Fearless

     I hate new things...traveling to new places...doing something for the first time...just hate it.  I have a large perfectionist streak that runs through my soul.  If it is worth doing, it is worth doing perfectly.  The only exception that I have to this rule is when something must be done and I am the only one who can do it.  Necessity drives me into new things all the time...which is probably why I continue to find myself in positions of leadership where my duties include dozens of new things every week.  God knows who He is dealing with and challenges me appropriately.  Left to my own devices I would stay at home and only do a few things that I am perfect at.

     My son, however, is not like that at all.  There are some new things that he will not try...like ham in his grilled cheese sandwich.  However he is more then willing to dip his grilled cheese sandwich into pickle juice in order to see what that tastes like.  This week I have been struck by how free my son is to live.  My wife and I sat through an IEP that talked about how far behind he is in his social skills, how limited his abilities are and how a brilliant mind that underachieves is not the priority of the education system.  I know that there are rules that educators must follow in order to do their jobs, but IEPs are enough to drive anyone to homeschooling.  In stark contrast to that meeting, I watched Diego do two things that he has no experience in.  First we went ice skating for his sister's birthday party.  He has skated maybe three times in his life.  However he has seen people ice skate and he has read about people ice skating, so in his mind he can ice skate.  He strapped on the skates, headed out to the middle of the rink and proceeded to enjoy two hours of skating, jumping, dancing and twirling...grinning the entire time and not caring about how he was supposed to be afraid of falling or being laughed at.

     Then we had the science fair.  For those of you with children, "Science Fair" is a phrase that can easily lead to nightmares, fights and marital counseling.  Diego decided that he wanted to do his project on "The Physics of Wipeout."  You know, Wipeout.  The gameshow that knocks people into the mud and water in clever and painful ways.  My kids love the show so much we got the video game.  Now my son knows nothing about physics.  But he put together a project with lego models and experiments and conclusions that was the hit of the class science fair.  We put in a lot of time over the past couple of weeks, but the end result is completely him in tone and presentation...I just helped him get the idea out of his head and into the physical world.

     I am amazed and inspired by Diego's fearlessness.  He is not hindered by my fear of failure.  He is not weighed down by thinking through all the things that could go wrong.  He does not have all the voices in his head telling him that he is defeated before he starts.  I want him to keep that.  I long for him to keep that.  And I am not sure how.  Every administrative meeting, every school district assistant with good intentions, every self-conscious peer who is lashing out from insecurity...the world is full of people yelling at him to sit down, be quiet, stop laughing and worry.  How do you protect your kids from the entire world?

     Here's what I know for sure:

• God made diego this way, complete with the adventurous spirit, tender heart and quick smile.
• God placed him in this specific family, knowing that we would be good for him and he would be good for us.
• Family input is foundational input.  What we say about Diego settles deep and resides at his core, for good or for ill, no matter what anyone else says or does.  If we speak words of affirmation and encouragement, that will serve as a large shield against the lies of the world.
• Children respond to what is modeled for them.  If I want these things to continue to flourish in my son, he needs to see them affirmed and lived out in my life.  He needs to see a life of joy and a life of compassion...and a life of trying new things.
• And finally I must remember that my only hope, for myself and for my family, is in God's gracious and loving hands.  May He carry and protect the precious treasure that He has made in my son.

A fearless life.  What could that be like?


I'll have to watch my son some more to find out.

Thanks again

     A quick follow-up from last week.  In "Abundance" I was talking about learning to believe that God would provide and people would listen to Him and obey His call, especially in the realm of money.  We were a few thousand dollars short of being able to make payroll on Monday.  I would not say I panicked, but I felt the familiar sinking feeling returning, the one that comes up every time we struggle with money and cannot pay our staff.  God's call was to "Wait and Worship," neither of which I am good at.  Wednesday we had someone hand me an envelope with fifty $100 bills inside.  God provides.  People hear and obey.  I am so grateful.

     This week I want to say thank you to our 2013 financial donors.  We have finished our annual reporting and recording and your generosity is humbling and inspiring.  There are a few distinct categories that I would like to recognize:

• Largest Donor:  Black Gold Oilfield Services.  Thank you so much.  Your generosity allowed us to stay open over the lean summer months.
• Major Donors:  These each gave over $5,000 this year- BP, Conoco Philips, R&D Environmental, Airport Equipment Rentals, the State of Alaska, Kendall Automotive, Margaret Beck. Thank you for your generosity.
• Monthly Champions: Each and every month these partners gave.  You are the foundation we build from.- Door of Hope Church, Fairbanks Rescue Mission, 1st COGIC, Joel and Stacey Kiekintveld, Chris Kilgore, MAC FCU, Annemarie Mattachionne, Vince Meurlott, Josephine Mills, Dawn and Jerry Sadler, Mike, Linda, Donald and Loraine Setterberg, Roy and Arlys Westfall, Josephine Mills, Fairhill Community Church and Jubilee Worship Center. 
• A very special thanks to Dennis Wise whose long-term partnership has allowed us to have a building to call home.

