Greetings my family in Christ. Well, the New Year is firmly established. I wonder what wonders it will bring. Things are moving so fast in the world and more and more signs are apparent of His Glorious Returning. Are you prepared? Are you reaching others and sharing your faith with them? Many inmates are doing just that by developing their own outreaches, newsletters and the like. Reaching and teaching others for Jesus. There are so many in the world who don't know the love of our Lord. Who have not had the opportunity to come to salvation. The chance to make a choice. You are your brothers keeper. If not you, then who? We have, in the last few editions, featured some of those inmates who have developed, and are developing, an outreach to others from where they are. As we are able, we will continue to do so. They are winning souls for Christ and you can too. Share your faith with your cell-mate, your co-worker, your family and your friends. Don't let them get 'left behind'. Don't let them miss out on the blessings, joy and peace that He has for them here and now. When this life is over, do you want to remember, as these people suffer eternal damnation, that you could have told them? When you reach the Master's throne and we are all judged, would you look over into the line of souls that are lost only to recognize a friend or family member and have them ask you, "Why did you never tell me?" I don't. Share your faith, share your Lord, share a scripture, a parable, a Christian book, a discussion of God, a newsletter of faith. In the meantime, sit back, relax and I pray you enjoy our offering this month....................Love in Christ....................Rev. Bunnie
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If a man cannot be a Christian where he is at, he cannot be a Christian anywhere.
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Still, as of old, men by themselves are priced. For thirty pieces Judas sold himself, not Christ.
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Why do I believe in the Devil? For three reasons: 1, because the Bible plainly says he exists, 2, Because I see his work everywhere, and 3, because great scholars have recognized his existence............... Billy Graham
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Editors note: Roy Ellsworth, writer of the following article, is a former inmate. He has written a book called "The Ellsworth Letters" and supplied us with several copies to hand out to those in prison. If you are able to get a copy, it is well worth the read. You will find it enlightening, encouraging and instructful. Our copies are gone. His ministry is called "Christian Endeavors."
CHRISTIAN ENDEAVORS NEWS RELEASE
The New Year has ushered in cold weather in middle Tennessee. Snow is predicted. The air is very cold and cuts clear to the bone. Whatever part of the country you are in, we hope you are warm, watered, and fed.
I would like to talk with you for a moment about something of grave importance: Capital Punishment. Recently I received an article called "A Plea for Sanctuary," from Paula Ann Davis.
"Juvenile prisoners on Alabama's death row are appealing to churches, seeking sanctuary from execution. In the state of Alabama, 13 young men await their execution for offenses committed when they were children. Since the reinstatement of the death penalty in 1973, the United States has executed 19 child offenders This is a violation of international law. These young men seek the support of all Churches in Alabama," (and around the world.)
Friends, I do not want to seem like a political activist but I know, in my heart of hearts, that capital punishment is wrong. He said He "would have mercy, and not sacrifice." God has allowed us all a certain number of heart beats, and for one person - or the state - to take away from that number, is murder. It is premeditated murder, whether it's in the dark of an alley with a switchblade knife, or the state sanctioned execution chamber, with either type of the "juice." The end result is the same: a heart stops beating on purpose! Why is it that Christians are divided over this issue? Not only are we divided on this issue, but also the issues of abortion and doctor assisted suicide. It really seems to me, my dear friends, that the Church of today is in dire need of learning, again, the elementary rudiments of Christianity, the first principle, which is love. We cannot say we love a person, and then go along with his/her execution. In the last eight years there have been over 70 men/women released from death rows around the country where, in many cases, DNA evidence proved them innocent. No telling the number of people we have slaughtered, in the name of justice, who were actually innocent. Karla Fay Tucker, executed in Texas in February of '98, was a blood-bought, redeemed child of the Living God, yet as the camera's of CNN were recording the protesting outside the Walls Unit, in downtown Huntsville, Texas, Karla Fay was escorted to the death chamber. She had found Grace and Forgiveness from God, but was unable to find it in the heart of George W. Bush, then Governor of Texas. Can His Grace and Forgiveness be found in our hearts? Can we, as Christian people, unite and be in one accord against the unjust jurisprudence of this country? The popular slogan of today is, "United We Stand." We understand that as a Nation, but do we understand it as a Christian community? Did you know that when Christians--and I'm talking about true believers-- all pray in unison, it creates a power equal of those dropped on Japan in World War ll.? "The prayer of a righteous man avails much," and with many righteous men praying, and their faithful wives writing letters to state officials, the Christian community can help change those laws and save lives--perhaps an innocent life. We can cause this world to become more Christ-like, more humane.
