God's Words

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9

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This verse was on a poster on the wall of the plain and chilly room where I spent my morning. The room was in a shabby church, in the poorer part of town. In fact, the area was so poor that there were no wi-fi signals present at all, not even secured ones.

So why was I there?

I'd been asked to fill in as secretary at the board meeting of a religious nonprofit. I served for a few years on their board, when my family was more involved with structured religion, and today the normal secretary couldn't be there. So I was happy to donate a few hours of my time and capture minutes for them. I liked the cause at the time - prison ministry, something that I believe serves a real need for people suffering through incarceration. Even at the time, I didn't care much what the doctrine being ministered was. I felt that it would help those who needed it, and those it didn't speak to could find something else. But when I moved away from the church, and became more of a generalist, more encompassing in my beliefs, I didn't feel comfortable remaining on the board.

If I was going to devote myself to any spiritual prison ministry now, it would probably be to bring yoga behind bars. That's what I believe in the most, in my own life. Yoga is commune with God, no words required.

Still though, I liked the verse on the wall enough to note it down. I've certainly felt that way myself at times in my life.