Top Takeaways from RHC-Angola 2012 : Video Blog

Our team just returned from the annual Returning Hearts Celebration at Angola Prison in Louisiana. Here, Lyndon Azcuna shares a couple personal highlights from the weekend:

LABlog_RHC12

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Mark’s Story

This story is written by Mark, an inmate at Angola Prison who is a participant in our Malachi Dads program there. His story will be featured in Lyndon Azcuna’s upcoming book, Changing the Ending.

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I have been incarcerated for six years and a resident of Louisiana State Penitentiary (Angola) for four years. I found my salvation and the grace and mercy of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ while in prison. My relationship with Jesus Christ has changed everything about the man that was Mark.
I left my wife and four children alone and abandoned when I was arrested. Through my selfishness and lack of understanding, I was blinded to how precious a gift my family was. I also failed to realize the magnitude of the pain and suffering my children would experience because of my absence.
Through Malachi Dads, much prayer, and the study of God’s Word, I have come to realize the full responsibility God has placed in my hands. I have learned that although I am incarcerated and not able to be with my children on a daily basis, I am still obligated to be a father—the best father I can be.
I have had the opportunity to participate in three Returning Hearts Celebrations since I’ve been in Angola. All three have been blessed opportunities for me to reach out to my children and show them the changes God has made in my life. I have been able to express to them how important they are to me and that although I can’t be with them, I do love them more than anything in life.
Malachi Dads is teaching me how to sow the seeds of faith in Christ into their lives, even from so far away. I now fully realize my responsibility as a father—to make sure that my children are walking in the admonition of the Lord. I now fully understand that these prison walls and the many miles that separate me from my children do not excuse me from this obligation.
If I accomplish nothing in my life short of making sure that my children know that I love them and that their salvation is complete in Jesus Christ, I believe that I will have achieved the greatest accomplishment any man could hope for. This is why I strive to be a Malachi Dad.

Father’s Day Prayer Cards

While Father’s Day is still more than a month away, it’s not too soon for your church to start thinking about how to use this day to challenge fathers to live up to their biblical responsibility as a spiritual leader. Indeed, many fathers have abdicated their responsibility and, in turn, have left many children wandering through life without the spiritual guide they need.

Why not make this Father’s Day one of deep and passionate prayer? Challenge men in your church, your neighborhood, and your own family to pray for a father or a child they know who needs to be stirred and touched by the Holy Spirit.

Start with picking up your own Father’s Day Prayer cards, free from Awana Lifeline. Visit our Web site today to request yours for yourself and others who are closest to you. Click here to order yours today.

A Little Humor : Dad Life

This video launched a couple years ago around Father’s Day. Sure, it’s a little bit of a humorous look at dads. What do you think? Is your dad guilty of any of these images? Are you? How does this stereotypical view of fathers connect with Scripture’s call to fathering?

Struggling as a Father?

Are you struggling in your role as father?  I struggle too. Just like everyone else there are many times I do not deal with my children in a godly way. There are times when my tone is not appropriate for what I’m trying to have them do. I get impatient with my kids – I want things done according to my time and expectations. I get frustrated that they forget their responsibilities that they know and I have taught them to do…again and again. At times I fall into “just getting by” because I’m tired, instead of continuing to challenge my kids to love God with all their hearts, souls, and minds. Many times I also fall into selfish ideas and directions. I even entertain thoughts like, “Is this really worth it?” Teaching and living so my kids would love God? What happens if they don’t?

Remembering Chuck Colson

Last week, one of my great heroes – founder of Prison Fellowship, Chuck Colson – left his earthly life and entered eternity with our Lord.

It’s an honor for me to have met Mr. Colson in my lifetime.  I don’t have many people I consider real heroes, but he truly is one of mine.

My favorite memory of Chuck happened a few years back when Operation Starting Line (OSL), a ministry network spearheaded by Prison Fellowship, had a meeting at the PF headquarters in Lansdowne, VA.

It was an evening dinner and Chuck was not scheduled to be there. But we heard later that he was passing through the building and found out that the OSL group was having dinner.  When he heard this he went out of his way to come and greet the group. More than that, he thanked every single person that was there for their involvement in ministering to inmates and their families, stopping to spend several minutes with each and every individual.

