Stacking Paper - A Poem from Prison

The is the fifth poem in my series entitled Poems from Prison. All the poems in the series were written by Somer Erickson while she was incarcerated. I met her while volunteering at Dawson State Jail.
This particular poem was written specifically for women in prison, to give them advice from 
the perspective of one of their own.
Somer touches upon many topics including personal responsibility. 

Stacking  Paper

My prayer for the women in prison

comes forth straight from the heart

May your spirit heal from the absence

of your family and being apart

May your eye not be too stubborn

to show others it still carries tears

while standing firm in your morals

overcoming each and every one of your fears

May your heart not turn to hardness

when you see another woman in need

never be too put out to share

don't do like others and stock up on greed

May your tongue not be used as a weapon

for words build just as well as they break

We're all here in this prison together 

each women responsible for her own mistake

May your arms not be too busy to hug

because love is what prison is lacking

Affection, caring and kindness

is the paper we should have been stacking

May your pen always ink wisdom

you never know if your words will be the last you say

Leave those who matter with a piece of yourself

we're not promised tomorrow or even today

© Somer Erickson

Have you ever asked yourself why our prison population continues to grow?

Chuck Colson, Founder of Prison Fellowship, a highly effective prison ministry,
asked the same questions many years ago.

He wrote:

"During the first 10 years of Prison Fellowship, I focused on evangelizing prisoners, building discipleship programs, and training volunteers. But I became perplexed that our growing ministry couldn’t keep pace with the nation’s skyrocketing prison populations. And this was at a time when the country was enjoying economic prosperity; poverty was on the wane—so why were more people ending up behind bars?

It was not until I read the landmark 1977 study called The Criminal Personality

that I was able to begin to fully appreciate what was going on. The study’s authors, psychologist Stanton Samenow and psychiatrist Samuel Yochelson, rebutted the conventional wisdom that crime was caused by environment—things like poverty and racism.
It was caused, they wrote...by individuals making wrong moral choices.

So the solution to crime, they said, was "the conversion of the wrongdoer to a more responsible lifestyle"    

I later read another seminal work, Crime and Human Nature, by Richard J. Herrnstein and James Q. Wilson, then at Harvard. They determined that crime is caused by the lack of moral training in the morally formative years."

Prison Ministries help reset a prisoners moral compass.

Hope Prison Ministries website states "on a national basis, recidivism estimates range from 60% and higher. This means that 6 out of 10 of those released from prison will return to prison within 3 years." 

In contrast, "recidivism rates among those completing a faith-based dorm program are less than 10%".  Meaning less than 1 out of 10 will return to prison.

Prison ministries seek to love those in prison and teach them of God's love for them, His provision for them through Jesus and God's truth found in the Bible.

These programs change the lives of prisoners like Somer.

Please join me in supporting faith based prison programs thru prayer,volunteering or donations.  

Prison Fellowship
Ministries 101
Hope Prison Ministries -Home page, Recidivism page For more information click here to read the full article.

POEMS from Prison -Series - click on the links below

Fallen Angels- A Poem from Prison  

I Cried- A Poem from Prison

Shelves- A Poem From Prison

Contemporary or Christian- A Poem from Prison

Read-

GOD is Love
How to Receive Eternal Salvation

Medal of Honor Ceremony for Staff Sergeant Clint Romesha - Psalm 23

Yesterday I watched the Medal of Honor ceremony for Clinton L. Romesha, Staff Sergeant, U.S. Army.
I rarely watch TV yet I was blessed to see this historic event. Staff Sergeant Romesha was awarded
the Medal of Honor for conspicuous gallantry in Afghanistan.
His acts of valor and bravery in the battle at Combat Outpost Keating on Oct 3, 2009 were remarkable.
The camp was attacked by the Taliban and the odds of a positive outcome have been described as impossible. The reading of the Medal of Honor Citation (shown in the video below) describes the battle and the heroic acts in detail. Staff Sgt. Romesha is a hero, a patriot and a man of honor.

The soldiers of Bravo troop involved in this battle have been awarded the following:
37 Army Commendation Medals for their sustained heroism, 27 Purple Hearts for their wounds,
18 Bronze Stars for their valor and 9 Silver Stars for their for their gallantry.

I am grateful for all the soldiers past and present who have served our country in the military.
May God bless and comfort the families of the fallen and all injured service members whether their wounds are visible or invisible.
I also pray for God's protection over those servicemen and women who currently serve and protect our country both here and overseas.

Watch this historic, rare and inspiring ceremony. Romesha is only 1 of 80 living Medal of Honor recipients and 1 of 4 living U.S. soldiers from the war in Afghanistan to receive the Medal of Honor,
the United States highest military honor. 

Psalm 23
The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.
    He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
    he restores my soul.
He guides me in paths of righteousness
    for his name’s sake.

