Holy, Holy, Holy

In this passage from Revelation 4- there are four living creatures surrounding the throne of God.  These creatures are called Seraphs, or 6 winged angels that stand in the presence of God.  A group of them would be called Seraphim.  They are in full worship to God constantly.   They give glory, honor and thanks to the One who sits on the heavenly throne. 

This picture is NOT of a seraph.  It is a picture of a person who is in full worship mode to the Lord.  The Spirit of God comes down from the heavenlies, encircling the Worshiper-who seems to be ready to be lifted away at any moment.  As I look at this, I have to ask myself if I am worshipping God this way and if I am ready to be taken away at any moment…I pray that I am as prepared as possible today and even more prepared tomorrow.   I do worship the Lord uniquely-through my drawings.  Today, as I was working on my Slovakia presentation, I noticed how different all of my art work has been since returning from that trip.  I’ve been noticing it, but maybe not as much as today.  It hit me that when I am drawing, THIS is my unique form of worshipping God.  Just as some may sing and dance and lift thier arms, I draw.  I used to draw strictly in black and white-almost as if I were afraid of the colors.  Today I can’t get enough of the colors.  Not only that, but the contrast of the light and colors against the black paper is striking.  It is my way of saying, ” What came into existence was Life, and the Life was Light to live by.  The Life-Light blazed out of the darkness;  the darkness couldn’t put it out.”  ( MSG) John 1: 5

I encourage you to turn up your speakers, take off your shoes, and sway in time to the music as you lift your arms and WORSHIP God today!  This video is 10 minutes lomg-what better way to start your day than by worshiping the One who GAVE you this new day, the One who created YOU and made YOU in His image!!!!!  This is an amazing video..spend some time with Him and the Seraphim today…

Loving you all and worshipping Him!

d.

 

The Revelation

Just some random stuff…

Lampstands and trumpets

Hello on this snowy Friday afternoon!  It has been precipitating all day long in one form or another.  From  a fine snow, to very heavy to rain.  It is wet and cold and not very pleasant to be outside.  We have spent the day doing a little work and the rest of it hibernating.  My hubby hibernates on the couch in front of the tv and I hibernate in my studio with my pencils, paper and bible. 

A few months ago I had a dream about a menorah.  Well, I couldn’t figure out why I was dreaming about a jewish candlelabra.  Well, the funny thing is that there were no candles and nothing was lit.  It was also engraved with some words, but I couldn’t read them.  In the dream I knew I was suppsoed to tell people what the words said, but not being able to read them I couldn’t.  I was frantic because I knew it was important.  Well, when I woke up from the dream, it was so real, that I was shook up, scared and franticly trying to figure out what the words were on the menorah.  Then I came to my senses (?) and realized it was a dream.  It has stayed with me ever since.  I told my friend about the dream and she immediately responded with, ” come to my house, and I will take you through the scriptures about your dream.” 

Well, at the time, I was also preparing to do a drawing at a public event while this friend was speaking about Jesus.   She was preparing herself, as was I.   After we studied the scriptures it was clear that this dream did indeed have meaning and that God was speaking to me in my sleep.  I know, I know, it’s crazy, isn’t it?  Well, I guess it is if you DON’T believe in God, but since I do, I think it’s pretty cool.  He speaks to us in many different ways and while he has probably tried to get my attention in dreams before, this is the first time I was shown the truth by someone who recognized the dream for what it really was and is. 

So, the dream wasn’t really about a Menorah, rather it was about a Lampstand.  In Revelation 2 John saw 7 golden lampstands and standing among them was ” someone like a son of man.”  It states in Rev. 1:20 ” the seven lampstands are the seven churches.”  Each church is then listed in the verses to follow.  My focus has been on the church in Ephesus. 

 In Rev. 2: 4-5 scripture says:  Yet I hold this against you: you have forsaken your first love.  ( who is that first love? Jesus Christ)  Remember the height from which you have fallen! REPENT and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.” 

To me this is a very distinct warning that God will indeed remove the love light from our lives if we do not repent of our sins.  If we have no light, then we live in darkness.  Darkness is old, creepy and scary.  There is no warmth, no love, no God.  Nothing.  do we want our love to grow cold as it states in Matthew 24:12?  If we do not heed the warning signal, then we will be in harm’s way.  Now, this takes me to a drawing that I am about to do in March on Ezekiel 33.  Ezekiel has been called to be a Watchman.  What does a watchman do?  He warns people of danger. 

