It's been 9 months since I was in a meeting where Jim Duncan, the statewide Chaplaincy Coordinator for the Department of Corrections, made a call for volunteers for the newly opened Goose Creek Correctional Center. It's been 8 months since I first went out to Goose Creek and met some of the inmates. And it's been 7 months since I taught my first Financial Peace University class with 20 guys from the Faith Wing program at Goose Creek.
Last week I graduated my second class of guys. I've had about 35 guys complete the 12 weeks of Financial Peace University. And in two weeks I'll start my 3rd class with 22 new guys. I wasn't sure how Financial Peace would be received in prison... The guys aren't earning an income (unless they happen to have a job in prison, where they make 50¢ an hour) so there's nothing to budget. But the guys are loving it. The sign up sheet for my next class filled up within an hour of being posted. I've been told there are guys trying to get into the Faith Wing just so they can take my class.
But that's not all that I'm up to. I've also taught one 12 week session of the Bait of Satan from John Bevere. This curriculum teaches how to deal with bitterness and unforgiveness and how to handle being offended. Again, I wasn't sure how the course would be received, but the 20 guys that went through the first class were deeply impacted and my next class that will start in two weeks is also full.
But wait, there's more... In October I was part of launch of God Behind Bars at Goose Creek and now I am in charge of the Friday night service. God Behind Bars utilizes the video service from Central Christian church in Henderson, Nevada. We have around 80 guys from General Population that come each week for service. We have also launched a Sunday morning service for the guys that are in the pre-sentence/pretrial mods. You can watch a great video report on the impact God Behind Bars has had at Hiland Mountain Correctional Center here...
So it's amazing how much can happen in less than a year. I am so thankful that God has opened this opportunity for me. When I started I had no idea how all this would work out. Each inmate going through the Financial Peace class needs a $20 workbook. The prison does not provide any funding for the Faith Wing classes, so it was all on me. I put out a call for help on facebook and on this blog and with 26 hours I had all the money I needed for my first class. Enough was also given to cover my second class, this class I'm about to launch and two other classes I'll do in 2014. By the end of this year, almost 100 inmates will have gone through the class.
I'm still accepting donations for future classes at Goose Creek. If you'd like to support this financially, you can get the details here... But my biggest need right now is not financial. I need people. For the Friday night God Behind Bars service I'm out there by myself. And I'm doing my best to make a connection with as inmates as possible, but I'm just one person. I'm still looking for local individuals to come out and be a part. It's not complicated... It's just being there to talk with and pray with the inmates. It would be a perfect outreach opportunity for a men's group. There's a volunteer orientation class coming up soon for getting your volunteer card for DOC.
I want to say a HUGE thank you to all who have given towards my efforts at Goose Creek and thank you to all have prayed. And the guys I've been ministering to also wanted me to pass on their thanks. Often they feel like the world has tossed them away and forgotten about them. But they still matter to God and when their sentence is up they will rejoin society. I see their time in prison as a chance to bring the light and truth of the Gospel to them. We serve a God of second chances. He gave me a second chance, He gave you a second chance and these guys are doing their best to make something of their second chance.
Jan 28, 2014
Valdez Avalanche
Government officials and Valdez residents are worried about flash floods should the river break through the ice all at once and are monitoring the situation closely.
On a recent video posted to YouTube, you can see the destruction. At the 1:09 mark, you can see the water rushing into a tunnel. That tunnel is a partially completed railroad tunnel built in 1907 by the Guggenheim Syndicate. You can read more details about the colorful history (and a shoot out!!) here...
So here's the video of the avalanche. Again, the water entering the tunnel is evident at the 1:09 mark.
Nov 27, 2013
Your Life is a Result of What You Do...
I got this list from Dave's blog, who got it from here....
1.70% of wealthy eat less than 300 junk food calories per day. 97% of poor people eat more than 300 junk food calories per day.
2. 80% of wealthy are focused on accomplishing some single goal. Only 12% of the poor do this.
3. 76% of wealthy exercise aerobically four days a week. 23% of poor do this.
4. 63% of wealthy listen to audio books during commute to work vs. 5% of poor people.
5. 81% of wealthy maintain a to-do list vs. 19% of poor.
