Leaning Forward

 A couple of months ago we honored the women in our program with a “chick night”. We pampered them with free manicures, scalp massages, and high heel shoes. The men cooked and served the ladies for the night. We wanted to honor them and and let them know that they have value, that they matter … they matter to God and they matter to us. 

Last month, it was time to honor the men. We had pool tables, ping pong, play stations, and football on the big screen.   We couldn’t get a live game so we watched the 2007 National Championship game between LSU and Ohio State.  Yes, that was my idea The ladies cooked chili with Fritos, decorated the room with a football theme, and served them this night. It was sooo much fun.

We believe that healthy things grow, and we wanted to create an environment where relationships could be developed and cultivated. Likewise, we believe that unless you have a relationship with someone, you will not be able to speak into that person’s life. Something or someone is informing you each day as to who you are and who you are becoming. Unfortunately, the people in our program have surrounded themselves with the wrong voices. The Scriptures teach that “… in the multitude of counselors there is safety.” Ed Young says, “ask the right people the right questions, and you get the right answers.” My pastor, Dino Rizzo,  recently talking about choices said it this way, “right voices … right choices”. That’s exactly what we wanted to do for the men and women in our program. If they hear the right voices long enough then they’ll begin to make right choices. That’s a win for everyone! That’s a win for families, for neighborhoods, for the city of Baton Rouge, and Louisiana as a whole.