Tales from the Jails

Got to save one more for Jesus

2007-07-06T20:43:00.000-04:00

One group of guys had been hosting a nightly open prayer meeting. Dave reports that "now they are passionately going after souls." They have come up with the slogan: Got to save one more for Jesus. They have put this slogan on their T-shirts. (The inmate that they asked to draw this on the first T-shirt wasn't a Christian, but now he is one!)

Every once in a while this group of men, each wearing their T-shirt, has been boldly walking among the other inmates telling them about the Lord. As a result of their efforts, several inmates have decided to follow Jesus.

It's been so successful Dave wants his own shirt now. Maybe these guys could go into business together when they get out.

Where I've Been

2007-06-17T20:14:00.000-04:00

It's been forever since I've posted. We have decided to do a "rebirth" of the church I pastor. Rochester Vineyard Christian Church is becoming Grace Church. New name (though we're still affiliated with Vineyard), and a new identity.

All this has taken quite a bit of my time. I have been going into the jail, though not as frequently. Most of my time has been dedicated to getting the new church off the ground. I'm not sure how often I'll be posting here. I need to take care of things on the home front. But my hope and prayer is that when inmates I meet do come out of jail, there will be a healthy, grace-filled church to which they can come and experience continued life transformation.

Help with countering "Da Vinci Code"

2007-04-08T19:21:00.000-04:00

Trey has been reading The Da Vinci Code and it has really done a number on him. He is relatively young in the faith, and the stuff in this book has planted seeds of doubt in him. I'm really angry about that—not at him, but at this book! He was making steady progress, getting stronger, enduring mocking and encouraging other inmates. Then, it seems, that the devil went on the counterattack.

Trey is a reader; I believe he would be helped if he could get his hands on something intellectually sound from a Christian perspective. If anyone knows of solid Christian resources to refute the false claims made in this book, I would appreciate you posting a comment.

Thanks. And please pray for Trey.

Something better

2007-03-30T15:34:00.000-04:00

From Dave:

Early yesterday evening, there were several inmates sitting at a table closeby. They were talking, bragging and laughing about their sexual exploits.

In time, the nurse (A.K.A. "the pill lady") came to the Mod to give out daily meds to the inmates. After she arrived, the guys sitting at that table dispersed. One of them, Nick, came right to my table and started talking.

I looked Nick point blank in the eyes and said, "The Lord Jesus has something better in life for you than what you all were talking about." Nick smiled a little bit, and I again said, "You know I am right about this." Tears came to Nick's eyes, and he took in what was being said. Nick eventually confessed his sins and made Jesus his Lord.

I introduced Nick to Alex, the leader of a Life Transformation Group that meets in the Mod. Afterward, the three of us had a great time of talking and praying together.

At home a new man

2007-03-30T15:23:00.000-04:00

Yesterday, after Trey and I prayed with Jay to receive Christ, Jay asked for prayer to be released from jail soon. He had been having difficulty trusting God with his release date.

"Jay," I told him, "God is for you, not against you. He sacrificed His only Son for you. You can trust Him with when you get released. He's already demonstrated His love for you. He will not do anything that does not lead to your good." We prayed and left it in God's hands.

A few hours ago, I got a phone call from Jay. He told me that he had just been released and knew he needed to call me as soon as he got home. I encouraged him to make sure he told his loved ones about what the Lord had done in his life.

Surrender

2007-03-29T19:58:00.000-04:00

I came in to visit Trey after a two week absence. As we sat down to talk, several other men came and joined us at the table. We talked about a number of theological and personal issues with which the men were dealing.

One young man who had been sitting at the table left after a little while. I wanted him to feel included, so I found him and invited him to come back. "Jay" was a 22-year-old man and a first-timer in jail.

"I'm in here for domestic abuse. I was supposed to go to an anger management program, but I didn't have the money. The judge decided to put me in jail."

Jay continued, "I've been on my own for a long time. I never knew my father, and my mother died of AIDS when I was only five. She was a drug addict. I was in a foster home until the age of fifteen when I ran away. I connected with a relative for a while. Lately, I've been living at my girlfriend's mother's house. My girlfriend's mother is a strong Christian. She has so much joy and peace in her life. She has fun with her friends from church. My life is going nowhere. I know I just need to give my life over to God."

A number of us at the table were Christians and encouraged Jay that he did need to get right with God. He was listening to us and taking it in, but he still resisted. There were things in his life he didn't want to give up. Raj, a man in his 40's, told Jay how he could relate to many things in his life. "You just need to surrender, Jay."

As Raj was speaking, the Lord gave me a picture of a battlefield. On one end of the battlefield stood Jay. On the other end was an army on horseback riding toward Jay. Jay was an enemy to the army, which was closing in fast. At almost the last minute, Jay raised the white flag of "surrender." The army kept advancing and caught Jay. But now Jay was no longer an enemy; he was on the same side as the army. I was reminded of Romans 5:10 which talks about Christ dying for us while we were yet enemies of God.

I told Jay about the picture I got. "Jay, you are an enemy of God!" I said as my voice broke. "His army is riding after you. Judgment is coming! You need to surrender to Jesus!" Jay began to weep. All of us at the table continued to share our hearts with him. "I know I just need to surrender," he kept saying, "but I don't know what's stopping me."

"Shift change!" the deputy yelled. "Everybody back to his bunk." I didn't want to leave, but shift change was generally the time when volunteers had to vacate. In four years of ministry at the jail, I had never been allowed to stay during shift change. I was disappointed; Jay was so close to accepting Christ. I prayed he wouldn't harden his heart after our group broke up.

Then one inmate interjected, "Hey, you can stay here and keep talking to him as long as you go to his bunk. You just can't stay at the table." The deputy confirmed that I could stay and talk to Jay. I climbed up on his top bunk next to him, and we continued talking.

"I know that God is working on my life. I know that I'm in jail for a reason. When I first got here, there was a cross painted on the wall near the bed I was sleeping in. That night, I dreamed I was in church and I was talking to some young adults about the Lord. Now, here you come and talk to me about God, and specifically invited me back to the table after I had left. I'm ready to surrender."

I called Trey to pray with us. Through tears, Jay surrendered to Jesus. "You're going to go through trials and difficulties, Jay," Trey told him, "but God is going to be with you. He's never gonna leave you." I was really proud of Trey in the way he gave encouragement to Jay.

Jay will probably get out soon. Pray that he will get connected to a local church and to a group of men who can build him up in his faith.

On my way out, I saw Chuck. It turns out, he was in the bunk right below Jay the whole time we were talking. I don't think Chuck has come to Christ yet. Pray for him, too.

"Can God forgive him?

2007-03-16T13:56:00.000-04:00

Yesterday, I was talking to "Trey," who used to attend my church on occasion. We were sitting together at one table, while at the table behind us, a group of inmates were playing cards. I was sharing my testimony of how I came to know Christ and was called into full-time ministry. I finished my conversation with Trey and was about to leave the area.

As I was leaving, I noticed a guy who had been sitting at the card-playing table. For much of my conversation with Trey, this guy seemed to be eavesdropping. He was a pretty big guy, maybe 5' 9", 280 lbs. I approached him and asked him if I could pray for him for anything.

"Yeah, I'm about to have a hearing, and I really want to get out soon," said 'Chuck.' All of a sudden, Chuck broke down in tears and added, "I really miss my son! That's the hardest thing for me about being in here. I'd really like you to pray for me for that."

Chuck was frustrated with himself for showing such emotion. "It's not really cool to be crying in front of 40 guys in jail. You don't want anyone in here to think you're weak."

"They probably do the same thing when they're alone in their cell," I assured him.

"Yeah, probably."

Chuck had grown up Catholic, and we talked about things pertaining to God for a while. At one point he told me that someday, he wanted to be right with God.

"Do you know how to get right with God, Chuck?"

"No, I don't."

I explained to him about God's desire to have a relationship with him, about the problem of sin, about Jesus' death and resurrection, and about repentance and faith leading to salvation. He was tracking with me, but there was one thing that really troubled him.

"That guy right behind you is in here for abusing a child. You mean to tell me that all this guy has to do is say he's sorry and God will forgive him?! How can that be fair? I want to shove a pencil in his eye!"

"Chuck, all of us deserve hell. None of us is righteous before God—you, me and everybody in this jail. God hates all sin. I can't claim to know anyone's heart, but God does. God knows those who are truly sincere. If that man who abused a child sincerely repented to God of his sins, and truly put his faith in Jesus Christ as Lord of his life, God would forgive him and save him. That doesn't mean he would not face the consequences of his actions in this life. But he would be spared eternal judgment."

This was still very difficult for Chuck to hear. As it turns out, Chuck was abused when he was four years old. "Chuck," I assured him, "Jesus can not only save you from your sins, He can also heal you of the effects of what happened to you when you were four."

We talked for a while more then I told him, "Chuck, if that man does not repent of his sin and turn to Jesus, he will suffer eternal punishment....But so will you, if you do not come to Jesus."

"Yes, I understand that," he said.

I explained to Chuck what it meant for him to repent and give his life to Jesus. He seemed to understand what was involved. He appeared to be very close to turning his life over to Christ. Pray for Chuck that the Holy Spirit would open his heart to fully surrendering his life to Christ.

"You're a Bible thumper!"

2007-03-14T20:06:00.000-04:00

From Dave:

There was an open table in the Mod area so I sat down and was joined by several inmates. The leader of the group told me that they were sheduled to have an AA meeting at that table, and I could stay if I wanted. I took the invitation and stayed with the meeting. Most of the guys knew that I was a Christian, and every once in a while during the meeting discussions somebody would ask my opinion on different issues. Christ came into the conversation several times. At the end of the meeting, several of us stayed around and talked and prayed.

After the AA meeting was over, Kurt wanted to talk some more and sat down opposite me. The first thing out of his mouth was, "You are one of those 'Bible thumping' guys!"

"Why do you say that?" I asked.

"All you 'Bible thumpers' do is bash everybody about sin. I don't respect that type of witness."

"I'm a Christian—a follower of Jesus. I have Jesus in my life, and I do care about what the Bible says about sin. "

We got into a longer discussion about how we are all sinners, and that Jesus was crucified, died, buried, and rose again. I explained that through Him, we can be clean of sin, and by His power we can live godly, productive, lives. I didn't press him on the sin concerns, but moved onto the good life that God had for Kurt, if he decided to follow Him. But, there was only one way to follow Jesus and get forgiven: to repent of sin!

It finally hit Kurt that rather than criticize "Bible thumpers," he had a need and an opportunity to repent and turn to Jesus for forgiveness and a new life.

And this he did! Kurt left a new man, with a Good News bible study unit, and said that he wanted to get involved with other Christian imates. I suggested that he consider one of the Life Transformation Groups (LTGs) and specifically pointed out the Christians in his Mod unit with whom he could begin to fellowship.

Pierced hand

2007-03-14T19:51:00.000-04:00

I don't know how this story from Dave got buried. I guess I never posted it. Anyway, here's a testimony from December 2006:

Mike and Chris were sitting at a table with me. They were both concentrating on drawing and coloring various cartoon action figures and such. I noticed that in one of their portfolio binders there was a partially started figure of a "pierced hand" holding a flower. I mentioned that the figure looked similiar to that of Jesus' "pierced" hand on the cross. That comment did not result in any reaction from them. I explained more fully: "Jesus bled and died on the cross for your sins, was buried, and rose again." They stopped drawing, and I said again, "Jesus bled and died on the cross for your sins, was buried, and rose again."

The Lord got their attention! This started an intense conversation about believing in God and why Jesus was so different from anybody else. The Lord got through and both of them confessed their sins and received Jesus as their Savior and Lord. Both left with a Bible and a Good News bible study unit.

Making disciples who make disciples

2007-02-22T08:25:00.000-05:00

From Dave:

Last night, I spent the whole evening with three guys who are doing a Life Transformation Group (LTG) together. LTG's are groups of two or three individuals of the same sex that meet for prayer, accounability, Scripture discussion and repoting on evangelistic opportunities. There are several nice things that the Lord is doing through this LTG.

It appears that most of the guys are intensely working on (and near completion of) the Good News bible lesson series, and we reviewed their individual progress.

We spent a lot of time tonight on evangelism training. They were concerned about how they should best outreach to their fellow inmates. By the grace of the Lord, I gave them some suggestions that I believe will help them be effective. We talked and prayed a lot about this need.

This little LTG, mostly led by a man named Alex, is leading a nightly prayer meeting in their module with several inmates participating. (The prayer meeting starts promptly at 9:17 pm EST if you want to pray for them!) I am in thankgiving to the Lord Jesus for His hand on these guys.

"No I don't; yes I do."

2007-02-22T08:03:00.000-05:00

Dave was at the correctional facility a short while back. He met with a small group of Christian guys for prayer and fellowship. After the group disbursed, "Chris" sat down at the table with Dave. He was clearly in a discouraged and depressed condition.

Chris initiated the conversation with a huge open door: "I don't want to talk to you." Dave responded by telling him that he didn't have to say anything. "I'll talk and you can just listen." (Not so) amazingly, Chris did not leave the table.

After sharing how Jesus loved him and had good thingsfor him, Dave told him the good news of the Lord's forgiveness and salvation. Right there Chris confessed his sin, and received salvation!

As Dave was leaving, Chris came up to him smiling. "I feel so good now; thanks so much!" Dave explained to him what had happened, and that it was all the grace of the Lord Jesus. Dave encouraged him to continue to follow the Lord and get into the Word.

Sometimes people may show initial interest in the things of God, but ultimately turn away. This can discourage us. There are others who, at first, seemingly are not interested. But God may be testing us to see if we will sensitively persevere with them. There is no formula. Only let us seek to be led by the Spirit and to keep our eyes on what the Father is doing.

Another Divine Appointment

2007-02-20T12:12:00.000-05:00

Last Friday, I was planning on visiting a member of the church I pastor. I hadn't visited with him in a couple of weeks and was anxious to see how he was. When I got to his area in the "Mainframe," I was told by the deputy that no visits would be allowed. It was disappointing, but I sensed that God had someone else for me to talk to that day in another part of the jail.

I decided to go to a jail pod in the "Tower" that I hadn't visited in a while. Peering through the window in the door, I noticed that the deputy on duty was one that I knew to be Christian. He buzzed me in and we greeted each other. Soon after I walked in, an inmate asked if he could talk to me.

"I had been a youth pastor in this city for a number of years, " 'Neal' told me. "I was doing OK, until my marriage fell apart. After that, I quickly got back into doing drugs. I went from one bad relationship and marriage to another...and another. The woman I was most recently with had been the mistress of an important man in town. She cheated on me with still another man. That man is right here in the same jail pod as me!"

It took Neal a while to unfold his story for me. He was born in and grew up in another country. Having been raped at age four, his soul was radically scarred. The only relationships he knew with women were marked by emotional and physical abuse. (He showed me the permanent damage to a part of his body that came as a result of a lover's rage.)

"I'm glad you came," Neal continued. "Just before you got here, I was talking to the deputy about some of my problems. When you walked into the jail pod, he told me to go talk to you."

"Neal, I wasn't planning on coming here today. I was supposed to visit another man, but was not allowed in his area. I knew that God had someone else for me to talk to. That was you!

"Where was God in all of my trials? Why did He leave me?" he asked.

"God, can restore you, Neal. That restoration process comes about through repentance, forgiveness, and acceptance of His healing power in your life."

Even though Neal was a Christian, all the women he had been with were unbelievers. "I thought I could lead them to God. I thought I could help them. But I see now that I was unequally yoked."

We prayed together briefly before it was time for lock-in, when the inmates must return to their individual cells. Pray that Neal would be fully restored in his relationship with the Lord, and that God would one day again use him to minister to others.

