Some amazing facts from Jail

The last few weeks have been amazing. So amazing in fact that I thought I need to write a quick blog entry

* Picked up one of our juvies right at the gate when he got released. We are now in the process of pairing him with a mentor to help him navigate through life successfully (BEST. MOMENT. EVER to see him come out, recognize us and see the big smile on his face)

* At one of our locations the inmates have yard time during the summer every other week. My program starts at 6:30. The yard time starts at 7. You could think that 30 minutes cut in the program would really suck, but..... Since there are only 8 of them I spent the other 30 minutes last week shooting hoops with some of them and being able to just hang out. So even though our program is only 30 minutes long, I value the time I get to spend with them outside. So I'm a happy camper (who needs to really work on my Basketball Skills)

* Just a couple weeks ago we talked with the juvies about value and the question in the room was: Why do you matter to God? Their answers were awesome: We matter to God because He created us. And our prayers matter to God as well..
On the matter of prayer we then found out that these guys get together in a prayer circle before they get locked up for the night. A week later I actually saw the prayer circle and heard them pray for each other that night. (By the way, I never suggested a prayer circle! This was their initiative! I always just encourage them to apply their faith NOW!)


In numbers:

• At Jail we have 100% turn out to the program with 2 regular volunteers. 
• At prison we have 70-80% turn out of the target population (under 18 years of age) with one regular volunteer
• We are mentoring 3 kids and 2 parents right now. All of those kids are going through the court system right now. 

The more we work with youth and the court system we realize that there are LOTS of things we have to be aware of. The amount of waivers our parents and youths have to sign is insane, but it keeps it safe for us all.

I'm also very picky in the selection of my volunteers, which is the reason that you don't see crazy numbers... :)

Even though these are small beginnings, I think we are creating a solid base and (prayerfully) youths that will KNOW that God is there for them; no matter what they've done or where they've been.

So thankful to be part of this ministry that is presenting radical grace and Jesus to these kids.

I'm over PC

No, I am not talking about the computer, but rather about 'politically correctness'. Not that I have that 'gift'. Ha!

But what has happened to this world? I hear of a wife who's been having an affair for a few months now and she says she 'couldn't do anything against it - her feelings were just too strong!'

Too strong my butt!

Wake up world! It is NOT cool to start affairs, no matter what state that relationship is in. If he or she is married, RUN! Get out of there.

Oh, and as for your feelings... Well, control them! You're an adult! You can do that! So get over it and move on.

Why do we think it's ok to ruin relationships? And why is nobody else getting upset? Why is it 'PC' right now to just accept that 'true love' has struck and that 'feelings are just too strong'?

Frankly, that's a load of bull.

So please, stop being so politically correct and actually say something when you have friends who are doing this crap! And lets face it - you know someone who's doing this crap!

Rather let's help people and let's fight for strong relationships. It's not like Jesus was politically correct, so why should I be?

Adoption vs guardianship

The other week I was very privileged to be present at an adoption. It was my first time and it was very memorable.
The main part of the 15 minute ceremony is a list of questions:

• Do you believe this is in the best interest of the child?
• Can you provide for the child?
• Are you aware that the child will have the same rights as any of your natural born children?....

That last question makes you think, doesn't it? When we talk about adoption it is permanent. There's no way out, you can't back out or change your mind.

This is it.....

Working with High Risk Students I sometimes wish that these questions would be asked of people wanting to become parents?

• Do you believe THIS family would be in the best interest of your future child?
• Can you actually provide for your future child?

I've just witnessed the devastation that guardianship can have in a child's life. It is NOT permanent and at any time the child might hear these words:

'I am done! I have wasted 15 years with him/her. He/She treats us like crap and doesn't respect our home at all. And on top of that He/She is not even my real kid. It's just a step kid. I AM DONE.'

The sad thing is, that I am not making this up. I heard those words come out of someone's mouth right in front of their child. His/Her security was gone that moment. What do you think went through her mind.

