This past Saturday marked the end of the 2012 Bill Glass DFW Weekend of Champions, and at 3:30 PM on that Saturday, I and 41 other team mates walked out of the Sanders Estes Prison Unit in Venus, TX to our cars and back to our normal lives.
As I unlocked my car and opened the door, I couldn't help but look back at the grey walls of the prison surrounded by fences topped with razor wire sparkling in the afternoon sunlight and think about the men in white who were staying behind. They would stay there until each had finished his individual sentence or was granted parole, but there were a few who had been spiritually paroled over those last two days and their spiritual death sentences had been fully pardoned by the only one who could redeem them from their sins and make them righteous before God.
Out of the over 1000 men in that unit who had the Gospel presented to them, several had made that life changing decision to follow Jesus Christ. I had the honor to be able to lead two of them. No, I don't count them as some sort of spiritual notch in my belt; I count them as new brothers in Christ. You see, one prayer I always pray to God, is that He would use me however He sees fit. During this weekend this is how He saw fit to use me and I couldn't be happier knowing that these two men had their spiritual shackles thrown off of them, replaced with robes of white.
Then came the email Sunday from Bill Glass' organization giving the totals for the weekend. Over 800 men and women went into 18 prison units and 4,234 inmates made life changing decisions for Christ. Of those, 1,572 made that decision for the first time. Talk about an email to smile about and rejoice over!
But that isn't the end of things. Some may wonder what happens next for those inmates who did make that life changing decision to follow Jesus. Well, the information is given to the prison chaplains and there is aftercare arranged to help the new Christians grown in their faith. One of the things they will do is be enrolled in a class called Experiencing God. When I took this course, I took it through the Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and it was a wonderful course that I highly recommend for everyone. There are also other programs that will come in to help these new brothers and sisters in Christ grow in their faith.
Eventually I am hoping to grow and lead one of those programs. I love to bring the good news of Jesus Christ to those in prison, but I also want to make sure they have the aftercare they will need as well. It is one of my goals in life to do this. But that will happen in God's time.
For now, I and the team mates I was with continue to regain our strength and rest as we go back to our normal lives. Going into prisons to tell those behind the walls the good news of Jesus Christ is exhausting in every aspect, but it is so worth it. Not only in this lifetime but in the eternal lifetime to come.
Thanks for reading. Have a great rest of the day!
Showing posts with label Bill Glass. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bill Glass. Show all posts
Monday, November 05, 2012
Friday, November 02, 2012
DFW Weekend of Champions -- Day One
I'm exhausted, but it's okay. Today was the first day of the Bill Glass' DFW Weekend of Champions and I and 41 other men ministered to as many men housed at the Sanders Estes Unit in Venus as we could.
My day started at 4:30 AM as I woke up and got ready to leave. Leaving at 5:30 I thought I would have plenty of time to arrive at the unit, over an hour away. I was right as I got to the unit at 6:15 and waited for the rest of the team to arrive. I'll be very honest when I say that I did not have anyone come up to me asking me what I was doing in a prison unit parking lot, in my car at this time of morning. I would think that security would have been much tighter, even for a minimum security prison unit. Goes to show what I know.
We had one speaker who spoke in the morning and did a great job going over his testimony and the Gospel. After he finished, he asked the inmates to join up with us teammates and I was privileged to go through our tract with three. They were already believers, so we talked for a while about them and their families, and towards the end I had the further privilege to pray over and for them.
After that we split up and went to the individual pods. We spent four hours with the inmates in their pod and I was able to speak to a few of them. One of them, whose nickname was "Short Bus" wasn't interested in knowing our message to him, but just wanted to show me his pictures of his son and his family. His nickname, although derogatory was one given him by the other inmates due to his learning disabilities. I was more than happy to sit with him and let him show me his family picture. I may not have been able to go over the Gospel with him today, but hopefully my time with him will allow me to speak about it with him tomorrow. Tomorrow we go back to the same pod, and the same group of inmates.
