|
There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. -- Romans 8:1,5 NKJV Greetings in Jesus’ Name, Many of us who are missionaries among the emerging generations experience common frustration. By this, I mean frustration in attempting to reach the twenty-to-thirty-year-old folks disabled or handicapped by various addictions, in a way that grips them and initiates change. The above verse may at least explain why. The principle hinges on the premise that people are aware of, and affected by, condemnation. The generation entering their twenties has grown up with the notion that there are few consequences for actions and that they deserve a “pass,” even when the infraction is grave enough to register. Living according to “the Spirit” assumes that some standard, originating from God’s Spirit, is embedded in the human mind. For those of us in our sixties, this came about primarily through the reading of God’s word, and through listening to intelligent, well-prepared teaching. The secondary level of data acquisition came through the general tenure of social discussion. God’s principles were at least implied in matters of law and justice. Religious leaders, such as Billy Graham and Pope Paul, were quoted and mentioned in the news and popular print. Figures to be admired and respected, such as Mother Theresa and Henri Nouwen were given world exposure which begged the questions leading to serious religious inquiry for many. In recent years, the religious conversation has been relegated to the dustbin of “intolerant” as it relates to any Christian emphasis. The individual who inadvertently blurts out the name of “Jesus” in anything other than the profane, may as well have passed gas in an elevator! The gradual, but inexorable effect has been to leave an entire generation with little or no point of reference as it has to do with conviction of sin that gives any sense to “condemnation.” Verse five must be considered in a new way. When there exists very, very little embedded standard, the individual lives according to the flesh as a matter of preference and normality. Those who choose to live according to the principles of the Spirit constitute a smaller percentage of the population, and their righteous lifestyle does not “illuminate the darkness” in the same way it could fifty years ago. Ministries to children -- Sunday School, Child Evangelism, and summer camps -- are more needed than ever! Beware of the pressure to create “child entertainment centers” at the expense of making the sound, teaching of God’s Word ineffective. Parents must carve out times to give their children supplemental religious education. The teen and twenty-something years of your children will be tough enough, no matter what you do! But there is literally no hope, unless somewhere in their bundle of brain cells, there exists a file filled with the principles and precepts of God. It is the knowledge of God’s standard that gives rise to that politically incorrect phenomenon called guilt. Guilt feelings constitute the alarm bells and sirens that go off in our heads: “WARNING! WARNING! YOU ARE IN JEOPARDY OF BEING SEPARATED FROM GOD, FOREVER!!” It is then that the words, “There is now no condemnation…” take on delightful meaning. This is why, at His Mansion, there is emphasis upon God’s Word. The residents attend Bible classes throughout the week, memorize Scripture, and learn to exhort one another using God’s Word as a standard. Each month I attempt to give you a glimpse of God’s faithfulness to heal. It is difficult, not because I lack examples, but because there are so many! Each person in the program is an important book in the making. Each is a work in progress. Sometimes the changes are dramatic, like surgery, but more often the process is a gradual cleansing and healing. Observing them on a week-by-week basis is like studying a tree in the middle of a forest: you miss the big picture. It is in the sixth to ninth month that we are often moved to tears by the significant growth and change in residents as we spot them meandering down our dirt road on the way to class, or join them in worship on a Sunday morning. Some of them hardly recognizable, compared to when they first came up the road!  Well, winter has finally arrived in New Hampshire. The temperatures have been anywhere from ten degrees below zero to a tropic high of twenty above! Cliff, the Men’s Program Administrator of Counseling, suffered polio as a child and must use crutches and a power chair to navigate through life. That might be challenge enough, but Cliff and his wife, Linda, hail from Palm Bay, Florida. Much to our surprise and blessing, Cliff has not been defeated by these horrible conditions. In fact, he seems to be thriving!
