Stand with Charlottesville: Vigil for Charlotesville and Against Hate, Sun. Aug. 13th, 6 pm, McLevy Green, Bridgeport, CT

Stand with Charlottesville

Connecticut

#StandingUpforJustice

 __________

We are Attending this Vigil in Solidarity 

Sunday, August 13, 2017, 6 pm

McLevy Green, 

177 State Street

Bridgeport, Connecticut 

The Nantucket Presents: Down & Out in Greenwich: An Insider's View of Prison and the Road back to the Boardroom

 

Presents:

Down and Out in Greenwich: 

An insider's view of prison and the road back to the boardroom - with Jeff Grant

Greenwich, CT - (June 20, 2017) - It happens more than you imagine. A high-flying executive makes a fateful decision and winds up in legal trouble. He’s sentenced to time in prison and his life and the lives of his family are shattered. 
 

Next week, The Nantucket Project presents Down & Out in Greenwich: An Insider's View of Prison and the Road Back to the Boardroom. On Tuesday, June 27 at 7:00 PM, Jeff Grant will share his story about prison life and his difficult road back to life after incarceration. TNP Library, 123 Mason Street, Greenwich. Grant was a Main-Stage Presenter at The Nantucket Project in 2013.

In Grant’s personal account, the audience will hear full details about a few poor decisions, what life is like in prison, and how one man has been able to successfully navigate a course to become

the first person in the country, who was incarcerated for a white-collar crime, to be named the head of a major criminal justice nonprofit. He has methodically rebuilt his

life, personally and professionally, and was recently named the Executive Director of Family ReEntry, a nonprofit leader that supports families affected by the criminal justice system. He has been the subject of articles in regional and national media and has received numerous business and service awards.

Grant said, “I want my story to be a cautionary tale, but I also want anyone affected by the criminal justice system to know that there is hope and help after prison.” "I am grateful to The Nantucket Project for its support and leadership in justice reform."

 

Currently, there are over 2.3 million people incarcerated in the United States and over 70 million with criminal records. Nearly 11,000 individuals will be released in Connecticut this year. "It is vital that we reach these individuals at critical junctures in their lives and provide them with enough support so that they can have every
opportunity to achieve, learn and grow as citizens who are not forced to return to the kind of activity that caused them to be incarcerated in the first place," said Grant. 

To learn more about attending the upcoming presentation at The Nantucket Project,
https://nantucketproject.regfox.com/jeff-grant-tnp-library-event

About The Nantucket Project: Led by co-founders Tom Scott (who also created Nantucket Nectars and the HBO television series "The Neistat Brothers") and Kate Brosnan, TNP brings live events, short documentary films, and meaningful storytelling to audiences hungry to know what matters in our noisy and messy world. Past presenters have included Tony Blair, Steve Wozniak, Deepak Chopra, Hope Solo, Norman Lear, Christy Turlington Burns, Mellody Hobson, Neil Young, Seth Godin, Eve Ensler, Julie Taymor and Paul Giamatti. Visit https://www.nantucketproject.com/ to learn more.

More about Family ReEntry:

Family ReEntry is a 501c3 nonprofit, which was founded in 1984 as a reentry support group for men at the Isaiah House in Bridgeport. It has since grown to include policy advocacy, and intervention, prevention, in-prison, reentry, fatherhood and youth & family programs. Over the past 33 years, effective advocacy efforts and community-based programs developed by Family ReEntry have significantly reduced the likelihood that clients will re-offend, be re-arrested, or be re-incarcerated. Its programs provide a spectrum of services designed to disrupt the intergenerational cycle of incarceration. Family ReEntry addresses the specific needs of each client and their families through individualized case management and support services. It works to create a positive social network for each client, helping make their transition from prison back into the community a successful, self-sufficient one, while strengthening their families and the community. Family ReEntry operates its programs in strategic locations that encompass eight municipal regions and judicial geographic areas, two parole districts and five prisons. Approximately, sixty-percent of those served by Family ReEntry are from greater Bridgeport – Connecticut’s largest city. The organization has offices in Bridgeport, Norwalk and New Haven, CT. Programs are also held in Stamford, Waterbury, Derby, New London and Norwich, CT. More information is available at www.FamilyReEntry.org and on its social media including, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram and YouTube 

Inside the Heart of a White-Collar Criminal, by Will U. Lystn - Guest Blogger

Prisonist.org: Faith & Dignity 
for the Days Ahead
Blogs, Guest Blogs & News

Inside the Heart of a 

White-Collar Criminal

by, Will U. Lystn - Guest Blogger

The author writes about the gratitude 

he feels on his third anniversary 

home from prison. 

