Download or read book The Man I Was Destined to Be written by Michael Tandoi and published by WestBow Press. This book was released on 2013-08 with total page 173 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: When Michael was twenty-seven years old, his lengthy battle with drug addiction resulted in a seven-year prison sentence. It would take three years and the death of his father before he realized that his former life prevented him from becoming the man his father hoped he would be. Walking the road to recovery enabled him to change his life and become the man he was destined to be.

Download or read book Finding God Within written by Ray Leonardini and published by Lantern Books. This book was released on 2016-10-01 with total page 161 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For nearly a decade, Ray Leonardini has been visiting the incarcerated in Folsom State Prison and other correctional facilities, where he has been teaching and facilitating contemplative prayer—the contemporary manifestation of the ancient Christian meditative tradition. In Finding God Within, Leonardini demonstrates the extraordinary power of contemplative (or centering) prayer in transforming the lives of prisoners, and offers insightful analyses of biblical passages that show the power of prayer, faith, and surrender to ease addiction, stress, and despair. Filled with testimonies of prisoners who have been helped by centering prayer, Finding God Within is an essential introduction to contemplative prayer for people of all faiths engaged in prison ministry.

Download or read book God in Captivity written by Tanya Erzen and published by Beacon Press. This book was released on 2017-03-07 with total page 234 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An eye-opening account of how and why evangelical Christian ministries are flourishing in prisons across the United States It is by now well known that the United States’ incarceration rate is the highest in the world. What is not broadly understood is how cash-strapped and overcrowded state and federal prisons are increasingly relying on religious organizations to provide educational and mental health services and to help maintain order. And these religious organizations are overwhelmingly run by nondenominational Protestant Christians who see prisoners as captive audiences. Some twenty thousand of these Evangelical Christian volunteers now run educational programs in over three hundred US prisons, jails, and detention centers. Prison seminary programs are flourishing in states as diverse as Texas and Tennessee, California and Illinois, and almost half of the federal prisons operate or are developing faith-based residential programs. Tanya Erzen gained inside access to many of these programs, spending time with prisoners, wardens, and members of faith-based ministries in six states, at both male and female penitentiaries, to better understand both the nature of these ministries and their effects. What she discovered raises questions about how these ministries and the people who live in prison grapple with the meaning of punishment and redemption, as well as what legal and ethical issues emerge when conservative Christians are the main and sometimes only outside forces in a prison system that no longer offers even the pretense of rehabilitation. Yet Erzen also shows how prison ministries make undeniably positive impacts on the lives of many prisoners: men and women who have no hope of ever leaving prison can achieve personal growth, a sense of community, and a degree of liberation within the confines of their cells. With both empathy and a critical eye, God in Captivity grapples with the questions of how faith-based programs serve the punitive regime of the prison, becoming a method of control behind bars even as prisoners use them as a lifeline for self-transformation and dignity.

Download or read book From Dope to Hope written by Tim Ryan (Businessman) and published by . This book was released on 2017-03-15 with total page 197 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "This is the addict's journey: how it happens, how it progresses, and how it ends. Fortunately, this is also the journey of recovery: how it happens, and how it blossoms. There is always hope." --"Dr. Drew" Pinsky, M.D.Heroin addiction didn't make Tim a better person. It stole more than half of his life. But he's dedicated every waking minute since walking out of prison to dealing hope to addicts and their families. By his own account, Tim Ryan shouldn't be here. But as he states, "Where there is life, there is hope." Known as The Hope Dealer, Tim is a successful entrepreneur, grateful recovering heroin addict and alcoholic, nationally ranked barefoot water skier--and truth-talking, convicted felon.*As a business leader in a high-tech industry, Tim made and lost millions. *As a father and husband, Tim introduced his own son to deadly drugs. *As a heroin addict, Tim is a walking miracle. He's overdosed eight times, was pronounced clinically dead three, and suffered two minor heart attacks. He's been arrested more than ten times and served prison time alongside known gang leaders--many of whom became his closest confidants in recovery.*As the founder of A Man in Recovery Foundation and motivational speaker, Tim's mission is to help one addict at a time transform their lives from dope to hope.Tim has been a featured thought leader in numerous national media, including USA Today, Newsweek, and "The Steve Harvey Show with Dr. Drew," and dozens of nationally syndicated radio shows. He was an invited guest by the U.S. President to the 2016 State of the Union Address. This story chronicles Tim's grueling journey into addiction, loss, and recovery. Sit with Tim in his prison cell. Walk with him as loved ones are torn from his reach. Rejoice with him as lives are miraculously recovered.

