i left the Cooper County jail for the last time today

Some sat in darkness and deepest gloom, imprisoned in iron chains of misery. (Psalm 107:10)

I left the Cooper County jail for the last time today. The misery was strong tonight. One man was worried because his trial was tomorrow and he didn’t know what would happen. Another had been put in solitary because he had complained of physical problems. His friend in another cell block missed him and was alone for the first time in several months. The men he had been friends with had been sent to prison. Another was the brother of the man in solitary and he had been told nothing about his brother and was worried.

Then I went into the guard room. They were laughing about all of the things happening to the inmates. To them it was funny and the inmates’ own faults.

Whether it was or not I do not know. What I do know was that I knew these men better than the guards did. And they were in pain. And the guards didn't care.

Now these guys may have been lying to me every one. The inmates lie as a matter of course many times and you never really know if what they are saying is true. But some of these men I have known now for nine months and have heard their problems and their hearts. They are in there for drugs, rape, assault, DUI – but on the other hand, they are people. And they are just, for the most part, charged. They are not convicted. They deserve better.

I do not think I am strong enough for jail ministry. I know why the guards make such fun. they are distancing themselves from the inmates and making them less so that they can handle what they do. But it is such a small distance from that to brutality. And I hate brutality.

I will probably not go into the jail again. It hurt them that I was leaving. I am their only real link to the outside world. I wear brightly colored clothes and smell of freedom. I talk to them and call them by name. I shake their hands and ask about where they are from. I ask about their family and I talk to them. I ask what they think and I am the only person who does so. I am the only person in years for some who has expressed any personal interest.

And now I am gone. They will probably not see me again. One more disappointment,

Tonight I am depressed. I don’t think I will go in a jail again.

Visiting the Cooper County jail

Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’ “Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ “And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters,  you were doing it to me!’ (Matthew 25:34-40)

I am the Cooper County jail chaplain and visit the jail one night a week. I have even found that I am the only one out of the entire world (excluding guards) that they ever see one on one. everybody else they visit with through  glass on a phone. Me they can touch and shake hands with and talk to one on one. I listen to them and respond with comments and sympathy. I am a friendly face.

I really do not like jail work that much, but it is needed. Even though I have never been in trouble with the law, it always seems to fall to me. Someone has to be there to tell them that God loves them, that there is a way out of this misery beyond just a dismissal of charges. And I try to be that avenue to the grace of God.

When I go in, I try to tell them and show them that I care about them. one way is going to trial when they have their cases heard. They see me and know that I am there and the next time I see them, they will comment on it.

Today was court. I sat through several hours and only saw one guy. But several things came to me as I looked at the proceedings and the people that were there.

First was the amount of misery present. The cases are tawdry and it is a parade of foolish people. Drunk drivers, drug abusers and seller, bad checks, domestic assault, assault and battery – the list goes on. And none of the people on trial look like they are proud to be there.

Which comes to the second thing: the way people are dressed. The lawyers and the judge and personnel are all dressed in coats and ties. The accused are wearing all manner of foolish looking clothing. Women who are extremely overweight wear tight clothing, making them look elephantine  the guys wear torn clothing, t shirts with foolish messages, other stuff. Even though they are going before someone that will have to be swayed by their actions, they still will not dress in a way that is appropriate. It is kind of pathetic.

I recognize that the world in general is bent that way now – no rules as to dress – but still. They look awful and do not seem to care.

Third is the boredom of the judge and the lawyers. They have case after case of exactly the same thing with many of the same people day after day. In the TV show, Night Court, they covered this over with humor and making fun of stuff. But the boredom is real and it has to affect these people. They cannot see and participate in this misery day after day, year after year and just accept a paycheck. It has to impact them.

Another observation is the number of interracial couples. There seem to be a disproportionate amount there in court in trouble with the law. I do not see many interracial couples that are doing well. I am not against interracial marriages, but it seems that it tends to involved people who are lower on the economic scale.

Fifth is the size of the lawyers. Most of them are fat. I am not sure why, but it surprises me to see that many fat lawyers.

