Dear Email Friends,

   Just to keep you posted on what is happening - below is a newsletter sent this week to all the inmates corresponding with Piecemakers. It is a timely word for all of us.

 

April  28. 2008

My dear prisoners of hope,

Due to the large number of letters we are so blessed to receive, I will write a newsletter and pray it makes you feel one with us as do the individual letters.

Before I get into what is on my heart to share, I would like to remind all of you that Jesus never said, woe unto you drug addicts, murderers or parole violaters.  He was pissed off at the lawyers, the justice system and the religious.  He called them all whited sepulchres filled with dead man's bones.  To the prisoners and harlots He just said, "Go, your sins are forgiven you."  I think we will see that type of a move of God soon.  Let us expect our God to make His appearance and make whole the ones who have paid a dear price to a sick society.

I am going to talk to all of you about "trust".  Webster has this to say about the word.  "Confidence, a reliance or resting of the mind on the integrity, veracity, justice, friendship or other sound principle of another person",  then goes on to say, "Never violate a sacred trust."
The children of Israel were 40 years in the wilderness as God gave them light (manna)  from the Rock to prove them.  He proves us with tests, with things we understand not, with disruptions, with the subtraction from our life until only He remains, with tribulation and persecution.  He proves us to see if He can trust us.  Israel was so rebellious, always longing for the leeks of Egypt that the moment their trust was tested, they built a golden calf that cost them their salvation.

We, as God's people are called to judge not only the world, but the angels.  We are called to watch over one another's soul, we are called to be content with nothing to call our own, we are called to be vigilant over God's people.  We are called to be a light to the world, we are called to be a plumbline for people to guide them on their way.

Now, I am saying all of that to say this.  Thus far we have had inmates come to live with us as they tried to adjust to living in the world.  The prisons are set up to make worse criminals out of the ones sent there for rehab. We have had stolen from us a truck, thousands in credit card fraud and money as we innocently trusted them as they looked us right in the eye professing to want God's ways, a new way of life, and even professing to wanting to make a commitment, "Till death do us part," as in the book of Ruth.

Remember, if we cannot be trusted in the little things, how are we to be trusted in the bigger things?
 
Now, how do I feel about further opening our hearts, our homes to those less fortunate???  I will always trust whomever God sends our way.  Then it is up to them to answer to God what they do with our trust.

As times get tougher, and all the world becomes void of any  method of finding peace, or joy or any type of contentment. As our old ways of life will be passing away to make way for a new world, a new creation, people will be looking for new life styles, a new way of living.  Communities will give way to the family as we know it.  Cults will spring up as people start clinging and workng together.  Cults are made up of people seeing how lacking the main stream of living is and are brave enough to explore a new life style.  However--------------

Only God has the answer to all of this. "He is a shield to those who trust in Him."  Let us all give up our life so as to be innocent and blameless at the coming of the Lord.  Now if you think you are a Christian, a true believer, let me quote from the book of Acts so you are not deceived into thinking because you received the Holy Spirit, you are saved or whole or complete.

Acts 2:44 - "Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, and sold their possessions and goods and divided them among all as anyone had need."

Acts 4:32 - "And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul; neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own. But they had all things in common."

This describes the life style of Piecemakers, of the new America.  So as we bravely leave our old life behind let us put our trust in the Lord and let Him prove us so we become trustworthy vessels fit for our new home, the kingdom of God.



Marie Kolasinski