Never?!

A call came in from California a few nights ago from a young girl in an abusive home. As with many of the abuse calls we get the HopeCoaches heart was broken over the girl's situation and the caller thought that their situation was completely normal. Our HopeCoach listened as the caller told her all about her abusive situation and several other things that the caller was dealing with. After hearing it all she had to tell this girl that there was an answer to all the issues in her life- Jesus. She asked the caller what she thought about Jesus and didn't get the normal response. The caller said, "Who?" Thinking that the caller didn't hear her, the HopeCoach said, "Jesus, you know, God's son." The caller again expressed complete confusion. "Are you telling me you have never even heard of Jesus or God at all?" the HopeCoach said surprised. The caller wondering what the big deal was said that she truly had not heard of this God or Jesus. Our HopeCoach, like most any American, became very skeptical and began to think this was all a joke so she pressed a little harder and actually said, "Never heard of God? Are you from America?". The caller calmly said no and explained that her family had just moved to America from Guam. Well, the HopeCoach was obviously a little embarrassed but did not shrink from this incredible opportunity to share the wonderful story of Jesus with a girl for the very first time. When she had finished the caller was elated at this good news and when asked whether she wanted to pray to become a child of God and be forgiven of her sins she said yes with no hesitation whatsoever. Afterwards, we were able to send this caller the very first Bible she had even seen. Praise God!!!

Planting and Watering in God's Sovereignty

On a Friday evening Amanda called the HopeLine concerned about her best friend. Amanda’s friend, Tommy, was gay and wanted to tell his parents. She told our HopeCoach about Tommy’s abusive home life and how he was terrified of the consequences that would come if he told them about his homosexuality. Tommy was so scared that he had actually asked Amanda to tell his parents for him, and she was struggling with what to tell him. Our HopeCoach, of course, gave her the practical advice not to get involved in this potentially dangerous situation. He went on to encourage her on how she could still be a good friend without doing Tommy this favor. Like all HopeLine calls it ended with the HopeCoach praying for the situation and asking God to do the things that only He can do. The HopeCoach hung up the phone and worked through the follow up we do for every call thinking about Amanda and Tommy. When he made himself available to take another call he saw one pop up on his screen from the same city Amanda was from. This caller hung up three times before having the courage to actually talk to someone. Amazingly, each time the call would come to this same HopeCoach. The fourth time was a charm and once again it came to him. The first words out of the caller’s mouth…“Hi my name is Tommy and I’m gay”. The HopeCoach was floored! After listening for a minute he felt it was appropriate to reveal his previous conversation with the caller’s best friend. Tommy said that he had not talked to her since early that morning, and had no idea that Amanda was going to call in. The HopeCoach was able to move straight to the heart of the issue and speak the truth in love concerning Tommy’s situation. Now, many calls that come into the HopeLine end with a defined resolution, but many calls do not. Though some great seeds were planted, Tommy did not repent on this call. At a glance this could seem very disappointing, but when we consider God’s incredible sovereignty in this divine appointment how could we be disappointed? This display should move us to a deeper trust in our amazing God to finish the work that He has started. We have a saying that we try to always keep in mind at the HopeLine: “We are responsible to each caller, but God is responsible for each caller.” We do all we can to listen and proclaim truth and offer help, but ultimately any really great or eternal work that is done is done by God. And He is still working when we hang up the phone. We praise God for the times He uses us to harvest, but we also praise Him for the opportunity to plant and water trusting in His perfect plan where His fierce love and power keeps working in every caller’s life!