Last is the joy that those I am there for express when they see me sitting in the audience looking at them. They know there is someone who cares enough to put themselves out for them. there is no one else (or so they begin to think) that cares a fig for them and they are all alone. My presence, at least I am hoping, changes that.

I know in the long run it will not do much. I am not a fool. But it is something I can do. And when I do, I follow my Lord in his mandate.

daily java

Daily Java:

Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant (Galatians 6:7)

If you put your finger in an electrical plug, you will get shocked. If you eat poison you will die. If you stand on a train track and a train is coming you will get hit.

These are all facts of life and most people know them. On the news the other day a thief was cutting up electrical lines for the copper and they were still live. He died because he was stupid.

But people do the same thing all the time. They eat too much and then wonder why they are overweight. They drink too much and wonder why their livers get bad. they spend all their money on goofy things and wonder why they are broke. A guy hits his wife and wonders why she doesn’t like him. Someone doesn’t do anything and wonders why he is broke.

What we do determines what happens to us. If we do bad things, we ought not to be surprised that bad things happen to us.

On the other hand, when we do good things, good things happen to us. We are kind to people and they smile back. We give things to people who need them and people help us. We act in love to our wives or our children or our neighbors and they like us back.

If you rob a liquor store, you go to jail. If you kill someone, you get capital punishment. It may seem like you got away with it for a while, but chances are you will get caught. The jails are full of people who complain that they are there, but they really know why. They did something wrong and got caught.

But the reason they got caught was not because they were careless or had a friend tell on them or didn’t plan well enough. It was because they did something wrong.

Jesus did nothing wrong, never sinned, yet he died. He died so that when we were being punished, we could know that God loves us anyway. And he died so that God, though Jesus’ sacrifice, would be able to forgive us.

We still have to go to jail, or even be put to death. After all, we still have to pay for what we did wrong.

But God forgives us. And as long as we do what he says, we will not have those bad things happen to us.

In him we have real freedom.

daily java

Daily Java: (Written for the Real Freedom Jail Ministry in Cooper County, MO)

Greed causes fighting; trusting the Lord leads to prosperity. (Proverbs 28:25)

Everybody wants more stuff, no matter what they may say. If they say otherwise, they are full of baloney.

But how much do you want that stuff? Do you want it enough to steal or kill for it?

You want a new car, or new clothes. You don’t have the money. How do you get it? There are a few ways.

One of which is for someone rich to die and leave  you a lot of money. Chances are great that won’t happen.

Maybe you can find some money on the ground. No, probably not.

You can steal it from someone. That is not only not good but is illegal, so chances are great that you will get caught and be in jail. Maybe that is why you’re in here now.

If you steal the money, you usually have someone else that is helping you and it is easy to get into an argument with your helpers, your gang, your posse, whatever. You have to share with them in a fair way or they will be mad. And if one of them talks about what you have done, you are in jail again.

Or you can work for it. That is the hard one because it takes several things. One is that it takes a while in any job to save up money to get something. Unless you have all your food and clothing and rent and all taken care of, it will be a long time until you get any money saved up.

The second problem is that you always find something else you want too and you buy that. Then you don’t have any money again and have to start over.

But working for it does something the other two do not do. You feel like someone good because you worked hard for this money and you can buy whatever you want with it. There is pride in doing something yourself.

And that pride, if you keep on doing those good things, will bring prosperity. You will do well.

Otherwise you fight with others over the money you take, you fight with yourself because you feel like junk, you sure fight with the law, the DA, other inmates.

Sometimes, no matter how great something may be, it isn’t worth it unless you do the right thing.

daily java

Daily Java:

Then Judas and Silas, both being prophets, spoke at length to the believers, encouraging and strengthening their faith. (Acts 15:32)

I was preaching tonight in a way I haven’t for a long time.

I went to the jail and visited with the inmates for a while. I usually spend about thirty minutes in each pod (those are what they call the small cell blocks – open areas with a metal table and seats and a TV). There are three pods and each pod has between two and seven rooms with double cots. The inmates – unless they are locked down in their rooms for some infraction – congregate in the open areas to talk, play cards or watch TV.

