Family ReEntry Announces Three New Board members - Carlah Esdaile Bragg, David Light and Christian Morris

Family ReEntry Announces 

New Board Members

 

Bragg, Light and Morris Elected to Board

Bridgeport, CT – (May 22, 2017) – Family ReEntry, a nonprofit leader that assists families affected by the criminal justice system, today announced the appointment of three key new board members, who will help guide the organization on its program expansion and advocacy efforts.

Carlah Esdaile Bragg, David Light and Christian Morris have accepted nomination to serve on the Family ReEntry board of directors. The commitment enlists the skills, knowledge and advisory of all activities for the organization to increase its services that restore dignity and renew families that have been impacted by incarceration and the justice system.

Jeff Grant, Executive Director of Family ReEntry, said, “Carlah, David and Christian bring exceptional experience, expertise and relationships to our board. They each have a special, different perspective that is ideal for guiding the future of Family ReEntry.”

Bragg is a lifelong resident of New Haven, CT with an

Carlah Esdaile Bragg

understanding of local and statewide conditions, community needs and strategies. She is currently the Director of Marketing and Community Relations for Cornell Scott – Hill Health Center, Connecticut’s oldest and one of the largest community health centers in the state, providing medical, behavioral health and dental services to more than 30,000 residents. She is an advocate, holding various positions with the NAACP. Bragg served on the City of New Haven Fresh Start planning team and serves on the City of New Haven Reentry Advisory Committee, and the Reentry Roundtable Faith Based Committee.

Light is a biotech scientist and entrepreneur from Branford,

David Light

CT. A graduate of Yale University, David studied molecular, cellular and developmental biology. At Ion Torrent, David invented a particle that enabled the commercial viability of DNA semiconductor sequencing and helped lead to the acquisition of Ion Torrent by Life Technologies. At Life Technologies, David was Head of Chemistry R&D, and when Life Tech was acquired by Thermo Fisher Scientific, Light transitioned to Director of Product Management in order to directly handle the commercialization of the technologies that he helped develop. For the past six years, David has guest lectured at Yale where he teaches undergraduates about DNA sequencing. Light is also a founding board member of the ShuLounge of New Haven. a novel congregation catering to a vibrant and diverse community.

 

“I’m honored to be a member of the board of directors at Family ReEntry and support its vital and impactful work, which has special meaning to me and my family, who have directly felt the effects and difficulties resulting from incarceration,” Light explained.

Morris, who first consulted with Family ReEntry on strategic

Christian Morris

business planning, now brings added value to the organization with his background in technology and software business application solutions.  Morris is co-founder of SmartPath Labs, a technology and business advisory firm focused on new market adoption and strategic partnerships for emerging technology companies. As the former Executive Vice President of CometaWorks, Morris delivered technology solutions across financial services, healthcare, educational institutions, and entertainment sectors. Previously, Morris served on the board of Sound Affects, a nonprofit organization dedicated to changing how the war on cancer is fought and financed with a mission to increase the implementation of promising new treatments by empowering individuals to directly support bio-entrepreneur’s research. Morris lives in Westport, CT.

With the assistance of the three newest members, the board of Family ReEntry seeks to advise the organization in supporting, not just the individuals who are reentering society after incarceration, but the families and friends of those individuals as they transition. Family ReEntry provides vital services to help individuals and families in the areas of prevention, intervention, diversion, in-prison and reentry.

Currently, there are over 2.3 million people incarcerated in the United States and over 70 million with criminal records. “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, a man who knows very well of the difficulties that formerly incarcerated individuals can face. He served almost 14 months in Federal prison for a white-collar crime he committed in 2001 when he was a lawyer. Grant said. “As the first person in the country formerly incarcerated for a white-collar crime to be appointed as Executive Director of a major criminal justice nonprofit, I try to be a role model that there is hope after prison.”

“The situation can seem overwhelming to those most affected, but there is help,” Grant explained. “Men and woman and their families who come through Family ReEntry are succeeding in making positive contributions and improving their lives. While national averages show a large percentage of this population returning to prison, we are seeing that Family ReEntry’s work is significantly lowering that percentage.”

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.

Press Release: Jeff Grant Appointed New Interim Executive Director at Family ReEntry

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Press Release: 

Jeff Grant Appointed New Interim 

Executive Director at Family ReEntry

 

Jeff Grant Appointed New Interim Executive Director at Family ReEntry

Bridgeport, Connecticut – Thurs., October 13, 2016

The Board of Directors of Family ReEntry has appointed Jeff Grant, JD, M Div, as interim Executive Director of Family ReEntry of Bridgeport, Connecticut.

Grant served on Family ReEntry’s board of directors since 2009 — his new appointment marks the first time in the United States that a person formerly incarcerated for a white-collar crime has served as the head of a major re-entry agency. “It’s a tremendous step, and a bold decision on the Board’s part,” Grant said. “This is a transformative period for Family ReEntry. I owe them my fresh start, so of course I said yes when they offered me the position.”