Another one of the inmates wanted to discuss his notes on Lucifer's Flood, also known as the Gap Theory of Genesis 1: 1-2. I have to admit that he had done several hours of work on his notes and word study, but I tried very hard to make sure he understood why we were there. I presented the gospel to him, even drawing the bridge between man and God and explaining it. He was adamant that it did not apply to him. It was the one time that I was really frustrated during the day. I ask you to pray for him. His name is Justin Justice.
We had lunch with them and contrary to what most people believe prison food stinks. Horribly bland tasting, not very nutritious and downright something I wouldn't serve my dogs, let alone a human being. I challenge anyone out there that thinks prison is some sort of country club to come with me to one of these events. Your eyes will be opened.
At 2:30 We left the pod and started back to the gym where we were holding the afternoon event. We had country music and another speaker and once again after finishing his testimony and the gospel message the inmates were encouraged to come and talk to us. I had one who came to me and I asked him what he believed and where he thought he'd go when he died. When he said heaven I asked him why would God let him into His heaven and he didn't know why. I told him that we needed to go over our gospel tract so I could show him the only reason why God would allow him into heaven.
We went over the gospel tract and I asked him point blank what side of the line did he want to be on? He had a choice to make and I challenged him to make it. To my surprise he excused himself politely and left our table! A few minutes later he came back and said he was ready. We prayed together and the angels rejoiced over his decision to surrender to Christ.
A little while later we ended day one and headed out.
Day two starts in eleven hours from now.
My day started at 4:30 AM as I woke up and got ready to leave. Leaving at 5:30 I thought I would have plenty of time to arrive at the unit, over an hour away. I was right as I got to the unit at 6:15 and waited for the rest of the team to arrive. I'll be very honest when I say that I did not have anyone come up to me asking me what I was doing in a prison unit parking lot, in my car at this time of morning. I would think that security would have been much tighter, even for a minimum security prison unit. Goes to show what I know.
We had one speaker who spoke in the morning and did a great job going over his testimony and the Gospel. After he finished, he asked the inmates to join up with us teammates and I was privileged to go through our tract with three. They were already believers, so we talked for a while about them and their families, and towards the end I had the further privilege to pray over and for them.
After that we split up and went to the individual pods. We spent four hours with the inmates in their pod and I was able to speak to a few of them. One of them, whose nickname was "Short Bus" wasn't interested in knowing our message to him, but just wanted to show me his pictures of his son and his family. His nickname, although derogatory was one given him by the other inmates due to his learning disabilities. I was more than happy to sit with him and let him show me his family picture. I may not have been able to go over the Gospel with him today, but hopefully my time with him will allow me to speak about it with him tomorrow. Tomorrow we go back to the same pod, and the same group of inmates.
Another one of the inmates wanted to discuss his notes on Lucifer's Flood, also known as the Gap Theory of Genesis 1: 1-2. I have to admit that he had done several hours of work on his notes and word study, but I tried very hard to make sure he understood why we were there. I presented the gospel to him, even drawing the bridge between man and God and explaining it. He was adamant that it did not apply to him. It was the one time that I was really frustrated during the day. I ask you to pray for him. His name is Justin Justice.
We had lunch with them and contrary to what most people believe prison food stinks. Horribly bland tasting, not very nutritious and downright something I wouldn't serve my dogs, let alone a human being. I challenge anyone out there that thinks prison is some sort of country club to come with me to one of these events. Your eyes will be opened.
At 2:30 We left the pod and started back to the gym where we were holding the afternoon event. We had country music and another speaker and once again after finishing his testimony and the gospel message the inmates were encouraged to come and talk to us. I had one who came to me and I asked him what he believed and where he thought he'd go when he died. When he said heaven I asked him why would God let him into His heaven and he didn't know why. I told him that we needed to go over our gospel tract so I could show him the only reason why God would allow him into heaven.
We went over the gospel tract and I asked him point blank what side of the line did he want to be on? He had a choice to make and I challenged him to make it. To my surprise he excused himself politely and left our table! A few minutes later he came back and said he was ready. We prayed together and the angels rejoiced over his decision to surrender to Christ.
A little while later we ended day one and headed out.
Day two starts in eleven hours from now.
