The photo at the top of this post was sent to me by a friend several years ago. I’ve seen a lot of what people called their own “rock bottom”, but I had never seen one quite like this!
This week we celebrate our 4th anniversary of Titus 2’s ministry to women. A friend wrote on a personal FB post that Titus 2 is changing lives. Titus 2 Partnership, Inc. is also going to be changing its ministry outreach. We have sought to be proactive in helping to educate the community, to cooperate with various agencies to work for improved recovery outcomes, to make recovery support accessible to anyone, to promote faith-based recovery for women, and to set a standard of excellence in transforming lives of women who are broken and ready to change. What we have found is that such candidates for recovery in the mode in which we offer it are rare. Many are seeking a quick solution typical of our culture’s lie that such quick solutions are available for every problem. Or they want someone else to do the work for them- a counselor, a medication regimen, a peer group, etc. And for some, it’s even better if Jesus will just deliver me from my wrongheadedness and poor decisions, or at least from the burdensome consequences they have caused!
Titus 2 Partnership, Inc. will be taking a significantly less visible role in the community. People may well begin asking, “Are they still around?” We’re taking it “underground” so to speak. We’ll still be available for contact through our website and we’ll still be on facebook. But applications will only be given by email or mail or fax after a pre-application interview. One will have to know someone who’s been here, go through even more stringent pre-admit interviewing, and come with a minimum of 3 referrals that attest to the fact that the candidate has “hit rock bottom” and is demonstrating significant desire for a changed life to be considered for Titus 2. The candidate herself will have to state in the pre-application interview that she is ready to do whatever it takes to get beyond the chaos of her life and that she believes that includes a spiritual solution. Our total life recovery approach is not for everyone. In fact, it’s not for most people, it seems. We have trusted since the beginning that God would do as he promised me in 1997 when he began preparing me for this work that, “I will bring them to you.”
Whether there is one woman or six women in our residence is of no consequence to us. It can even sit empty for periods of time, if necessary. It is not about numbers. It is about each one being changed through embracing the disciplined approach applied across a range of issues and customized for the individual.
We find little support among other agencies with whom we work for the degree of structure, discipline, and values-emphasis that we do. Only those agencies that do embrace and support our approach are likely to be referral sources. That will most likely be churches, jail ministries, or other Christian resources.
I have been praying about and considering the next step in Titus 2’s ministry for several months. Our ministry is toward a specific purpose and people – Christian transformation of women in crisis. It is not about a geography. Those in Bay County who do not want the degree of change expected in our program will not seek us out. We believe that there are some women, however, who will. They will find us through word of mouth, through online searches, or through direction from God himself. And we will strive to be faithful to give the best we have to offer to those who choose to come, not by family coercion, not by court order, not by desire to avoid prison, but by personal decision to submit to the transforming work of God among a community committed to helping with that work.
We will continue to pray for continued growth of recovery resources in our community across a range of modalities to meet every need!