"You need a BOB."

2006-12-07T14:47:00.000-05:00

I didn't want to go to the jail today. I had no motivation. It was so tempting to stay in my nice warm office and play computer Solitaire rather than walk to the jail in the wintry, Rochester weather. "God, despite my lack of desire, use me somehow."

I got to the jail pod on the second floor of the tower. Guys took calendars, daily devotionals and Bibles. No real interaction. Then I looked over and saw a familiar face.

I met "Aaron" almost three years ago. He was a regular attender in a jail Bible study I led. On one occasion, God used Aaron's heart of love to bring one man to Christ. On another occasion, Aaron shared his testimony and two men came to Christ. It's apparent to me that Aaron knows a lot of Scripture.

Aaron caught me up on his life since we last saw each other. He had been released, but was back in for using drugs. He said he had been in the Word, attending a church and trying to get his life on track. "Did you have a group of Christian brothers that you connected with when you were on the outside?" I started to ask him. "No, I didn't," he quickly answered. "That was something I was looking for, but never found it." I told him about a men's group at my church that we call Band of Brothers (BOB). "You need something like BOB, Aaron. We all need a place where there's someone to encourage us, pray for us, and kick us in the butt on occasion." We talked some more, prayed together and exchanged contact information.

Aaron may be out soon. I've seen how the Lord can use him. Pray that when he is released, he will get involved in accountable relationships where he can grow in the Lord, and help bring others to Christ.

Mali trip

2006-11-23T15:20:00.000-05:00

Hey all,

Yannick asked in a comment from a previous post if I had some pictures from my recent mission trip to Mali. Here is a little of the story of the trip and some pictures.

About a year ago, I had a dream in which a man from Mali asked me to come to his country to help him. (Just prior to this, I had been reading in Acts 16:6–10 about the apostle Paul's vision of a man from Macedonia.) When I woke up, I forgot about the dream until I got to my friend's house that morning. On his dining room table was a book report on the country of Mali. He informed me that his son had done it as an assignment for school. I told him about my dream, and he told me that the night before, his wife was telling his son that God would use his book report somehow. With that and many other confirmations, I began pursuing how I might minister in Mali.

Meanwhile in Mali, there was a pastor who oversees 26 churches in the capital city of Bamako. He and a group of pastors wanted to have an evangelistic campaign in their city. They had been praying about who would speak at the campaign. Not long after that, I emailed this pastor and told him I felt God was calling me to go to Mali to preach the gospel, pray for the sick, and minister to believers. We marveled at how God orchestrated everything.

I went with a guy named Steve from my church and a pastor named Thomas from Ghana, whom I had "met" a couple of years ago by email. I had never been to Africa before, and Steve had never even been on a plane before! The Lord provided all the funds to cover the trip, the campaign, and then some.

The four-day evangelistic campaign was held on this soccer field in Daoudabougou, a section of Bamako.

Here's a picture of the worship band. Most of the songs were sung in Bambara, one of the national languages (besides French). Worship went for about 2 hours each night. Saturday night was a real celebration. Lots of dancing.

The Worship Dance team had about 50 members.

I preached three of the nights, and Thomas from Ghana preached the other night. The guy in the background is translating into Bambara.

According to official demographic estimates, Mali is 90% Muslim, 9% animist and 1% Christian. About 100 people made first-time commitments to Christ and about 20 recommitments were made over the four days. Altar workers were on hand to gather information from new believers so that local churches could follow up with them. One instance that occurred the last night of the campaign stood out for me. Because of an impression the Lord gave me, I said, "There is someone here who was thinking about suicide, but you came here as a last hope. God loves you. Please come forward." A man of about 40 walked to the front with his young son with him. I asked him, through a translator, if he had accepted Christ. He hadn't, but he decided to do so.

We saw God heal a number of people of various conditions. This woman was healed of a stomach ailment. One young man who could not walk was able to walk unassisted. One young woman with poor eyesight was healed. A man who had difficulty walking because of foot pain began jumping up and down after the Lord healed him.

There was also a 2-day seminar for pastors and leaders held in the morning hours. Thomas taught one day and I taught the other. After the seminar, we had lunch together. We ate in the traditional way: everyone eating by hand from a common bowl. The food was awesome!

On Sunday, the three of us spoke at different churches. We were blessed by the depth of faith of the Christians we met. They have a strong desire to see the good news of Jesus spread in their country. The Malian pastors we worked with were wonderful men of God.

The rest of the trip was spent sightseeing, fellowshiping with the believers and ministering to people one on one.

I loved the people and the country, in general. We all agreed that we needed to do something similar in the future. I'd like to go back at some point and assist those who will plant churches in Mali. We'll see what the Lord has in store.

"What do I need to do?"

2006-11-17T09:15:00.000-05:00

I had just finished talking and praying with one inmate, when I saw another young man that caught my attention. I went and introduced myself to him, and he told me his name.

"When is your court date?" I asked him.

"I've already been sentenced. I go upstate any day now," Ty responded. "Did you just know to come over and talk to me?" he asked.

"I try to look around and see if the Lord directs me to anyone. I got the feeling I was supposed to talk to you. Do you have any church background?"

"No. My grandmother goes to church. I went with her a couple of times."

"Do you know about Jesus—who He is and why He came?"

"No, I don't."

I shared the gospel with him. I told him about the problem of sin, the resulting judgment, and God's solution through Christ. I asked him if it all made sense. He said 'Yes.' Then he asked the question, "What do I need to do?"

[Short aside: Let me tell you, there's no greater joy than to hear someone ask you that question. It still makes me want to cry and jump out of my skin! The gospel is so simple, yet profound, rich, elegant, complete and thoroughly satisfying. How would you like to be able to hand out checks for $10,000,000 to anyone who would receive it? This is better. And as Christians, we all have the great privilege of introducing someone to the Savior.]

"Repent of your sins, believe that Jesus died for you," I began to tell him.

Excitedly, he interrupted me: "Wait, I want to show you something!" He went back to his jail cell and brought back a Bible. Inside the front cover, he had written four words in a vertical column:

Repent
Believe
Ask
Receive

"I was in a Bible study once and I wrote this down!"

"That's it. Do you want to do it now?"

"Yes."

Praise God that Ty received Christ. He prayed that he would be able to tell other men about Jesus when he goes upstate, and that upon his release, God would use him to reach youth.

"I've been thinking about marriage," he told me. "My girlfriend is in jail, but will be out soon. She is already a Christian. What do you think about us getting married right away?"

"Marriage is hard enough as it is," I told him. "I'd encourage you to wait until you're both out of jail. It'll give both of you time to grow individually in the Lord, and you'll be together when you start your new life as a couple."

"That's what I was thinking," he said.

Pray that these two will grow strong in the Lord, and that their relationship would progress in God's way and in God's time. Pray that they would cling to Jesus and be used to further His Kingdom.

Short-timer

2006-11-16T16:04:00.000-05:00

"Mike" will be out of jail in just a few days. Dave has been in contact with him for months now. Mike was a strong member of a Life Transformation Group. There may be an opportunity for him to live in a halfway house near where the church building is located.

He and his girlfriend want to go to church together when he gets out. We have opened our doors to them. Pray that Mike and his girlfriend would get connected in a local church. If not the church I pastor, then some other church where they can grow in the Lord.

Long hiatus

2006-11-16T15:49:00.000-05:00

It's been so long even I thought I had died. Actually, I was in Mali, West Africa on a mission trip for a couple of weeks at the end of last month. Before that, I didn't really get into the jails at all. I was focused on preparing for the trip. It was an amazing time. I definitely want to go back. I really saw the Lord move in people's lives. Many came to Christ, and many were healed of various conditions.

I so want to see the Lord move in power in the U.S.—and particularly here in Rochester—as I saw Him work in Mali. I think sometimes it's easier for me to have more faith in God's supernatural power in another country, than in the U.S. In many ways, it seems like unbelief is rampant in America. We think we don't need God. "We are rich, we have prospered, and we don't have need of anything." But we don't realized we are wretched, poor, blind and naked.

"God, we so need the power of Your Spirit in the Church in the U.S. Forgive us of our unbelief, pride, and independence. Have mercy on us! Give us child-like faith! Start with me, Lord! Deliver us from lukewarmness. You have given us so many resources, and You require that we use them for Your Kingdom. So many of our brothers and sisters in other parts of the world suffer for their faith, while we enjoy 'freedom of religion.' Yet, theirs is a faith more precious than gold refined by the fire. Father, revive and bring back to life the Church in the U.S. give us a renewed passion for Your Kingdom and for preaching the Good News. Empower us to proclaim Your Word with great boldness. Stretch out Your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders in the name of Jesus, Your Son. Amen."

Weekenders

2006-10-07T21:00:00.000-04:00

Another from Dave:

I had no intentions to go Friday night as this is the time for intake processing of "weekenders." However, I felt the Lord prompting me to go so I did.

I first spent time talking and praying with Bill. Bill comes from a well-known and wealthy family in Rochester, but he was not open to the love and grace of the Lord Jesus. Pray for Bill that something of the Word and the Spirit will get through to this young man.

After this, I took the opportunity to check in on the first Life Transformation Group (LTG) in Mod B, made up of Mike, John and Novalus. Read about the beginning stages of this group here and here. Well, here it is: They have broken the first rule by having more than 3 guys per LTG without creating another LTG. They informed me that their LTG has over 20 men in it! And they meet for prayer every night at 9:30 p.m. in the southeast corner of the Mod. I was blown over! So they called over to the table about 6 inmates who individually testified to this. After the fourth inmate told me of his participation, I about fell on the floor.

Keep praying; the Lord is working! These guys are on fire.

Back at MCCF

2006-10-07T09:59:00.000-04:00

From Dave:

This evening (10/5) was the first time back to MCCF in a while, and it was an interesting return. There was some sort of difficulty in MCCF this day. There was quite a state of disarray with the whole facility and there were no deputies available to let me into the chaplain's office. Because "in every difficulty is an opportunity with the Lord," I decided to go to the Mod units with no Good News bag, bibles, literature, calendars, or anything and represent the Lord Jesus the best I could.

Mike and Justin came to the table together and asked, "Who are you, and why are you here?" They, and perhaps others, had the same question because I had no Good News bag or info. displayed that I was a Good News volunteer. So after a short introduction and explanation of the situation, I got right down to presenting the gospel. They both had lots of questions. Eventually, both men made decisions to receive Jesus as their Savior and Lord . We talked and prayed quite a bit afterward.

Just as I was leaving, Jim stopped me on the floor and we sat down for some talking and praying. It turns out that he is going to be released soon. His wife and family live close to the building where my church, Rochester Vineyard, meets. He is a maintenance person for an apartment complex, and specifically has training and experience with steam boiler heating systems. Jim is a Christian and is interested in hooking up with a church on release. I told him about my church, and our need for a heating person with his skill sets. Jim gave me all his info. (address, phone#, etc) and wants me to followup.

Pray that Jim and his family get connected to the church, form strong relationships with Christ and other believers, and begin to use their gifts in the body for the glory of God.

Reconnect

2006-10-07T09:55:00.000-04:00

Got a hold of Mike. He said he had been working a lot. I invited him to a small group function. "Lord, connect him to the body of Christ. Let him not lose sight of his original commitment to You. Capture his heart once again."

Disappointed and sad

2006-09-29T08:38:00.000-04:00

"Mike" is a guy I met in the jail several months ago. At the time, he was excited about getting plugged into the church, getting involved in a small group and eventually joining the worship team. Mike also had a girlfriend that he was planning on living with when he got out of jail.

Dave and I both talked to him about that living situation. We exhorted him to find alternate living arrangements, so that he could focus on his relationship with Christ and not walk in sin. Initially, when Mike got out of jail, we would talk or hang out fairly regularly. We'd do stuff around the church (he was always will to do work), and we'd talk about his walk with Christ. Mike has a servant's heart and is very compassionate. For now, though, he has chosen to continue living with his girlfriend.

She does not seem to be happy with the time we spend together. She does not want him coming to the church I pastor. She wants to keep living with him, but she doesn't want to marry him because she doesn't trust him. I haven't quite figured that out. Mike says that she is a strong Christian and knows the Word.

Lately, Mike has not returned phone calls from me or other guys in the church. I've told Mike that if he wants the blessing of God on his life, he can't walk in blatant, unrepentant sin. He knows the truth, but does not want to let go of this relationship. I'm sad and disappointed for Mike because he has such great potential. And even though Mike is a grown man and responsible for his own actions, it's hard for me not to be angry with his girlfriend. I need to let that go and pray for both of them. Mike says that she could really be used of God if she would just surrender to him more fully.

"Father, I do pray for both of them that their eyes would be opened and that they would repent and turn to You. You have been patient with me in all my sinful ways. You have never left me or forsaken me. I pray that Your Spirit would show them the truth that they may walk in it and glorify You with their lives. In Jesus' name. Amen."

Go get 'em!

2006-09-22T09:47:00.000-04:00

From Dave:

I was sitting at a table with inmate Chuck. Chuck is a Christian, and we had a long time of talking and praying. I told Chuck it was time for another inmate to have the opportunity to hear about Jesus. I suggested that he find an inmate that he thought really needed the Lord in his life, and for Chuck to go get him and bring him to the table.

Chuck did exactly that! John approached and asked why I wanted to talk with him. Well, very bluntly, I told him why he was invited. John and I had an honest, direct discussion about salvation. It turned out that John had been quietly on his own trying to "understand Jesus." This was a "God job" from the beginning. John, this evening, received Jesus and made Him Lord of his life. We had a good time of talking and praying. John left a new man and with a Good News bible unit lesson.

"I'm a spiritual person."

2006-09-05T14:12:00.000-04:00

Dave and several others were sitting around a table last week talking about the Lord. Troy was listening intently to the conversation.

After a while, the “Pill Lady” came by the jail unit. The “Pill Lady” is the nurse who brings meds to the inmates. When she arrived, everyone but Troy got up to get their prescriptions. When he was alone with Dave, the first thing out of his mouth was: “I'm a spiritual person!” “That’s interesting,” Dave replied. “Tell me more.”

Troy talked at length about his spiritual life. Dave listened to Troy, and then shared the good news of Jesus with him. Troy accepted Christ that evening. Dave gave him a Bible, and wrote in it the day and time of his salvation. After talking and praying some more, Dave assured Troy: “The angels are rejoicing in heaven because of what has happened to-night (Luke 15:7).”

Let us also rejoice at what God has done!

Where I've been

2006-09-05T14:03:00.000-04:00

Wow! It's been forever since I last posted. My church has been busy with a neighborhood outreach and a city-wide outreach the last few weeks. Many people came to Christ and we have been trying to follow up with all the folks. We're pretty new at this and we're learning as we go along.

One thing that I've enjoyed is getting to know people in the neighborhood of the church building. I've done a lot of witnessing in the jails, but almost none in neighborhood! Something's not right with this picture. Anyway, I have a renewed interest in reaching the local community here, so my posting may not be as frequent.

I know, I know, you're thinking, Well, Brian, it wasn't exactly like you were posting a lot before! This is true. We'll see how it goes.

Hit and run

2006-08-08T16:55:00.000-04:00

I met "Andy" last Friday. He has a Christian background, but fell away. "I was doing good until I stopped going to Bible studies and stopped praying," he told me. "I got into using and selling drugs. Then one day I was at my girlfriend's house. She got mad at for something and started hitting me. I fought back. I'm in here for assault. I know what I did was wrong. There's no excuse for it."

"A few days before that, I had been riding my bike and I got hit by a car. My knees are in terrible pain and I can't bend them."

