THANKSGIVING
On Thursday most of us celebrated Thanksgiving gathered with loved ones and more food then should probably be legal, and perhaps, somewhere between football and carving the turkey, we took a few minutes to thank God for all He has done in our lives. The men being held at Cook County Jail (CCJ) did not have the opportunity to celebrate the holiday in quite the same manner… aside from their being guilty or innocent, heedless of how many days or years they've been held there, regardless of whether they have family, mothers, wives, children, etc. Instead they ate the same turkey dinner they are served many other nights, off of cold metal trays in the dark, damp confinement of their cells. Yet when Norm kicked off the service on Friday night and invited the men to come forward and share what they were thankful for, many took their turn to give thanks to God Our Father…
Much like the service Norm and I attended at our church on Thursday morning, Norm encouraged the men to make their service a time of praise and Thanksgiving, and they did just that. With great exuberance the men praised God in song, then one by one they took the stage to share why they were giving thanks to God from behind bars.
Several of detainees thanked God for the wake-up call they received when they were arrested. For several, they admitted that the life they were living was dangerous and destructive to themselves and others. If it were not for being incarcerated, there was a good chance they’d be dead.
One inmate who’d only recently gave his life to Christ, stood and gave a very powerful testimony. He shared how four years ago he stood at the funeral of his 14-year-old cousin asking God “Why did you take her and not me?” He was a gang banger. His cousin was a Sunday school teacher, a soccer player and a straight "A" student. It was not until he found himself in jail that God answered his question. “God knew that one day, four year later, I would come to him. She was already saved, but I wasn’t, but now I am and I thank God for that!”
Another man told how he hadn’t had a visit from either of his two sons in seven months. He’d been praying that they would come see him. His sons had been through so much with him. He was a bad dude and money had been his God. Then he lost his wife, another son and his daughter in a car crash. It was soon after that that he was picked up for an earlier crime and taken away from his two remaining sons. He thanked God that in spite of his bad example, both of his sons are doing very well. Their grandmother is raising them. The oldest is in college on a basketball scholarship, and on Thanksgiving Day, he received a visit from his younger son. “I thank God for answered prayers!”
Beginning with Mark 5:25-29 – And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had; yet instead of getting better she grew worse. When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak, because she thought, “If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.” Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in he body that she was freed from her suffering.
“How could this verse possibly speak to me, a brother?” For 16 years this brother explained that he’d been looking for a remedy to his illness. He looked high and low and could get no relief. Then God spoke to him saying, “You always stand alone.” He had never allowed anyone into his life to help him. Now he was here in CCJ on E2. He bragged how God was meeting his needs right here in prison. Now he knows that God had kept him alive for a purpose. God allowed him to see that he wasn’t created for nothing! God had a love for him regardless of the things he’d done wrong. He thanked God for the day, for the brothers on E2, and for giving him the information he needed to change his life.
There were many other great testimonies given. But one of my favorites came from a very quiet, humble inmate who’d been coming to services for quite some time. He stood and told his brothers to trust in the Lord. He said that he had maintained his innocence, but that there was no proof to back it up, but God told him that the thief had braces. Somehow this comforted him during his four years in CCJ. Last week a tape was presented that showed the thief, and sure enough the thief had braces. This inmate has never had braces at any time in his life. His dental records were being obtained.
Praise God for the hearts of these men, being changed through the power of His Word. I personally, am thankful that God has chosen to use me to be a part of this ministry. AMEN!
Your Sister in Christ,
Wendy
I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13I can do everything through him who gives me strength. Philippians 4:11-13 (NIV)
Song Link of the Week: Phillips, Craig and Dean – Revelation Song
Friday, Oct. 2, 2009
After a one-week hiatus because of the jail being locked down as they updated their computer system, we returned to find that the Life Changing deck remained on lock down. During a surprise inspection several knives were found. This saddened us as we had come to expect more from the men on that deck. It seems that the current CCJ Chaplain no longer uses the scrutiny that was once required for men to be housed on that tier, still we know that God is at work on that deck and pray that His presence would over shadow that which has stirred up so much trouble lately.
