June 2009

I am doing the right thing by trusting in the Lord, always looking to Him alone for my help, and resting in the truth of every one of His precious promises.

One of my very favorite verses in the Old Testament is Nahum 1:7, which says, "The Lord is good, a strong hold in the day of trouble; and He knows them that trust in Him." And where the word 'know' appears, I believe it refers to those who know the Creator in an intimate way. It's more than merely knowing about God; it's knowing Him personally.

Furthermore, the Lord Jesus said that His disciples are to always be of "good cheer" because He has already overcome the world (John 16:33). Therefore, I have peace in the midst of prison. If Christ is with me, who can be against me? Who can accuse those who, by the grace of God, have already been justified by Him? Thus, I testify today, that a loving and merciful God has been faithful to keep me alive for 56 years. I don't deserve this, but I am thankful.

D.B.

Her story has been making news around the world. Susan Boyle always wanted to be a professional singer. She is not outwardly beautiful. Some in the media describe her as "dumpy." Susan is 47 years old, matronly looking, with frizzled hair. She walks with a slight limp. As a child, said one report, she was bullied by other kids because of her looks.

Ms. Boyle made her debut on a program called Britain's Got Talent, which is their version of American Idol. Her singing voice stunned both the judges and the audience. She sounded like an angel. The audience went from laughing at her appearance to applauding wildly when she was done. Many in the crowd were in tears.

In a moment's time Susan Boyle went from obscurity to instant stardom. Now she's famous, at least for a little while. But then, a short while later, in another singing contest, Susan only achieved a humble second place. She was devastated. It was reported that Ms. Boyle had some kind of emotional breakdown as a result, and had to be hospitalized. Although, thankfully, it appears she'll be okay.

I feel sorry for Susan, and I've been praying for her. She seems to be a nice person who, according to various news articles, likes to involve herself in volunteer work. It was reported too, that she visits the elderly and goes into hospitals. However, if I could give an observation, it is this: When the world, to include the general public, the media, and the entertainment industry are done using Susan, they will dump her. This is because, in their eyes, she's only a big show. Susan Boyle has become an overnight sensation and an idol. But idols come, and they go.

According to THE AMERICAN HERITAGE DICTIONARY, idolatry involves the worship of idols and blind admiration of or devotion to something or someone. America, I believe, has become and adulterous nation. We have insatiable adoration for stars and celebrities in every realm of life: sports, religion, politics and Hollywood. We've become a nation of people worshipers.

They're our entertainers. They perform for us. We in turn applaud them. We adore them. We pay them, sometimes, and we follow them. We watch their lives closely through the lens of photographers. Though, over time, we become bored with many of them. These become the fallen stars and forgotten flops. And those who burn out along the way are also forgotten. While still others, the ones who die unexpectedly like the Elvis Presley's of the world, leave us to weep over their coffins as they go to their respective graves with much fanfare and song. Yet they were idolized, nonetheless. But, like the Law of Gravity, what goes up must come down. Every idol, therefore, will come down. And, I tell you today, there are no exceptions.

While I myself have no interest in programs like American Idol or in the many gossip periodicals which abound, I do pray that Ms. Boyle finds the peace and happiness she so obviously longs for. Most of all, if she has not already done so, I pray she accepts Jesus Christ as her Savior and Lord. Then she could sing for Him. Besides, the Lord is not like the world. He will never become bored with Susan Boyle, nor will He reject her, because the Lord is not like the world with its fickle "Here today, gone tomorrow" kind of love. Christ's love is genuine. It's a love that will last forever.

D.B.

This entry is something of a follow-up to yesterday's entry in which I wrote about singer and second place American Idol contestant, Susan Boyle. A friend had asked me what I thought about her. I then wrote about society's cruel competitiveness, how it can sometimes cause a person to experience anguish, and even lead to an emotional breakdown. In a roundabout way, the situation with Ms. Boyle made me think of Christ's calling upon the life of a Christian. That, according to the Bible, I am to be His ambassador. So is every child of God.

The Lord told the church to be the salt and the light of the earth. In other words, we're to season the world with Christ's compassion as we demonstrate His love and mercy. And we are to illuminate minds by sharing the truth of the gospel, that salvation and forgiveness is to be found in Christ alone. This is an awesome responsibility.

