An Inmate’s Plea for Understanding
By Carl Misner, Lansing Correctional Facility, KS, USA
Let mutual love continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it. Remember those who are in prison, as though you were in prison with them; those who are being tortured, as though you yourselves were being tortured. Keep your lives free from the love of money, and be content with what you have; for God has said, “I will never leave you or forsake you.” So we can say with confidence, “God is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can anyone do to me?” —Hebrews 13:1–3, 5–6 NRSV adapted
Selma, Birmingham, Montgomery
To a man raised on the periphery
These places don’t hold the same emotion
Struggle and sacrifice made by devotion
Sheltered in my youth
Shielded from the truth
Gone to a school divided
Served in an army united
Malcolm and Parks and King
I know the names, not the sting
The battles fought, the cost in lives
The freedoms won, and who survives
I bought into the rhetoric
Blinded like a cynic
I know not all I should
Teach me all you would
Locked behind the prison fence
What I see finally makes sense
Watching a world I never knew
Shamefully, I didn’t care to
Teach me, show me
Help me be a better man
Guide me, beside me
Help me understand
Prayer for Peace
Compassionate and Forgiving God, help us put ourselves in the place of the lost and lonely. Clear our eyes to see them as you see them, to love them as you do. Clear our shallow agendas to make room for visiting and bringing peace.
Spiritual Practice: Develop Disciples to Serve
As disciples of Jesus Christ, our call is to respond to people and their needs. Pray about using your skills to help the mission of the community. As you feel affirmed, thank God for the opportunity to be a responding, serving disciple while you move on the outward journey.
Peace Covenant
Today, God, I will explore becoming a pen pal for a prisoner or someone far from home.
