CLI Art and Music Benefit: Imprisoned use skills

Posted by Kathleen Skaar - Executive Director of CLI

He has filled them with skill to do all kinds of work as craftsmen, designers, embroiderers in blue, purple and scarlet yarn and fine linen, and weavers-- all of them master craftsmen and designers. NIV Exodus 35:35

Just as God filled the Israelites with skill to do all kinds of work as craftsmen and designers, He fills His people with artistic skills today. Actually, we know that all good gifts come from God, and it is especially gratifying to use those gifts to glorify God. The skilled Israelite craftsmen used their good gifts or talents to make and beautify the tabernacle, the dwelling place for God.

Now God dwells in His people by His Holy Spirit. Jesus’ death and resurrection makes this possible for those who confess His name. At CLI we are grateful for all those who use their gifts and talents to help the imprisoned know and mature in Christ.

The inmates that we serve are also grateful for the Christian books and Bibles that we provide. They also want to use whatever gifts they have in order to help further God’s work. In fact, Michael offered his gospel drawings as a way to secure funds for the ministry. He suggested asking other inmates to draw for the same purpose and having a kind of art auction.

Since all of our Christian resources are free, we also need to be open to free sources of income. We pray and seek guidance from God. Sometimes He miraculously provides and other times he expects us to roll up our sleeves and do some nifty teamwork.

We believe the CLI Art and Music Benefit is a team project with Jesus, as always, at the helm. We would like to invite you to join us. Here is what we have so far. Several inmates are willing to do some gospel art drawings and donate them to CLI. In order to have enough drawings, we will make copies and offer to send one or more for a donation. We would like to do this online. In addition, one of our Mission Partners has offered her professionally produced Christian music CD.

Have you ever been involved in an art auction or benefit? What about social networking or fundraising online? Or perhaps God is leading you to join this team to raise funds and awareness of God’s work in the prisons. Currently we are in prisons in all 50 states. Email Kathleen or call at 919 212-8122. Let’s use all our talents including marketing and business skills to glorify our magnificent LORD!

Also I have given skill to all the craftsmen to make everything I have commanded you: NIV Exodus 31:6b

A LifeWay Blessing

Posted by Anders Skaar - Missions Director of CLI

Part of being in ministry is partnering with others - churches, other ministries and even Christian bookstores. Both LifeWay and Family Christian Stores have partnered with CLI to provide us with brand new Bibles. Here's how it works.

It's called "plus selling". When a customer goes to check out, the cashier asks if he would like to buy a Bible for the prisons. If the customer says yes, an additional amount - usually $5 - is added to the total and the purchased Bible is placed in a box behing the counter. When the box fills up, the bookstore brings or ships the Bibles to us. We combine these Bibles with the books and Bibles we regularly send the 1,000 prison we support.

Plus selling enables a Christian bookstore customer to be a small donor to the prisons. And we know that God likes small things!

I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you." Matthew 17:20

Blessed by the Best

Posted by Anders Skaar - Missions Director of CLI

It's always a pleasure to welcome a volunteer team that comes to help out. On Saturday we hosted a team of middle school girls from Crossroads Fellowship, a church that supports CLI.
The lovely young ladies spend two hours packing books, preparing tracts and stamping brochures. All these materials are sent out to the 1,000 prisons we support.
One afternoon's work can have an eternal impact.
We praise the Lord for bringing us volunteers and pray that their efforts will bear much fruit!
As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. Isaiah 55:10-11

Behind Enemy Lines: Pray for an Inmate

Posted by Kathleen Skaar - Executive Director of CLI

With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may count you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may fulfill every good purpose of yours and every act prompted by your faith. NIV 2 Thessalonians 1:11

Christian inmates long for prayer. They are in Satan’s territory and they are well aware of the strongholds that have taken root in heads and hearts. They also want to stand firm in Christ and be good witnesses.

With this in mind, we have incorporated a new program whereby you can sign up and pray for a real person behind bars. Yes, you can go behind enemy lines in a powerful and meaningful way. You will be suiting up with armor on your knees.

You can pray constantly for your inmate so that God may count him or her worthy of His calling. You can also lift up personal requests for family and restored relationships. In the Spirit of God you will go behind enemy lines. Think what an impact you will make for eternity in that one life. Think of the impact that person will make in other lives because of your prayers.

All you have to do is to email or call us and we will match you up with an inmate. Your commitment will be to pray for your inmate at least once a day for a month. You will have the opportunity to continue after a month. Your name however, will remain anonymous to the inmate but of course well known to God.

Although we get personal requests, we suggest letting the Holy Spirit lead you in God’s will and purpose for that individual. However, just to give you an idea of some of the prayer requests that CLI receives, here are a few for you to read.

Pray for:

Kenneth T. - That he will never forget that God will always love him. Help him obey God.

