Yesterday, our beloved brother Edwin walked out the front doors of the prison to head back to New York City, where he will rejoin his family...
While tomorrow, it will be Walter's turn to go. It is rare that two members of our chapel's fellowship group would be leaving us within the space of a week. But it just happened to work out that way.
Seeing one's friends leave prison is a bittersweet moment. As a congregation, we are glad to see our "brothers in the faith" get released, yet they will be greatly missed. And to make it even harder, prison rules prohibit any of us from staying in touch with them while they are on parole.
We're prohibited from having any physical contact with a parolee, and they cannot initiate any contact with us. This makes saying our goodbyes all the more heartbreaking because any form of communication is forbidden. Our farewell wishes, therefore, have a sad permanency on both ends.
It reminds me of how it was in bible times when the church, in what was then the city of Ephesus, gathered along the seashore to say their goodbyes to the beloved apostle Paul. He was getting ready to leave the congregation he'd spent considerable time with. The Scriptures say that as Paul kneeled down to pray, they all wept and fell upon his neck and embraced him, "sorrowing most of all" because they were not going to "see his face" anymore (Acts 20:36-38).
As with both Edwin and Walter, they each received Jesus as their Savior while they were at different facilities. But when they came to Shawangunk, they immediately joined our church group, and we're glad they did. Both men were already committed to following Christ. This made them easy to teach and work with, and were a joy to be around.
Walter, however, is fully confident that he's done with alcohol. He's a different man now, more responsible and better disciplined. In the past, he told me, he stayed "too drunk" to have "any kind of meaningful relationship" with his now grown sons.
I hope his family will forgive him. He's hoping for the same. For now, however, he will have to live in a men's shelter and will be enrolled in an intense program overseen by Alcoholics Anonymous until he can get back on his feet. And I know he can because, as a follower of the Lord, Walter can do all things through Christ, who "gives him the strength" (Philippians 4:13).
D.B.
Note: Walter is not his real name.
Seeing one's friends leave prison is a bittersweet moment. As a congregation, we are glad to see our "brothers in the faith" get released, yet they will be greatly missed. And to make it even harder, prison rules prohibit any of us from staying in touch with them while they are on parole.
We're prohibited from having any physical contact with a parolee, and they cannot initiate any contact with us. This makes saying our goodbyes all the more heartbreaking because any form of communication is forbidden. Our farewell wishes, therefore, have a sad permanency on both ends.
It reminds me of how it was in bible times when the church, in what was then the city of Ephesus, gathered along the seashore to say their goodbyes to the beloved apostle Paul. He was getting ready to leave the congregation he'd spent considerable time with. The Scriptures say that as Paul kneeled down to pray, they all wept and fell upon his neck and embraced him, "sorrowing most of all" because they were not going to "see his face" anymore (Acts 20:36-38).
As with both Edwin and Walter, they each received Jesus as their Savior while they were at different facilities. But when they came to Shawangunk, they immediately joined our church group, and we're glad they did. Both men were already committed to following Christ. This made them easy to teach and work with, and were a joy to be around.
Walter, however, is fully confident that he's done with alcohol. He's a different man now, more responsible and better disciplined. In the past, he told me, he stayed "too drunk" to have "any kind of meaningful relationship" with his now grown sons.
I hope his family will forgive him. He's hoping for the same. For now, however, he will have to live in a men's shelter and will be enrolled in an intense program overseen by Alcoholics Anonymous until he can get back on his feet. And I know he can because, as a follower of the Lord, Walter can do all things through Christ, who "gives him the strength" (Philippians 4:13).
D.B.
Note: Walter is not his real name.
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