Volume July 2001
Here it is July 4th. There are no programs today in the facility because we’re on a “holiday
schedule”. This means that other than the messhall workers, cellblock porters
and a few hospital workers, there are no job assignments to go to. Any inmate
who is not confined to his cell because of a disciplinary infraction of some kind can go outside to one of two recreation
yards.
For me, however, I don’t feel like doing anything today except relaxing, praying and reading my Bible. I’ve started going through the book of Jeremiah the prophet.
I might as well enjoy a day where I have no special place to rush off to.
You see, this morning I had the misfortune of awakening suddenly at four o’clock to find my cell filled with
smoke. I usually sleep until 5 to 5:30 or so.
But the man in the cell directly across from mine is a heavy smoker. He
was up smoking and in these prisons the ventilation is so inadequate. Thus I
awoke with a choking feeling, and I quickly opened my little window as far as it could go.
In rushed the chilly Catskill
Mountains air. I love fresh air.
But once it started hitting me in the face I was fully awake and simple could not go back to sleep. I feel very tired now, not being fully rested.
Yet today I am hoping to get some correspondence finished. I have some
clothes to wash, wring out and dry right in my cell. I also want to get back
to Anne Frank’s diary. This book has brought a lot of encouragement to me.
And this is all for today!
David Berkowitz
July 5, 2001
THE JEWS AND COURAGE
For thou art an holy people unto the Lord
thy God” the Lord thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto
Himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth.
Deuteronomy 7:6
I want to say that I am thankful to be a Messianic Jew. I am thankful
to have received God’s mercy, and to know the God of Israel in a deeply personal way.
I am pleased to read about and to hear stories of the God-given inner strength and determination which the Jewish people
have so often displayed throughout their history. And I thank God they have been
able, during times of great threat and pressure, to must up these qualities in addition to the qualities of courage, fortitude
and hope.
Thus in today’s journal I feel compelled to quote a portion of Anne Frank’s diary . Her words are so encouraging and powerful. He words speak,
I believe, for all the Jewish people throughout the ages:
“Tuesday, 11 April 1944”
“…We have been pointedly reminded that we are in hiding, that we are Jews in chains, chained to one spot,
without any rights, but with a thousand duties.
“We Jews mustn’t show our feeling, must be brave and strong, must accept all inconveniences and not grumble,
must do what is within our power and trust in God…
“Who has afflicted this upon us? Who has made us Jews different
from all other people? Who has allowed us to suffer so terribly up till now?”
It is God that has made us as we are, but it will be God, too, who will raise us up again. If we bear all this suffering and if there are still Jews left, when it is over, then Jews, instead of
being doomed, will be held up as an example.
“Who knows, it might even be our religion from which the world and all peoples learn good, and for that reason
and that reason only do we have to suffer now.
“We can never become just Netherlanders, or just English, or representatives of any country for that matter,
we will always remain Jews, but we want to, too.
“Be brave! Let us remain aware of our task and not grumble, a solution
will come,
God has never deserted our people. Right through the ages there have been Jews.
Through all the ages they have had to suffer, but it has made them strong
too; the weak fall, but the strong will remain and never go under!”
From “Anne Frank, The Diary of a
Young Girl”
David Berkowitz
July 6, 2001
Create in me a clean heart, O God; and
renew a right spirit within me.
Psalm 51:10
The Lord had something nice for me today. This morning I had time off
from my work assignment because the inmate I help care for went to the hospital.
He has problems with his heart and he will probably be there for a few days.
So with the morning off I decided to go outside. Going to the recreation
yard on weekday mornings is a rare occurrence for me because normally I would have to stay back in the cell-block for escort
duty. I have to stay ready to take the other man to the hospital or wherever
else he may have to go on any given day.
Thus I went to the yard to get some fresh air and to walk around. However
the yard seemed to be filled with other Christians. Within a short time there
were eight of us hanging out together, having some fellowship, talking about the Lord, and we also did some praying. One man asked me to read Psalm 51. Then
we discussed what we just read.
But there was one prisoner, however, whom my heart went out to. I’ll
call him Lenny. (Not is real name.) I
have known him for many years and I was very surprised to see him outside as he almost always stays in his cellblock.
Lenny’s been incarcerated for almost eighteen years. He’s
dong “15-years to life” which means the parole board has already “hit” him twice. He is schizophrenic. Yet still, Lenny is such a decent person. Everyone likes him, and although he can get very loud as he talks to himself for hours
at a time, no one is ever bothered by him
Like most of the mentally ill who are in prison, he’s a chain smoker. In
here nicotine is the drug of choice. And oftentimes other men try to show kindness
to Lenny by giving him cigarettes.
Knowing what we know about cigarettes today, I don’t consider these things the ideal gift to give to someone. I can’t even stand the smell of tobacco smoke even after all these years of
having to breathe it in with almost every breath. But for many prisoners there
really is no other way to show Lenny some kindness, so they think, than to give him a smoke.
For no candy is permitted in the yard, and this facility does not allow inmates to have chewing gum.
Anyhow, when Lenny saw me in the yard with the other Christians he came right over and joined us. We all walked around and talked, although Lenny, because of his illness, made no sense. But we had a good
time. The brothers took turns putting their arms around Lenny as we walked. We
wanted him to know that he is definitely accepted in our company.
None of us are self-righteous bigshots. We’re outcasts, too. As some other prisoners consider the Christian inmates to be trash and scum. However we were just to full of the joy of the Lord to let the attitudes and looks
of some of these guys depress us.
David Berkowitz
July 7, 2001
INTERCESSORY PRAYER
I just finished a letter to a friend who was a little downcast because they felt they had no purpose within the body
of Christ. This seems to be such a common feeling, probably because many of us
think (falsely and incorrectly) that “ministry” is supposed to always be something that’s exciting. That “ministry” means traveling all about, being busy with dozens of things,
preaching, evangelizing, getting on Christian TV, etc.
While, yes, these things are a part of some ministries, there really is so much more.
So if I can encourage someone here, I want to share what Christ had revealed to me in the past . This is that “intercessory prayer” (praying in behalf of other people and situations,) is one
of the MOST IMPORTANT ministries of the church.
Intercessory prayer is the oil that keeps the gear s in motion and always running.
Especially in these end times when the spiritual warfare against the saints is so great, and Christians and their ministries
are under attack everywhere, I don’t think there is a more effective type of ministry than prayer.
The prayers of God’s people can cause the sick to be healed. “And
the prayer of faith shall save the sick…” (James 5:15a). Prayer can
move mountains or shut up the heavens so that it doesn’t even rain. “Elias
(Elijah) was a man subject to like passions as we are, (he was only an ordinary person), and he prayed earnestly that it might
not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six
month” (James 5:17)
Not bad!
If course intercessory prayer is, for the most part, always going to be a work and ministry that has no glamour or
recognition. Not to many folks are going to see us “praying in secret”. But guess who is going to see us? It
is the Lord.
Jesus says in His word that, when we pray in secret, He will reward us openly
(Matthew 6:5-6). This kind of fervent, consistent praying
is a behind the scenes role. But the Lord wants it. Any Christian can pray. And if we have lots of time on our
hands, our prayer ministry can be even more effective.
So when I wrote back to this dear Christian friend, I told him that out of all the “Ministry” that one
could do, prayer is the most important.
Now I hope they’ll realize what a great ministry and calling they have.
What a needful place one can have in being an intercessory prayer warrior in the body of Christ.
David Berkowitz
