Brian and Ruth Christine Newsletter, January 2003, Edition 3

Hello one hello all, as I write the flakes fall but no stickey this Christmas Eve day. Even though I'm behind on my normal schedule, I may just get this issue out in time for the new year! I wish you all the happiest of holidays and I thank all for your prayers, cards, letters and books that show how much you care. I'm actually very excited and happy in this season which might seem strange considering where I am, but I have Jesus who's interceding for me, my Father who directs my paths and the sweet Holy Spirit who comforts me :) I'm happy and warm like a little mouse by the fire. My heartache seems a little easier these days for some reason. I am hopeful in the face of a very unhopeful- appearing future.

In fact, I believe we are fast approaching global conflict such as has never before been seen on earth. I'll be blunt, I believe and have believed for many years that America will go to war in several places and spread her defense so thin as to leave our homeland vulnerable to attack and invasion, yes war on American soil. So how can I have hope when I foresee such terrible devastation? 

Two reasons; 1.) Crisis = Danger + Opportunity (opportunity for God and man). 2.) The promises of God over my life, my marriage and my family are what I cling to in faith even though I have absolutely no evidence to prove it by, I just believe.

Things that I dreamed about or received revelation about and recorded in my journals years ago are now beginning to come to pass before my very eyes. I know these things beyond a shadow of a doubt and I do not share them publicly to scare you or so that you can laugh at me. No, I share it because He showed me in advance so I could warn people. Currently in America there is a despising of prophecy well established. Why should you believe a convicted armed robber behind bars? You shouldn't! Believe God and His Word, He will confirm all truth in your heart and you are able by your conscience to sift all wheat from chaff, it's a matter of trusting God, not man and not your own understanding.

So how can you get prepared for what is to come? Well, #1 issue is to learn to fear God alone. Have no fear of man and you will overcome the world! Also, put yourself in different situations and act out in your mind how you will react or not react. Know yourself. Imagine a S.W.A.T. team bursts into your home unexpectedly. An "officer" puts a gun to your daughter's head and screams at her "Is your family Christian... all Christians must die, do you believe in Jesus?" What will she say? What would you want her to say? Have you raised up children of character, unafraid of what man can do to the body? What if the gun was to your head, would you renounce your King and Master?

Some may ask why, Brian, would you ever ask anyone to think about such a horrible scenario? 

Well, for most Christians around the world and through the ages, such a deadly penalty for faith in Jesus Christ has been an everyday reality. It is only because of God's abundant blessings, His Grace and His long suffering that He has so patiently born with us (as a nation). He has gently chastised us over our history but we have wholly turned our backs to Him. 9/11 was a serious wake up call and many did wake up, but oh how quickly we nationally exposed our hypocrisy through our lip service to Him, Immediately returning to our idols of money-power, materialism, the work-ethic, sports, drugs (legal or not) and vanity.

But this is the promise of God, that if you humble yourself and pray for your nation truly seeking repentance and turn away from all the ensnaring vanities, God will visit you on His day of judgment and offer you a protection not offered the unbeliever. Basically a new Passover, just like in Noah's days will be the days before the coming of the Son of man. Jesus is that Ark, the life preserver in the intense storm that will rock everything that exists. Please climb aboard for there is ample room in His heart and He beckons you come home :) May God bless your every endeavor this new year! 

Love in Jesus, Brian Christine -

This newsletter is not published by an organization, a religion, a group, a company or an association. This newsletter is nothing more than words on paper. Readers are not members of any of the above and shall not be labeled as such. 

"You Americans make such a fuss about the loss of a few children killed by terrorists. Yet you murder millions of your own children every year." West African Citizen - Since 1973 42 million children have been murdered through the act of abortion alone in the U.S. 

Law and Order
By: Ruth Christine -

There is no justice for the people of this country. The judges are not just, they are no longer men of upright moral character, men of God. If they are not upright, how can their judgments be just? Today's justice system is not about justice at all. The system itself is totally corrupt. 

Assumptions are made by society that police officers are good people, that if you are arrested for a crime you must be guilty and that the courts are there to uphold the law. These are fallacies. 

How many times have I been lied to by police officers, detectives, state workers, district attorneys and judges? They lie and I have lost count. There is no understanding, no compassion, no desire for right, rather the opposite. This is a system that arrests the innocent, prosecutes them and throws them in prison.

Take the position of the district attorney for example. Josephine county is very proud of its 98% conviction rate, but what is behind that? The DA is paid to prosecute people, think about that. He is not paid to carry out justice, he is paid to find people guilty. People are routinely arrested upon one charge and when it is found that they cannot be prosecuted for it, they have new charges brought against them! The DA gains nothing from seeing a man walk free, but everything from seeing him convicted of a crime no matter how petty it is.

Maybe someone chooses to smoke marijuana and is arrested for possession. You might not approve of that pass-time, but should someone be arrested for it anymore than someone should be for smoking cigarettes or drinking beer or maybe even drinking coffee (after all, caffeine is a drug)! 

And what about a verbal argument between husband and wife, they can actually be prosecuted for arguing in front of their children!

And if it's not a question of whether something is a crime or not, what about the degree of the charges brought? What about a teenager who steals a pack of cigarettes from a store and because they have a small pocket knife with a nail file on it in their pocket, it is considered to be an armed robbery? Or a kidnapping because you asked someone to move a couple feet, or how about a kidnapping charge over your own kids?

Insanity it is, without a semblance of justice, without an ounce of humility or a shed of compassion. 