6. 63% of wealthy parents make their children read two or more non-fiction books a month vs. 3% of poor.
7. 70% of wealthy parents make their children volunteer 10 hours or more a month vs. 3% of poor.
8. 80% of wealthy make Happy Birthday calls vs. 11% of poor.
9. 67% of wealthy write down their goals vs. 17% of poor.
10. 88% of wealthy read 30 minutes or more each day for education or career reasons vs. 2% of poor.
11. 6% of wealthy say what’s on their mind vs. 69% of poor.
12. 79% of wealthy network five hours or more each month vs. 16% of poor.
13. 67% of wealthy watch one hour or less of TV every day vs. 23% of poor.
14. 6% of wealthy watch reality TV vs. 78% of poor.
15. 44% of wealthy wake up three hours before work starts vs. 3% of poor.
16. 74% of wealthy teach good daily success habits to their children vs. 1% of poor.
17. 84% of wealthy believe good habits create opportunity luck vs. 4% of poor.
18. 76% of wealthy believe bad habits create detrimental luck vs. 9% of poor.
19. 86% of wealthy believe in lifelong educational self-improvement vs. 5% of poor.
20. 86% of wealthy love to read vs. 26% of poor.
21. 23% of wealthy gamble vs. 52% of poor people gamble.
What are you thoughts?
Nov 16, 2013
A Little More on God Behind Bars
As I've mentioned in previous posts, I am now the God Behind Bars campus leader for Goose Creek Correctional Center. Its something that came out of no where, but I am very excited about what God is going to do through our Friday night services.
As I mentioned in my last post, I am looking for volunteers. You can read all the details here...
We just had our fourth service on Friday night. We had 40 inmates in attendance for our first service. Our second service had about 140 inmates packed into the gym where we hold service. For our third and fourth service, we had between 70 to 80 inmates.
We are not exactly sure why we had the drop after the second week. We do know there's several services a week being offered, so perhaps the "churched" inmates are not looking for another service. Which is perfect, because our target audience is the "unchurched" inmates, meaning those who are not involved in any services right now. The men who are attending are loving the worship music and the preaching and we believe a core group of men are being built up.
So, your question at this point may be "What is the impact of this program?" Well, I'm glad you asked. God Behind Bars has been in the Hiland Mountain Correctional Center in Eagle River for about 13 months. Hiland Mountain is a women's facility, housing about 400 inmates. Approximately half of the ladies attend the God Behind Bars service.
Phil Reese, the Alaska director for God Behind Bars has just produced an excellent video highlighting the impact God Behind Bars is having:
God Behind Bars // Alaska from LR on Vimeo.
As I mentioned in my last post, I am looking for volunteers. You can read all the details here...
We just had our fourth service on Friday night. We had 40 inmates in attendance for our first service. Our second service had about 140 inmates packed into the gym where we hold service. For our third and fourth service, we had between 70 to 80 inmates.
We are not exactly sure why we had the drop after the second week. We do know there's several services a week being offered, so perhaps the "churched" inmates are not looking for another service. Which is perfect, because our target audience is the "unchurched" inmates, meaning those who are not involved in any services right now. The men who are attending are loving the worship music and the preaching and we believe a core group of men are being built up.
So, your question at this point may be "What is the impact of this program?" Well, I'm glad you asked. God Behind Bars has been in the Hiland Mountain Correctional Center in Eagle River for about 13 months. Hiland Mountain is a women's facility, housing about 400 inmates. Approximately half of the ladies attend the God Behind Bars service.
Phil Reese, the Alaska director for God Behind Bars has just produced an excellent video highlighting the impact God Behind Bars is having:
God Behind Bars // Alaska from LR on Vimeo.
Nov 4, 2013
A Cry For Help!
But wait, this isn't about begging for money. Well, I'll still take donations for workbooks for my next Financial Peace University (you can see how to give here...) but this is about needing YOU.
So here's the deal. I've been doing my Financial Peace class at Goose Creek Correctional Center since July, and that's going great. Four weeks ago I started my second class of it, and at the same time launched the Bait of Satan curriculum from John Bevere, which teaches how to deal with forgiveness & bitterness. This isn't where I need the help (unless you really feel a call to get involved with either class.)
