Dave Morgan / Youth Unlimited May 2012
STEPPING UP
This Past Month
“Stopping the cycle of fatherless generations”!
A young fathers story! This past month I had a conversation with a young dad about the brokeness,hurt and frustration he has towards the idea of a father figure. To conceal this young fatherʼs identity we will refer to him as Peter. Even though he is a young father at the age of 19, he takes his responsibilities as Dad very seriously. He is one of the few young fathers that I work with who has his life together or at first glance you would think he does!
He has a great job making really good money, he is comitted to his young family, pays the bills on time and is moving forward in life, dotting the iʼs and crossing the tʼs so to speak. But as you start to peel back Peterʼs onion you find a dark and jaded past that stems from a poor view of a father role model.
The early years were not so pretty for Peter growing up! His parents constantly fought and he found out at an early age his father was a career thief stealing off his neighbours. His dad also had a severe drug and alcohol addiction. Peter had to grapple with his momʼs emotional issues too and her anger issues steming from his dad. Peterʼs younger brother also paid a price in his life for all the disfunction in their home growing up.
As we sat there that afternoon and talked, I learned that Peterʼs dad had died last year from his addictions and he and his mom are no longer talking. Not to mention, he is extremely worried about his brother who is 17 years old and smokes pot all day and is living on Government assistance because he is a youth and a ward of the state after his mom gave him up.
As we spoke I felt the need to ask him how he does it. Being through so much stuff and so much pain in his life, how does he do it without a relationship with God? At that moment all I could think was how can he get up everyday for work, hold down a good job, care for his brothers saftey and be such an excellent boyfriend to the mother of his baby. How do you make it through life without a belief in God I asked him very curiously. Explaining my own experience with drugs and alcohol and my full dependence on God for strength, I couldnʼt figure out how he did it without God. With confidence Peter said to me, “I donʼt need any FN God”!! “God has done nothing for me and I think weak people believe in that Sh#!”. “I donʼt need God, EVER”!
But in that moment, after he sternly told me his view, I felt for some strange reason the need to ask him one more time how he stays so strong without faith in God. It seemed ridiculous timing but I was still socurious how he had found strength to rely on himself alone, how I wondered? After asking him a second time where he finds the strength on his own. Peterʼs confidence then began to crumble and he dropped his head, slumped over the table and said this confession to me. “I donʼt I.....(he paused).... I can hardly do it on my own. Iʼm so depressed, no one knows this but I drink heavily to self medicate. The depression is so bad some days I can barely get out of bed. By sheer will power I force myself to get out of bed or I drink to take away my pain, thatʼs how I survive”. He said all this without looking at me once!
In that moment I had a shoe horn experience! Have you ever had one? Iʼll explain....A shoe horn experience is when God opens someoneʼs heart just a crack shining a small beam of light into their darkest wound. Christ shoe horned an entrance point into Peterʼs life for me in that moment. He shoe horned it just enough at the right time to share the gospel with him then and there! Even though Peter did not reciprocate, I was reminded of the parable of the sower! I was able to sow some seeds into the shoe horn door of his heart.
I would ask you to please pray for more divine encounters with Peter and his situation and that Christ opens the door fully in his life. Pray that he would find peace in his emotions and ultimately seek a relationship with God who is the true source of transformation! Iʼm commited to each of these young fathers and their unique situations. Iʼm committed to seeing one heart, one life at a time being transformed by Jesus Christ. Please pray that we will have more opportunities to see our mantra at Stepping Up be a reality, “Stopping the cycle of fatherless generations”!
Our Need
Our desire is for new monthly donors, would you consider partnering with us?
Please prayerfully consider becoming actively involved with Stepping up as a financial donor. Every little bit helps, and we would be so excited to have you parnter with us in this this important and life changing out reach to young and often neglected fathers. Thank you in advance for considering joining us in this mission!
We are also in need of diaper and formula donations. Every Monday at drop in the young Moms and Dads are given diapers and formula if they need it. We are constantly in need of Donations. These diapers and formula can be dropped off at Peopleʼs Full Gospel Church located at 144th and 104th in Surrey. We are in the north building downstairs, we are open between 10am-2pm every week.
Dave and Shainaʼs Update
Shaina
and
I
had
a
few
days
away
this
past
month.
We
went
to
the
cabin
at
Shuswap
and
spent
a
few
days
in
Kelowna.
It
was
so
nice
to
get
away
to
re-‐energize,
refocus
and
renew
our
spirits.
I’m
at
day
27
of
a
40
day
fast.
Shaina
and
I
are
believing
for
a
break
through
in
our
ministry
and
our
personal
lives.
Please
continue
to
pray
for
us
as
we
journey
to
seek
God’s
hand
in
each
and
all
of
the
situations
we
are
facing
together.
We
would
really
like
to
thank
all
those
who
have
been
giving
to
us
so
sacrificially
month
after
month!
Each
of
your
prayers
and
financial
partnerships
has
been
very
encouraging!
We
pray
God’s
special
blessing
on
each
of
you
and
your
families
too!
Together
we
can
help
cure
the
silent
epidemic
that
is
sweeping
our
communities,
fatherlessness!
Stepping
Up
was
featured
in
the
Light
Magazine,
June
edition!
Go
to
this
link
to
check
it
out!
http://t.co/5InNufgn
Blessings,
