Last week, the interns had lunch with Mark Early and Chuck Colson, on separate days. It was two of the best parts about worldview week. Being able to have lunch and hear what they had to say to us, take in what they wanted to impart, ask questions and get answers... It was a good time. To put it lightly.
The best part about lunch with Mark was hearing his testimony. Ive mentioned in earlier posts about his attitude adjustment from God, and how he went from being attorney general to president of PF. Well, we got to hear an even more in depth description of that process, and in his own words. The part that really caught me was when he was describing the change in his perception of prisoners. It happened through the stories of Moses and Paul, as God showed him that he used these murders to accomplish His will. And not only that, they are arguably two of the most important figures in Biblical history. But they both started off with criminal records. Mark said (or something along these lines...), "I always used to think that the bad things people did disqualified them, not from salvation, but from use. But through the stories of Moses and Paul, I realized the opposite is the case." God's strength is made perfect in weakness. I dont know how many times we need to hear it before it rings true. Often times, the bad things people have done and turned away from are exactly what qualify them FOR use, not disqualify them from it. Not only for prisoners, but for all the other sinners walking free. Sinners like you and me. It makes me so grateful to think about how God not only loves me, not only forgives me, not only saves me... but uses me, in spite of my sin. Glory.
He also went on to say something similar to the following: "We do not go into prisons as a rescue mission at the gates of hell. We could do that anywhere. We could do that on the streets, in homeless shelters, or even in the church as there are plenty of sinners there. We do not go into the prisons because the people are so bad. We go in because we believe God is going to raise the next generation of leaders and catalysts for change from behind prison walls." I cannot tell you how many times I have heard leaders of this ministry talk about how God is bringing revival through the prison population. And talking to those who have been transformed behind bars, I can see it. I can see it coming. God is most certainly moving.
Lunch with Chuck was also interesting, and moving. (We got to have our picture taken with him at the end as well. A facebook profile picture if ever there was one.) He told us of how this ministry has changed so many lives. He told us of his meetings with the president and the ways God has worked through networks. He encouraged us in our faith and our understanding of the faith. He told us of how his relationship with his wife Patty made such a difference to this ministry as they journeyed and ministered together. But then he told us this: "People come up to me often and they say, 'You know, we like what you do, but we dont like your religion.' But what I do is because of my religion. I cannot separate the two." He told us of times that he had to take a stand, times where it would have been easier to take more of a social justice position than a Christian charity position. But then he would have been denying the very man that saved his soul. His integrity amazed me, and inspired me.
Both of these men had so much to offer us. They have so much to offer the world. And yet, I come to think that they are the same as everyone else. The difference is simply that they have opened their arms and said, "Lord, Im willing." Thats all it takes. When we come to the place where that is our true heart's desire, He can take it from there. Thats pretty exciting. At least it is from where Im sitting.
...
Lesson for Today: There are only so many "get to know you" questions that one can think of before it starts turning into serious rewording of the exact same questions...
Showing posts with label chuck colson. Show all posts
Showing posts with label chuck colson. Show all posts
Something Bigger...
Jun 19, 2008
Staff devotions this week were... refreshing. Walking into a mix of people from countries all around the world, united simply by their love for Jesus and their heart for prisoners and their families, is quite the experience. Imagine it. And if you cant, well then, take my word for it.
This week is board meeting week. The board of Prison Fellowship International met during the first half of the week, and today began the meeting of the PFUSA board. This meant that this morning, PFI and PFUSA members were both here, and they took part with the national staff in devotions. Not only did they take part, but the PFI board ran them.
As the board shared what the Lord is doing around the world through prison ministry, I found myself completely drawn. Raymundo Leal from Mexico was especially moving. He described his journey that brought him to this place. It started when he retired, an extremely well-known and successful business man, at age 50. He decided he wanted to spend his life helping the poorest of society. Through a series of events and talking with others about his new dream, he realized that he did not know how to pray. His prayers consisted of less than 5 minutes talkings "to the wall," and he was too bored to ever go farther. So he invested time and effort into learning how to pray. He gradually learned, going from 5 minute arrow prayers, to two hours a week, to multiple hours a day. This was the beginning of his ministry.