We talked about the verse that says, "Confess your sins to one another and pray for each other so that you may be healed" (James 5:16). He repented of the sins that the Lord brought to his mind, including drug dealing and hitting his girlfriend. I then prayed for his knees. There was not an instant healing, but I'm believing God will heal him.

"I'd really like to be a youth pastor some day," he told me later. "My pastor told me that I work really well with kids. I do enjoy it."

Pray that Andy's life will be turned around, and that he will fulfill God's calling on his life.

Salvación

2006-08-08T16:43:00.000-04:00

By Dave:

As soon as I entered the unit, Abe came up to me and wanted to talk. I have been trying to learn a little Spanish so that I can initiate conversations with Spanish-speaking people. I know I'll never be fluent, but it's a great conversation starter. To my surprise this unit has been mostly populated with Spanish-speaking inmates.

Abe and I sat down, and in short order several others joined us. It was interesting conversation as I tried as best I could to keep up the dialog with my Spanish. We all had a blast trying to improve my Spanish. Finally, we did some talking and praying in English. In the end everyone left except for a man named Ramon. Well, there we were, and Ramon got serious about the things of the Lord, and said he needed to get his life turned around. I shared the gospel with him, and Ramon understood (in plain English) what he needed to do. Ramon became a saved man.

Salvations and mockings

2006-08-03T10:10:00.000-04:00

From Dave:

-----
At the correctional facility, I sat down with Clarence. We started out the evening with a lot of sharing about the Lord. After a while, Clarence had to leave for an AA class and said, "I'll see you again; we have to continue this conversation."

By the time Clarence had returned from his class, Ryan and I were talking. Clarence joined us and then reminded me that we were going to continue our conversation about the Lord Jesus. Well, here we were, (Clarence, Ryan , and myself), and yes we all continued to share about the Lord and when it came decision time, both Ryan and Clarence received the Lord.

Ron, another man who came to Christ earlier that evening, joined the three of us. In a rather short period of time, Ron, Clarence, Ryan, and myself were having a nice, not so quiet prayer session, and it attracted a curious group. And all at once, across the Mod unit, there arose an inmate that was mocking our little prayer group. There were now two groups (the mocker group, and our little prayer group), and the unit deputy came over and got between us. Things settled down! I decided it was time to say my good-byes and graciously left.
-----

You know, I've noticed that sometimes the people who mock the loudest are the ones who are closest to receiving Christ. Praise God for these salvations, and pray that the mockers would get saved, too.

"Why did you call my name?"

2006-07-25T09:34:00.000-04:00

From Dave:
----------
I was sitting at a table when a man walked by and took a calendar without saying anything. About 10 minutes later he sat down right opposite me and asked, "Why did you call my name?" I replied that I didn't call him, nor did I even know his name, but was pleased to meet him and talk with him. I keep a 3x5 card of personal information on all the inmates I meet. I asked the man to tell me a little about himself and any needs he might have. He was coy at first when I tried to get the usual information from him. Finally, he told me his name, "James," and I got other information from him.

He spent quite some time asking me about who I was and what was I doing there. A little while later, James asked again, "Why did you call my name?" All at once he did a complete turn-around in openness so I presented the gospel to him. He was very attentive and hung on every word of Scripture I gave him. After a time, James confessed his sins and received the Lord Jesus. We did some talking and praying, and James left a saved man.
----------

This story reminds me of the call of Samuel in 1 Samuel 3:1–10. Samuel was only a boy when the Lord called him to be a prophet. Samuel heard the Lord's voice, but thought it was Eli, the priest, who was calling his name. Eli instructed Samuel to say, "Speak, LORD, your servant is listening." Samuel did so and came into a personal relationship with God.

It seems that the Lord was calling James to salvation. Who knows how many people around you and me the Lord is calling to Himself right now?

I found the Albanian New Testament

2006-07-21T11:20:00.000-04:00

In a previous post, I mentioned that I met an Albanian inmate who, although he was a Muslim, was interested in reading the Bible. While at my church conference last week, I met a man who is connected with missions in Albania. He pointed me to an online version of the Albanian New Testament. I busily cut and pasted sections of the gospel of John for Ibush to read. Unfortunately, (or fortunately), Ibush was released from jail so I wasn't able to give them to him! But if I ever run into another Albanian inmate (or person on the street), I will be prepared!

Charlie's an angel? (Part 2)

2006-07-20T22:48:00.000-04:00

I had been sharing the good news of Jesus with Matt yesterday. Just at the point when he was considering a decision to accept Christ, the warning came that it was time for all the inmates to go back to their cells.

"Brian, I'll ask the deputy if we can continue our conversation in the conference room. I still have a few questions and concerns. I'm really weighing this decision and I want to do so in a private place."

I was encouraged that Matt took the initiative to ask the deputy's permission to continue talking. The deputy graciously granted Matt's request.

When we got to the conference room, Matt shared the heart of his concerns. "My biggest fear is that I won't be able to follow through on my commitment to Christ. When I get out, I'm going to see a lot of the people who were bad influences on me. What if I fall back into old habits?"

I had already told him that every Christian continues to struggle against sin, and that we need God's forgiveness and the support/prayers of other Christians to follow Christ. We discussed this some more. Finally, I told him, "Matt, when you get out, temptations are going to come. That's guaranteed. If you turn your life over to Christ, you will have the power of the Holy Spirit available to you to resist. If you don't accept Christ, you won't have any power to resist."

After considering everything, he said, "I'm really ready to do this now. What do I do?" "Tell God you're sorry for your sins, that you believe Jesus died and rose again for you, and that you want Jesus to be the leader of your life." Matt did so, and it was my joy to see a new birth into the Kingdom of God. I gave Matt some Bible studies produced by Good News Jail & Prison Ministry, and I also encouraged him to get involved in a Life Transformation Group with another Christian inmate. Pray that Matt would grow in his new faith. I encouraged him to come to my church when he got out early next year.

Charlie's an angel?

2006-07-20T22:00:00.000-04:00

"Hey, Brian, will you visit this guy named Matt?" Chaplain Lou asked. "He's been very depressed. A relative of his named Charlie asked me to visit him," he continued. "I saw Matt and I think he's sitting on the fence as far as salvation."

I had a lot of faith going up to talk to Matt because it was a specific request of the chaplain. When I got to the jail pod where Matt was, my faith increased because I noticed that the deputy on duty was someone I knew to be a strong Christian.

"Can you tell me where Matt C. is?" I asked the deputy. "He's walking around the gym area. I'll call him out for you.

I sat down with Matt, a young man not yet 20 years old. "Hi Matt, I'm Brian, and the chaplain asked me to stop by and see you because one of your relatives named Charlie was concerned about you."

"This is all so strange," Matt said. "I told the chaplain that I don't have any relatives named Charlie or Charles."

"Well, Charlie could be an angel for all we know. But I do know that God loves you and has a plan and purpose for your life. And that He sent me today to talk to you. Has anyone ever told you how you can be forgiven of your sins and have a personal relationship with God?"

"Someone said I need to be reborn, but I don't understand all that."

I then explained to him that sin separates us from God—both in the here-and-now and for all eternity—but that Jesus paid the price for sin. I told him what it means to repent of sin and to put ones faith in Christ. By this time, three other men gathered around the table. It was a diverse group of men, but they were all believers and the fellowship was great. We talked and prayed for a while. Another one of the guys was struggling with his temper and with trusting God, so we focused our prayers on him.

After sharing a little of my testimony of how I really started following Jesus, I told Matt, "Today could be your day of salvation. You can have your sins forgiven, be born again and be a brand new person today." Matt was really wrestling with this decision. The Holy Spirit was bringing conviction to him. It was just then that I could hear the cell doors beginning to unlock. It was time for the inmates to go lock in. All around me, the other men were starting to head back to their cells. Where did the time go? I thought to myself, Lord, is Matt going to miss another opportunity to turn his life over to You? Will he ignore Your conviction when he gets to his cell?...

(I'll finish this tomorrow. I'm getting tired.)

Two hungry souls

2006-07-20T21:55:00.000-04:00

My family and I were away at a church conference last week. I, of course, did not make it to the jail. Dave went last week and met a couple of guys who were ready to get right with God.

Stan came from a stable and caring family. “He’s a rather decent kind of guy,” Dave noted, “but he got caught up in drugs and alcohol.” He openly said that he knew that he had “blown it”—especially as far as the expectations of his family. He wanted help to get out of the mess that he made for himself and his family. “There is so much help for you in Jesus,” Dave told him emphatically. “You need to turn to God in repentance, receive forgiveness, and accept Jesus as Savior and Lord of your life.” Dave continued to share with him about new life in Christ. After doing so, Dave recapped everything that had to be done. With little hesitation, Stan made a heartfelt turn to Jesus for salvation.

Jon is a middle-aged hippie who stated that he had totally gone astray in life, and had no hope. He said that he had “searched so hard” for God and needed God to forgive him and help him. Despite all of Jon's efforts he found nothing to satisfy his situation. “I know I am lost, and I don't know how I can be found,” he said. After Dave shared the gospel of Jesus to him, Jon received it with tears of joy. Before coming to Christ, all he could see was a wasted life. Now he found the forgiveness he so desperately longed for.

"Now I fear God."

2006-07-07T08:50:00.000-04:00

I normally go to the downtown jail, but yesterday I decided to go to the correctional facility to visit a man whom I had met in the jail. "Mitch" was transferred to the correctional facility to finish his sentence.

We talked about his release in August and what he would do after that. "I want to be baptized as soon as I get out. The last time I was in here [in jail], I had no fear of God. Now I'm afraid of God. I want to do His will."

"We've got a day of baptisms planned at my church soon after you get out," I told him. He was very excited to hear that. He said he wanted to become a member of the church. I encouraged him to get into a LTG, and a small group. I also encouraged him to participate in some newcomer activities, go through the membership class, and begin serving.

Mitch has a great heart, and eagerly wants to serve the Lord. Time in jail has humbled him. As we sat together, I watched him exhort and encourage a younger man. It really was beautiful to see Mitch speak the truth in love to this guy who was young and rebellious, and try to lead him to do the right thing. I need to tell Mitch how proud I am of what he did.

Pray that Mitch would stay on the paths of righteousness and walk the narrow road. Temptations await him when he gets out. Pray for wisdom for him to see the devil's tricks and to follow Jesus.

Fruitful conversations

2006-07-07T08:25:00.000-04:00

Dave was in the correctional facility last night. He met a man named "Santli."

Santli is a Muslim from Turkey. They had an enjoyable time talking together. (Santli was not open to praying yet.) Dave was pleased with the time they had together, and so was Santli. Dave says, "I can't explain it, it is most always a good time of sharing the Lord Jesus with these Muslims. Santli and I agreed to meet again."

Pray for continued good conversations between Dave and Santli. Praise God for an openness on Santli's part. Pray that the goodness of Jesus would pierce Santli's heart.

Two men received Jesus as Lord last night. One was a man named EJ. Dave had been sitting at a table with some other men. Dave says, "One of his [EJ's] fellow inmates literally pulled him over to our table, and then the Lord Jesus got to him!"

Pray that EJ and Glenn, the other new believer, would get grounded in their newfound faith and grow as followers of Jesus.

"I need my 'Higher Power'"

2006-06-23T08:52:00.000-04:00

I sat with Dave on Thursday. He asked for a Bible so I gave him one. He said he knew he needed to get more "spiritual."

[Short shameless plug follows: If anybody is interested in donating Bibles or money for Bibles, I know the chaplains would greatly appreciate it. Good News Jail and Prison Ministry receives no government money, like some chaplain programs. This way they can preach the gospel without worrying about church-state issues. If you want to specifically help out the ministry in Monroe County, New York (USA), contact Chaplain Lou.]

"Things were going pretty well for me," Dave said. "I had a legitimate business making $120,000 year. I had a 3000 sq. ft. home on a beautiful lot. And then it happened. While my wife and I were on vacation in the Caribbean, I thought I'd reward myself for staying away from alcohol for 14 years: I tried one of the mixed drinks. I liked it so much, I tried another...and another. I was like a kid in a candy shop. I couldn't stop. That led me spiralling downhill fast. I couldn't control it.

"Eventually, my wife left me. She found another guy. One thing led to another and I got picked up on a felony charge."

"Were you a part of a church when you on the outside, Dave?"

"Yeah. I went to -------- Church with my wife and kids." (I knew the church to be a solid church in the area.) "It was hard to get the kids there," Dave continued. "They never wanted to go."

Dave talked for a long time about his life, his struggles with alcohol, his hurt and anger towards his wife from whom he is now separated, and his need for a "higher power." Afterward, he thanked me for listening and said he felt better getting stuff off his chest.

"Dave, has anyone ever told you how you can have a right relationship with God?"

"No, I don't think so."

"Do you know why Jesus came?"

"Well, I don't really want to talk about that right now." Dave was open to me suggesting where in his new Bible he could start reading. I told him to start in the book of Mark to learn about who Jesus is.

Pray that Dave's quest for his "higher power" would end at the feet of the Highest Power in all the universe: the Lord Jesus Christ.

LTG birth

2006-06-23T08:33:00.000-04:00

Dave visited with the Life Transformation Group (LTG) made up of John, Mike and Novalus. It turns out that they are doing well so far, meeting about 2 times per week. Also, they report that they have collectively and individually been a witness to other inmates. In particular, they've been able to share the good news of Jesus with a Jehovah's Witness inmate.

While Dave was talking to the first LTG group, other inmates were gathered around listening and asking what LTG's were all about. Jason and Tom wanted more accountability regular Bible study in their lives. They decided to form a LTG.

I believe that regular accountability—including Bible study, confession of sin, prayer and witnessing—is so important for followers of Jesus. It's especially critical for us who struggle with having a disciplined life or have been caught up in habitual and addictive sin. I've been involved in LTG's for the last five years now with different men. I've seen guys get saved, grow in passion for the Lord, and get sent out to the mission field. I've been more regular in my Bible reading, praying for unbelievers and witnessing. If you're looking for something to help you take the next step in spiritual growth, check out Life Transformation Groups.

Another accountability group

2006-06-14T22:00:00.000-04:00

Last Thursday, Dave went down to the correctional facility and within minutes several inmates seated themselves at the table with him. Their collective and individual need was prayer. So much was going on at once, that it took a little while to get things prayed up and sorted out.

A number of them expressed a desire to somehow be built up in prayer, the Word, and fellowship. As a result of this discussion, the first "new" Life Transformation Group was born in Mod B tonight made up of John, Mike and Novalus. Other LTG's had been started in the jails previously. What is really neat is that they all want Dave to personally check up on their progress on how they are running their LTG.

Pray that these men stay disciplined in their accountability, and that God continues to refine them and set them free.

Albanian anyone?

2006-06-13T21:57:00.000-04:00

Thursday, I met a guy named Rob who was seated reading his Bible. "I'm part of a Bible study which meets every night from 6 to 8 pm. There are anywhere from 6 to 10 guys who come." Rob is interested in Restoration Ministries and knows some of the men with whom I met to get the ministry going.

"I want you to meet a friend of mine who I've been witnessing to," Rob said. "His name is Ibush. He grew up Muslim and speaks limited English, but I've been praying for him a lot. In fact, I've been encouraging him to pray to Jesus because Jesus answeres prayer."

Ibush would like to have an Albanian language Bible. Please pray that we can find him one. Pray also that the Lord heals his eyes so he can see better, or that he gets glasses.

Daniel, Gerald and Darrion are also interested in Restoration Ministries. Darrion is one of the coordinators of the nightly Bible study. I just met the other two that day. Pray that they will have the inner motivation to stay disciplined and accountable to another man when they get out.