Monday, October 29, 2012
Going To Prison This Weekend
One of the things I am passionate about is prison ministry. This weekend several hundred men and women and I will be going into state, federal and county correctional institutions to give those on the inside of the prison walls the Hope and Good News of Jesus Christ.
Personally I will be going into the Sanders "Sandy" Estes Unit, which is a privately run prison housing Texas inmates.
This unit is located in Venus, TX which is located south of Dallas and Fort Worth, almost directly between I-35 east and I-35 West. This is a state prison unit, run by a private company, and houses 1040 incarcerated men along with 195 prison employees.
Here is a graphic on this particular unit:
I know several of you out there are wondering why I do this, or may be wondering why so many people might be wasting our time trying to help out these people when we should be locking them up and throwing away the key. Well, the simple reason is this: we are commanded to by Jesus Christ Himself.
One of the other reasons is that a sin is a sin is a sin. We as human beings tend to categorize sins and put them in order from least worst to absolute worse. Murder is worse than taking a pencil isn't it? Or is kidnapping worse than lying? Not in God's eyes it's not! Sin is sin to God and a person with ANY sin cannot approach God. So remember that, the next time you tell a while lie, or pocket that pen from the office and take it home with you. In God's eyes, a liar is no better than a murderer for anyone who sins cannot approach God. Unless that person is reconciled by the shed blood of Jesus Christ.
That is why I go in to prison. It is a dark place , full of gloom and despair, depression and hopelessness. It is the domain of the enemy. I and others like me go to bring the light of the good news of Christ. We go to offer Hope, to tell them there is a better way.
I'll post how things went after Saturday, when I return home. For now, I am asking for your prayers. Pray for me and all of the Bill Glass team mates who are going into the prisons. Pray for protection, both spiritual and physical. Pray for the hearts of the inmates and correctional staff to soften and their minds and hearts to be receptive to the Gospel.
Thank you for reading. Have a great rest of the day.
Below you can find more stats on the Estes Prison Unit.
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| Bill Glass DFW Weekend of Champions |
Personally I will be going into the Sanders "Sandy" Estes Unit, which is a privately run prison housing Texas inmates.
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| Picture of the outside of the Estes Unit |
This unit is located in Venus, TX which is located south of Dallas and Fort Worth, almost directly between I-35 east and I-35 West. This is a state prison unit, run by a private company, and houses 1040 incarcerated men along with 195 prison employees.
Here is a graphic on this particular unit:
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| Short Breakdown of the Prison Population by Offense Type and Sentence |
I know several of you out there are wondering why I do this, or may be wondering why so many people might be wasting our time trying to help out these people when we should be locking them up and throwing away the key. Well, the simple reason is this: we are commanded to by Jesus Christ Himself.
Mat 25:34-46 MSGBut that is not the only reason. I have several others as well. I believe that if you truly give these men and women the true Hope that is in Jesus Christ, then they can and will turn their life around and when they walk out of the prison, either discharging their sentence or paroling out, they will lead a productive life that will not be a burden on society. I have seen this with my own eyes! Also, each person has worth in God's eyes. The first person Jesus pardoned, while STILL on the cross was a thief condemned to death. Think about that for a moment. The people in prison have worth in God's eyes, even if people cannot find that worth. God loves all of us, even if some of us are behind bars for crimes they committed.
(34) "Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Enter, you who are blessed by my Father! Take what's coming to you in this kingdom. It's been ready for you since the world's foundation.
(35) And here's why: I was hungry and you fed me, I was thirsty and you gave me a drink, I was homeless and you gave me a room,
(36) I was shivering and you gave me clothes, I was sick and you stopped to visit, I was in prison and you came to me.'
(37) "Then those 'sheep' are going to say, 'Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry and feed you, thirsty and give you a drink?
(38) And when did we ever see you sick or in prison and come to you?'
(40) Then the King will say, 'I'm telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me--you did it to me.'
(41) "Then he will turn to the 'goats,' the ones on his left, and say, 'Get out, worthless goats! You're good for nothing but the fires of hell.
