Last night, I heard Peter Bell speak at Antioch Church for our Faith Teams Dinner and Discussion. Peter is an ex-offender who is currently working for the city of Durham. He told us he has been in two state prisons and one federal prison. In his last go round, he spoke of his longing to see change in his life, and he prayed that God would help him make that change. As he was preparing to be released, he was told of an opportunity to join a Faith Team, and he said, “Yes,” to it without even knowing what it was. That one opportunity changed his life. For the first time in his life, he had someone who could be an advocate for him. A group of people, now in relationship with him, were able to stand up and speak on his behalf as he pursued better jobs, cleared his driving record, found safe housing, and re-entered social contact outside of prison.
As he told his story, he kept repeating that his Faith Team never gave him any money. He said they gave him something much better than money…love, support, encouragement, and advocacy. His team of people from all walks of life decided to befriend him and speak up for him whenever he faced problems he couldn’t handle. It was amazing to hear how Peter grew in strength of purpose as each time he came to his Faith Team with a problem, someone in the group had a solution (a personal contact to connect with, an opportunity to give, a recommendation on his behalf). The simplicity of advocacy was astounding to me as God used this one act of kindness over and over in Peter’s life to redeem him.
Last night, I was reflecting on my own previous status as a convicted criminal. The one thing that brought me out of death to life was the advocacy of Jesus. He not only advocated for me on the cross, but every day he speaks to the Father on my behalf. My record is made clean every day I confess to Jesus the problems that are too big for me. He somehow always has a solution to bring me back around.
Pray with me that we would become a community of advocates, like Jesus, for those who are struggling in this world.
No comments:
Post a Comment