I found this post on Myspace Bulliten tonight, it was posted by a young man Darrel who lost his mother unexpectedly earlier this year. I was moved when I read what he had to say, and I hope that this will be a encouragement to who ever reads this blog.

May we never take our Mothers for granted.

Okay everyone, this mothers day i’d just like to say, if you have a mom,
and she is still alive to this day, i just ask you PLEASE!
Cherish your mom and everyone else in your life,
Because Life Is Way too short for you too be playin stupid little games,
If your mom is still alive, You do NOT even know how lucky you are,
you cannot even beggin to feel the pain of loosing your own mother,
it hurts more than anything you can ever imagine!
Ok, so those of you who are mad or arent getting along with your mom,
Suck it up!
Ok! Because you never know how long your going to have her in your life,
it was also my mistake!
The Last time i talked to My Mom we were arguing,
and over something VERRY VERRY Stupid!!
and look i neveer could have even imagined the she would Die that night,
okay so those of you who are fighting or arguing with your mom,
GROW UP!!
Okay that morning when i was driving in town going to church,
My Cell Phoe rang it was a Police officcer asking if,
Lisa A. Romero was my mother,
I answered ‘yea why? whats wrong’
He told me to take a drink of water, i said no just tell me!
and he said, ‘I’m sorry to inform you that your mother has past away’,
that moment was the worst ever!
this is the part no one knew cuz i was alone,
I Had to pull off the road,
i couldnt stop crying!,
Do you know how bad i felt then?!
it took me forever to stop crying,
So if you still have your mom……
Cherish Her, Respect her, and tell her you love her everyday!
If i had the chance to tell my mom i’m sorry one last time,
That would make me sooo happy, Just to know that i told her sorry!
Mom I Love You!
[REST IN PEACE MOM]

How Educators, community members and organizations can prevent gang involvement.

1. Outreach to the community and on school campus’ that have a genuine concern for at-risk and gang affiliated youth.
2. Connect with gang members and at-risk youth in order to develop a trust and working relationship with them.
3. Utilize our ex-gang member panel and other testimonials. This panel understands first hand the dangers of gangs and encourages families and children to avoid gang affiliation.
4. Assess your gang concern and assist you and your team in addressing why kids join gangs and what we can do about it.
5. Develop a community collaboration to discover and provide the necessary elements or tools that will assist youth in not joining a gang or to leave active gang membership.
6. Get parental involvement. This is most vital in helping youth avoid or leave gang membership. I put 100% of the responsibility on the parents of these destructive youth. The program I utilize is “The Parent Project: How to change destructive adolescent behavior”.

7. Develop a mentor program for the most at-risk gang youth.

8. Communicate and network with the police and other law enforcement agencies.

Out of Darkness is a Biographical Comic Series aimed at not only entertaining but educating youth. These true stories take an intricate look into inner-city gang life, revealing the hardships, pain and the constant struggle that comes with joining a gang. Another strong theme in the stories is that no matter how bleak things seem, that there is always an alternative; that there is always a way out of darkness. Pepe Montenegro Testimony Comics Available Here at G.O.E.S.T.ORG

Read Testimony of former Los Angeles Gang member Miguel Moreno here

The Power of an Unusual Knock on a door.

I was just emailed this powerful story of a Pastor and his son. The PK went out on his own one cold and rainy Sunday afternoon to hand out gospel tracts and his knock went ignored for several minutes an then…This story illustrates the power of persistence. Never give up knocking until someone opens the door, you just might save a life.

*Please read comments below this post. This story I just realized hits very close to home.

20Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.
Revelation 3:20Revelation 3:20
English: World English Bible - WEB
20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, then I will come in to him, and will dine with him, and he with me.

WP-Bible plugin

Every Sunday afternoon, after the morning service at the church, the
Pastor and his eleven year old son would go out into their town and hand
out Gospel Tracts.

This particular Sunday afternoon, as it came time for the Pastor and his
son to go to the streets with their tracts, it was very cold outside, as
well as pouring down rain. The boy bundled up in his warmest and driest
clothes and said, ‘OK, dad, I’m ready.’

His Pastor dad asked, ‘Ready for what?’

‘Dad, it’s time we gather our tracts together and go out.’ Dad responds,
‘Son, it’s very cold outside and it’s pouring down rain.’

The boy gives his dad a surprised look, asking, ‘But Dad, aren’t people
still going to Hell, even though it’s raining?’

