“Born Again”
by AMN
John 3:1-17
Jesus was and still is the greatest teacher that walked this earth. So much so, that one of the highly recognized scholars of Jerusalem acknowledged it. Continue reading
John
Lectionary: Epiphany 2A
Isaiah 49:1-7
Psalm 40:1-12
1 Corinthians 1:1-9
John 1:29-4
The words of the prophet Isaiah contain four “servant” songs, and today we read from the second one. Each of these songs assumes the guise of The Servant of God, and praise God for all that has been, is being, and will be done. But who is the servant? Continue reading
Poem: “The Everlasting Canvas”
by AMN
Donatello, Michelangelo, Raphael, and Leonardo
The Almighty has them faded.
Look around you, none of his work is dated. Continue reading
Christmas in Prison 5
by Terrance “Lil’ Bear” Plummer
Christmas In A Prison House
A house is not a home. I’ve been in prison now for 21 years, I was put in jail 6 days before Christmas December 19th 1995. Now, that was one of the toughest Christmas’s I had ever known! The pain that takes place within from missing family! It was primal. One can almost hear the silent screams inside at God and life. For the man or woman who never came to know Christ Jesus while in this prison experience, the silent screams never really go away at the Christmas season. It’s never easy doing time during the Holiday Day season while in prison, but when one has had an experience with Jesus, everything changes. Most men I’m doing time with never knew Jesus is the true and real reason why we celebrate. Most can’t see the new life Jesus really bring. Continue reading
Christmas in Prison 3
As I approach spending my 25th Christmas in prison, the subject matter at hand has brought upon me some reflections that I’d like to share.
I can’t begin to tell you of the pain and misery I suffered during my early years of incarceration as the Christmas Season approached; the commercials on T.V., the music on the radio, the decorations adorning the prison walls and covering the security stations, the bright-colored clothing worn by the staff and visitors; all invoked memories of times recently passed spent at home with my family, that I’d rehearse over and over again in my mind until restrained tears would burst through from my eyes in want of re-living the experiences of joy and blessings I’d once known.
Continue reading
Christmas in Prison 2
by Hugh Brown
Perhaps the most challenging Christmas in prison was the first one. I had only been incarcerated four months so my adjustment to this environment was far from being completed. The only gift I wanted for Christmas that year was to be home. Well, there was something else I wanted, but I couldn’t turn back the hands of time to undo the hurt I’d caused. As the years have passed, Christmas away from family and friends has a new meaning. Yes, I’m physically separated from my biological family; however, I’ve been blessed to enjoy the true spirit of Christmas with the men around me – my extended family.
Reflection: “What God Needed…”
What God needed…
“But he needed to go through Samaria…” (John 4:4)
God knows what to do. He’s God. God knows what he needs. He’s God. The reading today states that God wants to reach every person even a woman. She was a woman whom Christ should’ve never spoken to, but he did. He told hers things that no man would know, He offered her a life with Him. She took it and believed. She spread the Good News long before Jesus ascended to heaven. The first person to tell it. A woman.
Lectionary: Trinity C
by CM
Proverbs 8:1-4, 22-31
Psalms 8
Romans 5:1-5
John 16:12-15
“The transformative ‘before’ and ‘after’ effect of the Gospel in the life of a believer”
Life has been described in many ways, too many to list here. But I’d be willing to stake odds that you’ll almost assuredly never hear this one: easy. Quite the opposite, life isn’t easy, and for more often than one would like to admit we get overwhelmed by circumstances we’re ill-prepared for. The feeling we experience in such moments is called stress. But why is life so hard?
Lectionary: Easter 7C
Acts 16:16–34
Psalm 97
Revelation 22:12–14, 16–17, 20–21
John 17:20–26
We are in the seventh week of Easter, and our extra readings from the Acts of the Apostles are drawing to a close. But before they do, we read this wonderful account of God shaking the very walls of prison. It is a fitting place to read for this Prison Lectionary.
Lectionary and POEM: Easter 6C
by Kwame
John 14:23-29
This reading from the Gospel of John deals with many interesting points, the first one being “we will… make our home with him” signifying that all of us who put our love in Jesus and obey his words will experience the immediate presence and love of the Father and the Son. And lastly, that when we give into anxiety or worry that shows a lack of faith in God’s fatherly care and love.
Prison Lectionary 