Dawson State Day Two

I spent Saturday talking with some different people than the ones I met on Friday.

We got into the dorm at about 9:15 and almost everyone was still in bed. There were two guys with cleaning duty sitting at a table, so we sat down and started talking with them. They were both Christians, but, as is typical, were struggling with doing well in prison, but failing on the outside. If you think about it, we all have this problem, it's just that most of us don't go to prison because of our mistakes. Either our sins/failings aren't illegal or we just don't get caught.

I showed both men a chart that Josh Proctor showed me about four years ago. It talks about self-reliance, self-condemnation, and self-indulgence. God used it to change my life and I've been able to share it with lots of people; not all of them in prison... If you want me to show you, let me know.

After a while, Jon Kregel came in to speak. He's a former NASL soccer star who actually played with Pele and ended up doing time in Texas for cocaine possession. He's also a polyglot who speaks six languages fluently (English, French, Spanish, Italian, German, and Portuguese.) and is a translator for the Federal Courts in Dallas; he thought this was quite funny - a convicted felon, translating in the courts. When he was done with his story, I was able to talk with two guys, Randy and Richard, from Fort Worth who were doing time for driving a stolen car and drug possession respectively. Richard was already a Christian and Randy was not interested. He said that he didn't want to lie to me and pretend that he was interested when he knew that he would just go back to his old ways when he got out. He also said that he just wanted to do what he wanted to do and didn't want to change. I said that I understood and that he was in good company because that is exactly what Lucifer said.

I don't normally say things like that, but it was obvious to me that it needed to be said. He looked at me kind of funny, but seemed to accept the truth of my statement. At least we continued our conversation and Richard commented that he was suprised that Randy stayed and talked. Apparently, he usually just walks away. Nothing immediate came of that conversation, but God's word does not return void.

We had lunch again - not quite up to the level of day one - and I spent most of the rest of the day talking with Keith, my friend that is getting out next week and is scared spitless that he'll be back. He was very concerned about the tattoos on his arms and how they would keep him from getting a good job. I tried to encourage him to try to get the best work he could, but I was having trouble not agreeing with his logic regarding the tattoos.

Right before I left, I went over to the corner to a guy I had met at lunch, Devon. He was a Jehovah's Witness and my conversation with him is fodder for another blog...

Prison

Hey all,

Carla and I are heading to Dawson State Prison tomorrow, 11/14/08, in downtown Dallas. We'll be going both Friday and Saturday from 8 to 3 with 900 other volunteers. We are spread out all over the Metroplex and as far away as Mineral Wells and Venus (not the planet).

Please pray for us whenever we come to mind. Our girls are staying with friends until Saturday so we would appreciate it if you would keep them in your prayers also.

I'm trying to think of words to describe what I saw tonight at the Arlington Hilton; the DFW Headquarters for the Bill Glass Weekend of Champions (WOC).

We walked into the lobby and I immediately started seeing people that I haven't seen in two years. Oddly enough, I don't remember all of their names, I just remember them from previous weekends. I hate to use cliches, but it was great to greet them like old friends; checking their name tags and making sure they could see mine.

I saw Lowell Curtis, James Curtis' father. He told me he's been on sixty six weekends. I ran into George; a guy that I met when he was a freshman (first time teammate) here in Dallas at Hutchins State Prison. He was scared but had a "damn the torpedoes" attitude. I was his prayer partner/buddy because he was a freshman. He left me after about five minutes and ended up leading six people to faith (I had nothing to do with it, I just got to pray for him). We saw Lori, Donna, Leesa, Scott, and David; all people we met in Huntsville, TX. I saw Alan Orr, Jack Murphy, Tully Blanchard (yeah, the guy from the Four Horsemen), and Bill Glass.

There were bikers in full leather, bankers in polos, cowboys, moms, dads, grandmas, grandpas, kids from DBU, and LOTS of old men making up for lost time. I smelled cigarette smoke, saw lots of tats and earrings.

We were in a room with 600 Christians singing praise to God the Father. What a weird bunch they were. I felt very much at home.

