THANK YOU LORD
By Winfred Brown
(inmate)
You make the rains to fall,
The crops to grow.
You make the sun to shine,
You also send the snow.
Thank You, Lord.
You give us health and peace.
You bless your lives each day.
You fill our every need,
So this we say,
Thank You, Lord.
You cause the flowers to bloom,
The birds to fly.
You send the fleecy clouds
In azure sky.
Thank You, Lord.
You gave your Son to die,
That we might live.
He gave the greatest gift
That one could give.
Thank You, Lord.
Salvation, full and free,
From you with love.
A home forevermore
In Heaven above.
Thank You, Lord.
So as we go our way,
From day to day,
Help us with each new morn
To always say,
Thank You, Lord.
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Editor's note: Lawrence, the writer of the following testimony and an inmate is the founder of "In Truth Ministry". More details of his ministry will follow his testimony.
PASS ME NOT, OH GENTLE SAVIOR
By Lawrence Cottle
(inmate)
Pass me not, oh gentle Savior, hear my humble cry. While all others thou art calling, do not pass me by.
Coming up in Chicago was a live or die situation. There were quite a few guys from the neighborhood that did not make it. Even though I went to church from infancy until I started to backslide, there was still the life of the city one has to deal with when growing up.
When I was nine or ten I shoveled snow for dimes and quarters. In the 6o's a quarter bought you a pack of cigarettes, but I wasn't smoking. This was just to show how far a dollar went. Then, at the age of eleven or twelve, I carried groceries home for those who shopped at the local grocery store. This was a treat on Saturdays. You even had your regular customers.
God had His blessings upon me then because I went from carrying groceries home in the little red wagon that was about the only thing that could go through the snow, to bagging the groceries that I had been carrying home for the customers. I went from the outside looking in, to the inside and picking others to carry my old customer's groceries home. God had been blessing me and I didn't even know it.
At thirteen or fourteen I really started to 'hang out'. I kept my job, and was still going to church, but there was a new twist in my life. I was a freshman in High School. Hanging with the older crowd, I tried to hold my own.
Then the gangs started to sweep into the neighborhood. The younger ones had to make a decision about the "draft". Either you joined or got beat up. The second time around, punishment could be deadly. I saw quite a few of my buddies die without a major cause.
One night I was visited by the local gang. You see, during the times of the sixties, in the organized relationships of gangs, if they wanted you, they would come and get you. The next morning, God had an escape route for me. I was sent to my grandparents in Pennsylvania. By this time I was street oriented. My grandparents were strictly church-going saints so, of course, back to church I went.
If anyone has lived in the city and then gone to a small town, they can give witness the pressure that leaves them when they leave the city. No more ducking at gunshots. (Smile)
Needless to say, however, I was buck wild and I moved on to California. God was still working in my life, though I didn't know it. I finished growing up in California and worked there into my forties, though I continued to "hang out".
The streets were my main preference. Walking through the valley of the shadow of death, I felt no evil. Alcohol, drugs, women, power, became my gods. No more jobs, no more peace, no more morals, no more rest. Satan wouldn't let me rest. The "Shining One" had my attention.
In and out of jail, living on the streets, beating those at the game, hustling for another hit of Cocaine. My life was in shambles and I knew it. I needed help. Pneumonia had caught up with me twice. Still, I wasn't ready to cut the streets loose. The Department of Corrections tried to correct my situation, but all I got out of the time they gave me was how not to get caught the next time.
Then, my brothers and sisters, this time down was a fluke. When I came in contact with those who would help me get incarcerated, I was getting tired of the streets and was looking for a way out. I would pray at night while on the streets. To my amazement, God answered my prayer.
Not in the way that I thought it would happen, but in His way. Yes, after thirty-three years of "street life", I finally got tired of the lies and deceptions Satan was showing me. When I looked out through the haze Satan had been blinding me with, I would see what I used to see when I was coming up in the church in Chicago. God's children passed by with a smile upon their faces.
That's when I cried out, "Pass me not, Oh Gentle Savior. Hear my humble cry! While all others thou art calling, do not pass me by!"
I called out to my God. I humbled myself. He heard my cry. He brought me out of the miry clay. He turned me around, set my feet on solid ground and gave me a new heart with a new song to sing. "I'm calling You Savior, Savior, Hear my humble cry. While all others Thou art calling, do not pass me by."
So, my brothers and sisters, if you are tired of that false picture Satan, the adversary, is placing in front of you, call on the Lord. He will hear your humble cry. He will not pass you by. He's standing right next to you with open arms. He's ready to turn your life around with a new heart and a new song to sing. Call out to Him. Ask Him into your heart today. Don't wait until tomorrow, for tomorrow may be too late for you. I waited thirty-three years. How long must He wait for you?