Earlier this year I attended a God Behind Bars service at Hiland Mountain Correctional Center and was blown away. It's a video service, utilizing the video feed from Central Christian Church in Las Vegas. The inmates put up a high quality audio/video setup and present a high energy, high impact service that the inmates connect with. At the same time, inmate's families can watch the exact same service at ChurchInside.com .
After that service I told Phil, the Alaskan director for GBB, that if they ever got the program into Goose Creek I'd love to help in some way. Fast forward to a couple of weeks ago... Arctic Slope Regional Corp had donated over $30,000 to purchase the equipment and Goose Creek and the administration at Goose Creek had set aside the gym and provided Correctional Officers for a Friday night service. After my Financial Peace class, I head over to the gym where the inmate volunteers are getting ready to set the equipment up for the first time. Phil is there and so is Jake Bodine, the founder of God Behind Bars. And so is Scott Thompson, the Faith Wing chaplain who up until now has been charge of GBB at Goose Creek.
I get into the gym and Scott looks at me and says: "Hey, I've got another commitment on Friday nights, so you are in charge of the GBB service. Phil will be here to help for a few weeks, and then it's all you."
Wow... Okay. So now I'm the campus leader for God Behind Bars at Goose Creek. In our first service we had 40 inmates. Not bad for the first service with very little advertising. And then this last week, in our second service, we had not 40 inmates, but 140 inmates. We more than tripled in one week.
That's where you come in. I need you. I need volunteers for the Friday night service. You don't have to sing, you don't have to preach, you just have to be there. You greet the guys, you participate in the service, you pray with them.
I'd like to have enough volunteers to have several different teams so you wouldn't have to go out every week, unless you wanted to go out every week. I'm lookin' for individuals, men's groups, small groups, bibles studies and prayer groups. For everyone's safety, it needs to be men or married couples. But, if you are single lady and want to get in on the fun, there's the GBB service for the ladies at Hiland.
Time is of the essence. The services have already started and I expect them to keep growing. The gym only holds about 250 guys and the prison is already talking about maybe having to do a couple of services to meet the demand. To be a religious volunteer for DOC you need to fill out an application with a pastoral reference and attend an orientation class. There is an orientation class coming up here in the Valley on November 12th. You can see the details on the class here...
So this is me. On my knees, begging. I'm not asking you to make a lifetime commitment. Give me every other week for the next three months. Or something. Anything. You won't regret it.
Maybe you can talk to your Pastor, or the Men's Ministry leader at your church. If they've got questions, I'll do what I can to answer them. I can be reached via email at FPUinWasilla@gmail.com.
Here's my perspective on prison ministry. Regardless of what these guys did get into prison, the truth is that 94% them will eventually be released. 66% percent of them will be back in jail within two years. But, if they are part of faith based activities that drops to 33%. We can help give these guys a second chance at life. And not just them, but their families, their communities. 38% of the inmate population in our state is made up of Alaska Natives from almost every village. Wanna impact every community in Alaska without having to get on a plane? Just make a 40 minute drive down the road. Give it a shot. Let's see what God can do...
So here's the deal. I've been doing my Financial Peace class at Goose Creek Correctional Center since July, and that's going great. Four weeks ago I started my second class of it, and at the same time launched the Bait of Satan curriculum from John Bevere, which teaches how to deal with forgiveness & bitterness. This isn't where I need the help (unless you really feel a call to get involved with either class.)
Earlier this year I attended a God Behind Bars service at Hiland Mountain Correctional Center and was blown away. It's a video service, utilizing the video feed from Central Christian Church in Las Vegas. The inmates put up a high quality audio/video setup and present a high energy, high impact service that the inmates connect with. At the same time, inmate's families can watch the exact same service at ChurchInside.com .
After that service I told Phil, the Alaskan director for GBB, that if they ever got the program into Goose Creek I'd love to help in some way. Fast forward to a couple of weeks ago... Arctic Slope Regional Corp had donated over $30,000 to purchase the equipment and Goose Creek and the administration at Goose Creek had set aside the gym and provided Correctional Officers for a Friday night service. After my Financial Peace class, I head over to the gym where the inmate volunteers are getting ready to set the equipment up for the first time. Phil is there and so is Jake Bodine, the founder of God Behind Bars. And so is Scott Thompson, the Faith Wing chaplain who up until now has been charge of GBB at Goose Creek.