Even though I walk
    through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil,
    for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
    they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me
    in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
    my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and love will follow me
    all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord
    forever.

Read about:
-the Wounded Warrior Project. Donate here
-Clint Romesha, the bravest of the Brave

-Medal of Honor Recipients and Citations

Video-
President Obama's Speech (minute 3:23 in the video). 
Citation (minute 17 in the video)

Medal of Honor presented to Staff Sergeant Romesha (minute 21 in the video)

Shelves - A Poem from Prison

The is the fourth poem in my series entitled Poems from Prison. This poem is one of my favorites.
I've typed it exactly as handwritten by Somer Erickson. She penned this poem and many others while she was in jail, participating in a faith based program for inmates.

The program is voluntary. She and her fellow inmates live together in a faith-based dorm or "pod".
Various organizations and volunteers teach them about God's love for them using Bible studies
and help them prepare for successful re-entry into society via academic classes, life skills classes,
mentoring and other programs. 

The recidivism rate among inmates who participate in programs like these is much lower than inmates who do not have these programs available to them.
According to Hope Prison Ministries, "Recidivism rates among those completing a faith-based dorm program are less than 10%". Thus less than 1 out of 10 will return to prison.

Contrast those statistics to this quote from the same website: "on a national basis, recidivism estimates range from 60% and higher. This means that 6 out of 10 of those released from prison will return to prison within 3 years. Obviously the system by itself is not working."
Hope Prison Ministries also states: "In Texas more than 500,000 Texas are under some of supervision from the TDCJ. The average Cost of Housing 1 offender is $16,000+/year. The recidivism rate (source: TDCJ Annual Report) is 37%. A number thought to be far too low in view of national estimates."

Also reflect upon this: according to a New York Times article published in 2008, the U.S. has less than 5% of the worlds population and almost 25% of the world's prisoners.
We have a serious problem.
I believe the answer to part of this problem in to allow more faith-based programs to work with inmates.

Somer's poem, Shelves, is revealing, yet despite all she has been through she finds the one true source of Hope.

Shelves

I started building shelves one day.

I have a lot of stuff

I wanted to organize my thoughts

so my insides didn’t appear so rough

I built a shelf for lies

I built one for self-blame

I built a shelf for lack of concern

another housed my pain

I built a shelf for hate

then built one for regret

Then I kept on stacking

 I wasn’t finished yet

I built a shelf for anger

I built a shelf for tears

I built a shelf for bitterness

I’d been collecting it for years

I built them high, I stacked them tall

but suddenly I watched them fall

I cried out loud “Someone Help"

"I don’t know what to do"

"My shelves have broke

 "they need repair"

"and I’m all out of glue!”

I heard a voice inside

It spoke softly just to me

I know someone who can fix those shelves

child don’t worry about the fee.

A man showed up he went to work

did all the work for me

When he was done - he installed the shelves

and he did it all for free

All the junk that I had stacked

was clean & washed away

And what do you know

I was good to go & didn’t have to pay

When you're stacking shelves one day

and they break along with you

Remember all you must do is ask

And the Carpenter will fix yours too.

©Somer Erickson

Who is the Carpenter?

Jesus. 

Matthew 13:55, Mark 6:3

Watch: The Jesus Film

Read :  How to Receive Eternal Salvation

More poems from my series "Poems from Prison" - 

Fallen Angels- A Poem from Prison

I Cried - A Poem from Prison

Contemporary or Christian - A Poem from Prison

The prison program in which I participate is run in concert with Ministries 101
at Dawson State Jail in Dallas. Their website states " a relationship with Jesus is essential for meaningful change".
I wholeheartedly concur.

Prison Ministries
Prison Fellowship
Ministries 101
Hope Prison Ministries -Home page, Recidivism page

New York times article referenced above. It's an interesting read.

To God Be the GLORY! - Julie

Bible Verses for the Sick

Praying to God our Abba Father is an amazing privilege. Whether for ourselves or interceding for others,
God calls us to pray in all circumstances including sickness and suffering, be it physical, mental or spiritual.
I received an email the other day from someone who has cancer. She asked for prayer.
I was moved to write this post in her honor and for others I know just like her. For Sharon D, Kenedy K, Justin T, Christine H, Jessica W, Esther M, Elia D, the children and families of Camp Mati 
and in memory of my mother and father,
I share these thoughts with you in hopes you are encouraged and will bless others through your prayers.
Prayers offered in faith are powerful.

God hears our prayers through Jesus who intercedes for us. Although God does not always answer our prayers in the manner or in the timing we desire, we can trust that His plans are greater than ours,
"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the Lord.
"As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts." - Isaiah 55:8-9

We find comfort in knowing "that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." -Romans 8:28.
I find great reassurance in this truth.

