VOLUME JUNE 2006 d

 

BETRAYAL

 

These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace.  In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer;  I have over come the world.

 John 16:33

 

     It ‘s happened before, and it has happened again.  People with their own plans and agendas have somehow gotten close to me, posing as caring Christians, only to eventually show themselves as having additional motives other that friendship.

 

     As I’ve said many times, we who serve Him with hearts of love, will on occasion be accosted by “false” brethren, those proverbial “wolves in sheep’s clothing”.

 

     This, unfortunately, is part of the Christian’s walk.  And it is only by the grace of God, the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and by a knowledge of what the Bible says, that will help a Christian to avoid the pitfalls and traps Satan  has set for him.

 

     The Bible says that the devil is a destroyer.  He will kill me if he could, and he’s always seeking for ways to neutralize my testimony.  Sadly, he will even use other Christians.

 

     And with t his in mind, I know have to deal with an “enemy in the camp”.  Several close friends, have, it appears, allowed an unbeliever, a media person, to enter the fold.  Now, as a result of this, trouble may be developing for me in the near future.

 

     I am of course, very disappointed by what these supposed friends have done.  I forive them, yet I’ve also had to ask the Lord to remove some bitterness which crept into my heart as a result of their actions.  But this is a potentially bad situation..They had no right to share my private llife with a stranger who only sought to develop a relationship with them for his own gain.

 

     I have been betrayed, and it hurts.  I’d be lying if I said it’s no big deal.  Now my relationship with these friends has been altered.  Nevertheless, the fact is, they sold me out.  And as the pieces come together, I am seeing their level of deception more clearly.

 

     They cultivated a friendship with me, and used to name of “Jesus”, with the hopes of furthering their own goals.  Unfortunately there are people who try to attach themselves to me so that their own names could become known within the Christian community.

 

     The people who befriended and ultimately deceived me, I believe, wanted to be seen. So, sadly, they resorted to seeking out a Christian who is popular. And this kind of victimization comes with  the territory .  Now, however, I must cut them loose. They’ve been exposed as “counterfeits”.

 

     Moreover, as the situation unfolds, I know I am going to learn many deeper things about spiritual warfare.  I am confident that, no matter what damage may come to me as a result of media distortions, God will ultimately get the glory from my life because I belong to Him.  Jesus has a plan for me that, while it may be delayed, will one day come to pass.  Hallelujah!

 

David Berkowitz

 

June 30, 2006

 

SURPRISE NEWS

 

     This morning I was in an area of the facility which has classrooms and offices for the inmates who are in the Sensorial Disabled Unit. These are the men who are sight-impaired.  And there’s also another classroom in the same area for the men from the prison’s general population, who while not legally blind, are learning sign language.

 

     And it was in the empty sign language class that I parked myself because at the time it was not being used.  I needed to stay here for several hours because the blinds prisoner I was escorting had to attend his class in the room next door.  So I had to be near him and on standby duty in case he needed my assistance with something. 

 

     Then, after I had been sitting by myself in the empty classroom catching up on my reading, a man I’ll call Rodney* entered in.  Rodney once was an active member of in infamous and very dangerous street gang.  Fortunately, however, a handful of years ago he slowly began to detach  himself from the gang.

 

     Well Rodney sat down next to me and began to talk.  He was happy, he said, because he recently received a letter from his sixteen year old daughter, who he hadn’t heard from in fourteen years. 

 

     Rodney explained that she was only a little baby when he came to prison. And as a result of his lengthy sentence—Rodney has at least fifty years to do—his wife divorced  him and took his daughter and disappeared.  For all these years, he said, Rodney had no idea where his ex-wife and daughter lived.  He had lost contact with them.

 

     Anyhow, according to Rodney, his parents happen to be Christians who had been praying for something like this to happen.  As it turned out, Rodney explained, one day his daughter, who had been curious about her father for many  years, decided to search for him on the internet.  Then when she found out he was here, she got the address of the prison and wrote.  Rodney nearly fainted, he said, when he saw the name on the return address of her first letter.

 

    And when his ex-wife found out that her daughter tracked down her father, she too decided to write. Now they’re all back in touch, and they’ve made their peace.  But Rodney said they won’t be getting married again however.

 

     Listening to Rodney tell it brought tears to my eyes.  I’m happy for him.  Yet his  story reminded me that I had lost contact with my half-sister more than twenty-seven years ago.  I have no idea where she is, and I miss her very much.

 

     I told Rodney that I needed to hear his story because, unbeknownst to him I’ve been going though a difficult time of grief and anguish because I have been betrayed by several persons whom I thought were close friends.  Thankfully, though today my spirit was lifted a bit as I listened to Rodney’s tale of hope.

