Greetings,
I have no updates from either chaplain on the IDOC lifting the lockdowns on visitations. IDOC has on their COVID-19 response webpage that scheduling of visitations is to resume in April, and a schedule will be available soon. Please pray the lifting of the restrictions for visitations will indeed be lifed before April ends.
A quiet week thus far (Friday morning) on paroles. There were a couple of discharges, one of them being Everett. Everett started attending SOCPM's Christian Living Malachi Dad and Discipleship classes in May 2019 and attended until the March 13th lockdown. He was on parole only for a year. Everett was a new believer, possibly not a believer when he started. But he showed strong evidence of saving faith during his time as a SOCPM student. He would comment how much it meant to him to start being a true father to his kids, was praying that God would give him wisdom as to try and reconcile with the children's mother, as best I understood it they were never married. He did have some concerns, though, about her occasional drug use. He also would consistently have questions in the discipleship classes relating to applying God's Word to his life. A prayer of praise for his successful completion of parole. One of the most frustrating obstacles for me is my not being able to contact a student while he's on parole. Before his parole, I worked on getting Everett connected to a church, but the lockdown put a halt to that endeavor. Please pray he has continued growing in his faith.
This week's Weekly Note was Psalm 4 - An Introduction.
An Introduction To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments. A Psalm of David. 1 Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness! You have given me relief when I was in distress. Be gracious to me and hear my prayer! 2 O men, how long shall my honor be turned into shame? How long will you love vain words and seek after lies? Selah 3 But know that the Lord has set apart the godly for himself; the Lord hears when I call to him. 4 Be angry, and do not sin; ponder in your own hearts on your beds, and be silent. Selah 5 Offer right sacrifices, and put your trust in the Lord. 6 There are many who say, "Who will show us some good? Lift up the light of your face upon us, O Lord!" 7 You have put more joy in my heart than they have when their grain and wine abound. 8 In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety. [1]
Psalm 4 is about quiet trust in troubling circumstances. [2] Despite the attacks on him by his foes (Absalom being the main one), David remains confident in God protecting him.
Charles Spurgeon comments, The third and fourth Psalm are intended to accompany each other. If Psalm 3 is "The Morning Psalm," Psalm four is "The Evening Psalm." [3] There is some disagreement among commentators, though. James Montgomery Boice shares, Psalm 4 could be classified in two ways and is perhaps best seen as a combination of two genres. It is a psalm of individual lament, but it is also a psalm of confidence. In fact, it moves from one to the other, from distress to quiet confidence in God. [4]
I particularly enjoyed Boice's further comments, None of us is ever utterly innocent, but there are nevertheless times of relative innocence in which evil people really do heap injustices on us. There are times when we are falsely accused. At other times we are slandered. Someone may want to advance himself by getting us out of the way. Or an attack may be occasioned by pure envy. To be falsely accused is agony, and we have to rise above it. But how? How do we rise above it? In this psalm, David, the target of many false accusations, shows how. [5]
I recalled the times I was falsely accused of something. The most memorable one is when I was about ten years old, and a man in our neighborhood accused my friend Timmy and me of stealing stuff from cars, and he had a video of it. Despite our pleas of innocence, our mom's for reasons unknown, chose to believe him and decided to ground us indefinitely. This grounding was just at the beginning of summer vacation, totally unfair. We kept pleading, have him prove it, show the video. We know he didn't have videos since we didn't do what he was claiming. But he kept giving our moms excuses he would show them soon. Come July, he moved, never showing one frame of a video of us sealing from cars. Timmy's and my desire now was to seek revenge, maybe actually steal something from him. But we were clueless about where he moved to, and with summer half over, we just had to move on. But we both carried bitterness that our oms believed him and not us.
We didn't even know there was a Psalm 4 or any Psalms, for that matter. But perhaps if we did, we could have responded like David. Knowing we would eventually be vindicated, not to plan an act of revenge, but seek comfort in God and not have bitterness towards our moms but have hearts of forgiveness for all those we felt did us an injustice.