I get into the gym and Scott looks at me and says: "Hey, I've got another commitment on Friday nights, so you are in charge of the GBB service. Phil will be here to help for a few weeks, and then it's all you."
Wow... Okay. So now I'm the campus leader for God Behind Bars at Goose Creek. In our first service we had 40 inmates. Not bad for the first service with very little advertising. And then this last week, in our second service, we had not 40 inmates, but 140 inmates. We more than tripled in one week.
That's where you come in. I need you. I need volunteers for the Friday night service. You don't have to sing, you don't have to preach, you just have to be there. You greet the guys, you participate in the service, you pray with them.
I'd like to have enough volunteers to have several different teams so you wouldn't have to go out every week, unless you wanted to go out every week. I'm lookin' for individuals, men's groups, small groups, bibles studies and prayer groups. For everyone's safety, it needs to be men or married couples. But, if you are single lady and want to get in on the fun, there's the GBB service for the ladies at Hiland.
Time is of the essence. The services have already started and I expect them to keep growing. The gym only holds about 250 guys and the prison is already talking about maybe having to do a couple of services to meet the demand. To be a religious volunteer for DOC you need to fill out an application with a pastoral reference and attend an orientation class. There is an orientation class coming up here in the Valley on November 12th. You can see the details on the class here...
So this is me. On my knees, begging. I'm not asking you to make a lifetime commitment. Give me every other week for the next three months. Or something. Anything. You won't regret it.
Maybe you can talk to your Pastor, or the Men's Ministry leader at your church. If they've got questions, I'll do what I can to answer them. I can be reached via email at FPUinWasilla@gmail.com.
Here's my perspective on prison ministry. Regardless of what these guys did get into prison, the truth is that 94% them will eventually be released. 66% percent of them will be back in jail within two years. But, if they are part of faith based activities that drops to 33%. We can help give these guys a second chance at life. And not just them, but their families, their communities. 38% of the inmate population in our state is made up of Alaska Natives from almost every village. Wanna impact every community in Alaska without having to get on a plane? Just make a 40 minute drive down the road. Give it a shot. Let's see what God can do...
Oct 28, 2013
Seven Months Ago....
It's amazing how fast things can change... Seven months ago I was a washed up former minister with no real direction or purpose. Okay, I'm being a little dramatic... But I wasn't feeling to great about things. Well, it wasn't all bad. I have an amazing wife, a great family and a good job working with and for some good people.
And yet I knew there was more to life than what I was living. God creates us with a purpose. He puts giftings and callings inside of us that He wants to see us use to reach hurting and lost people with a message of hope.
So there I was, seven months ago in a meeting when Jim Duncan,the Chaplaincy Coordinator for Alaska made a call for volunteers to minister to the inmates at the newly opened Goose Creek Correctional Center. I had never been drawn to prison ministry before but sometimes in life you gotta try something new to know if it's your thing. Stepping out of your comfort zone is sometime the only way to step into all that you were meant to be.
In July I started my first Financial Peace University class at GCCC with 14 guys graduating. It was made possible by many of you who generously gave to buy workbooks for the inmates. After my first class graduated on October 4th, I started a new class on October 11th with 23 guys. I had enough finances leftover from your giving for the first class that I didn't need to beg for more money for the second class. (However, I'll launch my third class in just about 9 weeks. If you'd like to give towards that, you can get the details on how to do that here....)
In addition to kicking off another round of FPU, I also launched a class using the Bait of Satan curriculum from John Bevere. The 19 inmates in this class are learning how to get free of the bitterness & unforgiveness that comes from being offended. It's an excellent class that I think is going to produce some great results.
As great as all this is; none of this is my big news. In previous posts I've mentioned the God Behind Bars ministry. They use top quality audio & video equipment to show a pre-recorded video service from Central Christian Church in Las Vegas. The service is high energy and high impact and the guys seem to instantly connect to the message. But the ministry is more than just a service. They also offer a Celebrate Recovery, which is a biblical based 12 step program and a follow up program for inmates once they are released. Through their Church on the Inside website the inmate's families can also watch the same service at the same time from their homes. The ministry will soon be in over a dozen prisons stretching from Florida to Alaska, including Goose Creek here in the Valley, Highland Mountain in Eagle River, Spring Creek in Seward and in Ketchikan Correctional Center in Southeast Alaska.