I have been going for a little over a month now, just getting to know them and talking about their problems, taking my time. Some have been there for a long time, some just for a couple of days. Some are gone when I get there that were there last week and I never see them again. One I saw on the street yesterday and he hugged me. I sometimes wonder if I do anything constructive when I go.

In Pod C tonight, one of the inmates asked what Passover was. I suppose that it surprised me since I have known about Passover for my whole life in one way or another. I told them the story of Moses leading the Israelites out of Egypt. I also told them that it was Passover that Jesus was celebrating when he instituted the Last Supper.

They asked about that and I told them how he took bread and wine and told his apostles that remembering him would be a simple thing. No fancy clothes or buildings or dishes – just bread and drink.

We talked a little more about Easter and then I got ready to leave. One of the guys was looking at my Bible (a paper back NLT Bible – we had bought a case the other day) and I asked him if he needed one. he said yes.

I went to the “bubble”, what they call the main control area where the guards are, and asked if I could leave it with him. They were agreeable. In fact, these are the most agreeable guards I have ever been around.

I went back to the pod and gave it to him, inscribing it with his name, my name and the church here in Boonville I was with. He was glad.

Another guy said he wanted one too if it were possible. I told him I would bring it next week and I left.

Probably about twelve to fifteen guys altogether. Thirty minutes in each section with a couple more in one more room where one man is by himself due to medical problems.

I have never really liked going into jails. There is a lot of misery and unhappiness there and it affects me. but tonight, we talked about Easter and the Last Supper and I liked it.

It made the whole thing feel like I was accomplishing something.

daily java

Daily Java:

One day as we were going down to the place of prayer, we met a demon-possessed slave girl. She was a fortune-teller who earned a lot of money for her masters. She followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God, and they have come to tell you how to be saved.” This went on day after day until Paul got so exasperated that he turned and said to the demon within her, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And instantly it left her. Her masters’ hopes of wealth were now shattered, so they grabbed Paul and Silas and dragged them before the authorities at the marketplace. “The whole city is in an uproar because of these Jews!” they shouted to the city officials. “They are teaching customs that are illegal for us Romans to practice.” A mob quickly formed against Paul and Silas, and the city officials ordered them stripped and beaten with wooden rods. They were severely beaten, and then they were thrown into prison. The jailer was ordered to make sure they didn’t escape. So the jailer put them into the inner dungeon and clamped their feet in the stocks. (Acts 16:16-24)

Sometimes things you think are good backfire on you.

This woman was following along behind Paul and Silas proclaiming them to be from God. The only problem was, she was demon-possessed and she was the last person they wanted to have advertising for her.

It would be the same as having convicted felons handing out advertisements for you as you ran for office. They are not the people you want to be identified with.

It makes you wonder why she did this. The demon side of her would not want the gospel of Jesus to be preached. Maybe that was why she did it: just to spite the apostles, knowing how they would hate it, having a demon advertise for them.

Maybe the human side came out and she thought that if she would make enough fuss, maybe the apostles could do something to free her. She would, of course, not want to have this thing in her.

Whatever the reason behind what she did, two things were accomplished. One was that the woman was set free from her demonic tormentor and two, Paul and Silas fell into a world of hurt.

The smallest thing can lead to ramifications like you wouldn’t believe. You help a stranded motorist on a lonely road and they end up robbing you. You give some money to a street person and then you get in a real emergency and need it. You give away an extra guitar and then yours breaks and you need it.

Paul did something that was a combination help thing/get off my back thing when he delivered this woman of her demon possession. He helped her and he got her to shut up about him.

But it backfired. Her owners/keepers/masters made a lot of money off her fortune telling abilities that came with that demon possession. When Paul healed her, he took that money – a lot of money the text says – away from them and they were mad. They trumped up some charges against him and had them whipped and jailed.

You wonder what Paul thought the next time something like this happened. That deliverance from demon possession was the catalyst that caused him to be whipped and jailed. A favor gone bad.

But ultimately, he probably – it doesn’t say so, but I would imagine – brought this girl to Jesus. And later on, he also brought the jailer and his family to Jesus. Good things came of this.

But that is a rough way to evangelize.