High Country Prison Ministry
Missed Opportunity
By Jody Griffin
Avery and Mitchell Counties
If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow me. (Luke 9:23, KJV)
It was right there in front of me. No one paying any sort of attention could have possibly missed it… But I did. I missed it and when I did, one of life’s most tragic circumstances resulted from it. I failed to take advantage of the opportunity to act and the opportunity simply passed by without even so much as a care. This particular day the reality of the missed opportunity hit me squarely in the heart.
And it got me to thinking about how many other opportunities to experience the incredible blessing of serving others had come and gone without me ever knowing. Maybe it’s because there were so many things seemingly demanding my constant attention or maybe I was just so self-consumed that I couldn’t realize the opportunity to join in God’s Work if it had hit me directly in the face! Whatever the reason for my blindness, the result was the same. And the regret was overwhelming.
That’s why I continue to write about the amazing day that is coming to AMCI this month! I don’t want YOU to miss the opportunity to be a part of the One Day with God Camp on July 28! It’s not too late (almost, but not quite, so do this QUICKLY!) to contact Forgiven Ministry at forgivenministry.org or call them toll free at 1-(866) 584-7534 (and tell them that you want to be there to help little children who are cut off from their fathers due to his incarceration spend an entire day laughing, playing, singing, eating and even praying with their Daddy!
Some would argue that he doesn’t deserve such a gift since he is in prison. But I submit that the inmate parent is not the only one being punished and that in many cases the absence of their Daddy is hardest on the children. The men are taught beforehand how to maximize the time they will spend with their children, primarily through listening, and through blessing their children with their focused attention.
And volunteers are trained in advance as well…so no worries if you don’t know what to do! There will be many ways you can help.
So, to pass by the opportunity to help make this day possible, either through a financial contribution or through serving as a volunteer at the event itself is to rob YOURSELF of one of the greatest opportunities that you will ever have the privilege to share! Please prayerfully consider it, but more importantly PLEASE don’t let the opportunity pass you by…I know personally the regret you will feel. God Bless you for giving, for volunteering, for PRAYING for these men, their children, Forgiven Ministry, and for me as I am so humbly honored to represent the Presence of Christ Jesus in this place. It’s going to be AMAZING!
Trust me, you will be glad you didn’t let this pass by you!