I love the way God works.  3 weeks ago, with this same friend, I started the bible study called, ” Called and Accountable” by Henry Blackaby.  On the very first day of the study we were taught about Ezekiel and his call to be the Watchman.  In chapter 33 God describes the responsibility of a watchman.  It is a serious matter.  Once Ezekiel had God’s message for his people, he was RESPONSIBLE for delivering it.  If he did not deliver it, then he would be held accountable for those who didn’t heed the warning because they didn’t hear it.  He was also accountable for those who did heed it because they did hear it.   Blackaby says , ” the eternal destiny of others may rest in our response to God’s invitation and call.  He will also hold us accountable for our response to His invitation.” 

But the real kicker is this:

“THE ETERNAL DESTINY OF MULTITUDES HANGS IN THE BALANCE AND GOD WATCHES OUR RESPONSE.”

So, how does Ezekiel relate to Revelation?  Well, the message that God is giving in Revelation is one of REPENTANCE and to turn back to God.  If we don’t-then there are serious consequences.  Once we understand the message, it is up to us to tell others-just as God instructed Ezekiel to do by being the Watchman.  We are ALL WATCHMEN!!!!!! 

Ok, got that so far?  I hope so!  Let’s go back to the Lampstand. 

Here is my work area ( one of many) and my color coded pencils.  They are crayons for adults!  I am a real slob when I am working on projects…don’t mind my mess.  I thought you might like to see where I work!

 

This is my computer desk, where I do my blogging, studying, and also drawing.  A real mess!  But, I know where everything is! 

As you are looking at the photos-you will see the preliminary drawings of the Lampstand.  I sat up for 3 hours drawing that last night!  I was pretty tickled with the way it came out!  There are several different drawings here.

This next one is the pencil drawing I did last night.  Here is the meaning behind it:  Since studying Lampstands I have added a church at the top of each candle-the church doorways are dark, unlit.  They have lost thier love for Christ.    They are complacent, dead, and cold. This is the world.  God has been using situations and people to show me how lost the world really is, how hopeless people feel.  It has been a huge burden on my heart.  One that was overtaking me until recently.  All I could see was the hopelessness.  I was being blinded by my own self centeredness.    ( “It’s me! It’s me! It’s all about me!”  Isn’t that the way we are?  I know I am.)  The piece in the middle is the church where Jesus “lives”  – there is one “flame” that is still burning, and it is fiery and passionate for Christ.  My friend pointed out to me that as long as there is a little flame-God will not put it out.  As Believers, it is up to us to fan that flame to a higher level, to get that fire burning again.  THIS is our HOPE.  Jesus has not left us high and dry- He is right there waiting for US to come to HIM.   At the top, over the church and flame, Jesus is over the entire thing beckoning us towards him.  2 Peter 3: 9 says that God is patient with us and he does not want anyone to perish!  He wants EVERYONE to come to REPENTANCE.  He is continually sending us people to tell us and giving us time to come REPENTANCE.  HOWEVER:  We do not know when Jesus is coming back, we do not know the day or the time.  So, we are WARNED to be ready!  BE PREPARED for the KINGDOM OF GOD is AT HAND. 

This second drawing is the color version of the sketch.  This took several hours to complete.  You will see that each church ( from Rev 2) is darkened, except the one in the middle, where Christ is still alive and well.   The lampstand is made of gold, which represents the purity of Christ.  The scroll at the bottom is from Ezekiel also.  God told Ezekiel, in chapter 3, “to eat this scroll and fill your stomach with it.”  So he ate it and it tasted as sweet as honey. Ezekiel was filled with God’s Word.  Are we?   Then God commands Ezekiel to ” go now” and speak these words to the house of Israel.”  He doesn’t ask, he doesn’t say do it tomorrow, he says to do it NOW.  Do you see the urgency here?  Just like Ezekiel, we are not to wait to tell people about the best thing that God has to offer!  

 Jesus Christ!  Born, lived, crucified, died and raised again to save us!