Trapped in Darkness

I have to admit that I only read a very small percentage of the assigned reading from my high school years, but one short story that I did read I have never forgotten because I thought it was so profound (though it has been a while so forgive me if the details are a little shaky). It was an allegory by Plato about men who been held captive in a cave all of their lives and were told that the cave was all there was in the world. One man, eventually, managed to escape and find his way outside. When he first saw the light of the sun it blinded him. After his eyes adjusted he saw the wonder of a whole new world with trees, birds, streams, and beautiful blue sky. He was in awe and decided that his fellow captives had to see this, so he went back to tell them and try to set them free. As he explained it to them they refused to believe him thinking it was a trick! These men were trapped in their darkness because they thought that it was all there was; that it was completely normal. Mary called recently trapped in a similar darkness. Her mother was an abusive alcoholic. Mary’s life consisted of being slapped around and verbally bashed by her mother so often that she thought it was completely normal. She had never known anything else and was convinced that most people’s home lives were like her own. For most of her life Mary literally thought the only purpose for make up was to cover up bruises left by her mother. She talked about the shock she experienced when she realized that her relationship with her abusive mother was not at all normal. Mary was calling because she needed someone to talk to about all of this. The HopeCoach listened brokenhearted for a very long time as story after story about the things her mother had said and did came out. He encouraged her, told her how wonderful and valuable she is, and shared with her about the great love of God. Afterwards he connected her with our partner ministry that offers free professional counseling. Mary’s story reminds me that we live in a dark world where, for some, the darkness is so thick that the people in it have no concept of anything else; anything better. Her story reminds me that I am to “walk as a child of light” (Ephesians 5:8) and “expose” the darkness that has so many trapped thinking there cannot be anything different than what they know.

“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket; but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” Matthew 5:14-16

Come and See!

When I heard about Alexa's call I couldn't help but think of the woman at the well in John 4. Not because she had been married 5 times but because of her reaction to meeting Jesus. Alexa called because her mom was never around; the type of woman that spent her nights drinking and partying. The night that Alexa called was the night that she and her mother had a huge fight. Bravely, she confronted her mom about her lifestyle and got screamed at for her efforts. Alexa's grandmother came and picked her up after her mom went out. She was overwhelmed and flustered when she called in. Alexa talked about her problem and our HopeCoach caringly listened and tried to comfort her. Then, knowing the ultimate need of all our callers, the HopeCoach shared the wonderful love of Jesus Christ. He was suprised by how hungry this girl was for God, she eagerly gave her life to Christ! After praying, she told the HopeCoach how beautiful she thought the love of God was and that she couldn't wait to get to school to tell her friends about Jesus! Alexa, like the woman at the well, was filled with wonder at the real Messiah and did what people do when in wonder about something - they go and tell others about it. They do that because they desperately want others to know about this great thing they have found. So, the woman at the well runs into town, to the people she usually tried to avoid because of the shame she felt from her life's mistakes, and says "come and see the man who told me everything I have ever done". And Alexa goes without fear into the one of the most judgemental environments in America (public high school) and says "guess what happened to me last night, I found the beautiful love I have been craving all my life". I wonder how different the world would be if all Christians let their fear of what others think get swallowed up by amazement over this Messiah whose perfect, unstoppable love sets us free and gives us life forever with Him.

Cut or Call

It is interesting for me to think about how many times the message that God spoke through Moses in Deuteronomy 30:19 is seen in everyday life – “Today…I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live.” He was calling them to obey the commands that God had given them, saying that if they did obey then they would receive abundant blessing and life, but if they did not obey then they would receive destruction. Lorie called and told us about a similar choice recently. Lorie was a cutter and knew that she needed help. She had heard Dawson’s show before and this Sunday night she was determined to avoid it. She had a terrible day that day. You see, her father was an alcoholic and her mother was not around. Her father tried to keep her from everyone, never letting her leave the house except to go school. Lorie knew that she was going to graduate this year and desperately wanted to go away to college, if only to get away from her father. He refused to let her go. This frustration and feeling of being trapped, coupled with terrible memories of things that had happened to her in the past, led her to the place she had found herself in too many times before. She was going to lock the door to her room and cut. But there was a part of her that didn’t want to; that was tired of cutting and wanted to get help. This created a real battle inside her, “Cut or call,” she would say to herself. She didn’t want to hear Dawson that night because she knew that the decision would be made if she did; she would call the HopeLine to get help. Lorie sat on her bed and tried to avoid the decision: cut or call. For a while she listened to music on CDs to keep her mind occupied. After a few hours of this she was tired of her CDs and thought Dawson’s show was over, so she turned the radio to her favorite station and found out that she was wrong- Dawson was still on. God brought conviction to Lorie through the show and the decision was made to call. She got one of our HopeCoaches who, as they always do, led her to getting the help that she needed, both in the situation with her father and her problem with cutting. Thanks be to God for using a caring voice over the air and then another over the phone to lead a young girl to choosing life!