As I have written many times in my journal, all that the world will ever see or know about the Lord Jesus will be through the lives of those who profess to believe in Him. Either we will succeed in making Christ's message attractive so that people will be drawn to Him, or we will live our lives in such a way as to make Christ distasteful, and our testimony to be false. The souls of multitudes hang in the balance.

As it says in one portion of Scripture, "Wherefore seeing we also are compassed (surrounded and encircled) about with so great a cloud of witnesses," we are to run the race with patience, and we're to turn away from sin (Hebrews 12:1). I have read several different commentaries about this passage, each giving a slightly different but reasonable view. However, the fact is, we are indeed surrounded by many witnesses. In other words, people are watching our every move. As Christians our lives are like an open book for the entire world to read. Believe me, I know that individuals from both the church and the world are watching me closely to see if I am a hypocrite, or if I'm for real. They want to know if I really practice what I preach.

How important it is, therefore, for me to be a good representative for Jesus? Because how I live may determine if those who might be curious as to whether or not Jesus is who He says He is, will eventually come to Him for salvation, just as I have. Yes, I am responsible to demonstrate the reality of the Lord's power to change a life and to give a person hope.

This Scripture from Hebrews convinced me. I do not want to fail at being a faithful witness. Unfortunately, however, many times I do fail. And this brings me to another thought - the goodness of God. For in spite of my failings, stumblings and sins, God has been patient with me. How humbling! I know that, without the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, and the empowering He gives to every Christian to live a godly life, the mandate to be a good ambassador would be impossible. I need God's help every second of each day.

And this brings me to the unfortunate Susan Boyle. There are myriads like her who hope to find happiness and success, and there is nothing wrong with this. But they end up experiencing rejection and despair. We Christians, then, must gladly and valiantly hold out the words of Life because people like Susan need Jesus. And He is depending upon us to be good and genuine witnesses to his greatness, not only by what we say, but also by how we live. After all, this is what an ambassador does. He represents his nation. We represent the kingdom of heaven.

D.B.

Yesterday I wrote a letter to a friend who told me about a good friend of her and her husband's who has recently been diagnosed with inoperable cancer. A large tumor was discovered between his lungs and he was given three to six months to live. She asked me for a Scripture to give him. What came to mind was the above verse from the twenty-sixth chapter of the book of Isaiah. I also advised her to make sure her friend truly knows the Lord Jesus, and is "saved." I told her, too, that I often use this verse to encourage my fellow prisoners, and I get encouragement from it, as well. God's word is like a medicine for the soul.

And, in her letter, she also told me about a neighbor who has diabetes. She's already lost most of her sight as a result of this disease, plus most of her toes on both feet. Yet the Bible can be a balm that brings healing and hope through its divinely inspired and God-breathed words.

So as I thought about these two individuals with their dire health issues, I reminded myself to be thankful. Because, for those of us who enjoy good health, we should be glad to have been spared such pain and suffering, at least for now. For good health won't last forever. But if we have it, we should be grateful for it. We should thank the Lord.

D.B.

I thank the Lord for allowing me to be a part of a prison church where the congregation is regularly being instructed and encouraged to look out for each other. We're learning to be ever watchful because we don't want to see any of us, most of whom are new believers in Christ, wander back into the world. We do not want anyone to fall into the arms of a hungry wolf.

New Christians generally lack spiritual maturity. They're yet to become deeply rooted in a working knowledge of the Bible and in sound doctrine. Thus they are easy prey for a host of wolves, of which there are many. In here we have aggressive Jehovah's Witnesses, followers of the Nation of Islam and other religious groups, and even street gangs. They're like sharks in the water who are always on the prowl for a stray soul to devour.

Tellingly, we're not immune from having some of our members being unwittingly entangled by false teachers, or from getting involved in other dangerous areas where their faith will be challenged, and where they could be caused to doubt their beliefs, or when it comes to a gang, to be tempted to participate in unlawful activities. Correctional facilities can be deadly mine fields for the unalert and unwary.

