Sarah43

Q4. (Psalm 34:18-22) What encouragement does David give to the brokenhearted? What does it mean that God "redeems" you? How can we avoid condemnation according to Psalm 34:22? Speaking from experience, David encourages the broken hearted by reminding them that God is close (the darkest hour is just before dawn), and that God will help the righteous when afflicted, and physically protect them. God redeems us by bringing us up out of our sins and closer to Him. We can avoid condemnation by trusting in Him, and serving Christ, following Him rather serving and dwelling in the World.

Q3. (Psalm 34:1-3) Why should we praise God continually? What are barriers to continual praise? What does continual praise do to our spirit? How are you training yourself to praise continually? We should praise the Lord continually because we are His, He is holy, faithful, merciful, trustworthy to us, as the sheep of His pasture. He made us and protects us, instructs us, and sends us salvation. And so on....infinite reasons exist. The barriers that prevent us from continual praise are reliance on the self and immersion in the things of the world. Continual praise uplifts our spirits and make us more mindful of Him, as He is mindful of us. Our spirits are tempered and made more holy, and we draw closer to Him. I am training myself to praise continually by doing so. I am thankful for everything. I read and study the Word every day, and try to remember it in all that I do, when I interact with anyone in my life. When I fall short, I thank Him for jostling my elbow and reminding me to get back on the path. Thank You, Lord, for helping me walk in Your Light.

Q2. (Psalm 118) What does "the stone the builders rejected" (verses 22-23) have to do with the Messiah? What do verses 25-27 have to do with the Messiah? The Christ is the stone that the world rejects, over and over again. Verse 22 refers to he Christ as the head of the living church., the foundation of faith in Him. In verses 25-27, the psalmist is crying out for the coming of Christ, praying for the salvation that Christ brings, blessing Him as Messiah, and prophesying His sacrifice for us.

Q1. (Psalm 100) What is the predominant emotion in Psalm 100? How does this psalm make you feel emotionally about God? What are the reasons for praise given in verses 3 and 5? What are the commands in this psalm? The predominant emotion in Psalm 100 is joy in the Lord. I am grateful to know God, and feel very blessed, wildly happy that I belong to Him. The reasons for praise in verse 3 is our knowledge that God made us, and that we belong to Him. In verse 5, we find reason to praise Him as He is good, merciful, and truthful forever. The commands in this psalm are to sing praise to the Lord, Serve him, Recognize who He is, Thank Him, Bless his name.

Q3. (Psalm 51:10-12) How is it possible to have a "pure heart" after great sin? What does a "pure heart" consist of? What is the relationship between a "pure heart" (Psalm 51:10) and a "united" or "undivided heart" (Psalm 86:11)? Who purifies the heart? What is the process? A pure heart is possible to have if the sinner recognizes and acknowledges the great sin, and is willing to ask God for transformation. A pure heart is a heart that has been transformed by God because of the sin. It is a second birth of a sort. It is a becoming dead by sin and then quickened again. EPH 2:1. A pure heart is a heart that is focussed on God completely, which is not in the world, although the body may be in the world. Jesus Christ purifies the heart, by allowing it to recognize sin, reject it, and become of the spirit instead of the flesh.

Q4. (Psalm 51:17) How does one achieve a "broken and contrite heart"? What are the earmarks of this condition? How does this differ from "being sorry" for a sin? How does humility relate to this condition? A sinner achieves a broken and contrite heart when he lets go completely of sin, recognizing the havoc it has wreaked in his life, how it has mangled his soul, mangled other people, and wounded God, with the sinner's own complicity. Then he stands, asking God for forgiveness and guidance, willing to listen, and act according to the voice of God. Humility is an earmark of this condition, and recognition of the self as untrustworthy, recognition of the need for God's forgiveness, cleansing, and leadership. Being sorry for a sin is only halfway there. When a sinner is sorry, he still hasn't completely let go of sin. He just perceives it as sin, but isn't ready to act. Being sorry is a dim light compared to a broken and contrite heart. A broken and contrite heart shows willingness to let go of the self, into God's hands, and let God start his miraclework.

