New Ministry and updates

[stovebolts]

Just a little update for those wondering what I've been up to.

First, I must say that this has been a very challenging year, but through it all, God is good and remains faithful and as I've heard many times, "God aint finished with me yet".

I got hooked up with a local group (Families against narcotics) and I've gotten quiet involved with them. I have also been attending weekly Naranon meetings which is both helping myself and helping others.

Through this, and I've always wanted to start a teen ministry for troubled youth, God gave me an idea... and that idea is being realized with God's blessing. Here was the idea.

Get into the Youth groups at the various churches in our area and talk to them about the dangers of drug abuse by way of real people with real stories with an emphasis on what God has done and the importance of your church family.

So far I've got 3 young heroin addicts who have been clean for some time (4 months to 1 year) and have a passion for God and the church. I've also got a mother who lost her son to prescription pills and drinking.

We all met last Saturday and talked about our format etc and we are meeting again this Sunday after church. We have been invited to two churches already and we haven't even made any phone calls! There might be a chance that a pastor from another church may want us to fill out his preaching time to the entire congregation.

So there it is in a nutshell and this is just the beginning!

Keep us in your prayers!

 

[reba]

what a valuable mission.... God has a way of using our trails for His glory

 

[Eugene]

Sounds great brother; youth needs such leaders. Spreading wisdom is wonderful, but make sure they obtain understanding with it. I failed with the last young man I tutored, and undoubtedly but for the grace of God he is headed back to prison. God bless you in Jesus' name.

 

[stovebolts]

Well, I was kinda moving in that direction a few years ago when my brother died from heroin, and then I got in a slump. I was gearing back up in that direction when I lost my daughter to herion after finding out she was a meth addict but this time, I'm not going into a slump. Instead, I'm trying to make a difference in this world.

 

[stovebolts]

Eugene,
Prison isn't always a bad thing for some folk. For some, it gives them security because they have structure and predictability there. So I wouldn't say that you failed, because perhaps God's got bigger plans for that young man. Perhaps he'll be the answer to somebodies prayer within the prison walls. We just don't know the impact of Christ he'll have in there, or who he will have an impact on.

 

[Eugene]

Thanks. In any event it's sad. He has already spent near twenty years in prison, and did well as long as there were urine tests during probation. This will result in his third conviction and I fear life as the result.

 

[GrannyJ]

What a fantastic ministry. I am amazed that you have managed to turn your own personal tragedies into something so positive, but then our God is powerful in all situations. I will certainly pray for you.

 

[reba]

Stovebolts not only runs on the mountain road in his avatar. He runs some spiritual mountains also...

Heb 12:1 Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,
Heb 12:2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God

 

[jeff77]

Stove Bolts, I will be praying for your ministry. My wife and I are starting a ministry for drug addicts and we have a meeting with the pastor at our church next week about what we should do to get started. So far I have given my written testimony to a place called Addiction Recovery Ministries or A.R.M it is based in California. Keep us informed of progress your Im sure we can learn from you.

 

[stovebolts]

jeff77
Are you starting a new ministry or are you joining with an existing program and expanding it's capabilities?

I'm asking because for years I've wanted to start a ministry for troubled youth and for years I thought I had to create a "new" ministry. What I found was that there are tons of programs out there that are already established so instead of re-inventing the wheel, I became a part of existing programs.

This has several benefits. First is they've been doing this for some time and have the connections into the community as well as the reputation in the community. This means they have resources and connections.

This approach makes sense to me and I'm already reaping the benifits. For one, I've met many heroin addicts who have met the approval of our executive board that are willing to assist me with the ministry I'm starting. Being a part of something already established lets me use their credentials, which makes it easier to get into places such as schools and Juvenile etc... and I hope to do more in these areas.

By September, I hope to have a program being hosted at our church for addicts with an emphasis on teens. We have connections into the local court system and its something that our town needs. The program is a Biblical approach based on the 12 step program.

 

[jeff77]

jeff77
Are you starting a new ministry or are you joining with an existing program and expanding it's capabilities?

I'm asking because for years I've wanted to start a ministry for troubled youth and for years I thought I had to create a "new" ministry. What I found was that there are tons of programs out there that are already established so instead of re-inventing the wheel, I became a part of existing programs.

