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!!!