This cannot be happening!
I am sitting in my cell in front of this typewriter, doing my journal entry for today, and watching tons of snow falling outside my window.
Here it is, "Spring," and there's a snowstorm. The news reports have been saying that, thus far, the New York City area has received several inches of snow. This means that up here in the Catskill Mountains, one could double or triple that amount.
Anyhow, aside from this, today was a blessing. This morning I had an opportunity to talk to and pray with a man who was troubled at not having heard from his mother in more than four years. He told me that he thinks he is being rejected by her because of his crime. And yes, this does happen. For every prisoner who has some kind of family support, there are many more who either have no family, or whose family has disowned him.
Many of us "convicted felons" have discovered the hard way that we have to pay a heavy price for our criminal acts. Our punishment is more than simply being placed in a prison cell for a given number of years. There are other losses that an offender faces, and the loss of some, or all, of his family members is one example.
Nevertheless, this man was in tears. I told him about Jesus' love for him. I also shared Psalm 27:10, which says that when one's father or mother forsakes him, that the Lord will take him in. I don't know anything more comforting than this.
He lives in the Intermediate Care Program cellblock, which is where I work, so I will be checking up on him tomorrow, and I will try to encourage some more.
D.B.
Here it is, "Spring," and there's a snowstorm. The news reports have been saying that, thus far, the New York City area has received several inches of snow. This means that up here in the Catskill Mountains, one could double or triple that amount.
Anyhow, aside from this, today was a blessing. This morning I had an opportunity to talk to and pray with a man who was troubled at not having heard from his mother in more than four years. He told me that he thinks he is being rejected by her because of his crime. And yes, this does happen. For every prisoner who has some kind of family support, there are many more who either have no family, or whose family has disowned him.
Many of us "convicted felons" have discovered the hard way that we have to pay a heavy price for our criminal acts. Our punishment is more than simply being placed in a prison cell for a given number of years. There are other losses that an offender faces, and the loss of some, or all, of his family members is one example.
Nevertheless, this man was in tears. I told him about Jesus' love for him. I also shared Psalm 27:10, which says that when one's father or mother forsakes him, that the Lord will take him in. I don't know anything more comforting than this.
He lives in the Intermediate Care Program cellblock, which is where I work, so I will be checking up on him tomorrow, and I will try to encourage some more.
D.B.
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