Being a "Free World-er"

So Tuesday, the staff at the church I work at went to a maximum security prison and helped deliver gifts.

Honestly, I can say that I wasn't looking forward to the experience. For starters, I wasn't sure about what to do, say, etc. I mean, while I may feel like some of the folks in my church deserve jail, I don't routinely deal with folks in prison. (That was a joke people! A joke!)

But in the end, I am very thankful that I went. I delivered gifts to four different guys. Two were on death row and will never get out. They will literally meet their Maker from the place where they are right now. The other two had been in a long time, over 10 years each and neither was much older than me, if at all.

So what did I learn...

• Guys in jail call folks like me Free World-ers
• Things that I take for granted have immense value when you can't get them. (The things that the guys loved the most were socks and shampoo...)
• Being "free in Christ" means something totally different when you are locked up in jail...
• God is bigger than I think most days.

One of the inmates, James, shared with me his story and how God used jail to bring him to understand who Jesus is now. And now Jesus is using him in jail to reach other inmates. James' passion was startling and amazing considering the "world" that he could win is maybe 20 guys who are locked up in the same cell block as he is. Yet, he is convinced and believing that God has called him to win that world.

A couple of my guy wanted to know what church, etc. we were all from. I was so thankful to be able to say that we are all simply the body of Christ. Methodists, Episcopalians, Baptists, Seventh Day Adventist, pentecostals. All simply together trying to be the hands and feet of Jesus together. I think it definitely gave him pause to realize that when the church is able to move past its denominational differences it really does start to be the Body of Christ.