Weeks 13 & 14: Psalm 100

Psalm 100: A Psalm of Praise;
or rather of thanksgiving

Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth!
Serve the Lord with gladness!
Come into his presence with singing!
Know that the Lord, He is God!
It is He who made us, and we are His;
we are His people, and the sheep of his pasture.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
and his courts with praise!
Give thanks to Him; bless His name!
For the Lord is good;
His steadfast love endures forever,
and His faithfulness to all generations.

Hello friends and family:

How fitting is it during this season of Thanksgiving to start this blog with a reminder of the goodness and greatness of the Lord and that we should be entering into his presence with Thanksgiving each and every hour of our lives. Our happy God should be worshipped by a happy people; a cheerful spirit is in keeping with his nature, His acts, and the gratitude which we should cherish for his mercies. What a powerful feeling when we enter into His gates with Thanksgiving Oh! How thankful I am for His lasting faithfulness and uncompromising love.

Thanksgiving 2006 was spent in Colorado Springs with my dear friend Megan. It was a joyful time spent with some other young Christians. The fellowship was splendid and the food was out of this world (thanks again Megan!!) That would be Megan and Karen working hard (or playing) in the kitchen Thanksgiving afternoon. It was pretty rough not being able to spend Thanksgiving with my family and friends back in Delaware. However, the Lord has provided me with a family out here and it was a wonderful experience. I thank Him constantly for all of his provisions that He has prepared for me ahead of my arrival out here in Colorado. I would love to hear some of the things you all have been thanking the Lord for this past year!

This weekend I was also able to visit my cousin, Scott, and his family. He has three adorable girls who I was able to meet for the first time. I look forward to spending more time with them while I am out here. It is great having friends and family throughout the state for me to visit.

Last week with the guys was spend mostly working on the house for Habitat. The guys have been very diligent on getting the roof done. It is a joy watching them work and give some time of themselves by helping others. They are very proud of the work that they have done. One of the guys who volunteers for Habitat is from Lancaster! He has been out here since September and is a Christian as well. He grew up in a Mennonite family back in PA so we have had some opportunities to share with eachother. That has been a blessing as well.

Saturday we took the guys cross country skiing. Well, it was supposed to be cross country skiiing. However, it turned into extreme skiing on cross country skis! The guys had a blast playing in the snow, even though most of them fussed about it initially! I ended up smacking my tailbone against the jump and am still quite sore, even though it has been a week!

Well, I am about to head back into the field, for my second to last rotation. It has been a wonderul ride so far out here in Colorado and I cannot thank all of you enough for all your prayers and support. Now, onto the prayer requests:

1. Please continue to pray for Toney E. Unfortunately his temper has gotten the better of him and he was discharged from the program unsuccessfully last week. He does not have much by the way of a supporting family and at this point is back in detention. The owner of the program had a lengthy conversation with him and I pray that his words will sink into Toney.
2. Please pray for Dave, one of the guys who was on my rotation. He will not be back for the rest of the season due to being burnt out. This is a very tough job and one can be burnt out very quickly very easily. Please lift him up. We had gotten quite close this past fall and I hope to be able to stay in contact with him.
3. Please pray for the young men as they face their last three weeks out here. Please pray that they will be able to go home to a loving and nurturing living situation that will support a positive lifestyle for these young men. Young men who have been in the system have very little to no aftercare once they have completed a program like ours. Unfortunately they get lost and many wind up where they were before.
4. Please pray for me as I plan for my two months off. I am extremely excited about seeing my family during Christmas. Please pray for all of us as we spend time together.
5. Please continue to pray for Lindon, Dalston, Carson, Chris M., CJ, Josh S., and Josh V. These young men have all finished the program and have returned back home. Please pray that the Lord watches over them and keeps them as they struggle with this hard time of adjusting back into their lives. I see and hear from Dalston and Lindon regularly and they are doing reasonably well. I ask you to lift these young men up.
6. Please pray for me as I enter myfourth month out here. I am beginning to miss home. Please pray that I stand firm with the Lord and in His Word. Please pray that He gives me strength and guidance and to remember that I am doing His work and doing it for His glory, not mine!

Well, that should be about it! The temperatures are dropping as is the snow!! I have yet to get to the slopes but I plan on it very soon! As always, I look forward to hearing from you all...and hopefully seeing many of you out here shortly!