Those kids on Alabama's Death Row have appealed to the Christian community for sanctuary from execution. Are we going to try and help them, or will we shut our bowels of compassion from them? 1 John 3:17 asks a very important question. Look it up for yourself. If you do, you will be doing yourself a great favor and find an opportunity to make the right decision. To the Alabama Death Row Inmates, and to Inmates on Death Rows the world over I would say: "You can beat the hangman! They may kill you, and render evil for evil, but they cannot kill your soul. Only God can do that. He won't, if only you will repent of sin, with a broken spirit and a contrite heart, and turn and go in a new direction. That is how you beat the hangman, my friends. It is by giving up and surrendering all to God, through His Beloved Son, Jesus Christ. It is in accepting His forgiveness. As you go, do all He commanded of all of us. He is "no respecter of persons," Acts 10:34. "Every man, in every nation, who works righteousness, is accepted by Him." That includes you men on America's Death Rows, and around the globe. I hope something said here will provoke positive reactions from all who read it. We live life only once, my friends, and the decisions we make today, determine our tomorrow.
Yours Because of A Cross,
Roy Ellsworth
l Cor. 16:23
http://communities.msn.com/christianendeavors
Christian Endeavors, PO Box 463, Centerville, Tennessee 37033 PH:(931) 729-7111
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Keep yourself from the opportunity, God will keep you from the sins it leads to.
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Greater is he who conquers himself than he who conquers a thousand.
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It is better to be slow-tempered than famous; it is better to have self control than control an army. (Proverbs 16:32)
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HOW DARE YOU!
By Leon A. Lewis
(inmate)
How dare you balk and shun me
Because I'm poor and hungry,
And now must ask for handouts.
I'm aware that I stand out
Like a sore thumb in your world,
But keep the insults you hurl.
The Lord was tested too.
People, how dare you!
How dare you even think that
Since I'm addicted to crack,
That you've free reign to judge me;
That you are far above me.
I'm not perfect, I admit,
But you are a hypocrite.
The Lord was tested too.
People, how dare you!
How dare you call yourselves
Children of God and yet live
So contrary to His laws.
Understand, He loves us ALL,
And I know that He'll rescue
All of us from our issues
If our faith is kept alive.
How dare you think otherwise!
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A local pastor joined a community service club and the members thought they might have some fun with him. Under his name on the badge they printed "Hog Caller" as his occupation.
Everyone made a big fanfare as the badge was presented. The pastor responded by saying: "I usually am called the 'Shepherd of the Sheep'. . . . but you know your people better than I do."
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A DEVOTION
by Ken Taylor
Some are guilty for what each is sentenced for. Others are guilty for far more. Then there are those who have escaped punishment because of lack of evidence or others who have been given a light slap on the wrist.
To God, all are guilty and are awaiting trial and the death sentence. We have one hope, and that is Jesus Christ. If we turn back to God and repent in His name, we can be saved. Through God's mercy, we can be forgiven. But until then, until we put away our pride and come in humbleness to confess our sins, we are lost.
For each of us has his own prison and awaits judgement. We are shackled to our sins. We believe ourselves free, yet we are controlled by strange forces. We are a driven people. Pushed towards our destruction by unseen hands and, because of them, we have no control on ourselves.
Yet we deny this in our minds. We believe we are in the drivers seat of our lives and we do what we do because we wish it. Though the evidence proves otherwise, we disregard it believing it to be false because we wish it to be.
We are a corrupt people. Living in sin. Yet we say we are innocent of any crimes, or we've done nothing really wrong. But still, all are guilty for we want nothing of God but what we can get for our pleasures. We strive for the physical sensations and believe them to be real. We believe ourselves to be mentally sound and our proof is in the making of our devices. We have science to show our successes and we are moving forward because of our achievements.
But to God we are a backward, wayward people. We live in an illusion of prosperity for nothing we make lasts. We focus on the world because that is where we live, but we must not live in the world, but on a spiritual plane with God. Where flesh does not corrupt and thoughts are not defiled. But to do that takes God, for we cannot accomplish this on our own, but must look to Him to guidance.
