October 2010

They came to visit with us from a church in a nearby county. Twelve members of the Free Souls in Christ Ministry, all of whom are of Hispanic heritage, spend much of the day with us. From 12:45 in the afternoon until 8 o'clock at night, the men from the church here at the Sullivan Correctional Facility gathered in the chapel with our brothers and sisters from the outside to worship God together.

One guest brought his guitar while he and several of the ladies led us in singing. As if often the way it is with Hispanic music, it was very loud, lively and powerful. But I loved it.

Then, after what seemed like several hours of music and singing, the other guests from the group took their respective turns giving us exhortations and encouragement from the Scriptures. Lastly, their pastor, Tony Torres, gave the closing sermon.

At five o'clock we stopped for supper. I helped to serve everyone their food. It was refreshing to be able to eat our meal and freely mingle with everyone. And I've probably said this a thousand times, but God is not hindered by prison walls. Nothing is impossible with Him (Luke 1:37). So while men like me cannot get out to visit any churches, God simply brings the churches in here. How cool is this? It was a great day.

D.B.

Whatever God does, He does well. And whatever plans He has for each one of His children - those who've placed their faith in the Lord Jesus Christ - He will fulfill those plans for His good purposes, and for His glory.

And with this in mind, I am excited for the plans God has for me. Because, for a certainty, there are good things happening in my life right now. God is opening doors or opportunity for me to tell others what He has done in my life, and I am most grateful.

These days, among a number of related things, I am looking forward to reaching into northern Canada, and even into Alaska. I know in my heart that it is time for me to go forward and do what Christ has called me to do. Of course this will be in His strength, and not my own. For these things I need the power of the Lord and the unction of the Holy Spirit.

As with all of His children, He has called me to be salt and light. I need to be ready. I do not want to fail, and I won't fail because God is with me.

D.B.

While many may think me foolish for being devoted to the Lord Jesus Christ and giving much time and effort to doing the work of the Lord, I cannot think of a better or more meaningful purpose for living.

I know as well that in the process of time my love for the Lord has not diminished. Instead it has grown stronger. And I can say with certainty that God has been good to me. And He is good even when I go through various trials and troubles. The life of a Christian is by no means a walk in the clouds. Rather I must trek through the "valley of the shadow of death." But the best part is that the Lord is with me to guide and comfort me, and to provide companionship ( Psalm 23:4).

In fact, I am learning to rejoice in my seasons of difficulty and adversity because these things help to humble me, and to prevent pride from taking root. Such trials cause me to draw closer to the Savior, and there is no better place to be than in His presence.

D.B.

How can I describe the very precious and special privilege I was afforded today? I was in church for the entire morning, as is my custom on Sundays. This afternoon, however, was my time for washing clothes. So while I was in the process of wringing out a couple of shirts that I had just finished washing, and inmate by the name of Watson* came over to me and said that when I was finished, to please come to the telephone area. He was planning on calling his wife, and he wanted me to speak to her.

It was only several weeks ago that Mrs. Watson was on life support with only a slim chance to live, having gone through a difficult surgery to remove several cancerous tumors from her body. Everyone in my church had been praying for her. I myself sent her a get well card in which I wrote a short inspirational message in it. Mr. Watson had given me permission to do this, and the card has been sitting on a cabinet alongside her bed. Her husband, as expected, was having a difficult time with this, and with the possibility of losing his wife. But he and I often got to talk about it, and we prayed together as we both live in the same housing area.

Well, glory to God! Mrs. Watson pulled through. God got her off that death bed. And although she's still in the hospital for further treatments, and is still very weak, Mr. Watson has been able to call her. And he allowed me several minutes to speak with his wife.

What a sweet lady! I introduced myself and asked how she was doing. Her voice was very soft, and she sounded tired. But she knew that I've been praying for her, and she thanked me. Over the phone I read a Scripture to her. "Casting all your care upon the Lord, because He cares for you ( I Peter 5:7)." I told her it is one of my favorites and she expressed her appreciation. I then said goodbye and wished her well and handed the receiver back to her husband.