Late Nights

In April of 2008 the Dawson McAllister Association launched a new radio show called Dawson McAllister Late Nights. This show is designed to go from Midnight to 5am every night of the week. This was a huge jump for DMA being that the show they produce now is only one day a week, Sunday Nights. Needless to say it was a leap of faith, but DMA wanted to do all they could to broaden their influence and expose more people to the hope and love of Jesus Christ. This show has been slowly growing over the past few months, but has sort of been stuck on about 10 affiliates for a while (about 100,000 listeners each night). Well, we just received word that this will no longer be the case. There is a huge company that DMA has a contract with that seeks to get Dawson’s shows, along with thousands of others, on more radio stations across the country. It is a miracle that the relationship exists at all and it is also a miracle that it has lasted as long as it has because Dawson’s shows have not exactly been the top money producer for this company. Well, now the company as a whole is having some significant financial trouble. While this seems like a negative for our ministry God’s sovereignty shines through once again. Because of the financial struggles this company is forced to start pushing syndicated radio shows as opposed to local ones. Late Nights is on their list as one of the syndicated shows they are going to start pushing hard. This could mean 20-40 more stations would carry the Late Night show in the next year. This is a radical move of God and we praise Him for the favor He is showing to a ministry that simply seeks to be a shelter from the storms of life for teenagers and young adults. All praise be to the living God as He expands His influence through Dawson and, of course, the HopeLine!!!

Saved! - the Movie

It is truly amazing to find out how people heard about the HopeLine and what cause them to call. Here is Jennifer's story of how she came to call last night. Jennifer decided to watch a movie with her boyfriend. Her boyfriend, who happened to be a hard core atheist, recommended the movie 'Saved'. Though I have not seen the movie I know that it is a satire on fundamental Christians portraying us in a pretty negative light. Well, as Jennifer watched this movie and its constant criticism of Christianity she began to feel convicted. The feeling grew the more she watched and when it was over conviction was upon her so heavily that she went to the internet and Googled 'Christian hotlines'. One of the first ones she came across was the HopeLine and, boldly, she called in telling the HopeCoach on the other end what had happened. She then started asked questions about Christianity and listened as the HopeCoach shared with her about Jesus Christ's great gift for an hour and a half. The HopeCoach knew she was serious about understanding Christianity when he realized that she was taking notes on what he was telling her. Jennifer did not give her heart to Christ last night, but, though I don't claim to know the future, I genuinely think that one day soon the Holy Spirit is going to bring her understanding and that she will be changed forever into a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ. God's ways are so amazing! He is always at work! He used a movie mocking Christians to lead her to someone that could share the truth about Christ with her...I just cannot get over how much greater He is than he who is in the world!

Usually we write about stories we have heard from HopeCoaches but when this HopeCoach emailed these comments on a call he had Sunday night I knew I couldn't phrase it any better. Here it is straight from the HopeCoach:

"...It was likely the very best call I have ever taken since working at the call center. For me it was a great call because it left me holding my head in my hands, weeping quietly for what seemed like a long time. I do not remember ever taking a call that moved me so deeply.

The girl was around eighteen years old, had a vibrant dynamic relationship with Lord while attending a Christian high school, but fell away and found herself addicted to drugs and watching her world crumble around her. She could not understand why everything she touched toppled like a house of cards while the people around doing wickedness seemed to prosper.

She told me in the very beginning of the call that she was numb, that she did not feel anything, and that it had been a long time since she had even cried. Ten or more minutes into our conversation she began to weep off and on, eventually turning to a constant flow of tearfulness and sobbing. It was apparent that her lack of emotion was due to some trauma that she was protecting herself from and later in the conversation I “felt” strongly that the trauma was due to the fact that she was holding a grudge against God. She felt that God had let her down by not protecting her from the drugs and there were some terrible things that happened to members of her family. I explained to her about how many times we hold grudges against people because we perceive they did something against us and as she prayed and forgave God for the perceived offenses and subsequently put her life back on God’s altar (Romans 12:1), I watched this numb, unemotional, troubled, young lady move from coldness, to brokenness, to peacefulness. When I was through praying with her, she commented that she felt as though a great weight had been lifted from her chest. Before we hung up, I told her “In case no one has told you yet today, let me be the first to tell you that I love you.” She broke down and started crying again.