As it turns out, he was brought to a man who was fully addicted to drugs. Having never been in such a situation, he told the man, "I do not understand what you are going through. But I can teach you how to pray without getting bored, and it will change your addiction." So the man agreed, Raymundo taught him, and his addiction was completely broken. The man ended up taking a few of his friends to Raymundo, telling him that they wanted to learn how to pray as well. So Raymundo agreed to teach the friends with the man's help. Well, these men, too, were saved from their addictions. Before he knew it, Raymundo was brought to a group of 200 men, taught them all how to pray, and they were healed. He then began his own house to bring these men in and help them.
Soon, a governor in a northern state of Mexico heard of Raymundo and wanted his help to be broken of his own addiction. All done privately, of course, to save face, Raymundo taught him how to pray and God healed the governor. When the governor saw the power in this ministry, he asked Raymundo to start working with the men in his state imprisoned for drug addictions. A whole new ball game, Raymundo took the challenge. The governor watched as the 90% recitivism rate at the prison dwindled down to only 9% of the men in Raymundo's program being reincarcerated. He later became involved with Prison Fellowship, and his ministry continues to expand today, as already 8900 men have gone through the program.
Ian Elliot also spoke. From New Zealand, he talked of the secularism in his country, how leaders can never speak of being religious in anyway if they want a political future, how people on the streets do not profess faith, how privitized religion is. Far different from this country, he says. As he spoke, he portrayed his vision and belief that a revolution is coming. Not from evangelists or Bible scholars, not well known leaders or faces in the media. But from the lowest of the low, the poorest of the poor. The incredible movement he is seeing through prison ministry in his country has him convinced that God is going to bring revival through these men, women, and their families that have been touched while in prison. There are too many transformations and changed lives for him to believe otherwise.
Chuck Colson, a part of the US board, then stood up and reiterated Ian's vision. Talking of the powerful stories we had just heard from ministries around the country, he quietly and humbly said, "This is God. Just like the rest of this ministry - its always been God."
Sitting there, listening to these men of faith describe their experiences with the God of Change, I realized how significant everything really is. In this ministry, I am part of something so much bigger. Bigger than myself, bigger than my own ministry, bigger than the national ministry, even. Its a world ministry. And not only Prison Fellowship. Being part of the body of Christ means being part of something so much bigger than ourselves and our local church. We dont always realize it, but when we do, a significance and meaning that can only come with being part of something so large, sets in. And it all becomes worth so much more.
...
Lesson for Today: Apparently, pregnancy pacts are now a part of high school... Who knew?
This week is board meeting week. The board of Prison Fellowship International met during the first half of the week, and today began the meeting of the PFUSA board. This meant that this morning, PFI and PFUSA members were both here, and they took part with the national staff in devotions. Not only did they take part, but the PFI board ran them.
As the board shared what the Lord is doing around the world through prison ministry, I found myself completely drawn. Raymundo Leal from Mexico was especially moving. He described his journey that brought him to this place. It started when he retired, an extremely well-known and successful business man, at age 50. He decided he wanted to spend his life helping the poorest of society. Through a series of events and talking with others about his new dream, he realized that he did not know how to pray. His prayers consisted of less than 5 minutes talkings "to the wall," and he was too bored to ever go farther. So he invested time and effort into learning how to pray. He gradually learned, going from 5 minute arrow prayers, to two hours a week, to multiple hours a day. This was the beginning of his ministry.
As it turns out, he was brought to a man who was fully addicted to drugs. Having never been in such a situation, he told the man, "I do not understand what you are going through. But I can teach you how to pray without getting bored, and it will change your addiction." So the man agreed, Raymundo taught him, and his addiction was completely broken. The man ended up taking a few of his friends to Raymundo, telling him that they wanted to learn how to pray as well. So Raymundo agreed to teach the friends with the man's help. Well, these men, too, were saved from their addictions. Before he knew it, Raymundo was brought to a group of 200 men, taught them all how to pray, and they were healed. He then began his own house to bring these men in and help them.
Soon, a governor in a northern state of Mexico heard of Raymundo and wanted his help to be broken of his own addiction. All done privately, of course, to save face, Raymundo taught him how to pray and God healed the governor. When the governor saw the power in this ministry, he asked Raymundo to start working with the men in his state imprisoned for drug addictions. A whole new ball game, Raymundo took the challenge. The governor watched as the 90% recitivism rate at the prison dwindled down to only 9% of the men in Raymundo's program being reincarcerated. He later became involved with Prison Fellowship, and his ministry continues to expand today, as already 8900 men have gone through the program.
