A Tale of Two Boys

What is most important to the ChASM Project's success? Let me answer that with a couple of true stories about young men whom I know personally whose lives took an unexpected turn.

The first story took place in the southeastern United States. A young man, we'll call him Billy, was a decent student, and a very good athlete. In fact, Billy was such a good scholar-athlete that he earned a scholarship to play college football in a neighboring state. Billy's life was full of promise. He could continue playing football, or take advantage of the quality education he earned to enjoy a rewarding career away from athletics.

Sadly, Billy was not very grounded when he transitioned into this new environment. As a young freshman, he began hanging out with some bad influences. One weekend, Billy and his new friends decided to rob a house. During the robbery, Billy shot and wounded someone living in the home, and he was arrested a few days later. At age 18, Billy's promising future evaporated, and he ended up spending what should have been his college football career in hopeless despair, sitting in a prison cell watching life pass him by. Sadly, situations like Billy's are far too common.

The second story begins on the West Coast. Another young man, we'll call him Bobby, is not a good student. He is part of a violent street gang, engaged in gunfights with his rivals, involved in a lot of petty crime, and usually on the run from local law enforcement. Bobby's life shows very little promise. He's on track for either a short life or "25 to life." 

Bobby's story also unexpectedly changes when he surrenders his life to Jesus. Bobby, now sold out for Jesus, goes on to Bible college, where he meets his future wife. They get married, raise four wonderful children, pastor a church together, and live happily ever after.

Both stories are true, and both involve radical changes. But why? And more importantly, how can we turn the next Billy into another Bobby? We can't, but Jesus can. That's the ChASM Project's secret ingredient. Jesus. We saturate everything with Jesus. In the secular world, God is one aspect of your life, and you can choose to ignore Him. The world around you helps you distract yourself from your Creator. But at the ChASM Project, every moment of the day is focused on Jesus! This immersive approach allows young men to develop a deep relationship with Jesus, grounding them in their faith before they face the trials of life.

Without Jesus, Billy squandered his opportunities, and with Jesus, Bobby enjoyed an otherwise impossible life.

We have an opportunity to bring these young men into the presence of their Creator and Redeemer, beginning with our first cohort of ChASM boys in July! As they surrender their lives to Him, we will educate them, mentor them, and raise them up into the godly husbands, fathers, and leaders God created them to be.

This is where we need YOUR help! There are still a lot of needs to be met before we bring in the boys in less than 6 months! We have set a goal to raise $10,000 to transform the lives of these first 10 boys. Is it worth $1,000 to change a young man's life from hopeless despair to happily ever after? I certainly think so. If you agree, I encourage you to be part of a young man's transformation by donating to our launch campaign. I'm excited to work together alongside you as we help generations of young men's lives from tragedies to triumphs.