(42) And why? Because-- I was hungry and you gave me no meal, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink,
(43) I was homeless and you gave me no bed, I was shivering and you gave me no clothes, Sick and in prison, and you never visited.'
(44) "Then those 'goats' are going to say, 'Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or homeless or shivering or sick or in prison and didn't help?'
(45) "He will answer them, 'I'm telling the solemn truth: Whenever you failed to do one of these things to someone who was being overlooked or ignored, that was me--you failed to do it to me.'
(46) "Then those 'goats' will be herded to their eternal doom, but the 'sheep' to their eternal reward."
One of the other reasons is that a sin is a sin is a sin. We as human beings tend to categorize sins and put them in order from least worst to absolute worse. Murder is worse than taking a pencil isn't it? Or is kidnapping worse than lying? Not in God's eyes it's not! Sin is sin to God and a person with ANY sin cannot approach God. So remember that, the next time you tell a while lie, or pocket that pen from the office and take it home with you. In God's eyes, a liar is no better than a murderer for anyone who sins cannot approach God. Unless that person is reconciled by the shed blood of Jesus Christ.
That is why I go in to prison. It is a dark place , full of gloom and despair, depression and hopelessness. It is the domain of the enemy. I and others like me go to bring the light of the good news of Christ. We go to offer Hope, to tell them there is a better way.
I'll post how things went after Saturday, when I return home. For now, I am asking for your prayers. Pray for me and all of the Bill Glass team mates who are going into the prisons. Pray for protection, both spiritual and physical. Pray for the hearts of the inmates and correctional staff to soften and their minds and hearts to be receptive to the Gospel.
Thank you for reading. Have a great rest of the day.
Below you can find more stats on the Estes Prison Unit.
| Unit Full Name: | Sanders "Sandy" Estes Unit |
| Unit Address and Phone Number: | 1100 Hwy 1807, Venus, TX 76084 (972) 366-3334 (**670) |
| Unit Location: | One mile southeast of Venus on Hwy 1807 in Johnson County |
| Senior Warden: | Stephen McAdams |
| Deputy Director of Operations Monitoring: | Grady Wallace |
| Private Facility Contract Monitoring/Oversight Division Director: | Celeste Byrne, Private Facility Contract Monitoring/Oversight Division |
| Date Unit Established or On Line: | August 1989 |
| Total Employees *: | 195 |
| Security Employees *: | 144 |
| Non-Security Employees *: | 33 |
| Education Employees *: | 7 |
| Contract Medical and Psychiatric Employees* *: | Medical = 11; Psychiatric = 0 |
| Offender Gender: | Male |
| Maximum Capacity: | 1,040 |
| Custody Levels Housed: | G1, G2 |
| Approximate Acreage: | 40 |
| Agricultural Operations: | None |
| Manufacturing and Logistics Op.: | None |
| Facility Operations: | Unit Maintenance |
| Medical Capabilities: | Ambulatory medical, dental and mental health services. Managed by UTMB. |
| Educational Programs: | Adult Basic Education, GED, Fundamentals, Life Skills |
| Vocational Programs: Building Trades; Electrical Trades; Food Service; Culinary Arts; Computer Technology; Commercial Housekeeping | |
| Additional Programs/Services: | Faith Based Dormitory, Progressive Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) |
| Community Work Projects: | Services provided to city and county agencies. |
| Volunteer Initiatives: | Substance Abuse Education, Support Groups, Pre-Release Programs, Religious/Faith Based Studies and Activities |
| Operated by: | Management and Training Corporation (MTC) |
Friday, May 25, 2012
Saturday in Prison
This past Saturday, four of us joined with 175 others and went to the prison units in Bonham, TX, for the Bill Glass Day of Champion at Bonham.
The morning was absolutely gorgeous with cool temperatures, a nice breeze and several inmates who came out to hear the band NameSake.
The afternoon saw even more inmates from the Choice Moore Unit come out to listen to the band and after the band finished were treated to the testimony of Jack Meeks who brought out the Number 18 Interstate Battery NASCAR car that won the Daytona 500.