Guardianship is NOT permanent and I don't even know how this child will deal with what was said.

Looking at faith, I am SO glad that God adopted us as His children. It's permanent. He's stuck with us... It gives me security.

What are your thoughts?

That darn red button

So the transmission of my car finally gave up and I have been car-less. It's one of those opportunities for God to show up like crazy! And that He did:

• Car broke down
• I cried, then realised this is not helping
• Texted a bunch of people and asked for prayer
• Got offered about 7 rides within 10 minutes
• Took the one that included a free tow!
• Cried again (Still NOT helping)
• Prayed some more
• Peace
• Friends gave me A BUNCH of money towards repair or 'new' car - my choice
• Still without car and lots of places to go.. (Prison and mentoring appointment!!)
• Walked into a meeting and told 2 people that I didn't quite know how to make those appointments
• Both offered me their car.

And thus comes the story of that darn red button...
I was driving my friend's car (a Mercedes - got some brownie points with some of the officers at prison) and was talking to her about the red SOS button. And she said I should totally push the button! She said it wasn't quite what you'd expected.
But in the background her son was yelling that I should wait until I am back at their place, so he can be there.
So I was like, cool... I'll wait!
I got to their house, got him to sit in the car with me and in awe I push that button.... A little flap opened just like on a rocket ship or something to reveal another red button underneath! It was magical... And not quite what I expected.

And the red button... Well, it looked intriguing. So I asked her (13 year old son): 'Should I push the red button?' And he said (what every 13 year old would say): YES!!

So I did! (I don't need much encouragement)

At first nothing much happened. But then we heard some faint noise that was coming closer. Within minutes we were engulfed in bright white light from above, as a helicopter was hovering over us.
A rope ladder fell out and and what seemed to be a Navy Seal climbed down to us. I was slightly panicked, but tried to remain calm.
The 13 year old was laughing hysterically and my friend was still on the phone. I wasn't quite sure what was going to happen, but I started saying my good bye's to my friends in my head.










OK, so I basically just managed to start the call with the Mercedes Onstar equivalent... Oops!



In other news... I would still appreciate any prayer for this situation. I probably still need another $1,000 to get my old car going again and have it safe. And if I go for a 'new' car, then I need the deal of the century... it's decision time! :)

So the other day..

I saw something and it broke my heart.
Every now and then I deal with celebrities. Not super famous ones, but yet famous in their world. And a little while ago I was at an event with a couple.
The guy is the one that's fairly famous, but everybody knows they come together. They have been married forever and she's definitely a leader in her own right. But because he's the 'famous' one, she gets to 'sit in the back'.

It wasn't a big event and he only spoke for a couple of minutes. But during this time I saw her disappear into the back and watch from there.
When people asked to take photos she would step out of the photo, because people just wanted a picture with him.
She didn't get to say anything, probably because nobody really asked her to.

It broke my heart. This is one cool lady and I was super happy that she was there. But I couldn't believe what we had done. And really, what we are doing.

Now don't get me wrong, I definitely struggle with people who are just riding on their husband's or wife's celebrity status. I feel that we all have something to give and I want to see you make the effort.
But it can't be that we just about ignore the spouse who just happens to be 'less famous'. It can't be that they are invisible to us.

We all are humans. And we all deserve respect and deserve to not be forgotten or invisible. So the next time you're at an event and the spouse is out of the picture, invite them back into the picture! They deserve to be there!

So, the other day...

I went to prison to talk to my juvies... Now, usually I love that time, but things have been super busy, somewhat stressful and that day my trip to the prison just felt like one more thing on a long list of things I had to do... I wasn't into it...

But of course I went... They expect me there and they wait for me. A proven fact, as that day I walked in and one of the officers saw me and said 'Oh good, you are here. They were all worried that you weren't going to come tonight.'

That night I had more of the guys come out than ever before. I am limited by space and can only take a certain amount... And I only had 3 open seats left.