Below are my favorite Bible verses to meditate upon and pray for yourself or someone you know who is sick either physically, mentally or spiritually.
I intended to use only 10 verses; however, God's truth is so rich I had to include many more.

Praise God

"Praise the Lord, O my soul; all my inmost being,

praise his holy name. Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits--- 

who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases,

who redeems your life from the pit 

nd crowns you with love and compassion,

who satisfies your desires with good things

so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's."

-Psalm 103:1-5

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!

In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope

 through

the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead," 1 Peter 1:3

 God is Always With You. See my post on Psalm 139 God is always with you.

"Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?

If I go up to the heavens, you are there;

if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.

If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea,

even there your hand will guide me,

your right hand will hold me fast."

-Psalm 139:7-10

"The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.

He makes me lie down in green pastures,

he leads me beside quiet waters,

he restores my soul.

He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

"Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil, for you are with me

 your rod and your staff, they comfort me."

-Psalm 23:1-4

God will give you Peace as you trust him.

`"The Lord bless you and keep you;

the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you;

the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace. " '

-Numbers 6:24-26

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition,

with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding,

will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

-Philippians 4:6-7

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,

the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort,

who comforts us in all our troubles,

so that we can comfort those in any trouble

with the comfort we ourselves have received from God."

-2 Corinthians 1:3-4

"I sought the Lord, and he answered me;

he delivered me from all my fears." 

-Psalm 34:4

Trust God's Greater Plan

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart

and lean not on your own understanding

 in all your ways acknowledge him,

and he will make your paths straight." 

-Proverbs 3:5-6

"I can do all things through him who strengthens me."
- Philippians 4:13

"I am the Lord's servant,"

Mary answered.

May it be to me as you have said"

And then the angel left her"

-Luke 1:38

"I will say of the Lord,"He is my refuge and my fortress,

my God, in whom I trust."

-Psalm 91:2

Let others know about your illness so they may pray for you!  It will bless them for you to allow them this privilege.

"Is any one of you sick? 

He should call the elders of the church to pray over him
and anoint him with oil

in the name of the Lord."

-James 5:14

"Therefore confess your sins to each other

and pray for each other so that you may be healed.

The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective."

-James 5:16

God can heal if that is His will.  Believe that he will heal, and pray that way.

"For nothing is impossible with God" -Luke 1:37

"As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed him, calling out,

“Have mercy on us, Son of David!”

When he had gone indoors, the blind men came to him, and he asked them,

“Do you believe that I am able to do this?”

“Yes, Lord,” they replied.

Then he touched their eyes and said,

“According to your faith will it be done to you”; 

-Matthew 9:27-29.

What happened? 
These men were healed because they believed and had faith. There are many stories in the Bible of Jesus healing people.

"O Lord my God, I called to you for help and you healed me."

-Psalm 30:2

"If any of you lacks wisdom,he should ask God,

who gives generously to all without finding fault,

and it will be given to him.

But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt,

because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea,

blown and tossed by the wind.

That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord;

he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does."

-James 1:5-8

"O Sovereign Lord, you have begun to show to your servant your greatness

and your strong hand.

For what god is there in heaven or on earth 

who can do the deeds and mighty works you do?"

-Deuteronomy 3:24

God will hear your prayers!

"In the morning, O Lord, you hear my voice;

in the morning I lay my requests before you

and wait in expectation."

-Psalm 5:3

God in near.

"The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth."

-Psalm 145:18

"You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart."

-Jeremiah 29:13

"Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence,

so that we may receive mercy and find grace 

to help us in our time of need."

-Hebrews 4:16

"On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night.

Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

My soul clings to you;

your right hand upholds me."

-Psalm 63:6-8

Gods strength and power is made perfect in weakness.

"But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you,

for my power is made perfect in weakness.

" Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses,

so that Christ's power may rest on me.

That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses,

in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties.

For when I am weak, then I am strong."

-2 Corinthians 12:9-10

Joy in these circumstances it is good for all.

"A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones."

-Proverbs 17:22

"A man's spirit sustains him in sickness, but a crushed spirit who can bear?"

-Proverbs 18:14

And finally, I just love the following verses and find comfort in them! I hope you do too.

"One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek: 

that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life

 to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord

and to seek him in his temple"

-Psalm 27:4

"The Lord lives! Praise be to my Rock! Exalted be God my Savior!" 

-Psalm 18:46

If you do not know God, I want you to know he loves you and wants to have a relationship with you.
Read God is Love, How to Receive Eternal Salvation.
-Psalm 18:46

Camp Mati- check out this camp for families who have a Child with Cancer, established to rebuild families after suffering emotionally and financially while going through cancer treatments with a child in their family. 

If you have a favorite verse for those who are sick, please share it via a comment below.
You will bless others.