In writing this, I still feel the depth of emotion that overcame me early this morning, leaving me humbled, and with my head in my hands.

I count myself fortunate to be involved with you, the Hopeline, and all the other hope coaches who continue to demonstrate such a great heart for the people whom God loved to such a great degree that He laid down the life of His only, one of a kind, Son to redeem us to Himself."

God's Calling!

I have talked a little before about how much satan hates this ministry. He continually works to keep HopeCoaches from serving here. It is most easily seen in a HopeCoaches first few weeks. It has become a blessing to know this though because we continually get to see God glorified through satan's attempts. One woman in particular has had quite a journey. She came for the first time to our informational meeting. I found out that when she arrived she sat in her car afraid to come in because she didn't think that someone like her could do a ministry like this one. While in her car a sermon came on the radio by Ravi Zacharias about Gideon and about how he was small and insignificant in the world's eyes but that God used him for amazing things. This gave her the strength to come in and hear. After she heard more about the ministry she was sure that she was not qualified and that God did not want someone like her taking these important calls. The following Wednesday night at church they watched a video sermon that was about Moses and how he told God to get someone else because he was not qualified and stumbled over his words yet God had chosen Him. This and a few other things that happened that week made it unmistakable that God was calling her to volunteer for the HopeLine. This gave her the courage to come to the training. After the training satan was pulling out all the stops trying to discourage her and she decided even if she was called that she was not going to do it. She just couldn't - she was too scared and had too many past failures haunting her. That week her Pastor started a sermon series on - yep, you guessed it - Jonah. She knew that God was not going to let her run away from this. This gave her the courage to come in her first night to take her first call. She wanted to start with a chat but there weren't going to be chats available for a while and so I urged to try a call. She said she would and as she sat down she was trembling. She put herself as available and the phone rang. She answered and with a calming voice, compassionate words, and great advice she helped a young girl struggling with a relationship problem. Afterwards, another call came and after listening to the problem and giving wonderful advice again God led her to begin sharing the gospel. Through words truly from the Holy Spirit she led that caller to begin a relationship with Christ! It was the first person she had ever led to Christ in her life!!! She left with a smile so big that her face almost couldn't hold it! We serve an incredible God that makes us more than conquerers through Christ Jesus who loved us; who proves that when give our weakness to God He makes us strong in Him. Praise God for using such weak creatures for His great and eternal work!

180 Degree Change

Jill called in recently to talk about some problems she was having at school. She was being made fun of by the other students constantly and needed to talk to someone about it. The HopeCoach asked her why the other students gave her such a hard time. She said it was because she dressed and acted differently than most of them. You see, Jill dressed in all black all the time and loved dark and evil things; she worshipped satan and said she talked to demons. Her reason for doing this was very interested though, she told the HopeCoach that she worshipped satan because she did not have anyone else to turn to. The Hopecoach jumped on that opportunity and asked if she had ever had anyone tell her about God's love. She had. In fact, she said that many people had tried to talk her about it but she was not interested. He then asked if he could have just 5 minutes to explain the gospel. She agreed to 5 minutes. He shared with her about the great work of Christ for much longer than 5 minutes but Jill didn't complain. When he finished sharing he asked if she wanted to give her life to Christ and enter into a relationship with God. She said that she couldn't because she already given her soul to satan. The HopeCoach said, "That's not what I asked. I asked you if you wanted to have a relationship with God." She paused...and said, "Yes, I do." After they had prayed she said she felt weird- like a huge weight had been lifted off of her shoulders. At the end of the call they prayed together and Jill prayed, "God, if there is anything left in my life that is not of you, then take it away!" Wow! Talk about a complete 180 - Jill went from having given her soul to satan and rejecting everything of God to given her life to Christ and rejecting everything of satan by God's power! God's love and power truly have no boundaries! I thank God that I am part of a ministry that He has set up to reach people like Jill - lost and lonely and would never think of darkening the door of a church but are starving for the great love of God!

