{"id":3921,"date":"2024-06-12T14:48:58","date_gmt":"2024-06-12T18:48:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/ichasesunsets\/?p=3921"},"modified":"2024-06-12T14:48:58","modified_gmt":"2024-06-12T18:48:58","slug":"prison-time-an-insiders-story","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/ichasesunsets\/2024\/06\/prison-time-an-insiders-story\/","title":{"rendered":"Prison Time: An Insider’s Story"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>
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\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 This is NOT my story. It is Charles (Chuck) Colson\u2019s story. It appeared in the January 1995 issue of Guideposts<\/i><\/a> magazine. I\u2019m not sure when I heard it for the first time, but I am sure that over the years it has come to mind many times. I pray that it will touch you as it touched me. Here are Mr. Colson\u2019s words:<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Chuck Colson\u2019s Narrative<\/h2>\n \ \u201cAs one who has served time in prison, and has since spent most of my life working in them, I\u2019ll never forget the most unusual prison I\u2019ve ever visited.<\/span><\/p>\n \ \u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cCalled <\/span>Humaita Prison<\/span><\/a>, it is in S\u00e3o Jos\u00e9 dos Campos in Brazil. Formerly a government prison, it is now operated by Prison Fellowship Brazil as an alternative prison, without armed guards or high-tech security. Instead, it is run on the Christian principles of love of God and respect for men.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cHumaita has only two full-time staff; the rest of the work is done by the 730 inmates serving time for everything from murder and assault to robbery and drug-related crimes. Every man is assigned another inmate to whom he is accountable. In addition, each prisoner is assigned a volunteer mentor from the outside who works with him during his term and after his release. Prisoners take classes on character development and are encouraged to participate in educational and religious programs.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWhen I visited this prison, I found the inmates smiling\u2014particularly the murderer who held the keys, opened the gates and let me in. Wherever I walked I saw men at peace. I saw clean living areas. I saw people working industriously. The walls were decorated with motivational sayings and Scripture.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cHumaita has an astonishing record. Its recidivism rate is 4 percent, compared to 75 percent in the rest of Brazil. How is that possible?<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI saw the answer when my inmate guide escorted me to the notorious cell once used for solitary punishment. Today, he told me, it always houses the same inmate. As we reached the end of the long concrete corridor and he put the key into the lock, he paused and asked, \u2018Are you sure you want to go in?\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u201c\u2019Of course,\u2019 I replied impatiently. \u2018I\u2019ve been in isolation cells all over the world.\u2019 Slowly he swung open the massive door, and I saw the prisoner in that cell: a crucifix, beautifully carved\u2014Jesus, hanging on the cross.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201c\u2018He\u2019s doing time for the rest of us,\u2019 my guide said softly.<\/span><\/p>\n Chuck Colson\u2019s Story<\/h2>\n The website <\/span>Prison Fellowship <\/span><\/i><\/a>says:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cAs a new Christian, <\/span>Chuck Colson<\/span><\/a> voluntarily pled guilty to obstruction of justice in 1974 and served seven months in Alabama\u2019s Maxwell Prison for his part in the <\/span>Watergate scandal<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIn his best-selling memoir,\u202f <\/span>Born Again<\/span><\/i>, Chuck wrote, \u201cI found myself increasingly drawn to the idea that God had put me in prison for a purpose and that I should do something for those I had left behind.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cColson emerged from [doing time in] prison with a new mission: mobilizing the Christian church to minister to prisoners.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIn 1976, he founded Prison Fellowship, which is now the nation\u2019s largest Christian nonprofit serving prisoners, former prisoners, and their families, and a leading advocate for criminal justice reform. In recognition of his work among prisoners, Colson received the prestigious <\/span>Templeton Prize for Progress in Religion<\/span><\/a> in 1993.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cChuck Colson passed away April 21, 2012. His legacy continues, however, in the work of Prison Fellowship and in the lives of the many people his ministry has touched.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Jesus Was Doing Time For You<\/h2>\nGalatians 3:13-15<\/a> (GOD\u2019S WORD Translation) says: <\/span>***** ** Christ paid the price to free us from the curse that the laws in Moses\u2019 teachings bring by becoming cursed instead of us. Scripture says, \u201cEveryone who is hung on a tree is cursed.\u201d Christ paid the price, so that the blessing promised to Abraham would come to all the people of the world through Jesus Christ and we would receive the promised Spirit through faith.<\/span><\/h4>\n ** \u00a0<\/p>\n ** God bless you, and may you enjoy the freedom He bought for you on the cross of Calvary.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>\n **
** image BettyV\/pixabay<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" ** *****\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 This is NOT my story. It is Charles (Chuck) Colson\u2019s story. It appeared in the January 1995 issue of Guideposts magazine. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5055,"featured_media":4125,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[1200,1197,1194,1191,1188,1221],"class_list":["post-3921","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-chuck-colson","tag-crucifixion","tag-doing-time","tag-jesus-paid-the-price","tag-prison","tag-prisoner"],"yoast_head":"\nPrison Time: An Insider's Story<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"This is NOT my story. 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