James G. - For safety and continued growth as a Christian. Restore his relationship with his siblings; that wounds can be healed.

David H. - Be released soon to be with his children and grandchildren. That he will have postage stamps to do the Bible study.

L.B. P. - That he would become confident in God’s Word and be a leader.

Roger W. - That God lets him help others daily, and opens the door for him to share God’s love.

Tonja D. - That she will not listen to gossip.

Vicky F. - She will have more patience with others.

Branden H. - Dealing with conflict.

Brad R. - Hasn’t heard from family since October. God will move in their lives and they will contact him.

Bradford C. - He might have more self control and peace & joy.

Good Leadership is Good Ministry

Posted by Anders Skaar - Missions Director of CLI

Christian Library International is clearly led by the Lord. Every Monday, we have a staff meeting and an hour of prayer time. We pray for God's lead at CLI, to be an efficient and effective ministry; to touch others who are mostly unreachable.

We have a cozy staff of 3, about 30 volunteers and prayer warriors and a modest ministry budget. But nevertheless, CLI sends the Word of God to about 1,000 US prisons in all 50 states! It's clearly a "God thing"!

Last Sunday, our executive director, Kathleen Skaar was ordained for service in the prisons. Some prisons will only allow ordained pastors inside. Kathleen's goal is to become more hands-on in the prisons. Both men and women in the prisons will be blessed as she loves to tell the story - the gospel of Jesus Christ.

The ordination process began with a vote by the church membership, an examination by a board of pastors and denomination officials, and an ordination service where the congregation laid hands on her and prayed for her.

We are so proud at CLI to have our executive director ordained to do hands-on ministry in the prisons. It can only make us a better ministry.

Ministry and Business

Posted by Kathleen Skaar - Executive Director of CLI

Although CLI is a prison ministry, it is also a non profit organization under the laws of North Carolina. We have a volunteer board of directors who oversee operations and work the tasks of the Kingdom. One of our goals this year is to increase the number of board members who have a passion for Christ and a heart to serve through CLI.

God has answered our prayers by bringing us a new board member to be installed at our March board meeting. Nathan McLeod, our Vice Chair and I had lunch with Dale Breedlove last week and reported back to the board. We are impressed with Dale’s commitment to the Lord and to the mission of CLI.

After we extended Dale the invitation, we asked him to pray about it and we would meet again. Dale and I met at the CLI offices on Wednesday and spent a couple of hours going over the Board requirements, talking and brainstorming! Yes, he felt the Lord calling him to be part of the CLI board of directors.

Dale was interested in social networking for CLI and agreed to take that on as a project. He has a couple of friends that he thinks can help him with it. This also is an answer to prayer as I have wanted to get CLI involved with social networking for a number of years now. Are you a social networker? Do you know a lot about blogs, twitter etc? Would you be interested in joining Dale’s team to help CLI in order to help inmates? Email or call us!

We are excited about Dale joining our leadership team and fellowship! God is working through us and is knitting our hearts together for a tremendous impact for God’s kingdom!!

An Inmate Comes to Christ

Dear CLI,

Thank you for your letter of encouragement. Your letter was a breath of fresh air to my soul. I look forward to getting involved in the Bible study courses. The Lord really has blessed my life for the last 14 years I have been in this Prison System, but yet, in all these years I never felt loved or cared for, not even from my wife when she stayed by my side all these years.

I have lived the prison life, the drugs, the card games, running canteens, even having sexual relations with the homosexuals in here for the past 14 years. I have done all that a person could do evil in the prison system. I am not proud of it at all, for I even persecuted the Christian brothers in here for their faith in God.

Now it’s all different. You see, I came to a low point in my life, and all that I had become, I was tired of me, so on 10-10-09 I cried out for Jesus. If you’re there Jesus please forgive me and just love me. I must have cried for an hour or more, but peace and love came into my life that night. And all this prison life, I have NO desire for it anymore. All my desire is to know my Lord and Savior. To be the man He needs me to be, so I can be the husband my wife needs me to be.

A lot of people call this jailhouse religion, or they call me a fake. Hey that’s okay because my walk with the Lord will prove my faith and I will show the love of Jesus for all mankind. Because I know I am saved by the grace of God, and since God saved me, the chief of sinners, I know He can and will save all who call upon His Holy Name.

There is a song that I love that really speaks about where I am with my walk with the Lord. The song is called “I Will Not be Moved”. It goes, “I will stumble, I will fall down, I will face heartache, but I will not be moved.

My life has been so much brighter with the love of Jesus. Thank you again for your encouraging letter. I really appreciate it. Love, Kenny

Bibles, Bibles, Bibles

Posted by Anders Skaar - Missions Director of CLI

This year, we have been praying for Bibles. We'd like 50% of all the books we ship to the prisons to be Bibles. Why? Because the Bible is the Word of God. Christian books are great, but only if they lead a prisoner back to the Bible.

