<![CDATA[AriseandShine.org - August 2019]]>Thu, 16 Apr 2026 08:15:13 -0600Weebly<![CDATA[Words of Hope]]>Sat, 31 Aug 2019 06:00:00 GMThttps://www.ariseandshine.org/august-2019/words-of-hopeBlessed is the man that trusts in the
Lord, and whose hope the Lord is.
Jeremiah 17:7

People will sometimes ask me about my journal...
I first began to write what would eventually become this journal in 1998. It was at the behest of several friends who felt that my writings should be in some kind of structured format. This has since evolved into putting my writings online under the domain of Ariseandshine.org.

The benefit of keeping a journal is that I can look back over the years to see how much I have grown spiritually. It also helps me to better recall events in my life that, with the passing of time, I may have forgotten about.

I never anticipated that the journal would grow so large and be read by people from all walks of life. What began as a small thing, a man living in a prison cell with a simple electric typewriter, is now reaching hundreds, maybe thousands.

Frankly, keeping this journal is hard work. I would begin an entry by scribbling it on a sheet of lined paper, a pen in hand. Then I would begin to do rough drafts using my typewriter. I will do a particular entry over and over until I’m satisfied with it.

Once I’m satisfied with the entry, I will retype it on good quality paper. From here, I will make a copy of every page of entries for a particular month. I will send the originals to a friend who faithfully oversees AriseandShine.org, while I will retain a copy of each page for myself, and for the U.S. Copyright Office.

I have no Internet access. I don’t have a personal computer. Everything from start to finish is done the old-fashioned way.

I thank God for small beginnings.

D.B.
]]><![CDATA[No Devil?]]>Thu, 29 Aug 2019 06:00:00 GMThttps://www.ariseandshine.org/august-2019/no-devilPut on the whole armor of God, that you may
​be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
Ephesians 6:11

On occasion, I will receive a letter from someone who’s into satanism...
There are as many variations of satanism as there are denominations in Christianity. Some self-proclaimed satanists don’t even believe in the existence of a literal devil.

Such individuals claim to merely embrace the concepts that are found in “The Satanic Bible.” Strange, but true. It’s as if one claims to be a Christian, and reads the holy Bible regularly, yet doesn’t believe in God, or in Jesus Christ.

In satanism, concepts such as lust, greed, selfishness, and seeking one’s own gain at the expense of another, is encouraged. In satanism, it’s all about putting one’s self first. You are free to do whatsoever you please, even if it means taking advantage of someone.

Self-deception is a dreadful thing. I’ve been in this condition myself. It’s like being under a dark spell, and like being brainwashed.

Is there a real Devil? The Holy Bible declares there is. It states that Christ has come to “destroy the works of the devil” (1 John 3:8b).

D.B.
]]><![CDATA[God's Plan]]>Mon, 26 Aug 2019 06:00:00 GMThttps://www.ariseandshine.org/august-2019/gods-plan​Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old
​things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
2 Corinthians 5:17

As it has so often been the case, the entertainment and media industries continue to throw my crimes before the eyes of the public...
But all I can say is, “Thank you, Lord!” Not for all the stuff that gets featured on TV, which I never watch or bother with, but for how far God has brought me from those terrible days of “Son of Sam.”

I am confident, however, that my best days are yet to come. Whether or not I am ever released from prison, the fact is, God has a good plan for my life. He is using my story of redemption to touch, encourage, and inspire others, letting them know that no matter what they’ve done wrong in life, Christ wants to forgive them (see Tracey Anne Leeds' Testimony). This is what counts the most.  It’s not who I once was, but who I am today.

I desire to be a beacon of hope for those who are living in states of mental and spiritual darkness, who think life isn’t worth living. Oh, how wrong they are to believe such a cruel lie. Nothing is impossible for God (Luke 1:37). God’s mercy, and His unending love for human kind endures forever.
​
D.B.
]]><![CDATA[A Muslim Studies the Bible]]>Sun, 25 Aug 2019 06:00:00 GMThttps://www.ariseandshine.org/august-2019/a-muslim-studies-the-bibleThose of the Muslim faith outnumber the evangelical Christians here at Shawangunk...
However, the day before, I had an interesting conversation with an older gentleman who’s a Muslim. We spoke for more than an hour, and this was not the first time he and I talked. He’s been enrolled in a Bible study course, which he does by mail. So sometimes he’d come to me with questions about the Scriptures.

Recently, he completed a Bible study on the apostle Paul’s letter to the Galatian Church (the book of Galatians). He wanted to know my thoughts on the Old Testament’s focus on the law, versus the New Testament’s focus on grace. This man has already received more than a dozen certificates for completing various Bible studies, and he reads from the Bible every day.

I’m amazed that here is a Muslim who probably knows more about the Holy Bible than do many Christians. Please join me in prayer that Mr. Coleman’s heart will be open to one day receiving Jesus Christ as his Savior and Lord.

D.B.

NOTE: Mr. Coleman is not his real name (God knows his name).
]]><![CDATA[Grateful]]>Sat, 24 Aug 2019 06:00:00 GMThttps://www.ariseandshine.org/august-2019/gratefulIn every thing give thanks: for this is the
will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
1 Thessalonians 5:18

God will oftentimes use various means and ways to keep me encouraged in my faith...
One of which is through correspondence. I have received a modest number of friendly and kind letters from strangers who have come across my story of redemption and hope.

This week, for example, letters came from Iowa, Montana, California, and even from Hawaii and Germany. Other places, too. How grateful I am for their comments and words of inspiration and encouragement.

Indeed, I am grateful for the opportunities the Lord gives me to tell others of His mercy and goodness. In a world of trouble, turmoil and pain, Christ remains the solid Rock. Strong, compassionate, and unmovable, He is the anchor of my soul (Hebrews 6:19).

