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March 2008 He who digs a pit will fall into it, and whoever breaks through a wall will be bitten by a serpent. He who quarries stones may be hurt by them, and he who splits wood may be endangered by it. If their axe is dull, and one does not sharpen the edge, then he must use more strength; but wisdom brings success. Ecclesiastes 10: 8-10. NKJB
Greetings in the Name of Jesus,
If there ever were a passage begging to be used, abused, and taken out of context for all-purpose application, this is it! Taken simply for what it says, it offers plenty of insight for us. Obviously, all who work in construction, stonemasonry, or logging, are not doomed for damage. The passage speaks of the hazards or possibilities of being hurt. The verses cry out for a context. The person who embarks upon a project without thoughtful preparation, will likely do damage. Somebody might get hurt. My concern for years has been for those young followers of Jesus who enter academia with the goal of pursuing careers in social work, psychology, and other facets of “people-caring.” That they care enough about their fellow man to dedicate years and money to becoming certified and employed is to be applauded. The problem is that much of the preparation in the above mentioned fields are devoid of moral or ethical boundaries, or biblical foundation. We at His Mansion are excited to be able to offer an academic and experiential environment where these young Christian college students can acquire a thoroughly biblical foundation upon which to base the rest of their education. The candidates attending His Mansion Institute will bring their classroom education to a community where Jesus Christ is recognized as “The Great Physician,” and where prayer and fasting are practiced as a respected part of psychology and social work. His Mansion Institute may be the only place in their entire educational experience where the latent power of the soul is studied and discussed in the context of counseling and caring! It is our prayer that many of these candidates who study at the institute will pursue careers in the so-called secular caring professions. If we do not do all we can to be salt and light -- place “moles” within the system -- we will have surrendered one of the most vital and influential venues to our adversary. It is time for the church to enter the fray in our social culture. Sexual abuse, eating disorders, and chemical addictions constitute a major focus of our culture’s attention. Professional and biblical are not antithetical! “Biblical counseling” is not an oxymoron! His Mansion is determined to offer professional, biblically-based training to bright, young believers excited about taking back turf assumed to be already won by secular humanists and politically correct “experts.” Ditches do need to be dug. Stone walls do need to be built. Wood does need to be chopped! The question is, do we plunge in recklessly, bringing reproach and ridicule upon the Christian community, or do we sharpen our axes, and demonstrate that counseling and caring by strictly adhering to God’s principles -- learned from the Book of Life -- is the ultimate in “professionalism”? One of the highlights for the prospective His Mansion Institute practicum candidate would be to witness residents graduating the program. Last week Wendy, Tommie, and Mark successfully completed a full year in the His Mansion recovery program. We all gathered in our chapel to hear testimonies about and from them, and to celebrate with their families and friends as we prepared to send them into their new lives. Wendy is already fully engaged in the job interview process. Tommie will be heading for our Christian Growth Center in Grand Rapids. Mark will be serving at a farming community in Kentucky, which provides help for troubled youth. All of this is only possible because of the work God did in their hearts as they yielded to Him. Think of the value and asset to an education in being an integral part of God’s miraculous healing process. These troubled men and women typically come in quite broken and without much hope for life. Often the women have had children taken from them, spouses leave them, and occasionally they have served time in prison. Men whose lives are damaged and twisted by drugs, alcohol, pornography, and other mind-crushing behavior constitute more of the rule than exceptions. Parents have given up. Marriages are abandoned. Jobs and careers are a distant hope. Relationships have been undermined and sabotaged. Come and build upon your college classroom knowledge, immersing yourself in the power of God’s word and the healing of His Holy Spirit. It is very common for graduates to testify at graduation, and several years later, that he or she would not be alive if not for the powerful, life-saving experience they had at His Mansion. They are your children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews, neighbor’s children. If not yours, those of someone you know! Getting His Mansion Institute up and running is important to the church. It may be one of the most important and profitable investments you can make this year. I trust God for the wherewithal to build and staff this new venture in the next three years. It’ll mean some very sacrificial giving on the part of friends and “spiritual entrepreneurs.” Pretty exciting, huh? We’ve had snow, snow, and more snow! As of the writing of this letter we’ve seen over 125” of snow. Stephen, our Rwandan intern, having never seen such a thing, arrived before snowfall. At first he rejoiced each time it snowed. Last week I heard him cry out, “Enough!” Shoveling walkways, where the banks are taller than his six feet, is daunting! I recently spoke to a small gathering of believers in Florida. To my delight there was a mom and dad and grandmother, whose daughter had served at His Mansion, and who now serves on His Mansion’s board of directors. Then I spotted another lady whose daughter served at HM where she met her future husband. Leslie (Morley) and Dan Walker are now the national directors of Focus, a ministry to prep schools. Next were neighbors and friends of several other staffers from days gone by. A wife of a senior pastor from New England came up to thank me for His Mansion’s investment in a grandson’s life. His Mansion has had a significant impact within the Body of Christ during our 37 years. It