I was an intern at Teen Mania in 1995-1996; a pivotal year in my life. I came in thinking that I was going to get more direction for the next step of schooling in my life, but I came out with much more. It was there that my perfectionistic, fearful and feeling-driven mindset was constantly challenged. I wasn't even aware of how much I had let my sense of identity and worth come from my performance or lack therof, nor how much I had let my feelings or lack of feelings direct my relationship with the Lord. That cage was rattled during the year; I began to break free. It was in Teen Mania's focused & purposeful environment and because of the friends, leaders, and teachers in my life at that time, that I came to a greater understanding of the character & love of the Lord, how to worship Him in spirit and truth, and how to face fears and challenges and persevere to a victorious end. It was during that year that I formed the habits that would continue to draw me closer to the Lord and more and more freedom in my life.

And here's something else significant--I went in thinking that ministry is being one of the people 'in front' and that real ministry was missions or preaching or teaching, not being an artist or a mother (which I am today). But it was during the course of that year that I realized how God delights in the unique gifts and callings he places in each of us, whether for business, art, ministry, missions or motherhood. We are all one body, made of many members, and I learned to value each part, each job, each personality as valuable and significant to God's glory and kingdom.

Above all, I came out with a firm understanding of my purpose as God's child--I wrote this in my Bible that year and keep these words before me to this day: My purpose in life is to worship the Lord my God all the days of life; to consider all things as loss compared to knowing him; to give glory to his name in everything I do; to live life in fearless trust and faith in his word; to remain humble, not comparing myself to others, but entrusting myself to Him, confident in His unfailing love; to follow him wherever, and whenever, and no matter what; to love him with joy.

Every day at work I have the opportunity to interpret for non-English patients, pray with them and on several occasions share the gospel openly. My involvement with the local church has become a priority since I graduated from the Honor Academy. The vision to impact restricted nations for Christ was birthed at the internship and is finally coming together through a mission’s board.

To think that I almost went straight to college instead of attending the Honor Academy blows me away. I knew I was called, but I had my own plans; I was afraid of making the wrong decision regarding my future. Was it worth it? Every aspect of it! Sure, the life-long friendships and spiritual disciplines I develop are still influencing my life today. Of course, there were also practical principles I learned that enable me to stay not only debt free, but financially stable to be able to spend 3-5 months each year solely on the mission field. Most of all, I don’t just live to “pay the bills each month,” I live my life with the purpose of serving God wherever I am. The Honor Academy is what God chose to get me here. I am sure there are other places like the HA, but I’ve just never seen them.

The two years I spent at the Honor Academy were a very integral part of my growth as a young man and follower of Jesus. I reflect on my time at the Honor Academy often and am consistently overwhelmed with positive emotions and fond memories made during this particular season of my life. I am confident that the character built and the discipline forged during those two years is foundational to who I am today and who I will become, not only professionally, but as a husband and father.

I built many friendships with peers and leadership that challenged me and enriched my life greatly. The many lessons I learned through various classes, retreats, events, and living everyday life on campus stick with me to this day. I am extremely grateful for the opportunity I had to serve the leadership of Teen Mania and the role I played in seeing the ministry’s vision play out before my eyes.

After graduating from the Honor Academy, I attended Oral Roberts University and obtained a degree in Pastoral Care Ministries and a minor in Missions. While at ORU, I served in the missions department as a Regional Coordinator and was able to utilize a lot of what I gleaned from my time at the Honor Academy. Relatively soon after graduating ORU, I married my best friend and served for three years as a Children’s Pastor in Tulsa, OK. Currently, my wife and I live north of Kansas City where we raise our son and I continue to serve as a Children’s Pastor.

It’s difficult to adequately describe my time spent at the Honor Academy, but I am honored to try... I am certain that a very important part of who I am can be attributed to the two life changing years I spent as an intern.

To say that my intern year at the Honor Academy didn’t affect my life as it is today would be a huge understatement; the leadership and discipline skills that I have learned in one year have helped me excel in everything I have been doing in my life. Even though one year at the HA was hard, it helped me realize that with God you can go as far as you want. It has helped me strive to be the best in my talents, and to always give Him the glory even when it hurts the most.
Although I have been out of the HA for less than a year, I have used almost every key idea from classes at the HA; From taking the responsibilities of being the man of the house, to disputing ideas rationally about Apologetics, to understanding what it is to be a leader. This has helped me tremendously in the very hard industry of Entertainment, and it is because of the many strong core values taught at the HA that now I am a successful actor/musician taking off with God at my side. The phrase “pain is weakness leaving the body” is something I must remind myself daily because with God, the pain subsides and it becomes growing pains that lead to more knowledge for the future.

