Transformation Ranch Ministries

T.R.M. News
Issue No.  14
December  2010
       End of Year Giving

"Finally, brothers, pray for us that the message of the Lord may spread rapidly and be honored, just as it was with you. And pray that we may be delivered from wicked and evil men, for not everyone is faithful. But the Lord is faithful and he will strengthen and protect you  from the evil one......May the Lord direct your hearts into God's love and Christ's perseverance."
2 Thessalonians 3:1-5

Vicki and I thank you for all the prayers and support you have given us in 2010. We operate solely from your gifts and offerings. Please consider TRM with your end of year giving. TRM is a 501c3 and all gifts are tax deductible.

T.R.M.
PO Box 282
Chelsea, AL 35043

Transformation Ranch Ministries is a Christian non-profit ministry that is supported directly by the donations of individuals.

We provide the following services to families or individuals in our community with no fees or costs to the families:

--Biblical Counseling for families   or individuals dealing with:         1.   Substance Abuse
    2.   After-Care Training
    3.   Interventions
    4.   Marriage
    5.   Life Coaching Issues
    6.   Addiction Sponsorship

--Support Groups for parents, spouses or individuals affected by substance abuse.

--Resource assistance for anyone looking for detox, drug rehab or aftercare.

--Transformation and recovery mentoring for men and women looking for help.

--On the horizon: Build a Transformation Ranch with a school for young people (12-18) struggling with chemical dependency, substance abuse and other systemic behaviors. For more information about the ranch and how you can be a part of that, call Rock Hobbs at 205-470-3830.

Please pray for the continued blessings of the Lord on this work for the Kingdom. If you'd like to help, we can take monthly donations via credit cards or mail in support to: TRM, P.O. Box 282, Chelsea, AL. 35043.

Schedule of Meetings

Free At Last - Recovery and Discovery Class Wednesday 5:30pm at Church of the Highlands.

Dodge Ballers - A support group for men in their twenties that have questions about life and why dodging trouble seems to be a way of life. Open group.
Thursday  4:30-5:30pm.

Free Indeed - Support group for parents or spouses touched by addictions or troubled family members.
Thursday 6:30-8:00pm. (Currently on break for the holidays)

Individual or Family Counseling available at TRM office.
 Mon:  1-4pm
 Tue,Wed,Thur: 9-5pm
(Office will be closed from Dec 16-27)

For more information on each meeting  and it's location, call Rock Hobbs at 470-3830.
Helpful Recovery Links

Celebrate Recovery Meetings

Bethel Baptist, Moody
Friday 5:30 BBQ / 7pm Mtg

Asbury Methodist, off Hwy119
Tuesday 6:30pm

For more information on other meetings or to learn more about Celebrate Recovery call Rock at 205-470-3830.

Biblical Counseling:

Truth in Love Ministries:
Contact Mark Shaw at:
[email protected]

For Discipleship:

Jason Cooke
Call Christ Health Center at:
205-380-9455


If you need
 a comprehensive resource for help with drug or alcohol related issues: 
 
 www.theFreedomSource.com


Adult Christian addiction rehab:
 
 www.thefoundryonline.com

 www.turningpointalabama.org

New Start Ladies Home
Becky Farrell, Director
205-477--0555

God's Unfailing Promises

Psalm 41:1               Psalm 138:7-8

Psalm 17:3-4            Psalm 107:20

Psalm 126:1-2          Hebrews 1:14
Quotes of the Month

"Life is hard.
God is Good.
Don't confuse them."
Anonymous

"When a train goes through a tunnel and it gets dark, you don't throw away the ticket and jump off. You sit still and trust the engineer."
Corrie ten Boom

"In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."
Jesus
John 16:33


TRM Prayer Team
Looking for  Prayer Warriors.

It is our belief that our ministry is on the front line of spiritual warfare and needs to be covered in prayer. Our Board of Trustees as well as the staff are looking for anyone that feels called to commit to praying for Transformation Ranch Ministries and for revival and healing in the young people of our city, state and country.
  If you are interested in being a very important part of the Ranch and the Ranch development with the prayer team, please give Lauren Orth a call at 205-999-4379.

Merry Christmas
and
Happy New Year




"Who Needs Parents Anyway?"


