Greet all the brethren
with an holy kiss.
1 Thessalonians 5:26
Often times, shortly before the start of our chapel services...
with an holy kiss.
1 Thessalonians 5:26
Often times, shortly before the start of our chapel services...
...we'd all greet one another with what's known as "high-fives." This being, slapping the palms of our right hands with each other, much the same way baseball players do whenever someone on the team hits a home run. For us, it's a sign of fellowship. The equivalent, I suppose, to the ancient church's greeting fellow Christians with what was known as a 'holy kiss." And in addition to a friendly slap, we'd also say, "Thank God, I'm alive."
While this may seem silly to some, it's not. For if you were in the shoes of these prisoners, you would understand that a number of us, myself included, escaped death many times. We've had guns pointed at us. Bullets fired at us. Knife and slash wounds inflicted upon us. And we've got the scars to prove it. Me having a hideous scar across the left side of my neck when another inmate made an attempt on my life when I was in Attica Prison in 1979.
We have been in plenty of fights, too, either with fists or weapons, or both. In other words, the men of this congregation are survivors. We've faced death, and we won!
Yes, quite a few of us have the scars to prove how close we had come to leaving this world prematurely. We could have died before our time, and in our prime. But, for reasons known only to God, we were spared. And this is surely something to high-five about.
All the alcohol we drank, all the illicit drugs we used, all the crimes we committed, and the reckless and dishonest lives we once lived, yet here we stand, accepted by God and loved by Him, and forgiven by Jesus Christ, too. Yes, I can truly say, "Thank God, I'm alive!"
D.B.
While this may seem silly to some, it's not. For if you were in the shoes of these prisoners, you would understand that a number of us, myself included, escaped death many times. We've had guns pointed at us. Bullets fired at us. Knife and slash wounds inflicted upon us. And we've got the scars to prove it. Me having a hideous scar across the left side of my neck when another inmate made an attempt on my life when I was in Attica Prison in 1979.
We have been in plenty of fights, too, either with fists or weapons, or both. In other words, the men of this congregation are survivors. We've faced death, and we won!
Yes, quite a few of us have the scars to prove how close we had come to leaving this world prematurely. We could have died before our time, and in our prime. But, for reasons known only to God, we were spared. And this is surely something to high-five about.
All the alcohol we drank, all the illicit drugs we used, all the crimes we committed, and the reckless and dishonest lives we once lived, yet here we stand, accepted by God and loved by Him, and forgiven by Jesus Christ, too. Yes, I can truly say, "Thank God, I'm alive!"
D.B.
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