Therefore, as an elder in my congregation who's been serving the Lord for more than twenty years, along with my fellow elders, we try our best to stay vigilant. We're protective of the flock. And it is a big responsibility as well as a daily challenge to watch for those who would lure away our young and harm them. It is nothing to take lightly, especially in an environment where spiritual predators abound.

Frankly, the elders do as much rescuing as we do witnessing. We need a lot of prayer, too.

D.B.

Both history as well as current events show us that the true church, which is composed of all born again believers in Jesus Christ, flourishes in times of persecution and hardship, but usually becomes weak, lazy and careless during periods of prosperity and ease.

Earlier this evening, during a service in the chapel which was conducted by a small Hispanic ministry group from the Bronx, I was asked by their leader to say a few words to the congregation. So I spoke about a news report I had heard this morning on National Public Radio (NPR) about the deaths of three German women who had been kidnapped while on a mission trip to the country of Yemen. According to the NPR report, they were part of a nine member missionary team who belonged to a Baptist church in Germany. They had traveled to Yemen, an almost exclusively Muslim nation, to open and operate a small medical hospital in a remote part of the country. They had hoped to provide medical care while demonstrating the love of God to a people who are economically poor, and who get almost no medical care of any kind. For this they paid with their precious lives.

According to the news report, members possibly affiliated with Al Qaeda or another Jihadist-type group who are opposed to Christianity, may have killed the women. I then went on to say, that for now, at least, such open persecution hasn't happened in the United States of America. However, I added, this may change one day. But whether we have open persecution against the church, or if it be the more frequent "hidden behind the scenes" kind, as it is today, we must remain strong in our faith. I told the congregation that we're to love our enemies and to pray for those who, in ignorance, come against us. I said, as well, that as believers in Christ, we should always be ready to suffer persecution. And, if it so happens, we should be prepared to die.

D.B.

I was asked by a friend, Reverend Don DeYoung, who is a pastor of a church and is also active in prison ministry, to write a message of encouragement to inmates in the state of Michigan. Therefore, anyone who is now reading this short inspirational message is welcome to print it, share it, and pass it on.

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Don't Give Up!

Therefore, if any man be in Christ,
he is a new creature: old things are
passed away; behold, all things
are become new.

II Corinthians 5:17

To you who are incarcerated, and to anyone who is reading this message, I greet you in Jesus' wonderful name. Thank you for the opportunity to give a shout out for the Lord. Like you, I am in prison. I've been locked up for 32 years. It hasn't been an easy road, not even as a Christian. I've been a believer in Christ for twenty-two years. And while I have my day-to-day challenges, facing these giants with Jesus on my side assures me the victory. For as the Bible boldly proclaims, I am "more than a conqueror" through Jesus Christ who loves me (Romans 8:37).

In fact, after all these years, I am now beginning to better comprehend the truth of this Scripture verse. As it is one thing to simply quote a particular passage from the Bible, but it is something altogether different when a man believes it without any doubt.

And with this said, I want to encourage you to keep your eyes on Jesus. In my years of imprisonment I have seen both the good and the bad. I've witnessed lots of evil. It's all around me. But I have also seen God doing many good and amazing things in the lives of my brothers in Christ, many of whom are "lifers."

I am seeing that nothing it too hard for the Lord (Jeremiah 32:27). Furthermore, where sin abounds (as it most surely does behind the walls), grace abounds all the more. As it says in one translation, "Where sin fills up, grace overflows the more (Romans 5:20, The Berkeley Version)." So no matter what you're facing right now, God loves you. He will never stop loving you. And He is with you even when you don't feel Him.

Friends, I can say from experience, that we who are locked up have to deal with levels of hurt, pain and disappointment that, unless someone has done prison time, he won't understand it. He cannot relate to some of the things you're going through. Truly there are days when I have a deep anguish and an inner pain that is so acute, I cannot put it into words. You know what I'm talking about - feelings of guilt as well as crushing loneliness, thoughts of being a failure in the eyes of my family, as well as in the eyes of society, then comes the depression and despair because I miss my loved ones. The list goes on.

