Journal 4-24-14

       I am a very blessed man. I found out today that I will be getting out next Friday. That should be May 2nd. There are a lot of things that I thought about when I was told. I felt excitement, fear, and anxiety. Everybody wants to go home, to be free, and to be with their loved ones. Now my security blanket is going to have to change. I have built around me a safety net, a network of brothers who are God fearing men and looking out for one another. We can become sheltered in here from life and the real world. It’s easy to manage my life in here. Now I will have to learn to manage my life out there where the distractions will be different.
       I want to let everyone know that part of my accountability to God, to myself, and to you is to continue writing journals, posting them on the internet, and sending them to you all in prison. I hope that you will continue to help me recruit more names to send these journals to. It is motivation to me to see the work of God grow. It is the only thing in my life I have ever been a part of that felt successful. It is medicine for my soul. If it does anything at all, it allows me to be responsible for something that I feel can’t stop. I feel I owe it to people to continue and I know that in order for it to be successful I must stay close to the Lord.
       This paragraph comes to mind – John 15:1-11 “I am the true vine, and my father the vine dresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you, abide in me and I in you, as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine. Neither can you unless you abide in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers, and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire and burned. If you abide in me and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish and it will be done for you, by this my father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. As the father has loved me, so have I loved you, abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my father’s commandments and abide in his love. These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be full.”

Prayer

I pray Father God that we all know what it is to abide in you, to have the strength to carry that out and to glorify you in that. In Jesus name, Amen

Thoughts:
The only time I do well is when I “feed off of the vine”. That is when I have had peace in my life. The only peace I have ever had! What about you?