Baker Kairos Weekend #24

It is a great day for Kairos Weekend #24 at Baker Correctional Facility. This weekend will be led by none other than John Phillips of St. Andrews Episcopal who has served the men behind the fence faithfully in several major institutions. Our observing rector will be Gary Evans who has been serving at Baker C.I. as our Inside Prayer and share leader on Wednesday evenings. Please lift up our team as well as the men on the inside. We are expecting our Savior to work mightily in the hearts of men. As a wise man once said, "First the Word of God must preach to you before you can preach The Word of God."
If you would like to know more about Kairos Prison Ministry click here
Faith is the Foundation For Freedom!

In His Service,

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"I once was lost but now am found."

11 years 1 day and Counting...Still a Prisoner of Christ

Praise the Lord! 11 years ago and 1 day, I was released from the Florida Department of corrections and was escorted by the Chaplain of Dinsmore Work Release Center to The Victory House at Prisoners of Christ. My new life in Christ began while I was still incarcerated for 5 and a half years and has continued these blessed years beyond the walls and razor wire. Today, God has blessed me with a wonderful wife, Frances and a beautiful boy Elijah David.

God has restored my relationship with my family including my father who, at one time we did not have a good relationship, but today we had a great lunch with author and founder of Prisoners of Christ, Ken Cooper. My father had read a copy of Held Hostage while at my office at Prisoners of Christ and had read half the book by days end. He had read the book in it's entirety by the next day and had several interesting questions and comments. As my mother and father are returning to New York before Father's Day, gave my father an early Father's Day present and treated him to lunch with Ken Cooper and they had a great discussion as Ken shared some personal insight regarding his transformation from being "held hostage" to being "Set Free" in Jesus. It was a great time to see God at work. Only God can bring true transformation and reconciliation. Stay tuned for more testimonies of men being "Set Free..."

Merry Christmas! The Reason behind the season

Merry Christmas! These words meant very little to me before I received the gift of Eternal Life. There was a time in my life that I was a very angry hate filled man that had absolutely no regard for anyone but myself, let alone a little eight pound baby Jesus in a manger. I was very disgusted with the whole materialistic nature of this holiday, especially as a self proclaimed "atheist". I hated God and anything to do with religion. Then one day while I was incarcerated, facing a life sentence, a couple of men came into that jail cell and shared how that eight pound baby Jesus became a man and died to pay the penalty for my sins. I believed the message of the Christmas story and received the free gift of eternal life. I did receive a life sentence, an eternal life sentence, and was set free from the wages of sin and death.
I spent 5 Christmases incarcerated. However, it was while in prison that I learned the true meaning of Christmas. Prison is a very dark, lonely and dangerous place and even more so during the holidays when the fact of isolation and depression hit hardest. Christmas is a time when families come together. Which makes the pain of separation  drive men to desperate and violent measures, fights and suicide are prevalent during these times. Yet it was during these dark times that the light of the gospel shined the brightest. I finally understood what all those Christmas songs meant, "O Come Emanuel, In Excelsis Deo,"Glory to God in the Highest", Angels We Have Heard on High and others proclaiming the fact that our Holy Creator came into the world he created now darkened by sin. Christmas is not about lights hung on Christmas trees. It is about the Light of the world who hung on a tree to bring light and life to all who believe. He who knew no sin became sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God. He came unto His own but His own did not receive Him, but as many as received Him, He gave them power to be the sons of God.
It was there in that dark place and time that the power of the Christmas story changed my life day after day, year after year. I discovered that even if a man possesses nothing, if Christ possesses him, he  possesses everything. I understood why there is the emptiness and desperation in a Christ less Christmas of materialism, as empty as the boxes and wrapping paper tossed in the garbage. After all the gifts were open and everyone had gone home there only remained loneliness and emptiness, I now had more peace and joy then while "free".
I now have the privilege of going back into prison and sharing the testimony of those blessed years of Christmas behind the concrete and razor wire and how the gift of eternal life continues to change me day to day. At 22 years old facing a life sentence, I prayed, "Lord, they say I will be over 40 years old when I finish this sentence, I will never have a wife or children." Today, 15 years later, I am 38 years old , have been married for 7 years and by the grace of God, on December 27th, Frances and I will welcome little Elijah David Powers into the world! Praise God! MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Another Reason To Vote YES on 8

Separation of church and state at the heart of Amendment 8

By Brittany Alana Davis

In many ways, Amendment 8 boils down to this:When Jerod Powers, 38, left prison in Jacksonville, he had only a change of clothes, his release papers and pocket change. He went to Prisoners of Christ halfway house — an organization that receives some state financial assistance — where he got food, clothes, substance abuse counseling and help finding a job at a lawn care business.Powers also got spiritual guidance.

