“They say the truth sets you free, and it does,” reflects Audrey, “but first I had to go prison.”
The word “arise” runs through Scripture like the repetitive chorus of a song.
When the people of Israel were waiting on the east side of the Jordan River, hesitating to enter the Promised Land, their leaders encouraged them, “Arise … for we have seen the land, and, behold, it is very good” (Judges 18:9).
The following article originally appeared on the Pretrial Justice Institute website, and appears here with permission.
Joe has not been convicted of a crime. He’s innocent, in fact, but he’s still in jail. He’s been sitting there for over two months now, waiting to appear before a judge, waiting for the chance to prove his innocence, but his trial date is nowhere in sight, and he doesn’t have the money to post bond.
My love for the Lord ignited a desire to give my time behind bars to writing in-depth exegetical papers and doing ministry unto the Lord. This is all hard work, but it is a labor of love. It is the least I can do for all He has done for me.
A version of this article originally appeared on JuicyEcumenism.com, the weblog of the Institute on Religion and Democracy, and appears here with permission.
Chelsen Vicari (Image courtesy IRD)
It is tempting to neglect incarcerated Christians in America. Labeled as lost causes, we justify our lack of attention to the needs of these brothers and sisters in Christ because of the public punishment they serve for their past wrongdoings.
The following commentary originally appeared on the BreakPoint website.
When a man is sentenced to prison, he is not the only person in his family doing time. If we believe that fathers matter, it’s difficult to deny that his children are also serving a sentence of sorts.
“To the roots of the mountains I sank down; the earth beneath barred me in forever. But you, LORD my God, brought my life up from the pit.” – Jonah 2:6, NIV
The wayward prophet Jonah had to go into the belly of the whale before He really understood the message of redemption God wanted him to preach in Nineveh.
There are approximately 2.3 million prisoners in America that need our intercession and petition to God. They need to know that we are praying for them and we need to spread the word to other believers to pray for them.
That’s why starting this March, at 2:30PM EST every weekday, Prison Fellowship will post a prayer reminder on its Facebook and Twitter pages using the hashtag #PRAY4PRISONERS, to encourage everyone to pause for a while and lift up these men and women behind bars and anyone affected by crime and incarceration.
Thirteen years ago, two journalists, one who had become pen pals with a prisoner on death row, created a book club called Free Minds in a D.C. jail. Today, about 940 juvenile prisoners have participated, and Free Minds has expanded outside of the jail, too, so members can continue to support one another through written word after release.
The following post originally appeared on the Justice Fellowship blog.
In a perfect world, people wouldn’t commit crimes. They wouldn’t hurt one another or themselves.
In a perfect imperfect world, people who committed crimes would receive a just punishment, one that was proportionate to the harm they had caused.
Participants in the Pathway to Freedom program. (Photo courtesy Pathway to Freedom.)
It is an unfortunate and sad reality that we live in a world with limited resources. Sometimes that means that meaningful programs and projects are discontinued for a want of funding or manpower.
The criminal justice system was a vital concern to the late Chuck Colson and the organization he founded, Prison Fellowship. The need for Reform is ongoing. And to that end, John Stonestreet welcomes former Congressman J.
Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.” – Matthew 26:38
Jesus’ deep sorrow in this verse takes on special significance when we see it through a prisoner’s eyes.
Pope Francis
Wednesday marked the beginning of Lent, the 40-day (excluding Sundays) period of reflection and repentance preceding Easter.
For many Christians, Lent is a period of fasting—a chance to give up something they might otherwise enjoy as a reminder of Christ’s ultimate sacrifice on our behalf.
A version of the following commentary originally appeared on the BreakPoint website.
No human life is irredeemable—no one is beyond the reach of God. And if anyone in recent history embodied that truth, it was Chuck Colson.
In 1969, as a young, hard-driving, fast-rising political star, Chuck found himself in the oval office, accepting Richard Nixon’s offer to become special counsel to the President.