2022
I am in awe at times at how much people care…
Off the Chain / 0 Comments /Dear Supporters, Brethren and Friends,
Thank you for your interest in my work. I am in awe at times when I think of how many people care about men who are strangers that have led such rebellious lives and often have hurt so many. It is the gospel of Christ that offers them hope. Prisons in general are hopeless places. It is one of the reasons they are so filled with unrighteousness. The sacrificed Christ offers hope. That is all we can really offer that works in this life and the life to come. So many other programs and solutions come in and out of the prison system that offer false hope – more education, more vocational training, human philosophy, etc. Many of these things are fine in and of themselves but are insufficient to change the hearts of men. Only the gospel can accomplish that.
Serving as a shepherd for our local congregation over the last year has helped to focus my attention on how I have worked with the men in prison and in our transition program. In the early years of this work, I focused too much on an approach that tried to conform men to a fixed system. I believe that method lacked God’s wisdom. Instead, I am learning that God would have me tailoring how I work with each man based on their individual needs, abilities, spiritual maturity, and situation. I have been meditating on this verse in 1 Thessalonians 5:14 considering my observations…
And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all.
Paul speaks in this passage about the wisdom needed by us to deal properly with others. He is clearly telling us we cannot take a “cookie cutter” approach to dealing with people. I see clearly God’s wisdom in this approach more than ever before. Jude 23 speaks to dealing with everyone in their unique circumstance this way…
And have mercy on those who doubt;23save others by snatching them out of the fire; to others show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh.
I teach a class in the prisons called Authentic Manhood. Early in that class the leader of the discussion emphasizes knowing our own life story then helping us to remember that everyone has a “story.” Knowing the “story” of people we deal with is critical to understanding how to help them to live a pleasing life to God. It is clear to me that the better I know the story of others the better I can discern what they need. Do they need encouragement, admonishment, help, mercy or snatching? I pray constantly for that kind of wisdom.
Jesus is the ultimate shepherd. He said twice in John 10 that He knew his sheep. What would be the point of knowing His sheep if He were going to deal with them all the same way? Certainly, some things the shepherd does must be the same for all the sheep, but there is a message here beyond the obvious. Focusing on better knowing the people we work with makes us better at serving them. It helps us to love them more perfectly. Everyone has a story! I have become a better “shepherd” to the men that I work with in prison, especially those who come to our transition program, because I am learning to know them and love them more as Christ did. Isn’t that the goal for all of us who want to reach the lost and strengthen the saved?
Thank you for supporting my work and growth in this service to God. I continually thank God for all of you and ask Him to grant me the ability to better reach these souls.
Daryl Townsend
