April 2008

Prison is a place where the atmosphere is frequently filled with shrill screams and loud curses. It's a place where violence could break out at any time, and where tension has taken up permanent residence. Prison is also a place of pain, mostly of the psychological kind. Despair, desperation, despondency, fear, hopelessness and powerlessness make their home inside the heart and mind of many an incarcerated man.

Of course I could focus on the negative aspects of this environment because they're real and tangible. However, according to what's written in the Bible, it is far better to think about those things that are good. As a Christian, I am not to focus on evil, even though I see a lot of it. I need not look to see what the devil is doing. Rather I'm to keep my eyes upon Jesus, the Author and Finisher of my faith. I must think upon what my Savior has done, and what He will do. Herein lies the victory over all dire circumstances and negativity.

The apostle Paul, in his Spirit-inspired letter to the church in the city of Philippi, instructs Christians to always focus on what is true, pure, lovely and beneficial. This is because God wants His children to have peace of mind and a soul that is at rest. And for peace of mind and comfort of heart to reign in a man who lives in a place like this, is a triumph indeed.

D.B.

We who belong to Christ have been given the Holy Spirit to indwell us. He is our Teacher, and our Comforter. However, in the Old Testament period, God's Spirit would sometimes make His presence known by manifesting Himself in the form of a cloud. It must have been an awesome sight to behold. The Israelites experienced the actual presence of God, and the tabernacle was the place where the Lord would meet with His people.

Yet now, in this present period of the Church age, God's tabernacle is within the individual bodies of "born again" Christians. Furthermore, while an actual cloud no longer forms when God's children gather to praise and worship Him, I do believe that He has ways to make His presence known. Like this morning, for example. As the choir was leading the congregation in songs of thanksgiving, the presence of the Almighty came upon us. Jesus was in the building!

I'm not a mystical person by any means. And this had nothing to do with bizarre manifestations. But something changed when the songs were being sung. I've no doubt about it. The glory was here. The Lord arrived with spiritual refreshment in His wings. The worship and praise rejuvenated me, and before I left the chapel I made a renewed commitment to serve the Savior.

D.B.

Today my thoughts went to Judas and his betrayal of the Lord Jesus. The "Son of Perdition," as he is referred to in the Scriptures, turned Christ over to the authorities for a fee. Thirty pieces of silver. Judas was always thinking about money. He was in it for himself. He got his silver, but he lost his soul. Yet in spite of everything, Scripture was fulfilled.

Satan comes, as he so often does, to place obstacles in our path in order to hinder our God-given ministries. But we need to rise up and go about our business. We must remain focused on our assigned tasks.

The Lord, of course, wasn't caught by surprise when Judas, along with a multitude of soldiers and high ranking religious rulers, came at night to arrest Him. Jesus wasn't shocked by this turn of events even though He knew the extent of the suffering that would shortly follow.

Moreover, what I saw from this is that, even in our difficulties, and when we find ourselves having to travel an arduous road, God has our steps perfectly ordered. Our lives have been perfectly planned.

D.B.

Yesterday I was summoned to the prison's ID office. I had to pose for an updated identification photo after my current ID card was misappropriated by someone while I was in the "West" recreation yard. It happened last week. And as is the procedure, when an inmate goes to one of the outdoor recreation areas, he's required to turn in his ID card to the officer who's stationed inside that particular area's main guard booth. This booth is a small shed-like structure, similar to a tiny bungalow. It has windows which overlook the entire yard. So from here a guard could see across the yard for any signs of trouble. Also, a part of his job is to hold all of the identification cards for the men who are in his sector. This helps the officer to keep track of which inmates are present at any given time. Then, when it's time for the yard to close, the officer must return each card to the one it belongs to.

Well, shortly before the yard was to close for the afternoon, when I went to retrieve my ID card, it could not be found. The guard on duty looked all over the booth for it, but the card had vanished. Hence I was required, in accordance with the rules, to report it missing, which I did.

Then, the following week, on April 22, after I took a new mugshot-type photo which was needed to obtain a replacement ID, the officer in the ID Office said I had to pay a five dollar fine. So I politely explained to him that this only applies when an inmate loses his card as a result of his own carelessness. Mine, I said, had disappeared while in the possession of the yard officer. But in a scolding tone of voice he insisted that I fill out what's called a "disbursement" form. It's a form which allows for five dollars to be deducted from my commissary account. The money then gets transferred into the prison's "general fund" for the facility's use.

Again, however, I attempted to explain to the ID officer that I did not lose my card. That, somehow, perhaps when the guard in the booth was distracted by something, another inmate saw my card and quickly reached in and grabbed it. Obviously to me, he was hoping to snatch a souvenir for himself, or maybe he'd send it to a friend to try and sell on eBay. It's happened before. Yet the ID officer refused to listen to me. Impatiently, he tossed the disbursement form in front of me and ordered me to sign it "now." I complied.

