My Brother's Keeper

Volume 5, Number 3, July-September, 2000

The Word of God, is the source of light, truth, and power, for those who seek its meaning and apply it to their life. Jesus Christ is the word made flesh, and we seek to follow him.

John 8:12 (NIV) - "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life."

Each issue of "My Brother's Keeper" features a WORD study. This month's study was prepared by Dennis Luscher, our faithful brother in Christ, who is an inmate at Fremont Correctional, Cañon City, CO.

In the early days of my faith in God I would often find myself struggling. Some days I would awaken feeling whole and complete. Then there were the days I would feel completely out of place and confused. I spent time studying God's Word, spent time in prayer and meditation so why would I feel out of place or confused? It took considerable time to find what I had been missing in my spiritual life that had me struggling day to day.

I went to the scriptures in hope of finding what I had been missing and found my answer.

Colossians 3:15-16 (NIV) - Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.

I had a degree of peace, more peace than I had ever experienced before in my life, but still not the full measure of the peace that is Christ. I was thankful, my life was changing right before my eyes and I was definitely thankful about it. I was studying the Word of God, so the Word was dwelling in me. But looking around I saw that I was alone in my spiritual walk, isolated from the body of believers. I had no open praise to God in any form whether psalms, hymns or spiritual songs. I had been missing fellow ship with other believers.

How could I have missed something that important? I didn't miss it, not at all, I was afraid to fellowship with others. Fear that I couldn't accept others because of their crimes, personalities, actions, or whatever. Not only that but fear that I wouldn't be accepted. I was afraid I couldn't live by the scriptures I had been studying.

Matthew 7:1-2 (NIV) - "Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you."

Who would want to be judged in the same ways that they judge others? Definitely not me, I know how I was judging people and still catch myself doing just that on occasions. This was a very big hurdle in my spiritual walk that kept me from even considering going to a church service. In order to find the fellowship I had been missing I turned back to God's Word.

Matthew 18:20 (NIV) - "For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them."

This one verse showed me that any gathering whether great or small could fulfill my need for fellowship with other believers. I still had fears of judging and being judged but I knew what needed to be done. I had to find a group that I would feel comfortable with. That didn't take long at all. I no sooner stepped out of my cell than I was asked to join a study group with three others in my cell house. This was my big chance to find fellowship and nothing was going to interfere, not fear or my own self doubts.

That evening we gathered together and opened with a short simple prayer asking for guidance and under-standing. We all opened up our Bibles and took turns reading aloud. We would read just a few verses then discuss them and how they applied to our lives and to us personally. Everyone in our study group contributed a small part of themselves and how God was working with them. I had finally felt that I belonged. I was no longer the outsider looking in, I was part of a whole much greater than myself. Up until that moment I didn't know what it was like to really be part of a group. When I looked around our small group I realized that each one of us had taken on different responsibilities for the groups benefit.

I Corinthians 12:4-11 (NIV) - There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men. Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines.

Each one of us had a different gift, talent, or service to offer for the benefit of the group. One person lead the group giving direction to our spiritual studies. Another lead the group in all opening and closing prayers. Another one helped show us how the scriptures applied to our everyday lives. And our fourth opened his home to make sure that we had a place to comfortably meet for our Bible studies.

I Corinthians 12:12 (NIV) - The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ.

Ephesians 4:16 (NIV) - From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.

It wasn't until later on that I really realized that we were indeed more than a group. We were part of the Body of Christ. We were all part of the same family. We cared for each others personal and spiritual welfare. If one of us was struggling with anything the others were there to help him through it with the love that comes from Christ. We were just beginning to receive and understand the many blessings that Christ had planned for us.

Brothers and Sisters when we first come to Christ it is a personal and singular step to accept Him as our Savior. That is the most important decision that we will ever have to make and it is a choice that we must make on our own. Once that choice is made and we accept Christ as our Lord and Savior we become members of the Family of God, part of the body of believers. We are no longer alone in this world. We have the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and the body of believers to teach, guide and support us in our spiritual walk. We can not let fear, hatred, or self-doubts isolate us from our brothers and sisters in Christ. We must let the love of Christ dwell in us and show through us, not only to our brothers and sisters, but to the whole world.