Not only did I have the opportunity to meet a hero that night, I was able to learn a tremendous lesson on leadership, right in that very moment: Great leaders value people and pursue great cause. Chuck taught me that it’s never okay to be “too busy” for others, it’s never okay to consider yourself “too good” for the sake of encouraging others, and it’s never okay to be “too big” for the people on the front lines of sustaining ministry. On this side of heaven, we may never know the full impact of Chuck Colson’s life and ministry. Yet one with that much under his belt, and that much on his plate, still took time to meet with simple people like me.

While we may never truly know the impact of what Chuck’s life has meant for millions of inmates around the world, I am fully convinced the ripple effects of his great ministry will be felt for generations,  both for his work within prison systems and for his clear call towards Christian worldview thinking.

Please continue to pray for the Colson family and those committed to following in the footsteps of Chuck in serving inmates and their families for Christ and His Kingdom, both within Prison Fellowship and in like-minded organizations.

For more information about Chuck and his legacy, visit chuckcolson.org.

 

This Time Is Special: Harold’s Returning Hearts Story

At last year’s Returning Hearts Celebration at Angola Prison, journalism students from Union University had the opportunity to capture the event and the lives of fathers. Here is one dad’s perspective as captured by a Union student:

THIS TIME IS SPECIAL

A lot of people take time with their kids for granted. Not Harold Gordon. He woke up at 3:30 in the morning to get ready for Awana Lifeline’s  Returning Hearts Celebration at Angola Prison . He didn’t have to leave until 6:15, but he wanted to make sure he wasn’t late.

“I wait all year for the chance to play with my daughter,” Howard said. “The chance to spend time with you kids is everything to a dad.”

Harold said he wanted to make sure he looked good for his little girl, and that nothing could keep him from spending time with her. At 6 a.m., Harold was standing in line with an anxious air, hoping his bus would not be late. That is a strange emotion to see on an inmate’s face in a maximum-security prison such as the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola, where the men are usually shuffled from one place of work and boredom to the next.

As the gate opened and the men walked toward the bus, their smiles seemed to be contagious. Laughter spread through the line as the men made their way onto the prison bus. Once seated, the men shared stories of the previous RHC and how they and their children were going to win this year’s events. Others were pulling out combs and checking reflections in the bus windows.

“I am just so excited to see my daughter again,” Harold said as he retied his shoes for a third time. “It’s our fourth time coming to the RHC, but it is always the same for me.”

Harold said his daughter is such a blessing to him and that the time they spend together pushes him to keep going. He admitted that being an example to his daughter while serving prison time is hard, but he said he hoped she could learn from his mistakes and make her life better.

“I don’t want my children to follow in my footsteps, and they all go to church and love God,” Harold said, “but I am so thankful someone shows us that they care about us and our families, even while we are in Angola.”

It’s not too late to volunteer at Returning Hearts Celebration-Angola for 2012. For more information, visit awanalifeline.org.

Exciting Times in Awana Lifeline

This week I’d like to share some of the things I am currently excited about within the ministry of Awana Lifeline. While there are so many things I could share, three top things come to mind right now:

First, I’m excited as I hear testimonies from men who were deeply touched at Turn.  One man told his story of reconciling with his father after hearing an inmate sharing that one strong way to reconcile with your kids is to first reconcile with your  own father.  The man did just that.  And lives are now changed. Another man who is early on in his walk of faith has been talking so much of his experiences at Turn that his wife has been very encouraged at the growth he experienced.  She had been praying for her husband for thirty years to know Christ, and to grow in Him. Another young man, who works in a secular environment, was able to share the gospel with co-workers who were interested in his time “in prison”. Yet another man testified that just hearing inmates talk of their longing for their own children, made him appreciate even more his children. Praise God! There are dozens more stories like these of men whose hearts were touched and lives are now being transformed as a result of this experience.