He is a member of our 

confidential online Tuesday evening 

White-Collar/Nonviolent Support Group

_____________

Today is an anniversary of sorts: it is 3 years ago to about this very moment when I began the process of exiting that awful and woeful place. Three years ago, right @ this very moment, I found myself:

·         Saying goodbyes to the kind men that were to soon be left behind
·         Giving away the last of my personal items to those in deepest of need
·         Hugging and sharing both this moment of celebration for me and condolences for those not yet ready to gain access to the freedom tarmac
·         Walking up that paved incline happily for the final time and this time, turning and heading towards the outside of the orientation and processing center
·         Sitting patiently and waiting for the prison official to give me the time of day
·         Exchanging my clothes and getting my own clothes back---and then putting them on
·         Waiting for my get-away vehicle
·         Climbing into that cold van and making small talk with the inmate driver
·         Winding down that serpentine road and heading to the exit
·         Waiting patiently for the cab to arrive that would whisk me away to freedom
·         Getting into that cab and nearly breaking in two
·         Closing my eyes and asking the cabbie to speed away @ light-speed
·         Asking him to not judge me, closing my eyes and asking him to let me know when the misery was no longer visible in his rearview mirror (he told me that others asked the same thing many times over)
·         Opening my eyes and seeing the brightness of the morning sun and the fresh vistas of mountains that rose like earthen diamonds on the horizon. Earthen diamonds that represented scalable freedoms yet to be discovered and conquered
·         Drop off at the airport and clinging to my little ditty-bag and wondering if I looked suspicious
·         Purchasing with my prison-issued debit card my first tastes of freedom-laced foods
·         Boarding the plane and heading to my home…wondering what this might look like and if it would welcome or repel me
·         Taking off and vowing never—ever to head that way again
·         Landing @ LAX and watching in wonder as the people milled about in such ease and with such unfiltered awareness of their luck and fortune to be so free
·         Boarding the small commuter plane that would take me back to my home
·         Watching out the window as we passed by Anytown, USA and seeing where my house sat and marveling that once again I was ‘home’
·         Greeting my wife and realizing this was going to take a while to heal the wound that I created
·         The Drop Off @ The Half-Way House: that was tough and the 30 + days there were not pleasant by any stretch of the imagination
·         Coming Home: that day I exited incarceration and found my way back to my house
·         Chico and My Homecoming: opening the door and there to greet me: Chico!
·         In the Middle of The Floor: there I sat, in the middle of the floor sobbing and hugging Chico

More…so much more. But that is pretty darned close. Wow! Three full turns of the calendar and I am still nowhere near to that province I thought would easily reappear: ‘recovered’. I mean nowhere near.

Struggles and Challenges Abound:
The struggles and challenges abound. There are plenty of days when I feel overwhelmed and ostracized. But I would NEVER, as in EVER want to head back to that literal bondage.

The smell, taste and deep-pleasures of freedom way supersede and repress the powers of that awful and woeful place.

Freedom = home + courage + capabilities to try again + tiny victories + 10-S! + Family and time with my wife and kids and grandson + friendships rekindled + opportunities to speak and teach and write and broadcast + leadership leanings + this general sense of well-being.

I am home. I never take this lightly. I never approach this, or my relationships, or my sobriety or my intellect with a casual callousness. I am Uber aware that life can snatch these bounties and blessings and special moments from us, ‘in the twinkling of an eye’.

Like the speed of flight from which a bat exits the deep chasms of hell, life can turn on you. And the fact that I get a 2nd and 3rd and 4th chance = pure and lasting amazing grace.

From Collared to White Collar, by Monsignor Joseph Ciccone - Guest Blogger

Prisonist.org: Faith & Dignity 
for the Days Ahead
Blogs, Guest Blogs & News

From Collared to White Collar

by Monsignor Joseph Ciccone 

- Guest Blogger

This past Sunday, was the 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time in the Christian Calendar. I celebrated Mass with my White Roman Clerical Collar on.  However, it was anything but an ordinary time.  

