September 24, 2023
Hello my Beloved,
It’s been a surreal week. Wednesday the 27th marks the one-year anniversary of when I began my sentence. There is so much about that day that is etched into my brain. We spent the day before cleaning out the bedroom because there was no sense leaving things in there that wouldn’t be used for possibly 10 years. I felt like I was preparing for my impending death. I rushed to finish as many chores and projects as I could. The final one was the completion of the wiring at the base we made for the new lamp post. It felt good to do something that would spread more light.
I spent the day before visiting family and friends, saying my goodbyes to those not likely to be on this side of Heaven when I am released. The last night sleeping in our bed was good. Having already spent 8 days sleeping on a steel slab in jail, I knew what awaited me in the years to come. I don’t think I will ever complain about our mattress again.
I remember how at peace I was when I woke up the morning of the 27th. The air outside was so fresh and pure. Feeding the horses, goats, chickens, ducks, dogs, cats, and rabbits seemed like more of a privilege than a chore for once. 😊 Even Titan was nice to me. It seemed like he could sense that that was the last time he would ever see me. We both watched the sun break through the trees as it rose that morning and burned the mist off of the field. I remembered what Dodah said in his letter to Andrew on his 13th birthday when he eloquently wrote about the many generations of Lipscomb men that had stood on the edge of that same field and watched that same sun come up to spread its radiant light on all the wonder and beauty God has saw fit to surround us with. The question that each generation must answer was, are we willing to see that beauty, and are we willing to serve its Creator.
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I can only answer for myself, yes and yes! My prayer is that our children, and our children’s children, will continue to give the same answer.
I decided that I would also continue to do both of those things no matter where in God’s creation I would spend the next chapter of my life. That’s where my peace comes from. To make sure I could share as much of that peace as I could with those I love, I walked the farm in those early hours and recorded a video message for all of you.
My final goodbyes began with one of my first Martial Arts instructors who stopped by just to make sure I was ok. He didn’t realize I had to start my sentence a day early. I believe he is one of the hardest and strongest men to ever walk the face of this earth, yet that morning he showed me a tender heart that can only be from a man that truly rests the foundations of his life on love and the God of love. It was an honor to pray for him.
Arriving at the courthouse, I had to make my way through friends and family members that were already there waiting for me. There was so much I wanted to say to each of them. Their support meant so much to me that morning. Having Grand Master Kim drive all the way from the far side of Richmond touched my heart, especially with what he gave to you before he left.
As I sat in the side room going over final notes with my lawyers, I saw the two that were most responsible for what was happening walk past the room door. I will never forget the smug look on the colonel’s face. When I followed my lawyers into the courtroom, I made sure not to look at the two. I was focused on doing what needed to be done to protect me and my family. I couldn’t help but notice how jam packed my side of the courtroom was and how empty the other side was.
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I also noticed how nervous the body language of the prosecutor was. This was reinforced by the tone of his voice. It made me curious. To this day I don’t know why he seemed so nervous. The only think that shocked me was what I remembered him saying at the end. If what I remember him saying was true, he told a lie, and he knew it was a lie. As I recovered from his statement, I remembered that many people on y side were depending on my strength for their strength. So, I stood taller and made the ‘I love you very much’ sign to all those behind me. I held it until I left the courtroom. The last face I saw out of the corner of my eye was yours, my Beloved. 😊
The trip from King William to Northern Neck Regional Jail was a good one. The deputy shared with me his early life and what led him into law enforcement. I had to get him to readjust my hand cuffs on the drive over because the right one wasn’t closed all the way, and I pulled my hand out. I was afraid he would get in trouble if we showed up at the jail like that. By the look on his face, it was the first time anyone had ever asked him to tighten their hand cuffs versus loosening them. 😊
We got to the jail, and I was processed in. As they led me to J-Pod, I pondered how I could serve God in the years to come. I had no clue where to begin, I only knew that I had to begin. As I walked through the dorm door and paused to take in the surroundings, a smiling inmate walked up to me and said, ‘Hi, I’m Adam. Welcome to J-Pod. I run a Bible study each night in the corner over there. You are welcome to attend. If you need anything, please let me know.’
Beautiful. As I began my descent through the Gates of Hell, Adam showed me my first glimpse of beauty. Even here, there was incredible beauty. Not necessarily the beauty of mists on a field or the sun through the trees, this was a beauty of thoughts, actions, and words.
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Of someone willing to serve God by serving others. That’s when my mission snapped clearly into focus. This was a place of darkness, ugliness, and sadistic evil. But it was also a place of light, beauty, and goodness. Try as it might, the darkness here just could not seem to snuff out the light, no matter how hard it tried. As a Paladin, I was used to these battles, I was equipped by some of the best Paladins on the planet to engage and train others in these battles, I loved these battles. This was my mission, take the light here and amplify it. Go after the darkness here, let it know that even on this side of the Gates of Hell, it’s not the strongest force. Light, beauty, and goodness will always be stronger.
This includes the darkness that thought it had triumphed by putting me here. Now, in my target rich environment, there are many people to engage. People that need training. People that need encouraging. People that need rescuing. People that need to be confronted because of the darkness they have embraced, confronted and told they have no real authority, even here. And all of them need to be loved.
Fast forward a year later, how have we done? We not mentor 90 inmates across 10 prisons and jails, both men and women. We also provide materials such as the Apologetics Study Bible for Students, Love God with All your Mind, Tactics, I Don’t Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist, and Tender Warrior to help train the light here to be brighter and to train others as they were trained. We have provided devotionals via email and in book form for those that are struggling. We use email to also receive prayer requests and questions on theology, apologetics, and philosophy. God has used us to save people’s lives from ending in suicide and to save their souls from Hell itself. God has used what Satan meant for a great darkness, and instead, turned it into a thing of great beauty and goodness.
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My prayer is that He will continue to bless our ministry here at the Berean Light Fellowship. He will use our Feeding His Sheep to glorify Himself in even greater ways, even this far behind the Gates of Hell. May He continue to protect us, give us wisdom, and keep our eyes and hearts focused on Him. I love you very much my Beloved! Thank you for continuing to be God’s salt and light to me Proverbs 31.
Love,
Me
SCRAP!
GELPOY!
ILYSOOOM!