Time in Prison

posted October 15, 2009 by Don Graffam |

White Bear Lake

A couple of weeks ago I had the opporunity to spend an evening at our nearby prison in Lino Lakes. Kenny mentioned this on one of the weekends and the experience was quite memorable. Here’s a little bit about what it was like for those of you that might have some interest.

After about 15 minutes of getting through the security (metal detector, every item searched, signing in, etc) we were given visitor passes, went through 2 solid steel sliding doors that were locked with a guard in between. We were then given an orientation about not taking anything, not bringing anything, not agreeing to anything, not giving any personal information, and if things “happen” just do what they say and we can ask questions tomorrow. If they ask us to leave, even if we’re just getting started, leave anyway. I wasn’t exactly sure what the last couple of statements meant exactly, but it did raise my level of concern for some reason.

We got to our location about 30 minutes prior to all the inmates. The band had a chance to warm up, the main coordinator had a chance to find his computer (which he hasn’t used for over a year) and was somehow able get our powerpoint program up and running.

The inmates eventually filed in, about 200 of them. Most of them looked hardened, weathered, tattooed, ungroomed and some just looked unhappy, while others looked like they just stepped out of their day job at 3M.

The coordinator welcomed the guys, said a few words then handed it off to Kenny and the band. Kenny led an extended time of worship in which the guys in the center FULLY engaged with. The guys in the 2 side sections were a bit split. Many refused to stand or sing while some insisted on standing and singing despite what others were doing around them.

It came time for me to speak. I spoke about how we all have good days and bad days. Good seasons of life and bad seasons. All Biblical characters shared in both the good AND the bad. The question was, how did these men of the Bible deal with the difficult seasons and what could we learn from them. Thanks to some inspiration by Craig Groeschel, I refered to these difficult times as…”the Dip” and drew an S curve that starts by going up, but eventually comes down to the bottom. What does the Bible teach us to do in “The Dip?” I spent most of my time giving them 5 ways to work through the Dip and ended by asking guys to raise their hands if they wanted to ask God to help them in the Dip (which is obviously the most important step when there). Most did. I then asked them to keep their hands up if they were asking Christ into their life for the first time, about 4 or 5 guys kept their hands in the air. One guy I noticed particular toward the back with his head bowed, holding his forehead with one hand and holding his fist in the air…unapologetically. It was quite a sight.

This was the first time I ever did anything like this and was thankful for Kenny and his invitation to join him in the adventure.

Thanks for your support and your interest in this. Here’s kind of a lame photo from outside the prison – as you can imagine taking pix inside was not-so-welcome.