August 19, 2009
Dear Friends,
Last Thursday evening, 19 inmates joined me in a comparison of Daniel 3 (The Fiery Furnace) and Daniel 6 (the Lions' Den). Some of the men, like me, had been taught these stories when they were growing up in Sunday school.
The bravery of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in chapter 3 and Daniel in chapter 6 is surely noteworthy. Few of us, however, are likely to face persecution of the kind faced by these courageous men.
But all of us daily have the same need these men face. We need divine intervention. Nebuchadnezzar saw "one like a son of the gods" walking around with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the midst of the furnace. Daniel told King Darius that the LORD "sent His Angel" to "shut the mouths of the lions." God came down and rescued them.
Those of us who are sinners need that kind of divine intervention, too. We stand dead in our sins, but God came down to rescue us.
In these bi-monthly letters of mine, you've been reading this year of a bit of unrest at the brig. As of now, that unrest seems to have passed--at least in the Chaplain's programs. I am now at the brig every Thursday, and that seems to be the way it will be for a while. The inmates, however, are frequently requesting prayer for the brig staff, who seem more tense.
Do you remember Javier? He was released from the brig in 2002, but went back to prison (in Herlong, California) for five years starting in 2008. Until about two weeks ago, I had not heard from Javier since last September. He writes that he had begun a letter in April, but there was a riot at the prison. As a result, he spent some time locked down, and now is on restriction until July 2010. That means no phone calls and no visits. His wife Santa and their two children have moved back to Los Angeles.
The good news is that Javier has experienced a genuine revival in his faith. He describes the group in his cell block that he meets with as a "home church." Please keep Javier in your prayers.
FRIDAY NIGHTS WITH ACTIVE DUTY MARINES
Through my continued involvement with the Navigators US Military Ministry (15 years now), I’ve been leading a study in the Old Testament on Friday nights with a somewhat fluid group of active duty Marines from MCAS Miramar. The group is fluid because the deployment schedule these days is pretty active. We usually have between four and ten folks show up, and this has led to some one-on-one study with a few of them. Joshua and I are studying Hosea together; Michael and I are reading through the Gospel of Mark together; and Tyler and I have just begun a study in Jonah.
A NOTE ABOUT FINANCES
I know you are as tired as I am to hear about economic woes. Most churches are having trouble meeting their budgets, and as a result church giving to the Hebrews 13:3 Project is down a bit. To help compensate for this, I'm looking for 20 folks who will give an extra $100 between now and the end of 2009. If you're in a position to make an extra donation—and I know that not everyone is—please consider this a personal request that you do so.
Thank you for the prayers and the donations you offer toward the support of this ministry.
Sincerely in Christ,
Ben Conarroe
Dear Friends,
Last Thursday evening, 19 inmates joined me in a comparison of Daniel 3 (The Fiery Furnace) and Daniel 6 (the Lions' Den). Some of the men, like me, had been taught these stories when they were growing up in Sunday school.
The bravery of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in chapter 3 and Daniel in chapter 6 is surely noteworthy. Few of us, however, are likely to face persecution of the kind faced by these courageous men.
But all of us daily have the same need these men face. We need divine intervention. Nebuchadnezzar saw "one like a son of the gods" walking around with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the midst of the furnace. Daniel told King Darius that the LORD "sent His Angel" to "shut the mouths of the lions." God came down and rescued them.
Those of us who are sinners need that kind of divine intervention, too. We stand dead in our sins, but God came down to rescue us.
In these bi-monthly letters of mine, you've been reading this year of a bit of unrest at the brig. As of now, that unrest seems to have passed--at least in the Chaplain's programs. I am now at the brig every Thursday, and that seems to be the way it will be for a while. The inmates, however, are frequently requesting prayer for the brig staff, who seem more tense.
Do you remember Javier? He was released from the brig in 2002, but went back to prison (in Herlong, California) for five years starting in 2008. Until about two weeks ago, I had not heard from Javier since last September. He writes that he had begun a letter in April, but there was a riot at the prison. As a result, he spent some time locked down, and now is on restriction until July 2010. That means no phone calls and no visits. His wife Santa and their two children have moved back to Los Angeles.
The good news is that Javier has experienced a genuine revival in his faith. He describes the group in his cell block that he meets with as a "home church." Please keep Javier in your prayers.
FRIDAY NIGHTS WITH ACTIVE DUTY MARINES
Through my continued involvement with the Navigators US Military Ministry (15 years now), I’ve been leading a study in the Old Testament on Friday nights with a somewhat fluid group of active duty Marines from MCAS Miramar. The group is fluid because the deployment schedule these days is pretty active. We usually have between four and ten folks show up, and this has led to some one-on-one study with a few of them. Joshua and I are studying Hosea together; Michael and I are reading through the Gospel of Mark together; and Tyler and I have just begun a study in Jonah.
A NOTE ABOUT FINANCES
I know you are as tired as I am to hear about economic woes. Most churches are having trouble meeting their budgets, and as a result church giving to the Hebrews 13:3 Project is down a bit. To help compensate for this, I'm looking for 20 folks who will give an extra $100 between now and the end of 2009. If you're in a position to make an extra donation—and I know that not everyone is—please consider this a personal request that you do so.
Thank you for the prayers and the donations you offer toward the support of this ministry.
Sincerely in Christ,
Ben Conarroe