For those of you who have children, it's even harder. It hurts knowing your children are growing up without you, and that you cannot be with them. And some of you have lost custody of your kids. You don't even know where they are, or if, after a number of years, they will even remember you. And this tremendous sense of grief and loss is made even worse because, as men who have broken the law, we know that all our pain is self-inflicted. We didn't have to come here.

Yet through faith in Jesus Christ we can overcome all these negative things. We can be free of condemnation, and by His grace and the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit, we can, even now, be living in the "newness of life."

Yes, Jesus can make our lives brand new, if we will allow Him to. From the moment we repent of our sins and placed our faith in Him, this process has already begun. But now we are to walk in this freedom and liberty.

Of course these changes may be subtle, at first. But they are real, nonetheless. God can turn things around. So keep your hope in the Lord. Trust in Him even when fierce personal storms come your way. For I know the Lord will give you the strength to endure.

Brothers, you're in my prayers. Jesus is with us. He is close to the brokenhearted. He hears your cries, and the Lord will not reject you. Therefore do not despair. Don't give up! As it says in Psalm 62:5, "My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from Him."

God bless you

Your brother in Hope,
David Berkowitz

God's radiance forever shines, and it is a million times brighter than the sun. And, today, the Lord shined in many hearts. It happened right in the prison's chapel area. Lives were touched. Men were encouraged by the Word of God, and the Lord once again affirmed His love for those who are incarcerated.

Today we had what was called a "retreat." I don't know why it is called such. I guess because men have the need to put a name or title to everything. Plain and simple, however, we had a special once per year gathering in which eight volunteer lay ministers from the outside came to fellowship with about forty-two inmates. We all sang, prayed, read our Bibles, sang and prayed some more, and listened to our guests (whom we consider to be our extended church family) as they took their turns giving testimonies and expounding on the Scriptures. My chaplain was also present.

We had special plaques made for the volunteers. These were nicely done inside the prison's Building Maintenance shop. It was our way of showing love and gratitude for all the time, effort and expense these ministers give to us. Some of them have been coming to this facility for twenty years. They get no compensation, but for each of them it is a labor of love.

The retreat went from 12:45 to 7 P.M. It would've gone to eight o'clock, but our guests had to get back to their respective homes and families. While at approximately five o'clock we were able to gather for a nice meal. Afterwards I stayed in the chapel for another hour as part of an eight man work crew. We had to clean up and also' put away the extra chairs and tables, and then prepare the chapel for tomorrow's worship service. I left the building feeling physically tired but spiritually refreshed. Indeed it was a day for God to shine, and He did.

D.B.

Few prisoners were fortunate to have had good, loving and caring fathers while they were growing up. I was one of the fortunate ones, however. My Dad was a good man. While he wasn't perfect - no parent is - he tried his best to raise me. And as I listened to many of my peers who were in attendance for the service on this Father's Day, I was able to hear a wide range of comments that these men had to say about their dads.

The chaplain, shortly before he was to begin his sermon, asked if any of us would like to stand up by our seats to briefly share something about our fathers. So, one by one, those who wished to do so, took a turn and spoke. As expected, most were sad tales about fathers who failed. I heard stories of dads who were drunkards or drug addicts, while others told of fathers who were aloof or absent. A few of the men said their dads were child beaters. They used the buttocks of their boys as a punching bag. Unable to deal with their anger and despair, they apparently took out their frustrations on defenseless kids.

Still, others spoke of dad they never knew. Some because their dads were emotionally distant, while others spoke of fathers they never knew because their mothers confessed to not knowing who the father was. They had too many boyfriends to know for sure which one was the dad. And a couple of the men told of fathers who fled before they were born. Running from the responsibility of having to raise a child, they chose to disappear. They were never to be heard from again. My chaplain referred to these fathers as "Missing in Action."

Missing in action is a good way to describe it. Whether their respective fathers were emotionally distant or physically absent, the inner pain that each of these men had to experience while they were growing up is the same. For whatever reasons, a father was not there for his son. He was unable to nurture his boy. He was a bad example as a parent. However, the sad irony is that, today, in this prison's chapel sat men who behaved in the same bad way their fathers did. Apparently they followed in the footsteps of their dads. Now their children are growing up with absent fathers. Obviously, then, absent fathers produce absent fathers. Life indeed goes in a full circle where all parties make the same mistakes over and over.

