Welcome to healing the land with Kevin Mitschelen brought to us by pure assembly
welcome to another program called Healing the land and my name is Kevin Mitschelen and I'm so grateful that you've been able to are able to spend some more time with us in this program. Today we have a guest His name is Dale DeVon and he's been one of those gentlemen that I've been able to see not so much in a distance but many times different I'll be able to see his career or different or things have going on with his family or or when it comes to a career I've seen him you Dale build homes and he not only does he build homes he's one of those guys we just go wow there's some craftsmanship you know, it's not just having a slap something up it's just really and I gotta say this as a person who loves being around construction at work when I see Dale divan build a home I go wow, okay, there's there's a stamp sort of, of the Masters hand so to speak, when it comes to building something and and then also I've also seen him in in the area of public service as well. He has a heart for his community. But I would say the bigger item and and, and then the bigger item then comes to his family I've seen where Dale has been. So this this man of God who loves his family. But even at the higher scale is where I've seen Dale's heart and his love for Jesus Christ. And so that's the with all those things involved the I believe we have a treasure of being able to hear Dale's heart as well. Of his love for Jesus Christ. So Dale, I, I thank you for being on the program.
Kevin has been a joy knowing you over the years as well and feeling's mutual. Watching God direct you and I was even brought us together, I'll be even met through the political scene as well.
Absolutely. Yeah, it's kind of crazy. I'm glad you were able to maintain and keep with the political scene. I know how to get beat when it comes to when it comes to running for office. So I'm I'm encouraged that God's using you in that in that realm. The area that that when I thought of you of coming onto the program is your desire to share the good news of Jesus Christ. And let me ask you, because a lot of you don't know you, that may be listening. Can you tell us how you came to know the Lord this Jesus?
Good question. However, I grew up in the church, I would I mean, my mom was a big mentor for me. And our pastor, John staples back in the day in the life Christian Fellowship. But I think, you know, I was baptized in the church as a baby. And that has Jesus in my life when I was maybe 14 in a youth group type event. But until I got married and had three kids, and was really struggling, I guess at that time, even though I asked Jesus in my life, I was really never following Jesus until I was 26. And life got pretty stressful. And I really reached out to him. And he just, I just had a true life conversion at that point, to say, My life wasn't worth living without him. So if he's asking me to live the 90 day live for him and asked him to just learn if I'm going to do this, just keep my life exciting, because I don't want to let him down. And there's times that I wished he would have pulled back a little bit. He's never he's always honored that prayer, and sometimes it's a little taken could be a little exciting. Yeah, to say the least, to see least. So through that I got engaged in fighting for affordable housing for our community, right, and as a home builder in our association and started some local governmental affairs committees and was a youth leader at our church at the time, and I've had some prayer partners going through church and we have been to different people at different times that you know, Dale, you should really run for as elected officials position which is a county council at the time and I'm like, Man, that's not me. I barely got out of high school. I'm a construction grew up in a farm, you know, I'm not in a strongly educated person and but it kept just what I've learned over time, following Jesus, that it's better to be obedient than disciplined. Because if he's got a plan for you, he wants to see it fulfilled. And if he doesn't, it's gonna make a rough on you or he's gonna let somebody else have that gift that He's given you. You know, it's kind of the talents, right? Where he's given different people, different talents, and what did you do with them? And so I just learned to allow him to work through my life, and I just said, Okay, I'm all in. And I think, but working with youth, and a lot of the kids that are in our youth group are one or no parent households. And I just always had a passion. When I first got elected to the county councillor, Judge Nemeth, was there a probate judge? No, it was first guy to call to congratulate me as an election. Yeah, as a council member and said, come on down and visit the Juvenile Justice Center. And so I walked in, and the first kid I see incarcerated was a kid from my own youth group locked up and I'm like, What the heck, what are you doing here? And he's looking at me like, Oh, what are you doing here, and so started our jail ministry at the juvenile level about 20 years ago, and I just, it's, I wish I could do more for these kids. Because most youth groups don't want these kids. Right. And but I'd love to create a church somehow for them so that they can be discipled. Because God loves them and has a plan for them to. So and I think my job has been over the last 20 years is just to introduce them to Jesus. And we, you know, we pray, and but the devil is always waiting for them when they get back to that environment. So but
So, you have been involved with, with these kids that the rest of the culture, and I would say, particularly, many of those many times within the big C church don't know exactly how to relate to these guys. And you mentioned. So what is it? How do you? How do you relate to these guys,
they have the same basic needs that everybody does, they want to be loved. They want to be cared for, they want to be connected to something in the streets that they live in. A lot of times, it's gangs, gang violence, we have kids being shot almost, you know, every week, multiple times a week in our community. And it's a scary world for a lot of people that don't know that world. But you know, their basic needs that these kids have that everybody has the tools to be able to equip them for. So it's just something I've always been able to have a heart to help these kids succeed. Have you known as a current state legislator today, serving as chairman of the family of children's? How do we as a community, put DCS out of business? Yeah.
