Kairos Boyd #12 - Final Day Report

This is Sunday morning...our Final Day of the Four Day Weekend. The drive in was misty, foggy and a little warmer then the day before. It is a peaceful, holy start to the day. This is also my birthday and I know God is going to bless me beyond anything I could ask for.

We went through the routine of getting in the unit and I walked in with the guard who was in charge of escorting us. I noticed he had a holster on but his gun was gone. He explained that this was a medium/minimum security unit but you still had to use common sense about it. No guns are allowed past the first check point. A guard could easily get overcome and his gun taken away when you are walking among a 100 residents. The empty holster reminds me that we are in a dangerous place and that I was maybe getting a little too relaxed as I befriended some of the residents. Men staying here have been found guilty of crimes against society and most were paying the price for that against their free will. I haven't heard anyone say they just walked into a police station and gave up...they had to be caught and sent here in shackles. There is a good reason for the razor wire, the guard tower equipped with the high powered rifle and scope along with double security gates and lots of rules to get in and out.

He did explain that the history of this unit however was pretty non-eventful and if you have to spend time in a state prison this is a good one to do it in. I was told later that the Boyd-Kairos is a role model across the state for other Kairos and Christian Prison Ministries and that the leadership and teams of the previous Boyd Kairos Weekends here get a lot of credit for keeping the violence down. Not too long ago a new resident was being processed in and was being held in the yard for a while and he asked one of the others what was the best gang to join....his answer was Kairo's!

Have you ever seen the televison show that highlights stupid criminals with their crime. One of the residents told me that he wasn't a very good robber. He went into a convenience store and pulled a gun, demanding cash. When the cashier put the cash drawer down on the counter...he laid his gun down and started grabbing all the money. Meanwhile, the cashier calmly picked up the pistol and held him at bay till the cops got there. He laughs about it now and blames it on the drugs he was on for making him do a lot of dumb things. That was funny...but then another told me he was in for 40 years for murder. He volunteered that he killed him because the man had what he wanted...money and drugs and wouldn't give it to him...so he shot him. He says he deserves to be there ...ten years down and ten to years to go until he is up for parole. He says he is OK with that and wants to get to know the Lord better in the meantime. Remember the resident that I wrote about yesterday whose mom and sister were in the photo shooting him the finger? He told me today that he doesn't blame them...after all he got them both hooked on meth. Addictions to meth and alcohol seemed to play a good part in the downfall for a lot of these guys.

It is said that in the free-world we have an average of 200 choices a day to make...when to get up, what to wear and where to eat. In prison you have about 25 choices every day. That is all part of the freedom you lose being an inmate but at the same time it does reduce a lot of the clutter and busyness of their lives and allows them to focus on whatever it is they want to focus on....Kairos gives them a focus that once the Holy Spirit takes hold...it can be on solid ground.

Today was shorter then the rest...with the Talks and meditations being over about lunch. Seems all the conversions and re-commitments were complete after Saturday as the flood of the Spirit washed over those willing to submit early. I learned that is a common occurrence actually. Of the forty two participants there were only a small handful that did not profess Jesus as their Lord and Savior by the end of the 72 hours. After we ate pizza for lunch ( which they loved! ) we brought out birthday cakes with slices for each resident to celebrate their new birth in Christ. Each piece had their names written on it in icing.

The residents were all given lanyards with crosses on them during a special ceremony and they were told the lanyards were worn all week by the outside cooking team and prayed over constantly. That meant a lot to them. During the closing the outside team and other visitors were able to attend inside the unit. All the guys hugged and cried with the ladies that prepared the food and wore their crosses for them. It was a neat time. We were also able to sing a few songs and show the outside team just how joyful and spirit filled they were in worship. Awesome!

Open mike time is an important part of the closing ceremony. Scripture tells us that this is very important to recieving the Holy Spirit and salvation. You can read that here in the Book of Romans.

I recorded some more statements that were given at open mike time as follows:

I have been waiting 16 years out here for God to show up and He finally did!

When I saw the prayer chain and realized people around the world were praying for a nobody like me... it touched me.

Christ is counting on me...I don't want to let Him down.

Momma ( who has passed away ) ...I am home!