“From an advocacy, program and fundraising perspective, it resonates with people to have a formerly incarcerated person at our helm,” stated Jeffrey Earls, Director of Development for Family ReEntry, “with a background in business, law, prison ministry, recovery and prisoner reentry, Jeff brings a wealth of experience to Family ReEntry.”

“We live and work in an area that has the largest disparity of wealth in the country,” said Grant, referring to the economic divide between affluent suburbs such as Greenwich and inner city communities such as Bridgeport. Family ReEntry receives tremendous support from individuals and families who have been very open and receptive to our mission,” Grant said. “We have a message that resonates around the state and the country — to lower recidivism and disrupt the intergenerational cycle of incarceration.”

There is a new sense of energy and purpose at Family ReEntry. The staff and directors are committed to advancing the agency, its core values, and above all its mission.

Family ReEntry provides essential support and programs to individuals and families who have been involved in or impacted by the criminal justice system.  FRE works to reverse the impact of domestic violence, crime, incarceration, drug abuse and mental illness. FRE also offers Youth Mentoring programs that focus on assistance to youth that are impacted by the devastating effect of an incarcerated parent or sibling.

Ronda Muir, Board Chair, said, "Family ReEntry was fortunate to have a long-serving board member with roots in the Agency's Fresh Start program who could step into the Executive Director role. Jeff's own experience and commitment to our mission makes him an ideal choice to quickly and effectively move the agency forward. He has the full support of the board as we build on Steve Lanza's tenure to support those impacted by the criminal justice system."

Mr. Grant replaces Stephen Lanza, who served as Executive Director since 1999.  Mr. Lanza will continue his relationship with Family ReEntry as a senior advisor and consultant. “Steve Lanza has been the heart and soul of Family ReEntry, and has served our agency, community and mission for the past fifteen years with dignity, grace, compassion, empathy and human kindness,” says Mr. Grant.

More information, visit www.FamilyReEntry.org or call Jeffrey Earls, Family ReEntry Director of Development at (203) 576-6924, jeffreyearls@familyreentry.org.

For press inquiries email to: fre-press@usadagency.com
 

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

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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
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(m) 203-339-5887
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Lynn Springer, Founding Advocate, Innocent Spouse & Children Project
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(203) 536-5508

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(203) 858-2865

Babz Rawls Ivy, Media Contact
mediababz@gmail.com

 

 

 

After Trauma: The Time For Spiritual Growth, By Jeff Grant, JD, M Div

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After Trauma: 

The Time For Spiritual Growth

By Jeff Grant, JD, M Div

____________

WHAT IF, you are exactly where you are supposed to be?

So many of us are in a place where our first life has come to an end.  A divorce, the death of a child or other loved one, loss of a job or career, alcohol and drug problems that finally crushed us, financial issues that overwhelmed our ability to be present for ourselves and our families, an illness or mental illness, hospitalization, poor judgment that has caused rampant legal problems, incarceration.

So many of us are suffering and want to find a new way.  But they - we - are mostly frozen.  Stopped dead in our tracks feeling alone, isolated, and hopeless.  We mourn the past and fear the future.

WHAT IF, the feelings you are feeling, the sorrows and joys, the suffering and the release, are what is exactly intended for you?  More than just intended for you, what if this moment in your life had to happen – that it has actually been pre-programmed?  Pre-programmed for you, and for me, and for everyone.

WHAT IF, knowing that this was pre-programmed, we could anticipate it, welcome it, and accept this part of life as natural.  As a God-given portion of our lives.  I’m talking to you about the middle part, the liminal part.  The part of life you are in now – after the first life you’ve lived. And before your second life, a life of uncertainty and the unknown.

WHAT IF, where you are right now is actually the best time of life – the greatest moment of life?  And to experience it in all its greatness, all you have to do is ACCEPT that this is exactly where you are supposed to be?  That God has pre-programmed in us this moment - whether it be for a week, a month, a year or a decade – and has given us the power and free-will to make it absolutely the greatest period of our lives?

Among my resolutions for this New Year is to present to you some things I’ve learned on my spiritual path to prove that this space we enter, the middle place, actually is (or can be) the best and most important time of our lives. 

Let’s start with the Bible, or at least 500 years of it or so crammed into a few paragraphs (with apologies to scholars & close readers).

Have you ever thought about the term, Good Samaritan?  Everyone who goes to church wants to be a Good Samaritan, don’t they.   Don’t you? In many passages, Jesus talked about good Samaritans, and commended them for all the good works they did for others.

