No longer blogging here...

Hey Folks,

We are no longer blogging here anymore.

Here is our new blog site...

 http://iamatreasure.com/category/blog/ 

Let us know what you think of the new blog....

Love, Harmony

Do you want to get well?

There is a well-told story of a man, lying on a mat, who had been disabled for 38 years. In it, Jesus asks him a question: ‘Do you want to get well?’ (John 5)

At that point, the man started coming up with excuses, saying that nobody would help him, and every time he tried to get better, somebody got in his way. Ultimately, Jesus instructs the man to ‘Take up his mat and walk.’ He follows this instruction and is miraculously healed.

I believe that Jesus is asking you and me the same question: “Do you want to get well?”

Sometimes we think we want to get better, but when it comes down to it, we have a million excuses as to why we can’t. We complain that “Nobody will help us” and “Every time we try, something gets in our way.” We become comfortable with our condition and content to remain paralyzed on our mats.

I spent many years wishing my life would change, stuck in patterns and relationships.  But ultimately, it wasn’t enough to want to change—I had to decide to change.

Ultimately, the decision is in our hands. Nobody can want it for us. God can’t force it on us. Our friends can’t fix us.  Finding the “right man” won’t miraculously make our life better.  We must decide to get well.  Once we do, I believe that just as the paralytic man discovered, Jesus will give us the strength we need in order to walk.

By Harmony Dust

www.ScarsAndStilettos.com

(Excerpt from my memoir, Scars and Stilettos. 

Appendix Chapter on My Healing Journey)

Does Jesus Love P0rn?

Does Jesus Love P0rn?

“Are you saying Jesus loves porn?” a half-dressed girl in a children’s bounce house asked us as she held the “Jesus Loves P0rn Stars” t-shirt up to herself.  She was one of a few dozen girls hired at the p0rn convention to entertain the patrons by swinging on swings and playing on see saws and other children’s apparatuses.

“No. Because that would be weird,” Rachel a fun-loving, boisterous volunteer began,“but he loves p0rn stars and all of the people IN p0rn. I think if he were here today, he'd show up at p0rn conventions and say the same thing.” 

Throughout the rest of the Exxxotica P0rn Convention in Los Angeles last weekend, the Treasures team partnered with XXX Church and shared that very message.  Jesus loves people.

We were joined by Crissy, a stunning young woman who left p0rn at the height of her career, in order to follow Jesus. Her compassion for the women still in the industry seeps out of her pores and was evident in all of her encounters with them.

One moment I looked over to see her eyes filled with tears as she talked to one of the girls. “I was in the business for 6 years,” she shared. 

The woman’s face softened upon seeing Crissy’s empathy.  “It’s hard, isn’t it?” the woman responded.

Next to the bounce house was one of many tables of women signing autographs.  But these women were not signing autographs for their p0rn-stardom.  They were noted as being the “Scandalous Women of 2010”, a title awarded for having affairs with the likes of Tiger Woods and Jesse James.  They were being given celebrity status for having sexual relationships with married men.

My stomach flip-flopped.  Are we really living in a culture that rewards adultery with fame?

I was reminded of Jesus’ response to the woman at the well, a “scandalous woman” of her day.  “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked Him and He would have given you living water," Jesus said to her.

Out of all of the people in the bible, this woman’s story resonates with me the most.  I have been a scandalous woman in my own right and I identify with the depth of her need and the lengths she goes to in order to satisfy it. After years of looking to men, food, sex, attention, (you name it) to fill me, I have discovered that only One Thing will satisfy.  Only Jesus can quench my insatiable thirst in a way that is true and lasting.

My heart broke as I handed each the women signing autographs a gift.  Not BECAUSE of them, but FOR them.  Because I believe that if they knew the “gift of God”, they would not be compelled to drink from the salty cup of infidelity.  If they truly knew, they would walk away from that hollow well of fame, and instead thirst for Living Waters.

Jesus loves scandalous women.  He loves p0rn stars and addicts.  He even loves prideful, religious, judgmental folks.  And when I contemplate my own heart and nature, it is just as awe inspiring that He loves me.

Love, Harmony Dust

www.IAmATreasure.com

www.ScarsAndStilettos.com

Strip Clubs & Baptisms

STRIP CLUBS & BAPTISMS…

7 years ago, during Treasures’ first ever Vegas outreach, we met Abby*.  A bright young woman, full of life and personality in spite of having faced some very painful circumstances in her life, she had just entered the sex industry.  

