Setting Prisoners Free

A few years ago I was unemployed; struggling to find a job and unsure of what I was going to do! My long term plan was to come over here to Chicago, but I had hardly any money and had just graduated from Bible College, so I also had quite a lofty debt hanging over my head.  I was praying for a solution. I wanted God to intervene. Quickly! I desperately wanted Him to gift me with something. I didn't want to just sit around and collect the "dole" (the New Zealand term for receiving unemployment benefits). I knew how dangerous "doing nothing" could be for me, having once struggled through a crippling depression. I needed something and I spent a lot of time praying for an answer; praying for God's intervention! I was jobless for several months, and then out of the blue, a friend of mine from Church told me he could get me a job, painting houses! I was thankful to God. I viewed this opportunity as a gift from God. I was sure God had ...

This question is very real; trust me, I hear it all the time! I have people come see me and they're frustrated! They're trying, they are trying really hard. They're trying to follow Christ and they're telling everyone what He's done in their lives. The problem is, people, (especially the ones who know them the most), seem to be the very ones throwing the biggest stones. They are tossing their past around, reminding people of who they are and what they've done! They love reminding everyone of how they used to smoke dope together, gang-bang together, rob people and do other crazy stuff. They love to put their "tainted past" on parade! The issue to them is, they know Jesus has radically changed them, so they cry out, "hey, take a look at me! Jesus changed me! He can change you too!" But those who hear these words, just laugh, mock and deny the miracle God has done! I think this is hardest among the people who know us t...

In my early twenties, while still living in Aotearoa (aka New Zealand), I drove a taxi-cab. During that brief epoch of my life, I experienced and saw some fairly intense trauma and drama! In fact, if you're planning on driving taxis, (especially the graveyard shift), expect your stomach to churn and your faith in God and humanity to be challenged in new ways. Being a cab driver means you're going to submerse yourself in an ocean of traumatic and dramatic events. For the purpose of this blog-post, I'm going to highlight 3 episodes I experienced in my cab and how they affected me. It was late. It was Monday. Everything was closed. Everything was peaceful. I was just sitting there, waiting to be called up, waiting for that elusive fare. Two men appeared out of the dark and got into my car; the smaller fella sat in the front, while the bigger guy sat in the back. They gave me an exact address and off we drove, peacefully chatting about our day. As we approached our de...