Yeah.
You know, how do you legislate broken families? How do you stop kids from having kids is the bottom line?
How does that mean? How's that look with? So the Senate, he can't almost it's hard to legislate
that away. But with that anything's possible. Amen. Yeah. So he's given us glimpses, He's given us a direction. In I think he's over the last 10 years, I've watched him put a lot of strong Christians at the legislation level, legislators level at State House. And, you know, there's, there's a legislative Bible study, there's a lot of members of where you may not read about it, or see it on TV, but that are involved in Bible studies. And there's a prayer network down there, that's very strong. And we truly, were truly seeking God's wisdom and direction. And I think we're starting to make some headway. But we still got a long way to go Indiana's not in the best rankings of how we treat our children in the nation. And that's something that I'm kind of trying to make headway and look at other states that are doing it right. And creating some programs that I think will help us be effective.
Right, reminds me when I had an opportunity to be with some kids that were from the inner city and be able to get involved in their lives. I had asked, and I noticed that they kept talking about their game. And I said, so let me ask you. Why are you in a gang? Why are you fighting, literally fighting for a section of South Bend, Indiana, and I said, of being from South Bend, Indiana, I don't get that because I you know, maybe it's this was Paris, or, or some other yobit South Bend. And the response back. I meant that sort of as a joking manner to this young man. But he came back and said, That's my family. And it struck me because I have grown up with so much luxury when it comes to having a family, you know, dad and a mom and a dad showing me how to how to be a man, you know, and then But then I retorted, just as kindly as I could about I said that family's not going to that family called your family that you call a gang. And the name of the game he said, but I just said, they're not going to be there for you. When you get in trouble when you get in prison and all these other things that they because they've brought you into that? And he goes, Oh, yeah, yeah, they will. And so let me introduce you to another family. And that family is where God is the Father. So I. And so when you're talking about these things, it, it rings. And it's not just an abstract thing. And there's, and the problem is they're not just having, they're not just still teenagers, those young men that I talked to are our dads. And they're not there for the kids, or majority of them are. And so when you mentioned to this, you know, basically you have children and breeding children as a result. So you have this generational thing that continues, and somewhere else online, the cycle is gonna have to break.
The first first kid that ever asked me to pray with him when I was at juvenile Center, which is again, almost 20 years ago. He was 13 years old. And he said, Can you pray with me to be happy? Do you want to pray about and he was like, I need you to pray for my child.
Wow.
So when people ask where their parents are, man, when you're 13? There aren't any parents. And a lot of these circumstances. When I
was thinking flashback when I was 13, I'm worried I'm worried if I get on the football team. I'm not worried about what am I gonna do with my kids? Right? And you're not supposed to? Alright.
