Month: December 2019

Treasures In Heaven

(A word of encouragement presented at a Protestant All-Faith Church service in October 2015)

In the October 16th 2015 Daily Bread devotional written by Lawrence Darmani, the key verse for the devotional was Matthew 6:20 NKJV, “Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.”   I’ve probably read that verse a hundred times and understand that earthly treasures and heavenly treasures are not the same.  But at the end of the devotional were two thought provoking questions that stopped me dead in my tracks.  The first question was, “In what ways are you storing up your treasures in heaven?” and second, “How might you change and grow in this area of your life?”

After thinking for a few minutes, the answer to the first question seemed obvious.  I would like to think that every time I:

  • Pick up my cross, crucify my flesh and deny myself;
  • Love my family, neighbors, and enemies as I love myself;
  • Visit the sick, orphans, widows, and prisoners;
  • Bless my family, friends, strangers, and those who curse me;
  • Give my time, talents and gifts to benefit others;
  • Give out of my riches and my poverty – tithes, freewill offerings, and monetary gifts without conditions;
  • Serve others by giving a cup of water, washing their feet, and seating them in a place of honor ahead of myself;
  • Humble myself, turn the other cheek, walk the extra mile, give both my cloak and tunic;
  • Walk by faith and not by sight;
  • Pray, praise, and give thanks to God, and;
  • Trust and obey rather than having to ask forgiveness, I was storing up treasures in heaven.

I thought that every self-sacrifice I made, every good deed I did, every act of devotion was like the old S&H Green Stamps I earned and could trade them in for crowns or a bigger mansion in heaven.  It was the answer to the second question that showed how shallow my thinking was.

How might I change or grow in this area of my life?  What more could I possibly do!  As I began to meditate on this question the Holy Spirit reminded me about the Rich Young Ruler from Mark 10:17-31.  Could it be that I was being proud of my works?  Jesus told the young man to “‘sell whatever you have, give it to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven.  Then come, follow Me.’ At this, the man’s face fell.  He went away sad, because he had great wealth.”  To be a disciple of Christ we cannot put any conditions on our service, the only way is complete obedience.

Then it became clear to me.  As I live my life in true righteousness and holiness my every time must become all the time.  As I mature in my faith- my eyes, ears and heart must become more sensitive to both the heavenly call on my life and the pitiful conditions surrounding me.  I must come to the realization that my righteous acts are like filthy rags.  How could my works hope to buy anything in heaven, which is a city paved with streets of gold?

2 Corinthians 4:7 tells us that we are treasures housed in earthly vessels, and John 3:16-17 says that Jesus came than none might perish.  The truth is that the treasures we store up in heaven are people, those who come to know Jesus because we were salt and light, the hands and feet of Jesus, a living testimony to the reality of our God.

Shortly after I presented this word of encouragement to the church one of our regular preachers, Jim Jones from Rock of Ages came and preached a sermon that confirmed my conclusion that the treasures we store up in heaven are the people that we reach for Christ.  Over and over my insights into prison life and spiritual life have been confirmed by a variety of sources.  Some of these confirmations have been of a more universal nature showing that some things never change over time and distance like books, newspaper articles or television documentaries from all over the country and around the world.  Others have been very specific such as this instance where Rev. Jones’ language was almost verbatim of my own. 

Since I am neither an expert in criminal justice nor theology, I tend to be widely read to better understand the subjects.  However, in prison there is no access to the internet and unless someone sends you a book from out in the free world all you have to read are books in the General Library or Chaplin’s library. Until preparing this blog post for publication I had never heard “The way you store up treasure in heaven is by investing in getting people there” quote by Rick Warren.

That being said, most of my blog posts are essays written to help me process and share information based on my own experience, perceptions and insights.  Meditation features prominently since to me the leading of the Holy Spirit is a crucial component to how I gain understanding and wisdom.  My friend Daniel once called me a ‘wise man’ and my response was to say that I was only a ‘wise guy.’  I humbly acknowledge that I am free and forgiven only by the grace of God, that all my words are from Him, and are intended to give Him praise and glory.    

Winter 2019 Newsletter

“For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.” – Luke 2:11-12

(Excerpt from the newsletter)

Season’s Greetings Brother,

Another year is coming to a close and it feels like there is so much left to do and so little time left to do it in.  I’ve been so busy working, shopping, decorating and baking cookies that I find myself up against a firm deadline to publish this newsletter and I haven’t begun to think about what I’m going to write.  I had to stop another project completely because I just don’t have enough hours in the day to spare.   Life at times like this can get overwhelming, but I’ve learned that I’m not a superman.  I can’t do it all.  I’m not a machine.  I must accept that not everything will get done.  While I don’t have to be okay with the idea, I still need to acknowledge my limitations.  I shouldn’t beat myself up or complain about my procrastination or lack of organizational skills.  When I get to the heart of the matter, I know that I did my best and that things don’t always go according to plan.

I once read a quote that said, “If you don’t have the time to do it right, you certainly don’t have the time to do it over.”   In the long run doing things right the first time makes more sense than hurrying through and making lots of little mistakes.  But the world we live in doesn’t tend to see it this was.  The pressure is on to be ‘good enough’ not perfect.  Why is it then that in our walk with Christ we often strive for perfection and then beat ourselves up when we fail?  In Romans 3:23 it says, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”  Even born-again Christians sin.  When we are saved, we don’t automatically become perfect, just forgiven of our past mistakes.  Instead with the help of the Holy Spirit we become conscious of our failings so that we can with His help address them in a continual process of improvement. Philippians 2:12 says that we are to “work out our salvation.”  We won’t be perfected until we get to heaven and have exchanged the corruptible for the incorruptible (1Corinthians 15:53-55).

