08/21/2011 An Invitation

I was pretty excited to get back to the jail. I have been gone away for a few weeks but I am now back on track with my jail ministry schedule.

I prayed about which area of the jail I should minister to and really felt impressed a few days prior that the new area of the jail that houses some of the misdemeanors was really going to be a focal point of this ministry. There are some excellent prison ministries out there, but I feel very specifically to minister to the local jails and to inmates who will be re-entering our area. I feel like this is a ministry that is supposed to have an apostolic scope (apostolic meaning a ministry that will have an effect on a geographical area). Apostolic because the inmates who leave this facility, and the other facilities we will soon minister to, will be entering the surrounding area and into local churches. That is why Ambassadors are so important....but Ill get off my soap box, lol.

I walked into the new area of the jail, chose a group of men, and went into the ministry room. As they filed in the door I noticed two men in particular who both made sure they shook my hand and looked me in the eyes. They both had firm grips. This may not seem important but when you see a man in that place who is confident, with his head held high, there is a reason for it. And I felt like the Lord was their reason.

I sat down and hadn't said a word and five men were literally in tears. I was thinking "That extra quite time must have payed off" when one of the men said to me "We have been praying all day for a minister to come. I just turned in the request form to have a minister and then we were called out to church. You don't know how much that means to us." Its in moments like that that you really become humble before God and appreciate that God goes before you and sets things up, like dominoes, to all work together.

I opened with asking for prayer requests and invited someone to open us up in prayer and one of the gentlemen who had shook my hand did. He did such a great job that when he was finished I asked him if he would pray over these men everyday in the barracks just like that. He smiled and blushed and said he would.

We had worship and the men held hands and closed their eyes as I asked them just to hear God. The teaching was from John 10:1-4, Is 43:1-3. I asked the men How many of them thought that if you just knew how to hear God that you believe He would speak to you everyday? I was excited when every hand but two went up, about 15 men.

The title was "An Invitation from God". The Holy Spirit directed me to teach that when God asks us to do something he is not just giving us an order. Submission and authority are key issues for most of these men. I let them know that when God asks us to do something it is really an invitation to join God in what he has already done and is doing.

I then explained that John 10:3 and Isaiah 43:13 says that God called us by our name. That we belong to Him. I really felt that God wanted me to impress on them that we are His possession. Not like we posses a car or a toaster oven, but as we would posses a child. We are simply His. From Him, like Him, and loved by Him for no other reason other than we are His.

One of the two men from earlier told me that his wife was a preacher and that when he was on the phone with her earlier she said that he could help minister to these men while he was there. He was grateful that God loved him and that he could serve others in the jail.

We then talked about humility and trust. At some point we MUST realize that we cant fix things on our own. For life to work the way it was designed to we must trust One who is bigger, wiser, kinder, and stronger than we are. I told them that life's obstacles are just opportunities for us to trust God and be loved by Him.

Finally in verse 4 of John 10 "He goes before them, and the sheep follow Him" I explained that whatever God has asked you to do, He is not asking you to do it alone. When God invites you to go somewhere in your life its because He is already there. He is asking you to join Him, to reap victories that He has sown for you.

I asked the men if they had seen the Lion King. We talked about when, in the movie, Simba had went to the elephant grave yard, a place forbidden to the future king, and his father had to come rescue him. We talked about the scene where Mufasa calls for Simba and he goes to his father and while he is walking he steps into his father's footprint. Its at this moment that Simba sees how small a lion he is, and how great a lion his father is. The point of this illustration was to show that wherever you go, so long as you are going where He invites you to go, you are following in the footsteps of a God much greater than yourself. One who can face your enemies unafraid, destroy them, then invite you to join in the victory. And that is what it is to receive direction from the Lord.



If you pray for this ministry pray that these men's focus will be on God, not on their circumstances. That the hope of God would fill their hearts and that they could change the lives of others because of it. There are so many who want to help those around them. Pray for an anointing on those lives.

Thank you and God bless.

Another Prophetic piece

This is prophetic in a foretelling sense.

    I was given this beautiful soap sculpture by an inmate when I was a corrections officer. He was leading a bible study and I began a conversation with him later. He asked me for direction in prayer and I took a few moments time (because he asked me) to share some insights. He thanked me and was always helpful and kind.