Download or read book Doing Time with God Stories of Healing and Hope in Our Prisons written by MR Bill Dyer and published by . This book was released on 2013-09-30 with total page 132 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: True crime stories provide the foundation of this prison memoir. Bill Dyer was robbed and shot at an ATM. In Doing Time with God, you go into prison with him and other victims of violence to meet with convicted felons who will be facing their worst and greatest realizations, before they are released. Nothing is predictable when victims and offenders come together and share their stories of the true crimes that have devastated their lives...and reshaped them. Victim-survivors remember their losses and feel their pain; Offenders come face-to-face with the hurt they have caused, and open wounds from their own past. Walls of defensiveness and fear are knocked down by empathy and compassion, vulnerability and tears. Raw emotions flow. The way to peace is often intense, turbulent, and heartbreaking. Even when it's not pretty, the journey is beautiful in its honesty... miraculous in the way it unfolds...divine in how it transforms lives. This Amazing Process Opens the Heart, Touches the Soul, and Renews the Mind

Download or read book Letter from Birmingham Jail written by Martin Luther King and published by HarperOne. This book was released on 2025-01-14 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A beautiful commemorative edition of Dr. Martin Luther King's essay "Letter from Birmingham Jail," part of Dr. King's archives published exclusively by HarperCollins. With an afterword by Reginald Dwayne Betts On April 16, 1923, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., responded to an open letter written and published by eight white clergyman admonishing the civil rights demonstrations happening in Birmingham, Alabama. Dr. King drafted his seminal response on scraps of paper smuggled into jail. King criticizes his detractors for caring more about order than justice, defends nonviolent protests, and argues for the moral responsibility to obey just laws while disobeying unjust ones. "Letter from Birmingham Jail" proclaims a message - confronting any injustice is an acceptable and righteous reason for civil disobedience. This beautifully designed edition presents Dr. King's speech in its entirety, paying tribute to this extraordinary leader and his immeasurable contribution, and inspiring a new generation of activists dedicated to carrying on the fight for justice and equality.

Download or read book Grace Overcomers Addiction Ministry written by Dan Lightsey and published by Tate Publishing. This book was released on 2010-07 with total page 140 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Unique in its biblical approach to recovery, the Grace Overcomers Addiction Ministry provides deep insight and understanding to the ministry of addiction. It is written by and for the victorious in Jesus Christ, a testimony to their real life experiences and how they overcame addiction through the grace of God. It has been said, 'Nobody cares how much you know, until they know how much you care.' Pastor Dan Lightsey, in writing Grace Overcomers Addiction Ministry, qualifies both in his Christlike compassion as well as his understanding and keen insight for those that struggle with addiction. For all those that wrestle in the valley of trouble, this book will open a door of hope. Jesus said he came to deliver and set free the captives; Pastor Dan Lightsey's book will help to do just that. —Pastor John Love, chaplain to the NBA's New York Knicks Dan Lightsey's book reveals to each addict, no matter what persuasion or tendency, the ability to acknowledge God's forgiveness, which in turn allows us to forgive ourselves. Further, he has provided a support framework which allows the addict compassion and insight to progress in the real world. A wonderful approach to recovery! —Donald L. Henderson, R.Ph.

Download or read book From Dope to Hope written by Clifford Humphrey and published by Page Publishing Inc. This book was released on 2019-09-11 with total page 71 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book entails my battle with drug sales and my addiction to drugs and how it took the power of my Savior Jesus Christ to set me free.

Download or read book Prison Vision written by Mike Waters and published by Winepress Publishing. This book was released on 2012-05-01 with total page 208 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: STRUGGLES !! Everybody has struggles with something. Maybe your struggle is with drug addiction or someone you love is struggling with a drug addiction. In 2005 God called Mike to write about HIM, his addiction and his jail experiences, which he obediently did under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. This book will give you insight into the crazy, insane world of an addict. It will offer an addict a way out through Jesus Christ. He wrote all of these stories and poems for YOU - don't let them be in vain.

Download or read book God s Hitman written by Richard Mayfield and published by TEACH Services, Inc.. This book was released on with total page 24 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: When all looks hopeless in the cycle of addiction, God is still there for you. “Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee” (Deuteronomy 31:6, KJV). Join Richard as he faces the demons of alcoholism, family strife, and guilt, ultimately leading to crime and prison. He reaches the end of his rope as they say, and is ready to give up, but eventually realizes that he has a choice that he can make that changes his life. Once he admits his need for something more than himself, he finds salvation in God’s Word and the support he needs in Alcoholics Anonymous. Never give up hope; never give up trying; never give up praying.