So it's a different world if you're not used to living in and are hearing about it. And you know, we want to blame it on the parents. But a lot of these cases, there aren't any parents. So how do we stop that cycle? How do we introduce that? And then we put a lot of burden on our teachers, right? Because this is where most of the kids are learning their sex education from the streets. Yeah, right now the internet? Yeah, it's not a good place. So how do we put a positive role model or influence into their lives? Yeah. And what at what time in? Are we teaching that in our schools? Are we talking about in our schools? And could we create a documentary and show the kids this is what life should look like? Yeah. You know, because eyes kids don't know, they only live with, they only know what they live in, right? And what they see. But can we show them that? There is a better way? So that's my dream. And yeah, still seeking God's direction on that.
So it'd be good if we laid a foundation, I think for some things in which the big C church, God's people, and we'll be able to be able to should we must press into this, it's not a shirt? Or could we must and and so what does that look like? And maybe we can take a look at that in the next section. Next part of the of our show here with human land. So Dale, glad you're with us. And if you could stick with us in the next hour, go through the break with pure assembly, we'll have Dale divan here. And we'll be talking about how God can address these things, of a nation that has so much great opportunity, so many great things that are happening here. But we also have a brokenness that that needs to change. And so if you'll come with us for the next through the break, and then we can go to the next section of the show. Thanks. We'll see in a bit.
I am Dawn board member of pure and healing the land is brought to you by pure assembly. Pure assembly is a nonprofit with a mission to heal the wounds of a divided and injured nation through prayer, unity, repentance, and edification. To learn more about us, check us out at www dot pure assembly.com. Or find us on Facebook, just search for pure assembly. While you're there, we'd love you to like us too. Thanks for listening to healing the land.
This is Kevin Mitschelen I'm so glad that you're able to be back with us with healing land, I've got Dale Devine and we we were tackling the last you'd heard we're tackling some really kind of heavy issues that are in the culture and you see it many times segments and things like this that are on the news, and usually what happens it's the end result it's oh, this person unfortunately this person did violence against another person. And when that happens, then you see it on the nightly news or you'll see in here about statistics. We're getting more personal and involves more of the people who are are at the many times the center of those those violent crimes. And, and those heat those hurts have never been healed. And the one that can heal those hurts and wounds is the one who created us. Does that mean with you though? Yeah, the
god created the Family Foundation in so some of these kids that we visit. I would say in St. Joe County, we probably send the number used to be in the 1000s young you know Maybe 1000 to 1200 kids a year, lock them up. Right. And early on before COVID. And a lot of gang issues, we used to be able to talk to all the kids at one time and be 5060 Kids locked up at any given time. I think there's around 30 Right now 35 Kids locked up right now in St. Joe County. But some of these kids commit crimes just to get locked up because jail is better than their home. They go to bed to sleep and and they get fed and nobody touches them. Yeah. So and serving as chairman of Family and Children State House and on the executive committee, we have a commission to improve the status of children in Indiana that Governor Pence put together. And I serve on the executive committee with the Chief Justice and DCS director and her superintendent schools serve on that executive committee in the governor's office as well. And we truly try to strategize and put all children's administration's under one umbrella so we can be a little bit more hopefully a little more effective and trying to strategize and create game plans. Better these these kids lives and families.
So let me ask you this. How does how does the being a person who's you've grown up in the church, I've had the luxury of growing up in the church, and you have a relationship with Jesus Christ? And I have that privilege of doing the same? What does that look like? For the church to press in?
When you say Press in?
Yeah, to be what, what? Maybe for a simple question is, what do we do? How does Kevin Mitschelen Get involved?