Currently Brother Lawrence is serving a four year sentence in Arizona. His desire in his heart is the ministry of Bishop. Caring is one of God's callings. Ministers (servants) is another. Caring involves love, and a lot of God's children need this in their lives. Brother Lawrence knows what it is to be loved. Pray for the ministry that God has given Brother Lawrence. That his eyes may always be on the Lord.
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IN TRUTH MINISTRY
A ministry to seek out the truth in God's word. To enter into the cells of those who have lost their way. To be a friend to those who have been discarded by their family, and friends.
In Truth Ministry is a ministry that has been placed in the stewardship of
Brother Lawrence R. Cottle #79773
State of Arizona Corrections Dept.,
Monzanita Unit,
PO Box 24401,
10,000 S. Wilmont,
Tucson, AZ 85734-4401.
He is an inmate with the glow of Christ.
Drug addict, pusher, hustler, thief, liar, alcoholic, and manager of the ladies (pimp), Lawrence finally reached the bottom of, a hopeless pit. He called upon the Lord and the Lord heard his cry. He lifted him up out of the miry clay. He set him upon a solid rock and directed his goings. He forgave him of his past and remembered his sins no more.
Even though he is incarcerated at the moment, he wants to reach out and be a brother, a friend to lean on, a confidant to those who need to talk. Brother Lawrence has been there and understands the pain. Brother Lawrence is opening up his life to serve God, with the Holy spirit as his guide.
So, to my brothers and sisters, write to Brother Lawrence and seek God's face together "In Truth and Sincerity."
JESUS IS LORD AND ALWAYS WILL BE.
GOD BLESS YOU
Lawrence Cottle.
THE PEN-PAL SECTION
This month I have a couple of new sources for getting pen-pals. They would love to hear
from you and give you a listing with their ministries.
Director
BEACON Prison Ministry
Box 39544
374 Lakeshore Road East
Mississauga, Ontario, Canada L5E 4S6
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SEEKING MORE PEN-PALS? Abroad including around the UK? Then try the PenFriend
Circle! The PenFriend Circle is a group of people resident in the UK. These people enjoy
corresponding with each other, and some with associates who live abroad and / or are
incarcerated. Associates receive an appropriate list of other associates - this may include
UK residents both inside prison, and outside, and people living abroad, again inside prison,
and /or outside. These lists are published three times a year (February, June, and
October). Occasionally, a fourth is printed in December. Associates do not receive a full
membership list because of the security risks. They are not, therefore, charged a
membership fee. Should you require further details of this organization, then please write
to Allison at
Mrs. P. A. Henning,
8 Pretoria Terrace,
Weymouth, Dorset, DT4 0DJ,
England
I look forward to hearing from you. God Bless you all.
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I WONDER
By Paul Bero (inmate)
(found in "Born Again Singles publication)
In the 18 years I have been in prison I've had my name printed in a dozen or so pen-pal type publications, but I never hear from anyone!
I wonder, --- if all prisoners are in the same situation.
I wonder, ---- why people go to church and hear the sermon about clothing the naked, feeding the hungry, and yes, visiting the prisoner, yet seem to forget the prisoner.
I wonder,-------- why a person in prison is forgotten by friends and family.
I wonder,--------- why, if I write to a pastor, he simply tells me to trust God, yet he himself, puts me on "ignore".
I wonder,--------- why most people don't want to give a prisoner a second chance.
I wonder,------- why on a lot of things, but even when I don't wonder why, I wonder - why?
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I always do my exercises regularly in the morning. Immediately after waking I always say sternly to myself, 'Ready, now. Up. Down. Up. Down!' And after two strenuous minutes I tell myself, 'Okay, boy. Now try the other eyelid.'
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An usher went up to a man with his hat on in church and asked him to remove it. "Thank goodness," said the man, "I thought that would do it. I've attended this church for months, and you are the first person who has spoken to me.
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Editor's note: Leo Farland studied hard taking Bible college courses by correspondence and became an ordained pastor while behind bars. He is still there, serving the Lord in all he does. His ministry is called "Encouraging Letters" and is a blessing to all who receive it. If you are unable to write to him directly, send correspondence through us here at On Fire Ministries and we will forward it to him.
IN THE DARKNESS AND DEPTH OF MY SPIRIT
By Rev. Leo G Farland
(inmate)
Arrested in July, 1974 and sentenced to 2nd degree life for murder and armed robbery was just the beginning of God's plan for my life. What got me to this point was rebellion and a desire to get everything my own way. Yet, sometime before all this happened, the Word of God had been planted deep within my spirit.
At the age of nine I was placed into an orphanage after spending some time in a juvenile detention center for being disruptive at home. My parents could not cope with my lying, stealing, and fighting. By age 14, I was becoming a secret alcoholic and had been abused sexually. Just before I turned 17, I was expelled from high school for hitting another student with a baseball bat in a fight. Since I had low grades I decided to quit school altogether.
