What have I gotten myself into? (And an update...)

Sometimes things can change in the blink of an eye...

There's a story in 2 Kings 6:24-7:20 of a time in Israel's history when the city Samaria was under siege and the food supply for the city had been cut off. Food was so scarce and expensive that people had resorted to eating donkey's heads, bird poop & cannibalism. (Which is probably still better for you than McDonalds...)

I'll let you read the whole story for yourself, but at the word of the Lord in a mere 24 hours everything changed and food was plentiful. That's the God I serve. In the blink of an eye everything can change!

And now I'm in a spot where a few months ago the idea of doing Financial Peace University in a correctional facility was just a wistful dream and a vague hope. And then the door opened to do the class out at the new Goose Creek Correctional Center, but I didn't have the money to fund the class. But after putting a call out to you, the reader, I had enough come in to cover this class and part of my next class.

And now this week I've been asked to do a second class at Goose Creek. Oh, and I've also been asked to do a class at the Alaska Dream Center, a local rehabilitation center. And I've also been asked to the do the class at the transitional home in Anchorage operated by Alaska Correctional Ministries. And then the chaplain at Spring Creek Correctional Center in Seward (which is about 160 miles away) wants me to do the class... And I have a full time job.

So four weeks ago all I had was one simple class at Goose Creek that I was able to re-arrange my work schedule for (and thanks to my incredible employers for being so understanding...). And now this week I'm trying to figure out how to be 6 different places during the week. And figure out how to pay for all of it... But it's a good problem to have. If forces me to rely on God.

And don't worry... this blog post isn't another call for money.... but if you feel inclined to give, you can see your options on how to do that here in this post. I would solicit your prayers though. And if you are local and want to get involved in a really exciting, fun ministry there's plenty of room for more volunteers.

So here's the update on my current group at GCCC: This was the third week and we talked about the nuts and bolts of budgeting. These guys seem more engaged in the class than most of the other classes I've done. They are eating it up. And this week I handed out the workbooks that you guys helped to buy. The men wanted to me to pass on their gratitude. I've asked them to write down their thoughts on the class for me to share with you. I'll have some of those next week to share with you.

For now though, I have to find a cloning machine and a pile of cash...

Why I Got Invovled In Prison Ministry

If you had told me 4 months ago that I would be involved in Prison Ministry, I would you have told you that you are a french fry short of a happy meal. Sure, I grew up in church and I had often heard Matthew 28:35-40:

For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’ Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ The King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’

So yeah... We are suppose to feed the hungry, clothe the poor, blah... blah... blah. So we throw a few buck in the offering for the missionary or the outreach or whatever and then we feel better about ourselves and move on with our lives. Rarely in the American church are we mobilized to action.

And then Prison Ministry carries an additional point of resistance.... Usually if you are in jail, you are there for a reason. Anyone can have a crisis and wind up poor or hungry. Sometimes life happens to you. But going to jail means you were bad. You broke the rules. You messed up, you got caught and now you are serving out your punishment.... So why should you get a special dose of ministry?

Here's the conclusion I've come to in the last few days. Regardless of what got someone in prison, it happened in the past. You can't change it. All you can do is move forward from here. Studies show that approximately 94% of all inmates are eventually released. So most people incarcerated today will be getting out at some point. The very sad thing is the 66% (that is 2 out of 3) of those released will wind up back in prison within three years. That tells me despite the great men & women working in the system, the system is broken. A 33% success rate is a complete failure.

If you want different results, you  have to do things differently. If we want to stop the destructive cycle, we have to do all we can to equip these men & women with the tools they need to succeed. That includes counseling, teaching job skills, helping with substance abuse and it must include teaching in basic personal finances.

Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University has been taught across the nation for over 20 years with millions of families participating. I've been coordination Financial Peace classes in Wasilla for over 5 years, leading over a dozen classes and over 250 people being a part. Financial Peace University is a proven, effective tool in teaching people to handle money the way God intended.

I was reading Romans 10:14-15 the other day, which says:

How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher? How will they preach unless they are sent?

That word "sent" could also be interpreted as "sent on a specific mission." That means not just saying I'm going to the grocery store, but saying I'm going to the store to get eggs, milk & cheese. So I have a clear mission that I am being sent on. When these inmates are released, they face the challenge of finding housing, transportation and employment. Many of them will have old debts to deal with and restitution for their crimes. My mission is to make sure they face these obstacles with the knowledge of what it is going to take to be successful.

If you'd like to help me with this, you can read the details here...

Prison Update!