The Mass was the ancient Catholic Rite ordaining one to the Diaconate, a call to serve your fellow humans in the most humbling way.  A call to wash the feet of those in need, those who are broken, who are in the margins, those who have sinned and hope to find forgiveness, redemption, and salvation.  The place was Saint Joseph Mission Church, the newest addition to the United State Old Catholic Church movement.  A part or level of Catholic tradition (there are three; Roman, Old, and Orthodox), that differs only in the doctrine of fallibility of Papal authority.  Meaning, we believe that everyone is capable of making a mistake, even the Pope.

The newest Deacon was my classmate from Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York, Jeff Grant. The Presiding Bishop Edmund Cass, would lay hands on Jeff, as he lies facedown prostrate upon the cold stone floor in front of the Altar.  I, a Priest now for only over a year, after the having completed 7 years of seminary training and formation, would assist in the miracle happening in a church full of friends, family, and believers.  I would swing the heavy brass Censer with the gothic aroma of frankincense smoke billowing to the heavens over the Altar, the Bishop, and my friend Jeff, who was in deep prayer and I am sure reflection on the ritual that was happening before us all and hoping God is calling him to do something great.

Jeff and I have a great deal in common, we both started

Seminary much later in life. We both had major careers before that, advanced degrees, and reached the pinnacle of success. Both of us focused our life work within the Criminal Justice System, Jeff a prominent Attorney, and myself a beat cop that rose to the top as Sheriff of one of the largest counties in New Jersey.  

Also, we both share another common event, we both made one small mistake in our lives, and because of that mistake found ourselves on the opposite side on the Criminal Justice System.  We are among the nearly 70 million people in America who find themselves sentenced to life as convicted criminals and are forever changed, stigmatized, and often shunned.

Both Jeff and I now, nearly 16 years later, have come to see and recognize the great challenges, problems, and most of all the tremendous inequity that is within the criminal justice, the correctional system and even the system of organized religion. The need for criminal justice reform and even religious reform on every level is long overdue. We need only turn on the nightly news to see the great divide between police, clergy and community. Not upper middle class communities, but communities of color, the inequity and mistreatment of women, Latinos, LGBTQ, those with special needs, and all other minorities being “not” represented in the Criminal Justice System or being treated more harshly within the walls of our overcrowded and differential correctional institutions, or being left out or denied access to practices of faith, worship, and liturgy.

I do believe that most cops and clergy go to work every day, trying to make the world better. But I also believe that reform, more education, and sensitivity training are long overdue.  I also believe, that we as a society need to recognize the need for reform of ourselves, to be better than we are, to be more forgiving, more understanding, and more than we can even expect from ourselves.  

The United States Old Catholic Church and the Saint Joseph Mission is a call to share the Gospel with ALL people, to affirm and celebrate our diversity and embrace our difference, and most of all to welcome and forgive those who have fallen, have made a mistake, or who are broken.  Our hope, prayer and goal is to not only forgive, but to empower, to raise up, and help those who have fallen to stand tall once again!

From this past Sunday in ordinary time, my brother in faith, Rev. Jeff Grant and I will now try to do the extraordinary. 
We have been given a second chance by God to make the Church, government, and even the police better than they are. 

Jeff as a lawyer and me as a cop, were once called to save lives, now we are called to save souls. We are being called to help shed light on the darkness that is so prevalent in the world in the mistreatments and lack of fairness that exists in the Church, Criminal Justice and Correctional System.  We are going to try to show the importance of giving people a second chance, of offering forgiveness and redemption.  In changing that life sentence of stigma and being cast out to a life sentence of service, love, and grace. We are going to try to do the extraordinary.  

Keep us in your prayers we could use all the help we can get - and if you want to join us, just reach out!