After Jack's testimony, we had the opportunity to share the Gospel message with the inmates who came out. During this time I personally had the opportunity to talk to an inmate from Russia who was Muslim. I was polite in our discussion, but was able to hopefully plant a seed that someone else will be able to water.
A couple of the other inmates I was able to speak during the day included a member of the Aryan Nation, and a Roman Catholic. Speaking with the Aryan Nation member was an interesting experience as I was able to show him exactly in the Bible where Heaven and Hell were not the same place but different places altogether as well as a couple of other misconceptions he held.
So how did things go? Well, we (all of us there) ministered to a total of almost 2,100 inmates and saw an incredible 642 life-changing decisions for Christ, with 263 of these being first-time decisions! This surpassed all of the previous results of the Bonham events by a large margin!
The next event I will be going to will be the DFW Youth Day of Champions where we will have the opportunity to share the gospel to the youth, some as young as 12 who are locked up and away from their families. Shoot me an email if you would like to join us!
Have a great rest of the day!
Eric
The four of us included:
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| Me |
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| Gary Anderson |
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| John McManus |
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| Greg Lindsey (on the right) |
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| The morning crowd. |
The afternoon saw even more inmates from the Choice Moore Unit come out to listen to the band and after the band finished were treated to the testimony of Jack Meeks who brought out the Number 18 Interstate Battery NASCAR car that won the Daytona 500.
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| Jack Meeks |
 | |||
| Afternoon Sharing Time |
So how did things go? Well, we (all of us there) ministered to a total of almost 2,100 inmates and saw an incredible 642 life-changing decisions for Christ, with 263 of these being first-time decisions! This surpassed all of the previous results of the Bonham events by a large margin!
The next event I will be going to will be the DFW Youth Day of Champions where we will have the opportunity to share the gospel to the youth, some as young as 12 who are locked up and away from their families. Shoot me an email if you would like to join us!
Have a great rest of the day!
Eric
Wednesday, May 02, 2012
Bill Glass DOC in Bonham
On May 19th, three Christian brothers and I will be heading to Bonham, TX to attend the Bill Glass Day Of Champions, Bonham. For those who may not understand what that means, the four of us will join with 216 other men to walk into two Texas prison units and minister to the men incarcerated there.
I am asking for your prayers for this event. Events like this are bastions for spiritual conflict as Satan does not want us in there. Trust me, on this I know first hand. So your prayer coverage is coveted!
So at 6:30 in the morning on the 19th, we'll walk in and spend the next eight hours with men who have committed one or more crimes against other people and the state to tell them the Good News of Jesus Christ and to love them. For most of these men, they have no hope. None. We want to give them that hope.
Once again, thank you in advance for your prayers for us and for those we minister to. I'll post more on how this went afterwards.
Eric
I am asking for your prayers for this event. Events like this are bastions for spiritual conflict as Satan does not want us in there. Trust me, on this I know first hand. So your prayer coverage is coveted!
So at 6:30 in the morning on the 19th, we'll walk in and spend the next eight hours with men who have committed one or more crimes against other people and the state to tell them the Good News of Jesus Christ and to love them. For most of these men, they have no hope. None. We want to give them that hope.
Once again, thank you in advance for your prayers for us and for those we minister to. I'll post more on how this went afterwards.
Eric
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Sunday's Sermon Notes
I will be at the Dawson State Jail today, so I will not have my Sunday's Sermon Notes up. I will however write a post about how the ministry event went. Thanks for all your prayers!
Eric
Eric
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Going back to the Dawson State Jail this Sunday
I know I've blogged about this earlier, but I wanted to reiterate that I would greatly appreciate your prayers for this event.
Bill Glass' Champions for Life will be partnering up with the I Am Second Locked Up student ministry to have an opportunity to present the Gospel to the inmates at the Dawson State Jail this coming January 15th and we need your prayer support for this.
For those who follow my blog, or visit from time to time, you may have read of my last trip to the Dawson State Jail in Dallas, Texas back in November; this partnership with the I Am Second Locked Up student ministry has allowed me the opportunity to go back again to help spread the Good News of Jesus Christ to those behind the razor wire.