Ian Elliot also spoke. From New Zealand, he talked of the secularism in his country, how leaders can never speak of being religious in anyway if they want a political future, how people on the streets do not profess faith, how privitized religion is. Far different from this country, he says. As he spoke, he portrayed his vision and belief that a revolution is coming. Not from evangelists or Bible scholars, not well known leaders or faces in the media. But from the lowest of the low, the poorest of the poor. The incredible movement he is seeing through prison ministry in his country has him convinced that God is going to bring revival through these men, women, and their families that have been touched while in prison. There are too many transformations and changed lives for him to believe otherwise.
Chuck Colson, a part of the US board, then stood up and reiterated Ian's vision. Talking of the powerful stories we had just heard from ministries around the country, he quietly and humbly said, "This is God. Just like the rest of this ministry - its always been God."
Sitting there, listening to these men of faith describe their experiences with the God of Change, I realized how significant everything really is. In this ministry, I am part of something so much bigger. Bigger than myself, bigger than my own ministry, bigger than the national ministry, even. Its a world ministry. And not only Prison Fellowship. Being part of the body of Christ means being part of something so much bigger than ourselves and our local church. We dont always realize it, but when we do, a significance and meaning that can only come with being part of something so large, sets in. And it all becomes worth so much more.
...
Lesson for Today: Apparently, pregnancy pacts are now a part of high school... Who knew?
Labels:
chuck colson,
Prison Fellowship
Extraordinary Movement...
Jun 12, 2008
I went into the PF library this afternoon to glance over Chuck's books. I found his account of the growth of the organization, Freedom Behind Bars. Its a short book, and one I hadnt yet heard of, so I figured itd be a good grab.
A quote from the introduction is worth noting. Its one that shows the power of reaching out to the prisoner and the humility of the man behind this organization. But most importantly, it shows the greatness of a God that moves. Rather than risk tainting its impact, Ill let the quote speak for itself:
Lesson for Today: The best part of working in an office is the free ice cream and chocolate syrup that comes after an average meeting.. Some things in life obviously just need to be celebrated for celebration's sake.
A quote from the introduction is worth noting. Its one that shows the power of reaching out to the prisoner and the humility of the man behind this organization. But most importantly, it shows the greatness of a God that moves. Rather than risk tainting its impact, Ill let the quote speak for itself:
Perhaps God Himself is raising a movement in the prisons to bring the revival we all hope and pray for....
Ive had a glimpse of this. I recently visited the California Women's Prison at Frontera for a service attended by more than 400 women under a great tent in the prison yard. The speaker told her childhood, when she was abandoned by her father and abused by her mother. Then she told the inmates about God who will never abandon us, never hurt us....
As she spoke, I was amazed to see a Christian inmate walking up and down the aisle, unfurling a roll of toilet paper. I was sitting in the back and couldnt imagine what she was doing. Then I moved to the front and saw: she was handing tissue to woman after woman whose faces were streaming with tears.
Later in the service, it was my turn to speak. And as I stood on the platform, I sensed the Spirit descending on that crowd. It was all powerful and deeply convicting - clearly the touch of God Himself.
I have spoken in many of the great churches around the world. But Ive never experienced anything like I did on this day. As I looked out at those women under the sunbaked tent, I caught a vision of what God may be doing: working, as He so often has, through the powerless, raising up a mighty army of disciples.
In the pages that follow, youll read the story of how God has brought about this extraordinary movement. This is not my story, or even the story of Prison Fellowship. It is the story of a sovereign God who is utterly faithful.
Praise Him for the great things He has done!
Lesson for Today: The best part of working in an office is the free ice cream and chocolate syrup that comes after an average meeting.. Some things in life obviously just need to be celebrated for celebration's sake.
Labels:
chuck colson,
Prison Fellowship,
quote
Eternal Perspective...
Jun 8, 2008
It was McLean Bible Church's topic for this morning's service. One that we may have all heard before, but needs to be heard again and again, until it finally gets through. (Quick Side Note: According to The Washington Post, weekly attendance of MBC reached 13,000 by fall '07. You dont realize the enormity of that number until its applied to people belonging to one church. And see the size of the building to serve all of them. This morning, I realized it driving into their own two story parking garage and getting lost on my way into church...)
The service was centered around the following idea: Our ability to live lives of passion, filled with holy abandonment to the will of God, lies solely in our ability to interpret our circumstances with an eternal perspective. The pastor, Todd Phillips, then defined eternal perspective as interpreting sacrifices in light of the whole - glorifying God and spreading the gospel. In order to better communicate this truth, he used the real life examples of Steve Sawyer and David Ring. Their stories need to be shared.
