Easter Project: Rise Up For Youth

Easter Project: Rise Up For Youth

Easter is coming soon, and I’d like to share a special project you can participate in!

We are calling our Easter outreach project “Rise Up for Youth.” We will deliver an Easter gift bag to youth in juvenile centers in Tennessee, Indiana, and Illinois. Each bag will contain a Bible, a book called The Case For Easter, a book called The Case For Christ, and some Easter candy. These books are by former “atheist turned Christian” and former legal editor for the Chicago Tribune, Lee Strobel. Both books make a powerful case for the evidence of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. I know you will agree that we are in a culture war between good and evil for today’s youth’s hearts, minds, and souls. And the frontline of the battle is in the heart of our fatherless youth.

Every $25 donated will provide a “Rise Up For Youth” gift bag with these powerful gospel tools. Our goal is to impact at least 300 youth this Easter, and if possible, we could impact 1000 youth. We can do more as God provides through His people. To give to this project, go to https://kenturnerministries.org/give/ and select High Impact Ministries and the subfund “Rise Up For Youth.”

Your gift at this time will also provide funds to continue sharing the life-changing message of the gospel with fatherless youth throughout the rest of this year!

God bless you as you prayerfully consider partnering with the mission of spreading the gospel to fatherless youth.

In Christ,

Ken Turner

How to Be Fully Surrendered to God

How to Be Fully Surrendered to God

Accepting Jesus as your Savior is the greatest decision you will ever make but have you experienced the freedom of being fully surrendered to God.

Romans 12:1, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.”

Here is what it means to be fully surrendered to God based on Romans 12:1.

  1. The Decision to Yield – “Present your body.” The word present means to yield. Just like the image of a fork in the road, a choice between two options and a “my way or His way” option… every person will one day have to decide whether to give Christ his or her all or hold back. The world is filled with examples of people who have chosen Christ to have a “free ticket to heaven” but continue to pursue their goals without seeking His will. The beginning of a life of surrender is to yield to Him and say, “I’ll choose His way over my way.” Are you open to asking Him before making plans for your life? Are you willing to hear His voice and yield to His will?
  1. The Degree of Surrender – “Your body.” The word body means the entire instrument of life. Jesus asks us to yield our whole body. Can you tell Him, “I yield my eyes to you and ask you to take control of everything I choose to see. I yield my mind to you and everything I choose to think about. I yield my ears to you and everything I choose to listen to. I yield my heart to you and every desire. I yield my hands and feet to you and everything I choose to do with my hands and every place I choose to go with my feet. I yield my tongue to you and every word that comes from my mouth.” The decision is to yield, and that decision’s degree or depth is 100% of your life.
  1. The Dedication – “Holy and acceptable to God.” To be holy is to be set apart for a special purpose. It’s not only to be separated from something but also to be separated unto something. Are you willing to take the eternal gift of salvation and a promise of heaven and tell the Lord that you will live out your life here on earth 100% surrendered to Him, dedicated to His service, and yielded to His will? You will be amazed at the peace and joy you will experience when you stop fighting for your own will and yield to the perfect will of God.

Why not pray today and tell Jesus, “I’m so thankful for your salvation, and I want to commit myself fully to you, fully surrendered and yielded to serve you and follow your will.”

Ken Turner

Learn more at https://kenturnerministries.org/walking-with-god/

Email me at kenturner@highimpactteens.org

How Reading 5-15 Bible Verses Can Be a Game-Changer

How Reading 5-15 Bible Verses Can Be a Game-Changer

If you struggle to read the Bible you are not alone. When I was a youth pastor in Indianapolis, IN I surveyed our youth group of almost 100 teens about their relationship with the Bible. Most of them were living in strong Christian homes and were attending church and youth group weekly. I found that only 20% of them ever opened the Bible on their own during the week. So, 80% of them never read the Bible on their own. But let’s be honest… this struggle is common among so many of us!

As I think back to my teenage years, I remember struggling with Bible reading too. 

One of the reasons I struggled with my relationship with the Bible is that I thought I needed to read A LOT of the Bible for it to count. But I learned later on that it’s not about reading chapters and chapters in the Bible, it’s that we just get into the Word, that counts. 

So, I created a process to encourage teens to read smaller portions of scripture and make short entries in a spiritual journal. I learned that reading literally 5-15 Bible verses a day was a game-changer. After deciding to read smaller portions in the Bible, over 80% of the teens in the same group were reading the Bible at least 4 out of 7 days each week!

Think about this quote. “You will be the same person in five years you are today except for the people you meet and the books you read.” Charlie Jones, author of Life Is Tremendous.

So, if reading can change a person so dramatically… imagine how much more enriched our life would be if we read the Bible… the most powerful book ever written?

So here’s my challenge to you… begin to read with a desire to grow! This is different than reading out of obligation to complete an assignment. And make reading the Bible a top priority.