 

Now…if you turn the entire thing towards your left  you will see that the bottom of it looks like a trumpet.  This is from Ezekiel being called to be the Watchman.  To sound the warning…the good news is that when we listen we are saved and that is where our HOPE lies.   Ezekiel was called to be a watchman, just as we are.  God calls the church to return to its first love, just as he does us.  There is hope in the call of the trumpet.  Are we sounding it?  Do we have ears that hear and listen?   Or are they dull and calloused? 

Rev. 2: 7 

 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. 

To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.

Amen! Amen! and Amen!

 

 

Stormchaser’s

 

Stormchaser’s devote thier entire lives to chasing tornadoes and other viscious storms.  They do this so they can study and learn how they function so they can be better prepared in the event that one should land near YOU! 

In the movie, Twister, the main character, “Joe” spends her entire life chasing storms.  Why?  When she was a young child she watched her father, who was hanging onto a  storm cellar door during a tornado, be literally  torn off the door by the sheer force of the winds of the tornado.  He was never seen again.  Her father risked his life to save hers.  Now it was her turn to help save others. 

“Joe” has devoted her life to doing research in order to develop an early warning system that will help save lives in the event of a storm.  This is what God has been doing for us since time began.  He IS our “early warning system!”  He knows what will happen to us when the “storm” comes and He has sent many “stormchasers” to help us develop our own early warning system.  Are we listening to them? 

I love to watch the movie “Twister” and I admire Joe’s dedication and commitment to studying the storms that she chases.  She reminds me of a friend of mine.  With every storm that Joe chases, she learns something new from it, something that will help her enhance that early warning system.  Another clue, another piece of the puzzle is put into place, and possibly another life saved with each piece that she finds.  Each piece could add another minute to the warning.  Every second counts.  She is not going to let anything or anyone get in her way of achieving her goal of saving lives.  She puts her own life on the line time and time again.  She pushes herself  to point of exhaustion and she never, ever gives up.  

God is doing this same thing today.  He is constantly giving us clues and more time to improve upon ourselves.  He doesn’t want us to be caught in that storm that He knows is coming.  He keeps adding time to our lives.  He could come at any time, but He doesn’t. Why? Because he wants to save us.  He never gives up, ever. He never tires and He is always determined.  He put the life of His one and only Son on the cross to die for us.  He faced the worst storm of life, yet He persisted. He never gave up,  He was determined to see the storm through. Why?  Because He loves us.  He wants us to be with Him and He’s not going to give up on us. However…there will be a time when it comes to an end. 

I feel God’s urgency upon us.  He is calling all of us to come to know Him and now.  What are we waiting for?  Tomorrow?  Don’t!  Just like in the movie “Twister” when the people are sitting in their cars at the drive in movie-they are unaware of the tornado that is right behind the screen in the darkness of the night. BAM! There it is!  There’s no more time, no place to go, debris flying everywhere and your life hangs in the balance.   

Luke 12:35-40 (The Message)

When the Master Shows Up

 ^35-38“Keep your shirts on; keep the lights on! Be like house servants waiting for their master to come back from his honeymoon, awake and ready to open the door when he arrives and knocks. Lucky the servants whom the master finds on watch! He’ll put on an apron, sit them at the table, and serve them a meal, sharing his wedding feast with them. It doesn’t matter what time of the night he arrives; they’re awake—and so blessed! ^39-40“You know that if the house owner had known what night the burglar was coming, he wouldn’t have stayed out late and left the place unlocked. 

So don’t you be slovenly and careless. Just when you don’t expect him, the Son of Man will show up.”

Without our early warnings in place, we do not know when the storm is coming and we are caught off guard, unaware.  God has sent us an early warning system and that is in knowing His Son Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Savior.  He wants you to be prepared for the storm that is coming.  You can do this by accepting Jesus as your Savior.  We do not know when Jesus is coming back and it could be at anytime, so won’t you be ready?  Let’s be prepared, ready and eagerly awaiting his arrival- it could happen at any time and I want you to be there! 

Blessings, 

d.

I am free!