“This is perfect,” I thought.  “Perhaps after meeting the Treasures team, she will decide to leave the industry before she gets too deep into it-- before it gets too deep into her.”  

The journey that has followed has caused me to practice everything I preach—Loving people right where they are at, trusting that God will do a work in their heart as they draw near to Him, knowing that it is His goodness that leads people to change.   

I would ask God, “What do you want me to say to Abby?”

“Nothing.  Just listen,” He would speak to my heart.   

In the past 7 years, there were moments when I had the opportunity to tell her how much God loves her or to pray with her about a challenge she was facing.  I have to admit, there were times when I thought to myself, “Okay God…I know that healing is a journey, and that I am supposed to love people where they are at…but 7 years?” 

He would remind me that His love is unfailing, unchanging, unrelenting, unstoppable, and that I am to love as He does. 

This weekend, God’s work in Abby’s heart had our team in tears.  She let us know that she wasn’t going into work, despite it being a potentially lucrative holiday weekend and that she just wanted to be around us.  So she joined in all of our activities for the weekend.  During our volunteer prayer, she jumped in and asked us to pray for her.  Before we prayed, she turned to me with tears in her eyes and said, “Every night when I show up at work, I pray that ‘the Prince song’ will come on because I want to leave like you did, Harmony.”   

I literally started balling.  I couldn’t even hold back the tears if I wanted to.  Because I know that she was referencing a pivotal moment in my own life when ‘the Prince song’ Purple Rain came on, and I had an encounter with God in the middle of the strip club.  It was at that moment that I left the industry. 

We all cried and prayed with Abby.  We told her that God’s plans for her are good and encouraged her that He would make a way for her, just as He made a way for me. 

The next day, Abby asked us to come to church with her and was delighted to show up with an entourage of girls.  That day, she told us that she wanted to be baptized but had no one to cheer her on they day her church offered baptisms.  She asked if I would be willing to do the honors of baptizing her.  So, with her Treasures family cheering loudly at the hotel pool, Abby was baptized! 

I love that God loves us and meets us right where we are at—in strip clubs and hotel swimming pools, whether we are still dealing with pride or envy…or stripping—He loves us and He always shows up!  He is unrelenting in His pursuit of us and I am honored to witness His pursuit of Abby and the beautiful work He is doing in her life.

Love, Harmony & The Treasures Team

PS. For more Vegas highlights, check out the Twitter highlights!  www.twitter.com/TreasuresLA

And you can watch one of our poolside baptisms here! http://yfrog.com/5j366z

(*Name changed to protect confidentiality)

Wounds and Stilettos

Wounds and Stilettos

If I had to come up with a word to describe Friday’s strip club outreach, it would be “breakthrough”.   From getting into a club for the 1^st time in 7 years with gift bags, to talking to a manager who says he is leaving the industry in 3 weeks because “God told him to” and he wants to “follow in His footsteps”, to seeing the intense compassion in a bouncer who says his own heart breaks for the girls and seeing what they go through, it was an incredible night.

One of the most rewarding moments on a personal level came when we gave gifts (and lots of hugs) to the girls in a dressing room I hadn’t been in since the night I last worked there. 

Over 12 years ago, I showed up at this particular club for one of their weekly contests where I, along with dozens of other women, paraded naked around the stage hoping for the loudest applause and the $300 prize.  Early that night, before all the parading and madness began, I found myself sitting in the empty club next to a “competitor”.

“I think I am going to write a book about it.” I said starring at the empty stage.  

“About what?” she seemed surprised I was talking to her.

“About this…about stripping.” I began to ponder the nature of it all.  Exposing myself to the scrutiny of strangers and being openly judged solely on physical appearance. How familiar it had become.

The idea of writing a book lay dormant for years to come.  I suppose I had to live out

more of the story before I could record it.  If I had written it then, I probably would have had to call it “Wounds and Stilettos” rather than “Scars and Stilettos”.  Because before they are scars, they are wounds.  It would be a long while before the healing process turned my wounds to scars.   

Last Friday night, we passed the spot where I sat talking to the girl years ago.  I pictured my 20-year-old self and remembered what it felt like to be her.  If I could, I would give her a little pink gift bag and a hug and tell her “Precious Harmony, you are loved, valued, and purposed…”  

Love, Harmony

www.IAmATreasure.com

www.ScarsAndStilettos.com

PS. If you’re not following @TreasuresLA and @HarmonyDust on Twitter, here’s what you missed!

