I was recently interviewed for this podcast where I gave my testimony. It is PG-13. https://compelledpodcast.com/episodes/cain-kellerman
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As many of you know with Covid, all of the prisons and jails have been closed down to volunteers for months. Cain just received confirmation on Thursday that he will be able to start a church service in Florida State Prison starting Thursdays in July! He is super excited!! Mark Hans will be able to go in with as well. They haven't decided which book of the Bible they will be teaching yet, but it will be verse by verse and chapter by chapter. Praise God!!! Urgent prayer requests: - that the door to ministry will remain open in spite of the recent increase in Covid cases in FL - wisdom regarding which book of the Bible to teach - provision for the ministry With all that is going on around the country and the world with Covid-19, I wanted to take a moment to shed some light on what prisoners are facing in a scenario like this. All prisoners are in desperate need of prayer during this time.
Here are a number of key facts: - As most of us know, individuals with compromised immune systems are more susceptible to becoming seriously ill or death once contracting Covid-19. Given widespread historical drug and alcohol use etc, virtually all prisoners fall into this category. - Contagious disease of any kind automatically spreads rapidly in any prison or jail given close living quarters and less than ideal hygiene opportunity (only non-alcohol-based cleaning agents are allowed inside). Most prisons are over capacity, and don't even afford the ability to practice "social distancing". If Covid-19 gets into a detention facility, it will most likely spread like wildfire. - The health system available to prisoners is extremely sub-par. On a normal day without the existence of a crisis, it can take 2 weeks to see your doctor. And only if you have enough funds in your account. As an example, if you have an abscess tooth, the treatment plan available to you will be something like a Tylenol every 6 hours that you pay $6 / pill for. - As we all deal with a toilet paper shortage "on the outside", imagine what it is like on the "inside". It's likely that many prisoners are running out of toilet paper. - Inmates are already a fairly neglected segment of society. During a crisis, this fact is magnified. How many news articles have you seen outlining the unique risks prisoners face? Prisoners are unable to have any visitors whatsoever during this time, and they generally have very few people praying for them. - As a barometer on how "at-risk" prisoners really are, consider Iran, who is well-known for their mistreatment and neglect of prisoners...temporarily released 54k prisoners recently to protect them from the covid-19 threat. What can be done for these hurting people during this time? - Pray, pray, pray! Pray for those who are saved and missing fellowship and Bible study normally conducted by outsiders. Pray for the lost prisoners who are likely very fearful, that this would cause them to open their eyes about their eternity and their need for the Savior - Be a voice for the voiceless. Speak up about these issues to your brothers and sisters in Christ, and ask them to pray as well. Full Throttle Community, here is a recap of a recent outreach at the Pasco County Jail by my Pastor Mike (*inmate names have been changed to protect their privacy):
In our recent outreach, a young guy who I have seen many times previously asked if he could share something. After calling the meeting to order, I invited him up. He testified to a change happening to him from the inside, which he attributed to spending time in the Bible and prayer. He said he was becoming a different kind of man, becoming the type of man his kids need. He shared for about 10 mins, receiving applause when finished. Before he sat down, I took him by the shoulders and said, "Joe*, there are two qualities found in a real man. Qualities that do not receive honor or glory through actors pictured in movies. A real man is humble, and a real man shows selfless love. Both of these I see in you by what you just shared and the way you said it. These are traits of Jesus, the perfect Man. He is at work in you." He hugged me and sat down. I then shared a gospel focused message titled "Incredible hidden benefits of receiving Christ." After identifying these benefits, I used the Bible to show them how these benefits could be theirs. Finally, I exhorted them not to "miss out on the grace of God," (Hebrews 12:15) and called for those ready to publicly acknowledge their need for Christ and repentance to stand. Four men stood - praise God! I prayed for them and called on them to join me in prayer for their souls. The others applauded. As the meeting drew to a close, a number wanted to talk. Two in particular requested permission from guards to let me stay and spend extra time with them in the Bravo control area, which was eventually granted after special persistence from one of the two. This man mentioned that he felt God speaking to Him tonight in a way that he had never felt before. He felt that the message (including the illustrations) were just for him. Praise be to God, the entire conversation we were allowed to have in this special control area was witnessed by three guards who were watching the area closely, and listening to every word. This was a direct answer to specific prayers made earlier in the day! As we eventually were on our way out of the jail for the night, we came to the front control station where one front desk guard we have encountered previously was stationed. With a concerned look, she asked, "Everything ok? You were down there a long time! I was getting worried about you." I explained to her that the guards had allowed this special time with the two inmates who requested it. With a surprised and somewhat perplexed kind of look she said, "Ooh!," and then just wished me a Happy New Year. We had prayed earlier in the day for this lady as well. Perhaps this is the beginning of an open door with her as well. A special night! God was there, and at work! It's been a little while since our last post. We hope you all had a blessed, restful, and enjoyable Thanksgiving!
