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Friday, January 25, 2013
Thursday, January 24, 2013
SCM January News Letter
“I WASN’T ARRESTED…
I WAS RESCUED…”
Proverbs.24.Nan.1.24.13
Nan reminds us
that there is spiritual war-fare in our lives as she shares: Help us to stand
up and be Soldiers of Love! Help us to
battle our flesh and the world and love as You love.
Wow. Soldiers of LOVE. What a challenge. As you
ponder that challenge today you must also be sure and:
Remember Jesus loves you today and so do John and Al. Have a great day
in the LORD.
“…..Please…..do not forget your
Spiritual tie.”
Comments/Insights: In vs. 29 the Lord tells us not to repay
in kind….an eye for an eye.
Opening Prayer …. Dear Holy Spirit, open our ears and
hearts to your Word. Help us to battle our flesh, our own desires. Help us to
be the men and women You have called us to be.
Basic Scripture
Truth: Verse 29: “Do not say, “I will do to him as he has done to
me;
I will pay the man back for what he has done.”
I will pay the man back for what he has done.”
In
Matthew 5, right after the Beatitudes, verses 37-48 Jesus tells us not to repay
an eye for an eye…. But to love our neighbor as ourselves…to repay evil with
good. To Pray for our enemies.
Application to my Life: Is this hard? YES!!!! It is for me anyway.
My flesh goes against everything the Lord says here. AND the world agrees with
our flesh….We want to justify our retaliations… “He did it to me!” But the Lord
wants us to love, forgive, be kind and pray for them…Help me Lord!!!!!
Closing
Prayer …. Jesus, You told us
how to live, how to love… Help us to stand up and be Soldiers of Love! Help us
to battle our flesh and the world and love as You love. Amen.
Dear Faithful
Friends & Supporters,
Wow! The above
statement came from the lips of a 40 year-old inmate at the Union County
Jail. “Tom’s” story is like so many
others that we hear. In his case, he
first started using drugs prescribed by his doctor for pain about 10 years ago.
His pain was because of his injuries in
a car accident. At the time of his
wreck, he had a wife, and kids, a nice home, and even owned his own trucking
company. In every sense of the term, Tom
was living the “American dream.”
But when Tom’s injuries were healed, and
the pain was gone….the drugs would not let go.
He was addicted. That began his
horrible journey of a life of misery; for Tom, and for all of those around
him. As he sank deeper and deeper into
the life of a drug addict, his life began to crumble. His business suffered and eventually
failed. He would eventually lose his
nice home too.
Tom’s wife fought a valiant fight to save
her husband, and her marriage. She loved
him without question, but could not survive with his new “mistress.” She even told him that if it was another
woman she was up against, she could win; but, not against this. Eventually, Tom would lose his wife and his
kids.
Tom wrote, “I will never forget my
beautiful, sweet wife pleading with me, saying, ‘If you loved ME enough, you
would quit. It’s me or them.’ But, it was never a question of “love.” I loved her with all my heart. But, I just couldn’t let go of the
drugs. They had me in their grip and
would not let go. I tried many times,
but always failed. It broke my heart
because I loved her and my kids so much, but I didn’t know what to do. I had been through several rehabs, but
always went right back to the drugs. I
was broken and ashamed. I even cried out
to God for help, but nothing ever worked.”
Tom’s life of drugs eventually led him to
a life of crime. With no job, he turned
to stealing and selling drugs to keep up his heroin habit. He was arrested and lost his freedom several
times over the years. Then, he was
arrested in Union County. He was so
strung-out on heroin, and for so long, that he could not keep any food down for
nearly 12 days and spent about a week in the hospital due to his withdrawal.
“During that time, I prayed to die, and I
really meant it. But after I got over
that, my new cellmate told me about Life Skills. I had heard some good things about it, but
was not into ‘religion.’ But, my
bunkmate mentioned it again, and I felt something drawing me. I was so desperate, and hopeless; and all of
a sudden I felt that I had to get into this program.”
When “Tom” walked into E block, he looked
like he had been in a gang-fight; and his gang didn’t show up. But, within a couple of weeks, he was alert,
asking questions, and even smiling at times.
Then, one day, he gave it all to the Lord. Tom wept as he poured his heart out to God in
total remorse and repentance. I was
amazed at the transformation that took place in him.
As he left to go to DOC to serve his
sentence, he left with a huge smile on his face. His final words to me and the class were, “Chaplain
Wally, you tell everyone that has anything to do with Safer Communities
Ministry, that I said, “THANK YOU! Thank
you for rescuing me. I wasn’t just
arrested, I WAS RESCUED. The drugs would
have killed me, but now I feel the freest, and the best I have ever felt in my
life. Thank you.”
*********************************************************
Dear friends, this is just one story among
many of transformed lives. Thanks to you
who pray for us and help us financially, we will continue to reach out to those
who have lost all hope—both inside the jail and prisons, and those who are now
out.
