Inspiring Talks With Chaplains…

News

The time is nearing for us to say goodbye to all that is familiar and called home. Since the sale of the property it has been a scramble of packing, cleaning out corners, and trying to keep the office work current.

I have been calling our larger Loaves & Fishes distributors and getting some feedback, as well as setting some guidelines for the single subscriptions in the prisons. It is hard to keep up with the large amount of prisoners that are on the move, so we are making some changes which will curb the amount of new single subscriptions where there is a chaplain that is able to supply the books to the prisoners.

We really covet your prayers as we try to work through all of this. In spite of the challenges, it has been an exciting journey to call many chaplains and to hear their testimonies. They all seem to be genuinely grateful for Loaves & Fishes. Most of them ask if we could please send them more than what they’ve been getting.

Yesterday I talked with a volunteer prison chaplain who works in the Chicago area. He told me there are more than 10,000 people behind bars in that area, and the doors are open for more people to get involved in prison ministry. He is a big help in getting Loaves & Fishes into prison with a subscription of 2,700 copies.

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Issue 24 in Review

News

Greetings from TN! This will probably be the last time I write a newsletter from my beloved state of Tennessee.

Everything is working out for our move to PA the end of this month. We’ve sold our building here and rented office and warehouse space in Bedford. We’ll tell you more about it next month.

The main thing I wanted to talk about is the next issue of Loaves & Fishes magazine. We have issue 24 in review, so it’s almost ready to print. The message of this issue is very dear to my heart and I am really excited about getting this issue into the prisons.

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The Why of Lighthouse

News

Life is filled with decisions and circumstances that require God’s help. Just like any other worthwhile project, publishing a magazine for prisoners can be tough.

The pain and strain of life reminds me to focus on our why. Why do we even publish the Loaves & Fishes magazine? Why does Lighthouse exist? It really comes down to this: We believe literature can bring life and freedom to millions of prisoners unlike any other method.

Literature can bring life and freedom to millions of prisoners unlike any other method.

We can talk about our what—the free discipleship magazine for prisoners, sending boxes of literature to chaplains, bringing sound Biblical teaching to prisoners, and visiting lonely prisoners with mail. And our how—a team of editors, designers, and reviewers, the amazing software we use to manage our database, data entry, and the logistics of getting mail from our facility to prisons and jails across the nation. But the why is really what gives us all a fresh perspective and fuels our passion.

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Unexpected Moves

News

This week we’re staying at a house we’ve rented in Wellman, IA. We came up as a family for a week of fellowship and to make sure the house is ready to move into. Our plans are to move here as soon as our house sells in Pikeville, TN.

We have already gotten a taste of Iowa winter weather with –16 degrees some nights and snow packed roads. Even as I sit here typing, the snow is blowing outside my window.

We are all are eager to get the move behind us and to start a new life here, though it seems like a tall mountain to climb. The church here has been very supportive and helpful in making this transition as easy as possible.

I can’t help but think of the men and women who are living life as usual and suddenly one day they are arrested and locked away from society. There is no time to sell a house, pay a few bills, or even say goodbye. Many are arrested while away from home, and someone has to call their wife or husband to tell them that they are in jail. Children wonder when daddy or mommy is coming home. Just as smokers don’t expect to get lung cancer, most law breakers don’t plan on going to jail; yet arrest is the consequence of sin and crime for about 30,000 people in our country every day!

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