Here Are 9 Benefits of Reading the Bible From Psalm 119

1. Victory Over Sin In Your Life

Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee. Verse 11

2. Cleansing From Sin

Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word. Verse 9

3. More Joy

I have rejoiced in the way of thy testimonies, as much as in all riches. Verse 14

4. Wisdom and Direction

Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law. Verse 18

5. You Will Be Revived… Rejuvenated

Consider how I love thy precepts: quicken me, O Lord, according to thy lovingkindness. Verse 159

6. Renewed Strength

Hold thou me up, and I shall be safe: and I will have respect unto thy statutes continually. Verse 117

7. You Will Experience Liberty and Freedom

And I will walk at liberty: for I seek thy precepts. Verse 45

8. Less Shame and Embarrassment

I will speak of thy testimonies also before kings, and will not be ashamed. Verse 46

9. Comfort in Affliction

This is my comfort in my affliction: for thy word hath quickened me. Verse 50

Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. Psalm  51:10

Ken Turner

Giving Tuesday!

Giving Tuesday!

Your gift will help bring the gospel to fatherless youth!

On this Giving Tuesday, join us in our outreach to high-risk and fatherless youth. Your gift to High Impact Ministries will be used to bring the hope of the gospel of Jesus to youth who desperately need it.

Here are a few ways your gift today will help us reach youth at the end of the year!

High Impact Ministries – Outreach project to provide Bibles and devotional journals to fatherless youth in juvenile centers across Tennessee, Indiana, and our newest outreach in Illinois. Our other project is to provide Christmas gift bags to 500 or more teens in juvenile centers. Each teen will receive a gift on Christmas with personal toiletries, a Bible, and a devotional book. Your gift will impact hundreds of youth.

High Impact York – Our outreach in York, PA, led by Tom Vietti, focuses on reaching high-risk and fatherless youth in the York County Youth Development Center and the Lancaster County Youth Intervention Center. Tom also leads a Wilderness Discipleship Ministry throughout the year. Funds are needed to bring the gospel to the youth in York, Lancaster, and the surrounding area and for expenses to grow the Wilderness Discipleship Ministry. Thank you for praying and partnering with this vital ministry.

High Impact School Outreach – Joshua Goodling leads our outreach and speaks in public schools throughout KY, TN, VA, GA, SC, and NC. He never charges for his time or travel expenses, yet he has spoken to over 20,000 students in the past few years. Joshua is working on getting his booklet “How to Walk With God” into the hands of students through public school FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes) clubs. In the past year, he launched Operation FCA Booklets. He has mailed over 4,000 booklets to almost 60 schools in 12 states. Your gift will help with printing more booklets and getting them into the hands of our young people. Your support will allow Joshua to continue spreading the gospel to students!

Join us and make a difference in the life of a fatherless teen on this “Giving Tuesday.”

In Christ,

Ken Turner

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“God is Changing My Mind” – High Impact Ministries Update

“God is Changing My Mind” – High Impact Ministries Update

Each month, I enjoy sharing stories of how God is at work in the hearts and lives of the high-risk and fatherless youth we are reaching. In our Bible study in the juvenile center this past week, one of the high school guys wanted to share how God has been transforming his heart. Here is his story.

“I’ve spent much of my life angry at my parents. I’ve felt they gave up on me and didn’t provide for me all the things I needed to make it in life. Eventually, the conflicts and struggles in our home led to my parents making the decision to place me in foster care. I felt abandoned. My anger grew worse after being in and out of a few foster homes and now in juvenile detention. But as we’ve studied the Bible together each week, God has been transforming my heart. I now realize that not all of the issues in my life were because others may have failed me. Much of my struggles come from my own heart. As I’ve given my life to Christ and been growing in Him, I realize I have so much more to be thankful for than I ever realized. So, I have chosen to forgive any hurts of the past, and I’ve been writing letters to my parents and each of my foster families that have invested in me. I’ve taken time to thank each of them and also to apologize for my actions and attitudes when they were trying to help me.”

There’s change, and there’s transformation. This story is a story of transformation. When our heart changes and our thinking changes, we know that God is really at work and He is transforming us into the person He has purposed us to be.

Please keep these youth in your prayers! God is doing great things.

Over the next few months, we have some special ministry projects and will definitely need the support of our ministry friends. Between Thanksgiving and Christmas, we will provide hundreds of Bibles, devotional books, spiritual resources, and gift bags to teens in IL, IN, and TN juvenile centers. I’ll get more details to you soon, but please pray for these important outreach projects. I can’t imagine anything more important than planting the seed of the gospel in the hearts of 500-1000 youth over the next few months.

God is doing great work in the hearts of fatherless and high-risk youth weekly, and the prayers and support we receive make it all possible!

Thank you for all your prayers and support! It’s because of you and your partnership and the faithfulness of God we can reach fatherless youth.

In Christ,

Ken Turner

PS. If you haven’t made a recent gift to help bring the hope of the gospel to fatherless youth, please consider donating today. Give at https://kenturnerministries.org/give/
*The names mentioned are not their real names to protect the privacy of these minor youth. Please keep in your prayers the outreach ministry in Normal, IL; Peoria, IL; Galesburg, IL, led by Rob Skow; the outreach in York, PA, led by Tom Vietti; the outreach ministry of Joshua Goodling in Knoxville, TN, and the outreaches that continue to flourish in Nashville, TN, Memphis, TN, Dandridge, TN and Indianapolis, IN.

Our mailing address is: 
Ken and Jennifer Turner
High Impact Ministries
PO Box 375
Benson, IL 61516