October 1, 2023
Hello My Beloved,
The first week of October seems to have been a pretty violent week at St. Brides. We have had various random lockdowns all week. It’s being reported that all of the lockdowns are due to multiple stabbings. The first stabbing was on the rec yard. An inmate was stabbed in the back by mistake. Whoever did the stabbing thought he was someone else. Later on, they apparently found the right inmate because another inmate was stabbed in the face. Toward the end of the week a third inmate was stabbed in the short timer’s dorm for snoring too loud. The guards have been out combing the yard with metal detectors they took out a section of bleachers because they found parts of it being cut away to make new knives.
Sunday, the 8th, was an interesting day. The ‘other’ philosopher in our dorm, Anubian, told me that logic was just something western civilization made-up and not everyone used it. I told him that the laws of logic were discovered, not made-up. Thus, like the laws of thermodynamics, they always apply to all people everywhere. I explained to Anubian what the three primary laws of logic were: The Law of Non-contradiction (A is not non-A). Example: The car cannot be there and not be there at the same time and in the same sense. The Law of Identity (A is A). Example: Something is what it is. If there is quarter on the table, it does not matter if blurry vision makes me believe it’s a nickel. My belief does not change the fact that I still am looking at a quarter. The Law of Excluded Middle (either A or non-A). Example: David exists. I cannot exist and not exist at the same time in the same sense.
Anubian said that he didn’t need to use the laws of logic to communicate his side
1
to others. I pointed out that he had just used several of the laws in his statement. He said that he did not need to use the laws of logic. This uses the Law of Non-contradiction; he does not mean that both his position and my opposite position are both true at the same time and in the same sense. I also pointed out that he was using the Law of Identity because he expected his words to have objective meaning. We spent the next hour with him continually trying to speak to me and not use a Law of Logic. He finally conceded that the Laws of Logic are indeed undeniable first principles that everyone should learn and embrace.
We spent the next several days in lockdown. It was difficult not being able to hear your beautiful voice each day or read the daily emails you send me with news, encouragement, devotions, and pictures. They did a deep search on our dorm on the 10th. We were all herded into the day room and moved to the bathrooms in small groups where we were strip searched. Then they took each of us to our bunk where they searched through everything we had for contraband. Sadly, an inmate had given Peru some of his anti-gas pills. Peru kept them in a clear container. When the searching guard saw them sitting in the open, he asked Peru if they were his. He innocently said yes. They immediately charged him with 100 level charge reserved for people having illegal drugs. Even though they finally conceded the drugs weren’t illegal, they still convicted him because the pills were in the wrong container. It’s so frustrating watching these guards strain for a gnat while swallowing a camel. Each day many of them come in the dorm and joke with the guys smoking drugs about how it smells whenever they walk by their cut. Then to turn around and bust Peru like they did is maddening. The inmates that do drugs
2
and have been locked up for a while tried to help Peru. But when they found out that he confessed they said that there was nothing they could do. They recounted time after time how they had lied and beat charges of real illegal drugs found in their area. The whole system, corrections, law enforcement, and judicial, seem to reward liars and punish those that tell the truth.
We continued our study of Apologetics on Wednesday, the 11th. I asked the group how well they could defend their views of Christianity. They all said that they could, so I asked them if they believed Jesus was God. They all said yes. I asked them why they believed it. They said because the Bible said it. I asked them to show me where in the Bible it said Jesus was God, I even asked them to paraphrase a verse that said so, even if they didn’t know where it was. Sadly, after about 20 minutes of thinking and searching, the entire group conceded that they did not know any. I told them that there were many verses in the Bible that show Jesus is God, some of the basic ones can be found in John 1:1-3, 14, 20:28, 8:58. Nate then asked me if he could borrow my Greek textbook. Confused, I asked why. He laughed and said learning Greek was easier than learning this. He said it was depressing because he was so sure he could defend what he believed. To find out how shallow his beliefs were was jarring to him.
Thursday, the 12th, brought a bunch of new guys to our study. Tokyo is a half Japanese agnostic, Brent is a devout Christian, David is an older evangelist, and Brian is someone who is seeking. Please keep all of them in your prayers as we move forward.
Saturday, the 14th, was an interesting day. If you remember, I have been mentoring a young Muslim named Rasheed. I have been slowly dismantling his Islamic foundation. I was out on the rec yard putting my miles in when he came running
3
up to me. He excitedly told me that he got me an audience with the top Muslim apologist at St. Brides. I looked over and saw a young man not much older than Rasheed, dressed in some sort of Islamic headgear and surrounded by others walking towards me.