It's been two+ years since I have done a WOC. I miss it more than I can say. I miss being with people who are totally sold out and willing to give up a weekend to go to prison. Tomorrow, at the banquet, I promise that some old man is going to cry in front of everyone because God has broken his heart. I don't think I've been to a banquet where it didn't happen. The other cool thing is the freshman. Most of them will tell the same story; "I was scared to death. I couldn't believe I let him/her talk me into doing this. I really went just to get him/her to shut up and leave me alone. Then, when I went out on the floor/into the pod/out into the yard, I saw this guy and God told me to go talk to him. I talked with him for a little while and then got to lead him in a pray of salvation. I'm 40 years old and that's the first time I've every done that. I can't believe how good this feels and I can't wait to do it again."

I want you to come with me. Just try it one time. I haven't heard one single person say, "I never should have done that." I'm going to start praying that God would start working on some people's hearts. I will do my best to be the guy that you say, "I just went so he would leave me alone!" I know you're busy. Make it happen.

One thing I can tell you for sure; it's not Prison Break. I have
met very few beautiful people in prison and the prisons usually smell
like an elementary school right after recess... Also, the people that
you meet in prison are real people, not images or caricatures. The
problem is that they don't become real until you meet them; in prison. Come with Carla and me on a WOC.

My Other gods

Exodus 20:3 You shall have no other gods before Me.

Yesterday, I spent some time with some of my other gods.

I didn't really have a tough day, it was more a draining day. At the end of the day, I was going to eat dinner and then go meet the girls at church. I wrapped up my work, made dinner, and sat down to watch part of a movie on my new, fancy-schmancy TV while I ate.

Ironically, I didn't eat too much and the movie wasn't anything subversive.

But, I was counting on them to make me feel better.

As I was driving to church, I was thinking about why I didn't feel more at ease after a day of work. I had had a good dinner and relaxed with a cool movie. No big deal, right? The problem is that I was counting on something temporal to give me satisfaction and it didn't work.

Just like I want to live for Him right now, I want to only go to him for my satisfaction. Food, relaxation, leisure, entertainment, etc. are cool and, I believe, gifts from God. Unfortunately, I sometimes use them to replace God.

Exodus 20:4-5 'You shall not make for yourselves an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the Earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God,...'

When Do You Live?

Yes, the gas leak in Arlington is right by our house; about a block away. Even I can hear it leaking. I asked the police/fire dude standing in the road if he would leave if it was his house. He said no...I'm trusting so far. The kids are understandably freaked out. Rusty, if the place blows up, you can have our Mac.

So, anyway.

Is it possible to live in the future? How about living in the past? Can it be done?

Have you ever met someone who is always looking back to the past? Always going over regrets of mistakes they've made? What about someone who constantly lives for when things will get better. They're not happy now or doing the right thing now, but they will be...

I was speaking in a nursing home this last weekend and was talking about God's plans. I gave them the ol' Jeremiah 29:11 passage, but was struggling with how to apply it to people who may think of themselves as at the end of their lives*.

I asked them to think back over their lives: the good, bad, and seemingly insignificant things they had done. I talked about how God used every part of their lives to make them into the person they are RIGHT NOW. Then I said, "You aren't at the end of your life, you're at the same time you've always been - right now."

After I said this, I stopped and stared at them, thinking over the words that had come unexpectedly from my mouth.

Let's think about this; have you ever really lived in a time other than right now? No, of course not. It isn't possible. But we all know or are people who live like they're in the past or the future. Try as we might, we'll never live any time except for right now.

I'm a future guy. I'm always expecting things to get better or change. This can be good, because I tend to be optimistic. But I also can be discontent in my current circumstances - whatever they may be. When routine sets in, it is difficult for me to not look expectantly to the future for some exciting, but non-existent change. I think that God is trying to teach me to live now. To be content now. To do the right thing now. To serve Him now. To be the person I'm supposed to be right now.

*My father lived in different nursing homes the last ten years of his life. They can be hopeless places. I'm generalizing. Not all nursing homes are like this. Work with me here.

Technorati Tags: life, missions, time