Steve Sawyer had a significant impact on the Kingdom, all because of his perspective. "Id rather have AIDS and know Jesus, than not have AIDS and not know Christ." He chose to embrace his suffering and allow God to use it. And with that goal at heart, Steve reached students all across the nation, telling his story on college campuses. Simpy because, as he said, "my life took on a whole new perspective." Pretty compelling.
David Ring, likewise, has a powerful story. Check it out: David Ringer Testimony Wow. How can a man like that, with Cerebral Palsey, stand up there and honestly say, with joy in his heart, "If you dont like the way I am, hang in there, Im still in the oven...God's still cookin on me"? He can say that, instead of drawing pity and dwelling in resentment because he knows, deep in his heart, that God's strength is made perfect in weakness. His example brings me to shame, yet inspires me on toward Christ.
And one more quick note on the subject. I talked to Chuck Colson for a few minutes today. And to fit in with the theme of the day, we got onto the topic of God using suffering to make us more like Christ. Talking about his new book, The Faith, Chuck said, "I wrote something in there that many Christians do not like. I wrote that the closer we come to being like Christ, the more apt we are to suffer." He then went on to say that after having two out of three children battle cancer, he has found that God is good. Eternal perspective, indeed.
After all of this, I may go on to live my self-focused life. I may wake up tomorrow and be more worried about the feeling of loneliness that comes with being away from home than I am about how God is trying to draw me to Himself. I may get wrapped up in missing those I love, instead of getting wrapped up in the closeness of God's presence. I may fall into the mentality of simply getting through the day, and miss the joy God is trying to bring me in a bird's chirp, the sun's warmth, or the whisper of my name as He calls me. But I pray I will not. I pray His message to me today through these stories changes me, and tomorrow my perspective is completely eternal...
...
Lesson for Today: Apparently its possible to drive from Hawaii to Virginia, if the Hawaii license plate I saw today on a Ford Escape is any indication.
The service was centered around the following idea: Our ability to live lives of passion, filled with holy abandonment to the will of God, lies solely in our ability to interpret our circumstances with an eternal perspective. The pastor, Todd Phillips, then defined eternal perspective as interpreting sacrifices in light of the whole - glorifying God and spreading the gospel. In order to better communicate this truth, he used the real life examples of Steve Sawyer and David Ring. Their stories need to be shared.
Steve Sawyer had a significant impact on the Kingdom, all because of his perspective. "Id rather have AIDS and know Jesus, than not have AIDS and not know Christ." He chose to embrace his suffering and allow God to use it. And with that goal at heart, Steve reached students all across the nation, telling his story on college campuses. Simpy because, as he said, "my life took on a whole new perspective." Pretty compelling.
David Ring, likewise, has a powerful story. Check it out: David Ringer Testimony Wow. How can a man like that, with Cerebral Palsey, stand up there and honestly say, with joy in his heart, "If you dont like the way I am, hang in there, Im still in the oven...God's still cookin on me"? He can say that, instead of drawing pity and dwelling in resentment because he knows, deep in his heart, that God's strength is made perfect in weakness. His example brings me to shame, yet inspires me on toward Christ.
And one more quick note on the subject. I talked to Chuck Colson for a few minutes today. And to fit in with the theme of the day, we got onto the topic of God using suffering to make us more like Christ. Talking about his new book, The Faith, Chuck said, "I wrote something in there that many Christians do not like. I wrote that the closer we come to being like Christ, the more apt we are to suffer." He then went on to say that after having two out of three children battle cancer, he has found that God is good. Eternal perspective, indeed.
After all of this, I may go on to live my self-focused life. I may wake up tomorrow and be more worried about the feeling of loneliness that comes with being away from home than I am about how God is trying to draw me to Himself. I may get wrapped up in missing those I love, instead of getting wrapped up in the closeness of God's presence. I may fall into the mentality of simply getting through the day, and miss the joy God is trying to bring me in a bird's chirp, the sun's warmth, or the whisper of my name as He calls me. But I pray I will not. I pray His message to me today through these stories changes me, and tomorrow my perspective is completely eternal...
...
Lesson for Today: Apparently its possible to drive from Hawaii to Virginia, if the Hawaii license plate I saw today on a Ford Escape is any indication.
Labels:
chuck colson,
mclean bible church,
perspective
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