A few days ago I was watching a little boy in Haiti being rescued from underneath the rubble of concrete buildings.  He emerged with a look of glee and arms held high in the air .  I imagined he was saying, ” I am free!”    I also imagine he was thanking God for freeing him!  I have been receiving email updates from Miss Dottie, a missionary in Haiti.  In the last email she talked about feeding the children and had concerns over having enough food to do so.   Her emails are full of praise and glory to God in the highest and I have grown very hopeful in reading them.  She is a woman doing God’s work.  She seeks our prayers for this work and the children and people of Haiti.   This drawing was inspired by those two things…the child being rescued, arms high in air and the children receiving food.  They are being showered with the mercy and grace ( blue)  of God.  The cross erupts out of the ground and through the smoke of destruction.  Making its presence known to all.  God is saving lives in Haiti!  He is going to use those lives to do great work for His Kingdom!  There IS goodness in the bad…Let us continue to pray for Haiti and her people to turn back to God.

Peace,

Donna

Resurrection

Resurrection 2010

by Ashton Huff

 

 

I looked out the window and wanted to cry,
I’d wake up, not happy; as the days kept passing by.
Smiles grew into angry screams at the world,
When really it was myself who had tradgically hurled,
Into a set of old wineskin,
Conforming myself to fit, sin after sin.
Months had come and gone, so quick,
Only for my soul to become more sick.
Ready to give up, I asked for one more sign,
And sure enough I was sent a lifeline.
He got me through January twenty-third,
And then i reunited with my Savior, my Lord.
A simple tear became a stream and my body went weak,
As I could feel God surround me, it was him I began to seek.
So ready for such an indescribable transformation,
My life was drastically changed this year at Resurrection.

 

Hi!  This is my daughter, Corynn, and her friends Ashton, Taylor and Randi.  These girls had the amazing opportunity to go to RESURRECTION 2010 in Gatlinburg, TN last week.  Resurrection is a Methodist youth conference that is held every year in January.  It is life altering.  It takes thousands of dedicated and passionate people to make this event happen every year and it is transforming young lives into “Christ lives. ”

Ashton wrote the above poem over the past weekend.  I was blown away by it and asked her if I could post it here.  She said “sure.”  Now, Corynn and Ashton are going to start a blog of thier own.  God is good!  I pray that whatever they do in thier lives, they will always strive to be HOLY and that they will always ask themselves of whatever they are doing, ” is it Holy?”  I have a note at my computer that says, ” Would this honor God?”  It is a reminder to me to keep myself focused on what I am saying and how I say it when I blog.  Sometimes I need to wear it on the back side of my glasses so I can read it 24/7!  I struggle with being Holy all the time.  We all do.  Especially our teenagers and youth.  Pray for them.  As adults, we have all been where they are, we know the struggles they face and we are all happy to say we have made it!  We might have a few battle scars but we are here because God got us through it and I praise Him for never giving up on me.  Our kids struggle with the same things we did…booze, drugs, peer pressure, sex, school work, college goals, parents, teachers, relationships, dating, expectations, faith, God, …what am I missing?  The struggles are the same even though the physical objects may be different.   I think Apostle Paul wrote about his own struggles with sin, let me find it…

Romans 7: 16- 25  The MESSAGE

What I don’t understand about myself is that I decide one way, but then I act another, doing things I absolutely despise. So if I can’t be trusted to figure out what is best for myself and then do it, it becomes obvious that God’s command is necessary.  ^17-20But I need something more! For if I know the law but still can’t keep it, and if the power of sin within me keeps sabotaging my best intentions, I obviously need help! I realize that I don’t have what it takes. I can will it, but I can’t do it. I decide to do good, but I don’t really do it; I decide not to do bad, but then I do it anyway. My decisions, such as they are, don’t result in actions. Something has gone wrong deep within me and gets the better of me every time. ^21-23It happens so regularly that it’s predictable. The moment I decide to do good, sin is there to trip me up. I truly delight in God’s commands, but it’s pretty obvious that not all of me joins in that delight. Parts of me covertly rebel, and just when I least expect it, they take charge. ²⁴I’ve tried everything and nothing helps. I’m at the end of my rope. Is there no one who can do anything for me? Isn’t that the real question? ²⁵The answer, thank God, is that Jesus Christ can and does. He acted to set things right in this life of contradictions where I want to serve God with all my heart and mind, but am pulled by the influence of sin to do something totally different.