For example, Luke 10:25-37 is actually called “The Parable of The Good Samaritan.”  In this scripture, Jesus tells the tale of three men who approach a man on the side of the road who had been attacked by robbers, and commends “the one who had mercy on him.” The Good Samaritan. In other examples in the Bible, John 4:4-26, Jesus meets a Samaritan woman at a well, and asks her for a drink.  In this interchange, Jesus gives the Samaritan the greatest gift of all.

The question I have is: when did Samaritans become the good guys, and the people named in the Bible to receive God’s gifts?  The Samaritans were a class of people who had lost their place in Jewish society, and were loathed and despised by the Jews ever since.  When were Samaritans lifted up and given a place of respect and importance?  Repurposed if you will, such that the name Samaritan itself went from being synonymous with outcast, to that of being a doer of good deeds?

It started with the Exile – the Babylonian Exile.  Or more accurately, in the time of the Fall leading to the Exile.  Many prophets had prophesied that the Exile was coming.  The Prophet Isaiah, for example, spoke of the coming destruction and exile (i.e. Isaiah 5:13).

And as we know, these prophesies turned out to be accurate. Jerusalem was invaded, people were massacred, and the city and the Great Temple were burned to the ground.  The elite - the wealthy, the intelligencia and the religious leaders – were the first to be sent into bondage in Babylon.  Followed soon after by the lesser classes.  But not all Jews living in Israel and Judah were sent into Exile – some were left in Jerusalem as slaves in their own city.  And ignored completely were the Jews living in Samaria – an outpost city in the north of the kingdom.

Not that much was written about the Jews while they lived in exile in Babylon.  But one thing seems certain: before the exile the Jews were a people of the Temple, who believed that God resided in the Temple.  They worshipped God at the temple and other high places (in Hebrew “bemot”).   Without the Temple and high places, the Jews were without their God and the foundations of their religion.  In order to preserve their religion and people, having no homeland to call their own, the leaders made a critical decision while in exile – they decided that God was indeed everywhere, and that the worship of God would be from that point founded in the Bible. That is Judaism changed from a “religion of place” to a religion “of the book.”  This important decision, made while in captivity – in a space of suffering – not only ensured their continuity in exile, but enabled the Judeo-Christian religion to survive for the next 2500 years.

We know that Jewish people were allowed to return to Jerusalem after 70 years of exile. That prophecy was fulfilled in 537 B.C., and the Jews were allowed by King Cyrus of Persia to return to Israel and begin rebuilding the city and temple.  Two great prophets emerged from exile to lead the rebuilding of Jerusalem and the Temple.   The prophet Ezra, who declared that the Temple should be rebuilt first, and that God would protect the people who first honored God and their religion.  On the other hand, the prophet Nehemiah declared that the Jews should first rebuild the walls of the city.  Perhaps more pragmatic than Ezra, he determined that without walls the city would be vulnerable to attack.  It is unknown who won this debate, or if the Temple or the walls were reconstructed first.  But the debate, between putting God first or material security first, rages on in various ways to this day.

But not all Jews were permitted to rebuild the Temple and the walls of the city.

The Jews who had been left to live in Samaria without going to exile wanted to help rebuild Jerusalem.   But in the ensuing seventy years, the Jews in Samaria had intermarried with non-Jews, and now were considered unclean and half-breeds. They were no longer considered to be Jews by the people in Jerusalem and were not allowed to enter the holy city.  Instead, they were scorned and mocked for what they had done.  The Samaritans were considered a lesser people for the next 500 years, through the Greek occupation of Israel, and then the Roman occupation of Israel, and right up to the time of Jesus when he spoke of them in parables.  When Jesus lifted them up, and declared their worthiness as people of God.

It always amazes me that the greatest time of change for the Jews – the change that assured them a new life and a new freedom, was in the middle period while they were in Exile.

The same is true for the Israelites in the Exodus. When we think of the Bible, we are usually drawn to the desert, the place in the middle where the Israelites witnessed great miracles for forty years and became a new people – a people without memories of bondage in Egypt and who had yet to be delivered to the promised land.

And is true for the Samaritans, who led lives of dejection and persecution by their own people, not allowed the rights and privileges to worship and belong for over 500 years.  They were restored by Jesus in a new way in a new community, a community which was forming even as Jerusalem and the Temple were again burned to the ground in 70 AD.

I am an Israelite, a Jew, a Samaritan and a Christian.

Perhaps as Israelites, Jews, Samaritans and Christians these Bible passages were given to us for a reason.  Perhaps that reason was to charge us with the message that life, and our identity in this life, is impermanent.  Perhaps after all the generations since it is burned into our DNA.