Last week I gave a call for help in being able to facilitate Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University out at the new Goose Creek Correction Center. (Read my post here for all the details...)

I was amazed at the response. Within 26 hours I had the money I needed to purchase the 21 workbooks I needed for the class. Today when I reported back to the guys in the class the outpouring of support, they were deeply touched by people's willingness to invest in their growth. Being incarcerated can feel like the world has thrown you in hole and forgotten about you.

I've seen in these men a determination to change the course of the lives. In the two class sessions  I've held, the men have been fully engaged. They are not just there filling their time.

So thank you to all who gave. Enough came in to cover this class, and I have about half of what I will need to cover my next class. There's 128 men in the Faith Wing. I plan on doing a class of 25 men every 12 weeks, which means it'll take me over a year to process through everyone. And by then there'll be a new batch of inmates.

I also have been asked to conduct a class for a local rehabilitation center. The class will be for those about to graduate out of the program, equipping them to win with money as they make a new start in life.

So if you wanted to help me in this, there's still plenty of opportunity. And I now have some more options for you to give:

• The cleanest, easiest way for me is for you to directly give me or mail me cash or a check. No tax deductible receipt can be given, and 100% of your gift will go towards the program.
• The second best way is for you to give via Paypal at this link and use FPUinWasilla@gmail.com as the receiving address. Paypal charges me a 3% transaction fee.
• If you would like to give as a tax deductible item, you can now give your gift through the Alaska Ministry Network and they can pass it on to me. Checks can be mailed to Alaska Ministry Network, 1048 W. International Airport Road, Suite 101, Anchorage AK 99518. Just mark your donation as being for "FPU in Wasilla." 100% of your gift will go towards the program.
• And finally, if you want to give online and receive a tax deduction, you can give online at the Alaska Ministry Network's website and mark your gift for "FPU in Wasilla".  I will be charged a 3% processing fee on these gifts.

I am very grateful to the leadership of the Alaska Ministry Network in their willingness to partner with me. The Alaska Ministry Network represents over 80 Assembly of God churches across Alaska and has been ministering in our great state since 1917.

This Sunday, the 28th, I've been asked to give a report to the people of Christian Fellowship of Wasilla. And on Wednesday, August 14th I will be giving a report to Wasilla Assembly of God in their Wednesday night service. I'm looking forward to these chances to share the great things God is doing in our Alaska prisons.

Thank you again for those who have given and for those who have been praying for us. I can not express how grateful I am. You are a blessing! Stay tuned and I will continue to report on the progress of the program. I know that God is going to do incredible things through this! I'm believing for a day when Financial Peace University is taught in every prison in Alaska and every inmate who has served their time and is released goes back into the world equipped with an understanding of what God says about money.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!!

In my last post I put out a call for help with buying the necessary workbooks for the Financial Peace University class I am coordinating out at the new Goose Creek Correctional Center. I had 21 eager men that were looking to be equipped with the personal finance skills they would need to make it on the outside once they are released.

I have been overwhelmed by the response I got. Within 26 hours I had raised $640 from 8 donors, meaning I exceed my goal by $200. I will be forever grateful to those who have given so generously. I will be able to order the materials I need and these men who are trying to make something better of themselves will have the tools they need. (For some reason Ray Bolt's "Thank You for Giving to the Lord" is going through my head...)

But this doesn't end here... It looks like every 12 weeks I will have another group of 20 to 25 men taking the class. And I just committed to coordinating a class at a local rehabilitation center for a dozen or so men.

So I'm going to need to figure out a steady stream of support. But in the meantime, the door will be open if you'd like to partner with me with a financial gift. If you'd like to be a part, please use this Paypal link and input my email:  FPUinWasilla@gmail.com . 

Oh, and some other exciting news... A major, established ministry organization is considering letting me affiliate with them. That means that if it all works out, in the future donations can be made through them, giving the donors the option of receiving a receipt for a tax deductible contribution. I'll release all the details from that when it happens.

So this weekend was pretty amazing. I never thought I'd have a heart for prison ministry. But I spent Friday afternoon with a group of guys who were willing to do whatever it takes to live their lives differently. Then I spent Friday night at Highland Mountain Correctional Center in Eagle River in the God Behind Bars service watching 150 of the 300 inmates in the General Population worshiping God with great passion. I am excited to see where all of this goes....

Again, thank you to those who have given. I will come back to give regular reports of how it is going. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions. And if you are local and ever want to go along or get involved we can make that happen.

God bless!

I need your help...