Download or read book NIV Celebrate Recovery Study Bible written by Zondervan, and published by Zondervan. This book was released on 2016-06-28 with total page 2688 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Find freedom from life’s hurts, hang-ups, and habits. The NIV Celebrate Recovery Study Bible is a powerful and positive ally. This Bible is based on eight recovery principles found in Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount and on the underlying Christ-centered twelve steps of the proven Celebrate Recovery program. This Bible and all of its added content lifts you up and shows you how to walk, step by attainable step, on a path of healing and liberty. Based on the proven and successful Celebrate Recovery program developed by John Baker and Rick Warren, the NIV Celebrate Recovery Study Bible offers hope, encouragement, and, through developing a relationship with Jesus Christ, empowerment to rise above your struggles. Celebrate Recovery is a biblically-based program that helps those who are struggling by showing them the loving power of Jesus Christ through the recovery process. The Celebrate Recovery program is offered in thousands of churches worldwide. Features: Complete text of the accurate, readable, and clear New International Version (NIV) Articles explain eight recovery principles and accompanying Christ-centered twelve steps Over 110 lessons unpack eight recovery principles in practical terms Recovery stories offer encouragement and hope 30 days of recovery-related readings Over 50 full-page biblical character studies are tied to stories from real-life people who have found peace and help with their own hurts, hang-ups, and habits Book introductions Side-column reference system keyed to Celebrate Recovery’s eight recovery principles Topical index “I’m excited you’re beginning the journey to recovery. Your life will change. You’ll experience freedom from your sinful habits, hang-ups, and hurts as you give up control and allow Jesus to be Lord in every area of your life.” From the foreword by Dr. Rick Warren, senior pastor, Saddleback Church “Throughout the pages of Scripture, we see God’s heart for celebrating recovery! This collection will help you experience and celebrate that journey, one step at a time. Jump in and see how recovery and spiritual growth are one and the same.” Dr. Henry Cloud, Christian psychologist, author, and speaker

Download or read book Death Row Chaplain written by Earl Smith and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2016-04-19 with total page 256 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A riveting, behind-the-bars look at one of America's most feared prisons: San Quentin-- by a minister to the lost souls sitting on death row. Himself a former criminal, Smith shares the most important lessons he's learned from years of helping inmates discover God's plan for them. Their stories show us that it is still possible to find God's grace and mercy from behind bars, and that it's never too late to turn our lives around.

Download or read book Soldier Girl s Trail of Blood written by Sherrie Egans Carpenter and published by Xlibris Corporation. This book was released on 2011-03-08 with total page 138 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: My name is Sherrie Egans Martin. I am from Hobbs, New Mexico! Shout out to my home folks! I penned my book under Sherrie Egans Carpenter, which is titled, “Soldier Girl’s Trail of Blood”. It depicts my journey from Gulf War Veteran, to crack-cocaine addict, to inmate number 1185775. In that order! I began writing my book while incarcerated from 2004 through 2009. I penned a letter to Oprah Winfrey, in prose, while incarcerated seeking assistance on getting my story out to try an deter others from taking this path. I never heard from Ms. Winfrey (Smile). I’ve included a copy of this letter on page 88 of my book. You are so trapped in that cage, until you will try to reach out to someone, anyone with influence that can help you survive in that concrete jungle. My book was published in 2011 after my release from prison. This is a good read because I dared to be honest and own my truths which is the first step to recovery. I’m opening myself up to all the stigma associated with addicts, and the crack-head jokes etc. because I feel that my story can gives others hope to keep battling this disease of addiction. No, “Ain’t going back and forth with you”, on whether you feel it’s a disease or a choice. My primary goal in telling my story is to reach out to the addict still suffering, and their families. The Disease of addiction is an ongoing battle, and relapse is a part of recovery. If you have a relapse don’t wallow in it! Get back up again and back on the straight path! I’m thriving and well, but it’s a daily struggle. Crack-cocaine addicts can recover!

Download or read book Down in the Chapel written by Joshua Dubler and published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux. This book was released on 2013-08-13 with total page 401 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A bold and provocative interpretation of one of the most religiously vibrant places in America—a state penitentiary Baraka, Al, Teddy, and Sayyid—four black men from South Philadelphia, two Christian and two Muslim—are serving life sentences at Pennsylvania's maximum-security Graterford Prison. All of them work in Graterford's chapel, a place that is at once a sanctuary for religious contemplation and an arena for disputing the workings of God and man. Day in, day out, everything is, in its twisted way, rather ordinary. And then one of them disappears. Down in the Chapel tells the story of one week at Graterford Prison. We learn how the men at Graterford pass their time, care for themselves, and commune with their makers. We observe a variety of Muslims, Protestants, Catholics, and others, at prayer and in study and song. And we listen in as an interloping scholar of religion tries to make sense of it all. When prisoners turn to God, they are often scorned as con artists who fake their piety, or pitied as wretches who cling to faith because faith is all they have left. Joshua Dubler goes beyond these stereotypes to show the religious life of a prison in all its complexity. One part prison procedural, one part philosophical investigation, Down in the Chapel explores the many uses prisoners make of their religions and weighs the circumstances that make these uses possible. Gritty and visceral, meditative and searching, it is an essential study of American religion in the age of mass incarceration.