We'd been talking a lot about identity. One of the youth pastors at Central Christian Church had recorded a series of talks on identity and it's been really great seeing these 'kids' wrestle with real stuff in their lives and come up with questions and even some answers.
That night was the last part of the series and it was about passing it on. We talked for quite a while about how we all have gifts and skills that we can use NOW to help others. We even talked about respecting others and how that needs to include the officers. (They like to brush right past that!)

It was a great night and even though I certainly 'wasn't feeling it' when I set out to go, I was so glad I came.
As I was walking out, waiting for my escort, the bubble officer (the guy that sits up top and I really have hardly any contact with him) talked to me through the port (little loudspeaker by the door).
'Hey Mam!'
Me: 'Yeah???' (thinking: What have I done wrong?)
Him: 'Hey, you're a doing a good thing there! Keep doing what you're doing!'

Now, I don't go to prison because I get a pat on the shoulder, but on days like this it was such an encouragement to know that I've made that right choice. Hardly ever have I heard officers say encouraging things like that. And especially not just through the port. That was amazing!

So glad to be part of God Behind Bars!

So the other day ...

Notice something about the numbers?

So the other day my church called me. And I picked up.
There was a live person on the other end who proceeded to completely ignore me picking up my phone and just rattled off their script.

I smiled and quietly hung up at the end. I figured they probably got nervous and weren't prepared for a real person to answer the phone.

But it was still funny.

Question:
Do automated or scripted calls really work? And how do you feel when you get called by your church/school/club to be reminded about one of their events? Does it help or annoy? I'm undecided.

I probably lean more toward annoy. But whats a good way of getting information to people or getting people to respond to information?

Heilig Abend aka Christmas Eve

When I was growing up Christmas for me was always Christmas Eve. Christmas Day (and Boxing Day) were just days off to play with your toys you just got.

But Christmas Eve was THE day. We would get up in the morning, decorate the Christmas tree, listen to Christmas music, split off and wrap presents and then in the afternoon or early evening we would go to church.

There were 2 churches we could go to... The more modern, but small one with heating! (You were at least warm, but if you didn't come an hour before, you'd have to stand!) Or the 800 year old church: more seats, but NO heat. So I still associate church at Christmas with sitting in a freezing cold old building.

After church we'd go home and have dinner. Something easy, since my Mum is a firm believer in hanging out with the family instead of with the pots and pans. So sometimes we just had potato salad and bratwurst. But that's Christmas.

After dinner we'd wash up and then all go upstairs. Except for Mum, but I never questioned that. It was amazing to have some Dad time. He would totally play with us some crazy games.

And then the bell sounded. Our cue to come downstairs. So we'd grab the presents we had for the parents and siblings and ran down. The door opened and we would see the Christmas tree lit up for the first time (with real candles... It's not just that I'm old. Nowadays I still know a lot of people who put real candles on their tree for Christmas Eve. And lights for the rest of the time)

There was a little pile of presents for each one of us (we weren't into huge piles) and we would wish each other Merry Christmas and then open our presents. It was quite the magical time. :)

Let's fast forward to now... I've had quite a few Christmases without my family and that's fine. It's a choice I made. Oh, and let's face it... In my little story there I left out all the frustrations and tears that happened as well.. Family is no picnic and you know it.

Anyway, to this day Christmas Eve can be a little shaky for me. There might or might not have been some times when I ended up being a blabbering mess on Christmas Eve.

On Christmas Eve I like having people around, eating together and having a good time. It helps keep me sane and happy. And it's fun as well.

So now I celebrate Christmas Eve with church and then food and friends. It works amazingly well for me and I have these great friends who invite me over to their family Christmas Eve dinner (me being the only one who's not related to anyone) and they even let me come late and un-showered from a gig and they feed me.

I get to sit there and enjoy all the good things about families and have a smile about the not so fun things in families (believe me, the not so fun things in family can make for pretty good entertainment when you're not related!)

Well, that is my Christmas Eve. How do you celebrate?

If you know me and like me...

