The Prison Ministry
As was his custom, Brandon was carrying a CD into the prison where he conducted a monthly service for the inmates. He would play the worship music as a prelude to his sermon. His flock had grown accustomed to this format and had taken a liking to it.
As Brandon approached the security check point, he was met by a guard that he did not recognize. Brandon was surprised when informed he would not be permitted to take his CD any further and he’d have to leave it behind. As the conversation escalated and the guard’s chest got more puffed out with each exchange, it was clear that the guard would have his way.
Clearing the check point without the worship songs, Brandon was making his last-minute preparations in the chaplaincy office. There he came across a folder that held about 100 CD’s and training tapes that had long been filed out of the way. But hidden among them were a couple of musical CDs that Brandon believed just might work. It was worship music so why not try it?
He played some of these songs, delivered his sermon, and as he packed up to go, was approached by one of the inmates. With tears in his eyes, the inmate explained that he was somehow drawn to attend chapel that evening and what happened while there was extremely moving. The young pastor discovered that among the songs he selected from the file of cast-off articles in the chaplaincy office was one that was sung at the long-ago funeral of the inmate’s father. This is what proved to be so moving and brought the inmate closer to Christ that evening.
As he drove home, Brandon found himself in tears as he began to recognize that the individual pieces of the whole evening had been carefully crafted. The run-in with the prison guard, the inability to use his own music, the discovery of the old CD within the file of forgotten materials, his selection of the right song, the prisoner’s decision to attend that evening’s service, all were orchestrated by the Holy Spirit to bring one of God’s children closer to Christ.