 

*Rodney is not his real name,

 

David Berkowitz

 

VOLUME JUNE 2006 c

 

GOD’S PRESENCE

 

For all the promises of God in Him are yea, and in Him Amen, unto the glory of God by us.                       

                                                                          2 Corinthians 1:20

 

     This morning I felt God’s presence.  Even before the worship service began, when the congregation’s leaders and choir members gathered together in a nearby classroom as we do every Sunday morning before church to pray and call upon the Lord, we sensed that a powerful force was with us.  The room felt energized.  Even our individual prayers and our heartfelt pleadings to the Lord sounded louder than usual, as if we were a bunch of hungry baby birds crying for our parents to come and drop food into our mouths.

 

     And shortly after this, when we left the classroom and as we entered the chapel as the place was filling with men, this same presence seemed to follow us.  It stayed throughout the service too.

 

     As for myself, even though I’ve been going through a period of physical and emotional exhaustion, today I was uplifted.  I still feel tired and drained of energy, of course.  But I know that deep within my soul something has changed for the better.

 

     Actually every part of our service appeared to come alive.  From the congregational prayer at the beginning of our meeting, to the Scripture readings, and on to the choir’s singing and the preacher’s sermon, everything seemed energized and anointed.  It was a blessed time.

 

David Berkowitz

 

June 27, 2006

 

TRUE LOVE

 

Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.

 

                                                                     1  John 4:11

 

     Recently I received a letter from a friend who told me that he’s troubled because those who attend the church he belongs to don’t seem to display genuine love and concern.  He lamented that many in his congregation seem remote and unfriendly.

 

     So when I answered his letter, I told my friend that it’s to bad he cannot attend the fellowship I belong to which consists of a chaplain and several dozen prisoners.  For if he could attend, I told him he’d be pleasantly surprised to find a lot of love here.

 

     We’re always embracing one another with hugs and handshakes.  We likewise try to look out for and help each other, within the limitations of the correctional setting, of course.

 

     Nevertheless, if I could boast about the men in my  congregation, these guys are doing what every church member is supposed to do; they’re showing Christian love.

 

     And as for why the prison’s chapel is a place where love and compassion about, it is simply because, as Jesus said, “He who has been forgiven of much, loves much.  While to who little is forgiven, loves little”  (Luke 7:36-50)

 

     Most probably, therefore, we who are incarcerated for crimes, after having experienced God’s forgiveness, are perhaps better able not only to love the Lord, but to love our neighbors too.

 

David Berkowitz

 

 

VOLUME JUNE 2006 c

 

GOD’S PRESENCE

 

For all the promises of God in Him are yea, and in Him Amen, unto the glory of God by us.                       

                                                                          2 Corinthians 1:20

 

     This morning I felt God’s presence.  Even before the worship service began, when the congregation’s leaders and choir members gathered together in a nearby classroom as we do every Sunday morning before church to pray and call upon the Lord, we sensed that a powerful force was with us.  The room felt energized.  Even our individual prayers and our heartfelt pleadings to the Lord sounded louder than usual, as if we were a bunch of hungry baby birds crying for our parents to come and drop food into our mouths.

 

     And shortly after this, when we left the classroom and as we entered the chapel as the place was filling with men, this same presence seemed to follow us.  It stayed throughout the service too.

 

     As for myself, even though I’ve been going through a period of physical and emotional exhaustion, today I was uplifted.  I still feel tired and drained of energy, of course.  But I know that deep within my soul something has changed for the better.

 

     Actually every part of our service appeared to come alive.  From the congregational prayer at the beginning of our meeting, to the Scripture readings, and on to the choir’s singing and the preacher’s sermon, everything seemed energized and anointed.  It was a blessed time.

 

David Berkowitz

June 27, 2006

 

TRUE LOVE

 

Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.

 

                                                                     1  John 4:11

 

     Recently I received a letter from a friend who told me that he’s troubled because those who attend the church he belongs to don’t seem to display genuine love and concern.  He lamented that many in his congregation seem remote and unfriendly.

 

     So when I answered his letter, I told my friend that it’s to bad he cannot attend the fellowship I belong to which consists of a chaplain and several dozen prisoners.  For if he could attend, I told him he’d be pleasantly surprised to find a lot of love here.

 

     We’re always embracing one another with hugs and handshakes.  We likewise try to look out for and help each other, within the limitations of the correctional setting, of course.

 

     Nevertheless, if I could boast about the men in my  congregation, these guys are doing what every church member is supposed to do; they’re showing Christian love.

 

     And as for why the prison’s chapel is a place where love and compassion about, it is simply because, as Jesus said, “He who has been forgiven of much, loves much.  While to who little is forgiven, loves little”  (Luke 7:36-50)

 

     Most probably, therefore, we who are incarcerated for crimes, after having experienced God’s forgiveness, are perhaps better able not only to love the Lord, but to love our neighbors too.

 

David Berkowitz