Incarcerated – Beyond the Coupon to Grace

August 23, 2019
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For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. (Ephesians 2:8–9, ESV) Coupons. The currency inside incarceration. For those in positions of power, they represent the pathway to behavior modification. Tucked […]

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Incarcerated – The Dad Gap

August 9, 2019

39 times. All within the first 15 verses of the first chapter of the New Testament. 39 times. The beginning of the Gospel of Matthew, the beginning of the narrative about the life of Jesus… and in the first fifteen verses the word father appears 39 times. Fathers connect generations, history, legacy, destiny and identify. […]

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A Delay When it Seemed to Matter Most

August 2, 2019

Patience. Waiting. And not with toe tapping and clock watching. But resting in God’s sovereign timing. This is NOT an area of strength for me. In fact, there may be no more confession inducing activity in my life. Perhaps that’s why I empathize with the urgency, disappointment and subsequent frustration that’s expressed in the story […]

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When You Love a Prodigal

July 30, 2019

The title above represents a book project from Judy Douglass, my friend and trusted ally. Judy and Steve Douglass have been a part of Cru for many, many years (Judy partners with Steve in leading Cru). Judy has brilliantly and honestly walked a journey as the parent of a prodigal. In March, Judy asked me […]

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Incarcerated – The Wrap Up… for Now

June 28, 2019

Now the men who were holding Jesus in custody were mocking him as they beat him. (Luke 22:63, ESV) Incarcerated. Yes, Jesus was locked up. In custody. The Prince of Peace. The Creator of the Universe, shackled. For a night, Emmanuel behind bars. Then, as morning broke, the plot coalesced. Hatred pounded the gavel. Religious […]

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Incarcerated – Part 8

June 21, 2019
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Before Mark… Lisa. I met Lisa at a Youth For Christ event in Kansas City. Her story gripped my heart as she shared vividly what it was like to have her front door kicked in by the police who were there to arrest her thirteen-year-old son. That was over three years ago. It wasn’t until […]

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Incarcerated – Part 7

June 14, 2019
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“What is a Christian? The question can be answered in many ways, but the richest answer I know is that a Christian is one who has God for his Father.” I read these words, shortly after graduating from college in 1977. They were penned by J.I. Packer in his classic book, Knowing God. The beauty, […]

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Incarcerated – Part 6

June 7, 2019
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I’m not sure when I realized it… most likely in the morning of our second day. Perhaps it was birthed from the realization that we had a photo crew doing their best to chronicle the incarceration experience as accurately and authentically as possible, but at some point it dawned on me. No mirrors. But then […]

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Incarcerated – Part 5

May 31, 2019
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When our kids were little our end of day routine circled around a prayer time, followed by what we called “Happy Thoughts,” then a kiss good night. The “Happy Thoughts” happened as a result of our kids having difficulty falling asleep or being bothered with persistent worry about something. To combat this, we planted a […]

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Incarcerated – Part 4

May 24, 2019

February 7, 2010, immediately after the New Orleans Saints defeated the Indianapolis Colts in the Super Bowl, CBS launched a new series called Undercover Boss. It was an instant smash hit. The premise… each episode features a high-ranking executive or the owner of a corporation going undercover as an entry-level employee in his or her own […]

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