January 1, 2001

          A NEW YEAR, A NEW MILLENNIUM

     As I begin this New Year, I pray that, with God’s help, I can continue to touch lives with His love, grace and compassion.  I pray with all my heart that someone will be encouraged by what I have to say either by video, radio programs, or by my written testimonies and other writings and letters.

     It is my calling, just like that of any other Christian, to spread the Good News that Jesus Christ forgives sins, and that he heals brokenhearted souls.  He sets captives free.  And He still reaches out to the outcasts and to those who think they have no hope.

      I pray that God will continue to use me and that the enemy of my soul, Satan, who is always seeking to destroy me and to somehow discredit my testimony will be bound by the power of God.

     And I pray and thank God for all my Christian brothers and sisters who have, over the years, given so much of their time and effort to help me through letters of encouragement and by their prayers.

     I am so grateful and I am continually amazed at God’s mercy towards me.  Looking back over the year 2000, so much has been accomplished to further the gospel.  And the best part is, I believe, that God isn’t finished with me yet.  Halleluiah!

David Berkowitz

January 4, 2001 (continued)

 I feel stupid for allowing myself to be controlled by thoughts that I am now convinced were not all my own.  I know some people will see this as a “cop out” or a state of denial.  They can think what they want.  But over time as God began to heal my mind, I began to understand these things.

     What I am saying is not crazy stuff.  Any Christian who understands the things about God will tell you that what I am saying is correct.  Even Dr. Billy Graham will state that the Spirit of God is fully capable of speaking to a person’s heart and mind.  Christians all throughout the world will attest to hearing the voice of God speaking to their spirit and also, at times, being able to know the mind of God.

     In any event, over time God has spoken very clearly to my mind and He has indeed revealed these things to me.  Thanks to Him, I have a better understanding of what had happened and how this “Son of Sam” tragedy all came about.  It is too painful to dwell upon and I seldom think about it anymore.  I am only going over these things at this time for this journal, that perhaps others may better understand athe powers of darkness, and hopefully even better appreciate god’s powers of love, forgiveness, healing, and hope.

     And I want to end today’s entry with a short prayer:

     “Lord, I ask you to continue to bring healing into the lives of those whom I have hurt in the past.  Touch them with your love and help them to cope with the pain and loss and grief that never seems to go away.  Thank You, Father God.  In Jesus’ Name, amen.”

David Berkowitz

January 8, 2001

    “Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.”

                                                                                               Romans 12:15

          Jack* died today.  He had been in prison for maybe fifteen years and he was in his 40s.  It was AIDS.

     As far as I know he was not a Christian, and during our many talks, he always insisted that his help was coming from the “Hindu goddess Kali” as well as the “Virgin Mary”, and his “Santeria powers.”

     Jack was a jailhouse lawyer and a fighter.  I watched this stubborn and strong-willed man waste away, his skin covered with brownish-colored open sores.  It was gross to look at.

     I met Jack several years ago in the “Big Yard.”  He used to watch the Christian brothers walk around with our Bibles.  During the warmer weather the open yard was a place for some of us to meet impromptu.  Whenever a Christian showed up he hung out with the other brothers.  And of course inviting some unsaved men to pal around with us was the common practice.  And so here came Jack.

     When I worked in the chapel as a clerk, which I did for several years. Jack would almost always drop by for a discussion.  He worked as a porter in the same building complex.  Naturally I witnessed to him many times, and so did many of the other Christians.

       Jack was so stubborn, convinced he could solve life’s problems and lick AIDS by “thinking positive”.  But he did go to a number of our services, sometimes on Sundays and at other times when various ministries would come in.

     I wish I had some kind of confirmation in my heart that Jack turned to Christ and received Jesus as his Savior before he died.  I watched him get sicker as time went on.  There would be weeks when I would not see him because he was in the hospital.  He went on many medical trips for treatments.  He battled his sickness every step of the way.

     Last week, I heard that, once again, Jack was admitted to the prison hospital.  As with many who have the virus, (or as it is nicknamed, “the Monster”), they make their trips back and forth to the hospital.  But as they each get sicker and weaker there’s that one “last trip.”  This one was his.

     He never returned.  Quietly a few corrections officer went into his cell in the housing unit he lived in, and they packed his things.  This is how everyone knew that Jack won’t be back.

      He was well liked and respected among the inmates.  So everyone in the prison was talking about it.  When I got the news I wept silently for him and I will remember to keep his family in my prayers.

     I don’t know who or where they are.  But within the next several days or weeks someone from his family will have to come and claim his personal property (which is now in temporary storage).   And they will have to claim his body for private burial.

     However, if no one claims him, Jack will be in our Potter’s Field.  Every maximum-security prison has a Potter’s Field.  It comes with the territory because not every inmate gets out of prison alive, and not every inmate has a family.