So I believe God's given everybody spiritual gifts to be used within the church. And I think it's important to embrace the church and use your gifts, because God has a plan for each area of in. Not everybody can go to talk to kids in the jail, not designed to and I had a gentleman who's another legislator, it was kind of like, Dale, why aren't you on the street corners with me at the abortion clinics? And I said, I don't feel like he's ever called me there. Yeah, right. Right. But I've never seen him in the jail either. Right. So like, everybody's called to a different ministry. And so I guess I would ask, Is it is it enough just to go every Sunday? And I don't think we're designed for that. I think right now God's looking for Warriors. I think our country in this world so divided that we need to come together as churches and compete against the world. Yeah. And I think God's looking for each and every individual that he's been feeding from, however long you've been following Jesus. Just start saying, Our Lord, I'm here. I feel like I'm a warrior. I'm equipped, you know? And typically, what I find is, it's not me at all. It's just me saying, okay, yes, Lord, I'm ready to go. And he does the work. Yeah. He tells me what to say to one and to say it, and he speaks through you to other folks. Then also, you know, being in the word every day, knowing what the scripture is, and having that foundation. I was at a conference last week, and the Uber driver was from South Africa. And he's gone to seminary in Florida. But he's already been a minister for eight years in South Africa. But he came back here and found his wife in seminary, and they've been starting a family and started asking more about, you know, his ministry in his calling on his life and stuff. And I got praying with him. And I mean, when we got done, he was in tears, because he has an all my years of driving here in the last two or three years, nobody's ever prayed with me or talked to me about my walk and encouraged me and, you know, gave him a car and hopefully can stay in touch. Sometimes. We can be in a light to anybody in the world, right? Yeah. And for some people, I think in the church, it's like, I knock on a lot of doors campaign. And it's not always about trying to get their support. It's like, when somebody is having a rough day, and I see it as can I pray for him pray for you. And I didn't know how to be an elected official. And when I went to the county, when I was on the county council, and even as a state representative until the administration heads or department heads and said, I don't sure how I can help you. But I want to help you do your job well and help us to succeed in the state of Indiana and how can I pray for you? Yeah. Then everybody has prayer needs.
Amen. You know, when you've seen that I just recalled calling many different opportunities in times where one time our church, myself and my pastor, another individual, we went into there's a neighborhood called Monroe Park, it's in South Bend. And we said, You know what, that's our neighborhood. That's where we're at. So let's go knock on doors, and ask people Can we pray for you? There was one person that just said, No. Everyone else said, Absolutely. I would love to have you pray for me. And I is not calling everybody to be a preacher. Now is the caregiver. Yeah. And, and that there's a there's something because we're not just physical we're, we're spirit. And, and so our spirit rejoices then when we're communion with God, and then we can, and there's that is that deeper, deeper level, when, if I say, I'd be happy to pray for you, and you also taking time, which is a huge commodity in our culture, to be able to do that, too. So saying, Oh, that were really see you because I've gotten to know your heart. And when it comes to prayer, you have a heart for prayer. And so it actually, when I was able to talk to you about, Hey, come on the show, Dale, my first thought was, we have an opportunity to be able to, we have something we're working on together. And we're looking to sort of plow the field spiritually, if that makes any sense just to go in and say, you know, because say South Bend was known for the Oliver plow, Studebaker and the Oliver plow, right, and to be able to take and pray into the community pray that we would be able to see revival in the land. And I think we have the same heart where we, we start there first, because revival begins with prayer. And specifically then for God to heal the land. And from that, and you look at Second Chronicles 714, you know, If my people who are called by my name shall Hama themselves, and turn from their wicked ways, I will heal their land, and that that's a verse that has become any near and dear, because when to be so sweet, to see that in our life, lifetime, but the prayer is that digging in, and so that plowing, for lack of a better expression of showing that, and I think South is kind of unique, too, because A, you have the all of a plow that was in there too, right? So if you can speak a little bit more into prayer, if that would.
So when you get plugged in and following Jesus, he never said it would be easy. Yeah. And it's a battle. It's a spiritual warfare. Some, and God blesses us with not showing as sometimes that spiritual warfare, I think, if people could see the spiritual warfare that's going on, we wouldn't run from it.
And and I've seen in my life so many times how effective prayer is, when I got elected to the State House.