Love in Him Always,
Chas

Weeks 11 & 12: Grace Like Rain

Grace Like Rain
by Todd Agnew

Amazing grace, how sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me
I once was lost but now I'm found
Was blind but now I see so clearly

Hallelujah, grace like rain falls down on me
Hallelujah, all my stains are washed away, washed away

'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear
And grace my fears relieved
How precious did that grace appear
The hour I first believed

Hallelujah, grace like rain falls down on me
Hallelujah, all my stains are washed away, washed away

When we've been there ten thousand years
Bright shining as the sun
We've no less days to sing Your praise
Than when we first begun

Hallelujah, grace like rain falls down on me
Hallelujah, all my stains are washed away, washed away


Hello my faithful friends:

If you are reading this you have maneuvered your way through net land and wound up at my blog spot. Many of you have requested that I try a blog spot instead of sending out the mass emails to everyone. As a matter of fact, this was my intention from the get go. I was hoping to get one up and running as soon as I got out here, but it never materialized. However, here it is...doesn't it look nice?

Last week I ended with a poem and I thought it would be fitting to include something in this and future updates. The Lord sure has shown His mighty Grace recently hasn't He. The words should be familiar but this version is sung by Todd Agnew. I can still here us singing it at BVBC on Sunday nights! Come to think of it, we were singing it at my last communion there before moving to God's country. What words...they will always and ever speak to me. Grace...what a concept that we take for granted. It is the backbone of our faith an essential part of our relationship with our heavenly father. How can we not remember that?

So, what all have I been up to, you ask?!? Well, last week with the guys was pretty rough for us field instructors. You take the good with the bad, right? The guys were full of defiance and back talk from the very beginning of the week on. It was a bit stressful, to say the least, but we pulled through. As many of you know, I do not get my "feathers in a bunch" to easily so I hung in there. I have also been working there the least out of the three of us so I am not as burnt out. A verse that was recently passed on to me that has helped me stay focused is Galatians 6:9: "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." What comfort!!

Most of the week was spent working with Habitat for Humanity, starting to put the roof on. Doesn't she look good? The guys have been working on her for a number of months now and are very proud of their accomplishments. The supervisor is very impressed with how hard the guys work. I am very proud of them, even though it was a rough week.

This past Tuesday was, of course, Election Day across the country. TheGovernor-Elect, a Democrat named Bill Ritter, is pro-life. I get the sense that he is not an aggressive pro-lifer, however, so please pray about this situation. Check out this interview for his comments, which are located near the top of the page.

While living out here I have surrounded myself with a bunch of great young Believers . As a matter of fact, I had some of the guys up last night to hang out. It was a relaxing time to get to know each other and chill before the week begins again.

The other major events that took place out here in CO this past week are the circumstances that lead up to Ted Haggard, the founder and senior pastor of New Life Church in the Springs, stepping down after 20 years. This is a very sad story, one that I have been praying over faithfully. I stress that we continue to pray for this church, Ted and his family, and the world as a whole. New Life will survive and, by the grace of God, Ted will be able to deal with this situation in a Godly way. I pray that he seeks the Lord through this. I also pray that non-believers can see the Lord working through all of this. I had the opportunity to listen to the Sunday Morning message that was given last week at New Life. It is a real testimony of the power of Christ working through his people. If you have not gotten the chance to listen to it I highly recommend you doing so. You can go to their website and listen to it online or borrow the copy I sent to my parents. It is amazing!

And now....

1. Please continue to pray for Lindon G. He is back home (he lives in Monte Vista, the town the office is in) The owner of San Juan Youth Works plans on having some work for him (and paying him) I hope this will be a positive influence on his life. He stops by the office a lot, which is great. I ask that you pray for my continued support of him and that I spend a few minutes with him when he stops by. He really looks up to us and I want to be there for him. Also, please pray that he can stay away from things in his life that will get him in trouble.
2. Please continue to pray for Chris T. He continues to have an issue with his anger. He did not recieve his next level because of an incident he had with another student. Because of this he became very negative throughout the week. He shows signs of having little desire to change his life around. Please pray that he can see the error in this. He is another student that has a gang history, so this is another area that could use some prayer
3. Please pray for Toney. He is another student that has problems with his temper. He is quick to anger and slow to understanding. He also deals with his anger in a negative way through physical outlets (smashing sticks, throwing rocks, etc) Please pray that we can help him find alternative means to dealing with his anger.
4. Please pray for Dominique. He has expressed a desire not to return to his home/family.We are working with him on this. However, his mother would like him to come home at the end of his time with the program. Please pray that the Lord will have His hand in this situation and that whatever happens will be the best situation Dominique. He is a bright kid and has a bright future if he has the support.
5. Please continue to pray for the young men as a whole. The season is winding down and many of them will be heading back to unstable homelives. Please pray that I can use these last few weeks to continue to reach out to the guys. I have had a few opportunities to have spiritual discussions with some guys. Please pray that I can continue this and that the Lord guides my tongue and opens my ears.
6. Please pray as I look forward to my two months off. I started working at the coffee shop this past week and I look forward to working there full time. However, I would like to find some other means for income. I have started printing out pictures and I plan on framing and showing them...I hope to sell some. Let me know if you would like any...the holidays are right around the corner!!!
   