So, the message is to look to JESUS- to BE HOLY- to ask yourself- IS THIS HOLY?  Find an accountability partner to help you stay on God’s road and not on the world’s.  We cannot do this alone.  So, as Ashton wrote , ” I was sent a lifeline” and Apostle Paul tells us the that our answer is JESUS CHRIST, let me ask you…are YOU ready to be rescued?   Are YOU ready to be reunited with YOUR LORD and SAVIOR just as these teenagers were and are today?  They have taken a hold of that lifeline and are being indescribably transformed from the inside out.  I praise God for these young lives and for thier renewed hearts.

I love you girls!

me

 

Inspired by yarn!

 

Hi!

A few days ago I went to Blacksburg with Betsy.  We went to my favorite places ( Michael’s and MishMish Art supply store) to get some art supplies for a project I am working on.  Usually I am inspired by Michael’s and or Mish Mish.  This time I was caught off guard and was inspired by a most unusal and unique place!   ( Well, unusual for me but not for everyone.)  God is good all the time and all the time God is good!    I didn’t even know we were going there until Betsy was asking for directions.  I am amused at how God is all knowing and how he works all things out, especially when we least expect it. Ha! 

You see, I had been working on this project and the color scheme wasn’t right.  It wasn’t working.  Betsy didn’t know that, but God did.  The theme I wanted to call forth in the project was one of HOPE.  My moods and spiritual highs and lows can be seen in my work.  It’s almost like hanging out your dirty laundry for everyone to see.  I’m getting used to it.  I think.  It surprises me from time to time and this is one of those times.  It seems like the silliest thing, but is it really?    I had been working on the blues in the drawing before we left for our little jaunt.  I knew they were right.  But the rest of it was wrong.  It just felt wrong.  It’s weird.  You know if you are a baker you know when your bread is going to come out good and when it is not.  If you are a mechanic you know when the car is put together right and when it isn’t.  When you are an artist you just know when the piece is right and when it’s wrong.  Well, this was my third attempt and quite frankly I had been frustrated with it.  It was just too dark and not very hopeful looking.  My heart was in the right place, but the colors were not. 

Anyway, when we left the art supply store we headed for this place called Mosaic.  It is a yarn shop.  Yeah, me in a yarn shop. haha.  I don’t knit, I don’t have the coordination or patience to knit or crochet or sew and I really don’t want to do it.  I mean, I have tried it, but it’s not a good fit for me.  Betsy on the other hand is a knitter!  She loves it like I love drawing.  Last year she gave me this gorgeous multicolor soft blue scarf that she knit and it is one of my favorite things to pull out and wear in the cold winter months.  I am not a scarf wearer, but this one is ME!    I love the color blue and this scarf is loaded with blues!  Oh, have I mentioned how much I love the scarf yet? haha!   

Well, as we entered the yarn shop my creative “nose” was already at attention because they had these huge paper origami type stars that were lit up from the inside, hanging in the windows.  They were gorgeous!  All colors, sizes, etc..  Anyone who knows me, knows how I love, love, love stars!  They remind me of our Risen Savior!  God lit the night sky up with a star so we could find the baby Jesus!  Stars emit light and Jesus is the Light of the world!   They are always in the sky, shining, even when we can’t see them, just like Jesus is always there with us, even though we don’t see Him we know He is there by the light that he gives off in other people and throughout the world!    Well, as I looked around, the color wheel in my mind went crazy!  There were skeins and skeins of beautifully colored yarn. 

As I walked around I touched them and just breathed in all the colors that were in the store.  It was refreshing and reviving to my color senses!  It was just what I needed and God knew it!  (I didn’t really understand it until later that evening.)  You see, in those skeins of yarn I was able to see the beautiful body of Christ.  Being in that yarn shop was my connection to receiving what God has been telling me.  To be ME!!…like each skein of yarn is different from the next, each is equally beautiful and important, yet unique at the same time.  No two are exactly alike, but when they all come together ,oh what beauty it is! 

Oh what beauty it is…

THAT’s what I saw.  The beauty of the body within that little yarn store. 