    I have been hearing a recurring problem from couples seeking prayer counsel with me over the last few months. Over and over I have seen the effects of rejection on them individually and their marriage. The more I study the character of God and the deceptions of the devil, I see how rejection in a person's life can be developed over a life time and layered like an onion. We've all heard the onion thing before but I want to look at how that actually happens? How is rejection the devils deceptive weapon by which he can rob us of God's greatest characteristic - Total Love and Acceptance?

  
I believe that one of the founding spiritual principles that God instituted in the universe is the fifth commandment, "Honor your father and your mother so that you may live long in the land."  Another translation states, "so that things will go well for you." Now how does this relate to rejection and my marriage? And what's with the onion?

   According to Phyl Gibson in his book, Excuse Me Your Rejection Is Showing, he states "that multi-layered rejection syndrome is far more pungent and long-lasting than an onion, unless Jesus Christ stops the process and heals the victim."  I agree. So what does this layering look like?  Here's an example of a young woman's story but remember, there can be many other combinations and layers in any individual's life.

The core of rejection:  "I was an only child. My mother's health was so bad that she was advised against having any children...."

Layer 1
"I had a bad instrumental birth, and still carry scars on my thigh. The doctor thought my mother had died, and expressed his preference for my death rather than my mother's..."

Layer 2
"I broke my leg at sixteen months and my mother was blamed for it, so she kept me from walking for a long time after my leg healed..."

Layer 3
"My father was a perfectionist, and expected me to be perfect. Whenever he saw me do something wrong, he really punished me..."

Layer 4
"I hated school. Every day at a certain time the boys would corner me, hold me on the ground, and molest me. When that didn't satisfy them, they inserted objects into me. This went on for four years, and I was scared to tell anyone because I had been threatened..."

Layer 5
"Because I was left-handed, my teachers constantly humiliated me in the classroom, and I was forced to use my right hand...."

Layer 6
"When I was 7, my father became very ill with cancer. The last time I saw him was on my 8th birthday. I carried my cake into his room and found him in tears. He told me it broke his heart that he wouldn't see me grow up. I used to plead with God not to take him, even threatening not to love God if my father died..."

Layer 7
"As my father lingered on I was sent away from home for six months and seldom saw my mother during that time. I began to have bad nightmares. I started to wet the bed frequently and was punished for it. I felt a wreck, and desperately wanted love, but no one reached out a hand to me. The boys continued their torment..."

Layer 8
"When my father died, I was not allowed to go to the funeral, but was made to attend school where the kids mocked me. I hated God for taking my father from me. Hadn't I constantly prayed for him, and even threatened not to love God if he died? In my misery I reasoned that God could not be a God of love. Mom wanted to commit suicide. In my hatred, I tore my Bible into shreds trying to kill the god within me...."

    The story and layers go on in this person's life but you get the idea. Gibson goes on to write, "All the hope and aspirations which parents may have for each child may vanish, and be replaced by a growing number of life-changing difficulties and problems if a child believes that he or she has been rejected. Whether that rejection has been open, is implied or just imaginary, the results will be the same. Many adults have confessed to having rejected one or both of their parents in their early years, either as an act of retaliation, or self-protection. In every case, the feelings of rejection became an emotional ' 'compost-heap' from which associated problems and other evil seeds have germinated, and become reproducing."

   If you are still suffering the affects of rejection in your life and its affecting your ability to have wholesome or intimate relationships, you need to lay hold of this very powerful truth of God in John 8:31; "If you hold to my teaching you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free." Jesus suffered the ultimate rejection. The Son of God came to earth to save the world from death and sin and he was not only rejected but falsely accused and crucified. Don't you think Jesus understands your hurts, your broken heart and the loneliness you feel deep in your soul?

   Early childhood "layered" rejection is a major reason why adult children and their parents struggle in relationships and ultimately why so many couples  run into rough waters during the course of their marriage. The dishonoring of our parents caused by the judgment that we hold them to can be directly related to the problems that can surface in a marital relationships.

   The answer is not "cosmic" or expensive. The answer, the help, the healing of wounded hearts are in the gift of forgiveness. When the King of Kings was rejected by his people and hung on a cross for our behalf,  he said as in his last words, "forgive them Father, for they know not what they do."  Jesus also told us that just as the Father forgives us we are to forgive those in debt to us.

   Forgiveness is a gift from God that allows us as individuals to get free from the bondage of bitterness and rejection deep rooted in our past. James 5:16 promises us that if we confess our faults one with another and pray for each each other that we will be healed. That's the key. By looking at each layer of rejection in the onion of our past we are able to pray and forgive and God will heal and restore.

