Heartlight founders.
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Heartlight Founders and Executive Directors 
Mark and Jan Gregston, LCCA, are the Executive Directors of Heartlight. They manage the day to day operations of the ministry. The Gregstons began their work with teens 34 years ago as youth ministers in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Their involvement also with Young Life moved them to open their home to work with teens who were struggling through crisis family problems, which sparked the idea for larger residential programs for teens. During the 80's Mark helped start the residential program for teens at Kanakuk Kamps in Branson, Missouri. In 1989, Mark and his wife Jan moved to East Texas where they started a residential program for teens in Longview that they named Heartlight. Built from ground up in modern log cabin architecture, the residential program is located on 100 beautiful acres in the Piney Woods region of East Texas, about 150 miles east of Dallas. The Heartlight campus houses 48 teenagers for 9-12 months at a time. It is dedicated to providing counseling and mentoring to bring about needed behavioral changes for troubled teens from Christian families. Heartlight has helped several thousand of families work through difficult situations with their teenager, and has helped the teenagers themselves have more positive motivations in life than they once had. In recent years, Mark and Jan's ministry has expanded beyond the campus of Heartlight as well, to share their lives and wisdom through radio, the Internet, church seminars, books, retreats, and speaking engagements. Mark and Jan have two grown children, Adam and Melissa (see Melissa and her husband Blake below), and two grandchildren. What Others Say About the Gregstons... "My 17-yr-old daughter is in the middle of a downward spiral. She is in counseling and as Mark has said, this has brought me to my knees and back to God in a way no other crisis could have done. I can't tell you how much Mark's wisdom and encouragement means to me and is the only thing that keeps my head up....Thank You so much for caring when no one else seems to!!!!!!!!!" “Mark Gregston’s insight is the calm before, during, and after the storm. To parents of teenagers, he is the voice of hope and optimism.” Lee & Lynn Midkiff – Corinth, TX “Mark Gregston is one of the most down-to-earth counselors we have ever encountered. He brings a perfect blend of book knowledge and real — life experience dealing with teens, one-on-one basis. This experience has forever changed the relationship shared between our daughter and my wife and me.” Jonathan Weingarten – Wantagh, NY ‘‘I’m convinced that if it had not been for Mark Gregston, our daughter would not be alive today. Mark not only taught our daughter how to live upright, he also taught my wife and me the skills we needed for change within our home.” Kevin Harrell – Glen Ellyn, IL .“When no one else on earth seemed to understand what parents are going through. Mark conveys in earnest that he is willing to walk with you, and there is hope.” Mike Kimbrell – Tulsa, OK “What makes Mark different than the other specialists who tried to help our son is his practical experience, love, commitment, and most importantly, his years of living and working with sad, struggling with kids who have needs beyond the capabilities of their parents. He has a God-given gift to see into the hearts of kids who are hurting.” Cindy Strain – Abilene, TX “Mark’s logical approach to behavioral issues made addressing and correcting them rewarding and relatively simple. He can adapt to any individual’s problem, and apply an efficient solution. It’s his gift.” Ryan Hurley – Costa Mesa, CA “Mark Gregston provided healing and hope for our daughter and our entire family when despair appeared to be all that was left,” Jim Samis – Fort Worth, TX “For over 30 years, Mark Gregston has ‘got it’ when it comes to understanding teens. Teens love Mark. I’ve seen it in hundreds of teen faces. They know he understands who they are, where they hurt. I can’t think of a better person to help me understand my own teenagers.” Elliott Snuggs – Los Angeles, CA “Because of his obedience to God’s calling, Mark Gregston was the light in the midst of darkness for our struggling teen daughter. Mark gave us hope when we were hopeless.” Bill & Elise Daniel – Oklahoma City, OK “Don’t let the twinkle in his eye, the grin on his face, or his sense of humor fool you into thinking Mark Gregston is anything less than a seasoned expert -one who knows what he’s doing with troubled teens. He jumps into this arena armed with years of practical experience, godly wisdom and biblical truth, and tells it like it is. This book packs a punch. It will knock you out and throw you down, and you will thank Mark for hitting you with it when you’re done.” Tamara Bolthouse – Tucson, AZ “Mark has the God-given talent of probing the heart of a teenager, identifying their struggle and offering a common sense biblical perspective on living through it. I experienced Mark’s gift first-hand and am now attempting to pass it down to my kids.” James Brookhart – Bentonville, AR “My teen was committed to a path of self-destruction, full anger and brokenness. Mark’s wisdom and experience helped her choose another path full of happiness, hope and joy. Not only does Mark help teens, he helps parents realize what they can do to create a better family.” Anne Northington – Raleigh. NC “Mark is a man who can’t quite caring about others.” Howard Steenwyk – Cypress, CA “Mark Gregston has drawn from his 30+ years of relational and counseling experience to provide answers that actually work!” Tom Nisbett – Longview, TX “Mark truly has walked through a very deep valley with us, and although it was a dark time, he gave us hope and helped us laugh.” Diana Blessen – Kansas City. KS Mark and Jan's daughter, Melissa, a Child Life Specialist, is the Admissions Coordinator for Heartlight. She is married to Blake Nelson, Heartlight's Residential Life Director. Blake and Melissa (pictured below) have two children, Maile and Macie. Mark and Jan's son, Adam, works with a legal firm in Dallas, Texas.
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 Mark and Jan Gregston began their work with teens 34 years ago as youth ministers.     Helps from Heartlight...
A kit filled with select resources and tools from Mark Gregston, rushed to your home. Click the link to see what is in the box.
Learn how to handle difficult teens, develop effective boundaries, rules and consequences, and get your home under control. Taught by Mark Gregston on video (DVD). For individual home use or for groups. |
