Just weeks after our son’s arrest, a colleague told me, “Shonda, be sure you put your hope in God because man will fail you.” That sounded like good advice and I really intended to practice it. As the investigation continued, we hired an attorney and we learned more about the situation. The attorney shared information with us that gave us hope. In hindsight, I can honestly say I put my hope in the attorney and the justice system instead of…
We’re all sojourners, just passing through this phase of life. James described our lives as being like a mist that appears for a moment, but then it’s gone (James 4:14). Life on earth is temporary. One day sometime after my son’s incarceration, it hit me—if my life here is temporary, why do I dwell on myself too much on this life? I’m not talking about neglecting myself, but moving out of self-pity into focusing on God’s promises. I began to…
The Lord desires for us to receive HIS truth so that we can live in freedom. When we need answers to the issues of our lives, the Lord will reveal His truths to us when we call upon Him. “Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known” (Jeremiah 33:3 ESV). Our role is to call Him and seek Him. When we do, He promises that He will…
After my son’s arrest, we met with a criminal attorney who reviewed the case. He assured us that this was all a big misunderstanding and he would be able to get our son out of this situation. The attorney share information about the case with us—the police reports, the background information of all parties involved, etc. And even the sheriff had remarked to my husband that it was not as bad for our son as it had seemed. Stephen cooperated…
Two years after my son’s conviction, I continued to struggle with living day-to-day life much less enjoying it. The enemy planted thoughts in my mind that filled me with despair. At that time, instead of taking thoughts captive that did not line up with the Word of God, I entertained those depressive thoughts and my life was filled with fear. But one evening, we decided to go ice skating as a family. I don’t remember whose bright idea this was,…
Two months after my son was arrested, I attended Lysa Terkeurst’s She Speaks conference in North Carolina. This was a tough time to travel away from home, but this was a pre-paid trip. So I tapped into my reserve energy and traveled across two time zones to attend this conference. The staff informed attendees that they set up a prayer room that they used to pray over each person. No small task as there were approximately 600 attendees. We received…
In a previous blog post, Freedom from Despair, I shared how we can fall into despair if we expect to have a fair life. Sadly, life is not fair. For families of inmates, we expect our loved ones to receive a fair trial, and when that does not happen, it has the potential to lead us into despair. In Acts 16, when Paul and Silas were wrongfully convicted and thrown into prison, how did they respond? Paul and Silas did…
When a family member goes to prison, we feel helpless. We go through the “could of” and “should of” list of what we could have done differently that would have prevented the incident or situation that led to his (or her) incarceration. But there is something we can do – Pray! Yes, there are many other things we can do for them such as visitation, put money on their accounts, and send letters and books. However, the number one thing…
The incarcerated men and women in American prisons remember those who served our country defending our country’s freedoms. Earlier this month, Fortress of Hope Ministries received a letter from an inmate that included a poem honoring the U.S. soldiers. As we pray for our incarcerated loved ones and our families, let’s remember to pray for those who serve our country and the families of those whose loved ones sacrificed their lives for our nation. In 1971, Memorial Day became an…
What is the best weapon in your arsenal when the enemy comes against you? Daily we face battles from the enemy. We may be force to deal with health issues, financial issues, family issues, friend issues, job issues, and so on. But we must remember that any of the people involved in the conflict is NOT our enemy. The real battle is in the spiritual realm, not in this physical realm. Ephesians 6: 12 (NKJV) explains to us, “For we do…