Can a leopard change its spots? Can a young man change his ways?

Many people would answer "no" to these questions.

Recently, I was talking with an ex-gang member who raised his shirt to reveal an 8-inch tattoo of a bulldog.

The mascot of Fresno State University is the bulldog, but this young man's tattoo wasn't a Fresno State Bulldog. Fresno is also home to about 10,000 bulldogs (not the canine variety). These Bulldogs are members of a street gang!

Are you wondering why I was talking to a gang member?

This one, along with hundreds of other past gang members, are part of the Hope Now for Youth ministry. Our organization employs young men who previously participated in gangs to serve as role models and vocational placement counselors so that at-risk gang members can become gainfully employed.

Change in a young man's life occurs only through a long-term relationship of love, help and understanding. Hope Now for Youth was founded in 1993 to help bring young men out of gangs.

As the years went by, it became obvious that more spiritual guidance needed to be available for these ex-gang members. After inviting them to the church I attended, where they felt very uncomfortable, I realized that they needed a church in the inner city where they could learn about Jesus and his love for them. With the help of Pastor Roger Feenstra, director of Hope Now for Youth, Hope Now Bible Church was formed to meet their spiritual needs.

"How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word." Psalm 119:9 (ESV). The Bible teaches us a life can be changed when a young man places his trust in God and follows the direction of his word.

Can a 73-year-old man, who asked Jesus to be his savior when he was 5, relate with gang members in their 20s? After all, I never drank or smoked, and I don't live in the inner city. It is vital that they know that I genuinely care about them.

There probably are many reasons that young men join gangs. One often given is a need for male role models. Fathers are often absent in the homes of inner-city young people. Hope Now for Youth's staff includes men ranging in age from 25 to 57 who have dedicated their lives to helping ex-gang members.

Employment is really important for inner-city young men. They feel that they could never get a job. They don't know how to dress, what to say or where to go.

When an ex-gang member comes to Hope Now, they are treated with care and respect. Over a period of several weeks, they are taught how to get and hold a job. The Hope Now staff, some of whom were in gangs themselves, spend time with the young man, instilling in him confidence that with God's help he can change.

They help him to understand that clean money, earned through hard work rather than through drug sales or crime, will allow him to feel good about himself and help him to properly meet the needs of his family.

Life change is God's work, and he allows me to have a part in it.

But to be effective I must always remember, "He has told you, O man what is good and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?" Micah 6:8 (ESV).

My prayer is "Lord, may I do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with you" as I care for gang members and their families.