This has several benefits. First is they've been doing this for some time and have the connections into the community as well as the reputation in the community. This means they have resources and connections.

This approach makes sense to me and I'm already reaping the benifits. For one, I've met many heroin addicts who have met the approval of our executive board that are willing to assist me with the ministry I'm starting. Being a part of something already established lets me use their credentials, which makes it easier to get into places such as schools and Juvenile etc... and I hope to do more in these areas.

By September, I hope to have a program being hosted at our church for addicts with an emphasis on teens. We have connections into the local court system and its something that our town needs. The program is a Biblical approach based on the 12 step program.

The ministry that my wife and I want to establish in our church and community is from an existing one. Although I don't know if there is anyone using this ministry or other ministries with a similar approach in our area.

After my own 17 year battle with drug/alcohol addiction that ended 2.5 years ago I decided to look for an existing ministry to be a part of or at least be a guideline for a ministry to start in my church and community. I searched the internet and read the beliefs and mission statements of many different Christian ministries. The one that I chose is called Christianaddictionministry.org. The reason I chose this one is because of how it so closely resembles my experience with addiction and how The Lord set me free from it. Let me get back to you later when I'm at home with my computer (I'm on my phone right now).

 

[evenifigoalone]

Good to hear from you, and good to hear how God is working.

 

[stovebolts]

Thanks. In any event it's sad. He has already spent near twenty years in prison, and did well as long as there were urine tests during probation. This will result in his third conviction and I fear life as the result.

That is sad.
What I've learned, is that addiction is like a disease. Actually, in medical terms it is a disease. In other words, it's something that attacks the body and has symptoms.
I know this ruffles some feathers, but if one has a cold, they treat it. If you have the flu, you treat it. If your an addict, you treat it. Prison isn't the answer.
I wish I had the statistics in front of me, but if you can get an addict clean, they stop stealing. Why do the steal? They steal to support their drug habit. Prison doesn't fix the problem... Why does an addict lie? Lying is a symptom of the problem and the problem is addiction. Fix the addiction, and the addict doesn't have a need to lie and the list goes on and on. Three strikes and your out has got to be the stupidest law... Why not put that money into some actual programs designed to help the addict? Economically it's been proven that it saves the taxpayers money in the long run. You know, as a nation we have a real crisis on our hands and prison isn't the answer. If it were, they wouldn't be so full now would they?

What I caught from your post is that this individual lacks self control and has been conditioned to conform to a preset and predictable set of routines. I think that's why he did so well as long as he was accountable to his urine tests. One of my brothers did about 15 years in Federal and he often tells me that he has the desire to go back... Too much freedom on this side of the fence.

 

[stovebolts]

The ministry that my wife and I want to establish in our church and community is from an existing one. Although I don't know if there is anyone using this ministry or other ministries with a similar approach in our area.

After my own 17 year battle with drug/alcohol addiction that ended 2.5 years ago I decided to look for an existing ministry to be a part of or at least be a guideline for a ministry to start in my church and community. I searched the internet and read the beliefs and mission statements of many different Christian ministries. The one that I chose is called Christianaddictionministry.org. The reason I chose this one is because of how it so closely resembles my experience with addiction and how The Lord set me free from it. Let me get back to you later when I'm at home with my computer (I'm on my phone right now).

Praise be to God and congratulations on your 2.5 years of sobriety! That's awesome and I'm so glad God is working through you!

Can I ask what your drug of choice was? I've been clean for well over 20 years now, but my drug of choice was amphetamines.

Edit to add:
Have you heard of this?
http://www.amazon.com/12-Steps-Closer-Walk-God/dp/0971495823

I'd like to bring this into our church this September. When somebody gets out of rehab, they have to do 90 meetings in 90 days. Right now our community only supports 2 meetings a week. The rest of the week the addicts have to travel to other nearby cities. So I know we have a local need.

My only indecision is who do I offer it to? Addicts coming out of rehab etc, or for the teens? I've been told I don't want to mix the teens with the adults. Predators and influence ya know. I've been advised that it's just not a smart idea.

 

[jeff77]

Praise be to God and congratulations on your 2.5 years of sobriety! That's awesome and I'm so glad God is working through you!

