Letters to God #12 – The Light in the Dark by Dana

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Addiction, Dana C, Gratitude, Inmate Testimonies, Jesus Christ, Letters from inmates, Prayer, Restoration, Salvation, Testimony

Dana has written several “letters to God” – you can see them here.

Dear God,

I want to thank You for this day.  Another day alive, happy and full of the Holy Spirit.  I’m sorry that I haven’t written in a while, but I’ve felt like I haven’t been able to feel Your presence lately, and that has made me lonelier than I ever would have imagined, and also quietly sad inside.  Sometimes I sit down to write and the words come pouring out of me like some sort of ocean tidal wave washing over the shores.  But lately when I sit down to write, I stare at the blank page with all its plain void and it reminds me of my once spiritually depleted life.  So instead of touching the pen down to paper to try to release my written therapy for my once beaten and abused soul, I run and abandon the lonely lifeless sheet like I handled every other uncomfortable or bad situation in my past.  But I’m writing You now, my Lord, because I wanted to reconnect. 

Letters to God #9 by Dana – “Winner At Losing”

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Addiction, Consequences, Dana C, Grace, Gratitude, Honesty, Inmate Testimonies, Letters from inmates, Repentance, Salvation, Spiritual Warfare, Testimony

Dana has written several “letters to God” – you can see them here.

Dear God,

Lord, first and foremost I want to thank You for this day.  Lord, the last few days have been a little trialsome, but I’ve learned to appreciate the hardships regardless of how painful, due to the knowledge of Your wondrous Word that You continue to bless me with.  For I’ve learned that as long as I continue to have faith in You O Lord, that You will answer my prayers and never give me more than I can carry.  As it tells me in Matthew 24:13, “But the one who endures to the end, he shall be saved.”  So praise God that I continue to grow strong in faith and spirituality with each passing day.

Erika’s Testimony – All Things Are New

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Addiction, Erika, Inmate Testimonies, Jail Ministry Musings, Jesus Christ, Restoration, Salvation, Testimony

My name is Erika.  I was born to a single mother in Texas.  Growing up, my childhood was very difficult for me.  Roughly from the age of two to eight years old my mom had a live in boyfriend that would regularly molest me.  I reached out to my mom, but she was unable to help.  He would physically beat her, and I think out of fear she felt powerless to do anything.

A New Year… A New Beginning by Christina M.

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Christina M., Jesus Christ, Letters from inmates, Salvation, Testimony, Thankfulness

“A New Year… A New Blessing”
By Christina M  01/2015

I woke up in this freezing cold prison cell, socks to my knees, and a rough wool blanket issued to me by the New Mexico Department of Corrections.  I can hear the sound of other female prisoners hollering crude obscenities to one another, cell doors being slammed shut, and a grumpy, round, pink skinned prison guard announcing that it’s time to “eat chow”.  There were no big, shiny balloons.  There weren’t any party whistles being blown.  I didn’t have a sparkling Happy new Year headband on my head.  There was no champagne.  No New Year’s kiss.  When I really think about all that glitz and glam… I can’t help but acknowledge how over rated all that show girl stuff truly is.  God knows I’ve had my fair share of wild festivities!

The Honored Woman At The Well

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Grace, Jail Ministry Musings, Jesus Christ, Mercy, Salvation

My partner Terry and I are teaching through the Gospel of John for our studies in jail.  We are doing 2-3 chapters at a time, and showing the corresponding sections of the movie “The Gospel Of John“.  The women seem to really be enjoying it.

I taught on John 4 a couple weeks ago, and as I prepared the lesson it really struck me that the FIRST person Jesus chose to reveal Himself to as Messiah was the woman at the well.

Letters To God #7 – “Ointment for My Wounded Heart” by Dana

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Addiction, Consequences, Dana C, Forgiveness, Grace, Jesus Christ, Letters from inmates, Repentance, Salvation, Testimony

A woman named Dana has been sharing her spiritual journey through a series of “Letters to God”.  You can find her first letter to God here.

December 2014

Dear God,

Lord, I still painfully walk through my days with so much baggage still attached that I don’t know how to shed.  It weighs me down and makes it hard for me to walk my spiritual path with a genuine and pure heart.  I pray that with the guidance from the Holy Spirit and the help and counsel of spiritual mentors this will lead me to break these chains of sin and free me from my pain.

Progression – A Story Of Addiction

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Addiction, Consequences, Gratitude, Jesus Christ, Restoration, Salvation, Testimony

This is a testimony from a young woman who came to know Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior while in jail.  She tells the story of the spiral into addiction so well, and this is the story of so many of the women in jail.  Only Jesus Christ can redeem and restore a life lost in sin.

“Progression”

I remember the beginning of my drug use as if it were yesterday, even though it was a little over 10 years ago.   I remember the people and the places.  And I remember the children.  It’s so very heartbreaking to look back and remember the children.  The innocent victims of the bad choices of others.

When A Bud Opens

Tags

Jail Ministry Musings, Salvation

When you look at the bud of a flower, it is just a tight little green wad.  It isn’t particularly pretty, but it has the potential to be extraordinarily beautiful.

While the bud is closed, you have no idea what that flower is going to look like.  Will it be fairly plain, or will it be impossibly intricate?  Will it have lots of small petals, or a few big ones?  What color will it be?  No two are alike, but all are beautiful because all are God’s handiwork.

Forgiveness – Following Jesus Part 2

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Forgiveness, Gospel, Jesus Christ, Repentance, Salvation, Sin

Jesus hung on the cross, humiliated, beaten and bloody.  He chose that exact moment to do something no ordinary person would have EVER considered doing.  Something completely unexpected.  Something inconceivable.  Something incredibly powerful.  Something shockingly beautiful that displayed His unfailing love.

Forgiveness – Following Jesus Part 1

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Forgiveness, Gospel, Jesus Christ, Salvation, Sin

I don’t know anyone who hasn’t struggled at some point with the pain and hurt in their life.  We’ve all been hurt, and for followers of Jesus Christ we all have to learn how to deal with it in the way God has given us.

The problem is, what comes much more naturally to most of us is to hold on the pain and hurt of life.