Download or read book God S Addiction Recovery Plan written by Michael Wrenn and published by WestBow Press. This book was released on 2015-09-30 with total page 170 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Michael Wrenn lost his military career, marriage, and other blessings because of his addiction to alcohol and drugs. When three rehabilitation facilities failed to provide him with the help he needed, he reached out to God for help and deliverance. God answered Wrenns call for help and freed him from bondage. He now enjoys a life free of addiction, and in this inspirational account he shares ten steps that helped him beat addiction. Learn how to find the plan that God has for you; recognize the people that God has sent to help you; overcome the guilt and shame that comes with addiction; make God your ally in your fight against addiction. Wrenn is familiar with the pain, misery, and loneliness of addiction, and he shares a message of hope for addicts, recovering addicts, and the family members and pastors who want to help them. By following Gods Addiction Recovery Plan, you can trade your addiction for a life of abundance, victory, purpose, peace, and joy.

Download or read book The Big Hustle written by Jim Wahlberg and published by Our Sunday Visitor. This book was released on 2020-06-25 with total page 126 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: When Jim Wahlberg went to prison the second time at 22 years old, he was sentenced to six to nine years for breaking and entering, bargained down from life for home invasion. He had staggered into a Boston cop’s apartment, helping himself to the sellable stuff and all the beer in the fridge. The cop came home, found Jim passed out at the kitchen table, beat the hell out of him, and arrested him. But Wahlberg, a 130-pound kid from Dorchester, had learned some things from his life on the street and his first prison sentence. He knew how to survive. And he knew that if he wanted to avoid serving the full sentence, he would have to do something. He did what he was best at: He hustled. He would create the illusion that he was trying to change, that he’d become the model prisoner, not a guy hell-bent on getting out while he was still young enough to drink more, steal more, and do more drugs. He didn’t know, though, that the Catholic priest he was trying to hustle was actually hustling him. The Big Hustle is the story of a redeemed life and a family’s healing. This is the no-holds-barred, unvarnished, and sometimes brutal true story of Jim Wahlberg, the fifth of nine kids growing up in a working-class Irish Catholic neighborhood outside of Boston, hustling for attention any way he could get it, which led him to the biggest hustle of his life. Against all odds he got clean, he got out, and he got the girl. Jim dedicated his new life as a former addict to working with addicts, and for years has spread the word that recovery is possible. But nothing could have prepared him for what came next. His discovery that his own son was an addict threw Jim into a crisis—one that led him deeper into his faith and led to healing he never thought possible. This book is a testament to God’s power and an invitation to all of us to hope in the darkest places. About the Author Jim is the fifth oldest Wahlberg. Like his brothers Donny and Mark, Jim recovered from his tough upbringing in the streets of Dorchester to become producer, writer, and director of films, including The Circle of Addiction, What About the Kids?, and The Lookalike. Jim is the executive director of the Mark Wahlberg Youth Foundation, created to improve the quality of life for inner city youth through a working partnership with other youth organizations. Jim and his wife live in South Florida and have three children.

Download or read book Salvation on Death Row written by John T. Thorngren and published by . This book was released on 2017 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Some true stories move us. Pamela's story changes us." - Dale S.Recinella, Chaplain for Florida's Death Row and author of Now I Walk on Death Row Pamela Perillo was set to die on March 24, 1996. Convicted of capital murder in 1980, Pamela sat on Texas's Death Row awaiting lethal injection. But less than two days before her scheduled execution, she was given a second chance, and in 2000, she was resentenced: from death to life in prison with the possibility of parole. Her first chance at new life had come shortly after her arrest, when Pamela embraced the Christian faith and began bringing her fellow inmates to redemption in Christ. That's why although Pamela's story is one of imprisonment--first by abuse and addiction and ultimately behind the locked doors of the criminal justice system--it's also a story of hope--of finding a new path in faith, of taking courage from the promise of salvation, and now, of praying for parole in 2019 after nearly forty years of incarceration. Salvation on Death Row combines true-crime reporting with a powerful spiritual memoir, reminding us that every life is a journey, every person is capable of change, and every individual can make a positive impact on the world. "This is a great story with a wonderful conclusion: The only good answer is the Lord!"- -Bill Glass, founder of Bill Glass Ministries The author's proceeds from Salvation on Death Row will benefit Patriot PAWS service dogs.