In this environment one has to choose his battles wisely. I could grieve this matter and make an official complaint. Plus I am definitely in the right because it was the officer's responsibility to secure the ID cards that were in his possession. But the yard was crowded. And there are also thieves in prison. There's also corruption. In here there's a saying that the guards are "always right" and the inmates are "always wrong." In other words, even when I'm right, I am wrong. So I was facing a losing situation. I therefore paid the five bucks for my replacement card. End of story!

D.B.

Today God used the above verse to help confirm to me that I made the right decision by not filing a complaint against the officer who pressured me into paying five dollars for an identification card which I did not lose. As I wrote yesterday, my ID card was obviously stolen by an apparent souvenir collector right under the nose of another officer who was responsible for safeguarding it. I could've made a fuss at being made to pay a fine, but I didn't. Thought its disappearance was clearly not my fault.

Nevertheless, through yesterday's experience I learned a good lesson not to waste my time and energy on trivial things. Instead I am to commit everything that happens in my life to the Lord knowing that He will ultimately bring good out of each situation. Furthermore, I am to always have forgiveness in my heart.

It is God's desire, according to Romans 12:18, that I try to "live at peace" with everyone. And if learning such an invaluable lesson cost me five dollars, then it was money well spent.

D.B.

I am starting to see more spiritual breakthroughs in this person. The place is as wild as ever. But, at the same time, the Holy Spirit is creating hunger in the hearts of some to know Jesus as their Savior. Just yesterday, for example, I was walking in the recreation yard with two men who live in E-North. I know both of them struggle with various mental health issues, which is why they are assigned to live at the E-North cell block. I was amazed, however, to find them asking many questions about the Lord.

Then, after awhile, one of the men left. So I was able to spend the next approximately thirty minutes with Alexander, the younger of the two. He and I sat on a bench alongside the running track while Alex told me a lot about himself. He's twenty-six years old, and he was 24 when he first came to prison. He has less than six months to serve on what I consider to be a very short sentence. And if not for Alex's mental health issues, he'd be in a medium security prison right now.

Alexander, as it so often happens, was hanging out with several companions when one of them suggested they try their hands at robbery. Then, almost immediately and collectively, a car full of boys thought of quick cash. But they lacked planning and sophistication. Thus their criminal act was more the result of impulse mixed with dunderheaded daring than anything else. Nevertheless a man was mugged and within fifteen minutes a weak-minded Alex was off to jail.

In addition, Alex also told me about an horrific car crash he'd been in before he got into trouble with the law. His life nearly ended when he was ejected from the vehicle. We discussed this at length, especially in light of eternity. And we talked about God giving us second chances. He wholeheartedly agreed.

Now, a couple of years later, Alexander was open to Christ. And I might have led him to the Lord right then, except for the fact that our yard period had come to an end. But he did promise to speak with me again. Meanwhile, I can only hope and pray that he'll be as open in the future as he was today.

D.B.

Today I'd been thinking about the times when the Lord asks us to step out in faith to do exploits in His name, which, by human standards, would seem to be impossible. Gideon, for instance, with only a band of 300 untrained men armed with nothing more than trumpets, and glass jars with candles inside them, went against and overcame an army of 120,000 enemy troops. What could've been a "suicide mission" was an easy victory because God was with Gideon.

Next I considered Joshua and the walls of the city of Jericho. A verse in the New Testament letter to the Hebrews says of this event: "By faith the wall of Jericho fell down, after they were compassed about seven days (Hebrews 11:30)." God had instructed Joshua and the men under his charge, which included seven priests, to blow their trumpets at prescribed intervals. These 'trumpets' were actually the horns of rams, more commonly known as shofars. And after the seventh encirclement of the city, with the priests blowing their horns and the rest of the Israelites shouting loudly, the walls fell with a roar. Such is the power of God.

And these are but two of many examples that can be found in the Bible to show us that nothing is too hard for the Lord. Therefore I can trust Him just like Gideon and Joshua did. I can step out in faith. Because when I do so, God will get the glory and I will be victorious.
Amen!

D.B.

God is teaching me to have patience while I wait for new opportunities to come my way for ministry. And as a hyperactive and highly driven "Type A" individual who finds it difficult to remain still for very long, patience has been a hard lesson to learn.

I'm thankful, however, that I have a patient Teacher. His name is the Holy Spirit. Amen!

D.B.

I do not know how much time I've left on this earth before Jesus calls me home. Nor do I know how much time remains for our nation to exist as it does today, because, as many Christians believe, the judgments of God are fast approaching. Likewise, people from all faiths and backgrounds are beginning to awaken to the reality that economic upheaval, social catastrophe, and political unrest may shortly be upon us. For they see that the foundations they've placed their trust in are starting to crumble, be they financial institutions, corporations, or the government.

And it's not that these institutions are evil; they're not! They are, however, merely inventions of men. Therefore they are subject to failure, corruption and decay. Eventually, as with everything man creates, it will all come to an end.

Furthermore, concerning these future upheavals, every level of society will be impacted and affected by these events. But many will turn to the Lord. These wise souls will choose repentance and eternal life over sin and everlasting damnation. Hope will win.

D.B.