Blessings, Fr. Joe
 

Rev. Monsignor Joseph Ciccone, Ed.D., M.Div.
Saint Joseph Mission Church
Email - stjosephmissionchurch@gmail.com
Parish Office -201-754-4GOD
Blessed are the Peacemakers who bring GOD to the People!
Visit us at ~ http://www.saintjosephmissionchurch.org
To learn more about the Old Catholic Church, please visit: https://srocc.org

_____________

Donations

We are grateful for all donations this past year to our Ministries. These donations enable us to grow, reach out and serve this community for which there is far too little understanding, compassion, empathy and accurate information.  Progressive Prison Ministries, Inc. is a CT Religious Corp. with 501c3 status -

all donations are tax deductible to the extent permitted by law. We hope you will consider making a donation to our appeal this year.  Donations can be made by credit card/PayPal here, at the "Donate" button on on our site, prisonist.org or by sending your check payable to: "Progressive Prison Ministries, Inc." P.O. Box 1232, Weston, Connecticut 06883.  We have enclosed an addressed envelope for your use. Thank you.

__________ 

 

If you, a friend or a family member are experiencing a white-collar or nonviolent incarceration issue, please contact us and we will promptly send you an information package by mail, email or via Dropbox.

The darkest days of a person's life can be a

time of renewal and hope

____________

Progressive Prison Ministries, Inc.

Rev. Deacon Jeff Grant, JD, M Div, Director
jgrant@prisonist.org
(o) 203-769-1096
(m) 203-339-5887
Twitter
Facebook
Linked In
Pinterest
Google+

Tumblr

Lynn Springer, Founding Advocate, Innocent Spouse & Children Project
lspringer@prisonist.org

(203) 536-5508

Rev. Monsignor Joseph Ciccone, Ed D, M Div
Supervising Minister
stjosephmissionchurch@gmail.com
(201) 982-2206

Jacqueline Polverari, MBA, MSW, Advocate
Women's Incarceration Issues
jpolverari@prisonist.org
(203) 671-5139

George Bresnan, Advocate, Ex-Pats
gbresnan@prisonist.org
(203) 609-5088

Jim Gabal, Development
jgabal@prisonist.org
(203) 858-2865

Babz Rawls Ivy, Media Contact
mediababz@gmail.com
(203) 645-9278   

Surviving a "Max" Prison, by Lee Gutierrez - Guest Blogger

Prisonist.org: Faith & Dignity 
for the Days Ahead
Blogs, Guest Blogs & News 

 

 

Surviving a "Max" Prison

 

By Lee Gutierrez - Guest Blogger

 

 

 

STARTING, prison with a "MAX" classification. Placed me in one of the most aggressive and hostile environments created by man. A maximum security facility is where isolation and punishment is the "norm." The officers go out of their way to de-humanize the inmate, by a heightened atmosphere of constant fear.  Using offensive insults, relentless disrespect and threat of violent abuse.  All in hope of getting a reaction, a chance for a mob of officers to put "boots and batons" to work. Shock and awe are the intent. The results are swollen faces, broken bones and sometimes death. 

 

This atmosphere of hate breeds more hate. The average inmate who has made bad decisions or wrong choices, but with no violent streak within, is conditioned to be violent. He loses his trust of people, thinks everyone is out to get him, becoming aggressive in nature. Their desperation and survival instincts take over stripping them of their humanity. 

 

This mutation of character is something I strain to prevent from seeping in and infecting my soul. I pray that this horrific experience can be left behind, discarded as a defective shell to be forgotten.  

 

I have always believed in the God of my parents. Having been raised Catholic, my higher power is a loving power.  He shows me how to have compassion for others, fairness in judging with patience and clarity when reacting to potentially violent conflict.  He is not a mystery to me. I accept that the path of Jesus is the way to a fulfilling life. What I didn't have was a personal relationship with Him. I never attempted a direct conversation or used His strength or His love to protect me. 

 

In the last two years I believe I have been shown signs. Symbolism of how people react to this menacing environment.  I've witnessed nature, more specifically, birds that have been trapped in our environment. One particular event that has affected me, I will share with you.

 

IN THIS MAX, we are given one hour of recreation. If we have no programs to attend we will spend up to twenty-two hours in your cell each day. So most inmates take advantage of that hour. In snow, rain, at night or in one hundred degree heat, we are in the courtyard. The courtyard, or "yard," is the typical reference for the area in the center of the compound surrounded by thirty-foot brick wall. On top of the walls there is a three-foot mesh fence. The perimeter of that fence is topped with thirty-inch diameter of concertine (razor) wire.  A turret stands high on the east side of the yard with eager snipers ready to "lock and load." 

