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.

Fall 2018 News Letter

Ecclesiastes 3:1 says, "For every thing there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven." Every season will end. Life moves forward whether we want it to or not. Life is change. Whether for better or worse is often how we interpret it, either optimisticly or pessimisticly. If like gives you lemons make lemonade, otherwise the sour look on your face has no up side. Trust God to be faithful. He is in control even when we feel like life is out of control. Read the rest

January 2019 Letter

Forgiveness is the cornerstone to reconciliation. Without reconciliation there can be no relationship between two people separated by the gulf of hurt, shame, anger, and retribution. Reconciliation is a foreign concept in todays legal system and the reason why it has failed. Most 12-Step programs have a step in which you need to seek forgiveness from those you’ve wronged (if possible). But they also go on to say that even if the other person won’t forgive you that’s their choice. You must move forward in your life. If the other person choses not to forgive then they are choosing to live in the past and continue to give someone else power over them. Forgiveness breaks the bonds that are holding a person back from healing and moving forward. Read the rest

Winter 2018 News Letter

Jesus our Savior has come into our lives and our past has been overwritten by a new and glorious future. We become the center of attention for those around us who see in us something that is so different from the world. We aren’t Oreos, Vanilla Wafers or Fig Newtons we are something that can’t be bought in any store. We are made to serve others with our lives. We give ourselves selflessly to bless others. We don’t choose who we will bless but rather by making ourselves available God will lead us to those who need us. The fragrant aroma of our lives living out the will of God will attract those who hunger to know God. Read the rest

Spring 2019 NewsLetter

Jesus Christ experienced the Criminal Justice system of his day and went from a free man to a dead man in 24 hours. Never once did he complain about his treatment at the hands of abusive officers, a prosecutor with a political agenda, a judge that didn’t have the courage to follow his convictions, or a fickle populace that in one week went from a joyous throng hailing him as a king to a blood thirst mob demanding his execution. Instead he said, “Father forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing,” even as his life was ebbing away (Luke 23:36). Read the rest

Summer 2019 News Letter

Many preachers talk about and many authors write about the Gospel. Their observations and insights might sound good and may even be close to the truth, but close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades. We must always check with the original text, God’s words recorded in the Bible to find out if what we heard or read lines up with the truth. Read the rest

Fall 2019 News Letter

The seasons change and so does life. As much as things appear to be the same day after day, forming endless routine, change happens, often without our notice and certainly without our permission. People come and go from our lives, jobs change, housing situations change, finances change, health issues, family issues. Often, we have no control over change and that leads to stress. Read the rest

Green Dot

Green Dot or its financial equivalent is what many of the “haves” use to maintain their lifestyle while in prison.  By purchasing these cards with cash at grocery stores they can be difficult to trace but as good as cash to settle debts.  Easy to acquire and use, it serves a purpose that its creator never envisioned.  Read the rest

Cheapskates

The MDOC is exempt from the minimum wage law for paying inmates.  It might be fair to call it slave labor since without inmates working to perform so many functions from food service to facility maintenance, the cost of incarceration would be far more expensive. Read the rest

Butt Naked Fish

Not much needs more to be said about food service in the MDOC than to mention “Butt Naked Fish.”  This will elicit a visceral response from anyone who has served appreciable time as a prisoner.  BFN is an unbreaded fish fillet that has more in common with particle board than Van de Kamp’s.  Read the rest