prison

Devotion: “Life’s Journey”

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by Jessica McGee

“Life’s Journey”

Jeremiah 29:11-13

When you realize that God has a plan for you, what do you do? Proverbs 16:3 says to commit my ways to God and my thoughts will be established. I suggest a purification of the heart. My heart and emotions always drive me to do things. I catch myself daily saying, “My heart knows” or “I feel wholeheartedly”about something. God has a plan for us, even a plan for our future when that seems so far away and chaotic. God knows what we need before we need it. My goal is to focus on Him knowing that His way is the best way. I’ll spend time in the Word and be a reflection of whom I serve. My ways landed me in an uncompromising position, but God’s way will land me in peace. Thank you Lord for allowing me into Your kingdom and directing me on my life’s journey. Amen.

When my road is curving towards failure-look to God to make my way straight.

 

Poem: “Journey”

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Matthew 6:33

“Journey”

by Michael Weems

When one considers oneself, he comes to realize he knows nothing,
Knowing that he lacks knowledge causes one of two things,
One a striving after knowledge to better oneself,
Two a self loathing pushing further from oneself. Continue reading →

Reflection: Forgetting the Past

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by Bro. Joe Miles

Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before”

(Phil 3:13, KVJ)

The Apostle Paul had what some would call a checkered past. Like all of us, he did some things which he later regretted doing. Unfortunately, with human nature being what it is, even after working in ministry for several years there were most likely some people who still felt inclined to remind him of how he use to persecute Christians. Thankfully, Paul had come to understand that the hope he had in Christ enabled him to let go of his past mistakes and look forward to becoming the man of God he was destined to be.  Continue reading →

Lectionary: Proper 23C / Ordinary 28C / Pentecost +21

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by CM

Jeremiah 29:1, 4-7

When a child is born into this world it is a result of actions commenced by a myriad of individuals, none of whom happen to be the child. Of course, there are the parents but we often overlook the fact that there are four grandparents, eight great-grandparents, and the number continues to increase as the generations go back. Each coupling is accompanied by a particular chain of events which brought these two people together. In some cases, continents were travelled and oceans were crossed. All of the countless events took place and have brought forth the present life which is recognized as the person you see looking back at you from the surface of a mirror. And just as you didn’t have control over the circumstances that brought forth that event, the circumstances we find ourselves in over the course of our lives are, for the vast majority of them, equally beyond our control. The one exception is the choices we make in the circumstances. Continue reading →

Domestic Violence Awareness Month: “Tamar’s Tears”

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In recognition of Domestic Violence Awareness month, we offer the following contribution by CM. The author—a male prisoner incarcerated in a maximum-security prison—reflects on the theme of violence against women by engaging in a close reading of 2 Samuel 13, the horrific story of Amnon’s rape of his sister Tamar.

“Tamar’s Tears” by CM

I am a 40 year old man who has been in prison for 22 years.  I have met men who have committed some of the most horrific acts one could possibly imagine, and many others who were indeed falsely accused.  Yet, one thing that is true for everyone in a maximum security prison is the fact that our presence on this side of the wall represents a victim on the other side of the wall; another human being, victimized by his or her fellow man, even if not the man charged.

As one who finds solace in the words written in the Bible, I turn to the text of scripture to discover a way to make sense of this experience and grasp this dynamic relationship.  This interplay between perpetrator and victim.  The workings of the mind that grants one the proverbial green light to move forward and alter another’s peace.

Continue reading →

Lectionary: Proper 22C / Ordinary 27C / Pentecost +20

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by AMN

Lamentations 3:19-26

One of the lowest experiences in my life is the day that I got found guilty in September of 2002. I had just went through an unjust legal process and just like Jeremiah, all my strength and hope was gone. I wanted to just crawl into a corner and die.

Who would’ve thought that I would still be here fourteen years later, let alone be productive for God’s sake? The verse that rings true the most in my heart is verse 22: “It is of the LORD’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not.” Verse 23 goes on to say,”they are new every morning.”

I have faced many more obstacles on this track we call life and there’s one thing for sure, God is always there. When I think about all my troubles and fears and how I thought I would not make it, I realize that God had my back all along.

There’s going to be pain and there’s going to be anguish during the course of your life; but you don’t have to go through it alone. Trusting, hoping, and faithfully waiting on the LORD will get you through those hard times. If God call allow me to flourish behind concrete walls and steel bars, he can do wonders for you.

Thank you, heavenly father, your everlasting mercy and compassions are upon me daily. Please allow me to use them to bring about the praise and glory that you deserve. Amen.  

Essay: A Fear in the Dark

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by Dean Faiello

attica-1As I lined up with other prisoners in a brick passageway, six Attica guards huddled in a group, wearing blue latex gloves and gripping wooden clubs. They stared at us as we waIked in pairs through the sepulchral corridor without speaking, like Franciscan monks on their way to vespers. Heading to a Quaker meeting in the school building, I looked forward to talking with the Quaker volunteers, witnessing their compassion, learning more about Quaker tenets.

Continue reading →

Reflection: Isaiah 26:3

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by Jessica McGee

You will keep him in perfect peace,
Whose mind is stayed on You,
Because he trusts in You. (Isaiah 26:3 NKJV)

A lot of people think that being in prison is easy. You don’t have to worry about bills, or politics. They think our daily life consists of standing behind bars and watching television, but they are wrong. Continue reading →