On Thanksgiving day, many volunteers (including Pastor Mark, Pastor Mike, Bob, Bobby, Terry, Roe, and a few others) were able to go into both Pasco and Sumter County jails. It is such a joy to see these brothers and sisters with their own vision and passion for sharing Christ in the jails and prisons; brothers and sisters who I had the privilege of helping equip. Praise God! Prior to Cheri's health problems, going into the jails and prisons was something I would never miss! There is something extra special about going in on holidays like this. So many of the incarcerated people have severe depression especially around these holidays. This provides an extra opportunity to minister, to spread a little bit of the hope that God gives us. This set of holidays and their children's birthdays are always the worst times for someone to be locked up. Suicides and attempted suicides always skyrocket. Praise God for the faithful brothers and sisters who sacrificed time with their own families to minister to these incarcerated men! Also a quick update on our family...Cheri has been struggling with serious health challenges again, and the doctors have been unable to diagnose the problems. This has required me (Cain) to take the lead on caring for the children, and has prevented me from being able to go out to the prisons and death row. Additionally, my GI-related issues have returned, resulting in near-constant feeling of sickness, nausea, and inability to eat normally. We would appreciate your prayers for physical healing for Cheri and me, and that I would be freed up to get back to visiting the prisons and death row! When I first started doing prison ministry, God gave me a vision that consisted of three parts:
1. Teaching and discipling the men and women that come to the studies in the jails and prisons, 2. Minister to those that are on death row, and 3. Train up others to do the ministry. I have prayed for years about these three aforementioned goals. I've been teaching and discipling since the beginning of our ministry. It wasn't until just last year (after 10+ years of ministry and prayer) that the Lord finally opened the door for me to get into death row. And now, I am blessed to see the training up of others coming to fruition. Praise God!! He is so faithful to us. If God has given you a vision for what He wants to do, He will accomplish it if you let Him! He has been steadily adding to the number of new people who want to serve in the prison ministry. I recently had the amazing opportunity to lead a training class to prospective volunteers. 15 people came to the training! At the Pasco County Detention Center, the Lord recently opened a door to start a Bible study in the women's unit. A few of the women from the Chaplain Corps are coming in with me. The goal is to hand it over to them once their training is completed and the Bible study is more established. For the first study, 41 incarcerated women attended, and the second meeting had 38; what an awesome beginning! These Bible studies are scheduled on an ongoing basis for the second and fourth Saturdays of each month. A couple Fridays ago, I visited a few of the men on death row. One man is growing in the Lord by leaps and bounds! He told me that some of the discipleship studies that I've had with him have equipped him to be able to minister to his mom. He showed me a letter from her that expressed how appreciative she was of me going in and seeing her son and also helping her understand the Bible more through teaching him. She even forwarded some of that teaching to her pastor who then taught their church on that portion of scripture. The particular teaching she was referencing was that God can and will forgive all that we have done, no matter how sinful. I used 1 John 1:5-10 which reads: "This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us." It doesn't matter if you are locked up for a heinous crime or if you are the nicest, kindest person in the world, you are still in a prison cell of sin until you repent. I remember the first time I confessed my sin to God and how much weight was lifted off my shoulders. For the first time in my life I felt truly free! You too can be free! We will be starting a Sunday service in the Pasco County Detention Center on the second and fourth Sundays of the month with the goal to move to every Sunday by 2020. My pastor, other volunteers, and I will be able to do something like a typical church service. We are able to bring in a guitar to lead in a time of worship, and then the sermon. This is a great opportunity! Most of the people who go to jail will be getting out. Oftentimes, it feels daunting for these individuals to go to a church after release because they are fearful of judgment. Being able to participate in a typical church service inside the jail can prepare them for a much easier transition to attend church after they are released. There are even more opportunities that I will have to wait to share in future posts. God is really moving and it is so exciting! Through your prayers and support, you are a vital part of the ministry to these incarcerated men and women. Please continue to pray for our family and the ministry. Without your prayers and support, we would not be able to continue! As was shared in our recent newsletter, I was recently asked by the inmate coordinator at the Pasco County Detention Center to be a keynote speaker once a month in their their faith-based unit as well as their newly-created substance abuse unit (these are specific dormitories within the jail that are only open to Christians and those looking to be free from substance abuse, respectively). Their motivation for asking me was based on the victories Christ has won in me - I have been sober for 23 years have not been re-arrested. On Tuesday the 16th of July, I was able to give the first message! I was able to share the hope that you can change. My Pastor, Mike Holm of Calvary Chapel Tampa has recently been coming with me to that jail for the weekly Bible studies I have been leading. Because he had just recently completed the volunteer orientation that they require for certain visiting privileges, he was also able to join me at this first special once-a-month service. 