.                 Wow! I just went into the dressing room of a club for the 1st time since I worked there. Got so many hugs from the girls! 10:59 PM May 21st via Twitterrific

           

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Strip club mngr told us my # is written in sharpie on the dressing room wall 4 emergency help. Not the 1st time my # was written on a wallJ 10:42 PM May 21st via Twitterrific

             

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Bouncer says his heart breaks evry night 4 the girls that work in the club-that seein what these girls go thru makes him wanna b a better dad 10:30 PM May 21st via Twitterrific

            

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We just got into a strip club with giftbags that we haven't been able to get into for 7 yrs!! Via @TreasuresLA 9:54 PM May 21st via Twitterrific

            

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Strip Club manager is leaving the industry in 3 wks because God told him to...says he has to follow in His footsteps. Via @TreasuresLA 9:22 PM May 21st via Twitterrific

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Strip Club Outreach tonight! May we show God's love 2women who feel separated from it. You can be part of their stories http://bit.ly/dpvIru  8:53 AM May 21st via Twitterrific

Facing the Giants

FACING THE GIANTS

In the well-known story of David and Goliath, David faced and defeated his giant with a sling and a stone. Historically, in the days of Exodus, the Israelites had been afraid to enter the promised land because of the many ‘giants’ who inhabited that territory. It was the fear of the giants, not the giants themselves, that kept the people from God’s promise for them.

In my own journey, I have had to face some big giants: sexual abuse, rape, father issues, fear, rejection, abandonment, unforgiveness, and bitterness, to name a few. To rattle them off in a list like this is easy, but to actually face each of these head-on has been a battle. I can distinctly remember fighting though Los Angeles traffic to make the one-and-a-half-hour commute to see my therapist, where I had to pay upwards of $60 an hour to face some of my giants. I would much rather have been sitting on my couch, eating chocolate ice cream and watching reruns of Seinfeld. But if I wanted to walk in the fullness of God’s promises for my life, there were giants to be faced. Sometimes I felt like David: as if I was facing a seasoned combatant with weapons as puny as a sling and a stone. But during those times I learned that, like David, God has given me the tools I need to face the giants in my life, and that I never have to face them on my own. (Taken from the appendix of my memoir, Scars and Stilettos.)

If you are ready to face the giants in your life, you don’t have to do it alone!  We are launching Celebrate Recovery at Oasis and all are welcome!  This is a safe place where you can get on the road to recovery from your own hurts, hang-ups and habits.  For more details, visit http://www.oasisla.org/life--oasis/celebrate-recovery/

Love, Harmony & The Treasures Team

www.IAmATreasure.com

www.ScarsAndStilettos.com

Forced into Sex Work...

Women will walk in freedom because you care.

Angela (not her real name) never thought she’d end up in the sex industry. But at age fourteen, she was homeless. She was kicked out of her last foster home, left with nothing but pajamas and slippers.

Preying on her vulnerability, a man in a fancy car told her that “a girl like her” shouldn’t be out on the streets. He promised to care for her and help her find a job. In the wee hours of the night, he delivered her to an underground brothel where other under-age girls “serviced” men who showed up drunk after the local strip clubs closed at 2AM.

What happened to Angela that night scarred her deeply.

She was forced into sex work

and continued working in the industry for ten long years.

In her adult years, she appeared like any other girl in the strip club. Naively, onlookers assumed she was there by “choice.” People believed the story that was that she was a struggling college student. In fact, she was a victim of domestic sex trafficking.

Then Angela escaped. But it was the only life she’d known -- her only means for survival . . . or so she thought!

Angela’s journey did not end the day she walked out of the strip club. It only began. Like many women we serve, Angela must now learn to walk in freedom. She must learn to resist the human urge to return to the familiar—even when the familiar means captivity.

Today, Angela works hard to rebuild her broken life. She faithfully participates in Treasure’s one-on-one weekly care team sessions. And she seeks stable employment, is growing in her faith, and bravely allows God to heal the deep psychological and emotional wounds she sustained.
Along with so many others, Angela is on the path to recovery. And because you care, Treasures equips her for the journey. Your faithful and generous partnership means freedom from the chains of bondage is offered, with God's love.

Thank you for supporting women just like Angela. Your best gift today goes to immediate use!


Sincerely,


Harmony Dust, Founder


P.S. Your gift of $50, $100, or even $250 or more will go far in helping women just like Angela.