is a source of tremendous encouragement to hear testimonies from those whom God has touched through His work. Here’s some great news! Thirty years ago a beautiful lady came to faith in Christ, while standing in front of an outreach booth His Mansion manned at Woodstock Fair. The next day she reappeared with her husband, a strapping well driller. He, too, surrendered his life to Christ there. Ron and Paulette Donovan. Three years later, Ron accepted a position on His Mansion’s Board of Directors, where he has served for over twenty-five years. Ron presently serves as Chairman of our board. Several years ago, disease attacked Paulette, and she went to be with her Jesus. Ron carried on and last year married one of Paulette’s best friends, Alice, who had served on staff at His Mansion during the very first years of our existence. Ron and Alice Donovan are about to enter into a new adventure with His Mansion. Vawn and Kerry Edele, the house parents at the Bridgeport, Connecticut Christian Growth Center, are leaving to study at Youth With A Mission’s training center in Quebec. They’ve served with distinction as the founding house parents of the Bridgeport Christian Growth Center for eight years. They will depart in June. Ron and Alice Donovan have heard God’s calling to become the second couple to hold that post. This is a major step of faith for them, and I covet your prayer on their behalf. Yet more news: The Mirandas are coming! Ryan served at His Mansion years ago prior to his graduation from Emmaus Bible College. There, Ryan met his future wife, Jacci, daughter of career missionaries with Wycliffe Bible Translators. Ryan and Jacci have a son, Caleb (3 years old) and a daughter, Sage (age 6). Ryan has a dozen years of experience as a contractor with skills in electrical, plumbing, and HVAC. They have been very active and committed to their church in Tallahassee, Florida, and have been commended by them to the work here. The Mirandas are expected to be on site by the first part of April. A young family with two children has the typical expenses of a young family. As is the case with all who serve at His Mansion, they serve by faith with no salary, retirement, or health benefits. In today’s world this is a huge step of faith. If you know the Mirandas, or sense a leading to support them, please send your gift made out to “His Mansion Ministries” with a note indicating your desire that all or part of your gift be used for the support of the Mirandas. During these months of subzero temperatures, 125+” snowfalls and roads and pathways sheathed in pure ice, heroes have been made here in New Hampshire. Lee Oliver, the Operations Manager, has overseen the war against the weather. Frozen water pipes must be thawed and repaired. Huge snow loads on the roofs must be removed before the next snow. Cordwood has to be moved from storage to the individual furnace rooms. Chimneys must be kept clean. (What is a chimney sweep?) Drainage ditches must be kept open in anticipation of the snowmelt. Nothing mangles and ruins equipment like cold temperatures and ice! Plows break. Tires are cut. Basements flood. Shovel and axe handles split. Small engines seize up. Snow and mud are tracked into every building daily. Lee’s crew, Dwayn Merrill, Nathan Margason and their men, along with Nicole Bruss and her women’s work crew, are our wintertime heroes and we salute them. Byron Norsworthy is the guy responsible for planning, planting, and harvesting the gardens. What does he do when everything is frozen? Lots! Byron is selecting seed and ordering. The greenhouses must be readied and set boxes made up. The overall garden plans and layouts must be decided. Harrows, plows, roto-tillers, and cultivators have to be repaired, greased, and painted. And even beneath the snow, certain cold weather crops are now thinking about coming to life! Planting, weeding, and harvesting will occupy most of the residents’ and mentors’ time once the soil thaws. Everyone works. As a matter of fact, those who feel that they don’t have to help and refuse to do their part, arrive at the next meal to discover that their plate is upside down. “No work, no eat!” The actual need for every person to participate is a major piece of our therapeutic strategy for healing. The Scriptures have much to say about the power of work. It speaks in depth about agriculture -- vines, fruit, seeds dying, cultivation, grafting, and pruning. All these are very real pictures of very real spiritual applications. We are blessed to be able to use these examples to teach as we work alongside our residents. These are concepts not included in a classical education in counseling and social work, but are filled with wisdom and truth, which is invaluable to the healing process. Principles that are taught about dying to self, performing as a team, the sense of self-empowerment, natural consequences for behavior and choices, are powerful healing agents. This is recovery. This is true education. It all happens at His Mansion! As you can see, we work very hard. We are delighted to do so and find our souls refreshed in the process. However, our staff does need a break from time to time. To that end, we are asking any of you who may have a home with an extra bed or two to consider being one of our Host Homes. Those on the list may receive a call on occasion, asking if one or more of our staff may spend a weekend with you. If this is of interest to you, you may get more information by emailing linda@hismansion.com, or calling 603-464-5555 during regular business hours. We are gearing up for our next Healing in the Context of Community course to be held April 5-11 here at our New Hampshire headquarters. Many have already registered, from as far away as Mississippi, Florida, California, and Tennessee, and as nearby as Manchester, New Hampshire. Our next course will be offered June 14-20. We have received several applications for that one as well, but it’s not too late to get yours in the mail for either course date. You can find an application on our website, www.hismansion.com. Funds have begun arriving for the eventual construction of the building to house His Mansion Institute. This is a faith effort, and we trust God to provide -- as always! Thanks to your consistent sacrificing, we again ended the month with all bills paid and no outstanding debt. Thank you so much.
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