Last week I was hanging out with a couple friends and some dude walked in. Now, I knew that dude and had spent some time together with that dude. Which meant I knew that he's really fun to hang out with, but that's about it. 

After said dude left both my friends got all weird and talked about 'sparks flying' and that 'he likes me'. 

I was ready to rip their heads off! (for realz)

I guess I get it! These friends are super happy with their significant others and want that same deal for me. 

BUT....

Just because some dude in the right age group walks in who appears to be single is NO reason to go all gaga over this.

And I am serious in this matter. 

I LOVE JESUS! And I don't want to be together with a dud who doesn't. So the next time you're around me and some dude walks in, would you PLEASE ask the most important question:

Does he like Jesus? Will that dude lead you closer to Jesus? 

And if I go 'Uhm, yeah, well... I think so' please do something! Because that is a crappy response. And I probably know deep inside that he's a dud. So do something! Get me out of there! 

And please know that I am actually happy in my current state of being. I'm totally ok with it. Jesus and me have talked about this. Extensively. We are cool! 

Thanks! Now keep being an awesome friend. 

Men's prison... For the first time.

In September 2011 I joined God Behind Bars with the plan to reach youth for God. It's a very general plan, but since I had never worked in prisons before it was probably a good thing it was so general.

We are talking youth in prison or youth who have a parent in prison and need a little help staying out (statistically they are 84% more likely to end up in 'the system' themselves)

So I worked towards that goal:
* Once a month I joined another group that already goes into a youth prison
* Once a week I go to a youth court and offer services as a mentor for youth that is in trouble.
* And once a week I share the God Behind Bars youth version at the jail, hanging with 16 and 17 year old's

Those youths in the jail are being treated as adults before the law and some of them will be sentenced to prison.

Since the beginning of December now I am able to 'follow' these youths to prison and continue to share with them about Jesus! It's one of the most exciting things ever!

In jail they have nothing to do and are quite happy to come to my program. But in prison this 'church thing' is part of their free time. And so far I still had more than half the unit show up to our program every week!

Would you pray with me...?

* Some of the youths in jail and also in prison are only there for a short time. I keep on telling them to find me at church, but they are unsure of church and other Christians. Pray that they come and we can help them on the outside.

* Some of them want to help their families. But they have some really crappy ideas that will get them right back into jail. Pray that they can find a legal job!

* The most repeated question I get is 'Can Jesus fix murder'. And while I have the best answer ever, it takes a while for that truth to settle. Pray for them to find Christ and be radically changed on the inside

* And a prayer request for myself: I need lots of prayer, clarity and strength! I love what I do, but you can never relax when you're inside. Also, a practical request: The prison is outside town and adds 100 miles weekly. That's a bunch more on my car, but also my gas money budget. Pray that God would provide for me!! :)

It's not your fault...

It's not your fault. 

But it is your problem. 

Let me explain:
You are booked on a flight. The flight gets cancelled due to mechanical issues with the plane.

It's not your fault. But it's still your problem. 

Now translate that into the life of an 'average' student here in Las Vegas. Let's just look at ONE aspect of their life. Are you ready?

Parents are split up. 

What's the big deal? Well, let's look at that situation (which is NOT AT ALL their fault, and yet it is still their problem.

These students often have to deal with moving twice every week to a different house and neighborhood.  

They have to deal with 2 completely different set of rules in each house. Most likely one is more relaxed than the other. 

They also have to pretend that these aspects of their lives are fine. If they don't, they run the chance of losing whatever contact they had with one parent.  

They have to deal with the fact that most likely the parents are not able to hide their anger and disgust with each other well. 

I reckon that these students have to deal with a lot. And yet, none of this is actually their fault. 

So it comes with no surprise to me that some students are not that good at dealing with all those issues.

While we can't fix all the problems in the world, we could do well in helping students understand that there are things in their lives that are not their fault and then help them navigate through their problems.

It just means we are there for them. 

We do life together. 