How unfortunate is it, therefore, to find that boys who watched their fathers stick a needle into their arms for a heroin high, eventually become addicts themselves, causing their own kids to see what they had to see. Like a popular adage says, "Like father, like son."

Then, when it was Michael's turn to speak (*), he said that fathers are perhaps fast becoming an "endangered species." It startled me to have it put so bluntly. In a split second the truth of this profound statement resonated in my spirit. Are good fathers becoming harder to find? Is this true? Are devoted, child-nurturing fathers fast becoming extinct in America? Michael thinks so, and so did many of the men who immediately nodded in agreement with him.

But as my chaplain went into his sermon, he reminded us that there is hope. The story is not as bleak as it sounds, he said. Because, as we who are Christ's disciples continue to follow the Lord and obey His words, things can turn around. God's word, he said encouragingly, has the instructions we need to become better parents and better citizens. The holy Scriptures give good advice on how to overcome sin and how to make wise choices. We do not have to remain as criminals, the minister proclaimed. "Crime is a choice." Instead the Lord can teach us how to follow after righteousness and goodness, but not by our own strength or power. And it is not by positive thinking, either, he admonished. Rather it is only through the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit in the life of a Christian that makes this possible.I agree. Because many of these men have deep regret over how they treated their children and how that they, as fathers, were missing in action. But now they're doing what they can to raise their kids right. They really want to be the kind of dads God wants them to be. And it is not an easy task while a father must live behind the walls of a prison. But with Christ all things are possible.

D.B.

Both Jew and Gentile need to have the gospel explained to them clearly, simply, and through the unseen guidance of the Holy Spirit. For there is no other way for a person to be saved other than by personally receiving Jesus as their Lord and Savoir. There is no separate gospel for each group. In addition, the Lord loves both Jew and Gentile the same.

With this in mind, I believe the church needs to use every resource at our disposal to reach people with the good news. Recently, for example, I sent my elderly father a copy of a book by noted author and speaker, (Joel Rosenberg. It's a non-fiction book which deals with current events as they relate to Bible prophecy.

My prayer is that my Dad will read the book. At his age he could leave this world at any time. Therefore, I long for his eyes to be opened and for the mysterious veil of unbelief to be lifted from his heart so that he could understand the Scriptures and see the Bible as it really is - words of life and hope.

Likewise, I pray, too, that my father will place his trust in Yeshua (Jesus) the Messiah for salvation and for the forgiveness of sins. I want the same for everyone.

D.B.

God has been good to me. He has been faithful to answer my prayers, but of course only in His timing. For example, just last month I was reunited with a cousin whom I had not seen in more than thirty years. She and I were able to share the gift of forgiveness. Now God is doing a wonderful work of restoration between us.

And I believe, by faith, that my best days are still ahead for me. The Lord is not done using my life for His glory. And He gets the glory and honor for Himself whenever He does what seems to be impossible in the minds of men.

God is good all the time.

D.B.

I thank the Lord for the church He has planted behind the walls of the maximum security prison I live in. I can see, especially in this kind of environment, how the body of Christ (the church), with our regular fellowship gatherings, worship services, Bible studies and prayer meetings, all help to provide the much needed structure for lives that would otherwise be unmanageable.

The church, and our need for accountability with one another, helps to curb addictive behaviors and other self-destructive ways. I say this because many of those who are incarcerated often have difficulty mastering self-control and self-discipline. And this is why they sometimes get into trouble. This is both true on the outside where a man will break the laws of society, and it occurs as well on the inside where he would break the rules of the facility. Oftentimes various negative behavior patterns win out. But now that these men are in Christ and are attending church, slowly, but surely, their lives are changing for the better. Simply put, they're learning how to behave. And I can say the same for myself.

Of course these changes for the better do not happen overnight. There are slips and falls along the way. But, little by little, men like myself are learning the importance of obeying the rules, and how to do so, as well. And a big part of this is because, as a church family we hold each other accountable. By the grace of God we bear one another's burdens while making sincere efforts to keep each other in line. Indeed this involves being my brother's keeper by taking an active and caring role in his life. It also requires tough love, but it works!

D.B.