The Propert family, Shane, Rachel, and children, have ended their commitment to His Mansion and are moving on. Shane headed up Building & Maintenance for the past four years and his service was much appreciated. Shane was a custom builder of period reproduction Windsor furniture prior to serving with us. We will see evidence of his handiwork around the hill for years to come. We are asking God to search out the Body for a man, single or married, who is a “Jack of all trades.” There is someone out there who would see the possibility of serving in a ministry of recovery as the desire of his heart, as long as he didn’t have to fix people! Leaky faucets, clogged toilets, faulty furnaces, screens, hinges, valves, lights and switches, door jambs with wind blowing through cracks… We need a man who has delighted in doing these things all his life and would thrive serving in the context of community. Unfortunately, no one serving at His Mansion receives a salary or health benefits, so a form of income, such as retirement or a good support base, is needed. Housing, utilities, heat, and access to gardens are provided, and go a long way toward making such a venture possible. Contact Paul Atkinson (paul@hismansion.com), or Lee Oliver (lee@hismansion.com), by calling (603) 464-5555. We have positions open for Servant Leaders and Mentors as well. These were formerly referred to as Interns, and a more thorough description can be viewed on our website, www.hismansion.com. One very important position is that of a female Servant Leader to work in our New Beginnings program for pregnant women. Men are very much in need as well, as our resident population grows at an increasing rate. We need young men to work in our Building & Maintenance Department, and others in our Agriculture Department. Please call us at (603) 464-5555 if you are qualified, called, and willing!  At present, we are serving 39 residents. Both our dorms and our hearts are full! What a delight it is to enter our dining hall and see folks gathered around the meal tables, enjoying the bounty of God’s provision and catching up on the events of the day; or passing through the chapel doors to participate in a time of sharing from our hearts what God is teaching us, as we do each day before lunch; or to pass through the office hallways, knowing that behind one closed door a student is being challenged to hold fast to the truth in God’s Word, while another door might open enough to give us a glimpse of men in leadership seeking the Lord for direction in decisions which affect us all. Our Mansion family is growing and God is blessing.
We welcome Dwayn Merrill to assume the position of Agriculture Supervisor. Their three little ones will keep his wife, Brianna, busy, but she’ll get her hands on something here, if I know her! Deb Mayes will arrive the end of February, and we are excited. She will take Marie Spiess’ post as Women’s Program Administrator of Counseling, as Marie is due to become a first-time mom. Deb is from the Detroit area and was educated at Calvin College and Michigan State University, earning her Master’s Degree in social work. She practiced in Seattle prior to coming on board with us. We are preparing for our next HCC (Healing in the Context of Community) class, to be held March 10-16 here at our New Hampshire campus. The cost is $100 for the entire week, which includes room & board, and all course materials. It is a week where those wanting to learn more about serving Fourth World Citizens receive basic training, where an overview of what we do here is taught, where basic counseling techniques are reviewed, and where many lasting friendships are begun. God always has something unique and special for each who attends, and much is done in hearts and minds. There are still openings for this course, but please contact Linda Hogue as soon as possible if you wish to attend, by calling (603) 464-5555. Vawn and Karey Edele oversee the His Mansion Christian Growth Center in Bridgeport, Connecticut. This is a transition house where graduates of our program, and those from other Christian programs, can spend up to one year getting settled into a job, church, and society. Dennis and Francis Coulombe are the house parents of the Christian Growth Center in Grand Rapids, Michigan. These are very important to our program, and in the lives of many of our graduates. We are soon to send one young woman their way, and are encouraging a couple of our men to take advantage of what they have to offer. We very much appreciate the love and service of the Edeles and the Coulombes. On February 18, Paul Atkinson, Corporate Administrator, returns from Africa, where he traveled to several countries (Kenya, Uganda, and Rwanda) preaching and counseling in several large prisons. It is His Mansion’s privilege to sponsor Paul (and others) on short-term mission trips. The stories and testimonies they bring back inspire us and will, perhaps, plant the seed in residents to consider foreign missions as an alternative in life. Please pray for God’s blessing on this ministry and his safe return. One of the buildings at His Mansion is called the Long House and was built in 1769. When we purchased the property, the building had not been lived in for years and was in some disrepair. After several years, Joan and I, with help, fixed it up and moved in. We lived there nine years. It was the most wonderful place I’d ever lived. We moved out to make way for a family with children. Now, many years later, we are moving back into the Long House! Joan and I are both excited to be giving the historic landmark a period interior, to the extent practical. It’ll no doubt be the place we spend the rest of our lives, and I am pleased. If you visit His Mansion, please visit Joan and me in our residence in the Long House on your tour! I am excited to report that His Mansion ended the year free of debt, with all bills paid. We, by plan, had a budget operating $70,000 in deficit (borrowing from previous surplus) in 2006, but were able to reduce that deficit by $40,000! We have entered 2007 with a balanced budget, and fully expect to end the year holding to it. You need to know how much I, we, appreciate your partnership with us. Each man and woman graduating from the program is well aware of the army of blessed men and women that stand alongside of us in making it all possible. Granted, there are but a few of us privileged to actually live in this community, caring for the broken and wounded, but you are the ones that make it possible. Thank you! Joyful in His service, Stan Farmer
|
News 