He introduced himself, keeping a very serious and stoic demeanor, he then proclaimed that he could answer any objections I had about Islam. I smiled and thanked him. I told him that I just wanted to know the truth about God. Since both the Quran and the Bible make contradictory truth claims about God, salvation, and Jesus, I knew both of them couldn’t be true. This poses a problem for me since my studies in the Quran tell me to study the Torah and the Gospels if I want to know the truth about the Quran (Surah 5:46-47, 10:94). I also knew that the Quran says that Allah protects his word. Rashid had told me before that Surah 15:9 only applied to the Quran and not to the Gospels, which are corrupted. So, I asked his apologist friend why Allah only saw fit to protect part of his revelation (the Quran) and not the Torah or the Gospel. He looked startled by the question. He stammered that he didn’t know and that it was a good question. He then changed the topic to the Quran was perfect and I could trust it because of the perfection of the Arabic used in writing it, the scientific accuracy of the verses, and the fulfilled prophecy of Muhammad going to Mecca. I ignored his statement and instead, asked him to point to the true, uncorrupted, Gospels that the Quran asked us to study. He seemed confused. I explained to him that the modern New Testament was created from a group of 5800 Greek New Testament writings that date to within a few years of the originals. We also have non-Christian testimony
4
that the Christians around the time the New Testament was written believed that Jesus was God, He died and rose again from the dead, and ascended into heaven. These beliefs correspond with what our modern New Testament teaches. How come there are no copies of the four gospels that don’t have these claims? Where are the ‘uncorrupted’ versions of the four gospels that the Quran commands us to read? Surely, they must have been commonplace if the Quran tells us to read them. He stuttered again that he did not know. He said he would have to call his Imam to get the answer. He looked deflated and his sycophants looked around awkwardly. I thanked him for his time and told him I look forward to his answer. After all, I said, I don’t want to risk my eternal destiny following a book that was false. I smiled broader, especially one that made claims about God and history that were not supported by the evidence. He weakly agreed. Please continue to pray for our engagement with the Muslims here.
Saturday evening was great. God behind bars was good. After waiting a considerable time for people to stop talking to me before the service, Deacon teased me about being a ‘super celebrity’ and that I needed an agent so people could book time to speak with me. I love his quick wit. After church I spent two hours with Brent listening to his story and engaging on various topics. He gave me a huge hug and said that after our talk, he felt like he had just had the best night he has had in a very long time. He was finally at peace. Yaaay! Please continue to pray for him, his peace, and his continued growth.
Sunday, the 15th, started out mildly stressful. I started cleaning around my bunk area after breakfast. Under my bed I found a tattoo gun (homemade). My first thought was that someone was trying to set me up to get me in trouble with either
5
the guards or another inmate. I took it to one of the gang leaders and asked him about it. He recognized it as belonging to a member of another gang. He took it to him and explained how I found it. The gang member immediately got angry because he had loaned it to someone else. He went and got the guy he loaned it to and dragged him to my bunk. It turns out the guy was finished with it and forgot the bunk number of the guy that loaned it to him. He thought my bunk was the correct one. The gang leader then berated the guy, telling him that his mistake could have gotten a good man in a lot of trouble. Not only would I have been charged with a serious infraction, the gang guy would have lost his tattoo gun. He made the young man apologize to me and then he apologized to me. It’s so funny seeing this weird code of honor among some of the gangs. Continue to pray that God would touch their hearts and minds to draw them closer to Him. Also keep David’s niece in your prayers for healing, her name is Veronica.
Monday, the 16th, I began to teach Alex Greek. Thank you for ordering a Spanish concordance for Alex and Peru. The Greek and Hebrew lexicon in the back will help them immensely. We are still waiting on the Spanish version of More Than a Carpenter by Josh McDowell. That along with their Spanish copies of Tactics will give them a good basic foundation for their apologetics.
Wednesday, the 18th, was a sad but expected day. They moved me out of receiving overflow in 340B, to a permanent dorm, 350B. I am in bunk 22B, which is a single bunk in the middle of the dorm.
There were a lot of tears in 340B as I packed up. I had just asked David to take one of my Bible study days the night before so he could use his skills as the leader of an Evangelism Ministry again. My leaving was especially difficult for Alex, Peru,
6
and Lee. Please continue to pray for their growth and protection. While there was sadness in 340B there was celebrating in 350B. John, Riley, MJ, Sam, and Samuel were in there and extremely happy to see me.
This dorm is much more structured and peaceful. Most people have TV’s. We can use the showers, microwaves, and water 24 hours a day. This used to be the Prison Fellowship dorm, that is why everyone is so well-behaved. Now 330B is the Prison Fellowship dorm. They are slowly moving those that are in Prison Fellowship out of this dorm in into 330B. It will be interesting to see how this dorm changes as people are switched out. There is only one Bible study in this dorm and that occurs on Wednesday evenings. It’s led by a man named Ray. He is 60 years old and has a degree in social work. He has a kind heart.
I love you so much my Beloved! Please continue to pray for me on this new battlefield. Pray also for the one I just left, for those I leave there to continue the battle. Thank you for continuing to equip all of us through books, devotions, encouraging emails, and prayer.
Love, Me
Ilysoooom, GELPOY, SCRAP, LAAF