Can I ask what your drug of choice was? I've been clean for well over 20 years now, but my drug of choice was amphetamines.

Edit to add:
Have you heard of this?
http://www.amazon.com/12-Steps-Closer-Walk-God/dp/0971495823

I'd like to bring this into our church this September. When somebody gets out of rehab, they have to do 90 meetings in 90 days. Right now our community only supports 2 meetings a week. The rest of the week the addicts have to travel to other nearby cities. So I know we have a local need.

My only indecision is who do I offer it to? Addicts coming out of rehab etc, or for the teens? I've been told I don't want to mix the teens with the adults. Predators and influence ya know. I've been advised that it's just not a smart idea.

Wow, 20 years! That's awesome! I have a couple of questions. Did you get clean by going to meetings? Do you still go?

My drug of choice was opiates, mostly in the form of pills. Cocaine was another one that I switched on and off of as well as alcohol. I haven't heard of that specific 12 step program from the link. I have heard of the Christian based 12 step recovery called Celebrate Recovery. I tried Celebrate Recovery for a while after mostly doing N.A. and A.A but never had much success in any of them. It was only after I stopped going to meetings that I stayed clean and sober. I had gotten so tired of the meetings and I decided to try a new approach. Instead of focusing on fixing my addiction problem I started building my faith by reading the Word, praying more and just improving my relationship with God in general. After doing this for about 8 months I noticed that the desire/cravings to use started to diminish a little. After about a year I had no desire to use any more at all. It was a very strange feeling at first because I thought I was going to have to live with the cravings for the rest of my life because that is what I had been taught.

I am not sure about mixing the teens and adults? It probably is better to keep them separate I guess. They always kept them separate in the rehabs I was in.

 

[stovebolts]

jeff77
They didn't have the meetings 20+ years ago!
I started the amphetamines when I was 12. (I ran away and was living on the streets). I stopped using because I went to Juvenile, and then the institution for 2.5 years. It was in Juvenile where I met Jesus and was made a promise... I will never leave or forsake you, even to the end of the age.

It was enough of a base that when I got out and went back to the streets, even as a dealer and I began to abuse the drugs again I had something to fall back on when I hit my bottom. What I found, was that drugs were my way of self medicating. I started taking them because they were fun to take, but then I took them just because they would take me out of my present situation and put me in a world that wasn't based on reality.

When I was in Juvenile, I had the option to either to to a program (The Johnny Harris program) or I could sit in my cell. I opted for the program lol! He was on death row at the Walla Walla state pen due to bank robbery, but finally won his appeal and was released. His way of giving back was to come into the Juvenile and teach us about good self esteem etc. He also talked about drugs and sticking a needle in your arm. He talked about eating peanuts and drinking water when you were hungry, because the peanuts were good protien and they would swell up and make you feel full. He talked about alternatives to stealing, like going into a mom and pop store and asking them to clean their meat lockers for a sandwich or picking up their parking lot. All good stuff that I used to survive the streets, including Hollywood.

One thing Johny said to me that I believe helped save my life was this. He said never stick a needle in your arm because it's like the devil. Drug dealers will stick a needle in your arm for free 3 or 4 times to get you hooked, once your hooked, your hooked for life and they own you as a customer until you die. I'll never forget the night I was in a hotel room on Sunset Blvd with two hookers and another street rat. We were all higher than a kite from who knows what that evening and he brings out the needle. Man, I wanted that needle something bad and trust me, he wanted me to have that needle something bad... and I caught that. I could feel the devil's presence and I remembered what Johnny said. He did me right, so I had to trust what he said and I'm glad I did. The next morning, the two gals we were with didn't make it through the night. That was a big wake up call for me.

 

[jeff77]

jeff77
They didn't have the meetings 20+ years ago!
I started the amphetamines when I was 12. (I ran away and was living on the streets). I stopped using because I went to Juvenile, and then the institution for 2.5 years. It was in Juvenile where I met Jesus and was made a promise... I will never leave or forsake you, even to the end of the age.

