Happy Mother's Day! When my mom heard that I had received Christ fifty (50) years ago on May 23, 1975, she rejoiced along with the angels. According to her, I was the black sheep of the family; the prodigal son turning from his sins and returning home to the blessings of his Heavenly Father. Jesus said:

". . . there is more joy in heaven over one lost sinner who repents and returns to God than over ninety-nine others who are righteous and haven't strayed away" (Luke 15:7, NLT).

A Mother's Answered Prayers . . .

I had to concede that I needed the mercy and grace of God to change the course of my life. 

HAPPY RESURRECTION DAY! Though not in a physical prison this Easter, you may be able to identify with how God dealt with the void in my heart before I received Christ in May 1975. It was a time of repentance [a change of mind], primarily due to guilt and shame, even torment from past sins. I was like so many other prisoners under conviction.

". . . they are without excuse, because, although they knew God [through creation, nature and the universe], they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened" (Romans 1:20d-21, NKJV).

What People Say . . .

Amy from New York wrote: "It's hard to explain how your letter is helping me." 

Happy Springtime! My prayer is for people to realize God's plan and purpose for Israel. He blessed the children of Israel, promised them the land and provided righteousness through faith in His blood covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob [Genesis, chapters 12, 15 and 17; renamed "Israel," meaning "he will rule as God," 32:28]. The covenant was fulfilled by their Seed, Jesus Christ, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, chapter 49:8-12; Matthew 1:1-17. The apostle Paul writes:

"Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, 'And to seeds,' as of many, but as of one. 'And to your Seed,' who is Christ" (Galatians 3:16, NKJV).

God Loves Israel . . .

The Lord brought the children of Israel out of bondage from Egypt [the flesh] through faith in the blood of the lamb [Exodus, chapter 12].

Happy Valentine's & President's Day! With all the sweeping changes being made by our new U.S.A. President, I'd like to suggest he change St. Valentine's Day of erotic love to St. John's Day of divine love. I know it wouldn't be politically popular, but it's a nice thought since knowing God's love empowers us to be loved and to love. The apostle John wrote:

"Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love" (1 John 4:7-8, NKJV).

That Loving Feeling . . .

Like The Righteous Brothers were singing in the '60s, I had "lost that loving feeling." 

Happy New Year! The key to a happy year is simply living in the light of God's love, forgiveness and grace from the core of your being -- spirit, soul and body. Throughout the past 50 years, the Holy Spirit has empowered me to live a wholesome life in Christ. He can do the same for you.

"Now may the God of peace make you holy in every way, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again. God will make this happen, for he who calls you is faithful" (1 Thessalonians 5:23-24, NLT).

A New Lifestyle . . .

Your new life can start now, no matter what; through faith in Christ, all things become new.

MERRY CHRISTMAS! In the late '60s, I'd flash the peace sign while saying "groovy" with my heart in fear and turmoil while ignorant of the meaning of peace. I thought it had something to do with getting out of the Vietnam War since most of us desired peace instead of war. The thought of mental peace wasn't even a concept in my mind, much less the reality of true-Spiritual peace with God. Listen to the angel of the Lord:

"Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord . . . Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace [Spiritual peace], goodwill toward men!" (Luke 2:10,11,14, NKJV).

Jesus, Our Peace & Savior Is Born . . .

Do you lack a sense of peace in your heart and in need of Jesus, our Savior?

HAPPY VETERANS & THANKSGIVING DAY! The practice of thanking God for our salvation releases the Holy Spirit to lift our hearts above fear, guilt, shame, condemnation and insecurity. Praising Him for our victory through the death, burial and resurrection of Christ releases our faith to overcome the darkness. The apostle Paul puts it like this,

" . . . always thanking the Father. He has enabled you to share in the inheritance that belongs to his people, who live in the light. For he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son, who purchased our freedom and forgave our sins with his blood" (Colossians 1:12-14, NLT).

Thanksgiving & Praise . . .

I'm celebrating my 55th year in prison on November 30th, with thanksgiving and praise for God's mercy, grace and peace.

Happy Columbus Day! It seems that many of you don't think you need the forgiveness that God offers for sin. You say, "What sin?", when in fact the Law of God was given to reveal sin and your need for Jesus, the Messiah. And the Holy Spirit was given to convict you of the sin of unbelief, accordingly to Jesus, Who said:

" Nevertheless, I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you, but if I depart, I will send Him to you. And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment" (John 16:7-8, NKJV).

Wake Up To Righteousness . . .

I am going to give you one of the most hard-to-swallow Scriptures of this day and age. 

Welcome Beloved! If I were to ask, "Do you hear voices?" You may quickly say "no", due to a negative connotation. But, the word "voice" is mentioned 441 times in The Bible, "voices" 19 times. A search will reveal either God's voice, men's or women's voices and the enemy's voice. Every moment of the day we have a choice to agree with God's voice of life or the enemy's voice of death. The LORD says:

"Today I have given you the choice between life or death, between blessings [prosperity] and curses [disaster]. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live! You can make this choice by loving the LORD your God, obeying him, and committing yourself firmly to him. This is the key to life. And if you love and obey the LORD, you will live long in the land the LORD swore to give your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob" (Deuteronomy 30:19-20, NLT).

The Voice Of God . . .

One of my favorite scriptures was given to the apostle John in the book of The Revelation of Jesus Christ, describing a spiritual battle, saying: 

Welcome! It was 55 years ago when I lived in hell on earth at Spahn's Ranch. For anyone envious of me in those days, desiring to have been there [excluding the crimes] are deceived, even delusional. It wasn't your typical flowers in your hair, hippie commune with a garden, but a bunch of pliant slaves serving a madman.