But where to get all those Bibles? We pray.

The phone rings and a publisher offers to send us 10 cases of Bibles. The phone rings again and a book store manager tells us he's collecting Bibles for us. I love it when our prayers are answered quickly!!

Here at CLI, we praise God for His constant provision. In 14 years of ministry, we have never lacked anything. Volunteers, prisons, books, equipment - He always provides. Praise the Lord!

Maximizing God’s Glory

Posted by Kathleen Skaar - Executive Director of CLI

"Blessed is she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord." 46 And Mary said: "My soul magnifies the Lord, NKJ Luke 1:45-46

When we look at a brilliant cut diamond through a magnifying glass it appears larger and more radiant. It really isn’t larger or more brilliant, it just helps us to see it better. In the same way, we want to magnify or maximize God’s glory so others may get a glimpse that they ordinarily might not see.

God is brilliant and radiant and we can’t add to His glory, but we can be a conduit through which His glory shines in more detail for human eyes. Mary believed that she was going to give birth to the Son of God even though she was a virgin. She trusted God’s messenger Gabriel. So when she visited her relative Elizabeth, the glory of the Lord shone through this young maiden.

Our prayer and battle cry at CLI this year is to be as faithful as Mary and to maximize God’s glory. We want to magnify the Lord for each other and the inmates that we serve. Just how do we bring God into shaper focus for human hearts and eyes?

It begins with God the Spirit working through us and others. God must decide to reveal more of His glory. We don’t make those decisions. However, God has given us some ways in His Word that provide the fertile ground.

Four Ways to Maximize God’s Glory:

1. Love the Lord your God with all your heart (Matthew 22:36-40).
2. Be holy because God is holy (Leviticus 11:45).
3. Obey God (Deuteronomy 27:10).
4. Honor God with words, thoughts, and deeds (1 Corinthians 10:31).

Let’s keep Mary’s faith in mind as we plow the soil of our hearts with these 4 commands. Soft soil, soft hearts toward God will prepare the way for God to work in our lives so that we and others may see His glory. We will glorify the LORD in Christ Jesus! Amen.

39 Prisons Served by CLI in January

Posted by Anders Skaar - Missions Director of CLI

It is indeed a blessing to send fresh new Christian books and Bibles to the prisons we serve. In January 2010, CLI served 39 US prisons and Youth Centers. They are:
ADC Diagnostic Unit Pine Bluff AR
Accomack County Jail Accomac VA
Adams County Adult Correctional Complex Gettysburg PA
Adams County Detention Facility Brighton CO
Adelanto Detention Center Adelanto CA
Adirondack Correctional Facility Raybrook NY
Alachua County Jail Gainesville FL
Albemarle Correctional Institution New London NC
Albert Wagner Youth Correctional Facility Bordentown NJ
Albion Correctional Facility Albion NY
Alexander Correctional Institution Taylorsville NC
Algoa Correctional Center Jefferson City MO
Allegheny County Jail Pittsburgh PA
Allen County Justice Center Lima OH
Allendale Correctional Institution Fairfax SC
Altona Correctional Facility Altona NY
Alvin S. Glenn Detention Ctr Columbia SC
Anamosa State Penitentiary Anamosa IA
Anchor House Palmetto FL
Anchorage Correctional Complex East Anchorage AK
Annex Wake County Detention Raleigh NC
Apalachee Correctional Institution Sneads FL
Appling County Detention Center Baxley GA
Arizona State Prison - Douglas Douglas AZ
Arizona State Prison - Florence W Florence AZ
Arizona State Prison - Globe Annex Globe AZ
Arizona State Prison - Kingman Kingman AZ
Arizona State Prison - Lewis Buckeye AZ
Arkansas DOC North Central Unit Calico Rock AR
Arkansas Valley Corr Facility Crowley CO
Arlington County Detention Facility Arlington VA
Arthur Dozier School for Boys Marianna FL
Asheville Buncombe Christian Ministries Asheville NC
Atlanta Transitional Center Atlanta GA
Atlantic Youth Center Egg Harbor NJ
Audubon Youth Development Center Louisville KY
Augusta Correctional Center Craigsville VA
Augusta State Medical Prison Grovetown GA
Augusta Youth Development Campus Augusta GA
Autry State Prison Pelham GA
MacLaren Youth Corr Facility Woodburn OR
Vernon Victory Field Corr Academy Vernon TX

A Letter from a Chaplain

Dear CLI,
This morning we received a box of wonderful resources and Bibles from your ministry, and we wanted to immediately write and express our gratitude for your generosity. The State of New York Department of Correctional Services does not supply our office with funds for the purchase of such materials, and so we need to rely on ministries such as your own. We will immediately make them available to our inmate population.
Thank you for your care and concern for the Christians community at our facility.