This will be a smaller event that we had last time, with only a total of 80 teammates attending from the Bill Glass Ministry. I am looking forward to this, believe me, but we do need your help. Not financially, but spiritually. We need prayer cover for this. The Dawson State Jail is a very dark place spiritually; you can literally feel it when you walk in. Your prayers are are one of the biggest helps we can have. Pray specifically for those on the inside to have their hearts softened and receptive to the Gospel message. Pray for those who are our brothers and sisters in Christ to be praying and studying, and living a life that glorifies God, even on the inside. Especially on the inside.
Pray for those of us who are going in. Pray specifically that we are prepared to speak as the Holy Spirit directs us to. Pray for our protection, physically and spiritually. But most of all PRAY! That is the biggest weapon we have; the prayers of the saints.
I am looking forward to this. Thank you for your prayers.
Eric
Monday, December 12, 2011
Upcoming Prison Ministry Event -- Prayer Request
Bill Glass' Champions for Life will be partnering up with the I Am Second Locked Up student ministry to have an opportunity to present the Gospel to the inmates at the Dawson State Jail this coming January 15th and we need your prayer support for this.
For those who follow my blog, or visit from time to time, you may have read of my last trip to the Dawson State Jail in Dallas, Texas back in November; this partnership with the I Am Second Locked Up student ministry has allowed me the opportunity to go back again to help spread the Good News of Jesus Christ to those behind the razor wire.
This will be a smaller event that we had last time, with only a total of 80 teammates attending from the Bill Glass Ministry. I am looking forward to this, believe me, but we do need your help. Not financially, but spiritually. We need prayer cover for this. The Dawson State Jail is a very dark place spiritually; you can literally feel it when you walk in. Your prayers are are one of the biggest helps we can have. Pray specifically for those on the inside to have their hearts softened and receptive to the Gospel message. Pray for those who are our brothers and sisters in Christ to be praying and studying, and living a life that glorifies God, even on the inside. Especially on the inside.
Pray for those of us who are going in. Pray specifically that we are prepared to speak as the Holy Spirit directs us to. Pray for our protection, physically and spiritually. But most of all PRAY! That is the biggest weapon we have; the prayers of the saints.
I am looking forward to this. Thank you for your prayers.
Eric
Sunday, November 06, 2011
Back to Prison with Bill Glass
I am exhausted.
This weekend was the Bill Glass' Prison Ministry's DFW Weekend of Champions event. 19 prisons. 12,000 inmates. Over 850 men and women giving their time and money to bring the Good News of Jesus Christ to those locked up behind the razor wire.
The results? 3673 total responses to the Gospel including 1623 first time! I had the privilege of leading one of those first timers to Christ, and challenged another to re-dedicate his life to Christ.
I was at the Dawson State Jail, right outside downtown Dallas and out of all of the prison units I have ever been to, this had to have been the most oppressive and depressive of them all.
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| Front of the Dawson State Jail |
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| People waiting to visit their loved ones in the Dawson State Jail. |
This prison unit is located in an 11 story building right across from the Dallas County Jail and Justice Complex and is run by the CCA, which is a private prison management corporation. This is a state prison, but is run by this private corporation. It is a coed facility with the men housed on floors three, four and five, and the women housed on floors six through 10. Of course we had women ministering to women and men to men.
I was assigned to the third floor, pod C, which houses 54 men. The spiritual oppression was thick, and was felt by all three of us as we walked in. During the first hour or so of being in the pod, I watched as one of my fellow team mates talked with two of the men from the pod; I was sitting a few feet away from them praying under my breath, rebuking the enemy and praying for boldness and for God to send me those ready to hear his call.
I have to say that this had to be the most difficult unit to hold a ministry event in. The platform speakers had to use their natural voices only; no PA system was available for some reason, even though we had one on the floor that was brought with us. When the speakers did speak, they had to deal with flushing toilets, TVs turned on, domino games, other inmates speaking, and sleeping inmates. It wasn't impossible, but was difficult.
