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But dad, you gave it to me

In jail for years, when finally freed he visited with his child.

“Son, where did you get that iPod?”

“Dad, you gave it to me last Christmas.”

The Salvation Army’s Angel Tree Ministry allows children to receive gifts from their incarcerated parents. Just imagine, “Mom, who is this from?” “It’s from your dad.”

If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him! . . . Matt 7:1

Yesterday I selected gifts for a 12-year old girl, size medium, junior. She wanted a bible, books and a winter coat. It was not an exercise of buying stuff, it was the privilege of representing the love of her father to this currently fatherless child. These gifts were precious, infused with the possibility of hope, of being remembered, of love.

A woman at LifeWay invested her own struggles as a 12-year old to help me select just the right bible, books and journals that would affirm the heart of this girl. We inscribed her bible with her name and the words Beautiful & Beloved just below.

Then it was time to select a coat. It must wrap her in the arms of her father, it must bless her with comfort and warmth, and it must sparkle that she is beautiful.

It was more emotional than I would have ever expected. I drove across Akron so this little girl would receive these gifts from her father. Work stuff? It had to wait.

Choosing each item, I asked whether each was good enough to represent her father’s love, much like God’s better gifts. My hope – as she opens each gift she feels the love of her father, as she reads her bible that she will grow closer to the King, as she wears that coat she will thank and think of her father, and as she reads those books or writes in those journals she will capture thoughts and words that will direct her life towards wholeness and love.

As a man and as a father, what an honor to be able to fight FOR this family. That it will be restored upon his or her release, and that you can rise up and offer your strength, beauty, or compassion on behalf of someone this Christmas season.

Merry Christmas!

 

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“Thank you thank you thank you for this weekend!”

"I laughed, I cried, and I learned a lot." 
[post event message]

Before reviewing the evaluation results, thanks to everyone who made this possible — our leadership team, beautiful volunteers, a relentless tech leader, and Club Motor Estates. Lastly, thank you Stancato’s for very well received food.

At our inaugural one-day event, we did some things really well, and we will learn. Written and verbal feedback has been insightful and brilliant. We are also using the video recordings to continually improve. Thank you.

God Showed Up — People Were Changed

[Note: 16 of our 20 attendees completed evaluations.]

  • 14 of 16 experienced some form of breakthrough — the other two already had at prior ministry events.
  • 15 of 16 wanted to learn about our prayer team.
  • 14 of 16 want to support our future efforts — one of the two expressed a desire to do so orally.

The Negative Comments:

  • It felt rushed
  • Cried on my camera haha
  • The one day events are pretty long. I was wanting to be done during the 2nd last session due to information overload. But that could just be me.
  • My butt hurts.

The Positive Comments:

  • Things were well thought out and planned and executed.
  • The topics and focus on improving an individual’s relationship with God.
  • Having specific, intentional time to reflect on and evaluate wounds.
  • You are an amazing public speaker and leader in faith and all things. It is an honor to know you.
  • No, it was good. I think that if this was totally me to me I’d want more time to pray and process, but that is hard in a 1 day event for just a review. I felt timing on everything was good. Not rushed.
  • Even though I’m familiar w/ all this [it] was nice to “officially” go through the whole thing. There were some new details that stood out and were helpful. Thanks! & Thanks for the prayers.
  • Everything from the atmosphere (greeter at the door, banners, delicious food, etc.) to the intimacy of the stories drew you in.
  • The atmosphere felt “lavish.” It was beautiful.
  • I appreciated NOT having an agenda. It let me disconnect from life to engage. Keep this (at least for one-day events).
  • Thank you! Saturday well spent. God’s timing is perfect.
  • The presentation was so meaningful. Learned so much.
  • The insight into areas I hadn’t reached in a long time.
  • I enjoyed all of the sessions & I especially enjoyed the opportunity (ies) between sessions to contemplate and answer follow-up or personal questions right after a topic/subject was covered.
  • The Truth & Honesty in the program.
  • I enjoyed the breaks given to journal, and how the messages were broken up. It gave me time to process all I heard, and to write out all of my thoughts was very valuable to me.
  • I never thought of a woman as the “crown” of creation – I found that to be very inspiring.
  • Movie clips to drive points home. Really sweet.
  • I will try to get this message to as many people as possible. [Many cited similar sentiments]
  • Everything – that may sound too crazy, but everything was enjoyable and powerful. (I am a sucker for movie clips).
  • Well done – Thank you for this wonderful day w/ my wife!!
  • Seeing the Lord at work. It was a blessing today seeing God work through my uncle and I’m excited to “reach millions.”
  • The food – just kidding. The day was wonderful.
  • Wow! From an outside perspective Joseph [has] an amazing heart for presenting. Real. From an insider family member, it’s so cool to see how God is moving and changing our hearts. I am done [hand drawn heart picture].
  • Being among good friends that I don’t get to see enough of and need to make more time for. And reflecting on good memories of mom & dad.

Look for Upcoming Events:

  • Our next One-Day Co-ed event at Club Motor Estates in January
  • Our upcoming Men’s Weekend
  • Our next Freedom Place meeting in Peninsula

Plus, we are co-leading an event for a church in January.

A Great Time to Give

December is a great time to donate and we are in the process of becoming a 501(c)3 so you donations will be tax deductible.

  • You can donate via our website or by clicking here, or
  • By mailing a check to I Am Done at 1565 Main Street, Peninsula, OH, 44264.

Based upon the evaluations and discussions since the event, much happened and God is moving. We will keep learning, we are praying for all who were there on the 2nd, and we are planning more events.

 

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Become a #FreedomAlly on #TuesdayGiving

Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and now Giving Tuesday. Today focuses on giving to nonprofit organizations that move the needle in ways important to you. Value our work of bringing emotional freedom to men, women, and teens? Donate today.


Donate; Become a Freedom Ally

Click Above to Become a Freedom Ally, either One-Time or Monthly.

  • For $99, scholarship an individual to a one-day event.
  • For $249, scholarship an individual to a weekend event.
  • Become a One-Time- or Monthly-Ally

Our 2018 budget is just under $250,000, and we’ve just started towards that goal. Help us make a difference. You can learn more about us at www.iamdone.cc. We truly appreciate your support.

How Might Our Work Impact Our World?

Who would desire to live a genuinely rich, full life, riddled with joy, even through times of trial and challenge? Who would love to be their authentic self, not the one they have to live to survive?  How would a man intentionally and joyfully loving his wife or children change the world? How would a woman feel if she could reveal the beauty of her heart, soul and appearance with confidence and peace, whether as doctor or as a mom? How much would the outpouring of freedom change a life, a marriage, a family, a community? Check here for testimonials.