August 2009
It is always a joy to share
my view each month. This joy comes from
the Holy Spirit, who is leading me to suggest
a few testimony links to remind you of the
ministry mission, to reaffirm the apology
for my actions in 1969, and to encourage
you to keep yourselves in the love of God,
looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus
Christ unto eternal life.1
Suggested Links
This may be your first
time to visit us. You may need a little
help finding your way around the site. Here
are a few links that share the testimony
of Jesus Christ in my life:
Our Ministry Mission
Our mission is to enlighten
others to the need for prison outreach.
We seek to help build the church behind
prison walls that will not only affect the
way prisoners see God, but their families
as well.
We intend to reach the
lost, the backslidden, the unchurched, and
the unproductive, and make them whole through
the love of God. We pray this will launch
them into productive, personal service.
We seek to not control or manipulate.
In all we do, we seek to
build a Biblically-based sense of worth
and identity. We endeavor to bring every
person into a responsible, personal relationship
with God and others through Christ. Our
desire is to have others feel loved by helping
them understand that God loves them.
40th Anniversary
Although this month is
the 40th anniversary of the murders, I recall
these dates each year in repentance for
my actions. I apologize to the families
of the victims, and to the many people these
crimes have caused so much pain, which I
can do nothing to erase.
Through the testimony of
my new life, I hope to apologize with more
than mere words. From the day of my arrest
in ’69, I’ve been honest about
the crimes, having repented of my sins.
Since Christ came into my life in 1975,
I’ve lived a sanctified life, while
reaching out to others with God’s
mercy and grace. My life is depicted in
the testimony books on this website.
While in rebellion towards
the advice of my parents, I made many foolish
choices during my early years. It is never
too late to turn from our self-willed lifestyles
to God’s will and to live a life of
faith that is pleasing to Him. “So,
you see, it is impossible to please God
without faith. Anyone who wants to come
to Him must believe that there is a God
and that He rewards those who sincerely
seek Him.”2
Little Faith
In the 60’s, I was
at a place the Bible calls, “little
faith,” which is a dangerous place
to be.3 Like the disciples of Jesus, I had
“little faith” in God and a
lot of faith in false ideas. I thought to
myself: “California is the place to
be; I can finish college there; I can do
what I want; booze and drugs feel good;
Charlie’s teachings seem logical,
etc.” My faith was based simply on
the wrong words and not upon the faith that
comes from hearing the Word of God.4
I lacked a solid foundation
for life. Jesus put it this way: “Anyone
who listens to my teachings and obeys me
is wise, like a person who builds a house
on solid rock. Though the rain comes in
torrents and the flood waters rise and the
wind beats against that house, it won’t
collapse because it is built on rock. But
anyone who hears my teachings and ignores
it is foolish, like a person who builds
a house on sand. When the rains and floods
come and the winds beat against that house,
it will fall with a mighty crash.”5
Though I had heard the
teachings of Jesus as a child, I did not
trust in them to overcome all my fears.
My surface thoughts stemmed from something
brewing much deeper in my heart. I suffered
from a tremendous fear of failure, creating
much pain, which I medicated with booze,
drugs, and women. Not realizing that true
love and acceptance came from a God-pleasing
faith, I became willing to do anything to
please others. A lack of personal identity,
combined with blame, anger, and resentment,
drove me to a very destructive place in
life.
Real Love
The Apostle John said:
“But you have an anointing from the
Holy One, and you know all things.”6
In other words, the anointing of the Holy
Spirit reveals to us the love of God. John
went on to say, “God showed how much
He loved us by sending His only Son into
the world so that we might have eternal
life through Him. This is real love: It
is not that we loved God, but that He loved
us and sent His Son as a sacrifice to take
away our sins.”7
Isn’t this amazing?
As a child, I never knew
“real love,” but after I received
Christ by faith, I grew to know the wonderful
love of God. Listen, “All who proclaim
that Jesus is the Son of God have God living
in them, and they live in God. We know how
much God loves us, and we have put our trust
in Him. God is love, and all who live in
love, live in God, and God lives in them.”8
“And as we live in
God, our love grows more perfect. So we
will not be afraid on the day of judgment,
but we can face Him with confidence because
we are like Christ here in this world. Such
love has no fear because perfect love expels
all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear
of judgment, and this shows that His love
has not been perfected in us. We love each
other as a result of His loving us first.”9
A Prayer For You ...
Our Father, our King, we
pray for Your truth in our lives and in
the lives of those who are a friend of failure,
like Charles once was, seeking love in destructive
ways. Let us be a beacon to others to the
light that only comes through Jesus Christ.
We ask that we be given faith to shine that
light in the dark places of our lives, so
truth may reign and Your love may drive
out all our fear. Thank You, Father, for
Your love as seen in the sacrifice of Your
Son, Jesus Christ, in whose name we say…Amen.
Scripture References:
Acknowledgement: A special thanks
to Sherry for transcribing this months view!
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