I just got back from my first Kairos, it is an “Emmaus Walk” for prisoners. It was held at Wabash Valley Correctional Facility.
I stepped in at the last minute to replace my friend Dutch, but who could ever replace him! Dutch was my “prison ministry buddy”. Dutch’s heart for prisoners was contagious. I taught in the Plus Unit with Dutch at WVCF many times. But this was different.
I had experienced the power of a 4 day retreat with men and women on the outside so they say, but this one on the inside was a whole new experience. Words will fail me for sure. But let’s just call it “Emmaus on Steroids” so that those of you who know the lingo will know what I am trying to say. Intense would be an understatement; but it fits.
God met 42 hardened criminals and showed them what love is really all about. Can you imagine not having a McDonald’s hamburger for 11 years and then “there it was!” The guys pigged out on burgers and fries for one lunch and I was truly humbled. I as you know would not be impressed! But that is exactly what one of my family members experienced. He ate four big macs and I stopped counting the fries! We had fried catfish from a loving church; 300 lbs to be specific. It was awesome. They ate ice-cream and pie like they had never seen it before!
But as you know one of the highlights of a week-end like this are “love letters.” They call it Agape. I had personally hand written 42 of them. For me that is real love! I am not much of a hand writer! It is even hard to read to say the least. But with tears in his eyes, he told me, he had not had one letter in 10 years. You can imagine the impact these 42 letters had on him. It was truly over-whelming.
Several guys gave their lives to Christ. Many, Many, forgave lots and lots of people including fellow inmates. Some told their stores that would rip your hear out. One of the most powerful times was when the nine on my team went around our table and each prayed over the other. Two of the guys had never ever prayed out loud let alone for someone else. They were a puddle of tears and overcome with the presence of God. I was really really touched when my new friend “M” prayed over me and asked God to bless my little brother who was in prison and that he would know what a special brother he had. “M” was a hardened gang member that I never ever would have expected those words to come out of. He had the most powerful and personal prayers of the bunch.
Another one of my new friends “J” said he was not at the point of accepting Christ as his Savior “yet.” But that the team members had really made him think for the first time about God and a loving father. His father had beat him senseless on many occasions and burned him badly. He really saw God as a mean hateful father. “J” was tough, is tough. But I really believe he will follow Jesus at some point. We saw two inside gang members forgive each other, promise to pray for each other and promise to make a difference in the yard.
Now I know what some of you are thinking, “yeah right.” Jail house religion. Well, maybe so, I have seen my fair share for sure. But I have to say, not all of it was that. Not any more than the “church house religion” I have seen. Fake is fake. But God truly was present and powerful and did some really amazing things.
I heard one of my students from a Plus Class “speak the words he had been taught by me” verbatim and with conviction to a whole room of guys. That class was over a year and a half ago. It wasn’t some rote lesson, it was from a true learning experience that made a difference in his life.
There are times when I can’t get people on the outside to want to come to a class, but I had one of “my boys” say he would pay to have me come and teach again. You know what, he wasn’t kidding. Oh how we forget real hunger.
I am physically exhausted, spiritually stretched and humbly amazed at the love of a Father and the grace he shows not to the well but to the sick and the hurting.
By the way, for those of you who baked cookies, you can not believe the grace and love they showed to guys who just needed a cookie and a cup of coffee served to them with love. THANKS!