Would you please PRAY about supporting
us financially? We need your help to
keep this ministry going for the glory of God.
No matter how small the offering, God will bless you and this ministry
because of it.
Please PRAY also about the SCM ANNUAL
BANQUET on Saturday night, May 4th!!
Our guest speaker will be Dr. Jeff LaBorg. Please mark your calendars and make plans to
attend this exciting time of praising God for what He is doing in our midst. Your support is GREATLY appreciated!
Please PRAY for
our Addiction Recovery Ministry (ARM) on
Tuesday evenings, and for our mentoring program.
PRAY for
Chaplain Sharon Carter as she ministers to the ladies each week. And for Bob Elzey who does the jail book cart
and takes care of many of the requests from inmates.
PRAY for the
many volunteers who come into the jail to do weekly Bible studies at night and
on the weekend.
Finally, please
PRAY for our Columbia Crusades in March, June, August, and December! We want you to COME GO WITH US! (Just call the office at 704-283-3573 or
email me at: wally.gilmer@gmail.com.) God bless you!!
Because
ALL need to hear,
Wally
Gilmer
Wally
A. Gilmer,
Executive
Director
Proverbs.24.
Nan reminds us that there
is spiritual war-fare in our lives as she shares: Help us to stand up and be Soldiers of Love! Help us
to battle our flesh and the world and love as You love.
Wow. Soldiers
of LOVE. What a challenge. As you ponder that challenge today you must
also be sure and:
Remember Jesus loves you
today and so do John and Al. Have a great day in the LORD.
“…..Please…..do not forget your Spiritual tie.”
Comments/Insights:
In vs. 29 the Lord tells us not to repay in kind….an eye for an eye.
Opening Prayer …. Dear Holy Spirit, open our
ears and hearts to your Word. Help us to battle our flesh, our own desires.
Help us to be the men and women You have called us to be.
Basic Scripture Truth: Verse 29: “Do not say, “I will do to him as he
has done to me;
I will pay the man back for what he has done.”
I will pay the man back for what he has done.”
In
Matthew 5, right after the Beatitudes, verses 37-48 Jesus tells us not to repay
an eye for an eye…. But to love our neighbor as ourselves…to repay evil with
good. To Pray for our enemies.
Application to
my Life: Is this hard? YES!!!! It is for me anyway. My flesh goes
against everything the Lord says here. AND the world agrees with our flesh….We
want to justify our retaliations… “He did it to me!” But the Lord wants us to
love, forgive, be kind and pray for them…Help me Lord!!!!!
Closing Prayer …. Jesus, You
told us how to live, how to love… Help us to stand up and be Soldiers of Love!
Help us to battle our flesh and the world and love as You love. Amen.
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
Proverbs 4 with Lisa
Proverbs.4.Lisa.1.4.13
Here
is a test for you in the New Year 2013. It is
an open book test so you should not fail. It
is a fill in the blank test and the answers are
below. Good luck. You will be graded by the Holy Spirit. Here it is...
Sound learning is
-_________, __________, and __________ ____________ principles to ____ ______.
Above all else you
must always:
Remember Jesus loves
you today and so do John and Al. Have a great day in the LORD.
“…..Please…..do not forget your Spiritual tie.”
Opening Prayer: Lord all true wisdom comes from heaven. Father God, you are
a loving Father that wants me “to get it” everyday. God you are love. You are
also righteousness and justice. Like any good father, You will not tolerate
foolishness. Help me not to “drop the ball” no matter what the circumstances
are. There are consequences for my sins that affect me and others.
I know this request is already
answered because of the shed blood of Jesus and because of your counselor, the
Holy Spirit. Thank you for loving and caring so much about me and my family. I
know that you only want the best for all of us. In Jesus’precious name. Amen.
Comments/Insights: In Proverbs 4 wisdom is supreme.
Some words to define supreme are:
the greatest, utmost, chief in importance or
impact, a point of paramount significance, the highest quality, degree,
character, importance, significance and the highest authority.
Seeking godly wisdom
is of utmost importance, vital for our lives with God. Proverbs 4:1 says
that sons should pay attention and obtain sound learning. Sound learning is
hearing, receiving and applying biblical principles to our lives.
Vs.
4 says that we need to hold of Gods words with all our heart and keep
his commands so that we will live. Keeping God’s
ultimate command of love to Him and to others will give us an abundant, joyful,
meaningful life on earth and in heaven. Seeking God’s supreme wisdom
will help us deal with all of life’s challenges and concerns. It will help us
impact others’ lives for Christ.
Basic Scripture Truth: God’s wisdom is
supreme, higher than anything we can think or imagine.
Application to my Life: Don’t wrestle with God like Jacob. Put others that I am
praying for the on the altar daily. Godly wisdom is the best way to reach
others for Christ. God knows what it takes to reconcile others to Himself.