     So I would like to say Thank You to all of our 179 financial partners who donated over $206,000 to Joel's Place this past year.

ACS Adkins Nicholas Advance Printing Airport Equipment Rentals Alaska Aerofuel Inc Alaska Auto Care Alaska Travel Industry Altrol Heating and Cooling Anderson John/Ann Carolyn Angell William/Rebecca Arnott Evelyn Arruda Heather BP Badger Road Christian Fellowship Barira Patricia Baum Doug Beers Beck Margaret Becker V Faye Bienvenue Nancy & Richard Black Gold Express Black Gold Oil Bolt Boko Sharon Boyle Andrew/Kelli Bump Tony & Desiree Burglin David/Patti Byam Leah Byam Woody Coffey Randall/Nancy Conoco Phillips Conversation Station Cook Dan/Sarah Cook Betty Coon Greg & Jaimee Cooper Sonia Cox Wallace Crance Carey Cribs, Cradles & Things Crites Shawn Davis Debra Door of Hope Church Eagle Sharon Eielson AFB Chapel 354 FW/HC Elks Lodge Fairbanks Rescue Mission Fairbanks Youth Sports Fairhill Community Church of God Family Centered Services Fick 1st United Methodist Church Flint Hills Resources Foggia Richard/Kathryn 1st AOG 1st COGIC 1st Strike Franczyk Rebecca Georgieva Desislava Global Giving Hagen Richard & Debra Harries Nancy Hartman Kelly Harvest Hendrix College Hedberg Henry Hicks Creek Auction Huffman Chris/Devin Huffman James/Leslie Huffman Jeremy Irwin Thomas/Sharon Johnson Chris/Elaine Johnson Erika Johnson Mike/Kim Jubilee Worship Center Katz Shaun/April Keller Barbara Kendall Automotive Kiekintveld Joel/Stacey Kilgore Chris Klaver Claude/Joanne Laroe Steve/Mary Anne Lee Patrice Lefferson William/Charlotte Legal Alternatives Leist Pam Leyva Robert/Karen Lifepoint COGIP Lincoln Robert/Carla Long Kristine MAC FCU MacChenyne's Carpets Plus Mattacchione Annemarie McLean Gary/Alice McIntyre Karen McIntyre Neal Meath Breanna Meierotto Sheryl Menaker Allen/Jan Menaker Diego Menaker Esperanza Meurlott Vince Milam Steve/Emma Mills Josephine Mills Josephine Morgan Family Survivors Trust Nicora Enterprises Nocturnal Productions Norris North Pole AOG North Pole LLC NTF Coalition Opp Jason/Jenni Palmer Brian Peterson Laurence/Darlene Phillips Clara Pick.Click.Give Platz BR & Shane Plumlee Monte/Marie Poe Joshua Presbyterian Womens Assoc R&D Environmental Ramsey Terri Rappleye Shaun  Ray Electric Reinheller Ryan/Andrea Riggs Ted/Joan RJG accounting Rocheleau Rick/Carolyn Rocheleau Ron Rodriguez Shaun Rod's Saw Shop Russell Margaret Sadler Jerry/Dawn Sadler's Furniture Santa's Letters and Gifts Satterberg Bill Sauer Electric Schnekenburger Dianna Schweitert Daniel Seekins Ford-Lincoln Setterberg Brian Setterberg Donald/Loraine Setterberg Mike/Linda Shideler Richard/Terra SOA Weatherization Spartan Construction Spirit of AK FCU Stanton Rod/Sue Steely Deana/Dan Stepovich Joan Stepp Drennon/Nora Sundberg Barbara Tanana Chiefs Conf. Tetrad Services Tote Tsigonis Bob/Jean Udden Benjamin United Methodist Women United Way Uotila Charles/Yadira Usibelli Foundation Vertex Vonderhaar Douglass Wal-Mart Stores, Inc Wallace Charles/Carolyne Walsh Fred/Kenda Walton Nevada Weeks  Teddy Weeks Charitable Foundation The Well Westfall Roy/Arlys Wilbur Charlotte Wise Dennis Wise Judith Wisneski Yeats Scott/Ashley Thanks again to everyone who makes this adventure possible!

