Hosea 6:1-2 (NIV)
6 “Come, let us return to the Lord. He has torn us to pieces but he will heal us; he has injured us but he will bind up our wounds. 2 After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will restore us, that we may live in his presence.

1 Corinthians 3:3 (NLT)
3 for you are still controlled by your sinful nature. You are jealous of one another and quarrel with each other. Doesn’t that prove you are controlled by your sinful nature? Aren’t you living like people of the world?

Living like people of the world. What a statement. What a world. And the funny thing is that the world says it’s OK – it doesn’t even recognize its carnality.

James 1:21 (NLT)
21 So get rid of all the filth and evil in your lives, and humbly accept the word God has planted in your hearts, for it has the power to save your souls.

Last night as some of the inmates were debating the pros and cons of Lake County Jail vs. Cook County Jail, of life decisions, of what James 1:21 meant in real life, it was apparent that there was more going on in the room than just a bunch of strangers discussing life. It was about how to walk away from the worldly thing and ways while still living in the world. These guys are guys that the “civilized” world fears and kicks to the curb. Sorry folks, these guys are real. They are hurt. They need brotherhood to escape the chains of their life. They need the redemption, strength and peace in turbulence that only the God can bring. Brothers from different mothers, different worlds really, coming together to move forward in a way that God intended. The world doesn’t offer that option because it’s contrary to the way of the world.

Ephesians 2:19-20 (NLT)
19 So now you Gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners. You are citizens along with all of God’s holy people. You are members of God’s family. 20 Together, we are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself.

Proverbs 3:27 (NLT)
27 Do not withhold good from those who deserve it when it’s in your power to help them.

Matthew 25:40 (NLT)
40 “And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’”