Page 8 - Good News March 2020 paper

hane Taylor was con- Alpha Course training session. Sam, who had also had a tough
sidered one of the most During the Course he prayed, life and had been involved with
Sdangerous men in the UK "Jesus Christ, I know you died on drugs and criminal activity. She
Prison System. Originally jailed a cross for me. I hate who I am; also came to faith in Jesus. Now,
for attempted murder, he had his who I've become. Please forgive they are married and have five
sentence extended by four years me and come into my life." At that children.
when he attacked a prison officer moment he was filled with the
with a broken glass, setting off a Holy Spirit. He went running out Talking to Shane now, it is hard to
riot. onto the wing, telling everyone he imagine that he is the same
could find, "Jesus is real!" person who terrified so many
He was put in a segregation unit people in the past. He has
inside a maximum-security His behaviour changed so experienced "the wonder of Shane Taylor
prison. He was given his food radically that he went from living [God's] great love" (Psalm 17:7). Anglican priest and author. He is
through a hatch. His door was not in total segregation to getting a known as the developer of the
opened unless there were six trusted job in the prison chap- He says, "Jesus has shown me Alpha Course, a basic intro-
officers armed with riot shields laincy. He prayed for the prison how to love and how to forgive. He duction to Christianity supported
waiting outside. officers and for his enemies, and has saved me. He has forgiven me by churches of many Christian
when he came out of prison, he for what I have done. He has traditions. Since 2005, he has
Later, he was transferred to Long got involved in a church. turned my life around!" been Vicar of Holy Trinity Bromp-
Lartin Maximum-security Prison ton in the Diocese of London,
where he was invited to attend an He met a young woman called - Nicky Gumbel (an English Church of England).

FROM BROKENNESS TO BLESSINGROM BROKENNESS TO BLESSING
F

hen you and I make our my spirit of independence, and He God was teaching me what He is [The Everyday Life Bible, Notes
own plans, or run to was bringing me to the point teaching all of us today; He is the and Commentary by Joyce
Wother people instead of where I knew I could do nothing answer to all of our problems! Meyer, Faith Words, 2006].
trusting in the Lord, we leave a apart from Him.
weak spot in our wall of divine
protection. At a time when we I remember one night as I was
least expect it, the enemy will getting ready to go to sleep, I
break through that weak spot. picked up a little book and started
When that happens, we will reading it. Suddenly I had a Wholeness and brokenness
indeed be like the "broken visitation from God. For about can be strangely misleading.
section of a high wall" mentioned forty-five minutes I sat there on
in Isaiah 30:13. the edge of my bed and wept. We wear our “wholeness” like a badge of honour,
seldom recognizing that it is a shield;
God does not want us to have Finally, the Lord spoke to me and our prized invulnerability a mask
weak spots in our lives. He wants said, "Anything good you do has
us to rely on Him and be obedient nothing to do with you. I am the deflecting gazes which we fear
to Him so our "walls" will remain One Who is good. When you see may linger too long and see what is within.
strong and thick and our lives will yourself doing anything good, it is
be blessed and full. only because I have wrestled with
you to get your flesh under Yet, if we could but own our brokenness,
The more we depend on God, the subjection long enough to allow find it held by fellow-pilgrims as a sacrament;
more He can do through us. But My glory to shine through it." we may yet discover that in our fragile, broken selves
sometimes we go through
brokenness before we enter His Sometimes before God can we are more whole than ever we were
blessings. promote us, He has to remind us hiding behind our strength;
of our place. In my own case, my and where we see only fracture
Once, for about a year and a half, I ministry was just about to expe-
thought I might be going mad. All rience a sudden growth spurt. God sees instead
day long I walked around in my God was preparing me in advance a window
house, praying, "Help me, Lord!" by telling me, "I'm going to do through which
I did not even know what kind of something marvellous in your life
help I needed, or why I needed it. and ministry, and when it happens His light and life
Now as I look back on that you must remember that it is I and may flow!
experience, I know what was not you Who is bringing it to - Jeannie Kendall
happening. God was breaking off pass."