It is a bit of a light-heard example of what David faced, and many others face daily, but it is a lesson learned if I was facing a severe injustice someday. Not to seek my justice but to seek solace, relief from my Heavenly Father by praying for those making false accusations and let God act His justice.
You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord. Leviticus 19:18 (ESV) [6]
Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, "Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord." Romans 12:19 (ESV) [7]
On personal notes, I'm sad to say Cameron is Cameron in a negative light. I, among other things, came to know that though he said he was working with his AA sponsor, he isn't after talking to the person to was his AA sponsor. His former sponsor shared Cameron simply wanted to do things his way. Not surprising since he usually refutes my advice and choosing to do things his way. Despite the fact that his way hasn't worked in 20 plus years. His former sponsor is ready and willing to be Camoern's AA sponsor once Cameron decided to listen to him. Please pray for his salvation first and foremost, he gets on the track of sobriety, and he the proverbial light bulb would go on, and he would admit his ways are not the correct ways and start sting upon the advice others give him.
Listen to advice and accept instruction, that you may gain wisdom in the future. Proverbs 19:20 (ESV) [8]
To Him be the glory in ALL things and to Him alone!
Scott Kalas
Soldiers of Christ Prison Ministries
Week 57 of the lockdown 😞.
COVID-19 cases as of day, 04/16/21; Dixon: staff confirmed 299, staff recovered staff 285, staff current 14, staff tests 10,601; offender confirmed 589, offenders recovered 585, offender current 4, offenders tests 40,164 | Sheridan: staff confirmed 148, staff recovered 147; staff current 1, staff tests 6,906; offenders confirmed 464, offenders recovered 464, offenders current 0, offender tests 23,995 | IDOC: staff confirmed 4,416 , staff recovered 4,320, staff current 96, staff tests 186,919; offenders confirmed 10,867, offenders recovered 10,849, offenders current 18, offender tests 4510,553. [9]
Please continue in prayer for the lifting of the lockdown. If only for the resumption of visitations, and the return of volunteers shortly after that.
[1] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016) Ps 4:1-8.
[2] E S V Study Bible: English Standard Version, Crossway Bibles, 2008, pp. 944–945.
[3] C. H. Spurgeon, The Treasury of David: Spurgeon's Great Commentary on Psalms, Clarke, Roy H, editor, 3rd ed., vol. 1, T. Nelson Publishers , 1997,18.
[4] James Montgomery Boice, Psalms 1–41: An Expositional Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2005), 34-35.
[5] ibid. [4], p 38.
[6] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016) Lev. 19:18
[7] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016) Rom 12:19
[8] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016) Rom 12:19
[9]“COVID-19 Response.” Illinois.gov, 16 Apr. 2021, www2.illinois.gov/idoc/facilities/Pages/Covid19Response.aspx.
CHS - Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations from Clarke, Roy H, editor. The Treasury of David: Spurgeon's Great Commentary on Psalms, by C. H. Spurgeon, 3rd ed., vol. 1, T. Nelson Publishers , 1997 are from the New Geneva Study Bible published by Thomas Nelson, Inc., using the New King James Version of the Bible, ©1979, 1980, 1982, Thomas Nelson, Inc., Publishers.
FDK - Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations from Derek Kidner, Psalms 1–72: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 15, Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1973) are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®. NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society.
JMB - Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture from James Montgomery Boice, Psalms 1–41: An Expositional Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2005) is taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica, Inc.TM
WAV - Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture from VanGemeren, Willem A. “Book 1 Psalms 1 - 41.” The Expositor's Bible Commentary Psalms, by Tremper Longman III and David E. Garland, Revised ed., vol. 5, Zondervan, 2008 is taken from is taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society.
WSP - Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture from “Psalm 1.” Psalms: A Critical and Expository Commentary with Doctrinal and Practical Remarks, by William S. Plumer, Banner of Truth Trust, 1975 is taken from the Holy Bible King James Version.
Soldiers of Christ Prison Ministries
A ministry of Redeemer Fellowship Church St. Charles, IL
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