To my bbb's and bff's

There is a common phrase now used, "Best friends forever" or "bff". Now, I've only heard of females using this phrase so I would have to be cautious before using it myself. But I've thought of one of my own..."bbb" or "brothers behind bars" or maybe "triple b." What is the point of all of this non-sense? Well, I'm glad you asked. I really just want to friendly the whole scene up a little bit.

When people hear about me pursuing chaplaincy the typical response is one of caution. It is as if I have chosen some dangerous vocation in the ranks with LAPD swat, subcontracting in Iraq, or a missionary in China.

I volunteer now in a state facility where the inmates have all committed more serious crimes. But, the guys that I meet with are all professing Christians and it is really just like any other Bible study. The examples they might have from their lives during discussions will often be different than a Bible study in suburbia, but that is about all. Many of these guys who come to Christ really need to be plugged in to an active church, if and when they are released, where they can walk their faith out. It is not uncommon for people to commit their lives to Christ without any change to follow. The bad part for ex-cons is that they get back into their old social networks and fall away from their faith and often go back to their criminal activities. I think that the core issue is the same in both situations. Becoming a Christian means that our whole life changes. We have new priorities, purposes, and a new sub-culture. Many other things might need to change like speech, appearance, habits, hobbies, finances, and more. The Bible talks about the old things passing away and being a new creation in Christ (2 Cr. 5:17). The church is our foundation for this life in Christ, who is the Cornerstone. It is through the church that we exercise our gifts and find our purpose in God's master plan. So many people pick a church based off of the show they put on for Sunday morning, but that is not the church. That is a man made tradition to worship and be taught as a group. The most important part is how each member contributes his or her God given gifts and abilities to further the kingdom (it's not about us). It is through this body we call the church, that ex-con's or law abiding citizens have a chance to be rehabilitated from sinners to saints. A community where we can work out our salvation in a process we call sanctification and live a life or purpose that is beyond ourselves. Christianity is not just a belief system that requires us to stop doing a bunch of things. It is a whole new way of living that is less about us and more about God and other people.

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!" 2 Corinthians 5:17

Amen

Chaplaincy on the horizon

The Bible study was cancelled tonight. So, how about I share some more of the process. There are still a few more steps to the process with the Good News Ministry, but there is a chance that I will be filling the spot of one of the chaplains who is retiring from York County Prison and starting in January. I have a week intensive training in Richmond, VA that will hopefully happen in November or December. Then I may be moving up to PA in December so that I can train with the retiring chaplain. It is all so overwhelming to see how all of this is working out. God really seems to be orchestrating everything, which is very humbling. I look forward to seeing what God is doing there and how He will use me. I know I will have some pretty awesome things to share.

I'm so excited to be a chaplain. I have been working toward this for around three years now. I believe that God has confirmed that this is His plan. I didn't set out a fleece, get knocked off a donkey, or talk to a burning bush or anything, but His work has been evident in my life. The only obstacle is my house. It has been on the market since June and we have had around 29 showings. I am praying for it to sell by the holidays. I know that God doesn't operate in my timing. Sometimes I think He waits until the last minute so that we will remain dependent on Him. If everything happened the way we wanted it to than we probably wouldn't give God credit for any of it. So I'm not worried about it, but it is a thorn in my side at the moment. I would appreciate any prayers over it. Another thought is that some of the guards may even remember me or visa-versa. I think of what a testimony that will be. It's like redemption has gone completely full circle in my life and I am amazed!

Answered Prayers

It is also crazy to see how God specifically answers our prayers. I've always known that I should be careful of what I ask for, but I don't think it's good to pray with caution either. The Tuesday before last at the prison Bible study I prayed that God would make less of us and more of Him. I've prayed that before, but didn't notice Him answer it. That Friday I had a coworker cut me down like no one else has. He found out about what led me to be a chaplain and decided that I no longer deserved the respect he had previously given me. He was confident that he was a better person than me or anyone else that goes to prison. It gave me the opportunity to explain how we are all at the same level when put against God's standards of goodness. It also showed me a misunderstanding he had about Christianity and God and allowed me to share a different perspective with him. I'd like to say it ended well, but he stayed pretty upset. This then gave me the opportunity to treat him as if he hadn't said all those hateful things in the days that followed.

I shared this answer to prayer with my small group at the prison last Tuesday. This gave more opportunity to discuss a variety of things that can be more challenging as a Christian. What surprised me even more was that the same thing happened to one of the men in the group. He works in the medical wing and another guy that works in there cut him down and criticized his claim to Christ. One hard conversation for me led to many opportunities to give God glory, discuss important topics with other believers, and share the Gospel with someone who did not understand it.

Timidity vs. Boldness

My group had a very good discussion last night. We talked about fear and timidity as Christians. One guy is in a new dorm where he doesn't know very many people. He is use to reading his Bible out on the yard to give his cell-mate some room but in this new environment he has been reluctant to do so. He doesn't want to seem weak or like a "Jesus Freak." There is gang related pressure as well as people who might see him as a target. We talked about balancing boldness with wisdom and discussed 2 Timothy 1:7-9. It is difficult to find a balance between being bold and being pushy. Jesus did attract people, but He also turned a lot of people off. Maybe the same should be said of us? Any thoughts?

Another man in my group has a Muslim friend that he has discussions with. It seems like a good sign that his friend is asking him questions. Sometimes he brings those questions to the group to bounce them off of us. Hopefully the friend will just come to group one of these nights.

All of this spawned from a book we are reading on the holiness of God. It was a great chapter that explained how God's holiness makes people uncomfortable. Do we live the holy lives that we are called to live (1Th 4:7)? If not then why not?