38 men were in attendance and heard the Gospel and my testimony through the lens of a Bible study. It was a great time! Most times I give Bible studies inside a jail or prison, some of the guys will be fidgety and restless. But this time, they were all listening and some were taking notes! The last half hour of the allotted time was devoted to a question and answer session. The men asked a lot of questions like "how do you start over?" and "how do you deal with old friends that are still living the old life?". When we got done, I asked everybody to stand up so we could pray together. I could tell that God was really speaking to some of the guys. While we were waiting to leave, one of the inmates came over and gave me a sketch that he had drawn of me during the study. That certainly was a first! My pastor said that the sketch portrayed me in a way that resembled Charles Spurgeon! Haha! God is really opening doors at the Pasco County Detention Center! In the coming weeks, I will be training multiple believers who want to serve there, which is very exciting for me. A big part of the Full Throttle Freedom Ministries vision has always been to train up others to effectively share the gospel and disciple those who place their trust in Christ. Without Jesus, I know that I would not have gotten sober, met my wonderful beautiful wife, been married for 22 years, and have six awesome kids! Christ truly does give new life and definitely life more abundant. I recently had the opportunity to take a trip with our 16 year-old son (Ari) to Minnesota and Wisconsin. Calvary Chapel St Cloud had designated the month of July to a missions focus by having various missionaries come and speak throughout the month. Pastor Dominic invited us up to speak there. We flew to Minnesota on a Friday, and were blessed with several opportunities over the weekend to fellowship with some good friends, and also spend some time with my parents. Speaking to our sending church was a blessing; I was thankful for the opportunity to share a family and ministry update with them, as well as teach on Nehemiah 2, weaving in bits of my personal testimony.
On Monday, we made the long drive all the way to Green Bay, Wisconsin, and a gracious family invited us to stay with them while we were in the area. Ari and I were able to see my oldest son Malachi (who is up there working for the summer) and visit with some of our other good friends as well. I was invited to give the message for the Bible study Tuesday night at The Barn Fellowship. It had been a long time since we were able to make it to The Barn; we had a wonderful time of fellowship there. We got up at four the next morning and made the long drive back to Minneapolis to get on our flight home. In all, we traveled over 2600 miles by plane, and 995 miles by car over six days. God was faithful to provide every step of the way! What an amazing blessing! In addition to seeing many of our old friends, we were able to connect with new ones. We are so grateful for every one of you! When we arrived home, we found out that Cheri wasn't feeling well, and I ended up taking her to the emergency room the next day. God had given her enough strength to get through taking care of the family while I was gone. She ended up spending the night in the hospital for observation. We decided to take her to the same healthcare system that took care of me and my bad gallbladder (which is a different hospital from the one that has treated Cheri in the past). These new doctors came up with a completely different diagnosis than we have heard before, and now through their care, Cheri seems to be doing much better! Please pray that we can finally leave these health struggles behind. It is so hard to see your best friend/wife feeling so badly. In that week's time, we had such high highs and low lows. I can't imagine going through things like this without Jesus. Times like this teach us that if we base our happiness on what happens in this life, then we are setting ourselves up for discouragement and disappointment. We need to recognize Jesus as the root of our joy and happiness; otherwise we will be easily swayed by life's ups and downs. Jesus promised to never leave us nor forsake us, and that is something worth clinging to whether you're happy or sad! Thank you so much to everyone who has been supporting us either by prayer or financially! Without you guys, trips like this wouldn't be possible! A couple weeks ago, I was on my way up to minister to death row in Stark. On my way up, I was involved in an incident that very easily could have ended in serious injury or even death, but the Lord's hand protected me! As I was driving in the fast lane on 75 in the process of passing a semi, my rear tire suddenly blew out which caused me to start