A family is a group of persons related by marriage and blood ties and generally living together in the same household. In our case, most of the families we reach out to are not living together, because of separation by prison walls. One of the exception would be our outreach to victims and their families.

God's ideal for the family is that it be a harmonious unit, where love for God and neighbor are instilled into each member. Jesus was asked: "Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?" Jesus replied, "'You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: 'Love your neighbor as yourself'" (Matt. 22:36-39 NLT).

Cheryl, our web site administrator, recently asked, "Do you realize how many mothers come to your site, Charles? They come there because their sons and daughters have gotten into some type of problem, and they are desperately seeking ways to help the situation."

I recall the pain and agony that my own mother and family went through because of my crime. My mom and dad went to their graves with their hearts broken and their son still in prison. Thankfully, both of them knew Christ, so now they are rejoicing in heaven with Jesus, awaiting my arrival.

Our hearts go out to all those who have been victims of crime. It is getting harder and harder to find someone in this day and age that has not been a victim of some type of criminal activity. We pray that in some way this site will minister to your heart.

I don't know a single Christian prisoner, out of the thousands I've known, who doesn't feel a genuine concern for their victims and families of their victims. Those who do not deal with their guilt and shame are held in bondage to their past. It is our calling to minister liberty to them.

Ideally, we'd like to see victims and offenders come together as victors with a vision to reach the world for Christ. But realistically, many victims and offenders are not ready for reconciliation in Christ. We have our work cut out for us to reach out to those who are hurting. We'd suggest contacting the late Chuck Colson's Justice Fellowship for information on reconciliation programs.

Restorative Justice

Pastor Al Whittinghill writes, "In the world system when something is broken, it is set aside. But in the Kingdom of God, He sets aside the unbroken thing. It is the precious, broken thing that He uses to confound the wise and show the world His glory through vessels of clay."

Do a large percentage of those in the church view prisoners and their families as broken in a way which is no different than the world? Are those who are unbroken in the church set aside by God, while the precious, broken things confound the wise and show His glory as vessels of clay?

There are many links scattered throughout our site on the subject of forgiveness. We are cautioned throughout the Scriptures how unforgiveness can damage the heart, soul and body.

In Dr. Don Colbert's book Deadly Emotions, he says, "Those who choose to forgive are those who decide to give up resentment and the desire to punish. They have a willingness to relinquish all claims to exact a penalty for an offense. They actually cancel the debt they believe another person owes them."

The following is the story of the daughter of one of Charles' victims, who forgave him while on a visit in prison.

It was like any other day in prison, 4:00 p.m. mail call, usually meaning news from family and friends. After reading through the letters, there is always time to reflect on what was just read about the world outside.

The following is the continuing story of the daughter of one of Charles' victims, who forgave him while on a visit in prison. The first part of this miraculous story is The Miracle of Forgiveness.

Suzan's parents were murdered in the summer of 1969. Even though she understood the victim's plight, she never allowed others to cast her into that roll. Rather, she chose to remain open-minded, not knowing what the future held. Then, eighteen years later, she took the bold step of forgiving me, even after I had committed such a horrible crime against her.