Killing two birds with one stone

I don't want to kill birds literally.  I love birds, especially big water fowl like herons, swans, and pelicans.

No, I don't want to literally kill these beautiful birds.  But figuratively, I often kill two birds with one stone.  It's a good way to get things done.  You go to the grocery store AND fill up the car with gas during the same trip into town.  

In the same way, I'm planning to ride RAGBRAI this summer for two good reasons: Fun and Fund-raising.  It's fun for me to ride my bike across Iowa with thousands of other bicyclists.  And it's also a great way to raise FUNDS for New Life Prison Community.  It's our 2nd year organizing Pedal for Prisoners!
Will you sponsor me?

Visit from Andy Hanson

This week, Rev. Andy Hanson will visit New Life here in central Iowa.  Andy is the prison pastor of Celebration Fellowship in Ionia, Michigan.  Andy is the 2nd pastor of Celebration Fellowship, taking the reigns from Rev. Rich Rienstra, the founding pastor of the prison congregation.  Andy will have a full week with us here in Newton.  We'll be spending loads of time in prison!  Tuesday is the prayer group.  Wednesday brings the baptism class.  Thursday finds us at the Bible study group.  Sunday morning we'll be leading worship at the Correctional Release Center.  It should be a great week!  Andy and I got to know each other on a Calvin Seminary trip to Angola Prison in Louisiana.  See pic below...

Andy is 2nd from the left in the back row.  Pastor Rick is in the front of the photo.

Flowering Plant

Beauty is all around us.  Here is a picture of a flowering plant in the New Life Prison Community office!

Found!

Found!  In one of my Charles Colson books, I found this index card reminding volunteers of Do's and Don'ts.  It looked good so I thought I'd share it with you.  Prison is a unique environment to do ministry so we have to remember to follow the right guidelines.  These reminders are appropriate for all of us who enter prisons in order to bring the Good News of Jesus Christ to incarcerated women and men.  May the peace of God be with you all.

Prayer Warrirors Needed!

New Life Prison Community is looking for prayer warriors.  Each week we will collect prayer requests from the men in Newton and forward them to our prayer warriors.  Would you consider being a prayer warrior for New Life Prison Community?  

Contact Pastor Rick  ~ pastorrick@newlife-prison.org  

                     or Rose ~ rose@newlife-prison.org  

Thanks for serving the Lord!

'Gearing Up' for RAGBRAI

I'm gearing up for RAGBRAI (Register's Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa).  Part of gearing up means getting the road bike in good working-order and running sweetly.  So I brought my bicycle down to Iowa Bike & Fitness yesterday to get Marty's assistance.  After 9,000+ miles over the life of my bike it was time for a new rear-derailleur.  So here's a picture of my new bike part.  The bike should be shifting like a champion now!

Gearing up for RAGBRAI also means doing the necessary training.  RAGBRAI is 471 miles this year - not as hilly as last year but it's a little longer.  It starts in Sioux Center, Iowa and goes all the way to Clinton, Iowa in one week.  So I've been riding my fair share and logging the training miles.  But don't worry - it's no chore.  I love to ride!

Gearing up for RAGBRAI also means preparing for Pedal for Prisoners.  Last year we gathered sponsors between seven riders and raised over $18,000 for the New Life Prison Community.  This year the goal of six riders is to top the $20,000 barrier.  Will you sponsor one of us?  Will you make a stand and support this important ministry to men at the Newton Prison?

What I'm reading

I just finished reading Howard Zehr's classic The Little Book of Restorative Justice.  Don't give me too much credit - it's only 71 pages and that includes the endnotes!  Although it's short, it says much in few words.  Zehr concludes that retributive justice and restorative justice are not necessarily opposites but they ask different questions.  These are "the questions that drive our current justice systems: What laws have been broken?  Who did it? What do they deserve?"


True justice requires, instead, that we ask questions such as these: Who has been hurt?  What do they need?  Whose obligations and responsibilities are these?  Who has a stake in this situation?  What is the process that can involve the stakeholders in finding a solution?  Restorative justice requires us to change not just our lenses but our questions."  (Zehr, p.63)


I appreciated Zehr's brief comment in passing about the death penalty.  "Many acts and efforts are being labeled 'restorative,' but in fact they are not.  Some of these might be rescued.  Others cannot.  The death penalty, which causes additional and irreparable harm, is one of the latter."  (Zehr, 57)  I agree.


I liked the book so much that we purchased copies for everyone who was at the restorative justice workshop and every member of the New Life launch team.  I hope all of them appreciate this informative read about a new and better way to do justice.  I also recommend the book to you ...


Pastor Rick
April 25, 2012