Donations can me made at www.IAmATreasure.com/donations or 

Mailed to: Treasures PO # 2013 North Hills, CA 91343

The Harvest Show & More!

Hey Friends,

We have some exciting things going on in the upcoming weeks! Hope you can join us!

Set Your Tivo for The Harvest Show May 4th!!!
Harmony will be sharing her story and talking about her new memoir, Scars & Stilettos.
(It should air at 9am ET, but check your local listings)
http://www.harvest-tv.com


Treasure the Journey Women’s Conference
May 7th & 8th, 2010
7:00 pm on Friday & 9:00 am on Saturday (Friday Session in Spanish)
Harmony will share why YOUR STORY MATTERS!
Parkcrest Christian Church, 7th St. Campus, Long Beach, CA
www.Parkcrest.org

Gift Bag Assembly at Oasis
May 8th, 2010 at 10:00am
We are preparing 2,000 gift bags for our upcoming Vegas outreach and we need your help!
5100 Wilshire Blvd. L.A., CA
www.OasisLA.org

Love,


Harmony & The Treasures Team

PS. Get connected! Support the Treasures cause by joining us on our social networking sites!

www.Twitter.com/TreasuresLA

Join the Facebook Cause: http://www.causes.com/causes/382171?recruiter_id=8159582

Vegas Strip Clubs!

With our next Vegas outreach right around the corner, I thought this video would be fun to share!

Check out what happens when a van full of Treasures volunteers visits 54 strip clubs in one weekend! One volunteer had a particularly powerful weekend because the last time she was in Vegas, she was working as a prostitute. This time, she was a part of the Treasures team, bringing hope to others!

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=408589786788&ref=mf


If you would like to donate to our upcoming Vegas outreach, visit www.IAmATreasure.com/donations

Love,
Harmony
www.IAmATreasure.com
www.ScarsAndStilettos.com

Will you stop?

Will You Stop?

I am believing for a day when strip club outreach will be a normal part of the way the local church loves and reaches her community. I imagine there was a time when soup kitchens and homeless ministry was not commonplace—when people walked by a man laying on the street without stopping, much like the religious leaders in the story of the Good Samaritan.

Today, I wonder how many people walk by strip clubs, porn conventions, and women walking the streets without stopping and asking themselves, “What is really going on here? And what can I do about it?”

I wonder how many turn away in judgment, assuming that “those kinds of women” must like what they are doing and that they are all there by choice.

This weekend, the Treasures team had the honor of training over 30 women, from all over the nation, to do Strip Club Outreach. These are the sorts of leaders that have made a decision to STOP. They have asked the question: “How can I be a part of the solution?”

During the training, they learned that 87% of women in the industry would leave if they could*, and that there is a lot more going on behind the façade of glamour. After discussing everything from vision and logistics, to after-care and healing, we put it all into action during an outreach to Hollywood and Downtown Los Angeles.

Each time I handed a little pink gift bag to a woman, I had generations in mind. As we link arms and reach women, the capacity to impact generations grows exponentially. As women in the sex industry make decisions to walk in healing and freedom, the lives of their children and grandchildren will be impacted.

And I believe that as people like you and I, make a decision to stop along the way, whether it be through prayer, outreach, giving or any other way, we become a part of these stories of freedom. Generations are affected.

Love, Harmony
www.iamatreasure.com/donations

PS. Tell your friends! This week you can catch me on the radio…

March 24th, 6pm (PT)
The Frank Pastore Show
Station call letters: KKLA
http://www.frankpastore.com

March 26th, 10am (PT)
Midday Connection
Host: Melinda Schmidt
MOODY RADIO
http://www.middayconnection.org

*Based on research conducted by Dr. Melissa Farley

National Training, 700 Club, MI and more!

We've got some exciting things happening at Treasures and we don't want you to miss out!

Saturday, March 20th, we will be hosting a Strip Club Outreach training for leaders throughout the nation (and even Australia) interested in started outreaches in their communities. They will be joining the ranks of the 16 other outreaches we have trained using the Treasures model of outreach. I am excited to partner with them and potential impact is unfathomable!

If you are in the Los Angeles area and are considering volunteering on the Treasures team, this training is open to you too! Please email Brey at info@iamatreasure.com for details and to register. Please do so quickly as space is limited.

Attention Michigan peeps: I will be speaking at Gateway Assembly this weekend and would love to see you there. Check out our upcoming events to see when I might be speaking in your area. AZ and GA are next month. www.iamatreasure.com/events

And finally, in case you missed out on the 700 Club Episode I taped last week, here it is.

