Prisoners set free on death row
Letters from prison are always sobering; letters from death row even more so.
Over the last 3 years, GoodSeed has received occasional letters from an inmate on death row. Having committed a crime punishable by death, he went looking for redemption and found it in Jesus. GoodSeed’s book, By This Name, helped him see his need to put his faith in Christ. Since then he has written about reaching out to others.
Recently we received another letter from death row at the same prison, this time from a different inmate. Though it’s hard to know, we wonder if the first prisoner’s efforts are bearing fruit. The second inmate requested a copy of The Stranger on the Road to Emmaus, apologetic that he could not pay for it: “I’m poor as they come sadly.”
How true—of us all! Pray with us that as he reads, he will see beyond his financial poverty to his spiritual poverty and that he’ll turn to the One who can make him rich.
Sometimes we are tempted to view certain individuals around us as “lost causes,” too far gone or too hardened to ever be reached by the gospel. Charlie* was such a man. Hearing how his life has played out, one would be tempted to think that there was no hope for him. He was a drunk and suffered from depression. Occasionally, he would explode into a fit of angry violence. And he was serving a long, long sentence in a maximum security prison for a double murder. Can there be hope for such a man?
Stacy* looked around the room. It was filled with women who were recovering addicts. Behind the expectant faces were stories of poor choices, wrong turns and heartaches of every kind. Stacy wasn’t sure why each of them had ended up in this room with her. But each lady had before her scraps of cloth, thread, and other materials. Today, they were gathered to learn quilting. As well, they were about to learn what God had to say about life, death, and life after death.
Rick* has been a believer for many years and he is serving a life sentence for a crime he did not commit. But Rick is not letting his time in prison go to waste. Rather, he has led a number of fellow inmates to faith in Christ and is currently discipling a group of men. As he actively engages others in conversation who are struggling with complex questions and issues in their lives, Rick has been on a lookout for materials that will enable him to give clear, biblical answers. Most of these men know very little about the Bible and some also struggle with learning difficulties—adding to the challenge facing Rick.