Thoughts on backsliding

2006-06-13T21:12:00.000-04:00

It's hard not to get jaded in this ministry. You hear guys' stories. They tell of how bad they've been. They weep in repentance over their sin. They get connected to a church. They get involved in a small group, in ministry, etc. Then they fall off the wagon and end up in trouble again.

I know I'm the same way. How many times have I told God, "I'll never do that again" only to find myself doing it again. How often have I had to go to a pastor or friend and tell him that I've fallen again in the same area. It just gets discouraging when you invest so much in someone and you see so much progress. You begin to question yourself, Was I taken for a ride? Did I miss something? Was I being too naive?

True, there is always something to learn. In this case, we learned the importance of strict accountability. We saw the power—and the madness—of drug addiction. What a scourge on the human soul it is! What a tool of the devil to enslave untold thousands. I guess it's good that we got a dose of reality now rather than later.

MIA Update

2006-06-10T11:49:00.000-04:00

Thanks for praying for Marcos. Apparently, he checked himself into a detox center somewhere. We are not sure where. Pray that he will surrender to the Lord fully for healing and deliverance. And pray, too, that he would be reunited with his church family.

MIA

2006-06-07T11:05:00.000-04:00

Please pray for "Marcos." He is a guy I had met in the jail about a year and a half ago. When he got out, he began attending a local church and got really connected.

He has not been heard from in two weeks now. His family, friends and job haven't seen him. His family says he has gotten into some trouble. Please pray that he will return to the Lord and to fellowship with Christians.

More work on Restoration Ministries

2006-05-30T10:49:00.000-04:00

I didn't go into the jail this past week, but eight men from various churches and ministries met this past Saturday to lay some more ground work on Restoration Ministries. The original vision for the idea can be found here. I'm really excited about this team of men: a guy who runs a Christian half-way house, another guy in the process of starting one, a man who was involved in organized crime decades ago before he got saved, a few of us who have been doing evangelism and Bible studies in jails and prison for a number of years, a guy who has a lot of experience in the real estate market in Rochester, etc. We met to begin work on a plan which we will eventually present to the city. We're hoping that one more 4-hour power session should be enough to get our basic plan finalized.

Pray for a rekindling of the fire

2006-05-16T10:47:00.000-04:00

Please pray for Rylie. After much initial promise that Ryan would be a leader in the jail, Dave noticed that he has become angry and unsettled about several things, and will not have anything to do with the advance of the Kingdom within the jail. However, he still has intentions of getting married this week to his fiancée while in the jail.

Pray that the Lord will restore Rylie to his first love, and that his fire for Jesus will not be snuffed out.

More healings

2006-05-13T19:32:00.000-04:00

Dave met Jerald a little over two weeks ago. They prayed together over a couple issues, and the Lord answered:

1. Jerald had a painful nerve condition in his arm that has now left. He still has some muscle weakness.

2. His son has slept peacefully for the last two weeks. The Lord healed Jerald's son of sickle-cell anemia. (The healing was confirmed by medical tests.)

Now able to sleep

2006-05-13T19:26:00.000-04:00

I hung out with John again Thursday.

Before he was saved, he had a lot of difficulty sleeping. That was mostly due to the guilt feelings he carried. We prayed about his sleep situation last week. He is able to sleep very well now. He has had peace since giving his life to Christ last week. He plans on getting married to the woman he has lived with for 12 years. Another testimony: he reconciled with his fiancée’s mother. They had been at odds, but she drove over a thousand miles to visit him in jail. Before she was saved, she abused drugs and lived a wild lifestyle. During her visit, she repented to him for the bad example she was to his daughter.

New Birth after a New Birth

2006-05-06T16:46:00.000-04:00

I went back to jail yesterday for the first time after my son was born. I sat down with Angelo and John. I had met Angelo a few weeks before; he brought John to meet me.

"My little daughter goes to church with her grandma," John said. "She loves it. I never thought about going the right way until I got in here three weeks ago. I just want a second chance with my family."

"God wants to give you a second chance, John," I told him. "That's why He sent
Jesus."

"How come guys who do all these bad things get a second chance," John complained, "but those who don't do things which are that bad don't seem to get a second chance? I mean, I've never killed anybody or raped anybody, but I hear a lot of other guys talk about what they've done and they seem to get breaks."

I showed John Romans 3:10–12: "There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one."

"No one can claim to have any goodness in God's sight. All of us have fallen short, but God gives us an opportunity to be a new creation. It's not too late until you're six feet under."

"I just want to have a second chance."

"God is offering you an eternal plea bargain. Admit your guilt to him, confess your sin. Put your trust in the Lord Jesus and you will be declared innocent."

"I just want a second chance."

"John," I told him, "you don't have to ask God anymore to give you a second chance. He's already given it to you. The question is, will you take it?"

"Of course I'll take it."

"Do you know how to receive eternal life? Do you know how to receive your second chance?"

"No."

"Are you sorry for your sins?"

"Yes."

"You're half way there. Do you believe Jesus died for your sins and that He rose from the dead?"

"Yes."

"Are you ready to take your second chance right now?"

"Yes."

"Confess your sin to God, tell Him you're sorry."

With tears, John confessed his sin to God and told him he didn't want to do those things anymore. "Lord Jesus, I want you to take control of my life."

I assured him that his sins were forgiven. I then prayed for him to be filled with the Holy Spirit, to be empowered to live a righteous life, and to be a witness for Christ.

"Thank God for forgiving you, John." After he did that, I asked him how he felt.

"I feel like a ton of bricks was lifted off my back!" Laughing with him, I said, "I know the feeling, John."

"Now I want to get my family on track with God," he said.

Praise God for the new birth. Pray that John's whole family would be saved.

Thursday Night

2006-05-05T09:27:00.000-04:00

Dave got to the correctional facility a little late last night, and the attending deputy was in the "yard" monitoring the inmates for their evening exercise. Dave was in the outside hallway looking to get authorization by the deputy to get in. Inmate Tom saw Dave at the hallway window and walked to the "yard" to inform the deputy that Dave needed entry to the unit. The deputy "buzzed" him in remotely from the yard.

As Dave was coming in, Tom and all the others came in from the yard. "Thanks for asking the deputy to let me in, Tom," Dave said. Tom immediately wanted to sit and talk with Dave. As the two of them talked, Tom repented of his sins, and received Jesus as his Savior and Lord! After this, they continued talking and praying. There were many other inmates around at the time. Pray that Tom grows in his faith, and that seeds would be planted in the other inmates who were listening in the conversation.

Dave continues:
Joe is a Christian whom I just met. He sat down with me and outright asked that we talk and pray about how he could be used of the Lord to lead others to the Lord. "I want to help my fellow inmates better their walk with the Lord. Can you help me?" I agreed to mentor him (as best the Lord allows) to be an effective witness.

Not long after that, I ran into that I had met before named Ken. He is an inmate who months ago wanted salvation, but didn't want Jesus as Lord in his life because he did not want to give up the life-style of a drug dealer after his release. Praise the Lord that changed last night! Ken made Jesus Lord of his life.

Not only that, but I set up Ken and Joe in a Life Transformation Group (LTG). (LTGs are accountability groups of two or three people who meet weekly for prayer, confession of sin, reporting on Bible reading, and praying for unsaved friends. Click here for more info on LTGs and here to order brochures. No, I don't get a commission!)

The "Joe LTG" was born last night. This is the first LTG for this unit, and the first for Joe. Pray for many more! Last year, there were 14 LTGs going at one time and some great inmate prayer meetings.

Keep praying for the move of the Lord on these guys.

I hope to be back in jail again soon!

2006-04-28T19:52:00.000-04:00

My wife had the baby early this morning! Praise the Lord! Now I can get back into the jail and not have to worry about being out of cell phone range.

"I want to preach in the streets."

2006-04-28T19:32:00.000-04:00

Rylie was moved from Monroe County Jail (MCJ) to Monroe County Correctional Facility (MCF) recently. I asked Dave to find him in MCF and continue encouraging him in the Lord.

Dave caught up with Rylie earlier this week. They had a long time of talking and praying together. As a former drug "distribution" person, Rylie now wants to totally preach the gospel to those in the street drug scene.

He'll be released in June and wants to get involved with some street evangelism opportunities that are coming to Rochester in the summer.

"I want to learn as much of the Word as I can, and use it for outreach," Rylie told Dave. Dave said he'd be happy to mentor him in that as much as he could.

Rylie is getting married in jail before his release so as to be as focused on the Lord as he (they) can. (His fiancée is a Christian).

Praise God for Rylie's continued growth in the Lord and desire to reach others for Christ. Pray that he will get grounded in the Word. Pray that he and his wife will center their marriage on Jesus, and that God will use both of them for His glory.

Temporarily out of commission

2006-04-27T15:51:00.000-04:00

It's been a while since my last post, I know. My wife is expecting any day—minute?—now and I need to be accessible by phone. They don't let you take cell phones into the jail, so I haven't wanted to go in and risk missing an important phone call! I hope to be back in jail soon!

The last time I was in, I was sitting with three guys who all had stories of escaping death. "Angelo" had been shot at several times by a policeman from a distance of 15 ft., but he wasn't hit at all. "I know God spared me," he said. "Rafael" had been pistol-whipped by a rival gang member, and forced to the ground with a gun to the back of his head. He then heard four shots from the gun. "I don't know how I...actually, I do know how I escaped," he said. "God was protecting me."

All three guys have nominal Catholic backgrounds. Pray that their eyes would be opened and that they would all turn to Jesus.

In the "Neck" of time

2006-04-21T15:47:00.000-04:00

Dave met a man named Chris who was interested in talking about God. Dave presented the gospel to Chris, and he prayed to give his life to the Lord.

Then Dave asked his standard question: "Do you have any other prayer requests?" "There's something wrong with my neck," Chris said. "It's been bothering me for a while and the doctors don't know what the problem is." Dave prayed for Chris' neck.

Three weeks later, Dave ran into Chris again. Chris told Dave, "A week after you prayed, my neck was healed!" He showed Dave how he could move his neck freely with no pain.

Praise God for Chris' salvation and healing.

Last Wednesday Night

2006-04-09T17:21:00.000-04:00

My friend Dave was ministering in Monroe County Correctional Facility last week Wednesday.

There was a guy named "Ken" who was interested in receiving the Lord. He wanted his sins made clean, but confessed that he was powerless to stop his former lifestyle. This inmate was adamant about continuing to be a drug dealer upon his release (and his release is in less than a month). Pray that the Lord will turn him around.

The Lord healed "Chris'" neck. They had prayed for his healing the previous week. Praise God for that.

"Joe" rededicated His life to the Lord. Pray that he will continue on in the path of righteousness.

Saved and Going to Heaven

2006-04-06T19:57:00.000-04:00

This is a continuation of my previous post.

I met up with Rylie again today. (I had asked you all last week to pray for him that God would open his eyes and lead him to repentance.) He told me that he had gone to a church service held in the jail just last night. A pastor from a local church had come in.

"When I first went into the room where the service was held," Rylie said, "I could feel something inside me telling me to get out and not to listen to the pastor. But I stayed in there and felt at peace after a while. My eyes were really opened by what he had to say. He was talking about how the devil makes sin looks good, but it only leads to destruction. I want to be a preacher now. I want to help people find the Lord."

"That's great, Rylie," I told him. "But if you're going to lead people to Jesus, you have to be right with Jesus, yourself. Last week, you said that you weren't repentant about your drug dealing. Has that changed?"

"Yeah, I really want to stop now."

"Then you need to repent of your sins and make Jesus Lord of your life." I explained to him again about what repentance means and what it means to surrender fully to Jesus. "Are you ready to do it?"

Rylie kept talking about what he wanted to do for Christ, but wasn't getting around to actually making a commitment to Christ. I couldn't tell if he was trying to change the subject or if his ADD was kicking in. It did seem to me that he really wanted to turn his life around. After a while, I interjected again: "Rylie, are you ready to repent of your sins and confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord of your life?"

We went back and forth like this a couple more times. Finally, I said, "Rylie, if you want to be saved, you need to confess your sins to God and surrender to Jesus. Do you want to do it right now?"

"I don't know what to do."

"Start by confessing your sins."

"That could take a long time!"

"That's OK. Why don't we go over here." We walked over to a more private spot on the jail floor and sat in a couple of chairs.

"Just tell the Lord you're sorry for your sins. If He brings specific sins to mind, confess them."

"God...," Rylie began, "I'm really sorry..." For the next ten minutes, Rylie wept and confessed his sins. The Holy Spirit kept bringing specific things to mind, and Rylie repented of them.

"What now?" he asked, wiping away tears with his jail uniform.

"Confess Jesus as Lord and ask Him to take control of your life." Rylie was tired of running his own life. He gladly asked Jesus to take over. "I don't want my worth to come from how much money I make on the streets. I just want to be Your child, God."

Afterwards, I assured him of God's forgiveness. Praise God for answered prayer! Pray that Rylie continues on the path of righteousness and grows strong in the Lord.

"I'm saved, but I'm not going to heaven."

2006-04-02T20:40:00.000-04:00

Last Thursday, I walked onto the jail pod, opened my ministry bag and waited for some guys to approach me.

"Do you have a Bible?" a young man asked me.

"I just have New Testaments today," I told him. "You can have one."

After introducing myself to "Rylie," he told me, "I'm saved, but I'm not going to heaven." Well, this peaked my interest so I asked him what he meant by that. He told me that he had "accepted Christ" and had attended a particular church when he was out, but that he didn't think he was going to make it to heaven.

"Why not?" I asked.

"Because I still do the things I know I shouldn't do. I'm addicted to drug dealing. I love the fame and the power."

"Are you famous?" I asked him (sort of tongue in cheek).

"Out there (on the streets) I am. I make the best crack around. I cook it myself. I don't use the cheap stuff. People know they're getting quality when they buy from me. I stopped selling drugs for a while and got a job flipping burgers. But it only paid $6 an hour. I've got a mortgage to pay. Why should I work at a job making so little when I can make $5000-$10,000 easily through a quick sell.

"The truth is, I'm not repentant," Rylie continued. "If you tell God you're sorry, but you keep doing the same thing, you're not really repenting."

I had to hand it to him: he really understood what it meant to repent and he knew he wasn't repentant.

"Rylie, you can't sleep at night, can you?"

"No, I can't. I have to take meds just to fall asleep. I always feel as if people are after me. I've had a rough life. I was born addicted to heroin. When I was young, I found my mom dead. She had been dead for two weeks. My dad is doing life in prison. I've got ADD and bipolar. I try to read the Bible, but I can't concentrate on it. But every time I flip it open to a random page, God speaks to me."

"Why don't you try it now?" I asked, handing him a Bible. He got a look of fear and trembling on his face. Taking the Bible, he began to pray almost frantically, asking for forgiveness. He then opened up the Bible and it landed momentarily on John 9. He closed the Bible, made a few side comments, flipped open the Bible again and once more, it landed on John 9. The NIV heading for that section of Scripture is Jesus Heals a Man Born Blind. That was all Rylie saw.

"Which is easier," I asked him, "to heal a man born blind, or to heal a man born addicted to heroin?"

"I would think it easier to heal a man born addicted to heroin," Rylie answered.

"Then if Jesus could heal a man born blind, he certainly could heal a man born addicted to heroin. Jesus can heal you, Rylie."

"But I have to want it."

"That's right."

Our conversation was cut short because some federal agents were about to show up wanting to speak with him. Pray that God opens Rylie's eyes to fully grasp the destruction that drugs are causing in his life. Pray God grants Rylie true repentance leading to salvation.

