Restorative Justice: How can this make sense...

This happened weeks ago, and I am still struggling to make sense of it. I asked for your prayers concerning a Restorative Justice program, and it is clear that you responded because it was one of the most intense weeks of my life.

I was a little disappointed at the beginning of the week, because most of the inmates who were attending the course were already believers. Sometimes "christian" inmates will be more excited about parading their knowledge of the Bible than about actually taking responsibility for what they have done. Heck... I guess it's kind of like church sometimes! I have heard men calmly walk away from shocking crimes because "God has forgiven me"

I could not have been more wrong. Usually the inmates I work with are incredibly guarded--almost paranoid--but these men let down their defenses and really took the discussion seriously. Restorative Justice challenges the men to understand the impact that their actions have had upon their families and communities, and these guys got it.

The highlight of the course was when one young man came up to me after a discussion: "Andrew... I feel sick. I feel like I could vomit in my spirit." He went on to explain that he was going to be released from prison in a matter of months. Unlike many of the men I serve, his family was actually looking forward to his return. He also had a young daughter that he could not stop talking about throughout the course.

His problem, was that he now believed he could not do it. In our conversation, he confessed to a murder he had committed on the outside that nobody had even charged him of. After sitting on our program, he realized that this woman's family was still hurting for the crime he had committed years ago, and they deserved answers that only he could give. He had to take responsibility, even if it meant an additional sentence.

I was shocked. Honestly I had to warn him to be careful what he shared with me, because once he started down this road it could have very serious consequences. This young man explained that he could never be an effective father to his daughter if he kept this secret.

I have never seen anything like it... It was living proof of the passage in Matthew 10 where Jesus states "those who lose their life for my sake will find it." It is a sacrifice that can only make sense under grace. This man understood that the most dangerous prisons are not built of concrete and razor wire, and he needed speak the truth before he could ever be free.

I don't know what you guys were praying for, but God was present in that prison hall in a way I have not experienced before. It was humbling to be a part of such intense healing.

I will soon be meeting with the Inspecting Judge of the Department of Correctional Services, and I would appreciate your prayers again as we take this case forward. This young prisoner has already ministered to me, and I will consider it an honor to walk with him as he takes responsibility for the past and claims whatever future God has in store.