Incarcerated – Revisited – Epilogue

by DanWolgemuth on November 8, 2024

In May of 2019 I embarked on a journey that profoundly and deeply impacted me. In the years since then, I’ve spoken often about this experience. As such, it seems appropriate to revisit the experience in the next few editions of the Fragment. I trust that this story impacts you in a fresh way…

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. (Ephesians 2:8–9, ESV)

Coupons. The currency inside incarceration. For those in positions of power, they represent the pathway to behavior modification.

Tucked firmly in the hand of every inmate… coupons. With them you buy the most basic supplies. Salt. Pepper. Catsup. Even haircuts are available with coupons.

The instructions are clear… hold your coupons. Not in your sock, not in your waistband. In your hand. And they did… I did. Each coupon had the “Resident’s Name”, the Date, the “Staff’s Name” and the behavior observed. The behavior that warranted the coupon…

•  Cooperation
•  Participation
•  Act of kindness
•  Sportsmanship
•  Attitude
•  Rational thinking
•  Respect…
Coupons as currency. And coupons as a means to an end. Behavior change.

… and, quite unintentionally, coupons become the theology of the incarcerated. I heard it, and felt it from the young men who remain branded on my soul.

God, in His heavens, becomes the cosmic dispenser of coupons. And coupons as a sign of His approval and acceptance. And approval as a means to win access to “the good stuff”, and actually access to God Himself. If you have enough coupons, you have access. No coupons. No God.

The deal is straightforward, logical, and so completely unbiblical. Make no mistake, there was a cosmic exchange. But it has nothing to do with my good behavior. In fact, I trade my foolishness for Christ’s righteousness. Not behavior modification, but radical transformation. And I do this as an act of faith, and faith alone. And the faith I utilize to embrace grace is a gift as well.

I sat with young men who believed that God was waiting… not pursuing. He was waiting for them to accumulate enough coupons for His interest and love to be ignited. That’s the way the system works, so naturally, that’s how God works… but it’s not. Humbly, it’s not.

But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. (Romans 5:8, NLT)

While we were empty handed. No coupons in sight. Jesus came.

Our righteous behavior, not a manipulation scheme, but the fruit of a complete rebirth. From dead to alive. From alienated to family. Daughters and sons… not because of our coupons, but because of Jesus. The ultimate coupon.

And perhaps, just maybe… a sixty-four year old who spent twenty-six hours in a detention center on his own initiative shifted the spotlight from coupons to grace. Pursued. Rescued. Redeemed. Transformed.

Now, three and a half months removed… Lord, remind them… he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, (Titus 3:5, NIV)

Amazing grace. For every incarcerated soul.

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Incarcerated – Revisited – Part 5

by DanWolgemuth on November 1, 2024

In May of 2019 I embarked on a journey that profoundly and deeply impacted me. In the years since then, I’ve spoken often about this experience. As such, it seems appropriate to revisit the experience in the next few editions of the Fragment. I trust that this story impacts you in a fresh way…

I’m not sure when I realized it… most likely in the morning of our second day. Perhaps it was birthed from the realization that we had a photo crew doing their best to chronicle the incarceration experience as accurately and authentically as possible, but at some point it dawned on me. No mirrors. But then again, there were no brushes or combs either.

Cement walls. Brushed metal toilet and sink. But no mirror.

It was this reality that invited more personal reflection instead of an image reflection. Less about, “How do I look?” and more about, “What’s going on in my soul?”

“Looking good.” It’s what our culture applauds and “likes.”

Selfies define our persona.

But not in a Juvenile Detention Center. And the byproduct is multifaceted. I found myself much less distracted. I looked deeply at the young men I talked with. Their eyes became windows. And it was their expressions that became my mirror. Am I connecting? Is there engagement and response?

But more importantly, I came to realize that I was a mirror to the 13 and 14 and 15 year olds that I was building a rapport with. When they looked into my eyes, what did they see? When they studied my reaction to them, what image flashed back?

What did these young men learn about themselves by looking in my face?

Was it fear or disdain or judgment that they felt from me? Was it condemnation?

When a woman who had been married five times and was living with a man that wasn’t her husband looked into the face of Jesus, what reflection did she see? She knew, like every Samaritan knew, the Jews see through the lens of prejudice when they look at Samaritans. But not Jesus. He didn’t brush aside her sin, He washed it clean with grace.

“Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ?” (John 4:29, ESV)

Come see a man… I looked at him and it was a mirror. But it was a grace-covered mirror.

When I looked at KB. When I talked with him about his life. When I asked him about his family, his friends, his neighborhood… did he feel safe? Did he see himself as cared for? Did he see himself as valued? Did he see himself with dignity?

I can still visualize his eyes. His face.

I wonder if he can still see mine?

Mirrors. We are all mirrors.

Beauty for brokenness. Hope for despair.

This is the message of Jesus.

For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:21, ESV)

Our sin on Jesus. His righteousness on us. This is why we fix our eyes on Jesus… our ultimate and only mirror.

I pray this is who they saw when they looked in my eyes.

Mirrors in prison. A reflection of a living hope.

This changes every encounter.

An Epilogue to follow…

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Incarcerated – Revisited – Part 4

October 25, 2024

In May of 2019 I embarked on a journey that profoundly and deeply impacted me. In the years since then, I’ve spoken often about this experience. As such, it seems appropriate to revisit the experience in the next few editions of the Fragment. I trust that this story impacts you in a fresh way… When […]

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Incarcerated – Revisited – Part 3

October 18, 2024

In May of 2019 I embarked on a journey that profoundly and deeply impacted me. In the years since then, I’ve spoken often about this experience. As such, it seems appropriate to revisit the experience in the next few editions of the Fragment. I trust that this story impacts you in a fresh way… February […]

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Incarcerated – Revisited – Part 2

October 11, 2024

In May of 2019 I embarked on a journey that profoundly and deeply impacted me. In the years since then, I’ve spoken often about this experience. As such, it seems appropriate to revisit the experience in the next few editions of the Fragment. I trust that this story impacts you in a fresh way… Within […]

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Incarcerated – Revisited – Part 1

October 4, 2024

In May of 2019 I embarked on a journey that profoundly and deeply impacted me. In the years since then, I’ve spoken often about this experience. As such, it seems appropriate to revisit the experience in the next few editions of the Fragment. I trust that this story impacts you in a fresh way… I […]

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Three Words Can Change Everything…

September 27, 2024

They’re hard words. Selfless words. Honest words. But they grate against the very nature that we were born with. Ironically, they are words that Jesus never uttered. He didn’t have to. Yet, He invites us to say them. He understands clearly that when we say these words they become a pathway to personal growth and […]

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You Are Now Free to Move About the Country

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In 2005 Mary and I moved to Denver to be a part of the mission of Youth For Christ. In the 19 years since that move, I have flown on many, many flights into and out of Denver International Airport. What I’ve learned is that there is a common refrain that is communicated on nearly […]

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For the Sake of 700 Million

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“Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things;     and give me life in your ways.” (Psalm 119:37) Roughly once a month I enter our household income and expenses into Microsoft Money 2006. Yes, the orphan software child of Microsoft that it abandoned in 2011. Regardless of the neglect, the package has remained loyal and functional. This […]

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Under the Stars

September 6, 2024

A year ago I wrote about our Labor Day family camping experience. 19 people in all. And me, the patriarch of the family, still inexperienced, but enthusiastically willing. Fast forward to 2024. Another Labor Day. Another family outing. Another remarkable Colorado location. This time we pitched our tents in Oh Be Joyful campground, outside of […]

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