    About a month later he brought me this. It is several years old and for a while I had it on a mantle in my house. Now it is a symbol to me of the real start of my ministry that happened when I was working in the jail, not necessarily a jail minister, and yet a jail minister.

    It is prophetic, for me, because the Hidden Bars ministry it focused on the washing of the blood, making clean the hearts, spirits, and lives of inmates. And the cross is what accomplishes that.

Prophetic artwork

    Prophetic artwork has always been very cool to me. The prophetic (dont get spooked out) is really just hearing God.
   
    Now, I did make this, but I am not really an artist. However I am a minister. I made this and then looked at it and seen a word from God.
   
    What He showed me in this is that the message of the blood of Christ (wine) is the foundation (lampstand) of our ministry and we are called to be the light of the world (candle).
   
    Take a look at this and then stop for a moment and ask God "What are you saying to me through this picture." I would love to have an email from you if you get something and I will put it on the blog.

New developments

   First I want to thank an amazing photographer, Lou Oates, for the permission to use several of his photographs for this ministry. It was important for me to catch, in a picture, the driving themes of spiritual and emotional bondage for inmates and Mr. Oates' art has done that. I seen his work online and admired it, so I contacted him and in short order he responded with permission for not only the two pictures you see on our blog (background and profile) but with an invitation to look at other pictures he has taken along the same lines. Thanks to him and God bless.

   Another one of the blessings God has given this ministry is an opportunity to write to inmates inside the facility, something that did not seem possible due to security reasons. Personal information cannot be given so I prayed for a way to make contact and follow up with Inmates and their families. He gave me the idea of a PO box and we will exclude all personal information in our mail and blog. After our chaplain, an anointed man who has had to take care that his ministers didn't walk into disaster, told us we could not do this I prayed and asked permission to call leadership inside the jail. We were given permission to write, with the prerequisites mentioned, to the inmates. A real blessing.

   We will be ministering to inmates every other week inside the facility, and on the Sundays that we are not in the facility these inmates will receive a bible study from us. This is truly how God blessed. I am more of a minister than a teacher. I like to wing it with just a handful of notes and ministering as God gives the word. This is how I have preached since 2000, taught for several years as a youth pastor, and I have not really strayed. However it is hard to use this dynamic in a written bible study.

   But the Lord reminded me of the underground churches in persecuted countries (one of my favorite subjects to study) and of how they studied the word. You see they cant print up vast bible study documents due to lack of funds and if they were tracked down would lose their printing presses and their lives. So many of them formulate a few very anointed and inspired questions that can be applied to portion of scripture. God gave me these before I realized what I was doing (which means I cant get into the way, very useful...lol).

1.       What is God saying to me about who I am, and who He is (Identity)?

2.       How is God equipping me, through this scripture to change the world around me (inheritance)?

3.       What is God telling me about my own personal, unique calling and responsibilities (purpose)?

4.       How can I better focus on God and his promises based on what I have heard God say to me through this portion of scripture?

So what is done is I will start in the first chapter of the first book of the new testament and will select a portion of scripture. They will be given information on hearing the voice of God for their bible study each time they receive a newsletter. They will ask God to speak to them the answers to these questions and then write down on the back of the sheet their own answers, creating a journal (journaling is such a huge help to hearing God, it also aids our definition of purpose).

Below the questions will be what I have received from the scripture portion, answering the questions as God leads. With this form in place I now have 4 easy questions that can guide them through any portion of scripture searching for the freedom oozing from it!

Ambassadors

   One of the prophetic words that has been spoken over this ministry is that what we are doing here is a stone that is cast in the waters, and a ripple will spread out into the communities, possibly into the 4 counties of our area.