Later I thanked Mr. Watson for the opportunity and privilege of speaking to his wife. I felt blessed and happy that I was able to encourage someone in such a difficult situation. God is good!

D.B.

*Watson is not his real name.

I am continuing to earnestly pray for those living in the Canadian far north, especially for miners and their families, as well as for missionaries and ministers who are laboring for the Lord in this remote part of the world. And I am also praying for a generation of youth who may think they have no hope and are turning to drugs, alcohol, and even suicide to escape the emotional pain of a life without purpose. These are matters the Lord has placed on my heart and mind, and so pray I must.

And, along these lines I will often find myself thinking about those old time preachers from many years ago, when America was a young nation, and how they'd travel on horseback to preach the gospel. They would travel from town to town, always on the move.

Many of these traveling preachers lacked in the area of making disciples of new converts because they moved around often. After all, above all else they were evangelists first, and not necessarily teachers of Bible doctrine. Yet they were used by God to bring the knowledge of Jesus Christ to a lawless frontier. From the hills of Kentucky to the fields of Iowa, and from the wild gun battling towns in Kansas and Texas, roving preachers spread the good news of a better life through Christ.

I think this was something I would've loved to do. But for me it would mean heading into the Canadian north in search of souls.

D.B.

God has opened yet another door of opportunity for me to share with a group of college students what He has done in my life. It is an honor to represent the Lord Jesus Christ, and to humbly yet boldly go wherever He sends me.

Therefore, later this evening, I hope to tell my story at Montclair State University in New Jersey. It is nothing less than a miracle when one considers that I am presently confined to a maximum security prison in New York.

Once again, my friends who are members of the Change Collegian Network (CCN) have invited me to speak at a college. This is going to be done with the help of my friend, Dan, a retired high school teacher. Dan will read a message I prepared, and he will speak in my place.

Of course I would love to be there myself, but having Dan read the message is good enough. After all, the apostle Paul often wrote letters from prison that he'd send to various churches. And someone else had to read them to those congregations as Paul was confined. This worked for him, and it also works for me. Last year I did the same thing at Seton Hall College (see Updates, and scroll down past mid page.
God always makes a way!

D.B.

God has been extra good to me this past week. I just received a report on how the evangelistic event and outreach at Montclair State University went. It was held on October 25th in the evening. According to a friend who is on staff at Change Collegian Network (CCN), there were a total of approximately 75 people present, mostly students but some staff, too.

CCN's ministry team set up the auditorium with their sound equipment and other things that were needed. When the event began, several students who were Christians gave their testimonies of how they came to believe as they do. One student, however, was chosen to be the main speaker of the evening. He shared his story of how he left satanism and devil worship, and is now a Christian. The audience, I was told, was thoroughly engrossed by what he had to say.

In addition, my friend Dan, who's a retired high school teacher, spoke next. He spent about ten minutes giving the audience my background explaining how it came about that I ended up in prison and what I've been doing with my life now. He then read my prepared message to them. This was followed by the showing of the film, Son of Sam/Son of Hope. Then someone from CCN shared the gospel message, and anyone who wanted to receive Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord was invited to do so.

In addition to this, the members of CCN's team gave everyone present a copy of my testimony pamphlet titled, Son of Hope. Also, ten students who were selected in a random drawing, received a copy of my DVD, Son of Sam/Son of Hope (to watch, see Videos). While two others won the drawing for a copy of my book, Son of Hope. None of this was my idea. It was something CCN's team wanted to do.

In any event, the outreach went well. There were no problems. Every single person got to hear the gospel. Lives were touched, and some students got saved. Plus, according to my friend Tiffany, there were several Muslim students in attendance. This thrilled my heart because I have a deep love for Muslims, and I desire to see them get born again.

What a blessing to have been part of this even though I had to settle for a stand-in to speak in my behalf. The entire event was something only the Lord could have engineered.

D.B.