But we do not. Instead we say He does not exist. Science proves it. We create pseudo gods to conform with our wishes in matters spiritual. Or, if we accept God, we do it on our own conditions. Conditions not acceptable to Him.
So we don't grow in our faith, but lie dormant. Jesus said the road to life is narrow and few travel it, but the road to destruction is wide and many are there. This road is full of emptiness. Instead of wonder, there is boredom. Instead of joy, there is despair. So we look for other ways to fulfill our needs, not understanding why we feel the way we do. Drugs to relieve depression, and sex to replace love. Our joy we get from our possessions and in our vanities we are rich. But nothing is real. All is an illusion, for our bodies are decaying and soon we die and in our lives we have availed ourselves to nothing.
We enter into the world with promise, but we leave it with nothing for this world gives us nothing. Our only chance for growth is in God, so in God we must believe. God created us and this world is our crib, but we must outgrow the crib and learn to walk with God.
Jesus is the way. For not only did He walk, He ran! He jumped! Christ was in God and God was in Christ. Jesus shows us the truth. There, life is real. It has value. We, in our belief in the Son of God, cast off our chains of bondage and grow in our spirit, for that is the fundamental part. Ego conflicts with God's purpose so we must control it, recognize it, to conform to God's will. The body has its desires, but we must learn to govern them. Evil veils truth and disguises it in obscurity, but our faith in God, and daily prayer, reveals the truth for our understanding according to God's wishes, for we are not in control. God's will be done.
Therefore, in accepting God, the pain of our growth will be joy, and the fruit of His labor, love. Peace is our reward and compassion is what we have to give to others. God has given us a promise and we should embrace that promise. Hold tight to it and do not let go. There is a difference in those who live in the world and those who live in Christ. The world will die, as those who are in it, but Christ, and those who are in Him, will live forever.
There is no real choice here for us to make. There is only one avenue to escape destruction and that is Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, the hope of mankind, the light to everlasting life.
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LOVE
By Lawrence Cottle
(inmate)
To all my brothers and sisters, near and far,
Reaching out for someone to love to be loved!
Seek our Heavenly Father with a clean heart,
Knowing that His love pours from heaven above.
For love covers a multitude of sins.
This is what I Peter 4:8 proclaims.
It tells us, "for charity shall cover the multitude of sins,"
This life can take place in Jesus name.
You can face each day with a smile upon your face,
Blessed with a new song to sing.
For you see, my brothers and sisters,
This is the Lord's day and within it joy is what He brings.
Without love we have hatred in the world.
This is what the adversary seeks.
We have terrorist acts, abortions, and murders thus far,
But with love all these can be a glorious act of defeat.
Love, we know, is a four-letter word,
But a mighty four-letter word it is.
It can stand for, "Let Our Victory Endure,"
Knowing it gives victory over sin.
So let your light shine each and every day,
Sharing God's unconditional love.
There may be selfish love, conditional love, or even daily love,
But only true love comes from our Father above.
Amen
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The following conversation was overheard at a party attended by high society people:
"My ancestry goes all the way back to Alexander the Great," said one lady. She then turned to a second lady and said, "And how far does your family go back?"
"I don't know," was the reply. "All our records were lost in the flood."
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A preacher once asked an actor why he had such large audiences and he, the preacher, had only a small audience at church.
"I act as if I believe in what I say," said the actor, "while you preach as if you did not believe what you preached."
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Editor's note: The following article is by way of introduction to our first regular columnist, Joel Escobedo. In the next issues of Souls in Stir" Joel will be offering a three-part teaching on leadership. His ministry, from behind the walls, is called Reachout Ministries. The address will follow his article for those of you interested in contacting him.
LETTER OF INTRODUCTION
from Joel Escobedo
(inmate)
Dear Friends,
May the grace and mercy of our glorious God and Father be yours, and yours in all abundance, and overflowing in the Name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory both now and forever.
For those of you who don't know me, my name is Joel Escobedo, founder and director of Reachout Ministries at Mule Creek State Prison, (California). Each month Reachout Ministries publishes a newsletter of hope and faith addressing the needs of the Body of Christ. This publication is sent to prisoners all over the country in hopes of bringing them closer to the Lord.
First of all, I would like to thank God for all the wonderful things He's done in my life. This introduction and article is dedicated to all those who are behind bars, and to our dear and faithful sister in the Lord, Rev. Bunnie Klassen.