I John 4:15-21 (NIV) - If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and he in God. And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. We love because he first loved us. If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother.

Take a moment and look around, see the great gift God has given us in other believers. He gave us a kind, loving, supportive family. Take hold of that great gift and actively participate in his family and watch the many blessings that we will receive.

Peace and Love,
Your Brother in Christ,
Dennis Luscher

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From: Donna Cerna, Arizona State Prison, Perryville, Arizona

Dear Christian Ambassadors, Recently I've been receiving literature to read on Spiritual Growth and My Brother's Keeper. It has been a blessing to me and I am very grateful how you share with inmates.

Though I am in prison, I have gone through my ups and downs. Before I would be angry at myself and it led to depression, stressing and everything else that follows.

One day I woke up and asked God to guide me through my Bible and help me understand and to give me the wisdom, well -- the whole works. I knew if I didn't do something to better myself and believe our Lord Jesus Christ was the only answer, I would live in hell forever. This time I have here, I decided I would spend it with Him. I never imagined I could change my ways. But, today I'm not in the dark anymore, and I'm not alone. I have left my past behind and now I am a new creation. God is so wonderful and precious that I want to walk in the righteous way with him.

Through the literature sent by you, I realize people like you all are out reaching those who are lost, like myself, but now I have found Him. I just wanted to thank you all and I hope other inmates in other prisons have been touched by your literature as I have. May you all be heavenly blessed for the gift given to you to reach out to us inmates.

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From:Ejike Obika, Abia State Prison, Abia State, Nigeria.

Dear Brother Onokala, CA Nigeria, Thank you for your Spiritual Growth Ministry in our prison cell last week end. I and other inmates really enjoyed your teachings based on one having a personal relationship with God -- understanding the image and likeness of God, in essence that is the Spiritual Growth Ministry.

We appreciated the songs, testimonies, and sharing of the scriptures as well as the prayers. Besides, I personally thank you for the newsletter, My Brother's Keeper. I wish such materials will come to us again. I enjoyed "How to Begin a Life of Faith" by Larry Stratton. I would not fail to mention the food you gave us and the detergents. My humble prayer is that God will re plenish the source in abundance. We need you to come again!

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From: Sheilah Rollins, Mercy Today Ministries, Cañon City, Colorado

Dear Alan and Sharon, This is just a quick note to ask you to add another inmate to your Spiritual Growth Lessons. Your letters and Studies are a great gift of God. Thank you very much!

Becky was thrilled to see how beautifully you reproduced her thoughts for the inmates. Thank you! God is using her mightily. She took copies again to the Federal Prison and hearts were touched by her presentation.

The Fax and Computer are serving us very well, thank you so much! God Bless you.

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From: Craig Slifer, I.C.I.O, Orofino, Idaho

Dear Sharon and Alan, Thank you so much for My Brother's Keeper newsletter, and for your letter that you enclosed in the first subscription. I was very touched with the first sentence in your letter, i.e, "How are you?" A very simple question, but one that I felt was inspired through the Holy Spirit, and gave that one simple question great Christian love and concern. Praise God!
I've shared this newsletter with my wife and three daughters. The article from Becky Rollins on "To Our Friends in Prison" was really neat!

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From: Donald Woodward, former inmate, Englewood, Colorado

Dear Al and Sharon, I sat here tonight and read the latest issue of My Brother's Keeper. It's nice to see the ongoing correspondence from inmates. I can tell by the excerpts from their letters that they are sincerely moved by the individual, as well as the collective attention, that you give these inmates through your ministry. As I read the stories and letter excerpts I reflected back to what serving time in prison was like. It is lonely, frightening, and many other things. I think you help to bring hope and reveal the light that comes with the realization that prison inmates are not alone if they will open their hearts and minds to the voice of God and the message that Christ sent.

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From:Mike Zamora, Arkansas Valley Correctional, Crowley, Colorado.