Q2. (Psalm 51:3-6) When David says, "Against you only I have sinned" (4a) is he minimizing his sin against Bathsheba and Uriah? What does he mean by this? When he mentions his sinfulness from before birth is he excusing himself or blaming Original Sin? What does he mean by this? I do not think he is minimizing his sin against Bathsheba and Uriah. I think he is acknowledging that only God can make him clean, that when it comes to sin, only God can restore him. He cannot take back his sin, it is done, nor can he restore Uriah's life, or Bathsheba's pre-adulterous condition. He can only be repentant and be right with God and not do it again. I don't think he is excusing himself or blaming original sin in verse 5. I think he is saying that we are all sinful and need instruction and correction from the Lord, that we may understand sin and how it hurts ourselves and others, and then teach others, as David wishes to do.

Q2. (Psalm 110) Why do you think that Jesus asked the Pharisees about verse 1, "If then David calls him 'Lord,' how can he be his son?" What point was Jesus making? How does Jesus combine the roles of Warrior-King and Priest in his ministry to us and to this world? How do you reconcile the violence suggested in verses 5-6 with Jesus as "Prince of Peace"? Jesus asked the Pharisees about verse 1 because he had an awareness o Himself, who He was. He is using logic to get the Pharisees to think. As Priest and Warrior King, He is saving souls and combating evil and sin in the world. Those who choose to be saved will be with Him and have eternal life. those who do not are among the damned. In Luke 12:52, the Christ did say, "Suppose ye that I have come to give peace on earth? I tell you Nay, but rather division." But the Lord also said in Ezekial 18:30-32, ..."Repent, and turn yourselves from all your transgressions, so that iniquity shall not be your ruin...For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth....wherefore turn yourselves and live ye." Those who walk in the way of the Christ can achieve peace through Him, temporally, and eternally. Those who do not, who choose sin and death, have made their choice. Christ came and is within us to bring us to peace, if we choose Him.

Q1. (Psalm 32:2-5) How does self-deceit operate with sin to enslave us? How does confession enable us to get free from sin? Why do we sometimes resist the truth about ourselves? What does it take to get us to see truth sometimes? Self deceit operates with sin to enslave us by having us turn a blind eye to our sins, or to minimize it, whereby it is easy to perpetuate and it continues to enslave us. Self deceit is also a sin in itself. Any kind of dishonesty is, see Luke 11:33, "No man, when he hath lighteth a candle, putteth it in a secret place, neither under a bushel, but on a candlestick, that they which come in may see the light." Confession to God enables us to be free from sin because we acknowledge to Him that it is sin, and to ourselves , are honest about what it is and that we should turn away from it. Once we bring it out into the light, it becomes powerless because we know what it is, and suddenly are aware that we should not do it. We resist the truth about ourselves, I believe, for two major reasons. 1) guilt 2) pleasure in sin We either become paralyzed by guilt and thus deny sin, and or we take pleasure in our sin and are reluctant to give it up. David describes in verses 3 and 4 a feeling of death and dessication, when he keeps his sin inside and does not confess. A friend of mine and I were talking about sinning recently, and he told me that when he has sinned, the Lord won't leave him alone until he acknowledges his sin and turns from it. This experience is described by David in verse 4 as the hand of God, heavy on him day and night. The Lord is our Good Shepherd, and He comes to find us when we stray.

Q4. (Psalm 22) What similarities do you see between the words of Psalm 22 and the events of Jesus' crucifixion? Do you think Jesus understood Psalm 22 as referring to himself? Why do you think the Spirit inspired David to pen these words? Psalm 22 tells of the events of Jesus' crucifixion in the following ways: --Eloi, Eloi, lama sabach thani --the seizure of Christ by enemies (dogs, bulls, lions, in short, beasts) --the rabble's mocking of Jesus, including spitting on him --th soldier's casting lots for Christ's clothing --the physical torture and death of Jesus, including nailing him to the cross --the body of Christ as the church following the crucifixion and death of Christ's physical body Jesus understood Psalm 22 as referring to himself. He constantly assures his disciples"....as it is written...". I believe the Spirit inspired David to pen these words as one of the promises of salvation, to spread the Word and allow men to see and know God in yet anoher way. Christ is risen, Praise God.

Q3. (Psalm 22:1) Why do you think Jesus spoke the words of Psalm 22:1? What was he seeking to express? What was he feeling? How did God answer his plea? Jesus was in his death agony, in tremendous physical pain. Such agony caused his words. God answered his plea by ending his suffering with death.

