As most of you know I have been going into 2 maximum security prisons with some mixed results. I go into both Baraga Correctional Facility and Marquette Branch Prison. This spring will mark the start of 3 years of ministry in Marquette. I have had a lot of hard experiences there even having a man vomit right in front of me! Those of you that know me know that is one thing that I cannot deal with very well because I usually get sick as well. It was a miracle that I did not get sick but continued with the sermon. You've got to understand that this is not normal "church". These men are sinners just like the rest of us, and most do not have any experience in going to church or what church etiquette is like. Some of these guys, like the man who vomited, come to the service just to mock Jesus and I, to talk to each other or just to try to make me mad. These men are locked down 23 hours a day because they have exhibited the lack of being able to function in any other settings. These men are mostly murderers, high level gang members or have done some other heinous crime. In Matthew 9:11-13 Jesus's disciples were asked why would Jesus eat with (or hang out with) sinners. Matthew 9:12-13 says "When Jesus heard that, He said to them, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy and not sacrifice.' For I did not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance." These men desperately need Jesus just like the rest of us! I just read something on Facebook that was really encouraging. It is from the page dedicated to Oswald Chambers and in his book Biblical Psychology it says: "If you are going to live for the service of your fellowmen, you will be pierced through with many sorrows, for you will meet with more base ingratitude from your fellowmen then you would from a dog. You will meet with unkindness and 'two-facedness,' and if your motive is love for your fellowmen, you will be exhausted in the battle of life. But if the mainspring of your service is love for God, no sin, no devil, no angel, can hinder you from serving your fellowmen, no matter how they treat you. You can love your neighbor as yourself, not from pity, but from the true centering yourself in God." Wow, such truth! I have been tempted many times to quit going because it has been so hard not seeing much fruit in the maximum security prisons but I realized that I had the wrong mindset. God gave me new strength to continue going to these prisons last summer. Through all the bad stuff there has been a few good things that have happened lately though. One man that has usually been a problem for me in Marquette has, I think, begun a turn around. This man has mocked Jesus very openly in the past but has lately been very agreeable. He must of had a background in the church because he has a pretty good amount of biblical knowledge. He has helped some of the other men understand some of what I was preaching and even has interjected some very useful comments. I believe that Jesus has begun to soften his hard heart! A couple of weeks ago this man and couple of the others asked a question about why would God put the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil in the garden of Eden. They were proposing that God was no better then them! They believed that God essentially put a gun to Adam and Eve's head and made them sin. This last week we had a long discussion on this subject. I brought up that love has to be a choice and not be coerced somehow. We talked about how God created us with a free will and that He did not create us to be robots lovelessly following our master. The talk went really well and with the exception of one guy (who seemed to be driven by the enemy to try to sidetrack the conversation) the rest of the men seemed to really get it.
This March will mark the beginning of 6 years of going into Ojibway Correctional Facility. This prison is completely different then those other two. God has really been moving in this facility for a while now. I have the opportunity to teach 3 services every Sunday now. I started a faith based course on fatherhood recently. The course is based on a curriculum called "Dad's Coaching Clinic" and we are using the Bible as a textbook. It really surprised and saddened me when I realized some of the stats about fathers in prison. There are 2.7 million kids with a parent in prison, 92% of the parents in prison are fathers, the number of children with a father in prison has grown by 79% since 1991, and unfortunately a lot of these fathers were fatherless themselves and statistically their children will go to prison too. This course is open to any and all faiths, which is awesome because there is quite a few muslims attending the class. In fact one of the guys who is a devout muslim has been very helpful in sharing how he has tried to be a father behind bars. We have been able to talk a few times and he said that he used to be a Christian which just means that he never truly knew Jesus. This is an awesome opportunity for these men to hear the true gospel! Please join me in praying for these men to repent of their sins and give their lives to Jesus! There has been quite a few men that have been transferred or are now released that I have had the pleasure of ministering too. Because of Michigan law I can't have any contact with any of these guys until they have completely gotten off of parole. This sometimes is hard because you want to know how they are doing and try to continue to disciple them but I know my God knows where they are and that He will help them if they would cry out to Him. Some really good fruit coming out of the church service and the Bible study I do there as well. Both have grown to max capacity and the church service has a waiting list. God is drawing men unto Himself! People are getting saved! Just about every week someone is coming to the Lord! What a privilege it is to see God work!
Thank you for your continued prayers!
P.S. Look at the picture closely!