Faculty Training Workshop

Eight prospective faculty members came to a Living Free faculty training workshop in Chattanooga, Tennessee, July 13-14, 2009. Taught by Dr. Jimmy Lee and Dan Strickland, this workshop is required as part of the faculty certification process that qualifies persons to present the Living Free training to churches and ministries other than their own. Participants for this training came from all over the United States; there was also one man who traveled from Swaziland in Africa. Those in attendence were Wayne Barrington, Kevin Bonsignore, Bruce Griffiths, Drs. Ruth and C.Y. Liu, Dennis McDonald, Doug Parker, and Rick Petty.

Pictured from left to right are Rick Petty, Dennis McDonald, Drs. Ruth and C.Y. Liu.

The Committed Couples curriculum from Living Free has been updated and is now available.

Committed Couples is for married couples or engaged-to-be-married couples who are committed to God's plan for marriage and family relationship.

There are 13 sessions and are listed as follows:

I am convinced that my Turning Point facilitator was put into my life by God to show me the way of Jesus and the importance of His Word. I was inspired deeply. Turning Point is the most positive thing I have ever completed in my life.

I can't even begin to tell you how much better my life has become since I have become aware of the upward path to developing Christian character found in those precious verses contained in 2 Peter 1:3-11. Just being able to see those eight Christian traits in black and white helped me to apply them in my everyday life. The Word of God being alive in me-mind, body and soul-is a direct result of Turning Point.

I am so grateful for the opportunity to have taken Turning Point and so blessed to have learned how to apply what I've learned in my life. I guess that I can sum up where I am in life with a scripture. It is Proverbs 21:21. It says, "Anyone who wants to be godly and loving finds life, success and honor."(NIRV) Thank you, Father God, for the miracles that you have worked in my life! I have my family back in my life as a direct result of the life changes I've made with the encouragement I received from Turning Point. I have dealt with my life-controlling problem and am clean and sober. I have quit smoking cigarettes. I have stopped cursing. I have changed who I am. I may not be who I want to be. I may not be who I could be. But I thank Father God every day for not being who I used to be. I am truly a work in progress. So to answer the question of where am I in life... I'm in a much better place. In closing, I am a firm believer and a living example of Philippians 4:13, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

Jimmy Lee and Dan Strickland are traveling to Israel January 12-23, 2010, to teach the Living Free training. They will work with Arab churches in Jerusalem, then a with ministry to Russian immigrants and finally training in Tiberias in Galilee. Please be in prayer for them as they teach Living Free to those in this most strategic country.

Living Free materials are available both in Russian and Arabic. The video training series for each can be viewed by clicking on the flags that are on the Living Free homepage. Curriculums in each language may be found in the Living Free store and are available for downloading. The Living Free Video Training Series Kit in Arabic is also available in DVD format which includes a Coordinator's and a Participant's guide. The kit, along with additional guides, can be ordered through our online store.

I just want to tell you a story that happened at our Insight group. A church that we planted, wanted to start Living Free; they had taken people through the facilitators training, and they asked me to lead their first Insight Group. I felt that I did not have time, but I so wanted them to start the Living Free material that I said okay.

We started the Insight group in which we had several couples. One couple continued to show up late, so I asked them to arrive on time without their "game" on. The husband, who is actually a former crack addict, said to me, "I'm sorry. I don't mean to disrespect you, but we've got to be in this course." They were allowed to continue the course even though they missed some of the first crucial weeks on trust. We were on about week six, and at the meeting I could tell the wife was a nervous wreck. I thought she was upset about the meeting running long.