For we are His workmanship, created in Christ
Jesus unto good works, which God hath before
ordained that we should walk in them.
Ephesians 2:10
This morning, I looked out my window to find a fresh coating of snow on the ground...
Jesus unto good works, which God hath before
ordained that we should walk in them.
Ephesians 2:10
This morning, I looked out my window to find a fresh coating of snow on the ground...
So when it was time for the recreation yard to open, I went outdoors.
I spent approximately 90 minutes walking with a friend in the freshly fallen snow, enjoying the crunching sounds beneath my feet. Then, in the afternoon, I attended a worship service in the chapel. A group of lay Christians came to fellowship with us.
The woman who was in charge of the ministry team, "Sister Carmen," asked me to say something to the congregation. So I spoke for about ten minutes on the grace of God. I read Ephesians 2:1-10 from the New Testament, then told everyone how "rich in mercy" the Lord is.
And I was also able to share some of my own story of how I came to believe in Jesus. I explained that when we repent of our sins and place our faith in Christ, God immediately forgives us. He then begins to transform our lives and make us brand new. I told the church that when we ask Jesus to forgive us, we go from being "children of wrath" and "children of disobedience," to becoming God's children. I said that God washes away our sins by the blood of His Son. That He cleanses us so He could use us.
Then, when I was finished speaking, another inmate, Luis, told his story of being delivered from being a member of a murderous gang. He was also a practitioner of Voodoo before his conversion to Christianity.
For the remainder of the service, however, the guests took their respective turns either singing songs or reading from various Bible passages. Finally, the main speaker gave his sermon and concluded the service with an altar call.
Afterwards, as I walked the prison's corridors en route to my cell, I was able to see from the windows in the corridors that most of the snow had melted. It's been a good day.
D.B.
I spent approximately 90 minutes walking with a friend in the freshly fallen snow, enjoying the crunching sounds beneath my feet. Then, in the afternoon, I attended a worship service in the chapel. A group of lay Christians came to fellowship with us.
The woman who was in charge of the ministry team, "Sister Carmen," asked me to say something to the congregation. So I spoke for about ten minutes on the grace of God. I read Ephesians 2:1-10 from the New Testament, then told everyone how "rich in mercy" the Lord is.
And I was also able to share some of my own story of how I came to believe in Jesus. I explained that when we repent of our sins and place our faith in Christ, God immediately forgives us. He then begins to transform our lives and make us brand new. I told the church that when we ask Jesus to forgive us, we go from being "children of wrath" and "children of disobedience," to becoming God's children. I said that God washes away our sins by the blood of His Son. That He cleanses us so He could use us.
Then, when I was finished speaking, another inmate, Luis, told his story of being delivered from being a member of a murderous gang. He was also a practitioner of Voodoo before his conversion to Christianity.
For the remainder of the service, however, the guests took their respective turns either singing songs or reading from various Bible passages. Finally, the main speaker gave his sermon and concluded the service with an altar call.
Afterwards, as I walked the prison's corridors en route to my cell, I was able to see from the windows in the corridors that most of the snow had melted. It's been a good day.
D.B.
