Ministry Moments: Jail Ministry Part 1

What the Jail Ministry Means To Me - by Paul Muller

Jail ministry is a program for volunteers from local churches to visit inmates at the Ventura County jail on Sunday mornings.  This program is run by the Chaplain's office and there are some 200 volunteers that visit on a rotating schedule.  Craig Johnson, Richard Masters, Inge Christiansen and I are volunteers that are members at Trinity  There is also a group that comes from Ascension Lutheran in Thousand Oaks.  We meet in the jail lobby at 8:00 AM on scheduled Sundays where we are assigned cell blocks to visit.  We are processed into the jail and then meet with inmates in the interview rooms that are off of each cell block.

What is it like to visit inmates inside our county jail?  Maybe the best way to describe it is to answer some common questions that I get from people who know I am in the jail ministry.

Are there steel bars inside the jail? - Nope.  I've never seen a steel bar in our jail.  There are no door handles either, for that matter.  All movement inside the jail is by electrically-activated doors operated by deputies in the glass-enclosed control centers that are located on each floor and cell block.  Even the elevator is controlled from outside – there are no buttons to push for the various floor stops.  On Sunday morning there is a screening by a deputy with a metal detector – we are then processed into the downstairs control center and into the elevator.  When I arrive on my assigned floor I wait outside two sets of steel doors that are opened by remote control.  I check in with the deputy on duty in the cell block control room and he opens the electric locks on the interview room door – I go inside and wait for the inmates to arrive.

So what do you get out of all this? - The opportunity to see the Gospel at work among Christian inmates who can make a difference.  I tell the inmates that a good part of the New Testament was written from jail – and that whenever Christians were put in prison they tried to help their neighbors there.  A Christian may be confined, but he is at the same time truly free because Christian inmates in jail have the opportunity to work among those who really need to hear the Gospel. In so doing they turn outward in service and away from their own worries and fears.  The jail is full of people about to go on trial or to be sentenced – full of people who have families outside and not much news from them. There is a lot of tension - and living in service to others is the best way to be free from your natural fears.  You can see how much this message means to those inmates who hear it.

Meeting with Christians in jail gives you a new perspective on what it means to be a follower of Christ.  It isn't about what sort of hymns are sung during worship or what the coffee tastes like after.  It is about sin and redemption, about serious life challenges and how there is real strength in the Gospel for those who seek it.  And that is a powerful experience.

Part 2 - Are you Saving Souls for Jesus? and Are you Afraid?

Part 3 - What do you talk about

7 Ways to savor some early morning Mid-Summer Peace - from Pastor Erin

I am an early morning person.  Or at least I used to be and still want to believe that I am.  The thing about early morning is that the air seems a little more fresh.  The moisture from the dew teases out the scents of the flowers and the trees.  the quiet of the morning allows one to hear the birds and the wind and focus more on the softness of the breeze rather than the rush of the day.  It's a break from the fast pace of life, a few moments to breathe into the day.  A few moments that there is that quiet time to enjoy God's creation and listen to where the Spirit calls us.

As we enter into middle of summer and the rush of adventures and vacations and travels around the country its easy to forget to breathe.  We seek the rush of adventure and experiences, we take hundreds of pictures to post on facebook, twitter, instagram, tumblr and the like.

In the midst of it all I invite you into the morning.  If you are not an early morning person, try getting up just once a week to see the sunrise.  (if you wait a few more weeks it comes up later). If you are an early morning person take a few extra moments to lay in bed and listen to the birds outside your window.  Or head out for a short walk and notice the silent moments of the morning.

Here are 10 things you can do in the morning to help you slow down and savor the day 

(most of these can take less than 10 minutes)

1 - Breathe - God's breath moves through us, give us life, animates us... before you go anywhere - or even get out a bed, take a few moments to breathe deeply.  It helps of you place your hands on your abdomen and allow your breath to fill up your belly.  Breathe in 3 times and then allow your breath to slow notice how the air moves through you.  Breathing in this way right away in the morning allows more oxygen to get to your muscles and organs and is a good reminder that your can bring that early morning calm back to yourself throughout the day.

2 - Yoga - Honoring our bodies and how God has created us to move is often a helpful way to start the day.  Gently moving our bodies through Yoga (stretching and breathing) invites our bodies into the day  One great series of movements is called Sun Salutations

3 - Slow walk - this is not the a heart raising workout - but a slow intentional walk of noticing.  Go out for a walk and notice what you hear, what you see, what you smell.  Savor the day one moment at a time

4 - Watch the Sunrise - We so often pause to watch the sun set over the ocean in Southern California - but very few of us get up and find a good place to watch the sunrise over the hills.  While it is easy to see then the sun goes down, there is something much more deliberate and intentional about waiting for the sun to appear.  Bring a cup of coffee, or tea and a friend and sit in the quiet as you wait together for the sunrise.  Or go by yourself, meditate and breathe while you wait.

5 - Drink a cup of tea - I know, I know, drinking coffee in the morning is so much the norm.  However, there is a slowing practice that comes with making and drinking tea.  and if you don't like tea a bit of hot water lemon and honey works really well to clear out your digestive system and prepare you for the day.

6 - Journal - Journalling in the morning is very different than any other time of day.  our minds are still a little foggy, our dreams still swirl in our heads.  And for all the swirling and fogginess it tends to be the time of day when we have the most clarity.  The chatter of the rest of the world hasn't yet had time to clutter our minds.  So journal your dreams, your thoughts, your prayers for the day.  Write down a focus for your day - not a to do list, but a to be list.  (mine generally is something like - "be thankful", or "be kind", or "be fully engaged in meetings"...

7 - Meditate - or pray, or sit in silence...whatever you want to call this.  The quiet of the morning is a great time to be able to listen to where your life is call you, or where the Holy Spirit is leading you. Let your mind soften, sit in silence and listen.

It won't be too long before we start noticing how much shorter the days are, before we need to start planning for fall (school, programs, missions).  

Take some time to enjoy the peace the Mid-Summer brings.

(re-posted on www.embodywisdom.blogspot.com)