In any case, service did go on with just twelve men gathered from a couple of the other tiers. This made for an intimate, and very powerful service.
After prayer and song, three of the men gave testimonies, beginning with Brother Mark who had only been in jail for a week. He testified that though he is not guilty of what he is accused of, God had stopped him in his madness. He was drinking and drugging literally to the point of madness. Jail was what it took for God to stop him
Brother Anthony took the floor next. He spoke of his trouble to stand firm in his faith, but that God had reassured him. He received a call that his ten-year-old son had been saved. Praise God! This assured him that God wants him to stand firm in the Word and stay focused on Him. Only in our steadfastness will God restore what the devil has stolen.
Brother Reggie then shared that he had been convicted of his crime. At first he was greatly disappointed, then two weeks ago he came to service and Sister Marjean's message gave him hope and encouragement. She had spoken about Joseph, an innocent man and how he kept his faith in God while he was jailed. This gave Brother Reggi hope in his situation. He has decided to trust in God to work things out, and regardless of his sentencing, he is going to praise God, for like Peter said, "where else can I go."
The testimonies alone were awe inspiring, but then Brother Jack shared his message about discouragement and deception leading to rash decisions.
He shared with the men a very personal story about a friend who'd been deceived, which lead to great discouragement and eventually a very rash, very disheartening decision. The story really touched the men. Then Brother Jack explained that that was why we come down to the jail. We come to give encouragement and truth to hopefully save these men from becoming so discouraged they make more wrong decisions.
He walked them through 1 John 1:5-10, 5God is light, He is holy, perfect and just. 8We are all sinners, and 9God can make us new! It is a decision that we have to choose to make, to believe in Christ, and to confess our sins. Sin is deceptive; it looks shinny on the outside, but causes only pain and death. We were designed to walk in fellowship with God, but sin destroys that fellowship. Without encouragement and truth, we cannot restore that fellowship. Only the blood of Christ can restore our relationship with God. Belief & Confession!
Brother Jack's powerful message stirred the hearts of several of the men and a discussion broke out. With only 12 men present you can have this. One of the men spoke about how he'd hurt others and destroyed his household. Now he was compelled not only to ask God for forgiveness, but also to pray regularly for those he had hurt.
Forgiveness is a gift, Brother Jack explained, that comes when we repent. When we humble ourselves and see how sin has effected not only ourselves, but also others, then we receive God's gift of forgiveness. When we see, and feel what Jesus did for us on the cross, we want to turn from those sinful things and then God can restore our lives, our relationships, etc. Brokenness before a holy God leads to restoration. He ended; you can be restored right now by falling in love with Jesus.
I believe that this is all you need to read to know that God is present and restoring lives in Cook County Jail. Amen!
In Christ.
Wendy
Friday, Sept. 18, 2009
This is not my usual blog explaining who said what at the county jail, but rather an insight as to how meaningful it is when people support this ministry and these men.
Last week a woman called our church on behalf of a CCJ inmate. His tier had not been brought to one of our services for sometime. He'd asked his friend to call the church and inquire as to why we hadn't been there. He missed the Friday night services.
Because this friend was willing to make that call, I was contacted and we were able to request that his tier be invited to service. This particular man was very grateful.
We need people praying for, supporting and encouraging this ministry. We need people to consider becoming a part of this ministry so we can reach more men at CCJ with the love of Jesus. People may want to give up on these men. People may believe that there is no hope for these men, that it is too late to rehabilitate them. But God doesn't feel that way. He still wants to invite these men to come home. As Christians we are called to deliver that invitation.
As a result of calling down men from tiers other than our usual, two men accepted the invitation to come forward and publicly confess Jesus as their Lord and Savior. AWSOME!
This is why we go to Cook County Jail on Friday nights! It is what we've been called to do. Amen!
