A man who would like to be a drug abuse counselor, looked with weariness upon his sentencing to state prison "If I was out, look how much I could accomplish." He expresses such care for needs the world over, as well as challenges close to home. We spoke of the opportunity he has right now, to do this work, and to know that he is privileged to do so. He so brightened up: "Nobody [else] here talks to me that way!" He is candid about challenges to spiritual wakefulness and is relieved to know he is not the only one beset by such challenges. As we spoke of the seven synonyms for God, he named them all. He especially connects to stories of David in Kings, and to Romans. His Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures was taken in a cleanup search, but he found a new one in the common area.

Chaplain, Orange County

Because of Easter, the first two week's lessons for this month were on Jesus' resurrection and the importance of it. The next week the lesson was on "seek ye first" and what was "God and His righteousness". This last weekend's lesson was on the need to drop the "I" focus (or the old man) and focus on being Christ like (or the new man).

One of the great classes was with a group of 10 boys. I started by asking them what they wanted most. The answer was "mansions, women, money, and weed". I asked if they wouldn't rather be absolutely certain of safety and be loved. A couple of them said "no", so I told them that they might as well leave because I couldn't help them. Of course they didn't leave, but I sure had their attention. We had a wonderful discussion and great questions. As they were leaving the class some boys made the comment about their answer to my first question; that they say things like that but they really feel differently. (As if I didn't already know!) One boy stayed on and we talked further about a question that he was struggling with.

The boy I have been seeing for many months now as a one-on-one is making so much progress in trusting God, being more patient, not arguing, and not having a temper. He reads his Bible and other religious literature everyday and brings me questions on what different passages mean. He was so grateful this past week because, although his first reaction to a new inmate who was the brother of two of the boys (and a member of the gang) who killed his cousins was to "funk" the guy, he said that he just couldn't do it. He said something just made him not be able to go after the boy. He thought that it was partly because he realized that the boy was the child of God like he was. What made me so happy was that it wasn't even part of the discussion that he didn't do it because he knew it would hurt his chances at his court hearings...he just felt like it was because of a new way that he had been thinking. It is a great joy and privilege to work with him.

Chaplain, East Bay