To God be The Glory! - Julie


Sources -
Scripture is from the NIV - New International Version

Contemporary or Christian - A Poem from Prison

I volunteer with a Prison ministry through which I have met many fascinating and extraordinary inmates. The author of this poem and the other poems in my series entitled Poems from Prison is one of those inmates. (see below for more background information.) I pray you open your mind and heart to the messages, emotions and raw reality of her writings. 

Contemporary or Christian

Which brand of writer are you

Personally, Labels on my work

Simply will not do

We all posses free will

We're are subject to the law

So sin is something common to man

We're each born with the beautiful flaw

I know all about lust and desire

I've stolen things before

I've been in love with a married man

I've also played the whore

Why does it surprise someone

that a writer can pen both sides

It's only due to grace abound

My salvation even rides

Everyone is so self-righteous

This I can truly say

I'll throw in my lot with the sinners

over the righteous any day

What perfection ever needed a savior

this is something Jesus he knew

so he ate at his table with sinners

just like me and like you

©Somer Erickson

The Bible says in Luke 5:29-32:
"Then Levi held a great banquet for Jesus at his house, and a large crowd of tax collectors and others were eating with them. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law who belonged to their sect complained to his disciples,
“Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and ‘sinners’?”

Jesus answered them,
“It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” *

Although I will leave you to reflect upon the poem, for those less familiar with the terms used by the author I offer these few comments.

What is sin?

Take a look in the mirror. Yes, you sin, I sin, we all sin!  

The Bible says:
"There is not a righteous man on earth who does what is right and never sins."-Ecclesiastes 7:20

and

"for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God," - Romans 3:23

According to allboutGod.com "sin is doing what is wrong or not doing what is right according to God's rules (1 John 3:4)."

God's rules are known as the 10 Commandments.
(to learn more about The 10 Commandments click on the tab at the top of this page)

Simply stated, If God says "Do not lie" and you lie, then you have sinned.
If God says "Do not commit adultery" and you do, then you have sinned.

Be honest.  Do you see your sin clearly?  Perhaps you think "I'm a good person. I try to do the right thing."
I hear people say that all the time. 

Who decides the standards for "the right thing"?
You? 
To me that is a scary notion. Only God is Holy (set apart, pure, perfect). You and I are far from pure.

We make choices everyday to live by God's standards or by our own sense of right and wrong.

In Matthew 22:35-40,  Jesus was asked "Teacher,which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" to which Jesus replied

“‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’

³⁸ This is the first and greatest commandment.

³⁹ And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ ⁴⁰ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

If you are to love God like this, then keeping His Commandments must be a priority.

You need to recognize that sin is offensive to God who has no sin and is pure and Holy. Sin separates us from God, our Abba Father.

The Bible says:

"But your iniquities have separated
    you from your God;
your sins have hidden his face from you,

    so that he will not hear" -Isaiah 59:2

The good news is Jesus came to save us from the consequences of our sin. He wants each of us to be with Him for all eternity.

In spite of ourselves, Jesus loves us all.
He makes no distinction between different kinds of people.
There is no sinner no matter how grievous their sins, that cannot be redeemed through the precious blood of Jesus.
God loves all and wishes none to perish.

"...He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance." - 2 Peter 3:9

"This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him." - 1 John 4:9

Read-

GOD is Love
How to Receive Eternal Salvation

What is the meaning of the term "self-righteous"?  Definitions include: 

having or characterized by a certainty, especially an unfounded one, that one is totally correct or morally superior. 

Dictionary.com defines it as: confident of one's own righteousness, especially when smugly moralistic and intolerant of the opinions and behavior of others.

My series "Poems from Prison" - 
Fallen Angels- A Poem from Prison

I Cried - A Poem from Prison

Background on this Series-
I volunteer in a Bible based ministry that serves female inmates in a special "bible unit" in Dawson State Jail, we call the God Pod. This series is meant in no way to condone illegal, immoral and hurtful behavior. The Bible calls for all sinners to confess their sin, seek forgiveness and make restitution** from those whom they have wronged. I desire for Christian faith based programs to gain increasing acceptance within the prison system as an effective means of transforming offenders- changing their lives, their eternal destiny and the lives of others for the better. 

These poems were written by Somer Erickson while in prison. The poems, not published in date order, were written at different times in her journey and reflect that fact. They offer a window into the world of a prisoner: the hurts, the experiences, the thoughts and the life change as God transforms her heart, mind and soul.

Somer Erickson was recently released from prison and is trying to rebuild her life.

**There are passages in the books of Exodus, Leviticus and Numbers on resitution. And in the New Testament in the story of Zaccheus, Jesus clearly values this principal. (Luke 19:1-9)

*(this same incident is recorded in Mark 2:15-17, Matthew 9:10-13)