 

The real estate is divided by imaginary lines, segregating the various cultures and groups. The Latinos are near the handball courts, the LGBT congregate under the east side TV, the white dudes hang at the north side tables. What appear to be gang oriented folks are by the tables on the northwest corner. The common ground is the west side where telephone banks stretch along and the south is the weight pit with the "sports" TV just north. The boundaries are cut and dry.  Where exactly I fit in was the million dollar question. As an American with no real "street smarts," I felt like an enigma. The various leaders of each territory didn't know what to make of me. I was an island in hostile waters. 

 

Taking the advice from an acquaintance whom I met in A.A. prior to starting prison, his advice was to not stand still.  He told me not to hang with one group or the other.  He had been incarcerated and had learned this lesson the hard way. He explained that is was better to simply walk the perimeter of the yard, jog, even run and avoid people that would try to stop and talk to me. Their intentions are to hustle me, or worse. The expression he used was "to be motorcycle." 

 

He said, traveling alone will show strength without having to prove myself. Most men are there just doing their time and want out. After a few months I will see who is real, who is a creep, and who is dangerous. He told me that eventually my motorcycle will turn into a car. He said that I will walk with people whose minds think alike.  I took his advice and for the most part it worked. I must remember to tank him when next we meet. 

 

THE EVENT.  Sometime in early November 2013, I was still in motorcycle mode.  My routine of cross-training include exercises such as shoulder dips, pull up bar and wide base push ups. The day was blustery, wind bursts came from the north side driving through the yard, smashing against the (thirty-foot) wall creating a vertical jet stream. I noticed all types of birds playing in the jet stream dive bombing, chasing other birds as if at playing chicken.  Seagulls from the Hudson River were the most daring, scraping along the wall, pulling up and away just before the menacing concertine wire. 

 

While jogging the perimeter, I heard a tinny bang, then high pitch squawks. Turning towards the direction of the noise I saw a frightening view. A pigeon was caught in the concertine wire, flapping its wings. A seagull was hanging a few feet from the captured pigeon, the gull's wing embedded in the wire; the more it struggled to free itself the more damage it was causing. His bright grey feathers over its wing started to spill red. 

 

I gathered from what the inmates who were directly under the birds screamed that the birds collided in mid-air, bouncing into the wire. The scene became a magnet, attracting people from each group. Watching both birds struggle was like spilling blood in the water - a shark frenzy was gathering. 

 

Trying to act indifferent to the situation, I pushed through my urge to stare at this violent spectacle. As I looped around with each lap, the mob grew.  No longer able to resist my morbid instinct, I went back. I couldn't divert my eyes. For the first ten minutes both pigeon and seagull frantically fought their capture The pigeon inside the circular concertine wire attempting, slapping the top of its wings under the razor, catching, pulling, tearing feathers, going nowhere, gaining no altitude. The seagull was worse off, it had lost its footing, its weight driving the razor deeper into its wing. After a few moments, the C.O.s called, "Rec is over.  Line Up!" The yard closed. Leaving the yard with no spectators to see the fate of the birds. 

 

The next day at Rec having started my workout, I forgot the event from the day before.  Thirsty form my run, I went to the water fountain to quench my thirst.  Looking up the seagull popped into view, hanging from its wing motionless.  Its poor wing had been hyper-extended and was covered in red. Head and body pointing doenward, it was apparent that its wing had snapped. It must have suffered for hours. 

 

To my astonishment, the pigeon was perched right where it was left and was now standing in the wire perfectly still. It had amazingly survived its capture. It appeared calm. Continuing my laps I couldn't help but notice that the pigeon would bob its head left - and then right - as if looking for a way out. Near the end of Rec I noticed that the bird, no longer caged in the wire, was perched on the rooftop. The bird had taken a simple leap of faith forward and was free. Still, it sat on the rooftop not moving. I think it did not realize that it was free from capture, that it was free to fly away. After a few moments, it began limping; apparently its feet had been injured. All of a sudden it spread its wings.  Flapping like a drunken sailor it took off, flying to and fro, getting its bearings. Finally, the pigeon darted away in a straight line.  Away. Away, blending into the vista. Then POOF -it was gone. 

