This is a letter to Dad from a friend he met in Anoka.
Bob before I start writing this letter I hope in God you are doing good in health. I want you to know Bob that we miss you a lot since the day you left. Because C and I learned a lot from you. You taught us about humbleness, without a doubt our father God brought you in our lives to reach us about his Word. Now you are in prison but don't worry God and our Lord Jesus Christ will always be with you and they will show you their glory just as you saw it here when you were with us. Don't worry about me and C. We are staying firm in the Word of God. We stay in prayer so our Father God would keep us going strong with His spirit. Bob I want you to know that you were a Paul with Timothy for us. Because you insntructed us in the Word of God and you showed us how to behave. Well Bob this is what I wanted to tell you I just ask God to show you His glory in prison and so you can gain more souls for our Lord Jesus Christ. Be good Bob and God bless you and your family.
F
6/25/2010
Letter to Dad
This is a letter Dad received from one of his inmate friends in Anoka....
Hey Bob. I hope you are doing good. How's it going over there in your new home? The fellowship is going very good here. I've had some conversations with M and L. They want to follow Jesus. L and J gave a message about temptation and it worked out fine. I told L to start spending more tiem with God and he will gain more knowledge for the word. F and I have been doing good and we read the letter you gave to F.
Tell me about God's glory in that place. If C is with you tell him I called his dad the day he left from here with you. N is also doing good in the fellowship. Thank you for the stuff you left us. I hope God can use you and C to make a big difference where you are. Bob, don't give up and keep focused on the glory of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. Halleluiah. I feel stronger spiritually. I gave a message about sin separates us from God and I kept on talking non-stop. The Holy Spirit took over and I delivered a good strong message. At the end I shared Matthew 24:13. I'm glad I'm saved and I am not a slave to sin no more. Bob people tell me you can write me direct, or send me the address and I'll write to you. Well Bob God bless you and keep you strong.
Write me back soon pops!
Your friend,
C
Hey Bob. I hope you are doing good. How's it going over there in your new home? The fellowship is going very good here. I've had some conversations with M and L. They want to follow Jesus. L and J gave a message about temptation and it worked out fine. I told L to start spending more tiem with God and he will gain more knowledge for the word. F and I have been doing good and we read the letter you gave to F.
Tell me about God's glory in that place. If C is with you tell him I called his dad the day he left from here with you. N is also doing good in the fellowship. Thank you for the stuff you left us. I hope God can use you and C to make a big difference where you are. Bob, don't give up and keep focused on the glory of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. Halleluiah. I feel stronger spiritually. I gave a message about sin separates us from God and I kept on talking non-stop. The Holy Spirit took over and I delivered a good strong message. At the end I shared Matthew 24:13. I'm glad I'm saved and I am not a slave to sin no more. Bob people tell me you can write me direct, or send me the address and I'll write to you. Well Bob God bless you and keep you strong.
Write me back soon pops!
Your friend,
C
6/22/2010
Unseen Wars
Dads address is below. He get’s out March 2014 thanks for your support.
Tom
Robert Goris 14451-041 unit 208
FPC Duluth
Federal Prison Camp
PO Box 1000
Duluth, MN 55814
Monday PM
Dear Prayer Partners:
I wrote the last email right in the midst of an unseen war. I didn't mention because the letter would have gotten too long.
I left the fellowship meeting Saturday night so encouraged. God is really working in the minds and hearts of the guys In response to the question "How many of you are or want to be a disciple", all hands went up. Mark's also. Then afterwards Mark prayed to receive Christ. It's almost too much to take to see what God is doing.
On my way back to my cell with everyone out in the day room, right in front of me, a big fight broke out. It looked like one guy attacking another but ended up being much more. The guards started hollering, "Code orange lockdown!", then, "Down on the floor on your stomachs!" I was right there almost on top of it when I realized I could be in this thing. It was so surreal. Guys all stood for a minute wondering who should be helping who. It finally dawned on me and others that the command "lock down" was for us. Through the next two days I realized that what looked like a fight between two guys was really a small battle of a much larger war. The guys were pinned on the floor face down, hand cuffed and taken to the hole. All night long guards went back and forth reviewing videos from the camera. All day Sunday we were locked in. They brought our food to our cells at 8:00 AM. The guys with black suits and knuckle gloves came by, hand cuffed us, took us out of our cells and searched everything. I saw them go cell to cell and do the same at each cell. I was amazed at the huge pile of stuff they removed. After that they took us out one at a time to the gym where we were s et on a folding chair and they wanted to know what we knew about what's going on. Any racial wars, drug wars, gambling wars. It was all very interesting. They came back again during the night. I kept watching, they removed 8 guys from the pod. Some for extorting the sex offenders, some for carrying debt books from gambling. (It's unlawful to give credit or carry debt here). My neighbor in the next cell was taken. His name is Dale (the bank robber). Dale takes 18 meds per day. He also has a gambling addiction. When we take meds we always have to take them, drink water, they open our mouth so that both the nurse and the guard could see that the meds are gone. Somehow in spite of all that, Dale hid his meds in his mouth and was selling them to work off his gambling debt. Today Dale, Joe the Peruvian who had the store, the two guys that ran the gambling table, the black Liberian who stoked up racial strife - they are all in the hole.
