April 2007

For a long time now I have been hoping to devote more time to writing messages on youth violence and other issues which affect young people. Unfortunately, though, I've been so busy with "church" matters that I have neglected these writing projects as well as my journal and correspondence, too.

Therefore, at this time, I need to try to get on track and do what I know in my heart God has called me to do. On many occasions, I confess, I've wrapped myself up with busyness. And it all seemed fine because it was "Christian" stuff, and genuine issues do crop up among the church's members who appear to need my help as well as the help and intervention of the congregation's elders. Yet I must also draw the line at some point. And this is what I want and need to do.

Furthermore, I also believe that God has set before me an open door for ministry which no man can shut. Thus in spite of my trials, setbacks, disappointments and busy activities, I have not denied the Lord's name. I've not turned my back on Him. And I hope to continue to trust in the Lord and always seek His guidance. I likewise need to always pray and then wait upon Him.

The Lord Jesus hasn't failed me yet. But I do need to get my life in order, rest, and set certain things aside to lighten my load. Amen!

D.B.

I have been watching my fellow Christian prisoners as they assist in different matters within our fellowship, and how they serve in various ways within the body of Christ here. I'm very proud of them. Although convicted felons who are serving out their respective sentences, these brothers of mine love Jesus Christ. I see intense passion in them when they worship the Lord or when they talk about Him. I likewise see the same love and passion when they perform their ministerial duties. I am utterly convinced, therefore, that these born again prisoners will be receiving sizable rewards when it is time for each of them to appear before the Judgment Seat of Christ.

As far as I'm concerned, they're good examples of what a Christian should be. They're not perfect, of course. But they belong to Jesus and they want to please Him.

These are faithful men. They demonstrate fidelity, sincere devotion to Christ, and show compassion to their fellow inmates as well as to the staff. They're honest, kindhearted and hardworking. I thank the Lord because He has made my brothers into something good and beautiful. May God be praised for these trophies of His grace.

D.B.

My area was just hit by a fierce northeaster, a strong and powerful storm which rampaged through here leaving much of everything outside my little window covered with ice. There's a coating of ice on fences, benches, lampposts, trash cans, and on every blade of grass. Now the prison's ball field looks like an expanse of shimmering glass.

Meanwhile I've been watching a flock of approximately two dozen confused robins that've been intensely pecking at the frozen ground for several hours. I'm amazed that they don't seem to be bothered by the cold.

A few days before the storm struck, however, the weather was mild and birds were everywhere. But now the weather has turned bizarre and we've been taken by surprise. Presently much of the northeastern part of the country has come to a standstill. Yet for me, I'm simply enjoying my limited view of nature.

D.B.

My heart is heavy and my soul is bleeding. I have been listening to the news about a shooting which took place earlier today on a college campus in the state of Virginia. Thus far, according to the news reports, more than thirty people, most of them students, have been killed.

I first learned of this when I returned to my prison cell at three o'clock in the afternoon after I was done working. I happened to turn on my portable radio to an "all news" station I usually listen to.

As of now the person who did this has not been identified. The media, however, has been making frequent references to the Columbine High School shooting which took place on April 20, 1999 in Littleton, Colorado. They've been making comparisons with today's tragedy. But in this case, though, what might have led to the latest rampage may be different than what triggered Columbine. Yet my gut feeling, even at this early stage, is that there is some kind of connection. In any event, it's too early to tell for sure and I do not want to be speculative.

For now what I do know is that I must pray.

D.B.

America has now entered a season of sorrow. Like many others my heart is heavy because of an act of brutal violence and the senseless loss of lives as a result of a shooting rampage by one young student at a prestigious Virginia college. Thirty-three people died. Within minutes their lives were snuffed out. Now it may take weeks, months or even years to determine why this happened, if it could ever be fully known.

But as I contemplate this event and as I pray for those who've been devastated by it, two particular Bible verses come to mind. The first says:

IF my people, which are called by My name,
shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek
My face, and turn from their wicked ways,
then will I hear from heaven, and will
forgive their sin, and will heal their
land.

II Chronicles 7:14

Right now our nation needs a healing, but we also need a spiritual awakening. My hope, therefore, is that somehow yesterday's tragedy will become tomorrow's triumph.

I pray this event will become a catalyst for change. Indeed I have no doubt that God can take such a terrible act of violence and turn it into a victory.

I will write more on this tomorrow.

D.B.

I wish to continue from where I left off yesterday. I am convinced, perhaps more than ever, that incidents like the Virginia Tech College shooting which left thirty-three people dead, should help to start an awakening within the churches throughout the land to get fired-up and begin more fervent efforts to evangelize.

The Columbine High School shooting which occurred in April 1999 served to jump-start a movement across the land on the need to show love, kindness and concern to others. But now, I believe, it is time to go further.

I pray, too, that Christians will not become indifferent or complacent to all the violence which exists in the world today. Rather they would see this as an opportunity to share the "unsearchable riches of Christ" with their neighbors, and for them to hear the gospel so that they might believe and be saved.

As I wrote yesterday, two particular Bible verses came to mind after I learned of this tragedy. The first was II Chronicles 7:14. This second Scripture, however, is Romans 8:28 which says:

And we know that all things work together
for good to them that love God, to them
who are called according to His purpose.

Ultimately God's "good" can win out over evil. And it already has.

D.B.

