Austin’s major prison ministries have banded together to promote a broad understanding of the prison ministry opportunity. Please use this link to learn more: https://prisonministriesoftexas.com/

The post Greater Austin Area Prison Ministry Conference first appeared on God of Hope Ministries.

My Testimony: Jesus Heals

By Angelia Tobar

I’m a recoverin’ hustla’, a recoverin’ drug dealer,

a recoverin’ ”get-it-by-any-means”, fast-life liver.

I’m a recoverin’ addict, recoverin’ from a bad habit.

I’m just tryna get home and chill, help out to pay the bills…

Fix my life, find a purpose,

study the bible, memorize some verses.

It keeps tellin me the only things that’s really worth it is wisdom, knowledge, and understanding.

Gotta get right with Jesus so I can have a safe landing.

“Lord, forgive me for my sins.  I’m tryin’, God.”

Tryna be born again – it’s hard.

With all the temptations of life: lusts of the flesh; money; money; money, and all that it comes with – lavish luxury, right along with fake friends and misery.  I’ve lived it.

No goals in life, just everyday livin – explicit.

And sure, I had money, cars, and clothes

but where I was headin’ – only God knows.

I got blessed that HE saved me.  HE pulled me out the fire,

dusted me off and showed me that life I had to retire.

I’ve got a family that loves me.  A mother cryin’ at night, constantly prayin’ for me.

Prayin’ that when I come home my new self will be shown.

I tell her, “No more tears, no more sorrow,

your daughter’s hopin’ for a better tomorrow.”

No more rushin’ things, no more fast-life livin’ ways.

I’ma get it right this time – I’ve got to.

“Lord, as long as you’re by my side I know I’ll make it through.”

So when people ask me what I plan on doin’ when I get out , I’ma tell em’…

I’ma recoverin’ hustla, a recoverin’ drug dealer,

a recoverin’ “get-it-by-any-means”, fast-life liver.

I’ma recoverin’addict, recoverin’ from a bad habit.

I’m just tryna get home and chill, help out with the bills,

live a successful life and pray God’s love be revealed.

But please don’t judge me, because your judging means nothing.

For I’ve got a God above me that does all the judgin’ for me.

Yea, today, I give Him worship and praise.

HE is the Lord of Lords that saved me from my ways.

Be patient, be kind, have faith, be humble,

be all the things I forgot about livin’ in hell’s jungle.

There’s light at the end of the tunnel.  Hope, don’t fail me!  Nah, I can’t give up!

Gotta keep “pushin’, pushin’”!  And stay prayed up!

Shout out to the ones still lost in their ways!

I pray for yaw every night despite what you think.

Shout out to the lost!  Shout out to the weary!

There’s hope for yaw!  I say this with my eyes teary.

Just come to the Lord!  HE can save you too!

What HE’s doin’ for me HE’ll surely do for you!

HE’s not done with me yet!  Oh no, not  yet.

HE’s still workin’ on me, that I feel, I must confess.

In this walk I’m still a beginner, but I’m steadfast in my faith!

Surely, I’ll leave this place a winner!

Must take this seriously, have positive energy,

do the time they sentenced me, no more workin’ for the enemy!

Yaw, I’ve got a chain remedy – JESUS CHRIST!

I’ma recoverin’ hustla, a recoverin’ drug dealer,

a recoverin’ “get-it-by-any-means”, fast-life liver.

I’ma recoverin’ addict, recoverin’ from a bad habit.

I’m just tryna get home and chill, help out to pay the bills,

make my family proud…through JESUS CHRIST I’ve been healed, for real!

©Copyright 2016 by Angelia Tobar.  All rights reserved.

The post Testimony from one of our Women’s Dorm Graduates first appeared on God of Hope Ministries.

I have had the privilege to sit with a few women in the prison, sometimes as a small group leader and sometimes as a life coach.   I find that working with these women is much like gardening.  Each woman is like a little plot of land that God wants to see blossom and produce good fruit.  Some of the plots have a lot of weeds and rocks and pose a real challenge to get to a point where seeds will take root and grow.  Others are already planted and just need some water and fertilizer. All are precious in God’s sight.

As I sit with these ladies and follow God’s lead to help them walk through issues, God shows me my own struggles and uses them to grow me.  I see their anger and He shows me my own.  I sense their sadness and he reveals to me my own.  I see their impatience and he reminds me of my own.

As I work in my garden, I come across problem areas. It’s the same when we work in God’s garden.  We roll up our sleeves and work to bring about change.  We are God’s tools in his garden.  He uses us to cultivate his flowers and produce his fruit.

Scherry Taylor

The post In the Garden first appeared on God of Hope Ministries.

While watching the evening news, our female dorm participants responded to the call for nominations by sending a heart-felt letter that presented their plight in prison as a fearful  place where one does not expect to find love and hope.  That reality and their own spirits have been transformed by the love and dedication of these seven Christian women who, for seven years, have been visiting the Lockhart prison bringing the truth and love of Jesus Christ.