I continually resort back to what I have learned from the HA and remind myself what is expected of me as an Elite Warrior of God. I am in the line of fire, but God will protect me from the enemy. I continue to strive to be that man of God, ferociously and courageously fighting for His glory and seeking His every word and step for the next thing I need to accomplish. With that I have been given many opportunities to affect the lives of many celebrities and of my own family.
Since the internship I am going to college, double majoring in Cinematography and Music, with a minor in Latin American Studies. I strive to become a Film Director inspiring and reaching out to a nation through Film and Music. I have been able to audition and tour with bands and cast in many projects that will be filmed in the near future. The most important thing is that I rely on God every step of the way because there is no way I would be here without Him.

To say that my time as an intern in the Honor Academy was a catalyst for success in my life would be an understatement. The leadership training and discipline that I acquired through my time at the Honor Academy was second to none--including the years I spent as an enlisted IT professional and later a commissioned officer in the United States Air Force. Although my time at the Honor Academy was often challenging and required my 100% effort, the juice was well worth the squeeze! It truly built a bedrock of character in my life that has remained for over 15 years. 

I have been able to apply the professional and spiritual disciplines I learned during my year as an intern, and I consider it as integral to my success throughout my career. Without question, any accolade I have acquired has in part been traceable back to the year I invested at the Honor Academy.

To this day, I continue to dig back into the set of leadership resources gained during my year at the Honor Acacdemy. In my current position as Chief Technology Officer for one of the nation's largest and most successful higher ed institutions, there isn't one lesson learned from my internship that hasn't stood the test of time and is still applicable today.

Since my internship, I have completed a Bachelor's Degree in Business Communications and am currently finishing my MBA from Southern Nazarene University. Most importantly, throughout trials, challenges, and life's curve balls, I remain a fully devoted friend of Jesus which is without question the greatest accolade I could hope for at any stage of my life. 

We live in a nation where adolescence has been well extended into a person's "20's," and where a "quarter-life" crisis is more prevalent then a "mid-life" crisis.  A teenager’s main pursuit is self-gratification (in whatever form or fancy it currently comes in), but in all their pleasure-centered pursuits, they are left devoid of identity, direction, and hard skills.  This generation will reach an age where career, family, and relationships will almost instantly prioritize, and these young people will have no idea who they are, what their skill set is, or where they are going.  This reality is soon becoming an unavoidable crisis.  

Teen Mania's Honor Academy is counter-cultural. The Honor Academy is a catalyst for growth, identity discovery, and life training.  It calls out greatness in the youth of our nation, and then directs their energies toward great pursuits.  In a way, I feel that God used the Honor Academy to save me.  I was saved from the "status quo" of young adult living.  Instead of spending my weekends partying, hooking up, and then studying all night to be ready for my exam on Monday; I spent my weekends fasting, growing my leadership skills, and identifying my beliefs on the world - why I am in it, and how I should live based on those beliefs.  I learned how to pursue wisdom and discipline.  I discovered vision for my life that propels me forward today as I continue to live out my five-year plan and my personal life goals.  

Because of the character instilled in me during my time at the HA, I can look back at my young adult years with confidence.  I have spent my time making a difference with my life, rather than using my life to make me "happy".  I have spoken for youth conferences, gone overseas, mentored those younger than myself, been mentored, saved my virginity for my wedding day, finished my bachelors degree in three years, started my masters degree, bought a house at 24 years old in a down economy, otherwise stayed debt free, and am still moving forward in the plans God has for me.  

Some people see the idea of the Honor Academy as a waste of time and a distraction from "real life".  I can look back on my intern year and say with confidence that the Honor Academy is what catapulted me into real life, flying high above the set backs and distractions of my peers, with a laser focus into the future.  

Success is embedded in our daily decisions.  Our character is the projector of where we will be tomorrow.  The Honor Academy systematically and consistently raises up young people who can stand against the tide of their culture and make wise, bible-based decisions that will bear fruit for a lifetime. 