Q1. (Psalm 2) What does Psalm 2 teach us about Yahweh's "anointed" king? Why do you think the apostles saw this passage as referring to Jesus the Messiah? What does the passage teach about the importance of submission to Jesus the Christ before it is too late? In this psalm we learn of the kings and rulers of the earth conspiring to murder the Christ, to escape the will of God. We learn that God has the last laugh, so to speak. Christ's being as God's son is revealed, and his absolute power as well. Kings and judges (and us) are instructed to kiss the son of God, and accept salvation rather than embrace damnation. I think the apostles saw this passage as referring to Jesus because prophecy does not lie. All that is in the psalm was happening right before their eyes. They were experiencing that which the psalmist wrote. The psalmist admonishes "be instructed..blessed are all they that put their trust in him." Those who don't will perish, will be broken to pieces like clay vessels.

Q3. (Psalm 117 and Lamentations 3:22-23). Why are love and trustworthiness so important as the bedrock of the Old Testament faith? What kinds of terms does the New Testament use to talk about these characteristics? Can you think of any New Testament verses that speak of these themes? Love and trustworthiness are the bedrock of the OT faith because these are the abiding characteristics of God. In Psalm 130:3, the psalmist asks God, "If thou, O Lord, should mark iniquities, who shall stand?" The Lord understands our natures, our wilfulness, stupidity, sinfulness, and loves us anyway. This is the "lovingkindness," spoken of oft by David in the psalms. God is not only loving, He is trustworthy. The patriarchs and matriarchs of the OT knew that they could trust in the eternal and predictable nature of the Lord. He would not change and he was always there if sought, all they had to do is wait on the Him and trust Him and he would never forsake them. They trust him to see them through hardships and correction, to bless them, to help them be better and more godly people. In seeking the Lord, they/we became more like Him. I think of Psalm 16:8. "I have set the Lord always before me;because He is at my right hand, I shall not be moved." In other places, the supplicant is described as sitting at the right hand of God, as being always in the presence of God, and God is described as being unmoveable. That strange and beautiful reciprocity, God is willing to share his characteristics of love and trustworthiness with His people if they seek his face. I am reminded while writing this of I Peter 1:15-16, "But as he which has called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation, Because it is written, Be ye holy, for I am holy." And also of Romans 8:38-39, "For I am reminded that neither death nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus Our Lord." Of course, the ultimate act of love for us is his gift of His Son the Christ, and the sacrifice of Christ for us and our sins.

Q2. (Psalm 145) Which aspects of God's character mentioned in Psalm 145 stand out to you in particular? Why is it important for "every creature," every human being, to praise him? What are you doing to help that happen? Power and endurance stand out to me in this psalm. I am amazed and awestruck by the psalmist's address of our Maker's power in verse 16, "Thou openest thine hand and satisfieth the desire of every living thing." As for endurance, verse 13 acknowledges "Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and thy dominion endureth throughout all generations." It is important to praise the Lord as praise keeps our focus on Him. The ungodly life is one of absolute pain and darkness, as one philosopher so negatively put it, "nasty, brutish, and short." We must acknowledge God in order for Him acknowledge us with His blessings, in order to understand the gift of life itself, both the temporal life, and the life everlasting. I'm not quite sure how that works, but I know that it does! I am praising him everyday, "everyday I will bless thee." I am teaching my children also, although I came to the simplicity and cleanness of Spirit when they were older and they, as I did when younger, seem to place much faith on their own abilities and intellects. I praise Him with others in church when I am able to get there, and I wish to learn to create fiction that is faithbased and therefore transcendent of the fiction category. I am not as much of a praise and prayer warrior as I would like to be, but if I ask Him for help and keep striving, I know I will get stronger. Bless thee, O Lord, thank You for the gift of understanding and faith, a marvelous and transforming gift.