Feedback

One of the difficult things about the ministry of the HopeLine is that we very rarely get to see what God does with a life after the call is over. This week, however, we got to hear from a few people who were calling to give an update on how they were doing. The first call was from Taylor who originally called to talk about a problem with a guy. After some probing questions from the HopeCoach he discovered she had serious self image problems and was so desperate to be considered pretty that she had turned to bulimia and so desperate to fit in with the 'cool crowd' that she had started smoking pot with them. This girl claimed to be a Christian but didn't exactly have an active relationship with God. The HopeCoach really emphasized to her that she needed to start reading the Word and praying daily. She wasn't very responsive to this but the HopeCoach knew it was what she needed. Recently, we received another call from Taylor. She had called just say 'thank you'! She admitted that when she got off the phone with the HopeCoach she was unconvinced that beginning an active relationship with God would help but then said that she had started reading anyway and it was really helping her - the only thing that ever really had. Taylor, because of God's challenge through the HopeCoach, had tasted and seen that Lord is good!
The other call was from Tiffany who, when she originally called, was very depressed and felt she had nothing to live for. She had a terrible past having been molested and lost loved ones and really had no one to talk to. The HopeCoach listened to her, encouraged her, and shared the gospel with her. She was very eager to have a relationship with this God that loved her so much. She prayed to receive Christ. Afterwards she told the HopeCoach that she was in her basement that prior to the call was very cold and dark but after recieving Christ she said it was brighter and warmer! Two days later she called in just wanting to let us know that she was doing great. She had already led her brother to Christ and was talking to her sister, who has cancer, about the great love and saving power of Jesus Christ! Wow! Thank God for the privelege of being used to make and eternal difference in the lives of other people and thank God for feedback, though we don't get much, it are so encouraging!

Someone To Listen

We often say that we are helping teens and young adults "within a yard of hell". This is a phrase taken from a quote by CT Studd found on another part of this blog. Well, when Jennifer called it became clear to the HopeCoach right away that she was one of those teens "within a yard of hell". She had been raped as a child by her uncle - often. Her mom knew it was going on but did nothing. The pressure, abuse, and guilt eventually took Jennifer's mom over and she committed suicide. This left Jennifer, already scared, absolutely devastated. On top of all that, a while later her brother had run away leaving her feeling utterly alone. The loneliness and terrible memories of her mother and her abuse drove to her to find away to escape. She found that escape in cutting (where a person will take a knife or razor blade and routinely cut themselves, usually on the arms and legs). Jennifer, like many who call in, had no one to talk to so when she heard about the HopeLine she called in hopes that she could find someone who would listen; someone who would care. She found it. The HopeCoach listened to her as she shared about her awful past. He knew that he would not be able to fix these problems but he could be there to listen. He also knew that this young girl needed to know about the incredible love that God has for her. After she had told her story and the HopeCoach did what he could to encourage her he began to share the gospel. When he started she told him that she was a Mormon. He asked if he could be honest with her and share a truth that might offend her. Jennifer responded by saying that she would listen because she trusted him and because he was the only one that had ever really listened to her. He shared the truth about Mormonism and the truth about the amazing love of the one true God shown in Jesus Christ. When he finished presenting the gospel she said that she had always thought God hated her and was angry with her because she cut. Jennifer began to weep. She was overwhelmed by this God who wanted to have a relationship with someone like her. Through her tears she accepted the love of Christ, renounced her Mormon beliefs, and said she was going to start living for the one true God. This story shows the wonderful power of God manifested through someone who was there to listen to a broken girl who had no one else and simply tell her about a God who loved her.

Greater Is He That Is In Us

There are two things that have become abundantly clear since the Chattanooga HopeLine has started. The first is that satan absolutely hates this ministry and is constantly doing things to try to disrupt it. Often, we will hear of things happening that discourage new HopeCoaches from coming. One simple example of this was recently when a HopeCoach who was going to take calls from home for the first time attempted to open the internet on his computer and was unsucessful. He tried several things to fix the problem but nothing seemed to work. Finally he stopped and started to pray. He said, "Lord, I know that You want me to do this ministry and I know that You want to speak Your love through me tonight so I pray in the name of Jesus that..." and as soon as He said "in the name of Jesus" the internet started working. The second thing that has been clear is that as bad as satan hates this ministry God loves it more, and as many times as satan tries to stop what is going on God triumphs over His attempts and shows His power to HopeCoaches through it. We have seen 1 John 4:4 proved over and over again - "Greater is He that is in you than he who is in the world."