Dad answers, ‘Son, I am not going out in this weather.’ despondently,
the boy ask’s, ‘Dad, can I go? Please?’

His father hesitated for a moment then said, ‘Son , you can go. Here are
the tracts, be careful son.’

‘Thanks Dad!’

And with that, he was off and out into the rain. his eleven year old boy
walked the streets of the town going door to door and handing everybody
he met in the street a Gospel Tract.

After two hours of walking in the rain, he was soaking, bone- chilled
wet and down to his VERY LAST TRACT. He stopped on a corner and looked
for someone to hand a tract to, but the streets were totally deserted.

Then he turned toward the first home he saw and started up the sidewalk
to the front door and rang the door bell. He rang the bell, but nobody
answered. He rang it again and again, but still no one answered. He
waited but still no answer.

Finally, this eleven year old trooper turned to leave, but something
stopped him. Again, he turned to the door and rang the bell and knocked
loudly on the door with his fist. He waited, something holding him there
on the front porch! He rang again and this time the door slowly opened.
Standing in the doorway was a very sad-looking elderly lady. She softly
asked, ‘What can I do for you, son?’ With radiant eyes and a smile that
lit up her world, this little boy said, ‘Ma’am, I’m sorry if I disturbed
you, but I just want to tell you that *JESUS REALLY DOES LOVE YOU* and I
came to give you my very last Gospel Tract which will tell you all about
JESUS and His great LOVE.’

With that, he handed her his last tract and turned to leave. She called
to him as he departed. ‘Thank you, son! And God Bless You!’

Well, the following Sunday morning in church Pastor Dad was in the
pulpit. As the service began, he asked, ‘Does anybody have any testimony
or want to say anything?’

Slowly, in the back row of the church, an elderly lady stood to her
feet. As she began to speak, a look of glorious radiance came from her
face, ‘No one in this church knows me. I’ve never been here before. You
see, before last Sunday I was not a Christian. My husband passed on some
time ago, leaving me totally alone in this world. Last Sunday, being a
particularly cold and rainy day, it was even more so in my heart that I
came to the end of the line where I no longer had any hope or will to
live.

So I took a rope and a chair and ascended the stairway into the attic of
my home. I fastened the rope securely to a rafter in the roof, then
stood on the chair and fastened the other end of the rope around my
neck. Standing on that chair, so lonely and brokenhearted I was about to
leap off, when suddenly the loud ringing of my doorbell downstairs
startled me. I thought, ‘I’ll wait a minute, and whoever it is will go
away.’ I waited and waited, but the ringing doorbell seemed to get
louder and more insistent, and then the person ringing also started
knocking loudly. I thought to myself again, ‘Who on earth could this be?
Nobody ever rings my bell or comes to see me.’ I loosened the rope from
my neck and started for the front door, all the while the bell rang
louder and louder.

When I opened the door and looked I could hardly believe my eyes, for
there on my front porch was the most radiant and angelic little boy I
had ever seen in my life. His SMILE, oh, I could never describe it to
you! The words that came from his mouth caused my heart that had long
been dead, TO LEAP TO LIFE as he exclaimed with a cherub-like voice,
‘Ma’am, I just came to tell you that JESUS REALLY DOES LOVE YOU.’ Then
he gave me this Gospel Tract that I now hold in my hand.

As the little angel disappeared back out into the cold and rain, I
closed my door and read slowly every word of this Gospel Tract. Then I
went up to my attic to get my rope and chair. I wouldn’t be needing them
any more.

You see—I am now a Happy Child of the KING. Since the address of your
church was on the back of this Gospel Tract, I have come here to
personally say THANK YOU to God’s little angel who came just in the nick
of time and by so doing, spared my soul from an eternity in hell.’

There was not a dry eye in the church. And as shouts of praise and honor
to THE KING resounded off the very rafters of the building, Pastor Dad
descended from the pulpit to the front pew where the little angel was
seated.

He took his son in his arms and sobbed uncontrollably. Probably no
church has had a more glorious moment, and probably this universe has
never seen a Papa that was more filled with love & honor for his son…
Except for One.

Our Father also allowed His Son to go out into a cold and dark world. He
received His Son back with joy unspeakable, and as all of heaven shouted
praises and honor to The King, the Father sat His beloved Son on a
throne far above all principality and power and every name that is
named.