<![CDATA[AriseandShine.org - April 2011]]>Sun, 08 Mar 2026 20:33:49 -0600Weebly<![CDATA[David's Tears]]>Thu, 28 Apr 2011 12:37:18 GMThttps://www.ariseandshine.org/april-2011/davids-tearsI am weary with my groaning, all
the night I make my bed to swim;
​I water my couch with tears. 
Psalm 6:6

I confess that I often find myself facing many personal difficulties and painful trials... 
...both within my own heart and mind, and within the prison itself. And these things or situations, both individually and together, cause lots of anguish. I am troubled about the spiritually destitute condition of my family, the often times barren spiritual condition of my church, and other matters that I've chosen not to discuss at this time. And I also know that, when it comes to the body of Christ, everyone, at least every so often, falls short of being a "good" Christian, including myself. I'll be the first to confess that I am far from perfect, and my failures are many.

Nevertheless, in spite of my own pain and anguish of heart, and the grief I have because I miss my family, and the remorse I carry over the past, my trust and hope is in the Lord. He remains the source of my joy and strength. Even when I am hurting, I am still "more than a conqueror" through Jesus Christ who loves me.

Yes, I can relate to David's tears. I, too, have shed many of my own.

D.B.
]]><![CDATA[Letter to a Friend]]>Mon, 25 Apr 2011 12:35:28 GMThttps://www.ariseandshine.org/april-2011/letter-to-a-friendOn this rainy Monday morning, I wrote a letter to a friend to hopefully provide him with some encouragement... 
Like many Christians, including myself, we can easily become weary and worn-out by the many stresses that life brings our way. As with anyone else, we must face our own problems and difficulties which can take a toll on a person physically, emotionally, and even spiritually.

So after I said a prayer for my friend, I told him to keep going forward on his journey with God, and not to allow anything or anyone to deter him from this objective. I said, "Always allow the Holy Spirit to continually fill your heart with His peace, joy and power." I also advised him to keep his spiritual eyes on Jesus, and not on people. Instead, I recommended he pray for those who profess to have faith in Christ but appear to be indifferent and apathetic to the word of God and to the church.

Then, in the final paragraph of my letter, I asked my friend to read and ponder a passage from the Old Testament book of Lamentations. It's one of my favorite passages, I wrote. It is a section of the Scriptures that I try to read often because it has been so helpful and uplifting: Lamentations 3:21-26.

D.B.
]]><![CDATA[A Painful Path]]>Thu, 21 Apr 2011 12:33:21 GMThttps://www.ariseandshine.org/april-2011/a-painful-pathConfirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting
them to continue in the faith, and that through much
​tribulation enter into the kingdom of God. 
Acts 14:22

While the Christian's life should be a joyful one, it is not at all an easy one...
The Scriptures make this clear. The child of God, as he lives in a fallen world, will encounter much in the way of trials and tribulations. In modern English, we may refer to these as problems and challenges. Either way, it is through much pain that we will enter into the kingdom of God.

As I have learned, and as I have told many of my fellow Christians, our journey is often a painful one. And this is because we have to die to our fleshly and self-sufficient ways. Jesus has to put to death whatever is not like Him. This is part of the purging, shaping and molding process to remove what is dead and carnal so that the life of Christ can have its way and reign in each of us.

Such a death to self-combined with maturing as a living by faith Christian is a lifelong process that will not be completed until we're home in heaven. It's just the way it is. It is what Jesus has ordained for us. But it is all good because it is all from God. And knowing these truths and realizing that there will be pain and difficulties, and that everything is for a glorious purpose, helps to make a child of God's suffering bearable. My victory is indeed in Christ alone, and in this I have joy.

D.B.
]]><![CDATA[Why I Write]]>Mon, 18 Apr 2011 12:31:05 GMThttps://www.ariseandshine.org/april-2011/why-i-writeWriting is one of the ways in which I hope to honor and glorify my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ...
As I mentioned in yesterday's journal entry, I love to write. And I will confess, too, that I have much to learn on how to write well. Nevertheless, it is through the medium of writing that I could best express myself.

