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5 [Un]Surprising Things about Correctional Ministries

5 [Un]Surprising Things about Correctional Ministries

Correctional Ministries Summit

“I was beaten with a braided extension cord by my mother, who ran a bootleg house.” Pastor Tony Lowden, Executive Director of Stone Academy, shared those words as he raised this puzzling question:

WHY did I escape the imprisonment every other male member of my family has experienced?

His answer (ET translation of a very profound “plenary”):  “I got hung up on a nail.”
The nail of God’s love which held Jesus to the Cross, the only sure anchor in this life, saved him from his seemingly certain incarcerated future.

My story with Correctional Ministries

Lowden’s was among the many strong and compassionate voices speaking this past weekend at the Correctional Ministries and Chaplain’s Association Summit in Atlanta, Georgia. I spent 48 hours as a newbie to correctional ministry soaking up astounding statistics and stories about the impact these ministries are having on real people. I wept with others over songs shared by the Lee Arrendale Women’s Prison Choir. I sat under men and women solidly secure in their belief that the gospel is the only story that offers true hope to the dark reality of incarcerated men and women in America.

How did I come to be in this place? The whole story would require an additional blog. For now, let’s just say that a gentle, quiet question started forming in me about 2 years ago, “Should I become involved in prison ministry in some way, shape, or form?” I know I have teaching gifts, which I’ve used for over 25 years in white middle class churches and beyond. Should I try to use them in a different culture?

I did what I encourage my coaching clients to do – prayed, listened (to God and others), sought, waited. Last fall, an opportunity came to join a team of 4 delightful women, who, like me, don’t know much about correctional ministry (that’s the phrase that includes prison/jail/re-entry ministry) except that we have some gifts and want to help.

5 [UN]surprising things correctional ministries taught me

I AM LEARNING SO MUCH!!! And I’m so eager to share with you. So, here are 5 (out of about 50) at first surprising but really unsurprising things about correctional ministry.

  1. Are prisoners people too? Genesis 1:26-28.

    Too often, we see mug shots or read stories of a crime in the paper, and we jump to a conclusion — thug, druggie, evil. Our labels may be partially accurate, but they don’t tell the whole story.

One morning at the jail, after the worship service, we rode the elevator down with the inmates. The tall freckle-faced young woman in the orange jumpsuit had her pretty red hair pulled back in a high ponytail. She eagerly told us about all the books she had been reading while recovering from an injury in the infirmary. I could not shake the thought – I could as easily be in my living room listening to one of the girls on my daughter’s volleyball team.

Every incarcerated person is created in the image of God and bears his glory, no matter how well disguised it is by evil. Click To TweetI need to recall: Every incarcerated person is created in the image of God and bears his glory, no matter how well disguised it is by evil.

  1. What do the incarcerated need most?

    Mark Casson, executive director of Metanoia Ministries, a highly effective mentoring and re-entry program, graciously gave me an hour of his time. He posed this question of me.

As I searched my mind for the answer — “Car? Job? House,” he interjected.

“THE CHURCH!” He quoted Matthew 6:33: “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” At first, I wondered – “Is he being practical?” But he explained that in churches, many “returning citizens” will not only be encouraged by the gospel, but will also be connected to resources for practical needs.What the incarcerated need most -- THE #CHURCH! Matt. 6:33 #prisonministry Click To Tweet

  1. Which “culture” is more spiritual? Prison or America?

    Prison! In a spot-on workshop on re-entry, Mark explained that prison often affords many hours for Bible reading and praying. At the same time, it protects the prisoner from some of the temptations presented in American culture. He added that many incarcerated people may often experience rapid spiritual growth because of the time they spend in God’s Word.

  1. “Who’s the guy”?

    Dr. Harold Trulear, of Healing Communities, pointed out that 9 times out of 10 — yes, he said 9 times out of 10, when women are incarcerated, there is a guy involved. Not only are women prostituted by men, they also run drugs or buy guns for men. He added that where a man was not directly involved, emotional, physical, and spiritual abuse often influences women’s crimes.

  1. How can we help?

    You may not have a calling to correctional ministry, but all Christians are called to play a vital role. Here are some things you can do:

  • PRAY: Pray against the enemy and evil. Pray for…
    • the incarcerated and victims of crime
    • families and children of incarcerated and victims
    • correctional officers
  • HELP BY NOT HELPING: Rob Kendall, director of Against the Grain (http://www.atghope.org), exhorted us, “Don’t do things for people they can do for themselves.”
  • LEARN MORE: Prison Fellowship has one of the largest correctional ministry outreaches in the country. On their website, you can learn about prison reform, restorative justice, and more.

We all need correctional ministry.

I was talking to a wizened African-American woman, a coordinator of programs at a prison in Michigan. I explained that I was new to the conference and correctional ministry, but that I had been teaching Bible study in church for many years. She leaned over and took my arm and said, “You know, honey, you’ve been teaching prisoners, too. We’re all prisoners of sin.” What a wonderful encouragement to us all to continue to bring the hope of the gospel wherever we go.

 

 

How Community Revived an Impossible Dream: A Story

For years, I have been writing, teaching, and coaching about the importance of sharing story in community. It is my calling; it is my work; it is my passion. But years ago, when I was training to pursue this mission, there were times I struggled with the process. I doubted my calling; I wanted to give up. On one of these nights, I was meeting with the women in my  Bible study for a story feast. Our topic was “The Death of a Dream.” I shared my story, and they responded. This story demonstrates how a community can strengthen faith, restore hope, and compel love.

