Remind me who I am - Jason Gray

Give Thanks

It's November.  The leaves are falling and it's a great time to think of the 1,001 things that we can be thankful for.  God has blessed us and the New Life Prison Community.  I want to thank Him for everything under the sun.  Of course it would take years to list everything but I'll take a few moments to write a few things down.

I'm thankful for:

• God's Word
• His Spirit 
• Enthusiastic Volunteers
• The cooperation of prison officials
• Regular attenders at Bible studies and prayer groups
• New guys who show up on a regular basis
• Baptism class
• A third baptism worship service in 2013 (scheduled for Nov. 21)
• The first Brothers-in-Blue at Newton in years.
• A brand new mentoring program
• Greeting card ministry 
• Bibles to give away to new arrivals at the prison
• A Vibrant music ministry
• Bands like Piercing the Darkness and Now Serving 7 who share their musical talent in the prison gym.
• Inspirational speakers like Joe Brummel, Mike Sereg and Jim Dreyer
• The power of prayer
• Answered prayers
• A dedicated prayer team that remembers members of New Life weekly in prayer.
• Our families
• Fall bike rides
• The beauty of wildlife along the bike trail - deer, turkey, eagles, pelican, etc.
• The fall colors
• The opportunity to visit supporting churches
• The annual harvest of corn and beans in the state of Iowa
• The drive from Pella to Newton and back
• Christian music in a variety of styles
• Conversations with men at the prison about life, faith, and families.
• The sacrament of the Lord's Supper inside and outside of prison walls
• New believers
• Christians growing in their walk through discipleship training
• New Life Board members
• New Life supporters
• Inmates who provide special music, give their testimony or read a poem during worship services.
• Materials for Bible study like "Not a Fan" and the "Peacemaking Church."
• The joy of visiting the Lord Jesus in prison (Matthew 25:40)
• The mission of proclaiming the Good News to the nations (Matthew 28:18-20)
• The love of our Lord God.
• The grace and peace of our Lord & Savior Jesus Christ.

New Life - new video

New Life - Fall 2013 from Rick Admiraal on Vimeo.