   You can do that in the quiet places of your home between you and the Lord or seek counsel from your pastor or Godly friend and ask for them to pray with you. It's nothing new and its not complicated, we just have to be willing to humble ourselves and ask for forgiveness.

   I've prayed with many people that were drowning in bitterness, shame and loneliness because of past rejections.  Today, through counsel and prayer they understand their "onion" and have allowed Abba Father's healing touch to change them and restore relationships.
 
Rock
         


 
"Why Do We Need TRM?"

As we continue to ask you, the Birmingham community and our Alabama state leaders to help us build this ranch for troubled teens, let me share with you a few more statistics and reasons why our parents and communities so desperately need the healing programs that Transformation Ranch will offer.  

1)    A great number of teens across the country are in depression. A study released in 2005 by the National Association of Psychiatry found that the use of drugs, alcohol and promiscuous sex led to teen depression in up to 12 times greater proportions than for teens that abstained from those activities. Depression is a leading cause of teen suicide.

2)   Teen suicide is the third leading cause of death in people ages 14-24. While no date is available on attempted suicide, there is an estimated 8-25 attempted suicides for each suicide death.

3)   A 2002 report by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism attributed 1,400 deaths, 500,000 injuries and 70,000 sexual assaults a year to on campus alcohol use. Since then those numbers have increased and the age group affected has gotten younger.

4)    Incarcerating our youth for substance abuse and other behavioral issues is not working to rehabilitate our children.  According to Alabama's Department of Youth Services(DYS) in a report released in 2005 and published in the Birmingham News, more than 70% of Alabama children sent to DYS return to the legal system.  
 
5)   "Huffing" or "Dusting" is a form of substance abuse that is on the rise.  The inhaling of aerosolized products can lead to a paralyzing euphoric sensation for several minutes but in affect can freeze the lungs and cause immediate death without normal problematic systems. Keyboard cleaner aerosol cans are a common off the shelf product that teens will huff.

  I leave you with these statistics on our program philosophy and "relapse rates" in the reality of addictions.

Statistic One: 

Our program model from Youth Town in Jackson, Tennessee has a documented 80% success rate in students not returning to the legal system if their program is completed successfully.  Additionally, it has been proven that these evidenced-based programs will save DYS $50-75,000 dollars a year per student if entry into the system is eliminated.

Statistic Two:
 
If you can help an adolescent truly transform their heart by a process of renewing their minds; personally accept the Christian world view for their life; and get freedom from addiction before the age of twenty, there is a 85-90% chance that they will never go back. Over the age of twenty that number drops to 12% and AA claims the number is 3%.  So if you were looking to put your charitable giving into something with a good Rate of Return( ROI), facilities dealing with the adolescents would bring the most "bang for your buck".

Statistic Three:

  "The number of faith-based facilities with long term care, counseling and education for adolescents in Alabama is ZERO."

Statistic Four:

"For anyone out there who doesn't know where you're going, anyone groping in the dark, Here's what: Trust in God.  Lean on your God! But if all you're after is making trouble, playing with fire; Go ahead and see where it gets you. Set your fires, stir people up, blow on the flames (do your own thing), But don't expect me to just stand there and watch. I'll hold your feet to those flames." (NIV says you will lie down in torment)
                                              Isaiah 50: 10,11 (Msg)
The use of drugs and alcohol to fix the pain will work for a short period of time but ultimately leads to depression and ruin; especially in adolescents.

       ----------------------------------------------------------

Help us turn these statistics around in our city and our state. Help us build this ranch. Be proactive....be a part of the solution. Help provide our kids with a wonderful alternative to suicide.

  If you've been affected by a child or grandchild struggling with all the family problems created by drugs and alcohol and want to help us fight this battle, please contact me or Vicki at 205-470-3830.  If you have a church group or community club that would like to hear more of what we are trying to do, I'd love to come share our vision with your group. For more information on the ranch vision check out our website at :

                  www.Transformationranch.com.


    


"Learning to Trust in the Name of the Lord can change your perspective of what you see in a storm."  Rock




Contact Us
T.R.M.
P.O. Box 282
Chelsea, AL 35043
.
Cell  -  (205) 470-3830
Office-(205) 701-3800
[email protected]
www.transformationranch.com