In addition, when I feel overwhelmed, I write. When I am tired, I write. When I am anxious or frustrated, I write. And when I become bored with the routine of prison life, I write. Finally, when I think I have something worthwhile to say to either the church or the world, I write. And this is all I have to say!

D.B.
]]><![CDATA[A Retreat]]>Sun, 17 Apr 2011 12:29:21 GMThttps://www.ariseandshine.org/april-2011/a-retreatRest in the Lord, and
wait patiently for Him... 
Psalm 37:7a

I believe the Lord has directed me to remain shut in with Him for the weekend... 
So this is what I'm doing. I'm to devote myself to answering mail and writing in my journal. I am far behind with both. In fact, one of the letters I plan to write is to a youth pastor from the town of Hamburg, Pennsylvania. He recently showed his teenage audience a testimony film I did called Son of Sam/Son of Hope. He told me that, after the film was aired, twenty kids were baptized in the church's youth center.

I don't know anyone at this church, but a surprise letter from the church's youth pastor certainly touched my heart and gave me lots of encouragement.

Now I am to spend the weekend resting in God's presence, while working in His power. And while this may sound like a paradox, it really isn't. Although writing is a lot of work, I sat behind my typewriter for at least five hours yesterday, and just as many hours today. I find it to be rejuvenating. I suppose it's because I'm doing something that I love. When someone does what he loves, it's hard to become tired and weary. This then is how it is for me when it comes to writing.

D.B.
]]><![CDATA[Not Yet Spring]]>Sat, 16 Apr 2011 12:26:21 GMThttps://www.ariseandshine.org/april-2011/not-yet-springSpring is not quite here yet in upstate New York... 
It's an overcast day and a strong wind has been blowing nonstop. Earlier this morning, I heard on the news about dozens of powerful tornadoes rampaging through the south and the Midwest, while places like Minnesota and North Dakota have terrible flooding.

Approximately 600 square miles of Texas grasslands are being consumed by a seemingly unstoppable wildfire that has already killed one firefighter and destroyed hundreds of homes.

No doubt, many people are suffering now because of the effects of such bad weather. Almost two dozen have been killed and many more have been injured in these events. This is a fallen world and we're all subject to the whims of weather as well as other naturally occurring events such as earthquakes and tsunamis. Within minutes a home that a family has lived in, perhaps for decades, could be reduced to splinters or washed away in a flood.

Such tragedies, as sad as they are, serve to remind us that life is brief. Whatever possessions we own today, could be all gone by tomorrow. In an instant, anyone can be reduced to owning nothing more than the clothes he's wearing. Such is the uncertainty of life.

However, for those of us who have Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, we can have full assurance by the word of God that we are destined to one day live in a heavenly city with a secure foundation whose builder and maker is God (Hebrews 11:10).

D.B.
]]><![CDATA[A Good Day]]>Fri, 15 Apr 2011 12:24:27 GMThttps://www.ariseandshine.org/april-2011/a-good-dayI had a busy, but good day. I did my job this morning helping a sight-impaired inmate get around the facility...
After lunch, I then went to my second job assignment at the Intermediate Care Program (also known as E-North), where I assist and try to help those who've been diagnosed and are being treated for various emotional and mental health issues. But now that it's the evening, I have the rest of the time for myself. Later I will take a shower and head to the mailbox to get my mail ready to go out in the morning.

One thing that I am especially thankful for, however, is the flock of common sparrows who gather every morning right outside of my window. For whatever reasons, they like this spot. As a nature lover, I am happy to be the recipient of their musical chirps, tweets and whistles. I love it!

I've written about these birds in previous journal entries. I'm also convinced they know I enjoy their musical sounds because, many times when my cell's window is open, they can see me through the wide screen. When I am sitting on my bunk, my head is only a few feet away from them. They exhibit no fear. For me, they are a gift from God. I treasure their presence.

D.B.
]]><![CDATA[The Gang Culture]]>Wed, 13 Apr 2011 12:22:29 GMThttps://www.ariseandshine.org/april-2011/the-gang-cultureStyler, whom I'd written about in my last entry, is an interesting person to talk with... 
I've known him for about a year, and he is very knowledgeable about the so-called gang culture. I believe, as well, that he sees me, an older white man, as something of a father figure. Styler is in his late thirties, and he is black. He came to prison at the age of twenty-two.

