Posted on 09/06/2005 7:50:38 AM PDT by sionnsar
We had a wonderful Kairos weekend at the prison. Bishop MacPherson was there for closing before heading out to Camp Hardtner to minister to refugees, as was my father; both said wonderful words to the men who made their Kairos. We had a very tough group, but many men’s lives were changed. One man, my sponsoree, has a difficult choice to make - follow Jesus or follow his gang. The problem is that if he chooses the former, the latter may kill him. Even if he managed to get a transfer to another institution; he would still fear for his life for following Jesus Christ. Please pray for him. He, like most of the other men, came to the weekend with no hope and a realization that they needed a new way of life. All of them seemed to have received it. On one extremely positive note, we had a man who had been raised in the Pentecostal/Holiness tradition, who rebelled against the strictures of his church and family, and felt he was completely unworthy to be a Christian because he had never received the spiritual gifts that particular Christian tradition emphasizes. He was able to learn of the variety of gifts of the spirit, which ones were the least, and that the most important way of the Spirit is love. On Sunday morning he committed his life to Jesus Christ at a chapel visitation with my table family. It was a privilege to be there as he prayed.
I was extremely blessed to serve for the first time as music director for a Kairos weekend. No other way to describe it. Extremely blessed.
It was our first weekend with a new administration at the weekend; we had a few glitches with new expectations and policies which we will address, but overall things went smoothly. I’d like to thank everyone who prayed for the weekend; your prayers were indeed felt and helped work miracles in the broken.
Then again, spiritual warfare abounds. Camp Hardtner had to be evacuated temporarily due to a forest fire, but the refugees there are settling back in. Folks are volunteering to provide care for the people there. Please keep them in your prayers.
In Alexandria, we have no school buses, so many folks will have a difficult time in getting their children to school this morning, including refugees who were allowed to register for school last week. The good part is that school uniforms have been made available to refugees in great quantities and from a variety of sources. Praise God! My parish is now going to provide hot food and hot showers for folks in shelters that do not have these things - I think that is a good thing.
Traditional Anglican ping, continued in memory of its founder Arlin Adams. If they turn around ONE life it is worth it.
It can be a little daunting, the first time, to walk in through the gates and hear them close behind you -- but it's a small thing compared to seeing a life changed.
As the iron gates clanged behind him,That's from an old ballad called "Coon Can" that I've sung for years. Didn't really appreciate it until I heard those huge steel gates at the Pen come together. And they DO clang.
He heard the warden say,
"It's ten long years for you, poor boy,
Ten long years in prison this day.
It's ten long years for you poor boy,
It's ten long years this day,"
As the iron gates clanged behind him,
He heard the warden say.
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