Dear Sharon, Although I do not write much, I enjoy your newsletter, My Brother's Keeper. Your newsletter helped me on November 23rd of 1999 when my brother passed away. Thank you so much. Keep up the good work!

I have a daughter in prison. Would you please send her the newsletters, also? God Bless you.

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From: Diane Lewis, CIW State Prison, Corona, California

Dear Christian Ambassadors, A friend of mine let me read one of your My Brother's Keeper newsletters. I like what I read and I want to ask you to please send me future issues. Thank you very much and may God keep on blessing you all.

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From: Mike Sundie, Bay Correctional, Panama City, FL

Dear Sharon, Thank you for sending me a copy of My Brother's Keeper newsletter.

I believe I've read it three times and I've also let others read it!

I want you to know that you have blessed me in a very good way and I'll always be thankful.

Right now I'm working on turning my life over to the care of God. I pray for his will and the power to carry it out. I've been reading my Bible and going to church, which has helped alot.

Thank you, Sharon, for being there!

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From: Shawn Parker, BVCF, Buena Vista, CO

Dear Miss Sharon, I remember back when I first met you and Alan, and the intensity with which I wanted to live a righteous life through the teachings of Jesus. It was hard to let go of that convict mentality and let the Lord guide me through his Spirit. As I look back, I can clearly see the terrible catch 22 I was in.

I had to trust God enough to allow Him to guide me through all of every day, to center every thought around my love for Him and my desire to do his will. However, I didn't have a strong enough relationship with God to let go of my own way of doing things. And the more I resisted, the less my relationship was growing. And growth in my relationship with God was the only thing that could allow me to confidently move forward in my personal growth away from the convict mentality, which was hampering my ability to get deeper in the Spirit.

Once I broke out of that rut I was in, life became easier to live and more fun to experience. Like I was seeing things for the very first time.

I can remember that the key ingredient to achieving total dependence on God was simply keep feeding myself. Prayer, meditation, daily Bible study, and more prayer. And I just became more and more immersed in the spirit, which allowed me to feel the guidance of God.

And that is when I realized I was allowing the Lord to guide me through more than just the rough spots, but the every day little things, as well.

I still occasionally act without thought or prayer, and more often than not when I act without thought and prayer, I usually mess up. When that happens, I get guidance from the Lord showing me how to fix my mess up. J

Every thought, it seems, is centered around my love for God. Much like the love you would have for your parents. Before committing an act, a kid would think, "My mom and dad would kill me if I did that!" That is sorta like how I think now, about everything. "Nope, that is wrong! God wouldn't like that at all!"

I love God, therefore I want to please and honor God through becoming the kind of person that he would want me to be. And to become that kind of person, I need to feed myself the bread and water of Christians, and grow spiritually.

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God's great desire is that every person have the opportunity to hear the gospel of the Kingdom of God. He stands ready to pour out his grace (unearned favor) upon all those who believe the gospel and who are willing to humble themselves before him to receive.

As much as our Heavenly Father yearns for everyone to accept the sacrifice of his Son on the cross, he will not force himself upon anyone who chooses not to believe. Jesus will not change his message to get anyone to follow him. For that very reason, Jesus saw the need to give his disciples specific instructions as he sent them into the world on the Great Commission. Jesus knew his disciples would run into opposition from his enemies.

Mark 6:11 (NIV) - "And if any place will not welcome you or listen to you, shake the dust off your feet when you leave, as a testimony against them."

When the disciples made this gesture of shaking the dust off of their feet, it would show that the people had rejected Christ's gracious, saving gospel.

James 4:4-6 (NIV) - "...Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. Or do you think Scripture says without reason that the spirit he caused to live in us envies intensely? But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble."

God loves mankind with such a passion that he cannot bear any other love dominating the hearts of men. God, our creator, desires to have the full devotion of our hearts.

Exodus 20:3, 5-6 (NIV) - "You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments."

To enable us to give the devotion he requires, James tells us that God gives us more grace. Grace empowers us to love God with our whole heart, therefore being able to keep his commandments.

