But after that the kindness and
love of God our Saviour toward
man appeared...
Titus 3:4
Once again, my chaplain has earned himself another vacation...
love of God our Saviour toward
man appeared...
Titus 3:4
Once again, my chaplain has earned himself another vacation...
This is the second Sunday that he's been absent. Therefore, both myself and Felipe (Philip) had to oversee the morning's chapel service.
God was with us, however. It went well. I opened with a Scripture passage from the third chapter of the New Testament letter to Titus (Titus 3:1-7). Then I briefly expounded on the passage, with my focus on the love of God toward us.
Felipe then opened in prayer, and we all joined in. This was followed by the choir to lead us in worship and praise. Afterwards, several other men took turns coming to the pulpit to share their exhortations. Finally, our volunteer minister from New York gave us a message titled, "Where will you spend eternity?" We then closed with an altar call followed by the standard benediction.
As much as I wish to transfer over my role of pastorship to brother Felipe, for one reason or another, I find myself getting thrust back to having to stand behind the pulpit on Sundays. For at least several years now, I've been hoping for a change where I could step down from being the pastor and worship leader, and Felipe could step up and take my place.
To me, pastor and worship leader are merely titles. Of course, important responsibilities come with each one. I do not mean to understate them. But I don't even like to mention having any particular title save for the fact that I have to explain things clearly so those who read this journal can better understand what is going on in my life, and what's happening with the church here.
I believe that Felipe would make an excellent pastor. He already functions in this role by the way he leads the men, and by how well he teaches and encourages the flock. Like me, he's doing a life sentence. So he may never see the "streets" again.
Felipe was saved out of a lifestyle of crime, gangs and drugs. I've shared this before in previous journal entries. Back around 1990 he was even featured on America's Most Wanted. He was finally captured and arrested on the West Coast by a police SWAT team, and was eventually extradited to New York to face his charges. But while in jail awaiting trial, Felipe accepted Christ after speaking to the jail's chaplain, who was the one who led him to the Lord. And he's been faithfully serving Christ ever since.
The prisoners respect Felipe a lot. Most importantly, it's because of his sincere walk with the Lord, but also because of his reputation as a "stand up" man. In prison, a reputation, either good or bad, translates into how you're going to be treated by both guards and inmates. Fortunately for Felipe, his "rep" is a good one.
Felipe was also an amateur boxer who may have gone semi-professional if not for his incarceration. He's considered to be "good with his hands." And while this is of little value to the Lord, since Jesus has not called us to fight with our fists, but rather to fight a "good fight of faith," the boxing skills Felipe has helps to keep him in good standing with the entire population. No man wants to fight another man, and lose. Besides, most of the men love boxing. So anyone who could hold his own in a fight, and who has the reputation for doing so, gets his respect. In this environment, having such a status is of great worth.
D.B.
God was with us, however. It went well. I opened with a Scripture passage from the third chapter of the New Testament letter to Titus (Titus 3:1-7). Then I briefly expounded on the passage, with my focus on the love of God toward us.
Felipe then opened in prayer, and we all joined in. This was followed by the choir to lead us in worship and praise. Afterwards, several other men took turns coming to the pulpit to share their exhortations. Finally, our volunteer minister from New York gave us a message titled, "Where will you spend eternity?" We then closed with an altar call followed by the standard benediction.
As much as I wish to transfer over my role of pastorship to brother Felipe, for one reason or another, I find myself getting thrust back to having to stand behind the pulpit on Sundays. For at least several years now, I've been hoping for a change where I could step down from being the pastor and worship leader, and Felipe could step up and take my place.
To me, pastor and worship leader are merely titles. Of course, important responsibilities come with each one. I do not mean to understate them. But I don't even like to mention having any particular title save for the fact that I have to explain things clearly so those who read this journal can better understand what is going on in my life, and what's happening with the church here.
I believe that Felipe would make an excellent pastor. He already functions in this role by the way he leads the men, and by how well he teaches and encourages the flock. Like me, he's doing a life sentence. So he may never see the "streets" again.
Felipe was saved out of a lifestyle of crime, gangs and drugs. I've shared this before in previous journal entries. Back around 1990 he was even featured on America's Most Wanted. He was finally captured and arrested on the West Coast by a police SWAT team, and was eventually extradited to New York to face his charges. But while in jail awaiting trial, Felipe accepted Christ after speaking to the jail's chaplain, who was the one who led him to the Lord. And he's been faithfully serving Christ ever since.
The prisoners respect Felipe a lot. Most importantly, it's because of his sincere walk with the Lord, but also because of his reputation as a "stand up" man. In prison, a reputation, either good or bad, translates into how you're going to be treated by both guards and inmates. Fortunately for Felipe, his "rep" is a good one.
Felipe was also an amateur boxer who may have gone semi-professional if not for his incarceration. He's considered to be "good with his hands." And while this is of little value to the Lord, since Jesus has not called us to fight with our fists, but rather to fight a "good fight of faith," the boxing skills Felipe has helps to keep him in good standing with the entire population. No man wants to fight another man, and lose. Besides, most of the men love boxing. So anyone who could hold his own in a fight, and who has the reputation for doing so, gets his respect. In this environment, having such a status is of great worth.
D.B.
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