The Impact of Parents

The Partnership for a Drug-Free America reports that 1 in 5 high school students will abuse prescription drugs before they graduate.

The Partnership for a Drug-Free America also reports that, "Every day, 2,500 teens use a prescription drug to get high for the first time. 12 to 17 year olds abuse prescription drugs more than they abuse ecstasy, crack/cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine combined! Only 1 in 3 report learning about the risks of prescription drugs from their parents."

Are those reports discouraging? They should be. The deadliest form of substance absue is occurring in the very homes of teenagers.

However, there is HOPE. Over and over again, studies are showing that the most influential person in a teenager's life is the parent. Yet, the person who hesitates the most to talk to their teenagers is the parent.

Check out this link for how YOU, the parent, can begin to influence your teenager's life. You may save your child's life.

Changing Diets

There is a constant, steady stream of re-evaluation taking place at 3 Dimensional Life. For the staff members, looking for areas of improvement, adjustment and more are vital to our improvement and desire of excellence.


One way that this has taken place recently is restructuring the students' diet. By changing what the students eat, we are working towards emphasizing better and healthier choices. We've done this in several ways:

1 - Limiting the amount of sugar and caffeine the students get a day.

2 - Implementing more fresh vegetables and fruits.

3 - Widening the variety of protein from just pork and beef to chicken, fish and beef.

4 - Serving pasta, chili, etc.

5 - Making sure breakfast items provide a combined and excellent source of fiber and protein.

6 - Making sure that the snack items do the same as the breakfast items.

A vital aspect of the 3 Dimensional Life is learning how to take care of your body. The students already do this by daily exercising, now that is extended to healthy eating and portion control. We are just in the first weeks of this change, but implementing a healthy diet change is always a good thing!

An Update

Good Afternoon! It is such a welcomed relief to see the sun out and actually feel the warm rays. Over the last couple of days, I have been uploading videos to our facebook page. Be sure to check them out!  (For some reason I am having difficulty uploading them to the blog!)

It has been really encouraging to see the involvement of parents. It is easy to take a backseat stance while the student is in the program. But, lately, we are seeing parents pursue harder after their own Family Recovery. We are also seeing families of graduates contact us. I think this is another great aspect, because it shows that parents know they have a trusted source in our staff.

Yesterday, one out-of-state Mom got to stay longer to visit with her son. She made dinner for entire house. It was incredible to watch the boys thoroughly enjoy the meal she cooked. As I stood watching the students get their plates, I noticed one student who tapped the Mom on the shoulder. Before he would take his plate, he said "thanks" and gave her a big hug. I love those moments.

Cherish those 'little' moments. And, enjoy the videos!

Leaving a Legacy

After reading The Five People You Meet In Heaven, I have begun to ponder what it means to leave a legacy.

Every day, we all influence people. Good or bad, our influence is imprinted upon someone's life. That can be an overwhelming thing to consider. Especially, since our influence may be so subtle, we don't even realize that we've made an impact.

That being said, consider the story of James "Friday" Richards. This is a Marietta, GA football coach who is passionate about football, but even more passionate about helping kids.

I like his story because as you learn about this quiet man, you also learn about the many times he invited teenagers into live with him and his wife. Because of his and his wife's decision to open up their home, lives were changed. Over and over again.

We are praying that as 3 Dimensional Life students learn how to adopt a destructive behavior lifestyle, that the course of their life will be changed and in turn will influence positive change in the course of others' lives too.

A Drug Overdose Funeral

It is with great sensitivity that I write this.

In September 2009, the USA Today reported that an estimated 26,000 deaths occur each year to drug overdoses.

That is a lot of parents, children, grandparents, brothers, sisters, friends and so many others that will grieve the loss of a loved one.

Today, 3 Dimensional Life staff and students will be attending a funeral of a young man who overdosed just last weekend.. Life is so valuable, but to the drug addict, you feel invincible. Death seems fleeting and untouchable.

However, today, we will join a family as they grieve their son's death. Today, the USA Today statistic comes to life in the form of death. Today, we are hoping for less drug overdose funerals to attend and more great success stories like Anthony Hargrove.

Be praying for this young man's family today, and also be praying that today's funeral is startling wake-up for the 3D students.

Teenage Girls

Teenager girls are on the rise and its not in a good way.

They are beating boys on the intake of drugs and alcohol consumption; and for a Western country, United States has the highest percentage of teenage pregnancies.


It may go without saying, but teenage girls are in critical condition. We are becoming increasingly aware of the need that teenage girls have. Just this week, we have received two phone calls from individuals who have teenage daughters, nieces, and granddaughters all desperate to get help for them.

In the Spring, we will be opening up the girls program. There are still are several areas of need that must be fulfilled so that we can begin to provide help and hope to girls. Please be praying that doors will be opened as we seek to start this program.

Girls Need Hope, Too

It is easy for us to focus on the 3D boys program; you can see their faces and hear their stories - NOW. But, for the 3D girls program, we aren't quite there yet. However, in the midst of praying for property, we received this phone call for the 3D girls program:

"When do you guys start the girls program?"

"This spring."

"I have a niece. She's on drugs and just came out of court." The lady proceeded to tell me that her niece would be in a Youth Dentition Center (YDC) for a month.

Then she said this: "We want to start the application process now, so that when the girls program opens, she can get in."