Perhaps it has become so embodied that we intuit, we know, that the day will come along where life will indeed different than the life we planned - like the Israelites in Egypt, or the Jews in Jerusalem, or Samaritans in their own city.  And that we all enter places middle places where we will have the opportunities to change into something different than before.  Something more authentic to our new and unexpected place in the world.  Something more able to survive the trials and tests, and enjoy the gifts and blessings of our new order.  That, in fact, this inevitability is the only way we can survive and flourish.  And that because it is inevitable, it something we do not have to fear.  Instead, it is something that we can joyfully anticipate and plan for.  

It is my proposition that this middle space, this place of no longer the past and not yet the future, is not actually a place of exile, but is a place of sanctuary.  A place of retreat.  A holy, God-given place that is an opportunity for every one of us to rest, grow, learn, evolve and become the people God intends us to be.

And in order to experience these gifts in this place, all we have to do is one thing.  One simple thing that eludes most of us for so long that we suffer.  The one thing we have to do is ACCEPT that we here.  ACCEPT that God has delivered us to this place.  That we are in this place, right here right now. 

The middle place. Exactly where we are supposed to be.    

This article was first posted on prisonist.org 

on Jan. 2, 2015 as A Repurposed Life: 

A Biblical Perspective. Our readership has 

grown significantly since then, so we 

decided to share it again. 
__________

Comments:  

Jeff, “After Trauma”. A great read! The place you speak about, I sometimes call the “wilderness”, is exactly where Christ wants us to be, to further mold and shape us to be the person we are to be tomorrow. As the psalmist says “yeah though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil” for in this place of rest, God embraces us and protects us.  New seeds are planted and we grow into the he He now wants us to be.  Much of what I too address in clients who are in that wilderness, that valley.  They are resting in the “shadow”; they have not died but the past is gone and a new exciting future awaits them.  Wishing you much blessings and peace as you touch lives once lost but soon to be found!  God bless. - Jerry Porricelli, Greenwich, CT


I truly believe that the life I led for 34 years is now a resource for good...a life that involved secure units, prisons, drugs and violence is now behind me. I have gone through a complete transformation of character and today I live in peace and share with others that change is possible. - Gethin Jones


Thought provoking. - Gabriel Oluseyi Akinyemi

Pastor Grant, I see you have a prison ministry so you work with many people who need to accept their circumstances and move forward. I also agree with your presupposition within the article. I was in a traumatic accident. And you also give illustrations of traumatic events within your article that no one would desire. ...I have found it is very hard to push through the muck that comes with trauma to hear from God. Some therapist believe that God speaks to the left side of the brain (I don't know). Some doctors believe that chronic pain and emotional pain is felt in the same region of the left side of the brain (I don't know). Without trying to make excuses, I feel trauma makes it extremely hard to lift your eyes off of self and up to God. I can say for me, I had to go through the full cycle of grief and no one could help me get through the cycle faster than I went. But, because I was grounded in God's Word, I learned things I would have never learned without the trauma. I hate I'm having to live through it to learn these lessons :) Nevertheless, the lessons are there. ...I don't think it is easy to accept the results of truma and move straight to trusting without the the cycle grief. I do understand this makes me a Extra Grace Required (EGR) person. :) Blessings in your ministry! - Tommy Bitner

Love this! - Lisa Lynn

The Parable of the Good Samaritan is a parable. The point that Jesus was making was that we need to love our enemies. In that culture, the religious groups were good examples of people who had different religious ideas. Jesus was trying to show the people that he was bringing salvation for everyone. The amount of God's love is the same for everyone regardless of their religious works. If Jesus were to give that illustration today, it might be called the Parable of the Good Baptist, Good Methodist, Good Presbyterian, or Good Catholic. We are supposed to care for the needy people because God loves them as much as he loves me. - Ronald Pickard

Needed to read this today... with pending unemployment and a child suffering through the throws of addiction... I need to keep the focus on God's bigger picture... that their is purpose to all that is happening.... - Thomas Denzler

The interesting thing about imprisonment is that we can experience it because we care for some one we love. suddenly, our time, our choices, our finances our today's and tomorrows are usurped. In America, we often enjoy our independent plans and dreams for a season, but suddenly we find ourselves reversed. We are stuck in a house we cannot afford and cannot sell and nothing looks like it was intended to look. In this season of mine, I am trying to that thank God for everything, just as it is. just as we are told to do. In my returning of thanks, I gain new perspective. A certain irony of God's humor and leveling power, and tenderness overtakes me. If I am honest, these are the days that I treat others with the mind and hands of God. I become one of them. I becomes we. No better. No worse. In need of God and bearing the image of God in one precious bowl. - Laura Bartnick

Laura, beautifully said: "If I am honest, these are the days that I treat others with the mind and hands of God. I become one of them. I becomes we. No better. No worse. In need of God and bearing the image of God in one precious bowl." Thank you for sharing. For me, each day (though not all day) I practice treating others with what I imagine (or channel) and/or express authentically to others via the hearts. Kindness. Presence. Openness. etc. -  Robert Bridges




 

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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.

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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