her is that betrayal is only part of the story. Although wounds from others are real, Jesus has made genuine love possible. In John 13:35, Jesus told His disciples that others would know they were His followers because of their love. Yes, people may hurt us, but because of Jesus there will also always be those who share His love unconditionally. Resting in Christ's unfailing love, may we find healing, community, and the courage to love others as He did.
~ Monica

08/03/2026

Count it all Joy!

The joy the Lord has available to us in the Holy Spirit surpasses all circumstances, relationships, and possessions. It is an internal joy that feds our hearts and only come from the LORD. He longs to fill us with the knowledge of how thrilled he is to be our Father. He longs to make us joyful in every circumstance and season.

1 Peter 1:6-9
“In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.”

We can have joy in the midst of trial and tribulation because we have a genuine faith that this life is not all there is. Our hope reaches far beyond the sin that separates us from God and looks toward the day when we will live in perfect, face-to-face relationship with our Creator. Every trial and tribulation is an opportunity to cling to the truth that this world is not our home and to be filled with joy at the thought of what awaits us on the other side of this life.

James 1:2-3
“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.”

While God may not cause the various trials we face, he most certainly uses them to build our faith and find joy in him alone. Our heavenly Father knows that if we place our joy in the fleeting and fickle circumstances of this life, our lives will be an emotional rollercoaster rather than a reflection of how consistently good he is.
Your heavenly Father has a compassionate heart toward the problems you face. He never desires for you to act or try and drum up faith that everything will be all right. He longs to meet you at the very core of your trial and fill you with abundant joy that’s rooted in his love alone. He longs to guide you through the tough seasons of life that try and rob you of your allotted portion of joy. He longs to make your faith steadfast and sure so you can meet the tribulations of this world head-on with joy.

One of the hardest things to do in life is to live with joy in the midst of trials and challenges. It’s so easy to let life dictate to us, our emotions and state of being. But in God, there is a joy available to us right where we are, no matter how good or bad the situation may be.
Today I hope you can make space together to simply open your hearts and minds to receive the joy of the Father. I hope and pray that you find real, life-changing joy in God’s presence today.