The guys in my jail Bible discussion group were looking at what life outside of jail might be like as they followed Jesus. After weeks of finding out about God’s grace in the Bible, they were looking forward to the upside of that life. 

Lucy died without family present. Her church family visited her faithfully, but they weren’t aware when she passed away. Yet, Lucy didn’t die alone. God had promised her, “Never will I leave you. Never will I forsake you.”

“Are you sleeping? Are you sleeping, brother John?” So sings a nursery song. Now the question is: are we sleeping physically and spiritually? I once thought I could stay awake while driving home. Halfway into a ditch I woke up and avoided a crash. Thinking we can rely on ourselves to stay awake spiritually is also dangerous. Spiritual sleep can creep up on us when we stay away from Jesus’ saving words. 

Most of the women that I see in the jails are Moms. I feel blessed that I have that in common with them. I have seen women that have had children while in jail. I have walked through the pregnancy with them. I have seen them in pain on a thin jail mattress (at times they will get two). 

The older lady looked tired. Admittedly, she had experienced several painful events in her life — a “series of downfalls” as she put it. “I just want to forget about all of this and move forward,” she said. I understood where she was coming from.

The phone call was unexpected, asking if I could report to a location we don’t usually serve. A husband was lost to suicide.