by Ken Turner | Ministry Update
GTI stands for Gateway To Independence. GTI is the former Woodland Hills Youth Development Center in Nashville, TN and the home of one of our weekly youth outreach ministries of High Impact Teens.
In the fall of 2015 we started the first ever All Pro Dad Chapter in a juvenile facility as an outreach to teen fathers. The sad reality is that sometimes fatherless teens become parents themselves before they are even out of their teen years. I wish it weren’t so… but it is.
In the past seven months I have taught 15-20 young men how to be a “real dad” using the All Pro Dad materials as well as other resources and the Bible. It’s amazing to see these guys start to understand “fatherhood” for the first time.
Our weekly outreach to GTI is every Wednesday so keep this in your prayers in the middle of the week!
As much as anything taught in the class, I’ve sensed a unique development among these young men. I find myself interacting with them as a father would with his own sons. At times I have to be a little tougher when they distract or misbehave, and at times I get to just dig deep into heart issues we all face and I also get to enjoy laughing with them and just connecting… kind of like “fathers and sons.” There are days we laugh a lot, there are days I have to be all business and there are some days when tears are shed. It’s like a “laboratory of life” when I’m there.
So keep these guys in your prayers! And their children as well. They need all the support and guidance we can give.
Ken Turner
kenturner@highimpactteens.org
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by Ken Turner | Ministry Update
Mountain View Juvenile Development Center in Dandridge, TN (east of Knoxville) is one of three state juvenile development centers in the state of Tennessee.
Every Sunday morning I travel over to Mountain View JDC to provide a Sunday morning worship service. I go early enough to teach an All Pro Dad study to boys who are teen fathers and afterward lead a worship service for all who want to attend.
Please pray for these young men who are seeking to know and understand God’s ways in their life!
On Sunday, June 26, 2016 I spoke on “God Is A Father To The Fatherless.”
When you understand that 85-90% of these young men are fatherless… you can expect some interesting responses to a message on God as a father figure.
I was surprised at the number of young men who responded with positiver attributes of God when I asked them to give me a word that describes God. The guys described God with words like loving, faithful, powerful, guide and all knowing.
But after digging deeper into the Bible they began to raise other questions like, “Why is God mean? Why does He punish people? Why did He create Hell?”
Young me who grow up without a loving and nurturing father often struggle with a feeling that God has forgotten them or maybe He knows all about them but just chooses not to care.
Last Sunday almost half the guys in the service requested prayer that they would personally be able to connect with God as a father figure.
Keep these young men in your prayers and I’ll keep you posted!
Ken Turner
kenturner@highimpactteens.org
423-381-0018
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by Ken Turner | Ministry Update
On Saturday mornings around 10:00 AM a group of teen guys are receiving the hope that comes from God’s word through the High Impact Teen youth outreach led by Brian Weiss and Wally Anderson.
Recently I received a text message from Wally saying, “Hey, just wanted to let you know that over the past two weekends 10-12 guys have prayed to receive Christ as Savior! Now we want to get going on good follow up with them.”
Brian Weiss and Wally Anderson are faithfully reaching out to these young men weekly so please pray for them and for the young men they are connecting with regularly.
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by Ken Turner | Faith
In 2014 there were 24,289,000 youth living in single parent homes in the United States. That’s 35% of all kids in America.
Teens growing up fatherless sometimes have big questions about God. Have you ever struggled with questions like…?
“Does God care less about me and is that the reason I don’t have a dad in my life?”
“Did I do something wrong and is it my fault that dad isn’t around?”
“If my dad is struggling with things like being here for his children, keeping a job or even staying out of trouble… does that mean I’m going to turn out just like him?”
The answers to these questions are all no, no and no!
Have you ever wondered how God feels about the fatherless? I’ve met hundreds of youth who are growing up fatherless. Our High Impact Teen youth outreach focuses intently on the unique needs of fatherless youth and these teens have taught me a great deal.
The Bible says a lot about the fatherless and God makes it clear the although He is not a “respecter of persons”, meaning He doesn’t play favorites… He does have a special place in His heart for the fatherless.
- Exodus 22:22-24, “Ye shall not afflict any widow, or fatherless child… my wrath shall wax hot, and I will kill you with the sword; and your wives shall be widows, and your children fatherless.”
- Job 29:12, “Because I delivered the poor that cried, and the fatherless, and him that had none to help him.”
- James 1:27, “Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.
Here is what I see in scripture about God’s heart for the fatherless.
- God loves the fatherless.
- God watches out for the fatherless and provides them food and shelter.
- God is protective over the fatherless and watches closely for their well being.
- God listens to the fatherless and is sensitive to their needs.
- God call Christians to have a heart of ministry and compassion for the fatherless.
If you are fatherless, know that God understands and loves you deeply. If you have a great father, know that God loves and cares for you deeply also and He desires that you have a heart of compassion for a friend who may be growing up fatherless. One way to encourage your friend is to share your life with them and ask your dad to be open to including your friend to do special things with your family.
And remember, God is a father to the fatherless. He desires you to have a relationship with Himself… and He will never leave you or forsake you!
Ken Turner
Learn more at https://kenturnerministries.org/walking-with-god/
Email me at kenturner@highimpactteens.org
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by Ken Turner | Faith
One of the most frustrating things in all the world is to have to start over! Have you ever spent hours working on a project and realized you messed up and the only answer is to stop and start all over from the beginning?
But guess what? One of the most rewarding things in all the world is to “get to start over.” Sometimes it’s not a burden to start over… it’s actually a blessing. It’s that opportunity to say, “I’ve really blown it and if I could do it all over again, I’d do it differently.” And guess what? You can!
Ephesians 4:22-24 teaches us that we can stop right now and have a new start. A fresh start. A brand new beginning. And that is exciting to think about. Here is the message of Ephesians 4:22-24.
“That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.”
Here are three important steps in starting over with God.
- Put Off the Old Walk of Life.
Be honest with yourself. This is not the time for excuses but the time for real acceptance of your current reality. What is it that you need to “put off” in order to be closer to God than ever before? Call it what God calls it… sin. Confess it to Him and ask for His forgiveness.
- Be Renewed in Your Mind… A new Attitude.
It’s time to accept His forgiveness! Once you have truly taken sin to the Lord and asked for forgiveness… accept that He has forgiven you and ask Him to take away the guilt and feeling of defeat. Ask Him to help you by giving you a new attitude, a new zeal for Him and His word and a renewed joy in living for Him.
- Put On the New Man… A New Walk of Life.
Make a list if specific action steps that will keep you away from the old temptations and defeat. Be serious about this and make a deep heart felt commitment to God that you will follow through relying on Him to give you the strength. Choose a trusted friend and ask that friend to help by holding you accountable and praying for you.
So it may be true that one of the most frustrating things in life is to “have to start over” but it’s also true that one of the most amazing things about God is that when things are terribly wrong in our life He says we “get to start over.”
Ken Turner
Learn more at https://kenturnerministries.org/walking-with-god/
Email me at kenturner@highimpactteens.org
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