What we need to understand about grace, is that we cannot receive it until we realize our need of it! Once we have acknowledged our complete lack, we can go by "faith" to God, humbly asking for help. Not until we come face to face with the mess we have made of our life, do we finally admit our need of a Savior, our need to have the forgiveness of God. Faith, then, is the door to grace.

Romans 5:1-2 (NIV) - Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand.

Grace has been wonderfully reserved by God for a very special purpose. It is to be given only to those who have exercised their "faith" in the redemptive act of Jesus Christ. You may say, "But I always thought that grace was available to everyone!"

Grace is available to everyone; but since grace is a gift of God that has to be received through faith -- it cannot be taken by those who do not believe the redemptive message of the cross. Keep in mind, God opposes the proud.

Ephesians 2:8 (NIV) - "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith -- and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God..."

Disappointments are inevitable for the self-serving, prideful person who approaches God expecting special favor. Ignorant of their own sin and of how God's grace is appropriated, the prideful person will approach God with a haughty attitude, "The Bible says here in Matthew 18:19, that if I can get another person to agree with me on whatever I want, then God will give it to me."

What is the underlying motive of a prideful person? They want their own will to be done, regardless if it is out of line with the will of God. You will not hear this person confess, "I've done the crime, so I will do the time." What they really want is a permissive (agreeable) Jesus who will bail them out of their hardships, so they don't have to take responsibility for their actions. What they want, however, and what God is really like are two different things.

The Scriptures bear record not only of the true nature of God, but it also bears record of the true nature of man. What happens when the prideful person brings unrighteous requests to God, but then discovers those requests are not being granted to them? Unable to face their sin, they pass the blame. They direct their anger at God for not answering their prayers.

Proverbs 15:29 (NIV) - The LORD is far from the wicked but he hears the prayer of the righteous.

I Peter 3:12 (NIV) - For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.

No matter what we think about it, God will not change who he is. On the contrary, we are the ones who need to change if we desire to be like Jesus, in his image.

It is not the purpose of the prayer of agreement (Matthew 18:19), to see how many people we can muster up to agree with us in prayer, so we can force God's hand into giving us what we want. Selfish prayers never bring satisfaction, because God is not in agreement with them when they pray.

We will not get God to agree with us in prayer if it means breaking his own commandments, the commandments he has given us to follow. If God were to do that, he would be some kind of Schizophrenic God, one who is inconsistent, illogical and untrustworthy. In other words, God will not command you to love your neighbor and then turn around and agree with you in prayer to bring harm to that neighbor. For the prayer of agreement to work it must be prayed in line with the will of God. It must be prayed with the right motives.

James 4:3 (NIV) - When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.

God has always opposed the proud and he has always poured out his grace upon the humble. God does not heed (pay close attention, listen to, or consider) prayers that are prayed out of line with his will. When we pray unselfishly, God sends his answer!

I John 5:14-15 (NIV) - This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us -- whatever we ask -- we know that we have what we asked of him.

Praise God! The Lord hears the prayers of the righteous! The Lord answers the prayers of the righteous! Why? The righteous will not ask for anything that is not in line with God's will.

In ministering to new believers in their spiritual growth I have identified another area of concern which has to do with `standing' on the Word. It is good to participate in regular Bible study, meditate upon the Word of God, and then stand in faith as we apply the principles of the gospel in our every day life.

The problem occurs when we are going through a trial or a difficult situation. Wanting to find a solution that is not painful or doesn't hurt our pride, we open our Bible, find a scripture that seems to suit our need, and then stubbornly `stand' on it, as if it were our right to demand. What we are really doing at such times is using the scriptures as an escape. We want God to somehow rescue us from the whole ordeal.

The next time you are searching to find a scripture in the Bible that you can `stand' on, you need to ask yourself the following question, "Am I standing on this scripture in pride or am I standing on this scripture in humility?"

Sooner or later your past will catch up to you. There is a responsibility to becoming free. We can't live in denial of our past and be free. Only as we face the truth will we be set free. Repentance will set us free to enjoy a future walking in the footsteps of Jesus Christ.