 

TO THIS DAY, I still carry the image of these birds embedded in memory.  The wonderment of of these creatures, God's creatures and how fate played out for them. Two different species thrown into a hostile environment. Both seemed doomed to suffer a long painful end. How can it be that one suffered and died a miserable death, and the other suffered but survived? Not only survive, but had the strength to shake off its misery and continue its life with peace in its natural surroundings? 

 

For me, the answer must be God. He truly works in mysterious ways. 

 

This event  has helped me make sense of how to survive and even thrive while incarcerated. During my time in a Max, I witnessed both seagull and pigeon. There was the inmate (seagull) who refused to to give up his way of thinking. He resists conforming to a peaceful, less aggressive way of dealing with life. Like the gull, he chases what he thinks is valuable to him, with no care for the consequences. Even when caught, convicted and incarcerated, he continues to think he has control over his environment.  He takes chances, hustles other inmates, steals and extorts. He risks his life by pushing back on the officers when he is disrespected. As he seagull does, this inmate fights the system lashing out as hard as he can, refusing to accept and surrender his will to his higher power. He remains broken, won't change, he and others will die. 

THANKS TO GOD, the other inmate does as the pigeon does, even having lived a life of chaos, chasing what he desires, not thinking of the consequences. But once he realizes that he is captive, he sits quietly rethinking how he might respond in his new, more aggressive environment. He accepts the consequences of his actions and patiently waits to be released.  He takes this leap of faith. 

 

A Note from the Author: 

 

I would like to thank you for taking the time to read my message. My goal is to help the next person, by sharing my incarceration and redemption journey. I've opened my heart and mond to my Higher Power. If you allow yourself the gift of God in your life, you will NEVER be alone.

 

Please let me know your thoughts. If you have any experience you are willing to share with me, please write. Let us start a dialogue in which we can help each other get through the tough times, and spread hope to the hopeless. 

 

Lee's current address:

German (Lee) Gutierrez

DIN: 13-A-4313

Woodbourne C.F.

P.O. Box 1000

Woodbourne, NY 12788

 

_____________

Donations

We are grateful for all donations this past year to our Ministries. These donations enable us to grow, reach out and serve this community for which there is far too little understanding, compassion, empathy and accurate information.  Progressive Prison Ministries, Inc. is a CT Religious Corp. with 501c3 status -

all donations are tax deductible to the extent permitted by law. We hope you will consider making a donation to our appeal this year.  Donations can be made by credit card/PayPal here, at the "Donate" button on on our site, prisonist.org or by sending your check payable to: "Progressive Prison Ministries, Inc." P.O. Box 1232, Weston, Connecticut 06883.  We have enclosed an addressed envelope for your use. Thank you.

__________ 

 

If you, a friend or a family member are experiencing a white-collar or nonviolent incarceration issue, please contact us and we will promptly send you an information package by mail, email or via Dropbox.

The darkest days of a person's life can be a

time of renewal and hope

____________

Progressive Prison Project/  

Innocent Spouse & Children Project

Rev. Jeff Grant, JD, M Div, Minister/Director
jgrant@prisonist.org
(o) 203-769-1096
(m) 203-339-5887
Twitter
Facebook
Linked In
Pinterest
Google+

Tumblr

Lynn Springer, Founding Advocate, Innocent Spouse & Children Project
lspringer@prisonist.org

(203) 536-5508

George Bresnan, Advocate, Ex-Pats
gbresnan@prisonist.org
(203) 609-5088

Jim Gabal, Development
jgabal@prisonist.org
(203) 858-2865

Babz Rawls Ivy, Media Contact
mediababz@gmail.com

 

 

 

Truth or Consequences: Finding Faith After White-Collar Crime, by John R. Haeffele - Guest Blogger

Prisonist.org: Faith & Dignity 
for the Days Ahead
Blogs, Guest Blogs & News

Truth or Consequences:

Finding Faith After White-Collar Crime

By  John R. Haeffele - Guest Blogger

We met John online and invited him 
to write about his powerful faith 
journey for prisonist.org.