If I stumble brothers...please help me back up...I don't want to turn my back on God.

I partied 27 years for myself...the rest of my life I party for Jesus.

Found love I have never felt in my life..thank you.

Came for the food but discovered Jesus and the food didn't matter any more.

I've been locked up my whole life doing things my way...it is time for me to start doing things Gods way.

I have always filled the void in my heart with sex, drugs and money but from now on I will fill it with Jesus. 

I used to be a Christian but got angry with God and turned my back on him but after coming here I realized God is and has always been my friend and I am important to the Body of Christ.

I have spent 30 years in prison...from the time I was sixteen to my age now of forty six ...this is the best thing that has ever happened to me...this is the best day of my life.

The last speaker was the resident that had "White Pride" tattooed on the back of his head...yesterday I wrote that he said that he discovered God was tougher then he was...today he explained that a little further...He said he was the toughest man in this jail ( I wasn't about to argue that point with him ) but when he found out that a young girl had the Christian compassion, love and forgiveness in her to cook sixteen dozen cookies while her Mom was battling a courageous battle with cancer...that he thought she was tougher then he was...and he could follow a God that produced strong and tough people like that. He said "Today I give up my life for Christ" and  broke down and cried like a baby in front of 200 people.

A soul was saved because of a cookie. You just never how a small act of kindness handed down out of Christian love can help turn a life around.

I am reminded how self-righteous I have become when I think back on Scripture and recall that of all the miracles, healings, compassionate acts and teachings of Christ, of all the people he hung out with, the only person He personally guaranteed a spot in Heaven...was the condemned thief on the cross that died with Him on Good Friday. 

We closed with the resident I told you about yesterday looked like the condemned killer in the movie The Green Mile as he sang a beautiful rendition of Ray Blotz song "Thank You". There wasn't a dry eye in the house.

This Four-day Weekend has been a birthday blessing to me from the Lord.

Thank you!

Amen.

Comments

[Jeannie]

Art, thank you so much for compiling these thoughts and observations from the weekend. Being a newcoming to the program, I had no idea what to expect. Wow, was I ever blown away! I have never seen the Holy Spirit move so powerfuly as it did during this walk. I have been a part of working for the Lord for many years, but nothing compares to what I experienced this past weekend. It was far and above the most rewarding and gratifying time I have ever experienced. I recommend it to anyone who wants to experience God's unconditional love to the fullest. The glow on the faces of those men, which could have only been the Holy Spirt, has kept me on a "high" for days. Thanks again to all of you who contributed financially, baked cookies, and prayed. We all experienced the awesome power of prayer and all I can say is "GOD YOU ARE TRULY AMAZING!"

[Donnie]

Happy Birthday Art! - I really enjoyed reading your thoughts about this wonderful program. Thank you for your dedication and love of Christ. I know you were blessed and I also know it was a sacrifice to serve in this program. Semper Fi

[Dan Barnett]

Art, now I know why you never got to bed before 1:oo am every night. thanks!

Sunday morning, one of the servants came to me and said, "sometimes the Lord visits me in visions. This morning, He woke me up real early and gave me this."
He then showed me a crude drawing with tree guys singing and playing the guitar. around it were notes he had written. One of them said"I love you Lord"
He was hard to understand sorta mumbling. I listened, then I mosied off.

Then I said wait a minute. "Let me see that again"

I looked and I noticed the one on the left had a scruffy short beard kinda like Tom's and the one on the right, well, I guess that could have been me, I guess. But there was a man with long hair singing in between us.
The servant said "Da Jee"
What?
Dat Jesus!!!

When we were singing " I love You Lord" While they were opening the letters, evidently, not only His Spirit was present, but it was all He could do to keep from revealing Himself in the physical!!!!!!!!!!! That was confirmed to me when the hairs on my back came to attention!

Sempre Fi

Dan Barnett music team Boyd 12

[doedoe]

WOW!!! What an amazing God! Thank you for sharing those 72 hours with us. Several teammates of yours have come back with amazing testimonials about this past weekend, but you truly brought it to life. Happy belated birthday my brother in Christ! doedoe

[Nick]

Happy Birthday and you couldn't ask for a better birthday present....Nick

[Neal b]

It is very inspirational to read these quotes!