D.B.
]]><![CDATA[Forgiveness]]>Sun, 18 Aug 2019 06:00:00 GMThttps://www.ariseandshine.org/august-2019/forgivenessBlessed is he whose transgression
is forgiven, whose sin is covered.
Psalm 32:1

It’s been said that no one appreciates forgiveness more than the one who has been forgiven...
Likewise, no one appreciates freedom more than the one who’s been set free. Early this morning, during my time of quietness, I was pondering these truths. Forgiveness and freedom go hand-in-hand.

When God grants forgiveness to the transgressor, this is a monumental and majestic event. It’s nothing to take lightly. While God’s gift of forgiveness may not alleviate the consequences of sins and transgressions, it still allows that individual to stand before a holy God, clean and justified.

To experience freedom from the guilt of one’s sins is a blessing. “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed” (John 8:36).

D.B.
]]><![CDATA[Thanks for Praying]]>Fri, 16 Aug 2019 06:00:00 GMThttps://www.ariseandshine.org/august-2019/thanks-for-prayingI wish to thank everyone who has been praying for me, especially as I face yet another media situation...
It’s nothing I haven’t been through before, but it’s still stressful. Yet I have peace about it, as well. I know the Lord is with me, and every challenge and difficulty ultimately serves to make my faith stronger.

As it has so often been said, a Christian is either going through a difficult storm of some kind, he is just coming out of one, or he’s getting ready to face yet another one.

I know from personal experience that such events seem to come one after another, with only brief respites in between. But knowing the Lord has a good purpose behind everything His children encounter in life, helps give me the strength to go on.

​D.B. 
]]><![CDATA[Beautiful Ruth]]>Sat, 10 Aug 2019 06:00:00 GMThttps://www.ariseandshine.org/august-2019/beautiful-ruthThe Lord recompense thy work, and a full reward
be given thee of the Lord God of Israel, under
​whose wings thou has come to trust.
Ruth 2:12

Ruth is one of my favorite characters in the Bible...
She was a Moabite, a Gentile, but a famine in the land of Israel brought a woman by the name of Naomi, along with her husband, Elimelech, and their sons, Mahlon and Kilion, to the land of Moab in order to find food, and thereby survive.

Once they reached Moab, Elimelech’s family settled down. Here they met Ruth, who ended up marrying one of their sons. While her sister, Orpah, married the other son, But life is never simple. Tragedy was looming.

After a time, Naomi’s husband would die leaving her a widow, and to make matters worse, both Mahlon and Kilion passed away as well, both at a young age. Now all three women lost their spouses.

A while later, however, Naomi received word that the famine which struck Israel was over. Hearing the news, Naomi decided it was time to return to her hometown, which was Bethlehem. She then urged her daughters-in-law to return to their family as Naomi prepared to return to hers. So Orpah kissed Naomi goodbye and left, but Ruth was having none of this.

Notwithstanding Naomi’s pleas, Ruth made up her mind to venture to Bethlehem with her mother-in-law. This was no small decision. It would be life-changing for Ruth. Yet, with her mind made up, and a heart devoted to Naomi and her God, Ruth said some of the most beautiful words ever to be recorded in the Scriptures. “Wherever you go, so will I. Your people will become my people, and your God will be my God. And where you die, I will be buried alongside you” (Ruth 1:16-17).

By faith, Ruth left her homeland behind. Yet she surely must have wondered what was ahead. Poverty and loneliness? Would Naomi’s family and community reject her, being she was a foreigner and a Gentile? Ruth was someone who clearly stepped out of her comfort zone.

As the story goes, however, Ruth ended up meeting a wealthy landowner by the name of Boaz. It was a relationship that seemed planned in heaven. They married, and they had a son whom they named Obed.

Obed later had a son, whom he and his wife named, Jesse. Jesse then became the father of the one who was to become king. His name was David. Thus, Ruth became part of the royal lineage that would eventually lead to the birth of Israel’s Messiah, Jesus. God loves happy endings.

D.B.
]]><![CDATA[A World Gone Mad]]>Tue, 06 Aug 2019 06:00:00 GMThttps://www.ariseandshine.org/august-2019/a-world-gone-madWhich hope we have as an anchor of
​the soul, both sure and steadfast...
Hebrews 6:19

What would I do without Jesus?
What would my life be like today if I did not have Him as my Savior and Lord? When I look at the world and follow the news, and if I did not have Christ in my heart, I’d be filled with despair and a deep sense of hopelessness.

But Christ himself is the Anchor of my soul. He is the rock of my salvation (Psalm 18:1-2). Through Him, I have an inner peace which surpasses all human comprehension. Such a peace is needed in order to survive mentally in a world gone mad.

D.B.
]]><![CDATA[Casting Crowns]]>Sun, 04 Aug 2019 06:00:00 GMThttps://www.ariseandshine.org/august-2019/casting-crownsAnd they cast their crowns
​before the throne...
Revelation 4:10

I continue to receive encouraging comments and good responses to my testimony...
Oftentimes, it comes from unexpected places. While it is, in a sense, my story of forgiveness, redemption, and hope, it’s really Christ’s story of what He has done in my life.

In the New Testament’s book of the Revelation, the saints in heaven are seen casting their crowns at the Lord’s feet. They’re doing this at the realization that He alone is worthy. It is Jesus who deserves all the credit for their salvation. It is never through the efforts of men and women, and by their trying to earn it.

With this in mind, I want to declare that my story is not really mine at all. Rather, it is the story of the Lord Jesus Christ reaching down into the mud and dirt I was living in, and rescuing me from my own sinful and self-destructive ways. All glory, honor, and credit to Him.

D.B.
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