Pastor Ronnie has  been preaching on being rescued.  How Jesus is our lifeline, He is our rescuer.  He has been using rope as a visual for us to “get it.”  Well, the yarn is the same way…there are yards and yards of yarn in a skein, some large, some small.  So I kept “seeing” the message in the yards of yarn.  When you get a skein of yarn you can have it rolled into a nice little tight ball to knit from.   As the woman was winding the ball of yarn I was reminded that this is how we must be with one another. We must wind ourselves in and out of each others lives until we form a nice tight little ball that will not unravel easily.  We must cling to one another with Jesus as our center.  We must wind ourselves around Christ!  In and out, over and under, knit one, pearl two, until we all “get it.”  We must never give up winding and we must never become unraveled.  We must cling tightly to the Hope that we have in knowing that Jesus Christ is our Savior. 

He IS THE MASTER KNITTER, WEAVER, ARTIST, CREATOR. 

Don’t ever doubt that God knows what he is doing!  We don’t understand God’s ways and everything we do has to do with God.  He is IN it all.  Even in this yarn shop.  You see, that night I finished my project and as I picked the vibrant and hopeful colors I was taken right back to that yarn shop.  God wanted me to see every possible color all at once.  The possibilities were endless and I was stuck.  I even said to Betsy on the way out ” how many more colors can there be? “  We cannot imagine heaven with our earthly minds.  God was helping me out by sending me to this little yarn shop with my friend Betsy, who likes to knit.   He knew what I would see there and that I would indeed “get it!”  Ahhhhh….God is so good!   Happy knitting, coloring or whatever it is that you do!  Thank you Betsy for your time and friendship! 

May God color your life with His many blessings!

D.

The Watchman

Hi!

In March I have been asked to draw during a sermon on Ezekiel 33- The Watchman.    I have been studying the topic of being a Watchman this week.  What I have discovered is that we are all called to be the “watchman.”  We are to be God’s messengers.  We are to proclaim God’s message to the world.  God has been calling us to do that since the creation of the world.  God yearns for each of us to come to Him because we WANT to.  He is not going to make us do anything.  He wants us to come in love and willingness. 

The hard part of the message is that there are consequences for those who choose not to come to Him.   For those who do come, there is an eternal reward awaiting them where they will live with Jesus Christ forever.  For those who do not, there is the promise of hell.  It’s just like being a parent to a child…there IS discipline and there ARE consequences!   When your child talks back with a smart alecky attitude then the child gets disciplined ( or punished.)  If they don’t get disciplined, they will keep doing it.  If they keep doing it, eventually they will get into more and more trouble.  However, when they are disciplined they quite often change how they speak to you and you earn thier respect.  God wants our respect.  He deserves it from us, just as we deserve it from our own children.  After all, hasn’t He given us everything we could ever possibly want or need?  Just like we have given our own children?  I am not talking material gain here, but physical and spiritual needs.  Basic shelter, food, water, etc.   God yearns for our companionship the same way we yearn for our children’s and they yearn for ours. 

There is also a huge accountability factor to being a watchman.   It’s like when we see a fire we yell “FIRE! EVERYONE GET OUT!”  That is the warning to people that thier lives are in danger and they are to RUN from the danger as fast as they can!   If we don’t yell “FIRE” then people will die in the fire.  If that happens, then we are held accountable for NOT sounding the alarm!!!!  

The one thing I can’t figure out is why do people insist on staying in the fire?   Are they deaf?  Can’t they hear the sound of the alarm?  Is the alarm loud enough?  Is it long enough?  Is it even going off?  IS there an alarm?

The MESSAGE :

2 Peter 3:9 says: 

“God isn’t late on his promise as some measure lateness.  He is restraining himself ON ACCOUNT OF YOU, HOLDING BACK the End BECAUSE HE DOESN’T WANT ANYONE LOST.  ( !!!!!!!!!!!)  He’s giving everyone space and time to change.”

Did you hear that????????  I am sounding the alarm for all who are reading this…

GOD is holding back the end of time for YOUR SAKE.  He doesn’t want you to be lost!  And I am encouraging you to NOT wait any longer!  Matthew 24:42 says:  “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come.” 