Well, that should be it for now. Please pray for my coming week. We will more than likely be backpacking but who knows! I will be heading to the Springs to spend with Thanksgiving with my friend Megan. Please pray that this will be a positive time for the both of us and that the Lord will be there.

Your faithfully,

Chas

Week 11: The Will of God

Hey all:

It is that time again for me to head back out into the field! My weeks off sure pass by quickly. It was a relatively quiet week with me completing long over dueprojects. I was in the Springs (AKA Colorado Springs for you non-CO folk) once again on Tuesdayand I was able to see Dalston, one of the students whoI have been asking prayer for. He graduated a few weeks ago and seems to be doing ok so far. I promised him a copy of Search for Significance by Robert McGee and so I was able to get a copy to him when I saw him. Friday was "guys night" with a few guys from church. We cooked dinner and fellowshiped. It was a great opportunity to get to know some of the guys from church and build some relationships here in Gunnison.

Last week with the guys went pretty well. There were no major incidents to report, thank goodness. We spent two days hiking (It was supposed to be 3 but theguys pulled off a killer hike on Thursday!!) We took the guys mountain biking on Sunday over some gnarley rocks. The guys are doing well, overall. We got our last student last week and we are all looking forwardto a few months off. My last day is December 16th,just in time for Christmas. There is not much more to report at this time. It has been a pretty tame few weeks. Of course, there are a few prayer requests:

1. Please pray for Lindon. He just graduated from the program this weekend and is heading back with hisfamily. He has come a long way since he started theprogram. Please specifically pray for his mother. She has been in a series of abusive relationship andabuses drugs and alcohol herself. Please pray that she can clean herself up and be a positive mother for Lindon. Also, pray that Lindon can remain positive onthe "outs." He is a local kid, meaning that he grewup in the town that the business is located. A number of us have taken him under our wing and plan on beinga mentor for him. He needs all the positive male guidance that can be provided in his life.

2. Please pray for Chris T. He has an anger management issue. The only way he know how to dealwith his temper is to fight and argue. Please pray that he can find alternative positive means to dealwith his anger.

3. Please pray for my continued outreach with the guys. Please pray that I can be a positive example tothe guys and that I can continue to be positive and compassionate and that I don't get burnt out.

4. Please pray for my relationships both at work and at home. Please pray that I can be more transparent and open myself up to those around me. I met somegreat people out here and ask you to pray for thegrowth of these relationships. The Lord has me herefor a purpose and I ask that the purpose becomes more clear day by day.

5. Please pray for my continued job search for extrawork. I did start the job at the coffee house but the wine bar gig fell through at this point. I plan ondoing some more searching when I get back next week. My time off is creeping up on me so I would like tofind some extra work soon.

6. Please pray for my family back home. My grandmother recently had a stroke and has been indeclining health for some time. Please pray for my parents for guidance and strength in this situation. I greatly miss my family so please pray for strengthas I deal with the distance between us. I pray that our time spent together during the holidays will be fruitful.

Well, that is about it. I would like to close with apoem that I just recieved from a woman I went t ochurch with back in Delaware. I hope she doesn't mindthat I use it! It spoke directly to my heart and so Iwanted to share it with all of you. Many of you have already read it! I hope it speaks to you as well!!! I love you all!

Thanks again for your continued support, prayers and love.

Faithfully His Servant,
Chas

The Will of God
by Sandy Russell

The will of God will never take you where the grace of God cannot keep you;
where the arms of God cannot support you;
where the riches of God cannot supply your needs;
where the power of God cannot endow you.

The will of God will never take you where the Spirit of God cannot work through you;
where the wisdom of God cannot teach you;
where the hands of God cannot hold you.

The will of God will never take you where the love of God cannot enfold you;
where the mercies of God cannot sustain you;
where the peace of God cannot calm your fears.

The will of God will never take youwhere the comfort of God cannot dry your tears;
where the word of God cannot feed you;
where the miracles of God cannot be done for you;
where the omnipresence of God cannot find you.
Everything happens for a purpose.
We may not see the wisdom of it now, but trust and believe that everything is for the best.
The best way to be anxious nothingis to be prayerful about everything.