God is Sovereign!

Skyles, a young man from North Carolina called saying he had been sexually abused by his father. This obviously broke the heart of the HopeCoach taking the call. He talked to Skyles about his pain and then about forgiveness. He said Skyles needed to forgive his father to be able to experience healing from his past. The HopeCoach went on to share about God's great love for Skyles and how God Himself wanted a relationship with him. The caller did not pray to receive Christ and the call ended like all calls - the HopeCoach praying for the caller.
This may not seem like a very exciting story and unworhty of being posted on our blog but that is only because you haven't heard the rest of the story...about 30 minutes later the same HopeCoach received a call with two young men on the line. They said their names were Josh and Steve. They went on to say that one of them had called earlier under the name Skyles and told a story they had both made up about Skyles being sexually abused by his father. They said that after they had hung up the phone they felt awful. They said they felt so badly about it that they had to let the HopeCoach know what they had done and apologize. The HopeCoach was shocked! He had no idea the previous call was a prank. The boys asked the HopeCoach for forgiveness, which, of course, he gave and then he went on to share again about God's love and His amazing forgiveness. The boys both fell under deep conviction and both gave their hearts to Jesus! Afterwards they said that they felt like their lives were truly changed forever! Wow! I can't help but think of the verse from Joseph's story as he talks to his brothers and tells them that what they meant for evil God used for good. All praise be to our sovereign and loving God!

New Life

Last Sunday we had a girl call in wanting to talk about her situation with her boyfriend. He was not treating her well and she wanted some advice about what to do. Our Hopecoach said that she was far too valuable to be with a guy that was treating her so badly, and that the best thing to do was break up with him. She, however, was having none of that. She talked emphatically about how much she loved him - she just couldn't break up with him. She and the Hopecoach stayed on this topic for a while and after it became abundantly clear that she was dead set on staying with her boyfriend and not going to listen to reason, the Hopecoach asked her if she had any spiritual beliefs. She said yes and went on to talk about how she believed in the Bible and reincarnation. She was sure that the Bible taught about reincarnation somewhere. Our Hopecoach shared what the Bible actually says about life, death, sin, salvation, heaven, and hell and afterward asked if she wanted to turn her life over to Christ and have eternal life in heaven...she said that she did. They prayed and after they did the Hopecoach asked how she felt. She said, "Awesome! I want to start over. I want to live a completely new life." All the sudden she was willing to break up with her boyfriend and get rid of all of her old life so she could a new one in Christ. You can imagine her excitement when the Hopecoach shared 2 Corinthians 5:17, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, behold the new has come!"
Praise God for His incredible power to change a life - the old to new...dark to light...and death to life...forever!

A Huge Decision

We had a young girl contact us through one-on-one chat recenlty. She wanted some advice on a huge decision - whether to have sex with her boyfriend or not. She and her boyfriend, both Christians, were considering the benefits and consequences of having sex. The HopeCoach could tell right away that this girl wanted to have sex and was looking for some kind of endorsement. The Hopecoach, of course, did not give that endorsement. Instead, in a gentle and loving way, she used the Bible to explain God's beautiful plan for sex and how it is meant to be enjoyed only in a marriage relationship. When the hopecoach had finished saying what was essentially the opposite of what the caller had wanted to hear, the caller, instead of argument or flippancy, thanked her profusely and before the chat was over had called her boyfriend to tell him that she now knew it was best to wait until marriage.
Today, teen's ideas about sex are shaped by entertainment and sex education whose most moral message is: "Having sex is absolutely fine as long as you love the person and you use protection." Even though she was a Christian, she had been so bombarded by this idea that she had almost completely accepted it. The HopeLine exists to shine the light of truth into the lives of teens that have been lied to by the world. And in this case the Holy Spirit granted the young girl an open heart and she, by God's grace, made a decision to accept the truth and wait until marriage before having sex.

What a Rush!