We encourage them when things are hard 

and cheer for them when things go well. 

In the words of a famous show manufacturer: Just do it!

Inspired

I am blown away by people who care for and love students. 

There are those that care for and love students by volunteering their time (energy) at youth groups, Boys and Girls Clubs and all kinds of things. These people are amazing. They want to hang out; pass on and just give to students who are still in the process of navigating life. 

Then there are those that care for and love students by *volunteering* their entire life. That's called Foster Care these days. I know a bunch of people who do this and it takes a lot of commitment. It's about finding the balance between being a parent (that you're not) and being a friend (that you shouldn't be). 

Can you see the potential awesomeness if you mix and match the two? Can you see that ALL students would benefit from having some kind of non parental mentor person in their life. Not a friend and not a parent. 

And every student would benefit from living in a stable environment with loving guidelines and disciplines and some sort of structure. 

It's not that one is better than another. It's about actually doing it! Just taking the time and caring for someone who hasn't yet learned how to ask for help. 

In the end it's all about giving back in the area that you're most passionate about. It's always about giving back...

And yes, I totally googled awkward family photos. :)

Conversations in Jail...

I haven't blogged in a while.

But of course I've been around my juvies. Remember them? Yep, some of them are still on the inside. And since the last time you heard from me we also had some new additions.

Over the last few weeks this is what's been going on:

One of them keeps on complaining that he feels bad now when he does something wrong. He's never had that before and it bugs him. (I tried to explain to him that this is one of the first ways that God speaks to us. He's still chewing on that)

Most of them have a hard time understanding that God really cares and loves them. They've been bad for so long that they truly believe that there is no hope for them. This is one of the saddest statements I have ever heard.

We talk a lot about church and if they would ever fit in. Most of them think that they will stick out like a sore thumb at church and every one will look at them. They are concerned about what to wear and if they can actually wear their usual attire (some of which would be associated with gang colors). 

These conversations help me understand how hard it is for someone to come to church and this also helps me to be aware of how much I judge at times. How cool would the world be, if these kids would just have to deal with their own insecurities about coming to church, rather than having to deal with the very real reality that people at church are going to judge them. 

(We don't like to admit that, but let's be real here: We all do!)

They have major questions about faith, God, Jesus, the Bible and dinosaurs. More questions than I will ever be able to answer. So I am talking with some friends who will help answer some of these. Even though I am not the right person to address most of these questions, it fires me up, that they have these questions in the first place. Stuff is moving along. 

Sometimes you hear stuff you don't want to hear. Like when they have court and feel like cussing out the judge was actually a good idea. Or when they feel like the whole world is against them just because of the color of their skin. Or when you meet one of the guys... AGAIN. (after he had been released). 

My prayer: 

I'm asking God to continue to show 

His love and His grace to these kids. 

I am praying for their unit to be known 

for kindness and respect in the whole prison. 

Please join me in that prayer. And if you know stuff about the dinosaurs and God, please let me know! :)

Pumped up kicks - dubstep video (sick!!)

Voice mail to Text - not quite there yet!

When I left a VM for my friend LINDSEY (not Lenny) the other day, here are some excerpts of what she received as a text. My comments are in big!

Hello hi lenny (it's LINDSEY!)

 @#$% hello happy for you (I DID NOT SWEAR!!) 

...black oh my gosh that's like wow (I sound like a 13 year old girl here)... of course I also miss ... little skin you know when you guys do and I just need you announcement of my it's ready and dave anywhere (say whaaaat? I don't even know what I'm talking about!)

 tomorrow hi my name is in ... (new name coming, apparently! Surprise, surprise!)

 time for you because I really it's ricky ... that is absolutely amazing ... sorry I'm cool yang ... noel but it's it's like wow . (I am definitely cool 'yang')

 rock up there with the top (I said TUB! stupid thing can't get the accent right!)

(Oh, this following bit certainly sounds like me...) you should pick like it was amazing and I not the person you probably still remember that I'm not the person I can pick up right virtual after here or anything I usually have people ... (WHAAAAT?)