fishtailing! It could've easily gotten to the point of me hitting the guard rail or getting sucked into the semi or flipping the car. After coming to a stop in the left shoulder, I then had to change the tire on the side of the road partly in the fast lane. I've never changed a tire so fast in my life! I was able to limp back to a tire place with a really bad spare where I was able to purchase two used tires to drive on. The Devil and his cohorts do not like the Gospel going into prisons and death row, but the Lord continues to graciously protect and sustain in the midst of trials! Thank you for your ongoing prayers for this ministry. Greetings, brothers and sisters in Christ! It’s been nearly three years since our last newsletter, so we have much to update you on! Family / Health Update: Through a wonderful scholarship provision, the Lord has allowed us to enroll our children in a Christian school down here in Florida. The kids are excelling in their classes, making great strides, and enjoying it! They have been able to be a part of two class plays and have been on many different field trips to local attractions. This coming school year, Cheri and I will be volunteering at the school around various activities including the chance to teach chapel services. We are really looking forward to seeing what God is going to do both in their school and in our kids! Cheri’s heart is fine now after a heart monitor implant, three ablations (minor heart surgeries), a heart implant that prevents stroke, being bedridden 3 times for 8 months each time, a collapsed lung, and many TIAs (mini-strokes). She is still having problems with extreme exhaustion, where she can hardly move or think for days/weeks at a time. She thought it was caused by her heart, but her heart is all better (according to the cardiologist). We are doing more testing to see what may be the cause of the ongoing issues. I have also had my share of medical problems to face. Over the last three years, I had been diagnosed with various intestinal issues, but just recently found out that my defective gallbladder has been the root problem the whole time. In mid-May, my gallbladder was surgically removed, and I am now feeling better than I have in years! For roughly six weeks before the surgery, I wasn't able to keep any food down. After the surgery, I started to feel better immediately – it was like a switch flipped! Ministry Update: The prison ministry is really moving forward. For over 10 years, I've prayed and prayed to be able to get into death row to share the Gospel. Given my past felonies, getting clearance to minister to death row required nothing short of a miracle, but my God delivered! August 2018 was my first time in Florida's death row, and I’ve been able to visit on a weekly basis ever since. Death row is a very dark place with people who have committed the worst possible atrocities. If God can break through their hearts, He can break through to anyone. I personally have been able to lead a few to Jesus (praise God!) and am currently trying to disciple them – what an amazing opportunity! Some of these men have asked me to become their spiritual advisor, which means that I would minister to them all the way up to their death, including being present at their execution. This would also allow me to minister to their families. In between the sicknesses that my wife and I have had, I have continued to go to both Pasco County and Sumter County jails to teach Bible studies. God is really moving! In all of this, God has also led another man named Mark Hans to serve in the prison ministry. He is an assistant pastor at Calvary Chapel Tampa, and has been coming with me now for a few months. While I was sick, Mark filled in for me both at the county jails and at death row. He is really excited about how God is moving inside those facilities. My pastor has also started a community group “Christian Chaplain Corps” to share the Gospel in different outreach contexts like Habitat for Humanity, pregnancy care center, community relief organizations, and many other places that are already meeting people’s physical needs. Pasco County Jail (PCJ) is looking to revamp their faith-based unit and also create a substance abuse unit (these are specific dormitories within the jail that are only open to Christians and those looking to be free from substance abuse, respectively). Along with these changes, PCJ asked me to be a keynote speaker once a month in those units. It's a great opportunity that I am very thankful for. Along with this, it seems that the Lord is opening the door for deeper strategic involvement within PCJ that would be fueled by the Chaplain Corps. This would be hugely exciting, and has been a large component of the Full Throttle Freedom vision for a long time! I hope to share more details about this in future newsletters. If you would like to financially support God’s work in the prison ministry, please make checks out to Calvary Chapel marked for “Kellerman family prison ministry”. Please send financial support to:
Calvary Chapel Saint Cloud PO Box 1776 St. Cloud, MN 56302 Donations can also be made online via the giving page. |
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Matthew 25:35-40
"For I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me. Then the righteous will answer Him saying 'Lord when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?' And the King will answer and say to them, 'Assuredly I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.'