Abundance

     The first few months of the new year are always a tricky time for those of us who raise money in the nonprofit sector.  Holiday charitable giving is over.  We are still in the middle of winter which means that everyone still has seasonal heating and utilities bills to deal with.  There are no large influxes of cash that people want to give from.  In short, fundraising is a challenge during this season.

     This can lead to a few different responses.  There is the option filled with fear and anxiety.  There is the option of diving into grants and hoping that there will be an influx of cash to bridge the gap.  There is always the credit card...but that is no fun to talk about.

     Then there is the option that revolves around hope.  This is especially relevant for those of us who work in the faith community.  Hope means trusting that the God that we serve is not in the middle of a budgetary crisis.  He is not wringing his hands hoping to figure out how to make it through the next pay period.  He is a God of abundance.  He is the God who lacks nothing.

     The fear in raising funds is that everyone is fighting for a piece of the same pie.  The same donors, the same grants, the same legislative awards.  There is pressure to have better reportable numbers, a better grant writer, more moving stories in order to win the dollars that your organization needs.  The problem is that if you are winning, some other great organization is losing and the community that we claim to serve is suffering.

     But what if the One who made the universe also made the pie?  What if He has more than enough resources for us?  What if He wants to pour out blessings on those who will pour out blessings on others?  If that is true, if He really is the God of Abundance, then what would change?

     First, giving would be filled with joy and expectation instead of fear and doubt.  Raising funds would be more about finding who God was already inviting into partnership instead of convincing people to donate.  Budgetary shortfalls would be opportunities for discovery instead of ulcer-causing nightmares. If obedience is the primary concern instead of money then there is a lot more freedom to take risks and have a greater impact on the community.

     The administrator in me wants to set up a six-month reserve and then start talking about abundance.  The fanatical believer in me wants to live a life that wildly invests in the youth of this community without worrying about whether God will come through this time.  Depending on the day...depending on the hour, I listen to one more than the other.

     This is an exciting time for Joel's Place.  I am eager to share the joy with as many partners as possible.  If you feel like you are part of God's abundance for Joel's Place in this season, there are lots of giving options on the left side bar.  If not, blessings on you and please continue to lift us up in prayer.

    God is a God of abundance.  Let us celebrate freely and joyfully!

Priority 3: Development

  So the kids know that Joel's Place is safe.  They come here and have lots of fun and eat lots of food and are off the streets.  We're done here, right?  We give them a place to skate so that they don't bother the rest of society, right?

     No.  No.  Emphatically no.  The heart of what we do, the central purpose for our existence as an organization is what comes after the fun.  The fun is the bridge builder.  It connects us with the young men and women who come through our doors.  It establishes trust and dialogue.  It grants us a voice into the life of our teens.  What we do with that voice is the critical part.

     My label for this priority is "Development" but really that encapsulates anything that invests resources into the youth.  Our goal is that the kids will leave Joel's Place more capable of thriving in their world then when they arrived.

     We offer tutoring and courses in job skills and life skills.  We offer internships and mentoring, Bible Studies and devotionals.  If there is a skill that a teenager wants to learn, we will usually be able to find an instructor.  We have hosted instrument lessons and art lessons and videography lessons and cooking lessons and gardening lessons and bike repair lessons, just to name a few.

     Why bother?  Why link recreation and the pursuit of fun with the hard work of resource building?  Vision.  Specifically long term vision.  Every young person who comes through our doors, whether they be homeless or honor roll student, has a challenging road ahead of them.  This world specializes in breeding fear, destroying self-esteem and corrupting the soul.  The internet and media are brimming with anger, greed and lust.  Our vision is that these young people will mature into world-changers...they will use the unique passions and abilities that they have been create with in order to bless the world.  That process starts when they know that someone else believes in them.  The process succeeds when they know that they believe in themself.  Developing skills, abilities and character gives young people a solid foundation to stand on and a confidence to approach the world that has so often marginalized them.  We do not operate a skate park in order to provide a few hours of baby-sitting.  We operate a skate park in order to raise up the leaders of tomorrow.

     I know several people who have told me that the time they spent at Joel's Place were the best days of their lives.  My hope is that when this generation of kids grow up they will say that the time they spent at Joel's Place gave them the tools to make their lives better and better.