After the first speaker, I was seated at one of the metal tables when I had first two, then three inmates sit with me, all of whom professed to be believing Christians. I asked them questions about their spiritual beliefs and decided to go ahead and go through the tract we use anyway, as a "just in case" measure. About halfway through this, we were joined by another younger, tattooed inmate. I asked him about his beliefs and he said he wasn't sure about them. I told the others at the table that I wanted to focus on the youngster, since he was not sure and they were and they all agreed with me. It took about 20 minutes, asking him what he thought of each scripture that was read, then if he said he was confused, I did my best (with the Holy Spirit's help) to explain what each one meant. At the end I asked him if he wanted to accept Christ as his savior he said he did. We prayed together and we all welcomed him to the family! I have to say it was one of the most rewarding feelings of my life.
A few hours later, I spoke with another inmate who confessed Christ as his Lord and Savior, but had fallen away in his faith. After speaking for another hour I finally asked him why he was waiting to re-dedicate his life to Christ and he answer that he wanted to wait until he had his life straightened up. I told him that today is the day of salvation, not tomorrow. Finally I looked at him and told him, "You're doing a cop out and you need to quit. Make your decision now and stick to it!" He looked at me with a very startled look and told me no one had ever spoken like that to him until now, but that I was right. He held out his hand which I took and he prayed right then to repent and re-dedicate his life. I really like it when the Holy Spirit makes a move like that!
The rest of the weekend was about the same for us. Lots of distractions, some seekers, but mostly it was lonely inmates who were very happy to just have someone new to talk to. So that's what we mostly did. Listen. And in listening, I hope that we showed them the love of Christ.
Eric
Thursday, June 04, 2009
I Was In Prison This Past Saturday
You never know what freedom is like until you've been to prison, even for one day. As I posted earlier, I had signed up to go with the Bill Glass Prison Ministry to one of two prison facilities in Bonham, TX this past Saturday. It was an interesting experience.
Let me give you the facts of the trip first:
There were 411 men and women who went as volunteers. Bikers, Professionals, you name the social status and it was represented. In fact there were so many volunteers that the ministry was turning people away! 300 went to the Choice Moore Unit, and 110 joined me at the Buster Cole State Jail Facility. There had to have been over 100 bikers there, (and yes, they call themselves bikers) with mostly Harleys, but there were some Hondas, and other Japanese bikes.
The speakers included Keith Davis of the New York Giants, Rich Garza, the Chaplain for the San Antonio Spurs, Another who's name escapes me at the moment, and Jack Meeks, the famous NASCAR driver, who brought the winning car from Daytona with him. There was a band that played most of the day, Namesake. If you hear that this band will be playing near you, I suggest you go see them. They were fantastic!
The main reason we were there was to tell them the Good News of Christ, and what it meant, and how to receive Christ and become a follower of Christ. I won't call it a success, but the final talley was 111 verbal commitments, surrendering to Jesus, 10 rededications and several who reconfirmed their faith. Now it is up to the chaplaincy to help these baby Christians grow in their faith.
Now, my personal experience went like this: when we were in Freshman training, I had the chance to ask the chaplain if he had any Wiccans, Pagans, or Druids on the site. He affirmed that he did, and that was the end of that, or so I thought. God did have a devine appointment for me I believe, because of the first two men I approached, one was a follower of Christ, and his bunkmate was Wiccan! I don't believe in coincidence. Now, Joshua, the Wiccan did not make a commitment to Jesus that day, but I believe that a seed was planted, just as one was planted in my heart 12 years ago. Joshua and I talked for most of the time I was there, and he did promise to read the Bible again, but with a fresh perspective.
I ask everyone who reads this to pray for him, for protection from the army of darkness that surrounds him and his family, to lift him up and for people to give him Godly counsel about this. In other words, let there be someone to water that seed planted. Two others I ask prayer for are Matthew and Austin.
So that is it for now. I will describe the actual feelings of being on the inside, if only for a day at a later time.
Until then, have a blessed day!
Let me give you the facts of the trip first:
There were 411 men and women who went as volunteers. Bikers, Professionals, you name the social status and it was represented. In fact there were so many volunteers that the ministry was turning people away! 300 went to the Choice Moore Unit, and 110 joined me at the Buster Cole State Jail Facility. There had to have been over 100 bikers there, (and yes, they call themselves bikers) with mostly Harleys, but there were some Hondas, and other Japanese bikes.
