Notes on a Napkin

I was eating a sub sandwich for lunch at PJ's Deli in Newton, Iowa yesterday.  They had a copy of the Des Moines Register on the table where I was sitting.  I happened to notice two sentences that caught my eye.  I think they resonated with me because of my experiences at the prison on Tuesday morning.  So I wrote the notes down on a napkin.

The first note is printed above - it was from a Dear Abby article.  "Please remember that regret is the cancer of life.  You can't change the past and you mustn't allow it to cloud your future."  This seemed so relevant to prison ministry.  The past of the prisoner often brings a bulky burden of guilt and shame.  It weighs a man down.  I believe that moving forward requires forgiveness for our past mistakes and a hope-filled perspective regarding the future.

The second note is on the back of the napkin.  Sometimes out of curiosity I look at my horoscope even though I don't really believe in that stuff.  By the way, I'm a Scorpio and if you want to send a birthday card remember me on November the 10th.  Anyway, here's what the Scorpio horoscope read in the DSM Register yesterday: "Triggers from the past may still be influencing your reaction to the present."  It reminded me of Tommy whose hometown is not far from Pella.  We were talking in the prison chapel about how he deals with his anger issues when we stumbled onto the topic of hopes & dreams.  The word dream was a HUGE trigger from his past and he told me that his dad crushed any dream he ever had.  He squashed Tommy's hopes of becoming a soldier or truck driver or junkyard owner/operator.  Instead Tommy embraced illegal drugs and the criminal lifestyle.  How sad.  I believe Jesus Christ can redeem his past and provide hope for the future.  Please keep Tommy and other prisoners in your prayers.