This comment struck me because the need is great and ever growing. How many girls come out of YDC with no hope for the future or even the day after?

Be praying that the LORD will provide the perfect property at the precise moment, especially so we don't have to keep telling people to wait.

Update: Parental Forum on Substance Abuse

Tuesday and Thursday, 3 Dimensional Life staff and students attended the Parental Forum on Substance Abuse in Hall County. The 3D students, in particular did an outstanding job of explaining the easy access to drugs in public schools and what parents can do.

On Tuesday, there was one comment made that I simply cannot leave un-discussed:

"I don't think you can get drugs on school property."

This comment holds a magnitude of weight illustrating how easy it is to be naive: if school property says "Drug-Free", then you hope the best that is truly what is said. However, here are some statistics to ponder:

About 2/3 of high school students and 1/4 of middles school students say drugs are used, kept or sold on the grounds of their school.
Students who say they attend drug-infected schools are:

• Almost 3 times likelier to be able to get marijuana in the first hour
• And twice as likely to be able to get prescription drugs in an hour
• 1 out of 5 teens who say drugs are used, kept or sold on the grounds of their schools name school as the place where they could obtain marijuana

(emphasis is mine)

Its one thing to read these statistics. Its an entirely different thing to go a parental forum and discuss the impact of drugs in schools. But it is an extremely eye-opening experience to attend a forum where you can look into the eyes of students who are in regeneration program for drugs or look into the eyes of parents who have lost a child to a drug or alcohol overdose.

3 Dimensional Life received a lot of great feed back from Tuesday night:

"Our [school] counselor went to the parental forum last night and was very impressed with 3D. She said one of the boys spoke also; so glad they went and shared their story/testimony."

"The boys did a great job and the other kids in the audience certainly supported what they were saying."

"John and Riche [the two 3d students who spoke] touched my heart. The personal accountability and and desire for God to be apart of their lives is every parents answered prayer."

3 Dimensional Life has the privilege of helping addicted-students experience a changed and adopted lifestyle transformation. It is our hope that as the need becomes more apparent, that the LORD will open up more opportunities to share about the life-change that is available.

Tearing Down a Building

Demolition.

Today, the guys tore down one of the buildings on our property. Beforehand, the Program Director stuck various banners on each window of the building. The banners had one word on each:

Suicide. Weed. Overdose. Jail. Theft.

As the guys helped tear down the building - before the bulldozer took over - they each chose a window that they related to. Then, symbolic of placing their involvement with their selected window, they broke the window, placing the past behind them.

There are pictures on our Facebook page - be sure to check them out!

(my apologies, I am having difficulty uploading the pictures to the blog...)

Life Change

Transformed lives. New life change. Renewed family relationships. Small sentences, yes, but powerful implications.

Yesterday, several staff members met with a new student's family. The mom's eye glistened with tears and hope. Hope for restoration of her son. Hope for peace for her family. Hope for life change.

It is sometimes difficult to put into words how powerful a life change can be for the student who wants it.

I stumbled upon this blog recently; its written by a mom of one of our recent graduates. As I read this Mom's blog, my own eyes swelled up with tears. It provides insight to life 9 months later. 9 months after hope has been restored, peace has found its home, and life change has occurred. Life change when a student wants it; when the entire family steps forward and works together.

Here is a picture of two of our recent graduates, pray they stand strong and work their new life style. Pray they are a beacon in world that needs hope.

Family Night at the Hawks Game

I've collected quite a number of 3D favorites over the past couple of weeks. I define "3D favorites" as those special events or moments that echo my love for 3D.

Of course, I could easily blog about my engagement or wedding - both events that included the 3D students. But, what comes to mind right now is the ATL Hawks game from last night. While I'll be the first to admit - I'm not a fan of the NBA, last night's game was different.

Last night, not only did we take the 3D students, but we also invited their parents. It was really neat to watch as students and parents alike enjoyed a family activity. For several hours, the only distraction was the Hawks Mascot and the only focus was parents and students spending good quality time together. One of the families sat directly behind me and I loved how the student, his dad and brother carried on a continual conversation.

That's what it is about - developing and restoring relationships. I certainly hope the families had a lot of fun. I did.

The Look of Sacrifice

He has a huge smile and an even bigger heart. Even though he graduated, he doesn't "officially" complete his program until a couple of weeks. His name is Riche, and if you've ever been around the 3D guys, and not met him, you are missing out. The change that has occurred in his life and in his family's lives is incredible. A change I've seen, not as ministry staff, but as a sideline observer.

Yesterday, Riche began to share about why he made the decision to become an intern. He said, "I kept looking at different options of what I wanted to do. I soon realized everything I was considering started with "I" - what I wanted to do."

Riche said that when he took a moment to consider what God wanted him to do, he went back to the driving force of his entire program: what do I need to do to have long-term sobriety?

At first, when Riche spoke of his driving force, I applauded his focus, then he made this comment: "Regardless of whether or not, someone is an addict, they need to decide what are they willing to sacrifice so that they don't go back to their old habits?" I felt so convicted by that comment.

For Riche, sacrifice means a 9-month internship at 3 Dimensional Life. What does sacrifice look like for us, individually? This is something that has challenged me and I am thinking a lot about: what am I willing to sacrifice for my long-term good?

Be praying for Riche - especially as he finishes his final days as a 3D student and prepares to be a 3D intern.