This morning the ministry group who had been scheduled to come from the outside didn't show up. Perhaps they had car trouble? So my chaplain, in their absence, asked me to bring a message to the congregation from the Bible. Thus I now had the opportunity to give a sermon from one of my favorite passages in the New Testament. It was the story of the "Widow of Nain (Luke 7:11-17)."

It's often been said, I told them men, that the worst thing that could happen to a parent is to have to bury his or her child. Parents usually expect their children to outlive them. But life, I said to them, sometimes has its sad moments and unexpected tragedies. And so this story, I explained, finds a woman whose husband was already dead, having died sometime before this. And now, to add to her sorrow, her only child dies too. Obviously, therefore, her pain and grief are beyond human comprehension. She's now lost everything that was dear to her. First it was her husband, and now her only child. Thus for this poor soul all hope was now gone.

No doubt, I said to my listeners, the townspeople pitied her. They turned out for the funeral while a handful of the local men pitched in to carry the body of this young man while his mother probably wailed in utter despair.

But the story had a happy ending. Out of nowhere Jesus showed up. He had been traveling through the region with His disciples when He came upon a funeral in progress. And what I love about this story, I told the men, is the way the Lord stepped up to the mother in mourning and said to her, "Daughter, don't cry."

Don't cry? How could she not cry? She must've already cried buckets of bitter tears. But Jesus, I said to the audience, can see the end from the beginning.

The Lord, I showed them from the Bible, has a heart of compassion. I believe He had actually heard the cry of this woman's heart. And there is such a thing as a cry from a person's heart. And while it is a language that is imperceptible to men, God can hear it, and He responds.

So in this story the loving Lord reached forth and touched the coffin of this young man. Jesus then said to the cold corpse, "Young man, I say to thee, Arise." It was a miracle. The man got up. He was reunited with his mother. Her hope was restored and, of no surprise, the entire town began to glorify the God of Israel.

I know there are many who do not believe in miracles, I said to the men. But I added that by not believing in a miracle working God they're missing out on great blessings. In addition, I said that, as this story demonstrates, many times the Lord will show up and come to our assistance even when we do not specifically ask Him to. This woman, as far as the Scriptures reveal, did not know who Jesus was. But after He raised her son to life, she then understood things more clearly.

Likewise, I explained, those who were among this throng of mourners not only saw a miracle along with the resurrection power of the Messiah, but they had now come to know that God Himself had visited His people (Luke 7:16).

Finally, I said to them, form this incident these humble folks came to the understanding that the Creator of heaven and earth cared about them. Their lives were important to Him. And our lives, I told the congregation, are just as important to the Lord. He cares about us, and He loves us.

D.B.

Within the past several days two of the men at the prison's Intermediate Care Program lost their fathers through death. Donald's father was sixty-five, and Larry's was eighty-three. Neither of them have seen their dads in a long time. For Larry it has been many years. Donald's father would at least send his son a birthday card every year along with a small check as a gift. But Larry's dad seemed to have forgotten his son was still alive.

Donald's dad went first. When he told me the news Donald was clearly sad and he asked me to pray for him. I did. Larry, however, told me about his dad's passing only today. He also allowed me to pray for him. Then Larry and I talked for awhile. Although schizophrenic, Larry took the time to show me a small collection of old family photos. He's already been in prison for twenty-five years.

It was good to be there for these men. One day, I'm afraid, someone's going to have to comfort me when my father dies. I will definitely need a shoulder to cry on when this happens.

D.B.

Note: Donald's name is a pseudonym
while Larry's name is real.

I went outdoors this morning to walk in the sunshine. Then, after lunch, I headed to the chapel to attend a Bible study. Three men who are members of the Time Square Church in New York City - Rocky, Ron and Abraham - were the civilian volunteers who traveled more than two hours by car to get here. Our class lasted from approximately 12:45 till 3:45 when we had to return to our respective cell blocks while our guests made their way to the front entrance of the facility for their drive back to the city.

The Christians who come into the prison are lay ministers who devote their free time, even large portions of their weekends, to give us the Word of God. And none of them are seeking any glory nor the applause of men for their efforts. For these Christians, giving their time and energy, and even their finances (they had to pay for gas and tolls), is simply a labor of love.

I know Jesus sees all this. I also have no doubt that big crowns of gold, diamonds and many precious jewels await such saints who work faithfully, yet are unknown to the world.

As I've said so often, prisons and jails are mission fields. The efforts Christians make to reach the incarcerated will never be in vain (I Corinthians 15:58).

D.B.

We need to pray for our nation. The Lord, in His mercy, has been granting us more time to repent. But we're like the city of Nineveh who, in Jonah's day, had been steeped in sin and was at the crossroads of repentance or destruction. And it was the choice of Nineveh's citizens as to which one it was going to be.

In my opinion, God belongs in America. Yet there are those in positions of leadership and influence, who, along with many others are attempting to push God and the Bible away. Antichristian sentiment, in my observation, appears to be increasing at all levels of society while Christianity is losing her influence. Yet there is still a ray of hope.

It is time, I believe, to pray and fast and seek the face of the Lord. It's not too late. The Ninevites turned from their sins and bad behavior at the preaching of Jonah the Jewish prophet. And today there are many prophets whose voices are intermingling with their tears.

I pray, therefore, that the pleas and warnings of today's generation of Jonahs will not go unheeded. For if they're ignored then the United States of America will become just another lost civilization.

D.B.