SOCPM Newsletter | July 17, 2021

Greetings,

The day for a return to Sheridan is drawing near. I was amazed to have received an e-mail from Sheridan's Executive Secretary of Operations, Collen, and Chaplain McClimans informing me my paperwork from Springfield has been received. So I'm good to go to the next step! Praise God! The next step is meeting with the Administrative Assistant to the Warden's office, Ms. Noble, and Chaplain McClimans to get a new photo ID and paperwork. Paperwork was not a surprise, but being told a drug test was not needed was a surprise.

It is a slim chance I'll return on July 23rd, but even if Sheridan is willing, I like to be fully prepared with a welcome back agenda and pending approval a few weeks of the curriculum in place. I'm pretty close but still have a few tasks to complete. Would you please pray there are no last moment hindrances and that I can complete all my necessary tasks by Thursday of next week?

Though I'm in weekly communication with Chaplain Thomas at Dixon, there is no announced date for volunteers to return—my hope is for there to be a return in August. Would you please pray Dixon announces a return date in August?

My preparing for a Sheridan and Dixon return is full stride. I'm confident it is God's will for SOCPM to present my church Redeemer Fellowship's teaching series on Revelation. I'll do one sermon a week and will break up the series in to 3 or more 14 week terms. The break down still needs to be defined. As of now I'm envisioning 12 weeks of sermons and two weeks of bonus programming. Bons programming is typically a DVD of a somewhat lighter nature. A few videos from Living Waters are popular.

There are several steps to make each sermon class happen. I first need to download the sermon, then add captioning. I then do merging—the inserting of a splash screen at the beginning and end of teh sermon video. The next step is one I'm having my most challenging, trimming out a few seconds of the ending of our church's announcements and the few seconds of worship song after the sermon's closing prayer. It is a step that I've not yet actually figured out how to do with the software I'm using, so I may decide to forgo the trimming step if it proves to be too frustrating. Finally, I need to burn the final version to DVD and label it. 

The DVD is not the only preparation. For each week's sermons, I'm putting together a printout. The printouts include:

  • The sermon Scripture.

  • An opening with some of my primary thoughts on the sermon.

  • Discussion questions from the sermon study guide.

  • Several inserts of commentary.

I am targeting to complete all the preparation through the most recent sermon at the time classes start. Thus far, I've completed all the steps through merging to the most current sermon. But unfortunately, I'm only made it to week 4 of the printouts. Would you please pray I can get all the DVDs and printouts completed up to the most current sermon before the start of classes?

The Weekly Note for this week was on Psalm 5:9-10. David turns his prayer to wicked. I shared my appreciation of Paul's words in Romans 3:10-19 describing the wicked. When I meditate on Paul's words, it gives me pause to reflect and take in knowledge the character, the wicked, of those who oppose God. For some, they are like I once was lost, angry, and seeking my justice upon all who I then saw as opposition. Which, even without my conscience, included God.

But by God's grace through the blood of Jesus Christ and the gift of faith, God has changed my heart. Paul's 2nd letter to Timothy is full of verses for me to heed in my call to prison ministry. Here are a few of the pieces of Scripture that stand out boldly in that call; 2 Timothy 1:8-9, 2:1-4, 8-10, 15, 24-26, 3:1-5, 4:1-5. In addition, there is Scripture beyond 2 Timothy that motivates and encourages me, but most prominently, and focuses on the call to share the Gospel and make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19-20). My nation is the prisons.

This week's Weekly Note gave me an ache to return to the prisons. It is a challenge to express all God has put in my heart in meditating on Psalm 5:9-10

You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus,  and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also. 2 Timothy 2:1-2 ESV

A special note, SOCPM Alumni Jeffery Ray was discharged by board order. Board Order meaning teh parolee has shown exemplary behavior that his parole is cut short. I'm not all surprised. Jeffery Ray was just paroled 9/23/20 with two years of parole.

I first met Jeffery while doing cell by vell visits on April 19, 2018, at Stateville NRC. I told him if, by chance, he was transferred to either Dixon or Sheridan to be sure to enroll in a SOCPM class. He ensured he would. I like to believe by God's providence Jeffery Ray showed up in both my Malachi Dads and Discipleship classes on May 18, 2018, and was a consistent attendee with excellent attendance. Jeffery Ray was an outstanding student.

Sheridan staff recognized Jeffery Ray as an exceptional inmate, and he was soon made a mentor to other men. He wrote a letter of recommendations on prison reform that was accepted and read by IDOC Springfield. Jeffery was a gifted prayer warrior and an encouragement to me too. Upon entering every class, he would hug me.

Jeffery Ray's life before Christ was a tragic one. A murdered brother, maybe two, my memory is fogged, but he shared how he, later on, met the man who killed his brother or brothers and told him he forgave him and shared Jesus Christ.

Would you please pray Jeffery Ray continues in his walk with Jesus as a Soldier of Christ?

Cameron's need for a place to live and the non-receipt of his stimulus check continues on the prayer front. The place to live is nearing a critical time. Thankfully, God has placed Cameron's former youth pastor nearby to be a closer physical presence of counsel and encouragement. Unfortunately, his stress level was quite high in my last phone call with him Wednesday. I had to cut the phone call short when we non-stop in vulgarly lambasting postal workers and then started on my students. I'm trying to be a voice of calmness, sound advice, and encouragement, but I chose not to continue the conversation when he chooses to persist in unending angry vulgar language. Would you please continue in prayer for Cameron on these matters and, of course, for salvation and sobriety? Would you please pray God would change Cameron's heart and be willing to try a program like Teen Challenge? I need prayer in the area of myself, not being anxious, and trusting God in His sovereignty.

I had my ultrasound on my kidneys and bladder. I've not received any results. Michelle has asked me not to read lab results when I receive them via e-mail but instead wait until I hear from the doctor. If I were to chose to read them, I would start Googling the big words and probably increase my anxiety. Would you mind praying the ultrasounds are negative of any issues, and I will be patient and wait to hear what the doctor has to say about teh results and gain trust in God?

Week 70 of the lockdown 😞.  

COVID-19 cases as of day, 07/16/21; Dixon: staff confirmed 319, staff recovered staff 318, staff current 1, staff tests 13,910; offender confirmed 592, offenders recovered 592, offender current 0, offenders tests 49,481 | Sheridan: staff confirmed 151, staff recovered 150; staff current 1, staff tests 15,001, offenders confirmed 464, offenders recovered 464, offenders current 0, offender tests 31,990 | IDOC: staff confirmed 4,675, staff recovered 4,626, staff current 49, staff tests 286,295; offenders confirmed 10,923 offenders recovered 10,918, offenders current 5, offender tests 666,952

[1] “COVID-19 Response.” Illinois.gov, 16 July. 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.

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