Harmony Dust: Scars and Stilettos

Hey Folks, In case you missed it, here is the episode of the 700 Club I taped yesterday:)

Harmony Dust: Scars and Stilettos

Let's Mobilize!

Let’s Mobilize!



If you have been following the work of Treasures, you have no doubt heard the stats…



Research indicates that women working in the sex industry are faced with higher rates drug addictions, sexually transmitted diseases, violent assaults, and mental health problems such as Depression and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder than the general population.



Overwhelming research indicates that large proportions of women in the sex industry have been sexually and physically abused as children. Data gathered from 2 studies suggest that 62% of the women in the samples came from a background of physical abuse. Other studies estimate that anywhere from 66% to 90% of women in the sex industry were molested as children.



Risk factors for vulnerability to sex work include economic disadvantages, lack of education and training and broken homes where either one of both of the parents are absent. The average age of entrance into prostitution is 13!



Behind each of those statistics are real-life women, with real-life stories.



For the average person, the stories and stats can be overwhelming…paralyzing even.



We at Treasures want to empower and mobilize you to make a difference!



No matter who you are, you can do SOMETHING to partner with us as we provide spiritual inspiration, mentoring, and resources to women in the sex industry (including victims of commercialized sexual exploitation and trafficking)



Here are 10 Simple Things you can do:



1. SHARE

Memorize the stats & Read the Stories on the Treasures site and share them with friends.

2. PRAY

Treasures prayer partner application available online

3. JOIN the Treasures Facebook Cause
4. INVEST

Become a monthly financial partner. $10 a month funds 5 gift bags for outreaches, $25 funds 3 care packages including bibles, books and resources to encourage the women who contact us.

5. ORGANIZE A FUNDRAISER or Jewelry Making Party
6. VOLUNTEER

Our next training is March 20th. Info

7. SHOP TREASURES

Pick up a copy of our devotional, Treasures Reflections, or Harmony’s memoir, Scars and Stilettos. Proceeds support the ministry.

8. COLLECT

Gather brand-new cosmetics & jewelry from your friends and donate them to the Treasures gift bags used for outreach.

9. REACH

Get trained to do outreach in your area. info@iamatreasure.com

10. GET CREATIVE

Write a song, paint a painting, or write a blog where you talk about the women we are reaching and how their stories have impacted you.


Thank you for taking the time to make a difference!



PS. If you missed the Moody Radio show today, you can download the podcast at: http://www.facebook.com/l/31073;www.moodyradio.org/brd_podcast.aspx?Program=MiddayConnection

Harmony Dust

Long Overdue...

We have had so much going on at Treasures lately, this update is long overdue!

From our latest outreach last Friday during which we visited 8 strip clubs in Anaheim and gave gifts to a couple of hundred women...encouraging them that they are loved, valued and purposed...

To The Stiletto Project Exhibit and Release Party (check out the photo albums!)

Some days I stand back and wonder how on earth this team is pulling it off! God is having His way & The Stiletto Project was a prime example of that.

If someone walked into that gallery at 7:15, they would have never known about all of the challenges we had to face in preparing for the night. From unexpected storms causing a flood in part of the gallery to an unexpected shift in our entire set up....to having the whole team locked out on the street in the cold until 30 minutes before doors! The team got in there and set the ENTIRE GALLERY UP IN 30 minutes like a bunch of CHAMPS!

And by 7:30, we were at capacity with a line around the corner! The rain had stopped, and people began to flood the gallery to see the photos and art work done by some of the bravest women I know.

I watched people walk around that room with tears in their eyes as they processed the beauty, splendor and redemptive power of God they saw displayed!

At one point, a girl walked in off of the street. As it turns out, she works as a stripper and "just happened" to be walking by because her private gig that night got canceled. She went on to tell me that she wants to leave the business but doesn't know how. I told her that I am a Christian and believe that God has a plan for each person's life and that we are all inherently valuable. I told her that our heart was to see women live in a way that reflected that. She told me she is a Christian too but feels like she can't go to church on a Sunday because she feels so ashamed of what she does on Saturday night. I invited her to Oasis and told her it is a safe place for her. We were also able to give her my book and some other resources. And even though I know that we impacted hundreds of people that night, even if it was all for her, it was worth it!

I seriously feel like we took a sledge hammer to concrete and un-earthed new soil. We planted seed in places it had not yet been planted and I truly believe that God is doing a new thing in this ministry and in our city! Thank you so much for being a part of it! I am honored to serve alongside of you! FOR REAL!

