Saturday, January 12, 2013

Clear and Cool in Ohio

Good morning on this sort of rainy, foggy yet warming Saturday morning in Northeast Ohio.  Have awakened with five grand kids bouncing on my bed hitting on "Poppy" telling me they loved me, getting fives and rocks from all and pulling me out of bed for breakfast .... that is a great morning!  Before going to bed last night I was feeling lifted by having served in two back-to-back jail services at the Stark County Jail with a total of about fifty men.
 
I was reminded and re-energized all over again as to why I continue to do that work for it truly is a ministry.  It is now moving toward ten years I have serving in jail ministry and the number is approaching 200,000 men and women I have worked with of all ages, colors, creeds, crimes and still I feel a yearning to continue this very strange sort of ministry work.  Never will I understand why or even how God called me to this work but I know without a shadow of a doubt that it is a God-called ministry that warms my heart in the midst of "interesting" smells, comments and reactions. I have seen first hand the power of God's Hand touch a heart through a song, a sermon, a prayer, an arm around the should in encouragement.
 
In doing this work I have learned much about myself I realize.  I realize that not a single one of these men and women were born and reared with an intended purpose to do wrong and end up in a jail or headed to a prison when they transit from the jail.  Everyone of these people had visions of good in their lives. All wanted to cast off the bonds of their usually economic chains for a better life, a family, a career.  But 200,000 people later I have realized that when each of them are in a jail, they are joined by countless children, spouses, parents, grandparents, friends; all of which are incarcerated as well.  When I think of the untold numbers of children affected by their dad or mom being in jail and the prayer requests, the tears, the hurt they each of them know they have unilaterally invoked on those that love them; that is the greatest pain of all I realize.
 
Another learning point for via this work is seeing the trapping power of disappointment in the inmates difficulty in truly being able to forgive themselves for their wrongs.  I am in no way excusing the wrongs they have done nor their sentences and consequences of their poor choices and am very frank about that in my comments in each service.  With bad choice comes bad consequence and that is the price to be paid.   But some interesting points I believe I have witnessed up close and personally: of the hundreds of jail services, there has never been a single case of fighting, disrespect or disruption seen by me.  These are big, strong, tough, scarred men and women and gang activity is ever present in the jail service congregations. However, I see a side of them in "God's House" in the chapel, where all of that is left at the door; Praise God!
 
Something I began several years ago is that if an inmate comes onto my radar for some special reason, I will write them a letter of encouragement in the days following the service experience.  I always use my church's return mailing address for security reasons.  Some of the hundreds of letters I have received in response are uplifting, painful and at the core of them is a stated desire to straighten out the web of despair they have created, thousands of prayer requests for families, victims, etc. My heart is touched with each letter I read.
 
This morning as I was being bounced out of my bed by my five precious grand kids and then to sit around a table to have breakfast with them, we prayed for those men of last evening for they would all love to be having breakfast with their families this morning but cannot due to bad choices in their lives.  It has come clear to me you can, in fact, hate the sin but not the sinner.  I do have a very wide and deep love and joy for these men and women that cannot be explained in human terms but is fully clear in my heart in God's Hand write on my heart.  I believe the work we do with these inmates has to have some positive impact on their lives in the years ahead thus it is an investment in the future thus a capital investment!
 
Some of you reading this know first hand what this life in incarceration and issues with the legal system means and the angst and disappointment that comes with it. I covet your prayers for these men and women and for those of us that have chosen to serve in this troubled environment.  Joy does come in the morning the song says but sometimes I almost feel guilty knowing what I get to wake up to versus when I know those men and women are waking up to this morning.
 
So on this cool and now cleared Saturday morning, know what a blessing freedom of living really is.  Also never forget that but for the Grace of God, each of us could find ourselves behind bars this morning looking longingly to be united with family and friends.

2 comments:

  1. The redemptive power of God, who seeks out His lost sheep even when they have gone astray. Amazing is His grace.

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  2. I can clearly see why you were chosen for this work. Your natural joy for life, positive attitude, and belief in following The Lord's Voice would surely touch the most hardened of hearts -- probably far more than you even suspect.

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