June 2011

Because I am older than most of my fellow prisoners, and because I'm an elder in the church, it is not unusual for the younger men to ask me questions about God, or to seek my advice about a certain matter. So it was of no surprise when a man in his 20s asked who God was to me. I gave him my answer, and it was Psalm 18:2.

I stressed that in these uncertain and troubled times I can count on the Lord to be my Rock. He is my foundation, I said to him, and my confidence is in God alone. I then went on to say that while everything in the world seems to have been built on shifting sand, the Lord and His word will always remain solid and sure.

And I went on to tell this young man that he can count on Christ just as I do to see him through the difficulties of incarceration, as well as any other challenging situations he may have to face in life. Then, with this said, he thanked me, abruptly turned, and quickly scuttled down the corridor enroute to his work assignment.

D.B.

Today the prison was visited by twenty saints. But they did not come from heaven. They came from Moorestown, New Jersey with gloves, bats and Bibles in tow. As they do each year, the Saints Prison Ministry came to Sullivan Correctional Facility to play softball, and to testify to all who would listen that Jesus Christ died for our sins, and was resurrected on the third day, according to the Scriptures.

I made it my business to go to the prison's large ball field this afternoon where we were allowed to freely mingle with these Christian civilians. I was able to meet and speak with many of them both before and after the game. The Saints softball team consisted of ordinary working class guys who have a desire to share the gospel with prisoners. For years they've been visiting different facilities in New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, where after having some fun with the inmates, also share their own personal stories of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ.

I listened intently as some of the Saints told of their own victories over alcohol and other drugs. How they were leading meaningless lives before becoming Christians themselves. It was inspiring to hear such simple testimonies of deliverance from sin. And as they do every year, the Saints won the game. They beat the inmates by the score of 18 to 6. But our ball players did the best they could, and we were rooting for them. It was fun to watch and to cheer on my fellow prisoners from the sidelines.

When the game was over the men from the Saints Prison Ministry set up their sound system in the middle of the yard, and everyone who wanted to could gather around as each visitor took his turn to talk to us about Christ. Many inmates heard the gospel.

Next they were headed to Eastern Correctional Facility in the town of Napanoch to play Eastern's softball team, and share the gospel with them, too. These guys devote much of their summers to come to places like Sullivan and Eastern. Only the love of Jesus could motivate ordinary citizens to do something like this. It was a great day. Lives were touched.

D.B.

There's a dear couple whom I have been corresponding with for a long time. They have a ministry working with teenagers. In a recent letter they confessed to feeling somewhat downcast as a result of various situations they're having to deal with. And when it comes to teenagers, one could only imagine the problems that can come up and the mischief these kids could get into.

So after a period of prayer, as I began to reply to their letter, I sensed the need to simply encourage them by reminding my friends of God's deep love for them. For I know firsthand from my own experiences how easy it is to at times lose sight of the Lord and what my service to Him is all about. I've been through many seasons of weariness and discouragement, and periods when I would feel utterly depleted of energy and strength.

I therefore wrote the following:

My heart goes out to you as you try to deal with the students
and teenagers whom you minister to. You expressed dismay
at their irresponsible behaviors and their low levels of spirituality.
Well, I pray that since you sat down to write me things have
gotten better.

I think we are living in a time when each generation seems
to be harder to reach, where morale values are not as apparent,
and so many teenagers are only interested in living for themselves
and their own self-fulfillment.

But may I remind you that the Lord has called you, and He is
always with you. His love for you is everlasting, and it is promised
in Hebrews 6:10 that God will never forget all you have done for Him
by serving and helping His children, even if His children do not
appreciate you, or do not fully understand your role in teaching
them His Word and planting the Word in their hearts.

Furthermore, many times we're so busy telling others about Christ's
love for them, and we try so hard to demonstrate the reality of His
love that we sometimes forget to remind ourselves that Jesus
loves us too. We forget that we must ourselves take time to rest in
His love, to bask in it and allow it to penetrate into the deepest
part of our soul.

I need to do this for myself, as well. In my busyness I sometimes
lose sight of the simplicity that is in Christ, and in the simplicity
of walking in God's love for me while at the same time allow the
Holy Spirit to refresh you. Don't forget that those who serve others
also need to be served...

D.B.

I decided to spend nearly the entire day in my cell. Normally I'd be going in and out of my cell all day long to do different things, including going to the recreation yard on Saturday mornings to walk with friends. Today, however, I wanted to catch up on my journal entries.

But I did leave my cell for about an hour this afternoon to wash a pair of pants in the utility sink. I also wanted to get to a telephone to wish my dad a happy Father's day. Although the holiday is not until tomorrow, there are only two telephones in the cell block which have to be shared amongst 68 men. So there's never a guarantee that I could get to a phone on Sunday. Sometimes the waiting line is too long. Or, even if I managed to call him tomorrow, there's no assurance he'd be home. Therefore, in the uncertainty of the prison environment, one learns to take advantage of an opportunity when it presents itself.

Thus I took the opportunity to call my dad. I was able to wish him a happy Father's day, and we affirmed our love for each other, too. Otherwise I got a lot of writing done, and I feel good about this.

D.B.

What a joy it was when Bob Weston showed up in church this morning. A former musician who played professionally in bars, clubs and honkytonks in New York City and other places, and who presently lives on the island nation of Jamaica in the Caribbean, came to the prison to minister to us. Bob has been a Christian for at least three decades. He left the world of nightclubs and fast money to serve the Lord. He's a powerful preacher who functions mostly as an evangelist. He also helps to operate and oversee an orphanage in Jamaica.

Brother Bob, as we call him, is affiliated with the Howells Church in Howells, New York. This is a small town on the outskirts of the City of Middletown, and the church is pastored by Steve Offringa. Whenever Bob Weston comes to New York to garner support for his work at the orphanage the Howells Church becomes his base of operations. From here he'll visit a number of churches in this area. And for more than a decade now, brother Bob visits the church at Sullivan Correctional Facility, too.

And today was one of those special days, when, once a year, Bob Weston was here. My face lit up when he walked into the chapel. After dozens of handshakes and hugs, he took his usual seat behind our chapel's piano and began to belt out songs of praise to the Lord. Then he got up and moved behind the pulpit to begin his message. As has always been the case when Bob comes, the Lord had a fresh message for the men. And I was definitely hungry for a Word from heaven.

Brother Bob spoke to us about the importance of feeding our spirit with the Word of God and how this is needed to help keep one spiritually fit and healthy, and that a diet of worldly things will cause a Christian to become weak and sickly. Bob spoke for approximately 45 minutes. Therefore I cannot possibly cover all he talked about. Nevertheless it was an anointed and biblically sound message. He also inspired me to spend more time in the Scriptures, too.

It was hard to say goodbye when the service was over. Bob and I hugged and we bid each other farewell. I cannot wait until he's back in New York. His presence was a special treat for us on this Father's day.

D.B.