Doing Time With God Stories Of Healing And Hope In Our Prisons
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Doing Time with God: Stories of Healing and Hope in Our Prisons by MR Bill Dyer Pdf
True crime stories provide the foundation of this prison memoir. Bill Dyer was robbed and shot at an ATM. In Doing Time with God, you go into prison with him and other victims of violence to meet with convicted felons who will be facing their worst and greatest realizations, before they are released. Nothing is predictable when victims and offenders come together and share their stories of the true crimes that have devastated their lives...and reshaped them. Victim-survivors remember their losses and feel their pain; Offenders come face-to-face with the hurt they have caused, and open wounds from their own past. Walls of defensiveness and fear are knocked down by empathy and compassion, vulnerability and tears. Raw emotions flow. The way to peace is often intense, turbulent, and heartbreaking. Even when it's not pretty, the journey is beautiful in its honesty... miraculous in the way it unfolds...divine in how it transforms lives. This Amazing Process Opens the Heart, Touches the Soul, and Renews the Mind
As disappointing and difficult as your incarceration may be, there is always hope and a spiritual solution. In your desperation, take time to be still, put your anxieties to rest and draw close to God. He is very near and will meet you at your point of need. This book will help you discover that the God of all comfort is near to the brokenhearted and discouraged. God will turn your despair into hope, your darkness into light, and your doubts into faith.What other prisoners have written about Prayers by a Prisoner:"Price puts our deepest questions about walking with God through this darkness into perspective. Every prisoner must read this book." Jason Chapman, federal prisoner"I've been arrested forty nine times and have read many books in jail and prison. I've read this book three times already, and I feel like I need to read it again and again. This book on prayer helped me understand that God loves me no matter what I've done." Terry Buck, federal prisoner"After struggling with years of depression, bad decisions and lots of prison time, chapter twelve has changed my entire thought process. If you read nothing else, read chapter twelve. Chapters fourteen and fifteen are very powerful too!" David McNutt"After over thirty arrests and being in and out of jail sice I was thirteen, this book helped me finally understand why I am making so many impulsive and irrational decisions. I did not understand that God loved me this way. My life is now being transformed." Johnny Hill, federal prisonerFrom the Introduction:I want to explain that I am a fellow struggler in Christ. I am not infallible, and thankfully, I have abandoned the God complex. My flaws and mistakes are obvious, and I say along with the apostle Paul that I am the chief of all sinners. This book is not about any extra ordinary knowledge or insight that I have attained. It is simply about the practices and habits that God has led me to develop to make the most of my time in prison and the remainder of my life. I am a learner, an avid reader, and a lifelong student of contemplative prayer. I am always asking God to make the necessary changes that He knows I need to implement in order for me to conform to the image of Christ.Just because I am a Christian does not mean I am without troubles, pain and suffering. We all know the affliction and darkness we experience in prison. We have been through the inhumane, harsh and brutal process of eternal condemnation. We are alienated, isolated and despised by society. Our names have become a reproach. The odds of any kind of comeback are stacked against us. The world looks upon us as pariah and with contempt. Many of us are rejected and forsaken, and we wrestle with feelings of deep loneliness, abandonment and overwhelming regret. We wonder if there is any hope.The good news is that Jesus repeatedly gave dignity back to the despised. Others may look at us with scorn, but Jesus makes us human again. Here is the bottom line: God knows every thought we have ever had, every step we've ever taken, and every word we've ever spoken. He knows the intentions of our hearts. He knows all the things we've seen and done that make us want to run, hide, and even die. And yet, He still loves us. Jesus is a friend and lover of sinners like you and me, and there is nothing we can do to make Him stop loving us. He meets us where we are. He disciplines and corrects us when necessary. He forgives our past. He overwhelms us with His love, and He gives us an eternal home in Heaven. Nothing can separate us from His infinite love. Because of this, we can say along with the Psalmist, "I will not die, but live, and tell of the works of the Lord. The Lord has didciplined me severely, but He has not given me over to death (Psalm 118:17-19)."Included as a supplement is a five chapter preview of my memoir, Hope Is Not My Enemy, which details my life story and the failure of my securities business and MBT Bank.
Due to events beyond your control, you find yourself with a loved one in prison. What now? Carol Kent has been there and knows what it’s like to have life flipped upside down. She writes Waiting Together from a heart that understands what it’s like to navigate a new normal, offering hope and healing from a Biblical perspective. This 90-day guide, filled with devotions, prayers, and Scripture, comforts hurting hearts and shows how God can bless families in similar situations.