The exception of viewing seven individuals as one recipient was based on the power of the nomination letter written by one participant and endorsed by comments from 49 others.  As the selection committee read the nomination letter they were moved to tears by the impact of the Christ’s love penetrating such a unique prison situation as The God of Hope Ministries’ faith-based dorm.  The Award Recipients were Kay Benkendorf, Loretta Foster, Patty Horne, Nancy Houston, Carrol Kelly, Sandi Maroney, and Alice Taylor.

In celebration of this award the ministry was allowed to hold a pizza party in the dorm where Board members, staff, volunteers, and dorm participants enjoyed one another’s company and celebrated what God is doing as we partner together in responding to God and His great grace in all of our lives. Thanks to all who make this ministry possible!

Take 3 minutes to watch the segment of the Awards Ceremony in which The God of Hope Ministries honored:  https://vimeo.com/188589977

The post 5 Who Care first appeared on God of Hope Ministries.

Sixty graduates, participants, and volunteers were treated to bountiful food: grilled hot dogs and hamburgers and all of the fixings; potato salad; chips; brownies and more.  All of this was the backdrop for the main event which is reconnecting with each other as our released participants return to rejoice with the ministry and each other.  From our graduates and dorm participants we heard moving stories of God’s faithfulness, of failures and successes, of challenges and blessings.  We worshiped together and played together and enjoyed the pleasure of reconnecting and confirming our shared faith and goal which is living faithfully and gladly as children of our loving Savior and King.

Be sure to join us next year and share in the fun!

The post Renewing Ties at Our Annual Alumni Gathering first appeared on God of Hope Ministries.

For the believer, compassion is fundamental to the Christian life.

The bible teaches that our God is a God of compassion.  Psalm 86:15 says  “But You, O Lord, are a God full of compassion…”

When you talk about Jesus, His life was marked by compassion.  Listed below are some examples from the gospels:

In Mark 1:41 (The story of the leper) “The leper said to Him…”If you are willing, You can make me clean.  Then Jesus, moved with compassion, stretched out His hand and touched him, and said to him, “I am willing; be cleansed.”

In Mark 8:2 (The story of Jesus feeding the 4000)  Jesus said “I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now continued with Me three days and have nothing to eat.”  So, Jesus takes seven loaves of bread and a few fish to provide a meal – all because He had compassion.

In Luke 7:13 (The story of Jesus raising the widow’s son from the dead) When the Lord saw her, He had compassion on her and said to her, “Do not weep.”  He, then, gave her hope by raising her son from the dead.

Biblical Compassion is more than just showing sympathy (to feel sorrow for someone) or even empathy (to identify with another person’s suffering). To have biblical compassion means to suffer with – to feel what that person feels and to enter into their suffering.  To want to affect the situation!

Biblical Compassion Will:

• Lead us to pray!
• Lead us to go! (90% of compassion is just showing up!)
• Lead us to give of our time, talent and treasure!

 Someone has said “Compassion leads to action!”

 Are you a compassionate Christian?

To whom do you need to show biblical compassion?

— Robert Dorrough, President of TGOHM

The post Compassion in the Heart of a Christian first appeared on God of Hope Ministries.

I was in the faith based dorm @ Lockhart Jun 2013 – Jan 2015. I was released July 2015.  I wanted to share my testimony with you guys as I share with my family & friends:

It has been quite a struggle the past 7 years. I have often wanted to question God’s judgement and planning because I didn’t understand why my path was so dark and for so long. Was it really necessary to send me to prison for 5 years? How can I overcome what seems like a mountain? I feel like God has given me such a gift of a business mind. It has always been such a natural instinct – but now would I ever do anything more than work for minimum wages? Then I read during my bible study 2 weeks ago:

Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans that I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.”

So I released control and pressed on doing all I can do and giving my best effort, trying to be happy with what I have now. Last Thursday I received a call on my resume and request for an interview that same Saturday. I met her at her home and for 2 hours we learned about each other. She offered me not just the job on the spot but an opportunity of a future. This amazing woman has not only built up an incredible Real Estate business in 40 yrs, but she also created the foundation: Forgotten Angels Foundation & is heavily involved in Prison Ministries. Does God not have well directed plans? What a masterpiece he has put together, I feel like this is what my last 37 yrs has been leading up to.

James 1:12 “Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.”

The post Scripture Reflections from a God of Hope Graduate … a year after Release first appeared on God of Hope Ministries.

When my friend from Bible class mentioned that he has been volunteering in the Travis State Prison one day a week for the last seven years, I was intrigued.  Upon asking more questions, I heard the enthusiasm in his voice and I wanted to know more.  So I contacted God of Hope Ministries to find out how I might check this volunteering thing out.