Love, Harmony

PS. We are having a SALE in the Treasures webstore! Check out our new Stiletto Project T-Shirt! www.iamatreasure.com/store

In the face of rejection...

What do you do when you find yourself staring in the face of rejection?
What happens when it seems like the dream in your heart has no way of coming to fruition?

Check out this interview for the Examiner where I talk about how I dealt with rejection in the early stages of writing Scars and Stilettos.

http://www.examiner.com/x-35833-Womens-Ministry-Examiner~y2010m2d4-Coming-out-of-the-sex-industryinterview-with-Harmony-Dust-author-of-Scars--Stilettos?cid=email-this-article

This has been a VERY long journey and I am so excited to finally be celebrating the release of this book! Hope you can make it to The Stiletto Project on Saturday to celebrate with me!

Love, Harmony

PS. You can read the first pages at www.ScarsAndStilettos.com

Are You a Tweeter?

A Treasure for You: The Treasures E-Devotional

Are You a Tweeter?
by Ashley Dodson

Are you a tweeter? Me too… In fact, I have tweeted in the middle of a Pilates class, as I begged God for mercy from the beautiful-Russian-ex-Ballerina instructor holding us hostage. I have tweeted during showers, weddings, dates, awesome conversations, accidentally from my purse, and yes, I have even tweeted in church (but I am sure it was because Holly or Philip had a brilliant point that required an insta-tweet).

You see, I love words. More specifically, I love to learn who people are, what and who they love, and what matters to them. What we say (and don’t say) determines what we do, so I try to listen carefully. Whether it’s Bentleys in Beverly Hills or fighting human trafficking, I value a deeper insight into, and understanding of, humanity. Because, as John Maxwell always says, “People don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care.” Go ahead and tweet that. I’ll wait.

Aren’t you so glad that Jesus didn’t come to condemn the world, but to save it? Whatever people in our world care about influences our media, the arts, business, industry, ministry, economies and ultimately establishes our global condition. If we are to ever minister effectively to others, it will require that we operate less in judgment, and more in love. I am not suggesting tolerance; we are supposed to be in this world, but not of it. I am suggesting an aggressive, radical love that stands strong in what it believes, but has an enduring presence and a faithful heart that makes way for each individual journey.

I like that Jesus hung out with tax collectors, prostitutes, Samaritans, rough neck rowdy entrepreneurs AKA Disciples, traitors and thieves. I like that when he saw Zacheus up in that tree he didn’t scream, “You thief! You oppressor! How can you lay your head down and sleep at night!” Nope, he said, “Dinner at your place. Tonight.” I like when the woman at the well gave him a tough time about even wanting to talk to her that he didn’t say, “Listen woman, I am the Messiah, I know everything about the hot mess you’re in and if you know what’s good for you, you will do what I say. And can’t you see I’ve been walking a while? Get me some water!” Nope, he listened gently, spoke lovingly and revealed to her His character as He addressed the need in her heart through perspective correction. He offered her another way… His way…the Way. I hardly call what He did tolerance – I call it understanding where she was, where she had the potential to go, and speaking the truth in love.

How can I ever begin to minister to anyone without an understanding of the context from which they view life and make decisions? Jesus knew how to love because He took the time to listen to His Father, who revealed to Him understanding and insight from heaven. Then He took the time to listen to the individual as He encouraged them to successfully navigate the transitional journey of becoming more like Him.

I see myself in the rebels and outlaws. In the thieves and robbers, the thugs and traitors, the rough around the edges disciples, the forbidden women. In the lost, the broken, the forsaken. I am so thankful that He offers us new life, a fresh start, a beautiful invitation to join Him on the wildest History story ever unfolding. He is a God of freedom, second chances, new and seemingly small beginnings.

F. Scott Fitzgerald, a well-known American author said, “Vitality shows in not only the ability to persist but the ability to start over.” This made me consider what it’s like to walk with Jesus. My journey with Him has called for tenacious persistence; however, it has also called for endless surrender. I am learning to master maintaining the constant ability to keep on keepin’ on, matched with the humility to begin again in various areas, at the same time. Life in general requires us to increase in capacity to handle thinking, believing, doing and loving on several different planes. This is what the Proverbs 31 woman, our Mother and Hero, our Blueprint from the Bible, was so great at. She had a super-natural ebb and flow, which kept her ready for anything in every season of her life. She also had capacity that kept her prepared not just for her life, but also her husband’s, her children’s and even in her local and global world, encompassing politics, economics, social awareness and spirituality. She knew how to live, and I imagine she knew how to let go, to roll her sleeves up and start again, whenever life called for it.