"For we ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another" (Titus 3:3, NKJV).

A Myth Buster's Response . . .

Recently, an out-of-state retired Correctional Officer wrote, explaining why he initially contacted me.

Welcome Overcomers! God the Father is the Team Owner of the Overcomers. The Lord Jesus Christ is the Coach. The Holy Spirit is the Quarterback. The Players are the believers and receivers. Are you a member of the Team -- the Household of God? In the apostle John's vision of the new heaven and new earth, He who sat on the throne said:

"He that overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son. But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murders, sexually immoral, sorcerers, Idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death" (Revelation 21:7-8, NKJV).

An Overcomer's Response . . .

Steve wrote: "I recently saw an interview with you and learned about your testimony of the moment you accepted Jesus Christ and forgiveness." 

Shalom! The cause of the turmoil in the world today is Spiritual blindness in those who have rejected God's love. The results are deceptive beliefs, unmet needs and expectations, frustration, insecurity, fear and anger. Simply put, sin is the root of a fallen and oppressed society, separated from God. The apostle Paul wrote:

"But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them" (2 Corinthians 4:3-4, NKJV).

A Teenager's Response . . .

"I am a 17-year-old girl from Brazil, who is happy to see your commitment to the ministry. You are truly chosen by God for the mission." 

Happy Mother's Day! Our relationship with our mom varies for each of us, from the greatest to none at all. Regardless, God had a divine design for us from our mother's womb. The key is to recognize it, have faith in God and move on in life no matter what. The Psalmist David proclaimed to the Lord:

"You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother's womb. . .You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day passed" (Psalm 139:13,16, NLT).

Questions About Our Calling . . .

Jason wrote: "I hope this letter finds you well. I have known your name for a good portion of my life but only recently learned that you are an ordained minister." 

Welcome! I answer everyone who writes by enclosing a letter, brochure and ministry card when you Contact Me. But first, please find answers to your questions by exploring the site to get to know the new me. My sole desire is to help you understand salvation through God's love and to put Jesus first in your life.

"And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love to one another and to all, just as we do to you, so that He may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints" (1 Thessalonians 3:12, 13, NKJV).

A Contact's Response...

Cynthia wrote: "I recently came across a video on YouTube about the Manson murders . . ."

Happy Springtime! In the Parable of the Sower, the Seed [God's Word] sown by the wayside, in rocky soil and among the thorns was never rooted nor grounded in the soil of their hearts. The hearers did not understand nor comprehend the Good News because their hearts we're hardened, not truly turned to Jesus for healing. But for those who were healed, the Lord said:

"The seed that fell on good soil represents those who truly hear and understand God's word and produce a harvest thirty, sixty or even a hundred times as much as had been planted" (Matthew 13:23, NLT).

A Hearer's Response . . .

Many come to the website, but few take the time to respond like Erin from Washington State.

Happy Valentines! The Holy Bible is God's love story. The Scriptures contain the knowledge that God has provided forgiveness of sin and eternal life as a free gift to whoever receives Jesus Christ, but due to spiritual blindness and lack of faith in God's promises, people remain captive to their fallen nature, caused by sin and spiritual death.

"Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth" (2 Timothy 2:15, KJV). 

God's Love Story: The Holy Bible . . .

You may want to use the Bible Gateway app until you get a physical, paper Bible to read and study. 

Happy New Year! Jesus came into the world as a baby like us, except born of a virgin with the prophesied name, "Immanuel", meaning "God with us." 1 After His finished works on earth, He arose from the dead as Lord and Savior of the world, promising the Holy Spirit for our empowerment to "Go" into all the world with the Good News of the cross. He said:

"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things I have commanded them, and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." 2

Jesus says, "Come and Go..."

The Beatles gave us their last song, "Now and Then", but God gave us the Great Commission through Jesus Christ,  Who said, "Come to Me" and "Go" into all the world.

Merry Christmas!  Jesus was born to bring peace in our hearts through His blood and righteousness, providing right standing with God for us. But not an end of all wars until the judgment at His Second Coming, when He will rule and reign forever as the Prince of Peace. After His birth, Luke wrote:

"Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others--the armies of heaven--praising God and saying, Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased." 1

A Last Beatles’ Song Response...

"I am a young, Christian man who is an amateur musician and avid music lover, who has always found it disturbing how The Beatles' music and message were falsely interpreted to propel Manson's violent ideology."

Happy Thanksgiving! We have many things to be thankful for in our lives, but make sure you thank God for the greatest gift of all -- forgiveness and eternal life with Jesus forever in heaven.  Also, thank God for your purpose, like when the Lord sent out the apostle Paul, saying:

"I am sending you to the Gentiles to open their eyes, so they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God. Then they will receive forgiveness for their sins and be given a place among God's people, who are set apart by faith in me." 1

Lottsapoppa Forgave Me!

Most likely you missed it in my podcast Episode #257 "Who Are You?" Here is the blurb accompanying it. 

Harvest time! For two millenniums, workers in the Church have planted and watered Gospel seeds, while God has given the increase. Hence, the Holy Spirit revealed through those workers our need for God’s grace and truth. Today, I pray you will ask yourself what part you are playing in the planting harvest.

“The one who plants and the one who waters work together with the same purpose. And both will be rewarded for their own hard work. For we are both God’s workers. And you are God’s field. You are God’s building.” 1

A Personal Touch…

While technology is wonderful for sharing the testimony of Jesus, the personal touch must not be left out of our witness.