Four months later, I found myself as a volunteer leader in a small group setting for “Quest for Authentic Manhood.”  In no way was I prepared to be a teacher on this subject matter, but I found myself to be a student as I was challenged by the material.  From having had witnessed outside of mainstream church goers, I found that unbelievers don’t care how much you know; they want to know how much you care.  This fact became evident to me on week five.  My first four weeks was the end of a session with a month break between sessions.  I was happy to see the same three “inmate disciples” in my group when we resumed.  We had been sharing more personnel things, and I felt trust being developed among us all.  At the end of the study, before the large group circled up and prayed, the youngest man in my small group asked if he could pray for me.  The sincerity and gratitude that he displayed in his prayer was humbling and uplifting.  I now knew why Wes was so enthusiastic about God of Hope prison ministry.  Most of these men have not had a father or a real friend as a role model in their lives.  To serve in that capacity is a privilege.

From my perspective, at no time are we more like Christ than when we serve the downtrodden.  And, guess what, God uses the downtrodden to minister to us as well.

The post Musings of a Newbie Prison Volunteer first appeared on God of Hope Ministries.

On August 8, 2003, I was called to the Chaplain’s office and was told by my mother that the night before my little brother’s life had been taken.  It was as if my heart had been hit with a sledge hammer and broken into a million pieces.  The indescribable pain soon turned into anger, rage and hate.  I vowed to deal with the person responsible for those emotions, whatever the cost.

Three months later I was released from prison and went looking for that person. I was informed that the person had fled the country, and I would have to wait. While I waited, I pushed all the anger and rage deep inside me to hide it from my family. I tried to function that way for awhile but soon those unresolved issues burst open and it took my family and me down a valley of misery. Along the way I got entangled in the thorns and thistles of drugs and alcohol. I was in way over my head and out of control, with no faith. I lost hope and ended up on the wrong side of the law.

On August 25, 2011, I was convicted by a jury and sentenced to 25 years aggravated and sent to prison.

In November 2011, I committed my life to Jesus Christ and asked God to take away this poison that was killing my soul.  I was told that the unforgiveness in my heart was destroying me and keeping me distant from God.  I made a decision to forgive the men responsible for the death of my little brother. In time, my heart was being repaired and I could feel peace that surpassed all understanding which could only come from God.

God began to orchestrate a way to test my heart. I was moved to another unit and, while on the rec yard, I approached my friend who was in conversation with another inmate. As I listened to the conversation and the testimony of the other man, I realized that I had come face to face with the very man who had killed my brother.   Those old emotions rose up inside of me and I asked the man if he knew who I was. He said he didn’t. I told him I knew who he was and that he was the man who had killed my brother.   I will never forget the look on his face as he backed away from me.

I stared at the sky with tear filled eyes for what seemed like hours. I felt paralyzed. Then I heard a still voice say, “Joe, you have forgiven.”  I turned to the guy and told him that I serve Jesus Christ and that I have forgiven him. I stood up and shook his hand and told him not to worry about me doing him harm.

Later that day, in the chapel, I was led to pray with that guy. I told him that my Father, who is in Heaven, would forgive him for what he had done if he would just ask. We joined hands as he asked God to forgive him. He embraced me and told me he could feel that burden had been lifted from him.

At that moment I realized that God had used me to set that young man free of unforgiveness. I learned that Christ in me allowed me to show the power of God’s love and mercy.  To Him be the glory!

Perhaps you are holding onto unforgiveness as well. I can assure you that God is able to deliver you from that bondage. In Matthew 6:14-15 Jesus says, “For if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”

I wanted to share what Jesus has done in my heart in hopes that you may know that God can deliver you from whatever you may be dealing with. Forgiveness is key to your relationship with God and others.  Ephesians 1:7 says, “In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace.”  Forgiveness may not be easy, but with God all things are possible.

The post Joe’s Story of Forgiveness first appeared on God of Hope Ministries.

For the first time in the program’s 29 year history, one of the “five” this year was selected as a group.  That group is comprised of seven volunteers at our Women’s Faith Based Dorm at the Lockhart prison – Alice Taylor, Kay Benkendorf, Nancy Houston, Carroll Kelly, Patti Horne, Loretta Foster, and Sandi Maroney!

A TV crew from KVUE filmed our Women’s Faith Based Dorm at Lockhart in late March, and our volunteers received their award on April 18 at a gala event at the Harry Ransom Center.  KVUE-24 later broadcast the ceremony in a TV special on June 18.

We count this as an amazing recognition and confirmation of the work God is doing among inmates in our local prisons through the God of Hope Ministries!

See the 3 minute video KVUE prepared on our ministry at http://www.kvue.com/news/local/outreach/five-who-care/the-god-of-hope-ministries/145031087.

The post The God of Hope and KVUE-24 TV first appeared on God of Hope Ministries.