****Click here to see the report from my cry for help***

 Normally with my posts I try to include lots of pictures that I have taken.... This time I had to find pictures online because the place I want to talk about doesn't allow pictures to be taken on the inside. I want to talk about Goose Creek Correctional Center. It's Alaska's newest prison, built just last year. It was constructed to house 1,500 inmates that were being held out of state in a private prison.

Having a new facility with this many men presented a challenge to the Chaplaincy department. Rev. Jim Duncan, the Chaplaincy coordinator was suddenly faced with having to meet spiritual needs of a small town with no additional funding or personnel. And since beggars can not be choosers, Jim took me up on my offer to present Financial Peace University from Dave Ramsey as a class for the men.

I'm teaching the class as part of the Faith Wing program. The Faith Wing is a dedicated 128 bed pod or wing of the prison. To be a part of the Faith Wing, the inmates agree to abide by a stricter set of rules and participate in additional classes.

My first of twelve weeks of class was on Friday, July 19th. I had 21 men that have chosen to acquire the tools and information that they will need to win with money on the outside. 94% of all inmates are eventually released and statistics tell us that 50% to 70% of those will eventually wind up back in jail. One factor in a convicts inability to leave a life of crime is a lack of understanding of the basics of personal finances, including budgeting, spending, avoiding debt and saving for the future.

I believe Financial Peace University can have a huge impact in the lives of these 21 men. But I need your help. For the class to have it's biggest impact, I need each inmate to have his own workbook.
The workbook will cost me $19 each, meaning I need $399. And I need it fast. I've got some money I putting towards this, but I can't cover the whole cost.

I've never asked for help like this in the past, but I do it without shame or hesitation. I asked the men if they get any instruction or help in understanding finances before being released and they told me they do not. When their time is up, they are simply released and told to be good boys. They need these classes to equip them for a successful chance of making it on the outside.
If you can help in any way, no matter how small, please click on this link to send money via Paypal. The email address to put in is FPUinWasilla@gmail.com . Or if you are local,we can arrange to meet. I'm not set up for your contribution to be tax deductible, so your only benefit will be knowing you've done something to help make our world a better place and make a difference in someones life.
Thank you for taking time to read this long post. God bless.

***Update: Click here to see the report of what happened***

Portage Glacier Cruise

I love glaciers. I'm not too proud to admit that... And I'll jump at any chance to get close to one. So this last weekend we headed to down to Portage Lake to cruise aboard the MV Ptarmigan to the face of Portage Glacier.
The cruise is just an hour long. You can do much longer glacier cruises out of nearby Whittier, but this one much less expensive and fits better into a full day of other activities.
The boat is set up nice with an indoor seating or an outdoor viewing area, bathrooms, and an on-board naturalist from the USFS.

The 15 minute cruise out to the glacier takes you past multiple water falls. Portage Lake is very deep and has steep sides so the boat can maneuver quite close to the edge.
The size and strength of the waterfalls vary based on snow pack and weather. Today they were all flowing pretty strong.

But, we weren't here to see waterfalls... We were here to see a glacier. The Portage Glacier. The big, blue river of ice. The ice crystals in a glacier are composed of super compressed snow. They are so densely packed that they actually filter the other colors in the light spectrum, so they appear to be blue.
We spent a little over 30 minutes at the face of the glacier, just 300 yards away.

Portage Glacier is not the only glacier in Portage Valley. You can hike up to Byron Glacier. Burns Glacier also overlooks Portage Lake, but does not reach it. But the water that melts off the glacier cascades down in a glorious waterfall.

I'm told that the width of the creek at that waterfall is over 40 feet. Which means the height of the fall must be around 100 feet.

Since the cruise was only an hour long we decided to do some Geocaching. The Portage Valley has several well developed trails that take you to some really nice spots.
We found a cache up under a small bridge over a clear, beautiful stream. The next cache was just 500 feet down a side trail that ran between two ponds. We started down that way and got may 100 feet when a gull flew right over our heads, shrieking loudly. It startled us both, but we kept going. And then it buzzed us again, even closer. And then again... And then again. Suddenly we realized it's chicks were in the road just ahead of us and it was trying to run us off. We back pedaled quickly as the bird did one final run over our heads. Once we backed off enough for it to be happy, we stood and watched it for a while. At one point an eagle was flying overhead and the gull went up and was harassing the eagle to run it off.
I managed to get a few seconds of video from one of it's attacks:

Death from Above...

So we were out Geocaching in the Portage Valley... We were on a trail in the brush. We had already passed three large piles of bear scat. And then apparently we got to close to this guy's nest and young chicks...
This video clip is from his fourth attempt to kill us...