Each chapter in this book explores the story of a different person in the Bible who was imprisoned, and considers the unique way that God was at work in their situation. The purpose of this book is to encourage people who are currently incarcerated by showing them how God has worked through the dif?cult situation of imprisonment many times before.
'There is no one, no life, no story that is beyond God's power to love and transform' Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury This extraordinary book speaks loudly of hope and reconciliation, of transformation and journeys. Forty prisoners, prison chaplains and ex-offenders tell their stories of the hope that they have found, how forgiveness can be found in the most unlikely places, and how knowing Jesus changes lives forever. Each faith-inspiring story is accompanied by verses from the Bible and a thought for the day, and can be read at any time by individuals or groups, inside and outside prison. Weekly discussion notes to inspire personal reflection and facilitate group discussion are also included, making them ideal for reading during Lent. Find fresh hope as you use this book and allow it to help you come closer to the source of all hope - Jesus, the central character in all the stories you will read. Created in partnership with Prison HOPE and compiled by Catherine Butcher.
Having completed their sentences, what kind of neighbors will these returning inmates be? What has been done to prepare them to live healthy, productive, law-abiding lives? The author demonstrates why we should care and how you and your church can help.
Author : Dr. Henry G. Covert Publisher : Masthof Press & Bookstore Page : 198 pages File Size : 42,6 Mb Release : 1992 Category : Church work with prisoners ISBN : 9781601268273
Ministry to the Incarcerated by Dr. Henry G. Covert Pdf
Dr. Covert uses his experiences as both police officer and state prison chaplain to examine the environment of the incarcerated—people who are often forgotten by society. He emphasizes particular areas of inmate stress and how they impact upon the inmate's spiritual formation and the role of the Church in offering encouragement, healing, and transformation. He calls for staff education, environmental improvement, and a pastoral presence that facilitates rehabilitation and hope, rather than discouragement and punishment. (197pp. Masthof Press, 2022.)
Serving Productive Time by Tom Lagana,Laura Lagana Pdf
Are you or have you ever been incarcerated? Do you have a loved one in jail or prison? Do you work or volunteer at a correctional facility? Have you ever been the victim of a crime? Do you understand that we all share the responsibility of helping others—no matter who they are, where they live, or what they have done? If so, you understand that incarceration affects everyone and that only through positive change can people begin to heal and grow. In Serving Productive Time, you'll read about extraordinary people who are taking tangible steps to make positive changes in their own lives and who are reaching out to help others do the same. Some stories will help you gain a new perspective on those who are incarcerated. Some will help you understand the need to prepare inmates for release and to support them afterward. Others will help you appreciate your freedom and remind you that we all make mistakes. And still others will reaffirm the fact that, although many of us might be imprisoned in some way (either by a limiting belief, illness, or other situation), we all need a helping hand at some point in our lives to lift us up and show us the path to a new life. Serving Productive Time will leave you with a renewed appreciation of the need for all of us to use our time wisely to make ongoing, positive changes in our lives and to bring others along with us in the process—whether we live or work inside or outside the razor wire.
A number of years ago, the Lord called me to put everything down in a book and to let individuals know and see what he has been doing in my life and within the prison cell throughout world. I started to write this book, it contains some of my own personal experiences of Gods power within the prison cell, especially here in Nothern Ireland. Also I am involved with many other inmates through correspondance from other parts of the world. Again through this Ministry I have received incredible and amazing testimonies of Gods healing power from all over the world. The book contains many testimonies of healing, written by inmates again from all over the world. I talk about my highs and lows, the times I struggle etc. I have read many books on prison etc but never have I ever read a collection of so many events and miracles that are taken from prisons throughout the world. The title is as it states "Reflection of Christ" Gods power inside the prison cell. This book contains some of the events that I have experienced over a three year period. There are funny stories, and others that will make you cry. Many people will be amazed at what is written. It is God who receives all of the Glory, many through this book will come to know and see how real he is and the Grace and Mercy he has towards these outcasts of society.
God is on the move - taking the Good News of Jesus Christ to a group of people who desperately need Him. Prison is a mission field that is ripe for harvest and too often forgotten. God's Word tells us to visit the prisoner; some of us do that through letters of hope. In this book, you or your church will find everything you need to know about being a Christian pen pal to prisoners. You will read touching stories like the one Kathi tells of her pen pal who told her that he "slept on a bed of prayers (our letters under his mattress) and that's what got him through prison life". CPP outreach matches around 100 inmates a month with a volunteer pen pal, still there are about two thousand waiting and praying, over a year in most cases, to hear from someone. Learn how you can minister to someone in need of a Christian mentor, and make a difference for our Father's Kingdom.
