Please join me in prayer for these men for both their salvation and for them to become the new creations that God desires!
When I was at Marquette Branch Prison on February 11th, we had very lively conversation during the Bible study. I was finishing Acts chapter 14 and we were talking about how Paul and Barnabas were strengthening the churches on their way back to Antioch at the end of their first missionary journey. Some of the men who don't normally talk at all started a conversation about how when they did get out of prison they wanted to go into schools or juvenile detention centers to share with the kids what prison was like and how they do not want to go there. This talk escalated quickly with a lot of the men engaged in the conversation. I thought that this was a great thing as it showed that the men were listening to the study! You may not think that this is a big deal, but if you have read any of my other posts regarding the ministry in Marquette Branch Prison you would know that this is was great! Most of the time the men just come into the chapel to talk to one another as it is one of the only places different blocks (housing units) can see each other. I have come to expect that and as a result I allow a little talking as long as it is quiet and does not disturb the study. This was different though, because the men understood why Paul and Barnabas reported back to their sending church of Antioch about their missionary journey. The prisoners correlated it to their terms in prison, that prison is not a place to ever want to go, and they want to warn others against it. A man who has served 21 years so far (actually he went to prison when he was only 16) said that if he can get into schools, juvenile detention centers, or any other place troubled kids are he wants to tell them how horrible prison really is. He said that if he gets into 500 schools and only 10 kids do not go to prison then it is totally worth it! I believe that, at least in part, he understands what 1 Corinthians 9:22 says when Paul wrote, "To the weak I became as weak, that I may win the weak. I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some." He also said that stopping the cycle of crime, violence and going to prison first starts with him as a father and a role model. Unfortunately, a lot of people both adults and children believe that going to prison is something to aspire to and often look up to people who have been or are in prison. Some think that it is just a way of life, something as common and as eating, sleeping or going to school. According to many different studies 70% of children with a parent in prison will also be incarcerated at some time in their lives. I really like the way the New Living Translation says Galatians 6:7-9, "Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant. Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit. So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up." We really do reap what we sow, we currently have the largest prison population in the world! These men seem to understand that important principle of reaping and sowing, so let me ask you, dear reader, a question. What kind of "seed" are you sowing for your kids to aspire to?
Please join me in prayer for these men for both their salvation and for them to become the new creations that God desires!
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