It has long been my intention since assuming the directorship of Reachout Ministries, to inaugurate a monthly newsletter to keep all our friends informed about our goals and the work of the Lord in other people's lives. My dream became a reality about a year ago.
For a year now we have provided friends in this country and overseas with hundreds of newsletters every month. We are confident that this new year, 2002, the Lord will bring even greater blessings to this ministry.
My friend, if you don't know Christ the Savior, I pray that you'll see your need for change, and understand that God is giving you a chance to start a new life TODAY! Trust God to create an integral change in you. Power beyond yourself is available if you believe.
Dear one, in Christ Jesus our faith has been gifted to us by God. Together let us increase His presence in those who do not yet know Him and to those of us who want to know Him better.
There is no doubt that, in navigating our spiritual journeys, we fail frequently, lose interest, even have times when all sight of God may be gone. The challenges of life can be so brutal. In our turmoil the image of Christ's glory can fade away to where only the reality of this natural world remains. There may have been times when we were overwhelmed with a sense of chaos and pressed to wonder whether anything we have done has ever really made a difference. I am sure that many of us have been there at one time or another in our life.
Precious one, we can rest assured that no matter what we may encounter in life, either deserved or undeserved, it cannot destroy us since the all-powerful and all-loving God is for us. I can honestly say that all the struggles and falls I've experienced in my walk have truly helped to build me up and make me the man of God that I am today. ". . . All things do work together for good to those who love God. . ."
No matter who you are or where you are, I want you to know there is hope for you. If you think there's nothing that you could possibly do for Jesus, you are misinformed. God's Word says, "Then said He unto His disciples, "The harvest truly is plenteous, but the laborers are few. . ." (Matthew 9:27)
The truth is, God has work for us to do. But we need to step out in faith to activate the promises in His Word. Sometimes we can't visualize how we are going to accomplish great things for the Lord. Do you know why that is? Because we are looking at things through our own power. Of our own power, my friend, we can't get anything done! But we can do ALL things through Christ. That's power - that's glory! Remember God's Word says, "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."
Our newsletter and ministry is the substance of our faith. And there are still many programs/projects that God is planting in our hearts. They are in the planning phases. But nevertheless, this ministry is on the move - because the Holy Spirit is directing it!
It's about affecting people's lives for Jesus. That's why I'm here. There are many needs in the Body of Christ which need to be ministered to. Our goal is to reach those needs. I'm confident we are on the right track. For the enemy, (as always), is hard at work to discourage our progress. It's like a chapter out of JOB. There has been sicknesses in our families. There has been brothers who have tried to discourage our work, even big time ministries! Satan is busy doing his job. But then again, as good leaders we're equipped spiritually, and hard at work doing ours. We DO have the advantage, ". . . for greater is He that is within us, than he that is in the world!"
I encourage all of you brothers and sisters in the Lord to stay faithful and get to work. God has much that He wants to manifest in and through you. You have been given a talent. Don't let anybody discourage you in your gift. And if you have experienced opposition or lack of support from other ministries, get in touch with us. We are here for you. We believe in allowing God's Spirit to guide and direct the gifts within the Body. Ordinary people can become extraordinary when empowered by the Holy Spirit. A spiritual leader's job is to lead God's flock into His glory, and sharpen the gifts He's so graciously given to us.
We are only as strong as our weaker members. "And those members of the body, which we think to be less honorable, upon these we bestow more abundant honor. . ." We want to encourage you to have a mentality that you can do above and beyond what you think or can imagine. (Eph. 3:20).
It is my prayer that this teaching will come alive in your heart throughout this coming year. As we look toward the many challenges and opportunities before us and remain faithful to our commitment in the Lord. Please know we love you all.
Your friend and brother,
Joel Escobedo, Director
Reachout Ministries.
INMATE TESTIMONIES AND POETRY WANTED!
Joel Escobedo, and Reachout Ministries are developing a book of inmate testimonies, and another of inmate poetry. If you have a testimony or a poem that you would like to see included in these wonderful outreach tools, please send them to:
Joel Escobedo C-51018
MCSP - A5 - 202
PO Box 409000
Ione, CA 95640
or send them to Rev. Bunnie at On Fire Ministries to be forwarded to him if you are unable to send them directly yourself. Please include written permission to use them.