In 1968, my parents gladly signed for me to enter the U.S. Marines, where I spent 5 � years. While in Vietnam I took up the sinful pleasures of drugs and promiscuity and continued to drink. When I returned Stateside, I brought those habits with me. In 1970 I was first discharged and managed a GED while in Anahiem, CA. 1971 found me back home in Massachusetts and going back into the Marines until I was given a discharge in 1973 for stealing a motorcycle.
In 1972, I had gotten married but in January 1974 we split up. I did not adjust well to civilian life or being married. I did not treat my wife very well. With no job or food in the house we fought all the time. I cheated on her and she cheated on me. One night her friend moved her and our son out of the apartment. I sat across the street and watched. In my lap was a shotgun. In my hands was a bottle of alcohol. Killing was on my mind but not in my heart. After they left I went and got so drunk I passed out in my car. It was February and very cold. I had no place to live and my family had turned me away.
In mid July that same year, 1974, I was arrested for robbing a Catholic Church and charged with murder and armed robbery. A church sexton was attacked and killed for a few measly dollars. There was, and never is any excuse for what happened that day. It was wrong.
Shortly after coming to prison I found myself deeply involved in doing all the wrong things. Sex, drugs, and homemade alcohol were ready vices that I embraced with the hope that I would survive prison life. But these vices only served to push me to the edge of oblivion. I began to hunger for some sense of structure and peace to quench the fire of loneliness deep within me. Taking out the Bible I had found when I first came to prison, I began to read.
Before long the seeds of God's Word which had been planted long ago began to grow and take root. I began to sober up and stopped doing drugs and was less sexually active. I made a decision to receive Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. Though it wasn't an overnight transformation, change did slowly take place. I was finally finding the peace I so desperately wanted and needed.
In 1983, I was studying God's Word and held a Deacon's position in the prison chapel. I was singing in the choir and working outside the prison walls. I thought I could finally handle my own life, but I was wrong!
From 1985 to 1991 I was blessed bo be in a minimum prison with no walls or fences. I got married to a wonderful lady with five children, had completed 42 successful furloughs and made good money working on the prison farm. But I had left God behind the walls. So in 1991 I was sent back to find Him. At first I refused to accept that I still needed God to guide me and be my Lord, but soon I found that I did. He gave me all the chances a man could have and I knew in the Darkness and Depth of my Spirit, that I could not live without Him. In 1994 I recommitted my live to Jesus and serve Him still.
If you have never considered Jesus, then it's time you did. Believe me when I say that once you have Jesus in your life you will know true joy, peace, and love. Admit that you are a sinner and confess your sins to Him. Believe that He is Lord, and receive Him into your life and do your best to live for Him. He will never let you down nor forsake you. Read these Scriptures and trust God today: Psalm 51, John 3:16, and John 3:3-8, Romans 10:13
With more than 27 years in prison, I can tell you that there are none so bad that God won't love and forgive. If you want to know more, seek out a Christian prisoner or Christian Chaplain to talk with or write to me
Rev. Leo G Farland W34867
Bay State Correctional Center
PO Box 73 - 28 Clark St.
Norfolk, MA 02056-0073
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Copied by Cpl. Thallheimer, Jr. in 1954, stationed in Korea with the 15th AAA, while attached to the 7th Infantry Division
GOD BE WITH YOU
Submitted by Rev. George W. Thallheimer, Jr.
Author Unknown
God be with you every second
of each hour, of each day.
Through all trial and tribulation
and no matter come what may.
God be with you when your heart aches
and the skies are filled with rain.
May He give you the tender comfort
that will ease the dreary pain.
God be with you when your sleeping
'neath the cloak of Heaven's blue.
And may every dream you're dreaming
be fulfilled when dawn breaks through.
God be with you when you're happy
so that joys will multiply.
For only a Godly Guidance
can completely satisfy.
God be with you is my prayer.
He will fill your every need.
Hold Him close throughout life's journey
and I am sure you will succeed.
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Godly men are growing a tree that bears life-giving fruit, and all who win souls are wise....(Proverbs 11:30)
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Christianity is bread for daily use, not cake for special occasions.
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AN ANONYMOUS MAN
By Eric Anderson
(Submitted by Jana Peterson)
An anonymous man
died behind a liquor store
the temperature's a cold
and blustery -24
his name was Lloyd
his address was the street
all his life he had
been ostracized and beat
they say he didn't
have a fixed address
they also say he was
an alcoholic mess
imagine in such a
supposedly great city
he dies alone
we don't have any pity
more like Lloyd
today fall through the cracks
oh, the compassion that
our affluent society lacks
we don't want to lend
any kind of helping hand
to the suffering like Lloyd
an anonymous man.
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Heckler: Christianity hasn't done much good. It's been in the world for nineteen hundred years and look at the mess we're in.
Preacher: Soap has been in the world longer than that and look at the dirt on your face!
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