KO is God Granting Respite

I will be gone over the next few days ministering to women who have loved ones incarcerated. Some of the women who attend this weekend's retreat will already know God, others will not. All of them, however, will know the shame and grief of having a child or spouse or parent in jail.

I have served this ministry, West TN Kairos Outside, as a Spiritual Director for many years now and find that it is by far the most transformative experience of all the ministry God invites me into. There is nothing more life-changing for me than to enter the sacred space of the lives of our guests and speak God into that space.

Last year I was asked to write an article for the international newspaper published by Kairos Prison Ministry International, our parent ministry, about the work here in West Tennessee. Below is the full text of that article, but fret not, it is not a dry, monotone listing of the ministry's activities. Rather, it is a heartfelt outpouring of my response to God's work through the weekend retreat.

You may find a few of the references a bit cryptic since I was writing for those who know the ministry and, therefore, would understand the references. However, I feel certain the power of God's work comes through.

Posting this article here certainly makes for a long blog today, but I ask your indulgence. In any case, since I will be away serving this ministry, I will not be able to blog for 3 days, so think of this as your final push of reading before a 3 day weekend.

As you read, please be mindful that this very thing is happening once again this very weekend. I covet your prayers for our guests, for the team I am honored to serve with, and for my own wisdom and strength to be that of the Holy Spirit.

Be blessed!

"The Positive Effects of Kairos Outside"

It’s a familiar scene. 60 women: 20 guests, 40 team gathered in the small chapel, crosses hanging around necks, ready to walk across the hall to the community room.  But this time the walk led to something less familiar: a rare glimpse into the true, deeper working of God.

Closing itself is a common enough occurrence in the KPMI world. Every weekend in every branch celebrates closing with the larger Kairos community. This time, though, a theme would surface that would bring both joy and heartbreak to the witnessing team and community.

The walk across the hall to the community room is full of joy and thanksgiving. The guests enjoy the rambunctious entry into their new community. Then, when all is quiet and the women in their seats, the invitation to share comes. And so it begins…the sharing by the guests of what the weekend meant and how it will change their lives.

I don’t remember who said it first, but I remember how deeply it struck at my heart. “I have never been around people who are so positive. All these women are so genuinely happy and positive,” a sentiment that would be repeated throughout the course of this closing.

The first heartstring resounds with joy; God gave these women respite in a community of happiness. Not surface, false cheerfulness, but a deep and abiding hopefulness that comes only from God and rises to the surface as a positive, happy, cheerful confidence.

The second heartstring rings a deep bass of sadness as I realize what this means. It is no surprise to me; after all, this is the very reason we host Kairos Outside weekends. But the deep, melancholic tone has a different tenor to it and my soul hears it in a completely new way: God gave these beautiful guests respite from communities that are filled with darkness. Sadness, fear, anger, despair are the true and genuine feelings they meet daily in their communities. And to this they will return in a matter of moments.

Heartbroken, I found myself on my knees over the course of the following weeks praying for the darkness in these communities to be lifted. Praying for shafts of God’s light to penetrate and warm our new KO sisters and those who live with and around them.

It is so easy to go about familiar ministry and become complacent about the effects of the ministry. No one does it purposely, but we get used to hearing that a life was changed, a sense of worthiness granted, and isolation lifted.

The moments when my soul connects at a deeper level with the cry of another soul are the moments God uses to remind, inspire, and humble me. Kairos Outside is more than a weekend. It is more than OL, SD, TL, and Agape. It is God granting respite. And it is God sending shafts of His redeeming light into the darkest of communities through the transformed lives of His guests.