It was enough of a base that when I got out and went back to the streets, even as a dealer and I began to abuse the drugs again I had something to fall back on when I hit my bottom. What I found, was that drugs were my way of self medicating. I started taking them because they were fun to take, but then I took them just because they would take me out of my present situation and put me in a world that wasn't based on reality.

When I was in Juvenile, I had the option to either to to a program (The Johnny Harris program) or I could sit in my cell. I opted for the program lol! He was on death row at the Walla Walla state pen due to bank robbery, but finally won his appeal and was released. His way of giving back was to come into the Juvenile and teach us about good self esteem etc. He also talked about drugs and sticking a needle in your arm. He talked about eating peanuts and drinking water when you were hungry, because the peanuts were good protien and they would swell up and make you feel full. He talked about alternatives to stealing, like going into a mom and pop store and asking them to clean their meat lockers for a sandwich or picking up their parking lot. All good stuff that I used to survive the streets, including Hollywood.

One thing Johny said to me that I believe helped save my life was this. He said never stick a needle in your arm because it's like the devil. Drug dealers will stick a needle in your arm for free 3 or 4 times to get you hooked, once your hooked, your hooked for life and they own you as a customer until you die. I'll never forget the night I was in a hotel room on Sunset Blvd with two hookers and another street rat. We were all higher than a kite from who knows what that evening and he brings out the needle. Man, I wanted that needle something bad and trust me, he wanted me to have that needle something bad... and I caught that. I could feel the devil's presence and I remembered what Johnny said. He did me right, so I had to trust what he said and I'm glad I did. The next morning, the two gals we were with didn't make it through the night. That was a big wake up call for me.

That is quite a testimony! I'm sure that is only part of it. Do you ever share your full testimony in church or a group of people? I think drugs are definitely a tool of the devil and it seems like he is using it more and more these days. Lately I have been doing a lot of thinking and researching about how to reach people with addiction. There are many addicts who are already Christians (I was saved at age 12 but started using at age 15) and then you have the other group of people who are not Christians. How do you do think we as Christians should respond to an addict that shows interest in getting clean but doesn't want to have anything to do with God? That's a tricky one for me because I know a lot of people say that hitting bottom from their addiction is when they finally gave up on everything else and found Christ. As for me, I don't think my relationship with Christ would be as strong as it is if I had not had my battle with addiction.

 

[Obadiah]

Great to hear that God is working this way in your part of the country.

I was just recently invited to be part of a similar ministry here in Washington. It's not focused specifically on drug abuse, but that is part of it. God lead a friend of mine to put together a group of people who could travel to area church's youth groups and speak on various problems that they have overcome through Jesus, depending on what that particular church youth group needs. Seems there is nothing like this in our part of the country, and he got the idea after a church invited the Christian motorcycle club that he is the president of to speak to their youth group. After that, another church heard about it and invited them to come there as well. Seeing a need, he is now actually changing the motorcycle club into a youth ministry, or at least making the youth ministry a major part of the clubs outreach. I'm a member of another club, Bikers for Christ, and it looks like a few others from Bikers for Christ will be joining forces with them as well.

My background and my main calling is youth ministry and I have been praying for a long time that God would show me an area He could use me where I live now. Like what you have started in your area, this is certainly a novel concept where I live and it seems God has shown us a need for it. I pray your ministry will lead many to Christ and deliver many Christians from the bondage of drugs, or whatever sin is holding them back. The one I am now in is brand new and not really off the ground yet, but I pray we can eventually do the same!

 

[reba]

As a mother of a druggie.... Thanks guys ...

 

[Deborah13]

I have a compassionate heart for users. But there are dealers out there who are not users themselves, they are just predators. I knew one personally. He was eventually arrested for selling cocaine and sentenced to 10 short yrs. of which he serviced 7. But before he was ever caught after many years he had his 14 yr old daughter dealing drugs for him in restrooms in bars. By the time both of them were arrested she was over 25 and addicted to heroin, he still wasn't a user.
She spent a year in prison because she wouldn't testify against her father. When he went to prison she turned to prostitution to make the money to feed her habit.
She will be 45 in Sept. and has been off heroin for almost 3 yrs. but still on methadone for the cravings.

So while I agree with StoveBolts that putting users in prison is unproductive for everyone, I believe that people like the man above should be sentenced to life in prison, they are murders.