Q1. (Psalm 103) Which one or two aspects of God's character mentioned in this Psalm stand out to you? Why do you think the Exodus was so foundational in Israel's understanding of God? According to Psalm 103:10-12, what are the limits to God's forgiveness? What stands out to me is God's understanding of us, our short time on this earth, his compassion, his mercy. I see His lovingkindness, His tender mercies noted by the psalmist in verse 4. This is the mercy of the Father, and Christ. I think Exodus was foundational in Israel's understanding of God because in God's deliverance Israel saw and knew God's care and faithfulness. He offered Israel salvation from the shackles of oppression and bondage, showed His people commandments to live by, just as He offers us spiritual deliverance from the world by giving us Christ, our Teacher, and His Word. God's mercy knows not limits, so long as we fear Him and remember Him, that we are faithful to him as He is to us. We have to show an understanding of Him as He does of us. Our understanding of Him is at once vast and simple. In Ecclesiastes, the Preacher observes of simplicity, in 12:13, "Let us hear a conclusion of the whole matter;Fear God and keep his commandments;for this is the whole duty of man." Verses 10-12 of Psalm 103 use earthly dimensions so we, earthlings, can understand the vastness of God's mercy.

Q4. (Psalm 24) How do verses 1-2 establish the Lord's right as King? What do verses 3-6 tell us about the requirements of the King? What do verses 7-10 tell us about the glory of the King? How does this psalm speak to you in your situation? Verses 1-2 establish the Lord's right as King on earth, naming Him Creator. Verses 3-6 show us that the person with clean hands and a pure heart, one who does not delight in sinful thought and activity, who does not concern himself with the dross of the world and who is not dishonest, will receive blessing from God. Verses 7-10 addresses gates and doors, through which the Lord will enter. Although unsure of exactly what door and gates the psalmist means, I can see them as psychological and spiritual barriers to receiving the Lord. In this light, the Psalmist is urging the listener to open heart and soul and mind to the Lord's entry. The psalmist tells the gates "Lift up your heads, O ye gates, and be ye lift up..." (verse 7) The King is glorious because He is mighty in his spiritual war. The last verse asks "Who is this King of Glory?" and answers "The Lord of Hosts..." referring to the Lord of the spiritual army identified in verse 8. The psalm speaks to me on a personal level as a sinner, because I instinctively shield my mind and heart and soul, believing it to be my own and resenting what I perceive is intrusion. But when I relax (lift up my head...), and allow myself to feel the presence of God, who has really always been there, the war is over. I belong to God, and realize He is the liberator, the bringer of freedom, and not the intruder.

Q3. (Psalm 126). In this psalm, the nation is going through some kind of crisis. How does memory of God's deliverance in verses 1-3 prepare them for the prayer of verse 4? How do you understand the two metaphors of deliverance: (1) a wadi or dry gully and (2) sowing and reaping? How do these metaphors help you in your situation? The psalmist is remembering deliverance, describing the happiness of the nation, (....we were like them that dream....)then asking God to deliver once again. The wadi is a dry wash that fills with water and becomes an oasis during rainy season in the desert. Sowing in the earth bring harvest and fulfillment. Both images show the promise of deliverance, as an occurence that is cyclical. To all come hardship and captivity, but the Lord will bring blessings and freedom, the water of life, and harvest in due time. I am amazed, as usual, at the truth of this psalm as it applies to my own situation. Reading it, I am reminded that during dry times, I only have to remember the Lord. Dry times are temporary. Bounty will come again. Beyond the temporal and the circumstantial of this earthly life, the metaphors remind me of the abundance and glory of the heavenly kingdom, as promised by God.

Q2. (Psalm 96) What does it mean to "ascribe" to God attributes of glory and strength? What happens when we fail to ascribe such qualities to him? In what sense is praise to God "fitting" or "worthy"? To ascribe to God attributes of glory and strength is to recognize who and what He is. It is to recognize Him as source of All, the Maker of All. When we fail to ascribe such qualities to Him, we become Godless, unaware of and without, without honor, without majesty, without holiness, without beauty, without salvation, without glory, without wonder, without strength. When we praise him, we have all these things, and indescribably more, and are deeply and completely happy. I love this Psalm, among many others, particularly the psalmist's inclusion of the non-human created in praise of God, the sky, the sea, the field, the trees of wood, reminding us that He is Maker of All, not just humanity. Praise to God is fitting and worthy. It is glory due Him. This is reflected in many places in the psalms, and elsewhere in scripture. I think immediately though, of verses 4-7 of Psalm 95: "In his hand are the deep places of the earth;the strength of the hills is his also. The sea is his also, and he made it:and his hands formed the dry land. O come let us worship and bow down;let us kneel before the Lord our Maker. For he is our God;and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand..."

