Going to Jail

Tuesday night I went to the local prison with my husband and another member of our church. Tom and I used to minister at Riker’s Island (the women division) back in New York. It was different ministering to people who were in what you would imagine to be dire circumstances. Some of them were there simply as a way to get out of their cells and others wanted to hear about God.

Tom bought his guitar to sing and the plan was to just do some dream interpretations and give some life readings (prophetic words). Our church has been trained to interpret dreams from Streams Ministries. It’s a biblical model of dream interpretation.

The men we ministered to have had other church groups come and this is always a treat for them. In June we are going to the prison to teach, Course 101, The Art of Hearing God. Imagine teaching inmates lessons in character, lawlessness and submission to authority, as well as learning to hear God speak. I believe it will make a difference for them.

When the men entered the room (we met in the prison library) they were a bit guarded, but polite. After Tom introduced everyone he started to play and I closed my eyes and could sense the atmosphere in the room being a bit harsh. As we worshipped, I could feel things soften and the mood of the room change. Worship has a way of doing that.

Tom spoke briefly and shared what having cancer has taught us. One of the things he told them was that we enjoy the good days, endure the bad days but keep moving forward. To keep moving forward through it all was the key. He did a great job conveying hope.

He asked if any of them had any dreams. As each dream was interpreted and some prophetic words given you can feel the excitement grow in the room. The men seemed very encouraged. I felt like we imparted some hope to them. You know it’s a good sign when they asked us questions about our church and where it was. I believe we will see some of these guys on a Sunday.

The evening ended with one of the men asking if Tom could sing one more song and if they could pray for Tom’s healing. Imagine that. They wanted to pray for him…how cool. Tom sang one more song and we prayed. It was a good night. So Lord, I pray you protect the seeds of hope that was placed in these men. May they find strength in You.

© Nadine Z. 2007