He can be outspoken and blunt, with a tongue that can be as sharp as the razor blade he once carried with him just in case he had to defend himself, or slash someone to help even an old score. Like many young black men, Styler says making fast money is the only means of escaping a life of mediocrity. His father, a hard-working and honest man, labored eight to ten hours a day, five days a week. With this, he was able to make a decent living while supporting a wife and raising nine children to adulthood, including Styler.

But Styler craved adventure as well as the feeling of glamour that came with belonging to a gang. And it was this kind of false glamour that is so often portrayed in movies and on television, in books, and by an array of rap and hip-hop music artists whose songs about the "gangsta" lifestyle make joining a street gang, or in Styler's case starting one up, seem like the coolest thing to do.

Frankly, both prisons and graveyards are full of young men and women who thought this way, too. That being in a gang was a good thing, and a way of getting respect, power and money. But, as with Styler, it turned out to be an illusion, and a lie.

For Styler and his crew of criminal friends, controlling a busy intersection by setting up a drug spot at this location was considered by them to be a big thing. In retrospect, he regrets this now. Yet his mind seems to display a strange kind of mental defense mechanism, too, which I find disturbing. For he has somehow convinced himself that while gangbanging is wrong, today he has a new role of uniting the world's gang members in order to bring about positive change and world peace. Talk about self-deception!

Styler is basically a nice guy. I feel sorry for him, but at the same time, I am angry at the foolish lies he once believed in. And these are the same lies that lure young persons into gangs today. In my honest opinion, gangs are for losers. To me, they represent a culture of death, while openly displaying a false glamour that is the equivalent of fool's gold.

God, however, has a better plan for everyone. I believe this with all my heart.

D.B.
]]><![CDATA["I Killed the Dude"]]>Mon, 11 Apr 2011 12:20:41 GMThttps://www.ariseandshine.org/april-2011/i-killed-the-dudeThe idea of forming their own gang was first hatched when Styler (not his real name), and an older brother, and a couple of friends from the neighborhood, were at the house of Styler's parents... 
They were drinking beers and smoking "weed" (marijuana) at the time. They wanted to set up an outside base for their operation of selling drugs, and whatever other criminal activities they had going on at the time.

Then, at some point, Styler, his brother, and their friends, decided that the intersection of 145th Street and Rockaway Boulevard in the South Jamaica section of Queens (one of New York City's five boroughs) would be the perfect spot. Thus, this nondescript intersection in a working-class neighborhood would become the central location for their gang. They dubbed themselves the "145 Klick." Other gangs were in operation nearby.

According to Styler, it was a neighborhood overrun with teenagers and young adults who lacked direction and positive role models, while at the same time they'd look up to those who wore "gold rings on every finger but their thumbs, while carrying big guns under their shirts." These were the ones, Styler said, who got "respect."

Styler, whom I got to know quite well, was the youngest of nine children--four girls and five boys, all of whom were raised by both parents. Styler said that his parents were "religious, but nice." They were Jehovah Witnesses. He described his dad as hard-working, and his mother as a good cook. "We wasn't no ghetto folks," Styler assured me.

During a moment of reflection, Styler lamented that out of eight other siblings, only he and one other brother has ever been arrested. Most of his siblings have done very well for themselves, he said. Styler has now spent a total of sixteen years in prison. He confessed that he has no one to blame but himself. "The drug business is wild," Styler declared. "People get killed real quick." He himself admitted to killing a "dude" who was pushing in on his gang's turf. "It's deadly," Styler said of the drug trade. "The streets get bloody." He quickly added, "No survivors!" As he said this, however, he pounded with his fist on a table in the dayroom to help emphasize his point. "No survivors!" he repeated, still pounding the table-top.

He's right. Gangs and their criminal activities have turned many a neighborhood in the United States into a modern day killing field. And many who are in gangs have seen more violence than many of our military troops who are presently stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan.