I might have actually picked up like a little bit of but wow  (I think I certainly picked up a little bit of WOW) something I've changed out but you and was amazing I'm just charging talking about they just told us 92 get take about 1040 right he it's you know it's that I made that 

Yeah, this made sense! Not sure how I even chose Voice Mail to text. But THIS text made their night! I think they might have even peed their pants a little reading this out loud. No wonder... I apparently swore at them in the greeting! :)

Why it sucks to be a single girl in this modern world

I'm a girl. I'm single. And I'm a leader. 

And those 3 things combined are frustrating. 

I want to learn; I want to be mentored, discipled and led to places that I have not been before, so that I can lead others there.

What's your big deal you ask? Well... I'm a single girl and a leader and I'm in the Christian world. 

I'm very much surrounded by great leaders. Some of them are women and some of them are men. The problem for me is, that a lot of the leaders who are where I would like to be, are men.

Men in the Christian world have set up boundaries. They are there for their safety and the safety of their families (and those boundaries SHOULD be in place).

But those boundaries also mean that men won't spend any one-on-one time with me. I will not ever be invited to go along on a business trip to get mentored and even going to a conference is hard, unless there's more than one girl going.

Those boundaries are important for the leader who set them up, but they don't really serve me. (and they are not designed to!)

And of course the boundaries are also there, because someone of my gender has messed up before and now even driving in a car together can look sketchy.

All good reasons, but I can't stop feeling like 

I'm getting punished for something I didn't do!

And please understand that I don't want the boundaries removed! I'm a big fan of boundaries, marriages and kids growing up in one house with 2 parents. I don't want to EVER jeopardize that.

But I want to start a conversation and see if others have run into this. And how did you solve it? (I'm interested to hear from everyone, but especially from single women in leadership... It can't be, that the solution to this would be marriage!)

Oh, but what about getting mentored and discipled by women leaders, you say? Well, what a quaint idea... That would be splendid. But a lot of women leaders in my world are leading... Well, women specific stuff.

There are women in leadership who help women through marriage and family stuff. Or women who are struggling to find their own identity, because their husband is some big wig leader.

I just don't have (those kind) of identity issues. I just want to know how to lead a group of people (guys and girls), how to run an organisation, how to be more strategic and how to network. 

There's no real solution to this problem. But it's surprising how in this modern world, where people pretend that guys and girls are equal, I find myself stuck. That whole equality stuff is a bunch of bogus it seems. 

What am I going to do? I think I will look outside of my Christian world to see if I can find women leaders who are already doing what I want to do. And I will somehow try to creep make a way into their world and figure things out.

And yes, I will continue to read books, listen to podcasts and hang out as much as I can - without jeopardizing anyone's family - with people that inspire me to be a better leader.

Have you run into any of those problems before? And what were your solutions? And do you know any single women in leadership that I should try and connect with?

Oh, and if anybody has connections with Angela Merkel, let me know! That would be a fascinating conversation. :)

Conversation in Jail: Poof and gone...

A while ago I walked into my usual Juvie session and noticed that 2 of my regulars were not there. So I asked where they were, kind of expecting an answer about them being in trouble and not allowed to come.

The answer I got though was different: 'They had their sentencing and have been sent to prison.'

That statement still rocks my world. And don't get me wrong, I am NOT questioning the justice of it all. I can not ever do that, especially since I don't know what these guys have done. The only thing I know is, that they have been bad. Some of them VERY bad.

I just have seen glimpses of awesomeness in these guys. Glimpses of just scared 16 or 17 year old guys. And I know a little bit of what a maximum or medium security prison is all about. And it scares me to know that these 2 guys are now in prison.

There was so much more I could have and should have told them about Jesus. But I didn't get the chance to do that. I didn't even get a chance to say good bye.

It makes me sad, but I know the God I serve: The God who can fix murder! And I can trust that He is still with the guys in prison now.