On the morning of May 26, 2011, I walked into a courtroom for what I believed to be a sentencing to determine the amount of restitution I owed as a first-time offender for a white collar crime. The day ended with my immediate incarceration in the county jail. The judge ordered me to spend my two year sentence in the least restrictive facility as close to my family as possible. Instead I was sent 750 miles from home to a high security prison where I would spend a year, much of the time locked in a 6 x 10 cell.

I had been a Christian most of my life. Trouble started when I began living half in the world the other half in the Word. The half in the world was an open invitation for the devil to come in.

In the story about Jesus walking on the water, Peter asked Jesus if he could join Him and Jesus replied, “Come.” Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water. Then Matthew tells us, “When Peter saw the wind, he was afraid. And beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord save me.” Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him.

Peter sank because he focused on the wind and the waves instead of the one who created them. I was in the same boat as Peter. I took my eyes off of Jesus.

For years I had lived with an unconfessed sin. I took something that did not belong to me. In the words of the prodigal son, “I had sinned against Heaven and I sinned against man.” If you swim in sin long enough you eventually drowned. Sin has consequences. I cried out to Jesus and just like Peter, He reached out His hand and took hold of me.

I knew God was the only way my family and I were going to get through this. I also knew God was the only way we were going to make it once I was released. I decided to devote my time of incarceration to getting to know God better. Like the prodigal son, I decided it was time for me to come to my senses.

On June 18, 2013 I headed home after 25 months of separation from my wife and two sons. The Bible assures us when we repent that God will forgive us for our sins. Unfortunately the remnant of those sins may last a lot longer.

Watching those who you love struggle is heartbreaking. The consequences of my crime handcuffed my family financially. Unfortunately, I know the helplessness of being handcuffed. Relationships were fractured. The remnant of sin can lead to deep despair and into a valley and that is right where the devil wants you.

Over the past couple of years I have seen God resurrect many of the relationships that were broken by my sin. The healing continues. As our faith increases so does our joy.

In Tony Evans's  book ‘No More Excuses’ he wrote:

“Sometimes God must lead you downhill to take you uphill; He must take you to the bottom in order to get you to the top. The problem comes when we’re at the bottom, because we tend to assume that it’s the end of the trip. But when the Lord is with you, something is going to happen.”

If you are going through a trial keep the faith, because God will bring you out of the valley to the top of the mountain. God has a plan for every one of us and can break the chains that bind us. Pray and then pray some more and hold fast to His promises.

John R. Haeffele has had the opportunity to speak on radio, at prison ministry workshops and churches throughout Illinois. He has also been the keynote speaker for Christian Library International events in Atlanta, and Raleigh and Charlotte. He is the founder of the Prodigal One Ministry and writes a weekly blog “Beyond the Pigs.” You can visit his site at www.theprodigalone.com.

__________

 Donations

We are grateful for all donations this past year to our Ministries. These donations enable us to grow, reach out and serve this community for which there is far too little understanding, compassion, empathy and accurate information.  Progressive Prison Ministries, Inc. is a CT Religious Corp. with 501c3 status -

all donations are tax deductible to the extent permitted by law. We hope you will consider making a donation to our appeal this year.  Donations can be made by credit card/PayPal here, at the "Donate" button on on our site, prisonist.org or by sending your check payable to: "Progressive Prison Ministries, Inc." P.O. Box 1232, Weston, Connecticut 06883.  We have enclosed an addressed envelope for your use. Thank you.

__________ 

 

If you, a friend or a family member are experiencing a white-collar or nonviolent incarceration issue, please contact us and we will promptly send you an information package by mail, email or via Dropbox.

The darkest days of a person's life can be a

time of renewal and hope

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Progressive Prison Project/  

Innocent Spouse & Children Project

Rev. Jeff Grant, JD, M Div, Minister/Director
jgrant@prisonist.org
(o) 203-769-1096
(m) 203-339-5887
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Lynn Springer, Founding Advocate, Innocent Spouse & Children Project
lspringer@prisonist.org

(203) 536-5508

George Bresnan, Advocate, Ex-Pats
gbresnan@prisonist.org
(203) 609-5088

Jim Gabal, Development
jgabal@prisonist.org
(203) 858-2865

Babz Rawls Ivy, Media Contact
mediababz@gmail.com