Sometimes the answer is not to persist but to let go, to give up a method, process, system, a way of thinking and start over again. Letting go is not always failure; oftentimes, it yields a fresh way to live. The way I used to live was full of persistence, but there was no method to my madness. Giving up my ways to adopt all that Jesus Christ is and all that I am in Him was not only an incredibly gracious chance to start over, but the key to living fully. After all, He came not just that we would have life, but life more abundant. This might just mean hearing, Daughter, you can keep living that way or you can live a better way. Persist in becoming more like Christ and endure faithfully when that means letting go and starting again. When we seek first His kingdom, when our whole life is focused on being transformed more into the image of Christ, everything else in our hearts, lives, and dreams must be held lightly. Nothing is surety but surety in God.

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Ashley Dodson
Harmony Dust

PS. Don’t miss The Stiletto Project: Exhibit & Memoir Release Party on Feb 6th! www.iamatreasure.com

Where Was God?

Where was God?



It was an incredible weekend for Treasures! On Friday night, we headed to the City of Industry where we gave out nearly 300 gifts to women working in strip clubs. Having a multi-lingual team definitely came in handy!



At one club, a volunteer made a connection with a Spanish-speaking woman who called us in desperation the next day. She said that she is fed up with working in the industry and being treated like a “whore” every night, but she feels like she has no other options. A volunteer is meeting with her tomorrow to offer her support and assistance.



At the end of the night, one of our volunteers from Jordan came across an Arabic-speaking strip club manager. When he realized she spoke Arabic too, he began to explain to her that he felt stuck working at the strip club. He wanted out of the business but couldn’t seem to find another job. He asked her if she would pray for him. She replied, “Just keep your eyes open like we are having a conversation” and prayed for him right there! He told her that he plans on coming to the church she attends and offered to help our team get into the other clubs he is affiliated with.



Saturday night was God Chicks Night of Freedom. I had the honor of sharing my story and had my first ever book signing! There wasn’t an empty seat in the house and one point during the service, Holly asked if anyone had an area in their life in which they needed freedom and nearly EVERY HAND IN THE HOUSE WAS RAISED! It was a night of freedom indeed!



Then, on Sunday, I had an encounter that blew me away. A girl at church came up to me and said, “I just want you to know that I always appreciated receiving your gifts. They meant a lot to me and all of the girls.” As it turns out, she had been working as a dancer at a local club for several years, receiving our gift bags! Today, she is out of the business and planted at the Oasis! It makes me wonder how many more women have had their lives impacted in such significant ways without us even knowing!



When I look back over my own life, I have asked myself “Where was God when I was going through so much pain?” The truth is, I can see Him in the people who showed up, just at the right time. It is my hope and prayer that when the women we are reaching look back on their lives and ask themselves, “Where was God?” they will see Him in the moments we showed up for them.



Love, Harmony & The Treasures Team



PS…

NEW SITE LAUNCHED! We launched a new site for the Scars and Stilettos book release. Read the first few pages, leave a comment, and check out the preface by Craig Gross and Foreword by Holly Wagner. www.scarsandstilettos.com



If you are in the LA area, please join us for our GIFT BAG ASSEMBLY on January 23rd at 10 am Oasis www.iamatreasure.com/events


Don’t miss THE STILETTO PROJECT Exhibit and Memoir Release Party! (See attached flyer)
Featuring the artwork of commercialized sexual exploitation and trafficking over-comers.

Chasing other Lovers

A Treasure for You: The Treasures E-Devotional

Chasing other Lovers

I believe that one of the deepest desires of the human heart is for true intimacy. To be fully known and fully loved. Yet in my own life, for so many years, it seemed that the harder I chased after love, the more it eluded me.

My memoir, Scars and Stilettos, tells my story. Growing up, I never had a clear picture of what healthy love looked like. Abandoned by my father before I was a year old, sexually abused at the hands of multiple people—my picture of intimacy was completely skewed. I was so desperate for anything that resembled love, at the young age of 14, I slept with the first boy who came along and told me he loved me. He broke up with me soon after and raped me repeatedly over the course of the next year. Filled with hurt and shame, I remember thinking, “Is this what love looks like? Surely love can’t hurt so bad?”