An eye-opening account of how and why evangelical Christian ministries are flourishing in prisons across the United States It is by now well known that the United States’ incarceration rate is the highest in the world. What is not broadly understood is how cash-strapped and overcrowded state and federal prisons are increasingly relying on religious organizations to provide educational and mental health services and to help maintain order. And these religious organizations are overwhelmingly run by nondenominational Protestant Christians who see prisoners as captive audiences. Some twenty thousand of these Evangelical Christian volunteers now run educational programs in over three hundred US prisons, jails, and detention centers. Prison seminary programs are flourishing in states as diverse as Texas and Tennessee, California and Illinois, and almost half of the federal prisons operate or are developing faith-based residential programs. Tanya Erzen gained inside access to many of these programs, spending time with prisoners, wardens, and members of faith-based ministries in six states, at both male and female penitentiaries, to better understand both the nature of these ministries and their effects. What she discovered raises questions about how these ministries and the people who live in prison grapple with the meaning of punishment and redemption, as well as what legal and ethical issues emerge when conservative Christians are the main and sometimes only outside forces in a prison system that no longer offers even the pretense of rehabilitation. Yet Erzen also shows how prison ministries make undeniably positive impacts on the lives of many prisoners: men and women who have no hope of ever leaving prison can achieve personal growth, a sense of community, and a degree of liberation within the confines of their cells. With both empathy and a critical eye, God in Captivity grapples with the questions of how faith-based programs serve the punitive regime of the prison, becoming a method of control behind bars even as prisoners use them as a lifeline for self-transformation and dignity.
Chicken Soup for the Prisoner's Soul by Jack Canfield,Mark Victor Hansen Pdf
Previously available only through free distribution to prisons, this life-changing book is the result of charitable donations from sales of Chicken Soup for the Christian Family Soul and gifts from thousands of individuals.
"The Heavenly Man" tells the true story of Liu Zhenying, also known as Brother Yun, who, for the past 30 years, has committed himself to bringing the gospel of Christ to all of China. Imprisoned, tortured, and separated from his family for his beliefs, Brother Yun shares his story.
When Charles Colson was released after seven months of prison time following the Watergate scandal, the last thing on earth he wanted to do was go back into those dark, frightening prisons, but God called him to do just that. Thus was born a life-long ministry, and here, for the first time, if the amazing success story of Prison Fellowship's thirty years of work in the darkest places on earth.
Show the incarcerated how to find forgiveness in unforgiving surroundings As the prison population in the United States increases by more than 1,000 inmates each week, prison ministry programs must have a working blueprint for dealing with the shame, humiliation, hate, and loneliness of incarceration at both the adult correctional and juvenile detention/probation levels. Prison Ministry: Hope Behind the Wall demonstrates how a ministry can adapt Latin American Liberation theology to address oppression and bring prisoners into the community of Christ. Author Dennis Pierce, former chaplain at the Joliet Correctional Center in Illinois (where the Fox Network's 2005 “Prison Break” series is filmed), presents a functioning approach to forgiveness and reconciliation, combining pastoral counseling, Christian education, Bible studies, and worship to help inmates develop self-esteem and an overall feeling of self-worth through compassion and empathy. Prison Ministry: Hope Behind the Wall provides an alternative resource on our prison system for chaplains, pastors, priests, and students working in theology, ethics, or counseling. Instead of the usual descriptive narratives of inmates’ lives or discussions of statistical approaches, this unique book combines a theological model with a viable programmatic approach to confront the oppression of incarceration and reverse its effects. The book looks at the vital issues facing juveniles in the criminal justice system (the transition from county jail to a correctional facility, victimization, rejection, under-stimulation, homosexual rape) and examines the creation of non-threatening niches to address coping structures needed to move toward forgiveness and reconciliation. Prison Ministry: Hope Behind the Wall examines: meeting the incarcerated defining prison’s emotional ethos dealing with human breakdowns oppression in maximum-security prison components of empowerment needed for prison ministry Prison Ministry: Hope Behind the Wall also includes case studies of four inmates, an extensive bibliography, a glossary of prison terms, sample Bible studies, and sermon topics. The book is invaluable for anyone dealing with incarcerated youth and young adults in civilian or military correctional or juvenile detention facilities.