If you want a scripture to `stand' on that will meet your personal need, then go to God first. Find out what his will is for you. Seek, ask, and knock and the door will be opened to you. After the Lord points you to a scripture and you know without a doubt that this scripture has been given to you personally, then you can `stand' tall in your faith, because you are on your way to victory!

God calls us in many ways, he may soften our heart or he may come to us in a dream, or, maybe, something a little more persuasive. I was very blind to the truth about God. I did not want or need to hear about Him or anything else that would take my time away from what I loved to do. But when God calls it's sometimes hard to ignore Him.

My life has been one of ups and downs, you see I worked as a military and commercial pilot for over 14 years of my life. I've been flying for over 22 years and have over 10,000 hours in the air, I did it all from flying fighter jets to flying 737's.

In 1984 I was in a crash that was terrifying. I was based out of Arizona but my training mission on this day was in a MOA (military operational area) in western Louisiana. I was training in a military jet fighter known as an F15 Eagle on what we thought was a routine training exercise. This day was anything but routine!

My day started out with some classroom work then we moved into preflight briefing and flight planning. We then moved to the tarmac to check our aircraft (not like Hollywood movies). After about another half hour we received clearance to take off. We had a group of four aircraft in this training exercise. We flew southeast till we intercepted our route over the gulf where we took on fuel before going into Louisiana west of Lake Charles. As we crossed the coast we found the weather to be scattered and broken with light rain. As we continued north for another 70 miles the weather remained the same but we decided to continue with the mission and start our run through the MOA. In two's we started, Eagles 1 & 4 went first then we followed, my aircraft was Eagle 3, and 2 was paired with us. The lead aircraft went down to 1,000 feet AGL (above ground level) we trailed about 1/2 mile behind them till they made contact with their targets then we commenced our run. We were heading to the rendezvous point when we experienced our first warning that our aircraft was having problems. Two over voltage buss fuses popped which switched the aircraft's power system from engine electrical power to auxiliary battery power automatically. We performed an in flight statistics check and came up with no reason why the electrical system did what it did. I contacted the other aircraft reported our status and then reset the two fuses. Everything was fine so we started heading for the gulf, as we moved further south we started to pick up rain. I did not really care to fly in bad weather with an aircraft that was having electrical problems (visibility was down to 300 feet horizontally) so we contacted our flight controller to get approval to change altitude, I wanted to climb above the weather. Flight control came back with an approved change when it happened. The aircraft was hit by lightening knocking out the electrical system. It seems that the aircraft had built up static electricity and instead of letting the charge pass through the aircraft it acted as a resister and it circulated part of the charge that hit the aircraft.

Catastrophe electrical failure is not a good thing in bad weather. I called it as I saw it, the plane was going down. Fortunately, just minutes before, we were looking over our options and that was fresh in my mind. I knew under me was a city with a lot of homes, also an airport. I had a decision to make, eject and let the aircraft go where it may, or, try to find a place to put it down in a minimum amount of time. I opted for the place to land, I did not what to let this 30,000 pound aircraft go on some unsuspecting neighborhood. I made the appropriate radio calls and told my instructor to look for a spot to land. We broke out of the clouds at about 800 feet AGL, needless to stay the ground was coming up fast, fighter jets don't glide very well. I saw the airport but it was to the side and slightly to our rear, no way could we get to it, so a road or field was the next best thing. I saw a road just in front of me with no traffic and only a few homes on it. That was it, I headed the aircraft toward it and as we got closer the aircraft's stall horn went off, now we were at 300 feet AGL and I knew that the landing was turning into a collision with the ground. I could not eject and let this aircraft go, I had to control this aircraft as much as I could. As we cleared the last house we were at about 150 feet AGL when the plane went into a complete stall and fell like a rock.