Some words from the Bible... 

"Do you rulers indeed speak justly?
Do you judge uprightly among men?
No, in your heart you devise injustice
and your hands mete out violence on the earth."
Psalm 58 yrs. 1&2

"Many children will be torn from the arms of their mother, with pitiless blows, and thrown to the ground to be mutilated." Leonardo DaVinci -

Letter Excerpt from Ruth's letter to me of Dec. 4th, 2002

"... Hey babe :) how are you? I can't believe I haven't written anything to you today. Did you know I love you? Your letter was awesome - full of so much love for me it made my heart warm and glowy :) It was awesome. Okay, here's these scriptures I've just been reading... from Romans 3:21 - 4:25. Not by works but by faith! Not our righteousness, the blood of Jesus and that is what it is all about. I didn't even understand the concept of grace until I was in jail, and I looked at myself and saw the "vilest of sinners" (just as the apostle Paul saw himself).

I AM a failure, but so what? God is good, and He knows the answers, He's the one with the plan. He's the one who is in control and not me. My judgments are off, my understanding is wrong, my wonderful acts of righteousness are "as filthy rags", and what does that say? That it is the blood of Jesus that gives me value. And what can I say? But in Christ Jesus I have my confidence - Amen.

But it wasn't because I was in jail that I saw myself as the vilest of sinners, but rather because I could see my judgementalness and my lack of love and the way I looked down on other people (among other things) and I saw it for the sin it was. It was more a question of taking responsibility for all my own actions..."
Ruth Christine -

Well, Today is the 3rd of January and I'm going to have to put out a short newsletter this month, but next months will be bigger and on schedule to boot! The holiday's were a big blessing for both of us from what I can gather. I managed to get Ruth a wedding ring for Christmas thanks to help from some free persons (THANK YOU MOM AND SALLIE!!! :) and she was showing it off to all her fellow convicts. She scratched it at her bakery job and I guess she cried. That tells me it's precious to her so I'm glad it got scratched. Amazing how the darndest things turn out to be blessings! Oh that my heart would always praise God in all things. So be it Lord. I hope our thoughts and words are an encouragement to you all. I really don't know who even reads this? I do feel a conviction to write it though. God has given us a voice and we should use it. May He keep us humble all our days and may many be saved and loved. Amen -

Sincerely,
Brian & Ruth Christine -

Letter Excerpt from my letter to Ruth Wed. Dec. 11, 2002

"... You know, I sure have changed a lot huh? I really am thankful so much for how much God has done in this time. I'll never forget it, it's such a priceless time and it's awesome we can write and grow together apart. Just another of God's trippy paradoxes huh? I need you beaks! I do hope we are restored together soon. Is there a way? Is it even possible? No, with man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible. 'Lord, millions have seen and heard our story and 100's if not 1000's are now praying and that is Your doing. Why? Because we dared to believe in YOU! We believed You when we asked You whether to do it or not (our "crime"), we believed You when You said that everything was in Your hands and that the baby (baby Bethany) would bring hope, peace, joy and love to a multitude of people. We believed You when we realized that You wanted to multiply us and we suffered scorn from both our families for it, we gave our bodies and our time to You and to Your little ones. We believed You, that You are our provision, our all-in-all when we threw away all our worldly goods and left that lifestyle that snares and entraps the whole country, the love of money. We believed You to go back down to the Rogue River when we were perfectly set up at Alpha (a community where we were accepted to live). Always Lord, we have believed You and not the world or other people, but You! Our whole lives are a sacrifice to You and even our weaknesses are Your Strengths! Oh Hallelujah, Praise Your Good and Perfect Name! We love You Lord with whole-heartedness and desire and seek to establish Your kingdom here on this earth. We are earth-takers and ground-breakers for You Lord and You alone know of our sacrifice and our hardship. 

Whatever You place in our path You give us the grace to go over it. Wherever You lead us you help us to squeak by at only a hair's breadth. We are Your servants and You are our God. There is none besides You oh Lord. We worship You in Spirit and in Truth, not only with our voice nor with just our lifted hands, but with our very life-breath. In You is our breath. Amen-' "
Brian Christine -

"Worry not that the current reality is loaded with manifest improbability. Visions are never justified by their plausibility. The human spirit goes for great dreams not because they are plausible... but because they are irresistible!" Bennett J. Simms, Episcopal Bishop Emeritus -

Creative Convict Corner 

By: Ruth Christine & Rebecca Sherman -

In jail we didn't have any makeup so people made their own. Here is one recipe:

NEWSPAPER LIPS: Take a page of newspaper print or preferably a magazine (if available) and dampen and rub onto lips. Add gloss by finishing with a coat of chapstick. The colours take some getting used to. If there is only newspaper available the resulting colour will be shades of grey! If you have the luxury of colour magazines, shades of red or purple can be achieved. Eye shadow can be made using the same method.

COLOURFUL JOLLY RANCHER SUCKERS: First you need a cup of the hottest water available. Take a small plastic bag (if none are available, turn a ramen noodle packet inside out and use that) and put into the bag seven different flavor jolly ranchers (any flavor combination can be used but a jailhouse fav is apple & cherry). Place the bag into the cup of hot water and leave until the candy softens enough to mold into a ball. Take a plastic spoon and shape the softened candy around the head of the spoon (done while the candy is still in the bag) and shape into a sucker. Remove the plastic and leave to cool and harden. Enjoy! -