The speakers included Keith Davis of the New York Giants, Rich Garza, the Chaplain for the San Antonio Spurs, Another who's name escapes me at the moment, and Jack Meeks, the famous NASCAR driver, who brought the winning car from Daytona with him. There was a band that played most of the day, Namesake. If you hear that this band will be playing near you, I suggest you go see them. They were fantastic!
The main reason we were there was to tell them the Good News of Christ, and what it meant, and how to receive Christ and become a follower of Christ. I won't call it a success, but the final talley was 111 verbal commitments, surrendering to Jesus, 10 rededications and several who reconfirmed their faith. Now it is up to the chaplaincy to help these baby Christians grow in their faith.
Now, my personal experience went like this: when we were in Freshman training, I had the chance to ask the chaplain if he had any Wiccans, Pagans, or Druids on the site. He affirmed that he did, and that was the end of that, or so I thought. God did have a devine appointment for me I believe, because of the first two men I approached, one was a follower of Christ, and his bunkmate was Wiccan! I don't believe in coincidence. Now, Joshua, the Wiccan did not make a commitment to Jesus that day, but I believe that a seed was planted, just as one was planted in my heart 12 years ago. Joshua and I talked for most of the time I was there, and he did promise to read the Bible again, but with a fresh perspective.
I ask everyone who reads this to pray for him, for protection from the army of darkness that surrounds him and his family, to lift him up and for people to give him Godly counsel about this. In other words, let there be someone to water that seed planted. Two others I ask prayer for are Matthew and Austin.
So that is it for now. I will describe the actual feelings of being on the inside, if only for a day at a later time.
Until then, have a blessed day!
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Going to Prison Part 2
I received my card in the mail telling me where I will be going on the 30th. I will be helping the Bill Glass Ministry at the Buster Cole State Jail facility in Bonham.
Again, I would like to ask all those who read this blog to pray for those on the inside to have receptive hearts, and be eager to listen to the salvation message that will be presented. I would also like to ask for prayer for good sunny weather (it will be held outdoors) and for a peaceful time at that unit.
Also, pray for me, for boldness in presenting the message if I am called upon to do so.
Thanks!
Eric
Again, I would like to ask all those who read this blog to pray for those on the inside to have receptive hearts, and be eager to listen to the salvation message that will be presented. I would also like to ask for prayer for good sunny weather (it will be held outdoors) and for a peaceful time at that unit.
Also, pray for me, for boldness in presenting the message if I am called upon to do so.
Thanks!
Eric
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Going to Prison
So, did I get your attention? Good.
Yes, I am going to go to a prison unit, but not for a crime, and not to stay. I will be going with the Bill Glass Champions For Life Prison Ministry.
This is the first time I have done anything like this and I will have to admit, I am a little bit nervous. Nervous about talking about Jesus and possibly leading someone to Christ. Normally I am a very private person when it comes to my faith, but here I will be talking openly about faith, using the tools the ministry uses.
So I am asking for prayer as I get ready to do this on the 30th of this month. Pray that I will be used for God's purpose, to do whatever needs to be done for His glory and honor, and that the guys on the inside who will be there to hear the featured speakers will be open to receive what is said to them, and ready to make that commitment to Christ.
Thanks.
Yes, I am going to go to a prison unit, but not for a crime, and not to stay. I will be going with the Bill Glass Champions For Life Prison Ministry.
This is the first time I have done anything like this and I will have to admit, I am a little bit nervous. Nervous about talking about Jesus and possibly leading someone to Christ. Normally I am a very private person when it comes to my faith, but here I will be talking openly about faith, using the tools the ministry uses.
So I am asking for prayer as I get ready to do this on the 30th of this month. Pray that I will be used for God's purpose, to do whatever needs to be done for His glory and honor, and that the guys on the inside who will be there to hear the featured speakers will be open to receive what is said to them, and ready to make that commitment to Christ.
Thanks.
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