The next relationship I became involved in quickly became emotionally and physically abusive. Still I stayed. Because “to him who is hungry, even what is bitter tastes sweet” (Proverbs 27:7). Although the relationship was bitter and painful, I preferred it to the alternative—being alone.

It was that relationship that led me into a world of selling myself in strip clubs. So desperate to keep my boyfriend from leaving me, I attempted to buy his love with the money I earned while dancing for other men. Once again, my skewed view of love brought me pain. For the next few years, I lay awake at night hoping, praying even, that if I tried hard enough, if I chased him long enough, he would love me one day.

How could I know what True Love looks like if I had never experienced it? It wasn’t until I began my relationship with God that I began to that it is patient. It is kind. It is not easily angered. True Love always protects.

It is no wonder that we crave intimacy so deeply. We were created for relationship. In Genesis, we learn that it was Eve’s eating of the forbidden fruit that brings separation between God and humanity, separation from our perfect intimacy with God. Eve has access to everything she would ever need to fill the longings and desires of her heart, yet she still chooses forbidden fruit. How often do we fall to the same temptation and create fracture in our relationship with God? How often do we try to fill legitimate needs in illegitimate ways?

For years, I chased after men, looking to them to fill me. Nowadays, I tend to turn to chocolate. Just last week I was having a frustrating day and the first thing I did was grab a piece of my favorite, dark organic chocolate. The chocolate was delicious, but it did nothing to ease my pain. My prescription was insufficient.

The real trouble comes when our prescriptions become our addictions. It’s when that piece of chocolate leads to binge eating, leads to obesity and compromised health. It’s when social drinking becomes I-just-need-a-glass-of-wine-to-take-the-edge-off, becomes excessive drinking, becomes alcoholism. It’s when a full social calendar becomes a lifestyle so bogged down with running from one appointment to another that we barely have a moment to catch our breath. Our prescriptions for our pain can become our addictions.

Ultimately, it is these insufficient prescriptions and addictions that stand in the way of the one thing that can truly satisfy—an authentic, unhindered relationship with our Creator. I believe that God is calling each of us to surrender the fragmented pieces of ourselves so we can experience true intimacy and love.

God is wooing you and I— hoping that we will give up our other lovers—whether they be man, woman, food, money, sex, busyness, beauty or something else. He knows the hollow end of those affairs. He knows that none of it will fill you like He can. The deepest longings of our hearts can only be truly satisfied by being fully known and fully loved by Him. There is no substitute—there is no filler—there is no other lover worth chasing.

Love, Harmony
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PS. You can order my new memoir, Scars and Stilettos at www.iamatreasure.com/store

Scars & Stilettos by Harmony Dust

Scars and Stilettos: The Transformation of an Exotic Dancer by Treasures founder, Harmony Dust is AVAILABLE NOW!

Check out what Holly Wagner, Craig Gross, Nancy Alcorn, & Sheila Weller have to say about this book...

“You will want to get a copy for every person you know… Once you start this book, you will not be able to put it down.  You will laugh, you will cry, you will be encouraged, you will fall in love with God all over again.” 
-Holly Wagner, Author and Founder of God Chicks 
 

"Harmony’s story is compelling evidence of how far the love of God reaches to heal broken lives and restore all that has been stolen.  Scars and Stilettos is a must read for anyone who lives in despair and believes there is no way out.  Harmony, as the founder of Treasures Ministries, has been a guest at Mercy Ministries to share her story with our residents, and the impact was great.  Her life is now devoted to reaching out to those who are still living in the circumstances that she came out of, literally loving them to Christ.  Harmony is living proof that in Christ, old things are passed away and all things are new. 
-Nancy Alcorn, Founder of Mercy Ministries  

“The thing that blows me away about Harmony's story is that she showed back up. How easy would it be to never step foot in a strip club ever again. The pain, the memories, the past was all right there but she decided that this was not about her but the hundreds of women that remained in the clubs.”
-Craig Gross, Founder of XXX Church 
 

"I met Harmony Dust three years ago, and discovered she was that rare, inspiring thing: brave, smart, compassionate, stirringly optimistic -- a young woman who had pulled herself out of years of a spirit-destroying life and was helping other young women do the same. Now, in the often wry and always self-aware voice...Harmony tells her own story. It's the real deal."
- Sheila Weller, award-winning journalist & author of New York Times bestseller, "Girls Like Us".


Order your copy today at www.iamatreasure.com/store
Bulk rate discounts available

-The Treasures Team