take 2: december 24th – inside/out

Hi Sweetheart,

It’s just after dinner on Thursday evening.  I’m inventorying my books that came today.  Some great titles.  When God, When by Joyce Meyer, The Five Love Languages – Men’s Edition by Gary Chapman, The Power of a Praying Husband by Stormie Omartian, Life Lessons with Max Lucado – Study on Revelation, Just Like Jesus, In the Grip of Grace, He Still Moves Stones all by Max Lucado, Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis.

The one that I am most excited by is the Gary Chapman book.  The line that excites me, which is located midway down on the front cover says, “How to Express Heartfelt Commitment to Your Mate.”  I’ll be digging into that book tonight!

Since I don’t think you will receive this by Christmas, I hope you enjoy your new purse, spa certificate and items for pampering yourself.

What a blessing to receive all those gifts from Michele’s work.  What a surprise!  God has been so busy behind the scenes orchestrating all of this.  I thank God for the faithfulness of His people.  We probably have more gifts than if I were there…God is amazing!  He is so caring that He knew I needed to know that you guys were taken care of.  This is definitely evidence that He is showering blessings upon us.

I have been struggling to write the last paragraph or so due to David’s non-stop chatteirng.  IT DOES NOT STOP!  I don’t think I can remember what silence sounds like.  I’d even be happy with 30 seconds of silence in between the record length monologues…maybe for Christmas.  Alright, I’m done venting.  Thank you for listening.  I know that we all have our struggles and that I should really choose a better attitude.  Things can always be worse…like the cellie I had three years ago who was manic and MPD with no meds for 20 days.  Wow, what a memory.  I guess I really need to count my blessings.

Another story to share.  I might have mentioned this guys name before.  He goes by “Pomona” and has spent three years in a Victory Outreach program.  He fell away from what he knew, from what he had learned in the program and wound up in here.  So he has approached me on a couple of occasions to discuss the Bible.  During the discussion he mentioned that he loves to read in the morning with a cup of coffee.  I also noticed that on commissary he never gets anything…which means he has no money on his books.  So last week I bought him a bag of coffee.  When I handed it to him I said, “This is for you and your morning study of God’s Word.”  He was blown away, kept asking me if I was serious.  I told him that God had blessed me with that money and that He was directing me to pass the blessing along.  I could tell that this small act impacted him profoundly.  Again, God providing for those who love Him through the obedience of His people.  Pomona and I talk now daily and I’m blessed that God has allowed me to particiapte in his growth.  What a privilege!

I also had Youseff come and sit down at my table and ask me, “How do you read the Bible everyday?…to me I lose interest and get bored quickly.”  If you knew Youseff, you would know how huge it was for him to come and talk to me.  He’s on meds for anti-social behavior and stays in his cell all day to keep himself from getting in trouble.  So here he is, sitting next to me.  I shared with him the excitement of being ransomed from death by Christ’s blood and the hope that comes from knowing Him.  We are “saved by grace through faith,” nothing that we have done or could ever do to attain it on our own.  It is a gift from Him!  He looked at me and said, “Well, I know you’re excited, but I just can’t get that way.”  We wound up talking for probably an hour as God softened his heart and spoke through me.  He really didn’t know Jesus, at least not in a personal way.  No wonder the Bible reading was flat.  I told him about the three D’s of Bible reading, as told to me by Jim.  Desire to read it, discipline to do it daily, and delight as He starts to reveal things to you and speak through his Word.  I think this hit home because his face lit up and he nodded in the affirmative, as if he was telling me, “that makes sense.”  I need to check back with him to see how it’s going.  He is just not as easy to monitor progress on because he does not participate in the Bible Study.  I am also praying for that to change.

I’ll write more later.  I’ll be seeing you tomorrow…Hooray!!

I love you, Scott

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