Q1. (Psalm 57) Why is praise difficult in the midst of trying circumstances? How does praise affect our faith? Our attitude? Our motivation? Praise is difficult in the midst of trying circumstances because we get focussed on our pain about details. Praising God, as David did in the cave, puts our trust in God again, lifts our minds away from ourselves, and reminds us how powerful He is and how He can protect us, and show us the way. Praise allows us to see His possibilities and pulls us out of the pit, so to speak. Our faith in him, rather than our preoccupation with the self, transforms our attitude about trying circumstances. We are motivated to stop wallowing around if we turn our faces towards Him and acknowledge to ourselves and others (the nations) what we see. It is only through trying circumstances, circumstances that test us, that we are able to become better Christians and people, more as we want to be in the eyes of the Lord.

Q5. After you've studied the psalms in this chapter, what do you think it means to "rest" in God? How do you seek God's peace when you have a dozen things coming against you? Resting in God means to trust in God. I try to remember (and it gets easier) that I don't have to have all the answers, or sometimes any of them. I try to remember (and it gets easier) that he is my Loving Shepherd and will guide me in all things. I give my life over to Him. I rejoice now, where I used to scoff, that I am a sheep, one of his flock. I am glad beyond all things that He left the 99 to find the 1. I seek God's peace by committing myself to studying the Word for as much time as possible every day, by talking to others who speak the language of the Word when I have problems, and when I don't, and by praying, aloud or silently. Listening to music inspired by the Word, music that praises God, helps too. Seeking to know God means everything to me, and my whole life is transformed because of the seeking.

Q4. (Psalm 46) How does the imagery of the river and streams in verse 4 function in Psalm 46 to speak peace to the harassed and harried person? Verse 10 tells us: "Be still and know that I am God." How does knowledge of who He is affect our peace? How should it affect our words? Why does He command us to "be still" as a result of this knowledge? Psalm 46 is an immensely, almost frighteningly, powerful poem describing God's sanctuary offered to his people in the endtimes. The imagery of the river and streams in verse four, baptismal salvation from reckoning, is an holy oasis in the middle of the psalm, resting in the middle of it as the holy water described rests in the middle of the city of God. Surrounding the river/streams/godly city/tabernacle images, images of peace, are images of strife and violent movement: a cataclysm of apocalypse, mountains falling into the sea, the earth being removed, roaring waters, shaking and swelling mountains, raging heathens,shifting kingdoms like earthquakes, the Lord melting he earth with his voice, "the desolation he has made in this earth" by his wrath at evildoers and idolators. The baptismal river is God's, and the Christ's, a refuge and strength in the middle of apocalypse, "a very present help in times of trouble." (verse 1) As believers who love God, and accept Christ through baptism in the river, we become onlookers of this destruction, protected beholders of, and not participants in, the endtimes. We are still and peaceful in the middle of fury, God's fury as he obliterates human tools of destruction ( the bow, the spear, the chariot) and brings peace to us. The Lord of Hosts is with us, David tells us twice, the God of Jacob is our refuge. Full of wrathful motion as He smashes wicked nations , He is paradoxically our unmoving constant, our eye in his storm, the holy river. We are protected from his wrath because he has showed us who we are and what he is as well. We are not to be afraid. We are to be still and let what will be, be.

Q3. (Psalm 31) What does it mean to say to the Lord, "Into your hands I commit my spirit" (31:5)? How does that statement bring peace to a person? How does the statement, "My times are in your hands" (31:15), bring peace to the troubled soul? To say to the Lord "Into your hands I commit my spirit," is an act of trust and a blessing. Such an act is saying, as David does constantly, "I trust you Lord, Here I am, all for you. Do your will, and help me to do your will also." David describes in the psalm the trouble he has wrought for himself and that which others have wrought for him and around him. In his giving himself and such trouble over to God, he is finding peace, and is grateful to be able to secretly know God privately, away from the trouble of humans "...in a pavilion from the strife of tongues." Ps 31:20 Here David is comparing the Word to the word, and he is thankful for the Word. An absolute surrender to God brings peace because it quiets the human will and allows the divine will to take over. God knows what He is doing, and it is a relief to acknowledge that He does, while we do not, being what we are. "My times are in your hands," brings peace to the troubled soul, because, again it is a commitment of one's life to God's will, surrendering our own will to His, trusting God before trusting the sons of men. (Ps 31:19)

