Testimonies of Women Finding Faith While Serving Time in Jail
“Seeking God While Serving Time” is a book filled with miraculous testimonies of how women in jail are finding faith while running from God, from self, and facing related struggles. Author and lecturer Gail Thomas McKenna shares stories of many she has ministered to as she serves in a faith based ministry in a county jail in the Texas Hill Country.
McKenna uses personal stories and testimonies from inmates to show how three parables of Jesus in the New Testament parallel the lives of those incarcerated. The life of the prodigal son from the Gospel of Luke illustrates the sense of being lost that accompanies incarceration with the opportunity to turn to or return to God. In the Gospel of Matthew the parable of the sower demonstrates how the Gospel comes alive for prisoners today. And, finally, the story of Zaccheus the tax collector, in also in Luke’s Gospel exemplifies Jesus’ invitation to give new meaning to the lives of the inmates.
I found the chapter titled “A Day in the Life of an Inmate to be insightful. McKenna covered a typical day in county jail from the wake up call at 4:30 AM through to lights out at 11 PM. The days are filled with opportunities for enrichment programs and a program which includes family visitation privileges. There is also personal time for personal correspondence, reading or study, as well as free time for card games and viewing TV, or for group Bible studies.
The volunteer program of visitation, Bible studies, and worship include opportunities for one on one contact as well as participation in chapel services. McKenna’s background is Catholic; however, it is made very clear that inmates of all faiths are welcome to participate in the opportunities of Bible study and worship. Liturgy and doctrinal issues are set aside for relevant application studies from the Bible and opportunities for individual prayer with the inmates.
“Seeking God While Serving Time” is an excellent source of information and motivation for anyone considering a jail or prison ministry with women.
Many of the principles are applicable to ministry with men as well, and for teens who are in Juvenile detention centers. The book is also an important refreshing challenge for those already involved in this important ministry mandated by the Lord Himself when He told us to “visit those in prison.”
Pleasant Word (Winepress Publishing Company), 978-1414111643
As Reviewed for Midwest Book Review
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Seeking God While Serving Time - The Faith Journey of Women in Jail by Gail Thomas McKenna
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