Busyness, multitasking, schedules, deadlines in themselves are not bad things but how they use us is.  We become distracted, our focus is divided, keeping on track and finishing on time become an obsession.  We lose sight of the things that are truly important.  Christmas time more so than any other time of year has a reputation for this type of insanity.  We can’t enjoy the holidays because we rush around trying to get things done.

“Silent Night” (“Stille Nacht” in its original German) is one of the most well-known traditional Christmas carols sung around the world. 

The song is about an event that is described as peaceful, calm, and tranquil, yet majestic, other worldly and glorious.  Having been in the delivery room for the birth of my daughter I can tell you that giving birth would never be described that way.  If a modern birth is at best described as stressful, chaotic, and exhausting, what would it have been like to give birth to your first child far from home in a barn 2000 years ago without the assistance of anyone other than a local midwife?

The song was originally a poem written by pastor Joseph Franz Mohr and composed by his friend Franz Xaver Gruber in early 19th century Austria. Pastor Mohr desperately needed a carol for the Christmas Eve midnight mass that was only hours away, and he hoped Gruber – a school teacher as well as the church’s choir master and organist – could set his poem to music; he composed the melody in just a few hours on that Christmas Eve.  This sounds more like the world we live in.

Jesus came into this world as a baby in the humblest circumstances imaginable.  But while the birth of most children receives little notice, he received a royal welcome.   A heavenly choir announced his coming, heralds spread the word of his birth, his earthly parents were presented with kingly gifts by foreign dignitaries, both prophets and a prophetess saw his future and a tyrant feared him.  God who created man became man in order to redeem His creation.  This act of love, sacrifice, and salvation in a few short years would turn the world upside down.  But for one night there was quiet expectation with hope, faith, joy and peace abounding.  This is why we celebrate.  This is why we take time to remember the birth of our Savior.  This is why we need to cut through the distractions and focus on the true meaning of Christmas. 

Please forgive me for not sending my newsletter sooner.  You are important to me and at this time of year more than most others I know how isolated and alone it can feel being in prison.  That is why I pray for you.  That is why I write to you.  That is why I want you to have a word of encouragement.  While your daily routine may not be as crazy as mine gets at times, I know you can still fall into the same traps.  Don’t be distracted from practicing and perfecting your faith, but don’t beat yourself up when you fail.  Remember that no man is perfect except for Jesus.

Your Brother in Christ.

Eulogy for Pops

I recently learned of the passing of an old friend.  His name was “Pops” to those of us who knew him in prison.  Pops and I lived in the same housing unit for the last year and a half I was incarcerated.  When we met he was in his late 70s.  He had been an upstanding member of his community, an active church goer, and after retirement he made one poor decision that resulted in him being sent to prison for the first time in his life.

In prison he was active in the Protestant All-faith service, chaplain programs, Keryx, and led a Bible study almost every day in the housing unit dayroom.  He was not shy about sharing his faith with those he came in contract with.  He was a mentor to me in my own Christian walk.  It was Pops who gave me the title “Warehouse of Lost Souls” from the poem on the front page of my blog as a way of describing prison.

Prison was not easy for him.  Being a senior citizen meant that he was a frequent target by those looking for an easy victim.  He regularly showed the Christian characteristics of turning the other cheek, forgiveness, and loving his enemies.  He sought to live in peace with all men, including the young kids who showed no respect for their elders.

Pops wasn’t in bad health for a person his age, but he did have the usual aches and pains.  Prison medical being what it is didn’t do much for him.  He was deaf in one ear and hard of hearing in the other, so after years of waiting the MDOC gave him one hearing aide.  Then he found out he could have had hearing aids sent to him from an outside source.  His greatest fear was of dying while in prison.  Fortunately, he did make parole.  He was received into the home of a friend where he lived until the time of his untimely death.

When I started my ministry of writing letters of encouragement to prisoners, Pops was on the top of my list.  Even though he said he wasn’t much of writer we did correspond back and forth.  After he paroled, I continued to write to him.  I was able to talk with him on the phone a number of times and even managed to spend a day with him.  It was good to see someone who came out of prison with a thankful heart instead of bitterness.  He fully intended to live his remaining years as a free man walking by faith.

He was not one to minimize his crime, but fully accepted responsibility for it.  In his testimony he spoke of how God worked through his situation to not just save him but transform him into a new creation.  In prison his life was a light shinning in the darkness.  Pops was well educated and well spoken, and he could talk to anyone.  He boldly proclaimed the Gospel of Christ in both words and deeds. 

Pops truly enjoyed mentoring young believers by opening up Scriptures using an inductive bible study style that encouraged them to read the Word for themselves in order to grow in their faith.  He prayed boldly but spoke gently.  He modeled Christian character and lived a lifestyle that was beyond reproach.  He did his time by helping others use theirs wisely. 

He touched many lives including mine and we are all the better for it.  He is gone but not forgotten.  I know that Pops is in heaven singing with the heavenly choir.  While I grieve for the loss of my friend, I know that some day I will see him again and will rejoice in that meeting.

Sharing a meal with my friend Pops. It was the last time I saw him.