The plane hit the road first, broke into 2 pieces the cockpit that we were in slammed into a parked car, the car's gas tank blew up. The rear of the jet hit an apartment building and burst into flames. When it was all over only two people were injured, myself and my instructor, that was a miracle in itself. My instructor died in the crash and I was in and out of hospitals for almost 3 years and five surgeries.

God was with me then as he is now but I did not know it. I was not a religious person, I was all military and God's grace never crossed my mind. Almost a year after the crash I heard the cockpit voice tapes for the first time. As the plane stalled I heard myself call out to God and at that time he heard me and saved me.

Still, I did not respond to God, I continued on mindlessly. In Dec. 1998 I got in trouble with the law. I found myself in jail in Jefferson County, Colorado. There, I found God again! It was my third day in jail and I saw a group of men setting at a table studying the Bible, one of these men saw me and ask me if I would like to sit in. It was the best thing that ever happened to me. The next day, Christmas eve, I accepted Jesus as my King and my Savior. I will never leave his side again. I know now that God has called me before but I was always too busy to stop and hear Him. Now, even in prison, I keep Him in my life and I make sure that my life is circled around Him.

I want to thank the Lord God for his love and grace he has shown me.

Robert Allen,
Pre-Release,
Cañon City, CO

In a far away land, during a festive period, a friend of mine invited me into his home for a ceremony. The ceremony had to do with cultural life of the people and with remarkable achievements in politics, religion, commerce and other life endeavors.

As a special guest in my friend's home, I had a wonderful experience as the ceremony was being performed at their community square. People with outstanding performances were being honored with just rewards and the "black sheep of the community" were being disgraced with just punishments.

As a matter of fact, my experience reminded me of what happened to young Joseph in the "Holy Bible" in the time of old, by asking myself the following questions: 1) Who was this Joseph? 2) What was his work? 3) Why was he imprisoned? 4) What was the mystery behind his imprisonment? and 5) What was his end?

Before giving answers to these questions, I need to point out one of those experiences I had. I saw that some people were disgraced and punished for the crimes they were innocently and ignorantly accused of, just as in the case of Joseph. But I thought, God has allowed such injustice on those victims for a purpose beyond the understanding of their oppressors and the victims as well.

Let's see briefly who Joseph was and his work, Genesis 37:2. Jacob's son Joseph was now seventeen years old. his job, along with his half-brothers, the sons of his father's wives Bilah and Zilpah, was to shepherd his father's flocks. But Joseph reported to his father some of the bad things they were doing. From this scripture, you would know that Joseph was a son of Jacob, a shepherd, and a reporter. Joseph was imprisoned, though undeserved, because of falsehood against him by Potiphar's wife in the land of Egypt. See Genesis 39:7-23.

Honestly, so many prison inmates across the globe are suffering in prison cells because of the sins they knew not as the case of Joseph. But that does not mean, God is dead. The big question we would always ask ourselves either free or imprisoned is; For what purpose is sufferings?

I want to tell you that God has designed everything on earth to his own glory. If you can read Genesis 50:19-21, that scripture would reveal to you the mysteries behind Joseph's imprisonment in the land of Egypt.

Joseph indeed, suffered so many things: he was sold by his half-brothers, accused falsely, thrown into jail, released from imprison ment, became governor in a foreign land and later saved the lives of many people, including his own people from the raged famine.

However, Joseph was really a great man of his time. Joseph's sufferings and success brought unity, love, peace, joy and progress among his people. Joseph married had children and died at a ripe old age. He left good hope for his people, that God would one day come and bring them out of the land of Egypt and take them back to the land of promise.

Finally, I would like to advise all prison inmates wherever they may be, to pick up courage. I don't care what sent you inside the prison. But, God knows best. I want you to learn a big lesson in Joseph's life as a shepherd, slave, prisoner, governor, and a victor.

All you need is just to repent of your sins, forgive your accusers and those who were responsible for your imprisonment; and accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. Certainly, the joy of Joseph at the later end of his life, will be yours.

Eric testifies that he was depressed and down in prison, but he started reading God's Word. God put this poem in Eric's heart as he came to know God better. So, as he lays his head down at night, Eric knows that God is with him always!

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