Closing Prayer: Lord, help be a more active listener to your Holy Spirit,
even when I am tired or frustrated. Help me to participate in Your plan, even
when it doesn’t make sense to me. Lord, help me to rest and trust You. Lord,
help me to wait on You to fight evil for me. The battle is Yours and the
victory is Yours to be won. I thank you in advance for all You will do. In
Jesus’ name. Amen.
Proverbs 31 with Rod
Proverbs.31.Rod.12.31.2012.
Rod states: “God
wants us to run the race of life. It doesn't matter if you don't place first,
but do the best that you can. He'll be with you when you are weary and ready to
give up, but He promises us that He'll be with us no matter the circumstances,
if we will only pray to Him. What a great endorsement from our God!”
We do not have to
be the best Christian out there. We just have to be the best we can be with
dependence on God. And that includes laying down our addictions.Plus you really
need to always:
Remember Jesus loves
you today and so do John and Al. Have a great day in the LORD.
“…..Please…..do not forget your Spiritual tie.”
INSIGHTS/THOUGHTS
When drinking at a sporting event
has to be necessary, and at the only game in town, you'd better take up another
sport. If you feel that you're a better spectator when you follow the crowd and
do what they do, it's time to re-evaluate your, so called, "Christian
values." Those players on that field aren't drinking, are they? Why should
we? They don't drink while playing their sport, because they know that it
clouds their mind and hinders their reflexes and their performance. We have
this idea that if we don't purchase the products that endorses our team, that
we're not a "true-blue" fan! How absurd! These little bits of nuggets
can lead to bigger problems later on. The absurdity is two teams of players,
most are millionaires, fight it out on the field to see which one can best the
other by scoring more points than his opponent. Afterwards, then what? Bragging
rights?! Those same players drive away in their "Corvettes" or
"Range Rovers" and the fans drive away either glad or mad, and
sometimes "bombed!" Drinking alcohol at any celebration can lead to
serious problems, even to the point of addiction. Yes, I want my favorite team
to win, too, and if not this time, maybe next time. Either way, it has no
bearing on our life or death issues. Keeping things of life into perspective
can be obtained by being in God's word. He already knows the score!
"Excitements" are a gift from God for you to enjoy, but not to abuse.
Things can get out of hand when we begin to assume that our input will change a
particular game. The sobering fact is everything will all pass away, accept
God's Holy Word. Sports is great fun, but it is a game! Our Bibles are for
real! Cheer for the "Panthers" football team, but with our faculties
in tact! Putting things in their proper order starts on our knees. These
magnificent athletes are people, too. They have this desire to receive the
accolades that are given to them for their accomplishments. After that, can he
match it again and again? That's what we expect, and when they begin to falter,
we call them "bums!" We can get to the point of hating them because they
bruised our pride of being a winner for a season. God definitely doesn't
approve of that at all! I saw an athlete that was running a "cross
country" race, and with the delight and cheers of all that observed it,
win! Excitement galore! I also saw that same crowd cheer even louder when that
last runner, who was lagging so far behind that it was almost dark when he
finally came into the arena, exhausted and weary to the almost fainting stage,
but he was determined to finish that race. No one left that arena. He did finish
and was given a rousing and up roaring cheer from the time they saw him enter
that arena 'til he ran through the finish tape. Amazing I thought, for the
crowd's admiration of a runner that didn't win, but strives to at least finish.
God wants us to run the race of life. It doesn't matter if you don't place
first, but do the best that you can. He'll be with you when you are weary and
ready to give up, but He promises us that He'll be with us no matter the
circumstances, if we will only pray to Him. What a great endorsement from our
God!
OPENING PRAYER
Father help us, as we cheer for our
favorite team, to keep our priorities in a good and Godly order. You first and
everything else second. You're the God of everything that existed, exists, and
will exist! I love You, Father but You still loved us first. HALLELUJAH! God's
love endures forever. In Jesus name…….Amen.
KEY VERSES
Proverbs 31: 4 - 7 "Drinking
makes you forget your responsibilities"..."Beer and wine are only for
the dying..."
APPLICATIONS TO MY LIFE
I'm an avid sports fan. I thought
that the final score had to have my full attention and how it was obtained. I
found out that my "blood pressure" did better when I would accept the
fact that no matter whether I watched or not, I had nothing to do with the end
result. I had to keep any game from controlling my life. God needed to give me
a shot of reality and I needed to let God be my controller.
CLOSING PRAYER
Father,I need Your grace and mercy
on me when I allow asinine things to depress me and keep me from thanking You
for Your many blessings. I want my spiritual life to flourish and be evident to
anyone that I come across and that can only be accomplished by Your
magnificence and Your mercies. God, You're so wonderful. In Jesus name.Amen.
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