In John 17:4 Jesus says that 'He completed the work you (God) gave me to do.' It's an extraordinary statement considering that there were still sick people and still many people who hadn't met him. Yet He says that He COMPLETED the work. But it's about the work that God GAVE him.
So my hope is that I have completed the work in 'my' 2 juvies and that God will send someone else to continue the work that has started. He's cool like that!

Another lesson in trusting God. When have you needed to trust God with people you loved?

Journey vs Trip. Some deep and meaningful stuff here!

The other days I heard an interview with a well-known Christian speaker and in the course of about 5 minutes he used the word 'journey' about 6 times. Talk about overusing a word.

And it dawned on me that in this time 'journey is the new 'in' word for Christian leaders. If you listen to a bunch of Christian leaders you will find that they never go on a trip - they start a journey.

Of course I tweeted that, because it was too obvious and too funny not to. But then I thought that maybe, just maybe, these Christian leaders use the word 'journey' for a reason. Because one hopes that leaders are not just following other leaders blindly in saying and doing stuff just because it sounds 'good' or is the 'in' thing to do. One hopes that leaders influence the people and the culture around them, rather than being influenced by the people and the culture themselves.
So I looked up the words 'journey' and 'trip'.

And as it turns out, those Christian leaders are actually on to something: While a trip is mereley going to a place and returning, a journey is an act of traveling from one place to another.

Well, who knew? (A bunch of Christian leaders obviously...) So of course it makes sense that Christian leaders (and the rest of us God fearing folks) are going on journeys. Because who wants to return to where they started?

And it also makes sense that a 'trip' is often used to describe a drug experience, because once you go on a trip, you get back and you're at exactly the same place where you started. Nothing has changed and you will have to go on a 'trip' again to escape your circumstances. A trips is just an escape of circumstances, rather than a real change in life.

A journey on the other hand takes you into a new environment, a new place. And a journey also suggests that you're not going back - you have left for good.
A journey doesn't automatically mean you're going to love every place you go to. Some of those places are going to be hard and you won't like them. But they are necessary stops on the way and soon enough you will be on your way again. You are not stuck.

This is a very interesting concept to me! You go Christian Leaders! Good on ya for understanding the difference between a trip and a journey! Now if we could only work on not making it sound so cheesy..........

Conversation in Jail - Can Jesus fix murder?

I wish you could meet my juvies and see the things I see.

A couple weeks ago this happened:

'Miss, can Jesus fix murder?'

I was blown away by this question because it was so raw and honest. So much depended on the answer. There was so much fear in it. So many 'what if's'. It was one of the best questions I've ever been asked.

I love that I serve a God who said 'YES' to all of our sin.

What happened next was that I explained again what Jesus has done for us and how it is available to us. And then I saw it...

I saw the guy who had asked the question out of the blue quietly close his eyes and murmur a prayer. He accepted Christ that day.

Thank you Lord for saying YES to us.

Write a parable ... I dare you!

I've been reading through Mark 4 lately and have been quite inspired by the different parables Jesus was speaking about. I mean, that guy was good at relating the point he wanted to make to where his audience was at.

So I thought, I should try and rewrite some of these parables to make the same point as Jesus, but to make me understand it better and write as if I am talking to someone right now. Here.

So here you go. This is my updated version of the parable of the sower in Mark 4.

The kingdom of God is like recording a song and putting it on itunes for sale. Many people will look at it and then move right on because they’ve never heard of the artist before.
Then there are those who click on it and listen to the preview of the song. They think it’s ok, but not good enough to spend $1.29 on it.
Then some other people will listen to the song and download it. But then something else catches their attention and the song gets buried on their ipod and is maybe played twice in the year.
Still others buy the song, put it on their ipod and play it repeatedly. They don’t just know the words to that song, but have fallen in love with the artist as well. 

What do you think?

And I would LOVE to read your parables as well! Pick one, write one, send one. (jackiegotmail (at) gmail (dot) com)