Tom
Robert Goris 14451-041 unit 208
FPC Duluth
Federal Prison Camp
PO Box 1000
Duluth, MN 55814
Monday PM
Dear Prayer Partners:
I wrote the last email right in the midst of an unseen war. I didn't mention because the letter would have gotten too long.
I left the fellowship meeting Saturday night so encouraged. God is really working in the minds and hearts of the guys In response to the question "How many of you are or want to be a disciple", all hands went up. Mark's also. Then afterwards Mark prayed to receive Christ. It's almost too much to take to see what God is doing.
On my way back to my cell with everyone out in the day room, right in front of me, a big fight broke out. It looked like one guy attacking another but ended up being much more. The guards started hollering, "Code orange lockdown!", then, "Down on the floor on your stomachs!" I was right there almost on top of it when I realized I could be in this thing. It was so surreal. Guys all stood for a minute wondering who should be helping who. It finally dawned on me and others that the command "lock down" was for us. Through the next two days I realized that what looked like a fight between two guys was really a small battle of a much larger war. The guys were pinned on the floor face down, hand cuffed and taken to the hole. All night long guards went back and forth reviewing videos from the camera. All day Sunday we were locked in. They brought our food to our cells at 8:00 AM. The guys with black suits and knuckle gloves came by, hand cuffed us, took us out of our cells and searched everything. I saw them go cell to cell and do the same at each cell. I was amazed at the huge pile of stuff they removed. After that they took us out one at a time to the gym where we were s et on a folding chair and they wanted to know what we knew about what's going on. Any racial wars, drug wars, gambling wars. It was all very interesting. They came back again during the night. I kept watching, they removed 8 guys from the pod. Some for extorting the sex offenders, some for carrying debt books from gambling. (It's unlawful to give credit or carry debt here). My neighbor in the next cell was taken. His name is Dale (the bank robber). Dale takes 18 meds per day. He also has a gambling addiction. When we take meds we always have to take them, drink water, they open our mouth so that both the nurse and the guard could see that the meds are gone. Somehow in spite of all that, Dale hid his meds in his mouth and was selling them to work off his gambling debt. Today Dale, Joe the Peruvian who had the store, the two guys that ran the gambling table, the black Liberian who stoked up racial strife - they are all in the hole.
Unseen Wars Continued....
This all gives me the powerful illustration that I need for my teaching tonight. As a "greenie" (new guy) I live here in this jail and it looks like a pretty peaceful place. I don't realize all the underground fighting and aggression that's going on. Even when I see two guys fight I'm just thinking it's just a fight against them. Today I see that the two guys doing the fighting might not even be angry with each other. They might even be victims of a larger war. They might just be paying their "rent" to a larger warlord.
This is going to be my introduction to James 4:4 to be friends with the world is to be enemies of God. I have been concerned with the new Christians- who they sit with, who they walk with,their card playing and gambling buddies. I watch how their personalities change. When they are with different people. I don't want to talk about those specific things. I want them to understand the scriptures so they can come to it on their own, and they do. I am finding that when they find that scripture says it, they want to do it. Mark spends a lot of time at the card table. I am praying that this will change.
I will tell the guys tonight that, being a "greenie", I didn't see the battles going on around me; but they are there. As a "greenie" Christian they don't know the battle that is going on with the principalities and the powers in the heavenlies. The conversation that took place where God said about Job, "Consider my man Job." God was pleased with Job, he was proud of Job and he was saying that to many in the heavenlies who were watching. Satan heard the comment and challenged God. God allowed Satan to test Job. People on earth were watching but more importantly God and many others in the heavenlies were watching. Just as it is in prison and when we live our life on the outside the battle going on around us is bigger than we think. If we are only street wise we might win on the street but lose before God in the heavenlies. The big win is the win before God. This is why we must be more concerned about obeying him as in James 4:4 than in pleasing man. As followers and disciples we are "greenies", we are novices. It's best if we just obey and not ask, "Why?"
