Spiritual Survival for Prison and Beyond - Second Edition

Contents

From Where I Sit: What It’s Like for Me When You’re Locked Up (Family Members of Inmates)

115 117 123

Being a Man, Being a Father

From Where I Sit (Tom Beatty, Head of the Malachi Dads Program)

6. Keeping It Going: Moving Beyond Survival Mode

127

Biggest Challenges and Frustrations

128 138 142 152 158 161 178 182

INTRODUCTION

Biggest Surprises and Joys

Prayer Life: Top Ten Things We’ve Learned

Prayers That Made a Difference Praying Your Own Prayers

Walk Like a Christian: 12 Steps Toward Thriving Spiritually

From Where I Sit (Dan, Former Inmate)

Inmates Share a Month’s Worth of Spiritual Advice

You still have time.

7. Surviving Spiritually Beyond Prison

190

You’re still breathing. Your heart is still beating. You’re a survivor . You’ve been through a lot, but somehow you’re still alive and kick- ing. And so is God. And that’s what counts. It doesn’t matter who you are. It doesn’t matter what you’ve done or failed to do. Seriously. It doesn’t matter if you’ve been pushing God and “spiritual stuff” away your whole life. Because you still have time. There’s still hope. Hope you can count on. Even now, right where you’re sitting and reading this. Even in the midst of the chaos around you. Maybe you’re thinking, I’d like to believe that, but I don’t want to be a fool or a phony. We know the feeling. We’ve all gone through that same struggle. And believe us when we say that none of us wants to play make-believe, either. That’s not what this book is about. Spiritual survival isn’t about faking it. If it was, we wouldn’t bother. We wouldn’t waste our time—or yours.

“What Happened When I Got Out”: Dan’s Story

191 194 202 204 209 218

Hope and Realistic Expectations Planning and Communicating

From Where I Sit: Preparing Yourself for Re-entry (Mary Johnson, Prison Fellowship)

Surviving Spiritually at the Speed of Life

From Where We Sit: Advice from Former Prisoners 8. Bible Studies for Inside and Out Alive Again: Prodigal Son, Prodigal Love Prisoners in the Bible: I Was in Prison Prisoners in the Bible: Cain and Abel Prisoners in the Bible: Joseph in Prison Prisoners in the Bible: Peter in Prison Prisoners in the Bible: Paul and Silas in Prison Prisoners in the Bible: Freedom for the Captives

220

224 230 236 242 246 252 258

Final Thoughts and a Prayer

262

4

5

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