Spared Life

2006-03-24T21:54:00.000-05:00

It looks like the Afghan man charged with converting to Christianity will be spared.

Praise God! and keep praying!

Prayer for a Persecuted Afghan Prisoner

2006-03-23T22:35:00.000-05:00

Please pray for Abdul Rahman, an Afghan man who could face the death penalty in his country simply because he left Islam and put his faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. I'm humbled by his courage to boldly proclaim his faith despite the cost.

"Lord God, turn the hearts of the men who would put Your servant to death. Convict them of their sin. Protect Abdul. Comfort and strengthen him by the power of Your Holy Spirit. Let more and more Afghan people repent of their sin and turn to Christ. Set the people free from the power of the devil. In Jesus' Name. Amen."

House call

2006-03-23T15:55:00.000-05:00

Cliff was temporarily released from jail a while ago. He was one of the guys who wanted to work on restoring houses when he was finally released. He's out for a short time while his court case is delayed. He's living with his mom under house arrest. He's got the whole ankle bracelet thing going on. He is only able to leave the house for a few hours on Saturdays.

A short while back, a deacon and I went to visit Cliff at his mom's house. It was a blessing to see him in "normal" clothes and to fellowship with him. Because he was temporarily released, he was able to renew his hazardous material certification, which will allow him to work with lead paint, etc. that you find in old homes. That was a huge answer to prayer for him. It means he's one step closer to fulfilling his dream of being in the home restoring business.

Cliff is hoping to be able to come to church while he is temporarily out of jail. Pray that the courts will allow him to leave his house for at least a short time on Sundays so that he can come to church.

Restoration Ministries

2006-03-11T10:10:00.000-05:00

After leaving the pod where there seemed to be a lack of interest, I went across the way to the adjacent pod. As soon as I walked in, I spotted two men sitting together with their Bibles opened. I thought I'd sit with them a while.

"How you guys doin'?" I asked.

"Doin' well," they said.

We started talking and I found out that "Mike" and "Darryl" were talking about plans they had for when they were released.

"Many people in my family are in full-time ministry," Darryl told me. "I've really fallen off the right path, but I know I need to live for Christ now. As a felon, it's hard to find jobs. You're instantly turned down when they see that on your application. What alternatives to guys in that situation have?"

Mike will be out in a few months. "I was involved in a church in another city. I played drums on the worship team and really enjoyed it. In fact, I went to school to eventually minister in music. Along the road, I fell into sin and ended up here. I want to be back in a church, using my gifts for the Lord."

"Mike and I want to start a company when we get out," Darryl continued. "Mike does drywall, roofing, siding, gutters, painting--you name it. I can do electrical and plumbing. We want to get into the construction business."

I told them the idea I had to help former inmates restore homes while getting their lives restored in Christ. They were very encouraged and wanted to see that vision come into being.

I've been meeting with some leaders from various churches in Rochester to talk through the vision. We're calling it Restoration Ministries. It's very much in the conception stage. We're doing a lot of dreaming out loud and trying to work out a game plan. Sometime soon we hope to have a day-long session where we really hammer out the vision, mission and ministry plan. I'm so out of my league on this! I just feel really blessed by the number of guys to whom God has given a similar heart and passion. These guys have a lot of experience working with addicts, former inmates, people in recovery, etc.

A while ago I was praying about this ministry and the Lord put on my heart Isaiah 61:4 "They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated; they will renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations" (emphasis mine). I believe He wants to take men whose lives have been devastated by drugs, violence and crime, restore them to Himself and use these guys to help restore a city that is in desperate need. When I think about how this all can happen, I get overwhelmed at the details. "Lord, is this really You? Or is this just a nice pipe dream?" I don't consider myself really a visionary. I'm much more comfortable doing what's safe and what's been done before. But I can't shake this thing!

Yesterday, we had a Restoration Ministries meeting at the church I pastor. While we were in prayer about the ministry, a former inmate named "Cliff" called. Cliff was the first inmate I told about Restoration Ministries. He's out of jail for the time being. It was a really cool moment to hear him talking on the answering machine at the same time we were praying for guys like him. That gets me going!

"Lord, I don't know what You're going to do with all this, but have Your way. Be glorified! Let the name of Jesus be lifted up in Rochester."

Shake the dust

2006-03-11T09:55:00.000-05:00

On Thursday, I went to the jail pod I normally go to. All of the guys I usually have Bible study with were gone. They have either moved to the correctional facility, gone upstate, or been released.

There wasn't much going on in that pod. Generally, a few men will ask for Bibles, reading material, Bible study guides, bookmarks, calendars--something. But not here, not today. Everyone was interested in either poker or the latest soap opera love triangle.

There was a time when I would take such things personally. "They don't want to talk to me." But it's not about me. It's about Jesus--and what He's doing in them at the time. If you've ever been discouraged by someone's lack of interest in God, don't take it out on the person or on yourself. Just take it to God. Entrust them to Him. Shake the dust off your feet, and keep walking (Luke 10:10-11). Be assured that there are others who are ready and waiting to hear about the Savior.

New Releases

2006-03-03T15:52:00.000-05:00

Robert and Corey are being released on Monday. I gave them both my "pep talk" about having a plan before they get out so they can walk strong. Imagine how difficult it would be to be in an isolated environment for a long time—away from much of the daily temptations to be found in the world, and then to suddenly be thrust into the world again. It's not easy for these guys. Pray they find connections with other Christians on the outside, and avoid the traps that got them into MCJ in the first place.

In need of a place to stay

2006-02-25T20:46:00.000-05:00

I mentioned yesterday that I visited a family--a mom and six children--at the request of an inmate named Carlos. This family is Carlos' girlfriend and children. The mom "Tawny" and six children (7 and under) are due to be evicted from their rented house in less than a week.

Rochester is pretty cold this time of year. Pray that they find a place to stay.

Lost and Found

2006-02-24T20:31:00.000-05:00

I lost my wedding ring yesterday. Thursday afternoon, I and one of my deacons went on a pastoral visit to a family in the community—a mother and six kids. The mom is the girlfriend of Carlos, whom I met in the jail a few weeks ago. That was the last time I remembered seeing the ring. After that, I went to the store to pick up some groceries. I noticed it was gone as soon as I got home. I was inconsolable! I searched my car, my pockets, the ground around my house. It was nowhere to be found. ‘Could it be at supermarket? At that family’s house?' I had been playing with the kids at the house. Crazy thoughts were going through my mind—like, maybe one of the kids slipped it off my finger while we were holding hands praying.

This morning I asked my kids to pray that Jesus would help me find my ring. My son prayed. When I arrived at the church building this morning, I retraced my steps back to my office. Nothing. Then, I reached into my computer bag with my left hand to pull out my Bible. (This is the black bag that I carry around with me everywhere I go. It’s generally never more than six feet away from me.) I noticed that the inside of the bag rubbed against my ring finger as I pulled my hand out. I thought, ‘Maybe the bag pulled the ring off my finger.’ I opened the bag and there it was.

Do you know someone who is lost? Separated from God? In a dark, black place? Perhaps yourself? The lost person is of extreme value to God—more valuable than my wedding ring to me. The Lord is not far away. Make that phone call. Send that email. Invite them to church. Give them a ride. Ask Jesus to forgive and restore that person—especially if it’s you.

“And when [he] finds it, [he] calls [his] friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost [ring].’ In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents” (Luke 15:9–10).

Additions in the Correctional Facility

2006-02-19T19:24:00.000-05:00

My friend Dave reports that two guys, Joe and Jason, prayed to receive Christ a few nights ago.

Jason has 12 years of history behind bars in New York state. Dave noted what a wonderful breakthrough occurred when the Lord opened Jason's heart to receive Him.

Bob had been under a cloud of depression for some time. Dave saw a new person in Bob as the Lord has lifted this depression from him.

The Lord is adding to the number

2006-02-18T13:22:00.000-05:00

I sat down with a group of seven guys yesterday. We all held hands and opened with a time of prayer. The men are really growing in their walks with the Lord. Steve, who used to be very hesitant about praying out loud, really poured out his heart.

A young guy, who goes by the name "C," came next: "God, I've never prayed in public before, but I ask that..."

After the prayer time, C asked, "So what do we do during this time?"

"Well, we talk, pray, read the Bible, encourage each other," I answered him.

"OK, I have a question. I've never been to church in my life. I mean, I could tell you what the inside of a church looks like. But my family never went to church. I don't know anything about this stuff. About two months ago, when I was still out on the streets, I picked up a Bible and started reading in Genesis. I've always known there's a God. I mean, you look around and you see all these 'coincidences.' You know God has to exist. How do I know if I'm Christian or Catholic or what?"

I explained the gospel to C. "All of us are born separated from God because of our sin. We all deserved God's punishment: hell. But God loved the world so much that He sent Jesus to die for our sins. Jesus took the punishment that we deserved. He rose from the dead proving that He was God. Now we have to repent of our sins--be truly sorry and desire to change--and put our faith in Jesus as Lord."

"That makes sense to me," C said.

While C was talking, Mark approached the circle of guys and sat on the floor next to me. I encouraged him to join us.

"What did I do to deserve this trouble I'm in," Mark began. "I've got type-2 diabetes, and that's basically a death sentence. I finally found the woman that I want to marry. Neither one of us have ever been married. Now I've got this terrible disease. What did I do wrong?"

I had Mark open to John 9 where Jesus' disciples ask Jesus with regard to a man born blind: "Who sinned: this man or his parents that he was born blind?" The disciples thought that all sickness was directly related to sin. Jesus answered the disciples that no one had sinned in this case. The man was born blind so that God could be glorified in his life. Jesus healed the man.

"Mark, can we pray for you that God would heal your diabetes?" I asked him.

"Yeah, please."

We all joined hands around the circle and prayed for Mark. When we finished, I noticed tears running down his face as he thanked us. He was supposed to have a blood test later that day. Pray for total healing for Mark.

Robert began speaking words of encouragement to Mark based on the Scriptures. I was really impressed by how Robert was using the Word. (In my previous post, I mentioned that Robert was to be out of jail by now, but it looks like he'll be out in a few more weeks.) Robert later asked Mark if he was saved. Mark said he wasn't sure. Robert encouraged him to get saved. I asked him if he wanted to pray to receive Christ right now. He said that he did, so I led him in a prayer of repentance and faith in Jesus as Lord. Pray that Mark's faith is firmly rooted.

We asked C if he wanted to be saved, too. He said he wanted to take some time to think it over. Pray that the Holy Spirit would get a hold of C, and that he surrenders to Jesus.

Just after that, it was about time for lock up. We closed in prayer, and everybody began heading back to his own cell. Robert pulled me aside and told me he was now in a Life Transformation Group with a guy named Frank. I'm glad to see that he's taking accountability seriously. Pray that Robert continues to grow as a man of God.

"And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved" (Acts 2:47).

From the jailhouse to God's house

2006-02-17T15:55:00.000-05:00

This past Sunday at the church I pastor, we received eleven new members and baptized three men. One of them was a former inmate named Mark. I met Mark in the downtown jail almost a year ago. Here is the story of me meeting him.

I had kept writing Mark while he was finishing up his time. In early October 2005, a few weeks before I knew he would be getting out, I encouraged him to come check out the church. I didn't really know whether I would see Mark again. Many guys have great intentions of coming to church once they get out, but so few do.

Well, Mark was there the first Sunday he was able to go. It was such a blessing to see him in regular clothes rather than the orange jumpsuit he wore as an inmate. I don't think he's missed a Sunday since. He completed the 4-week membership class, and shared his testimony on Sunday of Christ's work in his life. Mark is a guitarist and recently started practicing with the worship team.

Praise God for Mark's life! Pray that God would use him to touch many lives and to bring many more people to Christ.

Salvation, healing of lungs

2006-02-15T08:41:00.000-05:00

Sorry it's been so long since I've posted. Things have been a little hectic around here.

Here's a story from Dave, one of the elders of the church I pastor:
----
I first met "Shawn" a while back, and he received the Lord. As per my normal custom: I asked if there was anything that we could pray about Shawn said that his daughter "Donna" had been admitted to the hospital that day with a serious lung infection that resulted in some respiratory complications. The doctors did not understand why and how these complications were progressing. We prayed that the Lord would heal Donna of this medical condition.

Two weeks later, I met with Shawn again and asked how his daughter was doing. He responded that earlier the week before, his daughter got better, and was released from the hospital. So we had a good time of prayer thanking the Lord for providing for his daugther's need.
----

I'm really excited to see how the Lord is using Dave in praying for others' healing. Not long ago, God healed an inmate's lungs through Dave's prayers.

"I want to be held accountable."

2006-02-03T19:47:00.000-05:00

"Can I talk to you privately for a few minutes?" 'Carlos' inquired

"Sure."

We pulled up a couple of seats away from the other guys who were about to have a Bible study.

"I'm a Christian and I really want to start living my life for Christ. I was picked up for a parole violation. I'm tired of life behind bars. I've got a wife and a bunch of kids who need me. I keep falling back into old patterns when I'm on the outside. What I really need is accountability."

"Are you really serious about that?" I asked.

"Yes! I want to be held accountable, but I can't seem to find anybody who will do it. When I don't have accountability it's too easy for me to head down the wrong path. I don't mean to pass the blame on others. I can't fault everybody else for not being willing to hold me accountable. I just know I can't make it without accountability."

"Be careful what you ask for," I told him. "Accountability is a serious thing. But if you really want to be held accountable, I know of a great tool to do it. It's called a Life Transformation Group (LTG)."

In a LTG, two or three people of the same sex get together once a week. During the week, they all read the same passage of Scripture—for example, the book of Matthew. They also pray for unsaved friends, neighbors, coworkers, etc. During their weekly meeting, they confess sin to each other, pray for each other and share what God was showing them through the Scripture they read that week.

"We use LTG's as a means of accountability and spiritual growth in the church I pastor."

"Well...," Carlos began, "I have to tell you that the woman I'm living with is my fiancée, not my wife. We're planning on getting married in late spring."

"Why are you waiting so long?" I asked.

"Because technically I'm still married to another woman. She's gone on and had children with another man, but the divorce isn't final yet."

"Carlos, you can't live with your fiancée anymore. You have to move out."

"You know, I thought about not even telling you all this. But I knew I had to." He continued, "But if we're not doing anything, why do I have to move out? Where will I stay?"

"Well, first of all, you're still married. Your living with this other woman, even if you're not sexually intimate, is the 'appearance of evil.' It could easily become a stumbling block for a weaker Christian. Second, you're putting yourself into a situation of high temptation. Third, you need to think about your children. You need to do the right thing now so that when your son is sixteen and he wants to know why he can't have sex with his girlfriend, you'll have the moral authority to exhort him not to fall into sin."

"Wow, that's heavy, man."

"I don't say all this to condemn you, Carlos. You wanted to be held accountable. You have the opportunity to be responsible, make the right choices, and be an example for your children. Trust God that He will find you a suitable place to live. I'll pray with you for that."

"I hear what you're saying."

"Is your fiancée a Christian?" I asked.

"No, she's not. And if I move out, what will she think?"

"She'll either be convicted by your Godly example because you're taking your faith seriously, or she'll be absolutely turned off. If she's turned off to Jesus, do you really want to marry her?"

This was all very difficult for Carlos. He said he needed to go to his cell to think and pray. I went and gathered a small group of men for a Bible study.

After a while, Carlos sat down at the table and joined the Bible study. There were six of us gathered around. When Carlos sat down, he openly repented to another man at the table for a bad attitude he had had toward him. Right after that, he confessed to the group that he needed to move out of his house because he wasn't married to the woman he was living with. I was amazed at his honesty and vulnerability.