At least Styler was keeping it real. He admitted that, if not for his getting arrested, he'd probably be dead now, pumped full of bullets by a rival. He said his brother was the "brains" of the gang's operation, and he was the top enforcer. Styler bluntly admitted that, back in his younger days, his mindset was to kill anyone who got in the way of the 145 Klick. In addition to the homicide for which he was found guilty of committing, for which he received a sentence of 25-years to life, he is also a suspect in two other "cold case" gang-related murders, which he did not do.

Long ago, while Styler was awaiting trial on what he is now in prison for, Styler went and joined the notorious "Bloods" gang, which has its deadly tentacles spread across many parts of the world. In jail, he was tested, and he proved himself well. Styler said that within a few months he was declared to be a "soldier."

Today, however, many years later, Styler has grown into adulthood. While still officially a "Blood," he looks back with sadness and regret at where this road has taken him. His brother ended up doing a ten-year stretch in federal prison for other crimes, and Styler says he seldom has contact with him anymore. While the dozen or so other men who'd found their way into the 145 Klick either died, or ended up in jail too, or joined another gang, as Styler did, or disappeared altogether. In reality, the 145 Klick was out of commission within a year. It's been forgotten about, and although he won't say it, I believe Styler knows his life up to this point has been a big waste.

These days, Styler says his biggest goal is to educate young blacks about the gangs. He says he is upset that all the gangs work against each other. He has a naive idea that if all gang members worldwide would join together and vow to do wholesome and humanitarian works, that out of this will come a "movement of brotherly love." He added that even all forms of bullying among youth would "come to a stop". In his view, gangs, he said, have the ability to "change the world" for the good. That if they'd but redirect their energy and efforts toward doing good, as opposed to doing bad, the planet would then begin to know peace. I don't think this is likely, however. But I kept my thought to myself.

In the time he's been here, Styler has only attended a couple of our chapel's services, often bemoaning that he cannot get up in time for church on Sundays. Our service always starts promptly at 10:A.M. But Styler insists he's a "night person." On weekends, he'd usually listen to music on his radio until four or five o'clock in the morning. Because of this, Styler is first going to sleep when the rest of the prison's population is just getting up.

Styler means well, however, yet he refuses to leave the Bloods; these days he is only considered by them to be a token member. His days of jumping other inmates and beating them up or slashing someone with a razor blade are over. He says the "wild stuff" is only for the younger guys. Now he just wants to focus on his plan for world peace.

He insists that all the gangbangers (slang for gang members) should focus on raising their children well. "This is nice," I said, but added, "If a guy is in a violent street gang and eventually ends up in prison, how is he going to properly raise his kids?" Styler, dreamer that he is, thought about this for a moment. He then gave me a weak shrug and said he didn't have the answer. Neither do I.

D.B.
]]><![CDATA[Mental Illness]]>Mon, 04 Apr 2011 12:18:10 GMThttps://www.ariseandshine.org/april-2011/mental-illnessAnd call upon Me in the day of trouble: I will
​deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify Me.
Psalm 50:15

Because God is always merciful and kind, He will never ignore or despise the cries of his children... 
And for many of those who are in jail or prison, mental illness has been their lifelong "day of trouble."

In addition, for decades, correctional facilities have become the warehouses and dumping grounds for those who have mental health issues, and who have run afoul of the law. The biggest reason for this being that there are not enough psychiatric centers and hospitals to handle everyone, or so it has been claimed. This has been an often discussed issue in the media and among prison and mental health officials. So I'll leave it at that.

However, this afternoon, as I entered the facility's Intermediate Care Program (E-North) to visit the residents, sixty-four in all, I sensed the Lord's presence in a unique yet gentle way. And as I looked around at the faces of the men, my heart was touched with compassion. Not that I ever lacked compassion. After all, this is why I chose to work here in the first place. So that I could befriend these troubled men, give them hope, and share the love of God. Yet, for some reason, today was different. My heart was warmed in a special way that I cannot describe.

As I walked along the tiers in E-North to chat with and visit my inmate friends, I had a desire to silently pray for each man. In Matthew's gospel account, the Lord Jesus was quoted as saying "For ye have the poor always with you" (Matthew 26:11). True! Poor people exist throughout the planet, but may I humbly add that in this fallen world we also have the mentally ill and psychologically tormented with us, too. And God, I believe, sent me to these men to tell them that He loves and cares for them very much.

D.B.
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