God Provides Hope Through Faith
by Robert Dorrough, Jr., Executive Director

Greetings to you!

In Romans 4:18, the Bible says, "Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed..." The New Century Version says, "There was no hope that Abraham would have children, but Abraham believed God and continued hoping..."

What a tremendous testimony of Abraham's faith! Abraham's faith in God caused him to look past his hopeless situation to God's supernatural promise. Abraham had no practical reasons for hope, but he hoped in God, anyway. As we experience the ebb and flow of life, there are times when we feel hopeless. Whether it's a lingering health problem, broken relationship, financial crisis, prison incarceration or some other seemingly hopeless situation, it is our faith in the promises of God that will enable us to live with hope. I like the words of my friend Ron Brigmon, "Faith is the vehicle that carries hope to its destination of manifestation."

When you find yourself in a seemingly hopeless situation or even a season of hopelessness, I encourage you to examine your faith. Is it anchored solely in our sovereign Lord? If your faith is lacking, remember that "Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God." (Romans 10:17). Without a doubt, as you believe the promises of God, He will provide hope through faith.

"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you believe, so that you overflow with hope..." Romans 15:13 I love this quote from Abraham Lincoln: “I have been driven many times upon my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go.   My own wisdom, and that of all about me, seemed insufficient for that day.”

77 Travis Men and Lockhart Women Graduate

Our bi-annual graduation ceremony held June 5, 2010 at the Travis Unit was a true blessing as we thank God for the 25 men who received six-month certificates and the 12 that received a one-year certificate in the God of Hope Faith-Based Dorm. On June 12, 2010, we celebrated with the female inmates at the Lockhart Unit. 32 women received six-month certificates and 8 were presented one-year certificates.

Men Respond at Travis Gray Concert

Travis Gray gave an outstanding Spirit-filled concert at the Travis Unit last month. 150 inmates were in attendance. Travis blessed the men with music and song along with his own testimony. Approximately 50 inmates responded to the altar call. The God of Hope Ministries wishes to thank Travis Gray for showing the love of Christ to those known as "the least of these."

New Curriculum Committee Established

The God of Hope ministries has recently formed a curriculum committee to help more systematically present the teachings of Christ to each inmate at their stage of growth in the faith. The committee is made up of both male and female volunteers who meet a couple of times each month.

Under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, the curriculum committee seeks to develop a systematic, logical, organized pathway of meeting each inmate where they are currently in their walk. They will do this by providing studies appropriate for each inmate, covering specific doctrines of the Christian faith such as knowing Christ, growing in Christ-likeness, growing spiritually, and growing in familiarity with the Bible.

During the next several months, the committee will establish a unified, systematic and orderly grouping of these subjects, which will also include followthrough with discipleship and mentoring. These curriculum changes will help inmates understand the material and make better daily personal application. Your prayers are coveted for each member of the committee as they work through the new curriculum and design a plan of study to deepen each inmate's walk and commitment to the transforming power of Jesus Christ.

If you have any input for this committe, please send that to the Chair, Dean Olson, or to Scherry Taylor.

You Can't Play with God

There he was, a bag of drugs in his lap and a police officer standing at the side of his car door. “I thought life didn’t have any limits,” remarks Bo Bryant, a recent graduate of the 14-Alpha faith-based dormitory. “If I wanted something I’d just go get it. But now I had hit rock bottom.” Bo would spend the next two years of his life in prison.

Although he had grown up in a Christian home where there was love and hope, years of rebelling had just come to a crashing stop. It was last year that Bo again found that hope in the God of Hope prison dorm. He saw volunteers arrive daily to minister, love, mentor and offer teaching how he could turn his life back to Jesus Christ.

Released from the Travis Prison Unit earlier this year, Bo now lives with a group of men from Austin Stone Church. Through assistance from God of Hope volunteers he has a job. “I’ve got strong circle of believers who have become my spiritual support,” Bo says.

“I was saved and baptized when I was eight years old,” he notes. But trouble started when he entered high school. “I felt I had this image to uphold,” he continues, “including being stoned, lazy and eventually dropping out of school.” Locked up 10 months in a juvenile facility, he adds, “I left detention thinking it didn’t have a impact on me. Neither did I realize then, but it was at the beginning of my falling off the deep end in harder drugs and stealing.” Most of his stealing, he reports, was from his adoptive mother.

“I was rebelling like crazy. I wanted to do everything to the extreme. I thought I was happy when I got what I wanted, only to realize I was still at rock bottom - mind and heart. Things were going down faster and faster and I was no longer having a good time. I had to save myself,” he says.

Bo doesn’t remember getting the bag of drugs or driving to a small town outside of Houston. He does remember the police walking up to his car. “I just told them there were drugs in the car. I knew they would find it.” He was arrested. By that time, his mother had stopped bailing her son out of problems. He went straight to prison. He got off on the wrong foot initially and into trouble, but when transferred to the Travis Unit in Austin he started attending the Unit church services. It was there that Bo learned about the faith-based dorm - 14-Alpha. He applied and was admitted.

In January during a consecration service as men in the dorm were being anointed with oil that Bo says he truly felt the presence of the Holy Spirit. “It was like stuff was flying out of the file cabinets in my brain, questions were getting answers and right then, I knew what it meant to be saved and what Jesus now meant to me. Since that day, I’ve been on fire with the Holy Spirit.”

“Wherever the Holy Spirit leads me and tells me, that is what I do. It is simple obedience,” he says. “I stay away from those bad thoughts and bad feelings, and when temptations come, I now run the other way. It’s a choice we make every day. I realize I didn’t have to live that old life. I know now you can’t play with God.”