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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Incarcerated – Part 3

May 17, 2019
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Within the first few minutes of arriving at the detention center, I was issued a fresh set of clothing. Light gray sweat pants and matching sweat shirt, a blue t-shirt (which all new residents wear), white boxer shorts, white socks and slip on sandals. Everything I came in with was gone. At that moment, you […]

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Incarcerated – Part 2

May 10, 2019
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I completely underestimated what would happen in 26 hours of incarceration. I invited this. At an important level, I wanted this. I just didn’t know what would happen. Most specifically, KB happened. I was clothed in the same clothes, but I was decades apart, more specifically, I was a lifetime apart. Perhaps that’s why my […]

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Incarcerated – Part 1

May 3, 2019

I sat across from Danny, a bright, young member of our team from Indianapolis. His eyes danced with joy and hope and confidence and a winsomeness that is nearly childlike. But Danny is no child. At least not by conventional definition. His pathway to our team twisted in directions that made an onramp to a […]

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What was she thinking? Seriously.

April 26, 2019

I’m sure we’ve all done it. You know, started a project or engaged in an activity only to realize very quickly that whatever tool or expertise or strength we brought into the situation was grossly overmatched. It makes me think about the 1975 movie, Jaws. A classic line in the movie is when Roy Scheider, […]

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