I will offer to thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving,
and will call upon the name of the Lord.
Psalm 116:17
I am in awe of the Lord. With my whole heart I hereby worship my God with love and reverence.
Today, on a seemingly ordinary Sunday afternoon, while the world went about its business, the Lord was touching hearts in a tender way here at the prison. Inside of our chapel six men were baptized one by one into the family of God, and I was there to watch it happen...
and will call upon the name of the Lord.
Psalm 116:17
I am in awe of the Lord. With my whole heart I hereby worship my God with love and reverence.
Today, on a seemingly ordinary Sunday afternoon, while the world went about its business, the Lord was touching hearts in a tender way here at the prison. Inside of our chapel six men were baptized one by one into the family of God, and I was there to watch it happen...
Sometime within the past approximately six months, each of them decided to repent of their sins and place their faith in Jesus Christ. Now, at the special baptismal service that was being held for them, they were ready to publicly declare Christ to be their Savior, and to proclaim Him as Lord of their lives.
Twenty-five inmates turned out to witness this event. My chaplain opened the afternoon with a congregational prayer. Then the choir began to play a series of hymns and worship songs. This was followed by an approximately twenty minute message from the chaplain as to what baptism means and how it brings joy to the Lord's heart when we are obedient to His command to be baptized. We have our own full-sized portable water tank, too. It had been prepared ahead of time, and each man was able to be fully immersed in the water.
While throughout the service I sat with the rest of the congregation where I was able to take notes, later I got to interview everyone who was baptized. But before these men entered the water, the chaplain allowed each man to give a brief testimony as to what brought him to this point. Their answers were as varied as the crimes and circumstances that were behind their criminal acts.
"Sweet Nectar" was the first to be baptized. And before he was immersed he said he needed to change his life because he has three children. He didn't have their ages, but he did say that his wife was raising them alone. He acknowledged that as a parent he has a part to play in their upbringing, and how being in prison is no excuse for not being a caring father.
Sweet Nectar stated as well that he came to a point in his life where he finally recognized that it was time to stop thinking only for himself, and to put his loved ones first. Before this, drugs were his top priority. At age forty-five, this muscular black male with a long string of dreadlocks that travel down his back to just slightly above his buttocks, said it was time for him to grow up.
Next was Larry, a dark skinned black man of 33 years with a small frame. He is known among the inmates as "Ghetto Boy." Larry calls himself a "ghetto survivalist." He had lived in the streets for much of his life. He's also a known soldier of a gang. As a part of his testimony Larry said that he's had enough of living the criminal lifestyle and dodging bullets. He admitted to cheating death many times. He said it was now time for him to "get right with God" and to leave being a thug and a robber.
Then following Larry was Boo. Boo is a soft-spoken man of Asian descent who's about forty-five years old. Boo is doing a life sentence for a murder he insists he did not commit; his friend did. Boo was in the wrong place at the wrong time. He's been fighting to prove his innocence for more than twenty years. He believes, too, that because he cannot afford a lawyer, and because he has trouble with the English language, he cannot properly formulate his appeal. And this has left him frustrated and bitter. However, last year Boo gave his life to Christ. Now he wants to live for the Lord in spite of his misfortunes.
While next to go into the warm water was "Salty." He's 52 years old and is also doing life. Salty has been helping in the church as a volunteer where he serves as an usher during our services. He attends almost all the Bible studies too. Salty said that having lost contact with his family since coming to prison, the church is now his family. And as he was about to be baptized, Salty confessed to possessing an "evil and bitter heart" for far too long. The anger and hatred he harbored for many years was slowly killing him, and he knew it. But as Salty explained it, when he had a personal encounter with the Lord Jesus, everything changed. He said that he's been free of all his bitter feelings for more than a year, and that the step of baptism he was about to take was his way of showing the Lord that he wants to get "more serious" with God than ever before.
Then came Jay, age 37. Jay told us that several years ago his wife had become a Christian, and how happy she was going to be when she finds out that her husband was getting baptized today. Jay shared with us how she first reacted when, last year, he gave her the news that he himself decided to surrender to Christ. They were in the visiting room at the time. And according to Jay, she began to shout a stream of holy hallelujahs, much to his embarrassment. So this time he was going to make sure he tells her about his baptism over the telephone. Everyone laughed.
Finally it was Andre's turn. At age 30 he was the youngest one to be baptized. But before our chaplain immersed him in the water, Andre told us that he was now ready not only to publicly proclaim himself a follower of the Lord Jesus, but to openly renounce a life of crime, sin and failure. Andre said that in the past he had made many promises to his family to change for the better, only to break every promise thus leaving his loved ones heartbroken. Now he wanted Christ to change him, starting with Andre's heart.
