PRISON FELLOWSHIP BLOG

“Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul.” – 1 Peter 2:11 (NIV)

It’s easy to go around believing that this life is the only thing that’s real. As followers of Jesus, though, we are called to a higher vision – like the heroes of faith in the book of Hebrews, we must keep our eyes on the eternal promises of God, even when we cannot yet taste, touch, or see the fruit of those promises.

Prison can be a dark place, full of dangerous personalities and corrosive influences. Inmates who want to follow Christ must fight against a tide that threatens to push them back into old behaviors and thought patterns. Other inmates might be curious about Jesus, but, cynical about the value of “religion,” they balk at the idea of attending a chapel service.

“What on earth would make her do that?” I wondered when my friend’s daughter recently walked out on her husband. “They seemed so together, successful, a good looking family, decent friends, a nice big home, members of the church – What will become of her and the kids, the husband, and their families — What could possibly lead to such a drastic decision?” 

Recently an asteroid, caught in the earth’s gravitational field, came crashing through the atmosphere and landed in Russia. Hundreds of people were injured.

In a similar way, spiritual gravity – our flesh, our bad habits, our character – keeps us from walking in spiritual liberty.

"I delivered my baby girl, shackled to a hospital bed, in a vulnerable position exposed to all, without family and only corrections officers by my side."

For better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, I promise – I do In sickness and in health, from now until forever, I’ll always love you, and so with, all of my heart, till death do us part I do, I promise I’ll always love you

– Jessica Foker, “I Do”

You could hardly blame the anguished Nepalese mother for abandoning her family. 

Frontlines is a video series that brings you close to the work of Prison Fellowship through the lens of Prison Fellowship Ministries CEO Jim Liske’s encounters with the inmates and families. In the latest edition, Jim shares what it’s like to spend Easter “in the tomb” with the lost and the forgotten – a tradition begun by Prison Fellowship founder Chuck Colson many years ago.

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God – this is your true and proper worship. – Romans 12:1-2 (NIV)

In Romans, Paul writes to a group of people who are sharing in Christ’s sufferings.

A new report finds that there has been a significant narrowing of the racial disparities in prison population. That is welcome news to PFM. Racial disparity in prisons is obvious the minute you enter a correction facility.  There is no denying it.

The Gospel tells us the good news:  that Christ died on the cross so that each of us can enter into fellowship with Him (1 Corinthians 1:9).

We are also called to have fellowship with one another (1 John 1:7).  Prison Fellowship Ministries, as indicated by our title, seeks to cultivate fellowship inside prison walls.  

I am not sure what prevented me from committing suicide. I had traveled a long, lonely road. I let circumstances from my childhood and young adult life boil inside me, until I felt angry at the whole world. I had thought that if I helped everyone around me and did everything they asked of me, they would like me, and I would find the happiness I craved.

Who are you to judge the life I live I know I’m not perfect, and I don’t live to be, but before you start pointing fingers make sure your hands are clean.

-Bob Marley, “Judge Not”

“Your son should be ashamed of himself, he is a disgrace,” a woman told my father, pointing at me accusingly. 

A current practice in the federal prison system is to allow inmates to accrue “good time” credit for model behavior during their incarceration.  Prisoners can receive up to 54 days* a year for avoiding disciplinary issues during their time behind bars, which can then be removed from the end of their sentence. 

One January weekend I spent two very full days with my daughter and her husband, renovating one of the bathrooms in their house in Michigan. They wanted to do a real overhaul of this particular room, with new plumbing, electrical wiring, and drywall work.