   In prayer for the ministry today the Lord showed me ask for the stones to throw into that water, our community. And as always He has such a brilliantly simple way of doing this. The stones are those of you who have chosen to be ambassador's from your local church for this ministry. We have asked some of you who are established in local churches with a heart for this ministry to be an ambassador for your church by meeting former inmates and their families at your church doors and greeting them, sitting with them in service to help them feel comfortable, and perhaps following up with a phone call. Past that it is really up to you how involved you would like to become with those who come to your church. But the more of you who would like to become involved, the greater the ripples all across our area.
   The form God has given me for this ministry can be found in luke 10:30-35.
 Jesus replied,   “A man was going down   from Jerusalem   to Jericho,   and fell into the hands of robbers, who stripped him, beat him up, and went off, leaving him half dead.  10:31 Now by chance   a priest was going down that road, but when he saw the injured man   he passed by   on the other side.   10:32 So too a Levite, when he came up to   the place and saw him,   passed by on the other side. 10:33 But   a Samaritan   who was traveling   came to where the injured man  was, and when he saw him, he felt compassion for him.   10:34 He   went up to him   and bandaged his wounds, pouring oil   and wine on them. Then  he put him on   his own animal,   brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 10:35 The  next day he took out two silver coins   and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him, and whatever else you spend, I will repay you when I come back this way.’

   We start with compassion for these inmates and their families. These people are wounded spiritually and are left for dead. Others may pass them by, but our compassion moves us into action. In the jails we begin the task of ministering to their wounds by binding their spiritual wounds up with the oil, which is the Holy Spirit, and the wine, which is the blood of Christ.

   But healing doesn't end there. Restoration is a process so the local church body comes into play. When they leave the jail to come back into the community they go to the inn, the local church, which continues to minister to them. Our Ambassadors play an important role in that.

   If this sounds like something you are interested in please email me at hiddenbars@excite.com.
Now as a final note, although I cant go into great detail at this time, we have been blessed by being able to minister to the inmates incarcerated in a manner that even the jail chaplain thought would not be possible. I want to thank you for your prayers, and for the favor of the Lord that has made this possible.
God Bless.

     I have not had the chance to update in a while but some exciting things are happening with the ministry. First I would like to invite anyone who would like to to become what we are calling an "ambassador". This is a simple way to help inmates and their families enter into the local church and get grounded. We are asking for people, men and women, who can meet an inmate at the door of your church when they come, who will sit with them during service and introduce them to the staff and others in the church. After that service give them a call and tell them how much you appreciate them coming and invite them back. Past that it is up to you how involved you become with this person and their family. We are really looking for people who can just make the inmate and their family feel welcome when they come to your church. And, as always, keep them in your prayers.
     Also I felt like it was appropriate to give a better working definition of what our goals and processes are for this ministry. This includes a vision and a mission statement (as best as I can write them). Our core beliefs I am posting in another section of the blog to be more accessible to anyone who comes onto the website. Thanks for taking the time to read through and please remember this ministry in prayer.

HIDDEN BARS

VISION STATEMENT: It is our vision to remove the hidden hindrances, obstacles, lies, and restraints in Inmate’s lives by exposing them to the truths of identity, inheritance, and purpose. We also have a desire to meet the physical and spiritual needs of the Inmate’s family.

IDENTITY: “Seeing yourself as God sees you.” We must let God - not the world, our family, friends, circumstances, or ourselves - define us. We must get our definition of who we are from God and His love for us. We do this by hearing God tell us who we are through His written and spoken word.

INHERITANCE: “The Kingdom of Heaven is yours to give.” We must walk in our inheritance now. Our inheritance is not just heaven when we die. Our inheritance is the power and goodness of God to change the world we live in. We do this by walking in faith and doing what we see the Father doing.

PURPOSE: “Your unique anointing in the Kingdom.” We each have a calling in this life to be more with God than we could ever be by ourselves. Our purpose is closely linked to our identity. We find our own unique purpose in this life through humility and guidance. Humility, because we must realize that we don’t have the best plans for our life, God does. We also know that our complete purpose may be revealed over a course of time as we move from victory to victory. So we seek the Holy Spirit’s guidance for our day to day walk and look to what God has done and is doing in our lives so we can be better prepared for where God will take us next.

MISSION STATEMENT: We believe that change must first start in the spirit and from there move into the soul (mind, will, emotions) and finally the body. With this as a core belief, Hidden Bars will focus on one-on-one and corporate, Spirit led discipleship putting an emphasis on ministering as the Holy Spirit reveals. We feel this is best communicated through corporate worship, corporate teaching, and one on one prayer ministry for the Inmates. Once the Inmate is released we work to help them find employment and get them grounded in a church body. We also wish to minister to the spiritual and physical needs of the Inmates family by getting them grounded in a local church body, providing for their physical needs that are within our ability to aid, and pointing them to such organizations as can help when their needs exceed our resources while the Inmate is incarcerated.