A second exciting thing to me right now is that this spring there are four Returning Hearts Celebrations (RHC) taking place across the nation! There are a total of nine celebrations taking place throughout this entire year. Just 8 years ago, we had our first RHC at Angola and now we see this vision expanding across the nation in powerful ways. What I’m most excited about is the opportunity that inmate fathers have to impact their children for Christ.  Just to spend those hours with their children is such a privilege, blessing, and encouragement for these men.  To be able to reconcile with their children in a one-on-one environment is amazing for these dads who are longing to influence their children; influencing them to make right choices can impact their families for generations to come.  That’s what it is all about.  Christ can transform even the darkest situations….in any of our families.  I am excited about these events, and I thank God for turning the hearts of these fathers to their children, and the children’s hearts towards their fathers.

Lastly, i is exciting to see what God is doing through encouraging partners of Awana Lifeline. I’ve been writing thank you notes to many of our faithful supporters and thinking about their contribution blesses and encourages our entire team. Growing this ministry is so exciting to me!  And I am so thankful for the many people out there who are getting on board and supporting the ministry through prayer, time, and financial commitment.  It is both encouraging and fruitful for the ministry when we all work together, as a body, toward establishing God’s kingdom in families across America.  The mission of Awana Lifeline is to “inspire and equip men, families, churches, and communities to develop godly fathers.” This pursuit cannot happen without the help of our supporters and I am encouraged and grateful by the work we are able to do.

Beyond all of these ministry projects and most of all, I am excited by what we just celebrated — Easter weekend, which reminds us of who is the author of all we do at Awana Lifeline.  As we reflect on his sacrifice, and resurrection, may we become more and more like Him. Not just in the shadow of Easter weekend, but throughout every day, week, month, and year.

Where the Bible Meets the Thunderstorm

This post originally published on Kevin White’s blog about fathering (Striving Father).

Creative Commons | flickr Lars Kasper

It was 5:00am. The rain started coming down, gently pattering on the roof and the windows. Then, out of nowhere – BOOM! CRACK! – the thunder started rumbling. Startled awake, I rolled back over in an attempt to fall back asleep under the influence of the gentle sound of raindrops. Not a couple seconds later, I hear, “DADDY! DADDY!”

In a terrified voice, our almost-four-year-old cried out for dear life, obviously startled awake by a sound she hasn’t heard for the last six months. We’ve (relatively) successfully helped her not fear thunderstorms over the last couple years, but this one was the first one since last summer and being shocked awake isn’t the most pleasurable way to experience your first storm of the new year.

I ran up the stairs to find a frightened child, deep out of breath and obviously shaken. What followed was a several-minute dialogue of storms, rain, safety, protection, relaxing, and the like. Of course I wasn’t happy about being awaken from my own slumber, but there was a tremendous joy in this little crack-of-dawn conversation. The source? God’s Word.

The fact that we’ve been regularly reading Bible stories with Rayna, along with her ongoing work in the Awana Cubbies program has set the stage for understanding not only God’s Truth, but also the points where it meets real life. Rayna knows that God keeps us safe in the storms and the mommy and daddy aren’t far behind. But what a great pleasure it was to hear her recite the story of Mark 4:35-40:

“What happened one time when there was a storm?”

“Jesus was sleeping!”

“Yea, he was sleeping — in a storm! Crazy. Was he scared?”

“No.”

“Did he help the disciples?”

“Yea.”

“Does God keep us safe in the storm?”

“Yes.”

“We don’t have anything to worry about, honey. I know it’s a loud noise and it can sound scary, but it’s okay. God will keep you safe and mommy and daddy are right here and won’t let anything bad happen to you.”

Could I have been more sympathetic to her innate fear? I could have played to the fear a lot more, but in this opportunity to connect the Truth of God’s Word with the real-life situation (yes, at 5 in the morning!), there was a sweet union of sympathy, love, compassion, and Truth.

And it’s only possible because we’ve been intent on hiding God’s Word in our hearts. And in this moment not only did I have a chance to directly communicate God’s Truth, I also had a chance to reinforce the authority of His Word and its stories.

But that’s only possible because we’ve been in the Word on a regular basis up until the storm came.

What things are you doing to help connect God’s Word with the life your kids experience?

Top Takeaways from Turn 2012 : Video Blog

Our team just returned from Turn 2012, our annual men’s conference that takes place at Angola Prison in Louisiana. In this week’s blog post, Executive Director Lyndon Azcuna shares his top three takeaways from Turn 2012 via video:

Lyndon Azcuna Video Blog

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