     In fact, even some who do have families, they have the option to refuse to get the remains.  This sometimes happens, either because of  no money or no  interest.

     I hope that my friend Jack gets a decent burial, at least.  But most of all, I hope to see him in heaven one day.

*Jack is not his real name

David Berkowitz

January 11, 2001

 I have not made many entries in my journal of late.  I started off this new year physically tired.  So I have tried to slow the pace down to get refreshed physically and spiritually.

     I’ve been busy going to chapel services and Bible studies, answering letters and writing messages.  The Lord has opened many small doors for me to share my testimony with young people.  Mostly the crowd that is confined to juvenile detention centers.  You know, the teens who are one step away form either going to prison or to an early grave.

     Christ can give them hope and turn their lives around, if they will let Him.  They need someone like me who’s been to “hell and back” (so to speak) to let them know that “sin” is not “in”.  It’s dangerous!

     I tell them in the written messages that God truly loves each one, that He has a plan and purpose for their lives.  That there is hope in Him.   This is the gist of it.

David Berkowitz

January 12, 2001

A few days ago I received a letter from a friend in Connecticut who shared how their church services have been going so well. They were so happy, and I was glad to hear this.

     Here is a portion of the letter I wrote back to them this morning:

          “I’m glad to hear how well your church services are going and that many people have been drawn to the warm and loving fellowship.  It is encouraging to get “good reports” about churches and what God is doing in them.

     “I’m tired of hearing about all the negative stuff, the scandals, the splits, the “moral failures”.  I know these tragic things do happen.  But God is greater and bigger than all of this.  We are always in victory when we are walking with Christ.”

David Berkowitz

January 13, 2001

     Several days ago I received word from a friend that a minister from Florida viewed THE CHOICE IS YOURS video and will be taking one or two copies with him when he goes to Taiwan, which is now part of China.

     Well here again is another answered prayer.  The youth in China who live in the big cities almost all speak English as their second language.  So taking the videos to evangelize will definitely work.  Praise the Lord!  God is faithful!

     And a few weeks prior to this there was yet another small victory.  My brother, Jess Craft, gave a missionary couple a copy of the SON OF HOPE video to take back with them to the Solomon Islands when they return.  They want to use it.

     The Solomon Islands are in the Pacific Ocean.  According to the prayer handbook, OPERATION WORLD, many of the churches on the islands are strong and healthy.  English is the official language, and there have been a lot of successful evangelistic outreaches among the high school students.  This is encouraging news!

David Berkowitz

January 18, 2001

“Six Months to Live”

     I cannot even begin to tell the public how much misery and self-inflicted suffering I have seen in prison over the years.  These prisons are places of so many broken dreams and lost hopes.  In here one can clearly see the high price tag that each convict has to pay for committing crimes and, as we Christians would say, committing “sins”.  I’m surely an expert in this area, now having spent almost half my life incarcerated.

     Today I was once again in the infirmary where I took my wheelchair escort to pick of his daily medications.  While I was waiting on line another inmate who I knew casually, having taken a behavior modification-type class with him several months back---the class was required---came up to me to ask for my prayers.  His name was Jim*.

     Jim shook my hand and started to cry.  He did not look healthy at all.  I thought he was going to tell me that he had gotten bad news from home.  Little did I know until he started telling me his problem, that he had gotten bad news from a doctor a few weeks prior.

     The doctor told Jim he had six months to live.  I was stunned.  He seemed fine when we attended that class.  But a lot can happen in two or three months.   Now the happy-go-lucky guy who loved to tell jokes while we were sitting in that classroom, was told that he has hepatitis.  His liver decided to stop working.  Jim’s body was now being poisoned by toxins.  He was dying.

     I’ve never seen Jim in church before.  When I would see him in the hallways, he was often carrying around athe latest lusty novel.  Like many prisoners, Jim loves to read.  But now he was asking for a Bible.  Funny how “bad news” can serve as a wake-up call.  The game is over and it’s time to get serious about life.  But poor Jim is in his fifties!

     My heart went out to him.  We were only able to speak for a few minutes because he had already picked up his medicine.  The rules are that, once you get what you have to at the medication window, you do an about face and walk out the door.  But he did manage to linger and talk

     I promised Jim that I would pray for him, and I urged hem to go to the chapel when he had the chance so that all the congregation could pray in his behalf.

     Jim lives in a different cellblock than I do.  Not only have I put him on my ever-growing prayer list, but I will try to send over some Christian literature like the Guidepost or the Billy Graham Decision magazines, which we have in the chapel in abundance.

     “Please, Jesus, touch this man’s life.  Grant him a desire for repentance and the faith to believe the gospel.  Help him, dear Lord!”

*Jim is not his real name

David Berkowitz