Coming to Honor Academy was one of the most exciting times in my life. I grew up in a rural community on a cattle ranch in Montana. Needless to say, making the step to come 2,000 miles south to a place were I would not know anyone was a leap of faith. After arriving at the Honor Academy, I was excited to learn where I would be placed in the workforce. I was hoping to be a call person to help encourage others to go on mission trips of come to the Honor Academy. When I was told I was on K-crew, however, my heart sunk to the bottom of my gut. Disappointment plagued me over the next couple of days; I just couldn't understand why God would want me to travel 2,000 miles to be a cook. I was told I would learn to be a servant; my pride told me I was already a servant and that this job was a waste of my talent. After a week of feeling sorry for myself, I swallowed my pride and decided that I would adhere to a principle my dad taught me: "There is only a 10% difference between a hero and a jerk - its attitude." He was basically saying that if you do something, do it with pride and a good attitude. I still had times throughout the year that my attitude faltered, but looking back at my experience of K-crew, I realize it was a turning point in my selfish life. The Honor Academy was a time where my inner pride was destroyed and in its place the foundations of a true servant were laid.

The Honor Academy taught us what it is to have the “Aura of a Statesman,” and that philosophy also had a huge impact on my life. The principles of leadership and respect, and the importance of learning have stayed with me ever since my internship.  At the time, I had no idea how the Lord was using the Honor Academy to train me for what I would become.

After the Honor Academy, I went to college and found a beautiful lady who I now call my wife. After getting married, I decided to give college up and return home to my father, who was in great need of help on the ranch (I wouldn't have made that choice without the lessons on servant hood I had learned at Honor Academy).  After only a short time of being home, I was called by a man who encouraged me to get involved with politics and to run for statewide election as a state congressman. I was hesitant. I was young and newly married. I wanted my father to run, but he had young children still in the house and the commitment of the ranch. So I decided to run for office. I said to myself, “I will do my best and give it my all and I will leave the outcome in God's hands.”

Well, to make a long story short, I won by a narrow margin and at 23, became one of the youngest persons ever to get elected into the Montana Congress. I look back now, and can see all the forks in the road and realize if I had chosen a different path at any of those forks, my life would be different in unfathomable ways. From the irreplaceable lessons of servant hood I learned at K-Crew, to the leadership skills I was taught in the classes of Honor Academy, these paved the way for me to become what I am today. My father instilled a godly foundation that the Honor Academy continued to build on. Now, I am fighting to save the lives of the unborn, fighting for the freedom and liberty that has been slowly degrading since our founders sacrificed their lives to give us this great nation. Not only that, I am also in the process of introducing legislation that stands up to the ever growing tyrannical federal government.

Mr. Hasz, 

I saw your post on facebook about what the HA has done for previously alumni and I thought I would respond. I graduated in August 2001 and almost 10 years later I am still learning lessons from that one year. From everything I have gone through since leaving the HA I now fully understand the importance of accountability, "UGJ," (Use Good Judgment) and even exercise. I'll do my best to explain.

 
Let me first start by saying that going to the HA was by far one of the greatest decisions I have ever made in my life, even though there were times I wanted to quit. I had the same roommates the entire year and all 6 of us are still friends. Not acquaintances. Friends. We don't email each other separately, when we email each other we always include all 6 of us, so we all keep in touch and know what is happening in each other lives. We all visit each other and talk regularly even though we are spread out from Florida to California. They are still my best friends.
 
But more than that, I learned about accountability. It seemed as though it was forced on us at the HA but when I left the HA and did not continue accountability with my friends at home I messed up big time in so many different ways. I finally get it. I learned about using good judgment. I was told before leaving the HA that, "pure girls are attractive and some prince charming on a white horse will show up ready to pull us down." It couldn't have been more true! The messages I heard at the HA are still in my heart and helping me today.
 
It was at the end of a 3 day fast where God spoke to me and told me what my purpose in this world is. I had a moment where I literally felt God smiling on me and it is one of the only moments that stand out to me as a real, tangible, physical God moment.
 
The support and help you get at the HA just to make it, to be who God created you to be, and to encourage you to stand strong in this world_ that cannot be found anywhere else.
 
I think about Teen Mania every day. I miss Teen Mania every day. My heart longs for the atmosphere of God's presence that resides there. There is so much security, so much support, so much TRUTH, so many challenges that truly prepare you to be strong in the real world. It is a year that saves your future.
 
There is so many more good things to talk about at the HA....the fun, dorm living, working....
 
I would drop my life in one second to return there, to work there forever, to be a part of missions, summer camps, interns, helping alumni. I would return to TM and never look back. I believe so passionately in the vision of Teen Mania.
 
Thank you for everything.