I went through an orientation as a freshman legislator, and the first one of the people I got to meet was a chaplain at the statehouse, Matt burns. He's been there, probably 18 1718 years, I think. And on the way home, I called him, he gave me his card during orientation. And I called him and said, man, it's and I'm Dale divan, I met you a couple days, because I remember he goes, What's your need? And I said, Well, I just need to know how I can pray for you. And he kind of got quiet and he says, What's your angle here? But he never had anybody asked me that. What's What do you think? And I said, Well, you got understand it said, I've been involved in ministry salaries, and I feel like I'm in a state house is because God's called me there. And I said, if I'm there, and I'm doing ministry, the devil isn't going to like it now. And I'm okay with that. But he's not going to like you either. But if you and I pray for one another, the devil don't stand a chance. And he hasn't. Yeah, there have been battles. Yeah, and there still will be. But if we're praying for one another, the devils already lost.
As a result, the gates of hell will not prevail in
in that influence in that environment. He can be so effective in everything we do. No matter what environment he puts you, and if you ask him every morning to put the armor of God on right fusions 619 nakedness just ask him to put the armor God on before you go that day and he'll give you the protection you need, but also the word genuine and swords. So you need to go forward.
Yeah, I think that's great. We you said mentioned to with the words you're going to need there's so many different times when when you come into something and you go, Lord, that not Kevin's words be be coming off of my own lips. But May your words be be resounding versus whatever being said. And that only comes then through that relationship of letting the spirit control. And for in my particular case, Kevin, to surrender, whatever needs to be surrendered and speak life into instead of death into something.
It's amazing what if people would open their minds and their heart to everything God, He wants us to live life to its fullest. And sometimes we hang on to these little things that just hold us back. But just just kind of like you said, to surrender, and just to let go and let God do, he'll put you in positions and to make differences in people's lives that in to me when we are making a difference in people's lives. That's when I think full gratification, you know, there's a full peace and joy about all that.
So maybe the last area question, and that is that when we're working on something together in the phrase healing, the land keeps coming up. And where do you see? And also not just healing the land but revival? Where Where do you see those healing areas take place in our culture, even right now?
I think it's needed everywhere. There's such a division just in this country right now, between between political parties between races. You know, God loves Republicans, as much as he loves Democrats, he loves black people as much as he loves white people. And I'm no better different than anybody that I ministered to. And I tell these kids look, when I'm sitting there talking to a gang member, and it's locked up, and he's from a different race. I said, You're no different than I was, I just didn't get caught doing what you did, right? We're all sinners. Amen. And I need somebody to come along the side of me. And in my case, it was my mother and my pastor that helped me walk the walk right to keep me focused on on the cross. And if we're focused on Jesus, we can survive anything.
Amen. Well, saying that, we'll have to close because this time has gone very, very fast again, and I'm I'm, we have a Savior, Jesus Christ. And we always want to make sure that we run to him. And that that is the one that will will save has the power, the the ability to save and heal Island. And so Dale, thank you for being on the program. And I hope you've been blessed by the conversation, because it's really more of hope you're able to hear our hearts, they've been anything else and to the heart in which Dale has been able to receive through our Savior, Jesus Christ. And so saying all that thank you for being able to be a part of the program. If you would like to get in contact with us, we'd love to have you do that at pure assembly.com. We're also on Facebook and also on Twitter, too. So God bless you and we will hopefully have you tune in the next week after this. Thanks. Take care.
Second Chronicles 714. If my people who are called by my name, humble themselves, and pray and seek my face, and turn from their wicked way, then I will hear from heaven and forgive their sin and heal their land.
Healing the land is brought to you by pure assembly. Pure assembly is a nonprofit with a mission to heal the wounds of a divided and injured nation through prayer, unity, repentance and edification. For more ways to get involved and to be a part of their ministry. You can reach them at www dot purer assembly.com That's p u r e assembly.com. Or look for pure assembly on Facebook.