For the Christian, God’s discipline brings the body, mind, emotions and spirit under the control of the Lord Jesus Christ. When we are born again, we are infants in Christ and must grow in our faith. As children we must be educated and trained. Discipline and punishment are like the two sides of a coin. You cannot have one without the other. Discipline provides the context within which punishment may be used. “You exercise to discipline your body. You study the Word of God to discipline your soul (mind and emotions). You pray to discipline your spirit. You meditate to unite the three.” Read the rest
Author: tima6674
As a Christian who is a professional auditor by training and has spent 10 years under the custody and supervision of the Michigan Department of Corrections I have a unique perspective on the criminal justice system which I feel compelled to write about.
Called to Be A Blessing
As a Christian we are called to be a blessing. Psalms 103:1-5 is a Psalm of King David where he describes God’s blessings. When we bless God that means we praise Him, kneeling in humble adoration. Praise is our response for what God has done for us. Under the New Covenant obedience is our response to blessing not the means of obtaining it. Jesus empowered the 12 disciples and sent them on a missionary trip to preach the gospel, heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who had leprosy and drive out demons. Christ does the same for us today, empowering us for service, so we can bless others the way we ourselves were blessed. The lost, sick, dead, leapers, and demon possessed surround us and we choose to interact with them or avoid them on a daily basis. It takes a conscious effort on our part to not shy away, but rather to bless those who are most in need of our blessing. Read the rest
Creed and Community
The Apostles Creed is a statement of the main Christian beliefs whose earliest versions can be traced back to the A.D. 100’s. It is likely that the creed grew out of the life of the church.
At its heart, the church is a community of believers who are joined by their shared faith in Jesus Christ. Christian community involves service to one another and that starts with listening to one another. Once we begin listening only then can we be truly helpful in performing service. Read the rest
Treasures In Heaven
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?” Read the rest
Winter 2019 Newsletter
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. Read the rest
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. 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. 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 no just save him but transform him into a new creation. In prison his life was a light shinning in the darkness. Read the rest
The Prayer For Joy
e as Christians are known as peculiar people. I believe this is in part because of our response to adversity. (Titus 2:11-14) James tells us "to consider it pure joy whenever we face trials," not because we are masochists who enjoy pain but because we know that "the testing of our faith develops perseverance." (James 1:2) Read the rest
November 2019 Letter
This week we celebrate Thanksgiving. A day of remembrance for an intrepid group who fled religious persecution in Europe to start a new life in the new world. As Christians we are called to be the modern-day Pilgrims living a lifestyle that distinguishes us from the society around us. We are to be strangers living in a strange land. In Psalms 106:1 it says, “Give thanks to the Lord for he is good, and his love endures forever.” This is what the Pilgrims did that first Thanksgiving. They declared a day to acknowledge what God had done for them, giving thanks for the harvest, their religious freedom, and their lives. Here we are 378 years later commemorating that first Thanksgiving and adding our voices to theirs, praising God for what He has done for us. Read the rest
January 2015 Testimony
They say that people don't care how much you know until they know how much you care. I tutor for the GED program and on several occasions my students have introduced me to their people in the visiting room as "the guy who's helping them get their GED." Now I'm proud of that because they recognize that I want them to succeed, but that is nothing compared to what happened to me recently. Read the rest
Farewell Address to the Church
God is faithful, He "will never leave you or forsake you" (James 1:5). I have learned this lesson well during the last 8 years. I have been in some tough spots and have been roughed up a couple of times, but I was protected from any lasting harm. From these experiences I have also learned that "In all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose" (Romans 8:28). In every case I have grown closer to God, stronger both spiritually and emotionally, so I can say that "I consider it pure joy when I face trials of different kinds, because I know that the testing of my faith has developed perseverance" (James 1:3). And God will do the same for you. Read the rest