Pray that Carlos can follow through on what he knows is right to do. Pray for alternative housing for him. Pray for the salvation of his fiancée and his children.

Still going after five weeks

2006-02-01T15:23:00.000-05:00

The nightly prayer meeting is still going strong in Mod B of the correctional facility. Even though some guys have gone and new ones have come, the new inmates have joined in praying.

"Lord, not only infuse these men with more passion and zeal for Your Name, but let us outside the jail be moved with holy jealousy and be provoked to pray with fervor."

"I want to start giving back"

2006-01-31T15:15:00.000-05:00

Yesterday afternoon, I got a call from Chaplain Paul at Monroe County Jail (MCJ). Paul is a chaplain with Good News Jail & Prison Ministry. He relayed a message to me from a man named "Robert." In Robert’s own words: “Chaplain, as a Christian, I’m tired of repeating the cycle of incarceration. I want to serve God. I want to start giving back what He’s so freely given to me.”

Robert wants to start fellowshipping with us at Rochester Vineyard Christian Church when he gets out in a couple of weeks. Paul says that Robert wants to meet with me so he can start getting connected. I’ll be going to see him in MCJ this week—Thursday, Lord willing. Pray for God’s protection on Robert as he prepares to get out of jail. The devil likes to work overtime with men who are about to be released—especially when those men want to serve the Lord. Pray that Robert and I can be of mutual encouragement to one another. Pray that he truly can break the cycle of incarceration.

I was just praying that morning about what specific harvest field in the city the Lord wanted us to be involved in. The jail has been so fruitful, I wondered if the jail was going to be the largest harvest field for the church I pastor? I don't know. But I especially love seeing God's redemption in the lives of those whom society sometimes sees as a lost cause.

I often think to myself, Except for God's grace, I might be wearing one of those orange jail suits, too. I'm grateful that He's redeemed me. He saved me from ruining my life. He gave me another chance. He stopped me before my foolish and sinful behavior as a teen led me to criminal activity. That's what keeps me going. Just replace the word "incarceration" in Robert's quote above with the word "pornography" or "lust" and you have my story.

What's your story?

Two in need of redemption

2006-01-30T14:56:00.000-05:00

Last Thursday, I did a Bible study with Corey, David, Leonard, and Jerald. We had a good time of fellowship, prayer and sharing. Jerald performed gospel music before he went off the Lord’s path. "My wife and I were really used of the Lord before things took a downward turn in our marriage. After that, I made some bad choices which led me to the situation I'm in now."

At one point during our group prayer time, I felt led to pray specifically for Jerald. "Can I lay hands on you and pray for you?" I asked him. "Yeah, sure." I prayed that God's plans for him would come to fruition and that the Lord would restore him. I felt strongly in my spirit that the Lord had great plans for him.

When I finished praying, I noticed tears running down Jerald's face. I didn't ask what was going on inside while I was praying. I imagine it was a mixture of remorse over what was lost, but hope for what God could still do through him. Pray that Jerald continues down the right path, and is used of God once again. He has a heart to reach youth through his music.

Leonard believes he is called to pulpit ministry. "Instead of following that call, I followed the devil's call." Leonard has excitement, but needs depth and grounding in the Lord. Pray that he gets into strong fellowship with some other brothers in Christ.

When I told Jerald and Leonard that people would be praying for them, Corey and David asked for prayer, too.

Thanks for all your prayers for these men. It really touches their hearts to know that people care.

Prayer update on inmate "Q"

2006-01-22T15:10:00.000-05:00

In a previous post, I wrote about an inmate whom the others call "Q." I asked Cliff how Q was doing.

"He's breaking away from the crowd he used to hang out with, and is spending more time by himself. That's a good thing because those guys were a bad influence on him."

Keep praying for Q, that the Holy Spirit would bring conviction to his heart. Pray that he would come to a Bible study, experience the love of God, and surrender to Jesus.

Restoration of homes and lives

2006-01-21T19:27:00.000-05:00

A couple of months ago, I was at a gathering of Rochester-area pastors. The keynote speaker was the then-Mayor-elect of Rochester. Although I've never met him personally, he struck me as a man of integrity who sincerely wanted to work with the church in Rochester to improve conditions in the city.

In his speech, Mayor Duffy noted that there are about 3000 vacant homes in the city. He wanted to see these homes restored and lived in. He asked us pastors to come up with solutions to this problem. Knowing that Mayor Duffy used to be Chief of Police for the city, I thought that perhaps he'd be open to the idea of having former inmates working to restore some of the homes. The church would provide spiritual grounding, accountability, relationships, etc. for these former inmates, while they work at restoring homes. Many former inmates do not have jobs, skills and/or opportunities waiting for them upon their release. By working on these homes, they could learn a trade, and provide a very useful service to the city. There are a lot of details to be worked out on this idea, but I believe it's doable.

There have been several confirmations from the Lord about this idea. For example, God has put me in contact with a couple of other church leaders in the city who had the same idea! As another example, yesterday, when I was in the jail, I shared my idea with 'Cliff,' the inmate who currently leads the daily Bible study in the jail pod where I go every week. "Pastor Brian," he told me excitedly, "that's the same idea that me and my two friends had! Look, here are the written notes we took!" These two friends of his were the previous Bible study leaders "They've both been released," he informed me.

"Where are the other two guys now?" I asked him. "'Paul' is in the correctional facility, and 'Roger' is in a halfway house." I told him I would ask my friend, Dave, to try to find Paul, and I would get in touch with Roger. Then we prayed that God would open doors.

Today, I went to the halfway house and found Roger. I shared my idea and the many confirmations with him. We prayed together that God would make a way for this ministry.

There seems to be a conspicuous move of God here. Pray that the Lord would continue to connect people who have a heart for the city and for former inmates. Pray that God would inspire us to see this vision to its fruition. Pray that we would have favor with those in authority, and that God would provide any finances needed to make this work. As I said, there are many details that would have to be worked out and a lot of preparation. Pray for the Lord's leading in all this.

Nightly Prayer Gatherings

2006-01-17T14:37:00.000-05:00

God is doing an unusual work in one of the modules of the Correctional Facility. Every night for the last three weeks, all 52 of the men in the module have gathered in a large circle to pray before lights out at 10:00 p.m.

I've been praying for revival in Rochester to begin in the jails. Who knows what the fruit of this nightly prayer meeting will be!

Pray for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon these men, that those who aren't saved will turn to Jesus, and that revival fires will spread to other areas of the facility and to the downtown jail.

"Holy Hit List, Batman"

2006-01-13T19:11:00.000-05:00

Fellowship is rather difficult to establish in a jail setting, as you might imagine. Not only do the men deal with trust issues, but there is also a high turnover rate. Just when you're starting to connect with someone, he (or you) gets released, relocated to another jail, or sent upstate.

There were only three guys at the table for Bible study when I went in yesterday. "Pete and Sam have both been released," they said. "Tony hasn't sat with us in a while."

Misunderstandings can quickly lead to breakdowns in communication. That's no different than life on the outside. In fact, the more time I spend in the jail, the more I realize that people behind bars are no different than those of us who have never spent time incarcerated. We have the same hang-ups, habits, fears, sins, weaknesses, addictions, insecurities--and potential to be used by God if we surrender to His purposes for our lives.

I don't usually share heavy prayer requests with guys in jail. Not for lack of trust, but because I genuinely don't think about it. Yesterday was different. Steve is a young man who is somewhat quiet, but very perceptive. "Is something bothering you, Pastor Brian? You don't look yourself." "Yeah, there is, actually," I answered him. I told the guys some of the things that had been weighing on me. I asked them to pray for me. It was good for all of us. I got free prayer (which I never turn down!), and they got a chance to practice praying. A lot of the guys are new in the faith and feel uncomfortable praying out loud in front of others. But they always do a great job, and I was blessed by their prayers.

We all went around sharing prayer requests and talking about the Scriptures. They were feeling discouraged because the number of men at the table had shrunk.

"Have you ever prayed specifically for men to join the group?" I asked them.

"I pray every night in my room," David said.

"How about all together?"

"No, we haven't."

On Sunday at the church I pastor, I'm going to be talking about the value of praying as a group for people to get saved.

"Who's on your 'hit list' to get saved, Corey?" I asked.

"Actually, there's a guy they call 'Q' who walks by the table every day. Sometimes I catch him looking over here, like he wants to join us. But something stops him."

"I've noticed that guy, too," said Steve. "I think he's interested, but he might be afraid."

I suggested we all pray specifically that 'Q' would come to the table and that he would get saved. When the last man at the table prayed for 'Q,' I felt the presence of the Holy Spirit in our group. It seemed to me sign that God had heard our prayers. Will you add your prayers for Q's salvation? I'll keep you updated.

New Year, New Creation

2006-01-05T16:43:00.000-05:00

I walked into the jail pod and saw the now-familiar faces of the men sitting at the table having their Bible study. (If one is "at the table," it means he is in fellowship with the other men who are gathered there. The others may be Christians or God-seekers. Coming to the table is sort of like going to church.) The group is gelling more and more. They meet daily--reading the Word and a couple of daily devotionals, praying and sharing.

As I looked past the table, I saw an older gentleman who got my attention and asked for a Bible. I gave him one of the NKJV Bibles I had in my supply. It turned out that "Larry" was a recent addition to the jail. "Would you like to come to a Bible study?" I asked him, pointing to the group of guys sitting at the table. After a slight hesitation, he decided to join us.

I introduced Larry and sat down. "Jay" was the only guy at the table I didn't know. He was very agitated. Jay had been arrested two days earlier, and had gotten saved two days before that on New Years Day.

"What do you do when your own family hates and rejects you?" Jay asked with frustration. "I come from a 'perfect' family. My parents and siblings are all successful, but I'm the black sheep of the family. I've struggled with a drug addiction for years. There was a time in my life when I was doing well, succeeding in school--all the things I thought my family would approve of. But all they said was, 'It's only a matter of time before you mess up.' The holidays came and things got really tough emotionally. I got high to deal with the pain. One thing led to another, and I got picked up on a drug charge. When I got arrested, my father said, 'I disown you as my son.'"

"Jay, I want to encourage you that the best thing you could have done was give your life to Christ. The Bible says that you're a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17); what better way to start a new year. The Bible also says in Psalm 27:10 'Though my father and mother forsake me, the LORD will receive me.' God is your Father now, Jay. He will never leave you or forsake you. And He has given you a new family of brothers in Christ." After a couple more people spoke, I prayed that the Father's love would envelope him, that the Lord would set him free from his addiction, and that he would be filled with the Holy Spirit.

Afterward, we continued with the Bible study and sharing. Meanwhile, Larry had been quiet this whole time. I wondered what had been going on his mind. Finally, he said, "You know something, Jay? You remind me of myself many years ago. I'm 54 years old and I've been doing drugs since I was 15. I've tried everything to fill the emptiness in me, but nothing has worked." He picked up his newly-acquired Bible and continued: "I know that the only answer, our only hope is found in here."

Larry continued to exhort and encourage Jay to trust in the Lord and His Word and to forsake all else. He was very convincing! "Larry, have you given your life to Christ?" I asked him. He hadn't. And though he knew the truth about Christ, and could even preach Christ to another, he could not surrender his own life to Jesus. "Larry," I told him, "you'd make a great lifeguard...if you could only get into the pool, yourself."

Pray that Jay would be comforted and strengthened in the Lord. Pray that the Lord would set him free from his addiction. Pray that Larry would forsake his old life once and for all, and fully surrender to Jesus.

Coming around

2005-12-20T16:43:00.000-05:00

In my previous post, I mentioned that there was a wide response to the gospel when Dave presented it to some inmates last week. "Greg" was a guy who emphatically rejected the offer of salvation through Christ. Rather than being discouraged, Dave expressed faith, telling me: "Be assured that he can run but not hide from the love that God has for him!"

Last night, Greg approached Dave and was much more talkative and in general open to what was being said from the Word about repentance, salvation, etc. Dave told me, "I sense that the Lord is drawing Greg closer, and it will be but time before God gets through to him."

Please pray that the Holy Spirit will open Greg's heart. Pray also for Fred and Efrain--two others that Dave talked to last night--that they will be softened toward Jesus.

History Maker

2005-12-16T16:26:00.000-05:00

Dave visited with a number of guys a few nights ago. Many times the guys just want to talk and pray. (Dave calls it "TnP.")

The range of response that night went from outright rejection of the offer of salvation to mild interest to excitement about and acceptance of the gospel. One Christian guy, Chauncey, asked for prayer for his son who has cancer. Please pray for him. We have certainly seen God answer prayer for healing. Two men prayed to receive Christ that night. One of them was a guy named Pat.

After Pat had prayed to receive the Lord, Dave reviewed with him how he could be assured of his salvation (1 John 5:11,12 and John 20:31). Pat literally burst out and said, "David, do you realize what happened? History was made tonight. I got saved, and I'm right with God! Write this down on my ticket!" (The 'ticket' is the 3x5 card Dave makes out for each inmate with whom he makes contact.)

Pat was excited to have his name written on an index card. Praise God that Pat's name is also written in the Lamb's Book of Life (Rev. 21:27).

Daughter's back healed

2005-12-15T15:09:00.000-05:00

On November 28, Dave was in Monroe County Correctional Facility (MCCF). As is his practice, Dave sat at a table with Bible literature and waited for interested inmates to approach him.

James understood the gospel message, but decided to wait to make a decision because "I have a lot of time to make up my mind about following the Lord."

Andy also rejected the offer of salvation, saying similarly that he had plenty of time to make up his mind about these kind of things. "I don't want to get committed to anything spiritual now."

Then there was Mike. His heart had been prepared by the Lord. He received the good news with gladness and accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior. He not only was open to the Lord but expressed needs for his son, and his daughter who was having some real back problems. At that time Dave and Mike prayed and asked the Lord for her healing.

A week later, Dave was at the table again. (This was the same day that Phil got saved.) Mike excitedly informed Dave that his daughter's back was healed!

I'm reminded of the time Jesus was walking with His disciples in Luke 9:57-62. Jesus invited one man to follow Him, but the man said he had to go and bury his father first. A second man received an invitation to discipleship from the Lord, but he said he had to go say good-by to his family first. To these seemingly "good excuses," Jesus said, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God"(v. 62). Praise God that Mike put his hand to the plow, didn't look back and received not only salvation, but healing for his daughter.

"Lord, let Your Kingdom come! Let the good news be proclaimed in the jails, in homes, on the streets and in churches in Rochester."

The Set-up

2005-12-13T15:36:00.000-05:00

Phil was a guy I met over a year ago in the downtown jail. He would come to Bible studies pretty regularly and always participated in the discussions. At the time, I encouraged him--as I do all the inmates about to get out of jail--to get involved in a church and really get connected. He assured me that he would. He said he knew what he had to do.

Many guys have good intentions, but when they get out of jail, the pull toward the old life is often very strong.

Several months later, I attended a Good News Jail & Prison Ministry prayer breakfast. Trev, a former inmate, and I went to the breakfast together. As I was driving Trev home from the prayer breakfast, I saw a man walking down the sidewalk on the other side of the street. "Trev, that looks like Phil, a guy who used to come to my Bible studies." We did a U-turn right there and pulled up next to the man. Sure enough, it was Phil.

"Hey, man, how's it goin'?" I asked him.

Phil looked back at me with bloodshot eyes and an expression that spoke of guilt and shame. "Oh, hi. How are you doin'?" he responded.

"Doing pretty good, Phil. We just got back from a jail ministry breakfast. What are you up to?"

"Oh, just hanging out," he replied.