“Death of a Dream” Story

“As most of you know, this summer I took a seminary class that caused me to question my foolish dream of finishing my degree. I was well on my way to reaching this impossible dream, having already completed one-third of the coursework. Each course had changed my heart profoundly and stirred a new passion for God, his calling to me, and my community. But this class was different. The professor seemed cynical and mocking, and over the four days of class, I began to wonder if I belonged. I felt like a stranger in a strange land, as others seemed to question everything I placed my hope in. I don’t know that I want to continue my studies there.”

When I finished, the group, many of whom had walked with me from the beginning of the story of pursuing the degree, had questions and comments for me.

One woman reminded me that we tell our children that they won’t always get along with a teacher. She asked me whether I really thought that God wanted me to give up so quickly just because I had a negative experience with a professor.

Another woman observed, “It sounds like you did something you never would have done in the past. You voiced your beliefs. Even if you weren’t heard by the professor or your classmates, you spoke up for what you believed, and that’s very important.”

“It sounds like you did something you never would have done in the past. You voiced your beliefs.”

The last to speak, a young woman relatively new to the group, gave me reason to continue in faith: “I haven’t been in this group for very long, but since the beginning, the idea that God would call you to such a strange dream has encouraged me to consider that my calling too might be from God. Now I am seeing that moving into this mission may be fraught with trials, and that without a community that knows who God is and what he’s done in my life, I’m sunk.”

Touché. Our new friend summed up the whole purpose of story feasts – to help one another continue in faith by remembering the marvelous deeds God had done and to encourage one another to wait in hope for God to do the impossible again.

Linking up with The High Calling today.

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6 Creative Ways to Determine What Work to Do

One of my great privileges as a Christian life story coach is to walk alongside people as they discern and decide which paths to pursue regarding their daily work. Approaching these decisions is easier when we understand that in our redeemed state, we have “jobs” to do: “God’s ambassadors,” “ministers of reconciliation,” and “disciple-makers” among them. The Bible tells us we are teeming with meaning, shimmering with the glory of the Creator who made us just so.

With that knowledge as a background, we can dive into some practical ways to determine directions for our particular work. Here are 5 ideas to help you figure out what work you might do.

  1. Explore your story. Consider your personality (there are many online inventories for this), the roles you enjoy performing, your passions, values, history, gifts, and broken places.
  2. Draw your dream. Even if you’re not an artist, this exercise can bring more clarity to your vision. Drawing or painting opens your imagination to new possibilities and gives you a picture of where you want to go. Don’t worry about perfect representation — stick figures and icons will suffice. Try doing a 2 year, 5 year, and 10 year dream. (If you really don’t want to draw, consider writing a fictionalized story).

    I drew two of the things I do: coaching and writing, to get a better sense of why I do them. As you can see, drawing is not my strong point!

    I drew two of the things I do: coaching and writing, to get a better sense of why I do them. As you can see, drawing is not my strong point!

  3. Make lists. If you have several different fields you are considering, list the costs or challenges against the benefits or joys of each. List places you might want to work, including cities or areas of the country. List the type of people you’d like to work with. The possibilities for lists are endless.
  4. Do the research. If you think you’d be interested in owning a bakery, interview some bakery owners and ask questions about what it took to start their business. If you are interested in a particular job, like wildlife conservation, find out what education you need to have to do that. Search online for ways to get the education or certification you need to do the work.
  5. Pray and read Scripture. (This comes near the end because it should weave through everything). Not only does prayer acknowledge that God is sovereign over this process, it also helps you to see more clearly. Write out verses that encourage you or make you curious. Pray before you interview someone for research. Write a prayer about your “dream drawings.”
  6. Talk with others. Ask friends and family for insights; even those you differ with may see something you don’t. Sometimes it can be helpful to work with a career counselor or a life coach who will partner with you to brainstorm, observe, ask helpful questions, and keep you on track.

These are just a few ideas to get you started. I’d love to hear from you…

  1. What other tools have you used to discern what work you might do?
  2. Have you tried any of the suggestions listed, or are there any you’d like to try? If you’d like to try one, mark a date on your calendar for working on it and a date to be finished and ask a friend to check with you.

John Stott on Vocation

July 23, 2009

John Stott:  The Contemporary Christian

On Vocation
“The whole of our life belongs to God and is part of his calling,  both before conversion and outside religion.  We must not imagine that God first became interested in us when we were converted, or that now he is interested only in the religious bits of our lives.”
“God’s sovereignty extends over both halves of our life.  He did not begin to work in and for us at our conversion, but at our birth, even before our birth in our genetic inheritance, as later in our temperament, personality, education and skills.  And what God made us and gave us before we became Christians, he redeems, sanctifies, and transforms afterwards.  There is a vital continuity between our pre-and post-conversion life.  For although we are a new person in Christ, we are still the same person we were by creation, whom Christ has made new.”

on Ministry
“It seems to me fully compatible with our Christian doctrines of creation and redemption that we should talk to ourselves somewhat as follows:  ‘I am a unique person.  (That is not conceit.  It is a fact….My uniqueness is due to my genetic endowment, my inherited personality and talents, inclinations and interests, my new birth and spiritual gifts.  By the grace of God I am who I am.  How then can I, as the unique person God has made me, be stretched in the service of Christ and of people, so that nothing he has given me is wasted, and everything he has given me is used?”

To ponder:  What are your genetic inheritance, temperament, personality, education, and skills?  Think about the “vital continuity” between your pre- and post- conversion life?  Into what cultural spheres does that take you?  How can you live as a “redeemed redeemer” in that sphere, using all that God created and redeemed you to be?

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