Setting Prisoners Free

For a while now I've been involved with a ministry on Chicago's West Side; it's called The Bridge. They work primarily with men and women who have "come home" from prison and often struggle with the ongoing plights of poverty, homelessness, addiction and mental illness.  The catchphrase on their  website is:  from the streets  to the Bridge to the church The wonderful people who run it have asked me to come to their Tuesday night services and preach about once a month about a specific topic or question; we also collaborate together to help meet some of their needs. I go into more detail about their ministry on this page: The Bridge: Messages (you'll also find the sermons I wrote and delivered) Recently they asked me to be involved with another aspect of their ministry; it's called BridgeBox; an online Church service. Every month, they pick a specific topic and use multimedia to bring sermons, music, bible studies and devotionals to those w

Every day, this certain guy used to sit on a crate out on Wilson Avenue. He loved to preach. I used to sit down and chat with him from time to time and soak in some of his wisdom. He went to a local church and loved to share his pastor's "catch phrase" with me.  One day, he said something that has stuck with me until this very day. It's fairly simple, it  goes like this:  "Don't let nobody live rent-free in your head!"   I have used this "saying" countless times. I've said it to people in conflict, I've said it to people at the shelter, I've said it to people who are brewing over some issue and when someone and something is making me mad, I'll say it to myself. Let me repeat it:  "Don't let nobody live rent-free in your head!"  I use it because I've seen guys let small things mushroom into massive things. I'm talking about people wanting to fight or kill one another over small