Two stories from this morning:
1. Mark came over right after lock down. I said how was lockdown for you? He said, "I read my Bible the whole time. I never understood it before, but now that you showed me, I can find things. I decided I'm going to read it from front to back." He seemed very happy.
2. I was walking Lobie (the Nigerian) came to walk with me. He said, "I have questions. He was excited with what he is learning. He wanted to know about having a girlfriend or a wife who is not a Christian. I explained that now that he is a Christian God wants to have a covenant with him and with his children. Being a Christian God lives in him. God's seed is in him and God does not want to be part of an unbeliever. The union is a sacred union. It was amazing how I could see him get the picture. He said, "So that's why we should not have sex without marriage. I could never understand that before."
God is so amazing. I just saw him understand way more than I explained. It's the way God is working. I am never pleased with my own explanation of the gospel. I wish I were better at it. I just am thankful to God that he is doing in spite of me. I just keep trying to see where he might like to work and make an introduction. I'm comfortable doing that and he does the rest in ways that are way beyond me.
Now you are up to speed on where I am at. Tomorrow is Tuesday and a strong possibility I'll be moved. God knows I am more than wiling to stay if he wants to do more with me here. If you hear I have gone somewhere other than Duluth, please realize that it is ok with me. I'd rather be in a difficult place in the center of God's purpose than in a "club Fed" not finding purpose.
I am not so strong as it might appear. If God would let me go two days without seeing his hand I might get pretty crabby and complain. God hasn't done that. I am seeing his appointments multiple times per day. He is amazing.
In Christ,
Bob
This is going to be my introduction to James 4:4 to be friends with the world is to be enemies of God. I have been concerned with the new Christians- who they sit with, who they walk with,their card playing and gambling buddies. I watch how their personalities change. When they are with different people. I don't want to talk about those specific things. I want them to understand the scriptures so they can come to it on their own, and they do. I am finding that when they find that scripture says it, they want to do it. Mark spends a lot of time at the card table. I am praying that this will change.
I will tell the guys tonight that, being a "greenie", I didn't see the battles going on around me; but they are there. As a "greenie" Christian they don't know the battle that is going on with the principalities and the powers in the heavenlies. The conversation that took place where God said about Job, "Consider my man Job." God was pleased with Job, he was proud of Job and he was saying that to many in the heavenlies who were watching. Satan heard the comment and challenged God. God allowed Satan to test Job. People on earth were watching but more importantly God and many others in the heavenlies were watching. Just as it is in prison and when we live our life on the outside the battle going on around us is bigger than we think. If we are only street wise we might win on the street but lose before God in the heavenlies. The big win is the win before God. This is why we must be more concerned about obeying him as in James 4:4 than in pleasing man. As followers and disciples we are "greenies", we are novices. It's best if we just obey and not ask, "Why?"
Two stories from this morning:
1. Mark came over right after lock down. I said how was lockdown for you? He said, "I read my Bible the whole time. I never understood it before, but now that you showed me, I can find things. I decided I'm going to read it from front to back." He seemed very happy.
2. I was walking Lobie (the Nigerian) came to walk with me. He said, "I have questions. He was excited with what he is learning. He wanted to know about having a girlfriend or a wife who is not a Christian. I explained that now that he is a Christian God wants to have a covenant with him and with his children. Being a Christian God lives in him. God's seed is in him and God does not want to be part of an unbeliever. The union is a sacred union. It was amazing how I could see him get the picture. He said, "So that's why we should not have sex without marriage. I could never understand that before."
God is so amazing. I just saw him understand way more than I explained. It's the way God is working. I am never pleased with my own explanation of the gospel. I wish I were better at it. I just am thankful to God that he is doing in spite of me. I just keep trying to see where he might like to work and make an introduction. I'm comfortable doing that and he does the rest in ways that are way beyond me.
Now you are up to speed on where I am at. Tomorrow is Tuesday and a strong possibility I'll be moved. God knows I am more than wiling to stay if he wants to do more with me here. If you hear I have gone somewhere other than Duluth, please realize that it is ok with me. I'd rather be in a difficult place in the center of God's purpose than in a "club Fed" not finding purpose.
I am not so strong as it might appear. If God would let me go two days without seeing his hand I might get pretty crabby and complain. God hasn't done that. I am seeing his appointments multiple times per day. He is amazing.
In Christ,
Bob
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