Q2. According to Psalm 23, how does the Lord our Shepherd quiet his sheep and give them confidence? How many ways can you find in this psalm? The first verse of this Psalm pretty much says it all...the Lord is my shepherd I shall not want. The Lord gives us leadership and guidance in all ways. With such leadership I will lack nothing (or want for nothing). He gives us food, shelter, water while we live. He gives us spiritual courage, and teaches us the righteous path. He calms us and frees us from fear of death and evil wih his guidance, and makes us holy. He is always with us, from birth to death, and after. Before I accepted the Lord's presence and guidance, I was scornful of sheep, and made fun of "sheeple." I mistrusted the stupidity of sheep, was scared to be a sheep, was afraid that I would be misled and mis-led, and I valued my own independence and intelligence (?) far too much. Now I am grateful to have my shepherd and, with humility, learn anew everyday what it is to not want. The other night I was reading Mark 6, and I was moved by Jesus' love for his flock, when, arriving in the desert to rest after much teaching and the murder of John the Baptist, Jesus is confronted by a mass of people looking for him. Rather than get exasperated and order them away because he is tired and hungry and needs rest, Jesus "...was moved with compassion toward them, because they were as sheep not having a shepherd: and he began to teach them many things." (Mark 6:34). After teaching, he then goes on to feed the masses with five loaves and two fishes, having his disciples "...make all sit down in companies upon the green grass." (Mark 6:39), which echoes the second verse of Psalm 23, "He maketh me to lie down in green pastures..." (Ps 23:2) Such is His devotion and love for us, for our physical and spiritual welfare. He is truly a Good Shepherd. Thank You, Father, Thank You, Jesus. More about sheep, sheeple, and our Good Shepherd below. http://www.crosswalk.com/devotionals/girlfriends/11579000/

Q1. According to Psalm 131, just how does David quiet his inner person before the Lord? What are the elements mentioned in this psalm? David quiets his inner person by understanding his own limitations. He does not try to understand the mysteries of God, rather has faith, and is quiet enough to listen for God. He compares himself to a weaned child.

Exercise. For one of the psalms in this lesson -- or another psalm with a similar theme -- do one of the suggested exercises to help you experience the Psalms. These include such things as praying a psalm, meditating, reading to a shut-in, paraphrasing, writing your own psalm, singing, preparing a liturgy, and memorizing. Then report to the forum what the exercise meant to you personally or share what you've written with others. I work every night with the incarcerated, yet must maintain an absolutely professional demeanor toward them in order to maintain order and security within my area of work. I am prevented through professionalism, from reading Psalms, or any other scripture, outloud. If I were chaplain, that would be different. But I am not chaplain. I am only what used to be called a keeper. And what I must keep is order and safety. And that means keeping my personal distance. No supervisor has told me that I cannot read, but I know that I cannot establish the closeness that such a reading would create. And given the propensity for the incarcerated, most of them spiritually and mentally ill, to adopt what they have told me is called "jailhouse salvation," I know that the distance I must keep is a wise and necessary distance. "Jailhouse salvation" is used to describe the spiritual behavior of those who listen to God on the inside but abandon Him at the door to drink senselessly, smoke crack, shoot heroin, abuse Oxycontin, lie, cheat, molest, rape, murder, and steal (See Luke 8:5-15 re jailhouse salvation). I pray to the Father and the Son constantly about how to let the light shine through without the Word being spoken among us. And I have heard an answer, which is, "Show the light by example." And so I read Scripture every night I am at work and keep my Bible on the desk for all to see. And I try to treat all, without being naive about dangerous people or danger, as human beings worthy of respect and capable of righteous behavior, toward God, themselves, and other people. I do not share the Gospel outloud, but I believe I spread it in my own way, and am always joyous to work on a Sunday morning and ask, "Who wants to go to church today? Surely more of you must want to. I understand the pastor is very helpful." I keep a few Bibles and devotionals and books on Christian meditation on the library cart, new ones every week if I can, and tell my charges, "This one's pretty good. It helped me understand a lot." A woman came up to to me the other morning and told me, "My husband came to visit me yesterday and brought me the Bible he used in Church when he was six years old." Her face was radiant with love. And I love to walk by cells on my watchtours and see people on their bunks, reading the scripture, or down on their knees facing away from me, facing God, praying. Those praying and their prayers are candles in the darkness of life on the inside.