And as of this weekend, I am now the Campus Leader for God Behind Bars at Goose Creek. Which essentially means I just became the pastor of a very exclusive church. To get in, you have to be ordered there by a judge...We only had about 50 guys at our first service, but that was with almost no PR to the General Population pods. The feedback we received from the guys was very positive and I'm expecting double the attendance at our next service.
As Campus Leader I'm responsible for coordinating the services and directing the inmate volunteers in their roles. That's the easy part. I'm also responsible for raising a team of at least a dozen volunteers from the outside. That's the scary part. I've never been that good at recruiting volunteers and that was when I was on staff at a local church. Now I'm in a spot with no real connections to a local church to draw from.
So I'm going to do this the same way I raised the money I needed for the workbooks for FPU. I'm going to turn to the power of the interwebs! If you are here in the MatSu Valley and want to get involved in a very rewarding ministry, I've got a place for you!
The services are on Friday nights, at Goose Creek Correctional Center which is about a 45 minute drive from downtown Wasilla. I'm looking to build a big enough team to have people rotate, so you wouldn't have to go out every week. This would also be a great ministry opportunity for a men's bible study, Promise Keeper's group or small group/cell group.
To get your volunteer card from DOC you have to fill out a form, pass a basic background check and attend an orientation class. These volunteer classes are held every month or so, based on demand. As it happens, there's two upcoming classes here in the Valley. One is this Thursday on the 31st in Palmer and the other is November 12th in Wasilla.
The primary roles of the volunteers will be to have a "ministry of presence". Just being out there talking with the guys and being available to pray with them is all we are looking for. Sometimes these guys feel like the world has thrown them in a hole and forgotten about them. And it's easy for them to feel like God has forgotten about them. You being there brings the love of God to them.
So... To sum up a very long post. God is good. I'm in over my head. I need help. Please help. Pretty please. It'll be more fun than puttin' socks on a rooster...
And yet I knew there was more to life than what I was living. God creates us with a purpose. He puts giftings and callings inside of us that He wants to see us use to reach hurting and lost people with a message of hope.
In addition to kicking off another round of FPU, I also launched a class using the Bait of Satan curriculum from John Bevere. The 19 inmates in this class are learning how to get free of the bitterness & unforgiveness that comes from being offended. It's an excellent class that I think is going to produce some great results.
As great as all this is; none of this is my big news. In previous posts I've mentioned the God Behind Bars ministry. They use top quality audio & video equipment to show a pre-recorded video service from Central Christian Church in Las Vegas. The service is high energy and high impact and the guys seem to instantly connect to the message. But the ministry is more than just a service. They also offer a Celebrate Recovery, which is a biblical based 12 step program and a follow up program for inmates once they are released. Through their Church on the Inside website the inmate's families can also watch the same service at the same time from their homes. The ministry will soon be in over a dozen prisons stretching from Florida to Alaska, including Goose Creek here in the Valley, Highland Mountain in Eagle River, Spring Creek in Seward and in Ketchikan Correctional Center in Southeast Alaska.
And as of this weekend, I am now the Campus Leader for God Behind Bars at Goose Creek. Which essentially means I just became the pastor of a very exclusive church. To get in, you have to be ordered there by a judge...We only had about 50 guys at our first service, but that was with almost no PR to the General Population pods. The feedback we received from the guys was very positive and I'm expecting double the attendance at our next service.
As Campus Leader I'm responsible for coordinating the services and directing the inmate volunteers in their roles. That's the easy part. I'm also responsible for raising a team of at least a dozen volunteers from the outside. That's the scary part. I've never been that good at recruiting volunteers and that was when I was on staff at a local church. Now I'm in a spot with no real connections to a local church to draw from.
So I'm going to do this the same way I raised the money I needed for the workbooks for FPU. I'm going to turn to the power of the interwebs! If you are here in the MatSu Valley and want to get involved in a very rewarding ministry, I've got a place for you!