A 17 year-old girl (we'll call her Joan) called in and wanted to talk about her girlfriend that had left her to be with another woman in another state. Joan was very hurt and very angry about over the situation. The Hopecoach, Harriet, did not talk about Joan's homosexuality right away. Instead, she talked to her about forgiveness and that the only way to be over her pain and to move on was to forgive this girl who had left her. After this the caller asked if God thought that homosexuality was an "abomination". Harriet said that, yes, it was but so were her other sins. Joan was taken aback at this response. Harriet began to share the gospel and God brought conviction on this young woman. She acklowedged all her sins, repented, and made Jesus the Lord of her life right then! After they had prayed there were a few seconds of silence and then the caller sort of squealed. Harriet asked what was going on and the girl said, "I'm having a rush come all over me!" The Hopecoach asked what she thought that was and Joan said, "The Holy Spirit just came and lived inside of me!" After the call was over Harriet was practically jumping up and down with excitement over what God had done in the life of this young woman! Praise God for His incredible power and for the amazing gift that is the indwelling of the Holy Spirit!

Spirit Filled Night!

Last Sunday, June 29th, was an incredible night for the Chattanooga HopeLine. The Spirit of God was upon us. We took some significant time before we logged onto our computers to sit together and praise God for His work in the HopeLine. We shared with each other some of the calls that meant the most to us - the ones where we had so clearly seen God at work- as well as how the HopeLine had blessed us. After this time of praising God we went to the phones. Almost immediately we saw that this wasn't a normal night. Two separate hopecoaches ushered their very first callers of the night into the Kingdom of God! By the time another round of calls had come and gone two more souls were brought into a relationship with Jesus Christ! By the end of the night we had another two precious young people adopted into the family of God, one of which when asked if she felt any different after praying to receive Christ said, "I feel like I could fly!" A grand total of six callers had their lives completely transformed forever last night! Not only that but I can't tell you how many stories I heard where hopecoaches had calls that "were meant for just for them". I heard two separate hopecoaches say, "I am not sure anyone else could have understood that situation like me because I have been through every single thing that are going through now." Thanks be to God for His amazing saving power and perfect providence- He is truly an incredible God who loves the hurting young people of this world infinitely more than we ever could!

That's who it was!!!

A young girl called recently because she really liked a guy - thought about him all the time - and wanted to know whether she should tell him. After talking about that for a while the HopeCoach began to talk to her about the gospel. As he was in the middle of sharing about what Jesus had done for this girl she burst out, "That's who it was! That's who was in my dream!" She went onto explain that she had a dream two nights before where a man appeared to her and spoke to her in a booming voice that shook the house and said, "They offer you love, but I offer you life." She went on to say that when she had the dream she didn't know who the man was but she realized as the HopeCoach shared that it was Jesus! She also realized that Jesus was calling her not to focus on guys (who offer her love) but on Himself (who offers her life). After that she enthusiastically rushed the HopeCoach to tell her how she could have a relationship with this Jesus. The HopeCoach was floored and so excited to be a part of this amazing saving work that God had done in this girl's life.

Hardened soldier touched by prayer

We had a call from a young man in the Army that had been in Iraq for three straight years. His job while he was over there was essentially to pick up and transport dead soldiers. He said he would literally have to gather the separated limbs and spilled intestines of soldiers killed in the line of duty. Needless to say these experiences had left him emotionally damaged. He had trained himself not to feel...at all...ever. He had gotten home to his wife after three years of being gone and not only did they have the obstacle of getting to know each other all over again, there was the added problem of him not being able to feel or express any emotion. After our hopecoach sat for over an hour listening to this soldier's awful situation and trying to encourage him he asked if it was ok if he could pray for the soldier. He was a Christian so, of course, said yes. In the midst of the prayer the Holy Spirit moved and brought, for the first time in years, real emotion. The soldier came to the point of tears and when the prayer was over he told the hopecoach that he had never had anyone pray over him like that. That young man hung up knowing that there was hope - that he could have healing from his emotional scars and a restored life and marriage through the power and love of God!

Wounded gang member's life is changed forever

Here is a story from a couple of weeks ago: There was a young man that called the HopeLine who was heavily involved in gangs and had actually been shot in the leg that night. He couldn't risk going to the hospital, so he went home scared. He heard Dawson on the radio and called the HopeLine where he heard about the love of Christ. The Holy Spirit convicted him of his sin and through tears he gave his life to Christ. The next day he called back and left a voicemail saying he had led two of his friends from the gang to Christ. God is using Dawson and the HopeLine to reach those youth within a yard of hell.