I could see that Phil was not in a mood for a long conversation. "Phil, I just want you to know that you're always welcome to come to our church." I handed him a business card and encouraged him to come the following Sunday. He thanked me for the offer, and we drove off. I never saw him again.

Last week, my friend Dave was visiting the correctional facility. A man sat down at the table where Dave was and began to listen very attentively as he talked about the Lord. He heard and understood the message of salvation, and made a commitment to follow Jesus Christ. The man Dave led to the Lord was Phil! He was "set-up" by God for salvation. Pray that Phil will get grounded in his new-found faith.

I was so encouraged when Dave told me about Phil. This kind of thing has happened a few times in the past. I'll meet someone in the downtown jail and plant a seed. Then Dave will meet the same guy in the correctional facility in the suburbs and lead him to Christ.

It was a good reminder to me to not get discouraged if I don't see the fruit of my labors. Perhaps you and I are #4 or #5 out of 17 people who witness to someone, but only the 17th person leads him to Christ. Our role is just as important as #17's role. As Jesus said, "One sows and another reaps" (John 4:37). Let us rejoice in however the Lord chooses to use us.

Reconciliation

2005-12-04T15:13:00.000-05:00

I was doing a Bible study with three guys on Friday. We got on some Holy Spirit rabbit trails and ended up discussing James 5:16: "Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective."

"Joe" said, "I need to do that right now." He shared that he had been holding on to resentment against "Mark," another inmate sitting at the table with us. "I felt like you were looking down on me last week because I wasn't understanding the Scripture passage. I'm new at this and it seemed like you were judging me."

I was really impressed by how graciously Joe confronted Mark on this issue. I was also impressed by Mark's encouraging response. Ricky, the third guy, said, "This is really new for us; we haven't been taught to handle conflicts this way."

Today, in church, I spoke about resolving conflicts with brothers and sisters in the body. Before we took communion, an elder encouraged all of us to approach two or three people and ask, "Have I offended you in any way?" It was a blessing to see people paired off dealing with stuff and praying with each other.

"Lord, I pray that this wouldn't be a one-time thing, but that we would take seriously Your command, 'If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone' (Romans 12:19). Let reconciliation happen in jails, churches, schools, offices and homes.

Breathing Easier

2005-11-26T10:06:00.000-05:00

About two months ago, Dave met Santos. Santos had been walking with the Lord for a while, but fell away. Dave ministered to Santos and Santos rededicated his life to Christ. He got a fire in him to serve Jesus and asked for some Christian literature.

A little over a month ago, Dave was in a section of the correctional facility and met Jeff. Through the witness and testimony of Santos and another Christian inmate, Jeff became interested in Christ. He and Dave talked for a while, and Jeff ended up giving his life to Christ.

Jeff also had some physical problems. "I was in a house fire and suffered damage to my lungs from smoke inhalation," he told Dave. To demonstrate, Jeff coughed and brown/black fluids came out of his mouth. "This has been in my lungs for a while now. It's also been very painful to breathe." Dave prayed that God would heal Jeff's lungs.

A week later, Dave visited Jeff again. "Dave, I can breathe now with no discomfort!" Jeff reported excitedly. Jeff coughed for Dave again and the lung fluids were clear. They praised the Lord together.

Praise God for spiritual and physical healings. Pray that many more inmates would come to Christ through the testimony of Jeff, Santos and other Christians behind bars.

One in Christ

2005-11-19T21:52:00.000-05:00

"Hey, Brian, just in time," the deputy on duty said to me as I walked into the pod. "I got 'em all ready for you." There were six men sitting around two tables put together. All of them had their Bibles open and were reading from the gospel of Luke.

I sat down and introduced myself to the guys I didn't know. Ian was a one-month-old Christian; Phil was less than a week old in the Lord. What a privilege to be sitting with "newborns" in Christ. One of the inmates, Ray, was leading the Bible study. He appeared to be in his 40's and was quite knowledgeable biblically. Each man took his turn reading several verses and was then asked to comment on what he had read. Ray would add his own commentary from time to time.

At one point, the deputy sat down at the table. He was genuinely interested in the study. I could tell he was well-like by the inmates gathered around the table. I knew he was a Christian and offered him my Bible so he could follow along. He graciously passed on the offer--I'm guessing because he was on duty. A little while later, another jail official sat down with us briefly and began talking about the Lord. It was a great reminder that in Christ there is neither inmate nor deputy nor civilian, but we are one in Him who gave His life for us that we might live.

Toward the end of our gathering I asked the group if everyone present had heard the gospel message and had assurance of salvation. Two of them said, "Yeah, when I got saved it was like a weight lifted off of me." A couple guys weren't sure, so I explained the way of salvation to them. One man thought he was saved already, but wanted to make sure. I led him in a prayer to make Jesus Lord of his life. Afterwards he said, "It's nice to know that I can be sure now."

It was a great time spent with those guys. Pray that all these guys will continue to grow in their faith. Pray that they drink the pure milk of the Word every day, and keep gathering to encourage and pray for one another.

Two "Yeses" and a "Maybe"

2005-11-15T15:57:00.000-05:00

This is a report from Dave:

Last week Thursday was one of those nights where there was not a lot of talking and praying as there normally is. I was at one end of the table directly sharing with some inmates and at the other end my Good News Prison Ministry bag was being raided (books, bibles, tracts, calendars, etc.)

Ron sat down at the table and almost begs to know how to be saved. He prayed to receive Christ, and I gave him a Good News bible study unit and the only full bible (Old & New Testaments) that I had left.

Steve was a Spanish-speaking inmate that just came out of the woodwork. I had not seen him before. Although Steve came from a devout Catholic Puerto Rican family, he never embraced the Catholic faith. He did tell me that his praying grandmother was always "on his case" about being right with the Lord. He told me, "I know deep down that I need to get turned around and get saved tonight." He made it clear that he could not wait until tomorrow. He did come to Christ that night. Pray that Steve continues along the path of righteousness.

Karl was the next man I talked to. He clearly heard and understood the gospel message. At the end of it all he emphatically indicated that he needed more time to "sort out" his 'priorities' and not make commitments to anything right now. I was just a little shocked at his response and boldness to reject his opportunity. I am always a little concerned by such a result as I am not always certain that inmates (like Karl) are going to have another chance. Pray for Karl that the Lord will be gracious and patient before it is too late.

Many thanks to all the American veterans

2005-11-10T12:29:00.000-05:00

One reason I can freely preach the gospel of Jesus Christ in the jails is that many people sacrificed and died so that I could have that freedom. The U.S. has many faults, but I'm very grateful to be living here. Thanks to all of you who have served so courageously on my behalf. Check out this link to a song and slide show dedicated to veterans.

A Mormon Embraces Christ

2005-11-08T15:12:00.000-05:00

Three weeks ago, some Mormon missionaries came and visited Dave at his house. Dave and the Mormons discussed Jesus, salvation and forgiveness of sins. By the time they had left, Dave felt they had a better understanding of the Christian view. He was grateful for the opportunity to interact with Mormons and learn better how to answer their questions and address their concerns.

Last week, when Dave was in the jail, he met a Mormon named "Kevin." Dave said, "It was like a 'holy ambush'. Every concern and need Kevin had just came came out of his heart and mouth." Because of his recent interaction with the Mormon missionaries, Dave was able to share the Word with Kevin in the power of the Spirit. Kevin prayed to receive Jesus as Lord and Savior that night.

Dave left Kevin with some Christian literature, and a Good News bible study unit. Pray that Kevin will grow in his focus and walk with the Lord Jesus.

Profile change coming

2005-10-28T09:58:00.000-04:00

My profile states that I have two kids. I'm happy to announce that God has another child on the way for us! Junior is due in April 2006. Just wanted to share a little of my joy with all of you.

Be blessed.

No More Dead Ends

2005-10-27T14:43:00.000-04:00

As I peered through the window in the door leading into the jail pod, I saw a familiar face: the deputy on duty was a Christian whom I had met a while back. Seeing him there, gave me an added sense of faith and peace as I walked onto the floor.

"Hey, Joe, how's it going?"
"Good, Brian. I haven't seen you in a while. Where have you been?"
"I've been going to different floors."

While we were chatting, I happened to notice another familiar face out of the corner of my eye: Tim was an inmate I had met over a year ago. I had had some interesting conversations with him in the past, so I decided to go spend some time with him and the young man he was with.

I greeted Tim and his friend Stan. "When I saw you walk in," Tim said, "I was hoping you wouldn't see me. They had released me since the last time I saw you. I was out for about a year, but then I got picked up for something else." He was lamenting the fact that he found himself back in the same place.

"It's sort of like driving a car trying to find a particular destination," I explained to him. "Oftentimes we run into dead end streets and start to head in a different direction. But then something comes over us and we try to go down the same street again. We think to ourselves, Maybe this time the street won't be a dead end. Of course it is--and we wonder why things haven't changed."

I told both of them, "The devil is going to hell and he's trying to drag both of you with him. Jesus came to give you a full life." I didn't know if Tim was registering all this, but I could see that Stan was. I asked him if anyone had ever told him how he could have the assurance of eternal life. He hadn't heard the gospel so I explained it to him.

"You can trust Jesus with your life because He died for you. It's like He jumped in front of you and took a bullet for you. That's a Person you can trust." The Lord was opening Stan's eyes. I continued, "You can be saved today, Stan--right now. You don't need to wait until you get out and go to church."

"How can I do that?" he asked.

"Be sincerely sorry for the sins you have committed, and tell God so. Ask Jesus to be Lord of your life. Get out of the driver seat and let Jesus drive. I'll lead you in a prayer and you pray out loud after me."

As I began the prayer, both Tim and Stan prayed to receive Christ. I was really happy for the two of them. Praise God for saving them and encouraging me in the process. I'm hoping to do a Bible study with them soon. Pray that they would get grounded in the Word and prayer. Pray that Tim's pregnant girlfriend, who's also in jail, will come to Christ as well.

Desert

2005-10-21T10:36:00.000-04:00

You know how you go through some dry periods. It's been a little dry for me lately. I go to the jail because I feel a deep sense of duty, but it hasn't been all it's cracked up to be lately. I don't know what exactly I'm looking for, but, as U2 sings, I still haven't found it.

It may be a season I'm going through. Maybe there's a need to focus on stuff at church, give less attention to actively being involved in this ministry and pray for others to be raised up to do this. Maybe I need a heart check and ask myself why I'm doing this. Maybe it's spiritual attack from the devil because he doesn't like what's going on in the jail. At any rate, I'd appreciate any prayers and thoughts that are out there.

On the other hand, I'm very encouraged by what God is doing through my friend Dave. Dave generally goes three nights a week to the correctional facility when he can. Dave was born for this. He loves it; I think he would sleep over if the deputies didn't kick him out at night! And God is drawing many men to Himself through Dave. For that I rejoice. Maybe the Lord just wants to remind me that it's not all about me. As long as His Kingdom advances, I can celebrate.

Two Hungry Men

2005-10-11T15:05:00.000-04:00

Eric approached Dave last night wanting to talk about his spiritual life. "I was baptized as a baby in the Catholic Church, but I was never confirmed. In fact, after I was baptized, I never went to a Catholic mass or went to confession."

Eric was curious and open about what the Word had to say about Jesus and salvation. Dave told him the good news about Jesus. Eric believed it and accepted Christ as his Lord and Savior.

Later, a man named Sam sat down and looked Dave right in the eyes: "I want to get these bad thoughts out of my mind and life. How do I do that and how do I get 'better' with God?"

Dave was excited about the opportunity to talk to a man so hungry for God. Just as Dave began to talk with Sam, an announcement came about a bible study taking place. Sam said that he wanted to attend that class. Dave agreed it was good for him to check out the class, and off went Sam.

Praise God for His amazing love! Pray that Eric gets grounded in his new faith. Pray that the Lord will continue to draw Sam to Himself. Pray that the inmates would not be distracted by things that will take their focus off God.

Gladness instead of mourning

2005-10-01T20:46:00.000-04:00

Mike approached my friend Dave one evening this week and silently pointed to a calendar on the table that he wanted. (Calendars are a popular item in the jails because the inmates can keep track of how much time they have left.) Dave interacted with Mike for a while, but the whole time Mike did not even look up. It was obvious that Mike was depressed. Dave invited him to sit down and talk.

"Jesus loves you very much," Dave told Mike, "and there is no way that you could run or escape from the Lord's love for you. There is hope and a future in God for you, Mike."

Well, that got Mike's attention. He finally lifted his head and made eye contact with Dave. The conversation got right to the point: "Mike, you're on a path that is not the best for you. You are doing your own thing just like so many. God demands that you repent and turn to Him. You will be forgiven, be made totally clean and have hope." Dave shared many Scripture passages with Mike to back up what he was saying.

The Lord showed Mike that he needed to choose to turn around, and that Jesus wanted the best for him. Mike finally received fully what the Bible said about becoming a new person in Jesus. Mike gave his life to Christ. There was quite a transformation when Mike understood his opportunity and received the Lord. He went from somber and expressionless to smiling and beaming. Keep praying for Mike that he would find his joy and strength in the Lord.

Deliverance from evil spirits

2005-09-23T13:09:00.000-04:00

TJ was one of the first guys to approach me yesterday. He was a young man with a pleasant smile.

"Before I was saved, I was involved with Santeria. (Santeria is an occult religion.) I would call upon spirits to go and do things for me. Different spirits would help me get money or women.

"After I became a Christian, there was one demon that kept coming around. I saw it here." (He pointed to a location in the jail.) "It was smaller than it was before I was saved, but I still recognized it. I told it to go away, but it came back with seven others."

"You mean, you counted how many there were?" I asked.

"Yes, I did," he replied. "Sometimes they grab me and choke me at night. They release their hold when I say the name 'Jesus.' I'm going upstate soon and I don't want to take these demons with me. There are enough of them in prison!"

At this point, I recalled Jesus' words: "'When an evil spirit comes out of a man, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, "I will return to the house I left." When it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean and put in order. Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that man is worse than the first. That is how it will be with this wicked generation'" (Matthew 12:43-45).

I asked TJ to confess with his mouth that Jesus is Lord of his life. He did so, readily. "TJ, I want you to repent of involvement with these particular spirits and repent of the sins that gave them access into your life." He did that.

"How do you feel now?" I asked him.

He said he didn't feel any different, so I put my hand on his shoulder and asked the Lord to reveal to him if there were any hindrances to his being set free. After I prayed I asked him, "Did anything come to your mind as I was praying?" "No, but as you were praying, I felt something go down my arm and out of my fingers. It left me!"

I encouraged him to give praise and thanks to the Lord for what He did. We both prayed together. I prayed that the Holy Spirit would fill him and take back the ground that the enemy had in his life.

Personally, I love seeing people set free from demonic oppression. Pray that TJ will remain free, develop a habit of meditating on the Word of God and continue to seek the Lord Jesus with all his heart.

Toward reaching fellow inmates...and beyond

2005-09-09T09:27:00.000-04:00

There are two facilities in Monroe County where inmates are held. One is Monroe County Jail (MCJ) located in downtown Rochester. It's a four-minute walk over an expressway from my office at the church. MCJ is a pre-trial detention facility that houses over 1000 men, women and minor youth. This is where I typically go to minister to inmates. The other facility, Monroe Correctional Facility (MCF) located in the suburb of Brighton, houses about 500 sentenced inmates. This is where my friend Dave goes. (The Jail Bureau also operates a regional forensic unit at the Rochester Psychiatric Center. Neither of us currently goes there.)

Dave was at MCF yesterday talking and praying with "Marco" and "William." (I had previously met Marco in MCJ.) The three of them were discussing how they all could be more effective witnesses for Christ among the other inmates. Other inmates began to "eavesdrop" on their conversations about the Lord--which is exactly what they hoped would happen.