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Kairos 73 at Union Correctional Institution

We had another great Kairos Weekend at Union Correctional Institution in Raiford Florida. This weekend was led by Phil Smith. We had the opportunity to spend the weekend sharing the reality of God's love with 30 men. God was manifestly present as the hearts of men were transformed by the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.
As a former inmate who had recieved the good news of eternal life while incarcerated, I can truly say, when The Son sets you free, then you are free indeed. What is awesome about the reality of eternal life is that some of these men will never get out of prison until the are "released" from the bondage of this flesh. Yet, this gospel is not about your best life now rather the best has yet to come.
I am thankful to our Lord and Savior that He cares enough to send His sons out into the darkest places to share the truth of the cross. It is a privelege to leave the comforts of our homes to go into the highways and byways to share the gift of eternal life.

I would love to invite you to come with us on a Kairos weekend to share God's great love to the men behind the fence. If God is calling you to minister to "the least of these" please contact me anytime to learn how you can be a part of this life changing ministry. Remember, Faith is the Foundation For Freedom!

Much Prayer Much Power, No Prayer No Power

Today, I read an article regarding a Police Chaplain in Charlotte, North Carolina that was instructed not to pray in Jesus name. As one who has been incarcerated, I am thankful that someone not only prayed in Jesus name but also shared that Jesus crucifixion and resurrection was the ONLY way to Heaven. Just another reason as a minister of the Gospel, we at Faith For Freedom do not take government funds. God is faithful to support the work He has called us to. Read the whole article here.

Faith is the Foundation For Freedom!

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15 Years of Faithfulness Behind and beyond bars

Faith is the Foundation For Freedom! This is not just a slogan but the foundation upon which my life has been built upon since having recieved the free gift of eternal life 15 years ago. It was while I was incarcerated that I was set free from sin and death. However, it was on June 6, 2002 that I was called into the classification office of Dinsmore Work release Center and asked if I had a place to go, I was being emergency released. It appeared that I had overstayed my welcome by 107 days and they had to release me by the end of the day. I called Prisoners of Christ and told them I was being released early and they welcomed me to Jacksonville. The Chaplain of Dinsmore work release actually gave me a ride to Prisoners of Christ. No Greyhound for me.


Today commemorates a wonderful journey on this side of the concrete and razor wire. This journey has been wonderful and gets better each day. As we celebrate what God has done in and through my life it is amazing to see how God has used my life to reach others who have been down the same road of destruction. He has shown us the straight and narrow gate that leads to life eternal.
I walked out of prison with 100.00 and a year later I bought a house that is currently used to house men who are being discipled after being released from prison. I was hired by Charlie Vensel of Greenscene lawncare. After serving Charlie for 2 years while he finished his degree, I purchased Greenscene. Charlie went into the ministry and I started God's Green Earth Landscape. I worked with men coming out of prison for 8 years before pursuing full time prison ministry.

I was offered a position on the Board of Prisoners of Christ where I could offer my experience serving other men coming behind me. That is where I was introduced to Ken Durkee fellow board member who invited me to serve on a Kairos weekend. While I was incarcerated I had heard of Kairos from many men who had recieved the gift of eternal life while at a Kairos weekend. I now participate in Kairos at Union, Putnam and Baker Correctional Institutions. I will be serving this weekend at Baker Correctional for Kairos #22. It is awesome to see our Lord and Savior reaching lives behind the prison bars. Just ask Tim Tebow.
Also, while incarcerated I completed 4 semesters of Evangelism Explosion and learned to share my faith with other men in prison. I have carried this great experience beyond the fence and now facilitate E.E. classes in Union and Marion Correctional. We also offer the class at Faith For Freedom Ministry and Outreach. Today Scott Gammon and Dwayne Kirby passed their final exams with flying colors to become the first E.E. graduates Faith For Freedom! Congratulations brothers for your hard work and dedication to our Lord and His great commission!

Life on the farm is a funny, funny riddle at God's Green Earth. God has given us a wonderful opportunity to provide work for the men and food for the ministry. Development of our 5 acre organic "hobby" farm is underway and the recent rains are a wonderful blessing.

As the Executive Director of Faith For Freedom, I enjoy serving men both behind bars and when they are released. It is a struggle at times but God is faithful to finish the work He has began in us. We have many ways in which to glorify God through our lives. I am thankful for all that our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ has allowed me to go through in order share a wonderful testimony of His grace and love.
I invite you to come and see all that God is doing through us and we welcome you to pray and partner with us in anyway you feel God leading. Come join us in the journey of a lifetime both behind bars and beyond. I thank god for your prayers and support. Faith is the Foundation For Freedom. Remember, it's still God's green Earth!