We are currently in the midst of a big snowstorm and I know we all heard the weather report and went to the store for milk, eggs and bread.  The weatherman is our watchman.  He has warned us of the storm.  We have heard and responded.  We are now prepared with our bread, milk and eggs in hand.  God is also warning us to be ready through His Word.  Are we responding?  Do we have our spiritual food in hand?  Remember- God doesn’t want our past-he desires our future! 

He wants YOU in it! 

So do I!

 

Galax Hope House

 From the Carroll News

Help spread the word….

The Galax Hope House is a shelter that has been serving the needs of area homeless since 1989 when it was purchased by the Hostel of the Good Shepherd.

For more than 20 years, a local place has kept its doors open for those with nowhere else to turn.

Founded in 1987, the Hostel of the Good Shepherd has welcomed local and out-of-area homeless, giving them the opportunity to straighten out their situation and get back on their feet. Since 1989, the homeless have stayed at the newly-renamed Galax Hope House.

“The hostel has been here since 1987,” said Executive Director Deborah Payne. “It was actually started by the Lutheran Episcopal congregation of the Church of the Good Shepherd. When they started it, they were giving places for people to sleep in the Sunday school rooms in the church. They saw such a need that they decided to buy this property and set it up as a hostel. They bought the house in 1989, and incorporated in 1993.”

Payne came on board as Executive Director in January and has taken an active role in renovating the house, located at 408 W. Center Street in Galax. The interior has been repainted, the porch has been repaired and a new handicapped-accessible ramp is being installed. New floors are in two rooms and new lights have been installed. Payne said the next steps include new kitchen and laundry appliances, as well as any other needed repairs and upgrades.

The home is operated by the Hostel of the Good Shepherd corporation. Until last week, the Hope House shared the same name.

“It’s a little easier to understand than hostel,” Payne said. “This is not really a hostel; a hostel is a place where you can have a very inexpensive place to stay, and this is a homeless shelter. We’re changing name of site, not the organization. The organization will remain Hostel of the Good Shepherd, Inc.”

Payne said the home is trying to raise awareness locally, which she said she feels will help its mission. That’s another reason for the name change, to help raise the home’s local profile.

“I have spoken to people in Galax and in Carroll and Grayson who didn’t know it was here and it’s been here 20 years,” Payne said. “We want people to be aware of what it’s here for. We do not allow drunkards and alcoholics to stay here. We’re trying to clean it up so people can see it’s a nice residence.”

Payne said at any given time, 15 people can stay at the house and there’s room for single folks or families. Payne said from January to June, 28 people have stayed at the hostel for as briefly as a day or as long as the full six months.

“An average stay lasts around 60 to 90 days,” Payne said. “That allows them time to get back on their feet and decide what they want to do and where they want to live.”

Payne said any potential resident has to undergo a strict screening process. She said the candidates have to be medically and psychologically stable and they have to agree to abide by the house rules, have nowhere else to stay, and be willing to work on finding a permanent dwelling and re-establishing their independence.

“We have an emergency shelter program and a transitional living program,” she said. “We have emergency shelter offered up to 5 days, and a transitional program, where they can stay up to 6 months if they’re working toward goals. To be able to get in, they have to a drug/alcohol test and current background check. We go through a pre-interview process and make sure we can work with them.”

Payne said the home gets referrals from different area agencies, ranging from hospitals to law enforcement and churches and several former residents have gone on to better themselves.

“One came in and he worked hard and got his GED. Now he’s trying to sign up for classes at Wytheville. He’s got a Pell Grant and he’s trying to get into the construction field,” Payne said. “We had a gentleman who just got a job. Two that are now out on their own got jobs at Results. We’ve helped several get apartments or trailers or other types of housing.”

Payne said donations are what keep the home going and anything, as long as it’s usable, is welcome. Recently, the hostel received $3,000 from the Diocese of the Good Shepherd and got two grants from DHCD.

She said donations can be brought by the hostel or monetary gifts can be mailed to: Hostel of the Good Shepherd, 408 W. Center Street, Galax, VA 24333. Those who are interested in helping in any way can call 236-7573.

“We accept donations of usable clothing, furniture, food that is nonperishable and within date, anything that helps with household, especially paper goods and supplies,” Payne said. “We’ll provide information to churches if they want to do a supply drive. We can allow them to adopt a month so they can help us pay utility bills. We’ll take anything as long as it’s usable and in good condition.”