The services are on Friday nights, at Goose Creek Correctional Center which is about a 45 minute drive from downtown Wasilla. I'm looking to build a big enough team to have people rotate, so you wouldn't have to go out every week. This would also be a great ministry opportunity for a men's bible study, Promise Keeper's group or small group/cell group.
To get your volunteer card from DOC you have to fill out a form, pass a basic background check and attend an orientation class. These volunteer classes are held every month or so, based on demand. As it happens, there's two upcoming classes here in the Valley. One is this Thursday on the 31st in Palmer and the other is November 12th in Wasilla.
The primary roles of the volunteers will be to have a "ministry of presence". Just being out there talking with the guys and being available to pray with them is all we are looking for. Sometimes these guys feel like the world has thrown them in a hole and forgotten about them. And it's easy for them to feel like God has forgotten about them. You being there brings the love of God to them.
So... To sum up a very long post. God is good. I'm in over my head. I need help. Please help. Pretty please. It'll be more fun than puttin' socks on a rooster...
Oct 10, 2013
FPU @ GCCC: The End Means a New Beginning
Last week I wrapped up my first Financial Peace University at Goose Creek Correctional Center. I handed out 14 graduation certificates to the guys. Well, I wasn't able to hand out all 14. One of the guys got released a couple of weeks ago. Even though he missed the last two videos, he still got the heart of the Financial Peace message. So for me it is exciting to think there's already a guy out there who has the knowledge & tools he needs to win with money, and he got that information in prison.
I want to say again a HUGE thank you to all who gave towards buying workbooks for the class. You gave enough that I was able to order my next batch of workbooks for my new class that starts this Friday! The room we use for the class only holds about 20 people, so that is what we limited registration to. And I'm told the sign up sheet for the class filled up immediately.
In order to be a part of this class, guys give up their recreation time to be there. Some of them are giving up their work time to be there. They don't make much in their prison jobs, but it's all they have so for them to give up work hours to do the class means a lot.
As I said, I start my new class on Friday. But that's not all. I'm also doing a 12 week class on the Bait of Satan material from John Bevere. This course talks about dealing with bitterness, forgiveness and dealing with offenses. It's also a full class with 20 guys signed up.
There's three things you can help me in:
Oh, I almost forgot! If you are looking to take the class yourself and don't want to go to prison to do it, Jonathan Hall will be holding one at King's Chapel here in Wasilla. You can see more info here.... If you live outside the Valley and want information on a class in your area, visit www.DaveRamsey.com/FPU.
I want to say again a HUGE thank you to all who gave towards buying workbooks for the class. You gave enough that I was able to order my next batch of workbooks for my new class that starts this Friday! The room we use for the class only holds about 20 people, so that is what we limited registration to. And I'm told the sign up sheet for the class filled up immediately.
In order to be a part of this class, guys give up their recreation time to be there. Some of them are giving up their work time to be there. They don't make much in their prison jobs, but it's all they have so for them to give up work hours to do the class means a lot.
As I said, I start my new class on Friday. But that's not all. I'm also doing a 12 week class on the Bait of Satan material from John Bevere. This course talks about dealing with bitterness, forgiveness and dealing with offenses. It's also a full class with 20 guys signed up.
There's three things you can help me in:
- Pray for me. I'm still adapting the class for the prison and I want it to be as effective as possible. And doing the Bait of Satan is brand new for me, so I'm a little nervous about that...
- If you are able to, and have the desire to, I'm collecting funds for the next class after this one I'm about to start. As long as I'm able to, I'm going to keep doing these classes back to back. The details on how to give are here....
- Wanna really get involved? If you live locally and have your Fridays free, come out and be a part. I can use help with the classes. And at the end of the month there'll be a new Friday night service starting that I'm going to help with and we can always use more people. To be involved in prison ministry you have to be able to pass a background check and go through a 2 hour orientation class. It looks like there'll be an orientation class coming up here in the Valley in November. If you are interested, let me know and I'll get you more details.
Oh, I almost forgot! If you are looking to take the class yourself and don't want to go to prison to do it, Jonathan Hall will be holding one at King's Chapel here in Wasilla. You can see more info here.... If you live outside the Valley and want information on a class in your area, visit www.DaveRamsey.com/FPU.
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