Out of their prayer and discussion, some specific ideas came up for how Marco and William could spread the gospel to their fellow inmates. Marco has been entrusted with some responsibilities at the jail. That in itself is a great privilege. The plan is for Dave and I to, at some point, meet with Marco, William and other inmates at MCF to talk about their outreach ideas.

Praise God for these inmates that want to be used by the Lord while they're in jail! Pray that the Lord would guide and direct us as we discuss outreach plans. Pray for open hearts among the inmates.

When I was at MCJ the other day, I seemed to sense the Lord saying, "Empty this place." What I got out of that "impression" was that God wanted all these men and women saved and their lives so transformed that the jail would be empty. Wouldn't it be great if there was no longer a need for a jail? Wouldn't it be awesome if the Holy Spirit fell upon the jail and revival broke out? My Bible reads that God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9).

"Let it come, Lord! Send a great revival among the inmates in Rochester. Let them all turn to You. And send them out onto the streets of Rochester--not as repeat offenders, but as transformed people, empowered by the Holy Spirit to bring the gospel to the city!"

A Divine Wrong Turn

2005-09-03T15:59:00.000-04:00

I was on my way to visit a "youth" section of the jail--that is, 16 to 19-year-olds. I somehow made a wrong turn and ended up in an adult section. Before I could turn around and leave, a number of guys asked for Bibles, devotionals, magazines and other materials.

When that sort of died down, I again turned to leave when I saw a young man walk toward me. I thought he looked familiar, so I decided to stay and talk to him. I hadn't met him before, but I soon discovered that this was another divine appointment.

"Bill" was a brand new believer. He had just gotten saved a week ago, and was starting to read the Bible for the first time in his life. Like the majority of men in the jail, he was in for a drug-related crime. "My dad died just two years ago. He was heavy into all kinds of drugs. I don't want to end up like him," he told me. "I need prayer to stay off drugs."

We talked for a while and I asked him about his experiences since being in jail. "I started hanging out with the wrong crowd. All they talked about was doing drugs when they got out of jail. Once, I was sitting in a circle of guys. As they were talking about using drugs and other bad stuff, their faces began to contort right in front of my eyes! It scared the **** out of me. I couldn't sleep that night. In my cell, I tried to read the Bible, but the words were blurry; I couldn't focus. But I could read other books without any problems. One other time, I was sitting in my cell with a pen in my hand. All of a sudden, my hand began to write, 'You're only fooling yourself.' It wasn't even my handwriting! Do you think I'm crazy? Am I losing it?"

"Can I pray for you?" I asked. "Yeah, go ahead." As I did, he said he felt as if there was something in him that didn't want to let go. "The enemy has a foothold in your life," I told him. "The only way that the devil can have an influence on us is if we allow him to through our sin. All we have to do to close the door on the devil is confess our sin to God. He forgives us and cleanses us from all unrighteousness. Is there sin you need to confess?" He shared a list of things that came to his mind. "Are you sorry for those things?"

"Yes, I am."

"Great, just confess each one to God and ask for His forgiveness."

Bill did so--sincerely, from his heart. I assured him that he was forgiven (1 John 1:9) and prayed for him again. Afterward, he said, "I felt like crying when you were praying and I don't know why. All I know is I felt peace." "I believe you were sensing God's presence upon you, Bill," I told him. "That happens to me sometimes when I'm at church. Have you ever been to church?" "No, I haven't," he said. "You're going to love it!" I invited him to the church I'm a part of.

Pray that Bill gets grounded in the Word, and that he finds a good church to get connected to when he gets out of jail soon. Pray that he stays off drugs and finds true freedom, hope, joy and life in Jesus.

Let's get this party started!

2005-09-02T10:00:00.000-04:00

Dante has a Catholic background but had fallen hard away from the Lord. Since he walked away from his faith, he has been alienated from his Catholic family.

Last night, the Lord made a breakthrough in Dante's life and he wanted to now have Jesus be in control of his life. He told my friend Dave: "I have walked away (from the Lord) and it has not worked. It is time now for me at this already age of 35 to get right with the Lord and let him control my life." Praise the Lord! Dante rededicated his life to the Lord.

Were you wondering what all the hoopla in heaven was about last night? It was about Dante! What do I mean? Jesus was talking to a mixed group of religious hypocrites and seeking sinners one day. He told them, "There is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents" (Luke 15:10) and furthermore, "there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent" (Luke 15:7, emphasis mine).

There's a party, a celebration, music, dancing, rejoicing in heaven because one person turns from his sin and turns to Christ! Sometimes I forget that. Sometimes I think it's all about the numbers--the masses--getting saved. Don't get me wrong: I want the masses saved. I pray for the salvation of every person who visits Rochester Vineyard Christian Church, of every person who lives in the Corn Hill neighborhood (where the church meets), and of every person in the city of Rochester. Jesus came so that the whole world might be saved.

But God is also interested in the individual. Yes, even you who are reading this right now because a friend told you to check it out! God throws a party for the sake of one person. Have you fallen away from God? Have you lost your way? Did you turn left when you should have turned right? Is your faith shipwrecked? Run out of gas? Lost the desire? God is right where you are, calling your name, beckoning you to repent of your sin and turn to Him. He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love.

A couple of days ago, I lost my wallet. I was sitting at my computer and suddenly realized my wallet was not in my back pocket. Let me tell you, I absolutely flipped out! I tried retracing my steps in my mind, thinking of all the places I had been that morning. I searched every corner of my car three times. I went through my jacket pockets several times. I turned my desk upside down. I called Starbucks and asked if anybody had turned in a wallet. I went down there, myself, to see if it was lying somewhere. I made a thorough search of my wife's car since I had driven that earlier.

I wasn't having a stellar day in the first place, and this event sent me reeling. I screamed out to God, "You have to tell me where my wallet is! I cannot deal with this, Lord! I don't have the energy to replace all the things that were in there and make all the phone calls to cancel this and that credit card!" I wasn't going to let God go on this one.

When I got home, I didn't want to talk to anyone about any subject except my wallet. I can't remember when I've been so focused about anything. I was mildly--OK, maybe not so mild--rude to my family. "Isaiah (my 2 1/2-year-old), have you seen Daddy's wallet!" "Your wawwet?" "Yes, my wawwet; have you seen it?" "It's over there," he said pointing to his room. Well, I didn't really believe him, but I figured, what can it hurt to look? Meanwhile, Hayley my 5-year-old has somewhat joined the search.

After a few minutes of searching the floor of my son's room, I found it under his pajamas! I let out a loud "Thank You, Jesus!" Hayley says, "Daddy, we have to give God the glory!" So we started dancing around and singing.

Following this incident, I was reminded of all of Jesus' parables about something (or someone) lost being found. I think God was giving me a picture of how He feels about lost people. He is focused. He is on a mission. He is determined to bring His lost ones back to Himself. And He celebrates when they return.

Are you lost? Come (back) to Jesus! Are you found? Get out there and join God's mission to seek and save that which was lost! Let's instigate heavenly parties!

10-year-old Jailbird for Jesus

2005-09-01T22:40:00.000-04:00

I found this blog post about the boy who was arrested for attempting to give Terri Shiavo some water. On the post there's a link to the letter of apology he had to write. I was really impressed and inspired by the simple faith and clarity of this child, demonstrated by what he wrote.

The Truth Will Set You Free

2005-08-25T15:41:00.000-04:00

After giving out a number of Bibles, Bible study lessons and "Daily Bread" devotionals, I sat down with a couple of guys. I knew Reed from previous visits to the jail. Billy was new to me.

"Are you a pastor?" he asked me. I told him that I was. "How can I have peace about my upcoming trial? It's all I can think about. I go to the church services they hold here. I see other guys singing, clapping, speaking in tongues--I feel a little better when I'm there. But then I leave and continue to worry about my trial."

Billy told me that he had come back to the Lord within the last week. He had grown up going to church, but fell away. (By the way, the vast majority of inmates I meet have some church background.) I had no idea--and didn't ask--why he was in jail.

"Billy," I answered him, "if you want to have peace you need to be completely honest with your lawyer and with the judge. Tell the whole truth. Take responsibility for whatever it is you're responsible for." I went on to tell him about how I had hurt someone when I was 14 years old and lied about it to protect myself. "My relationships with people and with God suffered as a result of my covering it up," I explained. "I held onto this for eleven years."

I went on with my story: "Thirteen years ago, I was hanging out with a handful of Christian guys. (This was soon after the Lord called me to be a pastor.) We were praying and sharing with each other what was going on in our lives. The Holy Spirit began to move in our little group, and one by one each guy began to confess sin to the whole group. There was a lot of heavy stuff shared. As I was sitting there, I felt the Lord's hand heavy upon me that I needed to share what had happened eleven years earlier. After I did so, I felt a huge release--like a weight I had been carrying was suddenly lifted. Not only did I confess it to those guys, but also to the people I had hurt and lied to." I explained to Billy that I no longer felt the devil's condemnation. I had finally been set free.

After listening to my story, Billy said, "As soon as you said that I needed to tell the truth, something pierced my heart. I knew that was right. I know that's what I need to do." He began to weep for the first time. "The devil is tormenting me; but I'm afraid to tell the truth. I'm afraid of the consequences, of spending a long time in prison."

"If you lie," I told him, "you may be free on the outside, but you'll be in prison on the inside. God is merciful, Billy. Tell the truth. You will experience His mercy."

"I know He's merciful; I believe that," Billy responded.

Reed and I looked at each other and said to Billy, almost simultaneously, "The truth will set you free."

Billy left soon after that. Pray for him. I can feel for him and the difficult situation he is in. Pray that the Holy Spirit continues to prick his conscience and that he finds freedom and peace with Christ by coming clean.

Back in Rochester

2005-08-23T20:00:00.000-04:00

We got back safely last week Tuesday about midnight. (I never know what day to call it when it's midnight...so how about we got back at 12:01 am Wednesday morning.) On Monday 8/8, we drove to Maryland to visit friends, got back Thursday afternoon, unpacked, did laundry, repacked, and flew to L.A. Friday morning.

The viewing for my grandfather was Friday afternoon. I wanted my kids (2 1/2 & 5) to go to the viewing for the experience. I had been talking to Hayley, my 5-year-old, about death, and I thought this was a good opportunity for her to see exactly what it means. At first, she didn't want to go in to see Granddaddy's body, but after everyone else went (including my son Isaiah), she decided to go through with it. They both did fine.

Saturday's funeral was a celebration of Granddaddy's life. I wore two hats: pallbearer and pastor. Granddaddy's pastor spoke encouraging words about his life of faith in Christ. I discovered more things for which to be proud of him. I was privileged to read Scripture and share personal reflections about him. My cousins' singing was full of the Spirit. There was hope and joy in the midst of sorrow and loss. My wife said it was the best funeral she had ever attended.

We enjoyed our time in California. We hadn't been back since Isaiah was a newborn. I was glad to reconnect with family members, and to (re)introduce Hayley and Isaiah to the Black side of their ancestry. (My kids are more familiar with my wife's family, all of whom are White.) Toward the end of our trip we saw some of her family, and I saw old friends. All in all a huge blessing. Maybe I'll throw in some specific highlights in future posts. Hope you all had a great couple of weeks.

Vacation and funeral

2005-08-11T14:57:00.000-04:00

Hey folks,

I'm mostly out of town and out of commission for a week or so. We had a vacation planned for this week, and last week I found out my 96-year-old grandfather went to be with the Lord. (Yes, thankfully he did know Jesus!) I will be participating in the funeral this Saturday in California.

Granddaddy was/is an inspiration to me. He was the son of a sharecropper who moved his family from Mississippi to California in the 1930's. As a Black man with a junior high education living before the Civil Rights era, he didn't use his "disadvantaged" position as an excuse for why he couldn't succeed. He worked hard to provide for his family and to give them a good standard of living. He raised his children to fear God, and was an example to many. I am proud to be a grandson of C T Andrews.

I mourn the loss of him and will miss him terribly. However, I do not "grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope" (1 Thessalonians 4:13). I am confident that because "Jesus died and rose again...God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him" (1 Thess. 4:14). I will see him again at the resurrection when the Lord will have transformed "our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body" (Philippians 3:21). Praise God!

"Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death, is your sting?

"The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.
But thanks be to God!
He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ"
(1 Corinthians 15:55-57; emphasis mine).

Spiritual Potpourri

2005-08-04T14:48:00.000-04:00

Dave had quite a variety of responses from the inmates to whom he talked last night:

"Muhammed"
Last week, Dave had been thrilled to share with Muhammed, a Muslim, about the Lord Jesus. The issue of "forgiveness of sin" really hit him. Dave had given Muhammed an assignment to find "forgiveness of sin" in Islam (the Koran), so the next time they met, he could show Dave where it is.

Last night, Dave met with Muhammed again. He had not been able to find any references to forgiveness of sin. Pray for Muhammed and his fellow Muslim inmates that the Lord Jesus would break through.

"Neal"
Neal outright did not want to receive the Lord as "he was making good progress with his life and God via AA." I believe AA can be used by God to help people, but AA can't save people; only Jesus can.

"Jason"
He definitely and sincerely confessed his sins, but did not think it necessary to receive Jesus into his life or make him Lord of his life.
The apostle Paul, however, said: "I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus" (Acts 20:21, emphasis mine.)

"James"
Received Jesus as Savior and Lord!

"Chuck"
After several years of lukewarm Christian faith as a teenager, he decided to rededicate his life to the Lord!

This is a good reminder to us of the truth of the parable of the sower (Matthew 13:1-8). Some people hear the Word (seed), but the enemy snatches it from their hearts. Some respond immediately with joy, but quickly fall away having no root. Others hear the Word, but are choked into unfruitfulness because of the cares of this world. But some hear the Word, take it to heart, and produce a bountiful harvest.

Pray that those who have responded to the gospel will bear fruit for the Kingdom of God.

Too sick to see the doctor

2005-08-03T21:27:00.000-04:00

"Rod" clearly understood the message of salvation that my friend, Dave, shared with him. In every point he agreed that what they discussed was totally correct and it all applied to him. When Dave asked him if he wanted to repent, receive the Lord, and to live his life for Jesus, Rod said "No, I want to wait until I am more right with God before I make that commitment."

That response is unfortunately all too common. It is the belief that says, "I have to work myself to God--at least halfway--and then Jesus can take me the rest of the way." This is so contrary to the gospel message and minimizes the magnitude of the death of the Son of God. It makes about as much sense as trying to heal yourself of terminal cancer before going to see the oncologist.

Jesus paid it all. There is nothing we can add to His death on the cross that will make us worthy of salvation. Jesus said, "'It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance'" (Luke 5:31-32). This radical statement flew right in the face of the religious leaders who were incredulous that He could accept the outcast of society. And it's good news for you and me. It means we don't have to get our act together before we approach God. God reached down to mankind while we were yet sinners.

He reached me almost 13 years ago. I had grown up in the church. I sang on the worship team. I knew all the right answers to the Sunday school questions. But I didn't even know that the weight of sin was on me. I didn't realize the depth of guilt. Until the Lord came and revealed Himself to me late one night as I lay in bed. My room was filled with the presence of God. I was undone by His holiness. I wept deeply over my sin. And in the midst of it all, God spoke, "This is why I sent My Son Jesus--to die for your sins." It was like I heard the gospel for the first time. It finally sank into my heart. I believe it! I believe it! I kept saying quietly to myself. I literally felt a heavy weight lift off my chest. I knew--really knew in my "knower"--my sins had been forgiven.

My life was radically and forever transformed that night...