In addition, Andre also told us how his Grandmother used to take him to church every Sunday when he was a kid. He said that he was certain his Grandmother was now watching his baptism from heaven. She loved to dance in church, he declared. So she was probably going to start dancing in heaven as well.
Afterwards, when the baptisms were finished, the choir sang a few more songs. Then we all mingled together to talk and congratulate the brothers who were baptized. I had tears in my eyes as I left the chapel. God did a beautiful thing today.
D.B.
Twenty-five inmates turned out to witness this event. My chaplain opened the afternoon with a congregational prayer. Then the choir began to play a series of hymns and worship songs. This was followed by an approximately twenty minute message from the chaplain as to what baptism means and how it brings joy to the Lord's heart when we are obedient to His command to be baptized. We have our own full-sized portable water tank, too. It had been prepared ahead of time, and each man was able to be fully immersed in the water.
While throughout the service I sat with the rest of the congregation where I was able to take notes, later I got to interview everyone who was baptized. But before these men entered the water, the chaplain allowed each man to give a brief testimony as to what brought him to this point. Their answers were as varied as the crimes and circumstances that were behind their criminal acts.
"Sweet Nectar" was the first to be baptized. And before he was immersed he said he needed to change his life because he has three children. He didn't have their ages, but he did say that his wife was raising them alone. He acknowledged that as a parent he has a part to play in their upbringing, and how being in prison is no excuse for not being a caring father.
Sweet Nectar stated as well that he came to a point in his life where he finally recognized that it was time to stop thinking only for himself, and to put his loved ones first. Before this, drugs were his top priority. At age forty-five, this muscular black male with a long string of dreadlocks that travel down his back to just slightly above his buttocks, said it was time for him to grow up.
Next was Larry, a dark skinned black man of 33 years with a small frame. He is known among the inmates as "Ghetto Boy." Larry calls himself a "ghetto survivalist." He had lived in the streets for much of his life. He's also a known soldier of a gang. As a part of his testimony Larry said that he's had enough of living the criminal lifestyle and dodging bullets. He admitted to cheating death many times. He said it was now time for him to "get right with God" and to leave being a thug and a robber.
Then following Larry was Boo. Boo is a soft-spoken man of Asian descent who's about forty-five years old. Boo is doing a life sentence for a murder he insists he did not commit; his friend did. Boo was in the wrong place at the wrong time. He's been fighting to prove his innocence for more than twenty years. He believes, too, that because he cannot afford a lawyer, and because he has trouble with the English language, he cannot properly formulate his appeal. And this has left him frustrated and bitter. However, last year Boo gave his life to Christ. Now he wants to live for the Lord in spite of his misfortunes.
While next to go into the warm water was "Salty." He's 52 years old and is also doing life. Salty has been helping in the church as a volunteer where he serves as an usher during our services. He attends almost all the Bible studies too. Salty said that having lost contact with his family since coming to prison, the church is now his family. And as he was about to be baptized, Salty confessed to possessing an "evil and bitter heart" for far too long. The anger and hatred he harbored for many years was slowly killing him, and he knew it. But as Salty explained it, when he had a personal encounter with the Lord Jesus, everything changed. He said that he's been free of all his bitter feelings for more than a year, and that the step of baptism he was about to take was his way of showing the Lord that he wants to get "more serious" with God than ever before.
Then came Jay, age 37. Jay told us that several years ago his wife had become a Christian, and how happy she was going to be when she finds out that her husband was getting baptized today. Jay shared with us how she first reacted when, last year, he gave her the news that he himself decided to surrender to Christ. They were in the visiting room at the time. And according to Jay, she began to shout a stream of holy hallelujahs, much to his embarrassment. So this time he was going to make sure he tells her about his baptism over the telephone. Everyone laughed.
Finally it was Andre's turn. At age 30 he was the youngest one to be baptized. But before our chaplain immersed him in the water, Andre told us that he was now ready not only to publicly proclaim himself a follower of the Lord Jesus, but to openly renounce a life of crime, sin and failure. Andre said that in the past he had made many promises to his family to change for the better, only to break every promise thus leaving his loved ones heartbroken. Now he wanted Christ to change him, starting with Andre's heart.
In addition, Andre also told us how his Grandmother used to take him to church every Sunday when he was a kid. He said that he was certain his Grandmother was now watching his baptism from heaven. She loved to dance in church, he declared. So she was probably going to start dancing in heaven as well.
Afterwards, when the baptisms were finished, the choir sang a few more songs. Then we all mingled together to talk and congratulate the brothers who were baptized. I had tears in my eyes as I left the chapel. God did a beautiful thing today.
D.B.
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