A Christmas Card Project For You, Your Family And/Or Your Congregation

Florentine Madonna and Child

This year I'm again encouraging individuals, families and congregational study or youth groups to send holiday cards to people behind bars. Below are the names of some folks with whom I have had some correspondence, and who I know would appreciate some good tidings from the outside.

Unfortunately, I only have addresses here for men. There are also two state prisons for women in Virginia, and the number of women behind bars in our prisons and jails is growing.

With each card you can include things like a copy of an inspirational piece or your family's annual newsletter. Regrettably, the Department of Corrections now makes photocopies of the envelope and its contents to be given to the prisoner, but getting any kind of mail is always appreciated. 

Note: What you send may weigh no more than one ounce, and include no more than a total of three items. Do not include cash, checks, postage stamps or prepaid envelopes. 

Mr James Bender, 1010837      
Lunenburg Correctional Center 
690 Falls Rd 
Victoria, VA. 23974-2213

Brian E Brubaker ID 1315055; 2A 33L

Dillwyn Correctional Center;

1522 Prison Rd P.O. Box 670;

Dillwyn , VA 23936

Mr. Brian Cable 1198947    
River North Correctional Center
329 Dell Brook Lane,
Independence, VA 24348
 
Mr. Lawrence Davis, 1443841      
Red Onion
10800 H. Jack Rose Highway
Pound, VA. 24279

Franklin A Debrot ,1950673
Coffeewood Correctional Center
PO Box 500
Mitchells, VA 22729

Mr. Stephano Colosi, 1037581     
Buckingham Correctional Center
P. O. Box 430
Dillwyn, VA 23936-0430

 
Mr. Branson Fink, 1011319 3
Bland Correctional Center   
256 Bland Farm Rd
Bland, VA. 24315
 
Mr. Robert Davis Fitchett, 1035660       
Buckingham Correctional Center
P. O. Box 430
Dillwyn, VA 23936-0430
 
Mr. Henry Goham 1158927     
Wallens Ridge Prison
272 Dogwood Drive
Big Stone Gap, VA 24219

 Mr. M. Steven W. Goodman 1028377     
Green Rock Correctional Center  
475 Green Rock Lane
Chatham, VA 24531
 
Mr. Robert Vernon Hostetter, 1054419       
Augusta Correctional Center
1821 Estaline Valley Road
Craigsville, VA 24430

Mr. Pernell Jefferson 1016207      
Buckingham Correctional Center
P. O. Box 430
Dillwyn, VA 23936

Mr. John Lafon 1151231
Greensville Correctional Center
901 Corrections Way
Jarratt, VA 23870-6914

Mr. Daniel Leneave 1084415
St Bride’s CC
701 Sanderson Rd
Chesapeake, VA. 23328

Mr. John Livesay, 1108120 
Greensville Correctional Center
901 Corrections Way
Jarratt, VA 23870-6914

Mr. Ronald Miles, 1067348    
Deerfield Correctional Center
21360 Deerfield Drive
Capron, VA 23829
 
Mr. John Nissley, 1148222      
Buckingham Correctional Center
P.O. Box 430
Dillwyn, VA 23936
 
Mr. Kenneth R. Pack 1063808     
Buckingham Correctional Center 
P. O. Box 430
Dillwyn, VA 23936

Mr. Larry Patterson 1116462
Deerfield Correctional Center
21360 Deerfield Drive
Capron, VA 23829
 
Mr. Timothy Rankin 1208262     
Augusta Correctional Center
1821 Estaline Valley Road
Craigsville VA 24430

Mr. Thomas Roberts #1180343
Green Rock CC
475 Green Rock Lane
Chatham, VA 24531

Mr. Khalid A. Shabazz 1157998
Greensville Correctional Center
901 Corrections Way

Jarratt, VA 23870-6914

Mr. Minor Junior Smith, 1158588 (blind)
Deerfield Correctional Center
21360 Deerfield Drive
Capron, VA 23829
 
Mr. William Thorpe #1033929

Texas Department of Criminal Justice
PO Box 660400
Dallas, TX 75266-0400

Mr. Jerry Treadway 1021558
Greensville Correctional Center
901 Corrections Way
Jarratt, VA 23870-6914
 
Mr. Jonathan D. Turner 1941213      
Coffeewood CC
12352 Coffeewood Drive
Mitchells, VA. 22729-2046

Mr. Daryl van Donk, 1681547 2A1T
Dillwyn Correctional Center
1522 Prison Road
Dillwyn, VA 23936

Mr. Michael Wallace 2105386
Green Rock CC
 475 Green Rock Lane
Chatham, VA 24531

Mr. Richard Webb 1174188       
Augusta CC
1821 Estaline Valley Road
Craigsville, VA 24430

Mr. Jonathan D. White 1161021
Augusta CC
1821 Estaline Valley Road
Craigsville, VA 24430

Mr. Greg Widener 1083217
Haynesville CC
421 Barnfield Rd
Haynesville, VA. 22472

Mr. John Bennie Williams 1091323 (blind)     
Deerfield Correctional Center
21360 Deerfield Drive
Capron, VA 23829
 
Mr. Charles E. Zellers, Sr. 1036758      
Deerfield Correctional Center
21360 Deerfield Drive
Capron, VA 23829

Final Note: If you prefer not to include your home address with your letter, and don't have a post office box, you could have the person respond to your place of worship or to P.O. Box 434, Harrisonburg, VA 22803 and I'll relay their message to you (assuming I have your phone, email or other contact information). In my many years of corresponding with incarcerated individuals I have never had any problems resulting from disclosing my home address, but some do recommend against it.

Are We More Polytheistic Than We Realize?

The Greek deity Hermes, among other things, was revered
as the god of games and athletes.

Money, in fact, is the most successful story ever invented and told by human beings because it is the only story everyone believes…Not everyone believes in God, not everybody believes in human rights, not everybody believes in nationalism, but everybody believes in money.”

- Israeli historian Yuval Noah Harari, on money as the greatest fiction

The sin most often condemned in the Bible is idolatry, worshipping deities other than the one and only God of monotheistic faiths. Worship takes many forms, of course, but the word comes from worth-ship, attributing great worth to some beloved object, activity or being. 

Many people of faith have noted how the observance of religious festivals like Thanksgiving and Christmas have become mixed with our devotion to false deities. Consider the actual time, attention, and money devoted to popular ones like Mammon, god of wealth and possessions, Hermes, god of games and athletics, Eros, god of sensual desire and pleasure, or Bacchus, god of wine and revelry. And along with these, we continue to be devoted to Mars, the Roman god of war, in spite of our supposed allegiance to the Prince of Peace. 

Far too often the real mottoes we live by are, “In War we trust,” “In our military-industrial complex we trust,” “In bombs and rockets and death delivering drones we trust,” and “In our U.S. supported global economy we trust.”

Meanwhile, we may be investing little time, attention and money in actually doing what Jesus and the prophets call us to do, to engage in the mission of "bringing good news to the poor, proclaiming good news to the captives, the recovery of sight to those who are blind and liberating the oppressed.” 

It isn’t enough to simply set aside an hour each week to be a part of an audience engaging in rituals of worship held in dedicated holy spaces we refer to as “church.” Especially when most of the rest of our time, attention and creativity is devoted to the pursuit of money, possessions and pleasures far in excess of our fair share of daily bread and other necessities.

All of which leads me to conclude I am much more polytheistic than I realize.

Amy Julia Becker, in an 11/21/23 article in the Christian Century, writes about their family's attendance at a Taylor Swift concert, "As soon as we arrived at the show, Peter and I were both struck by the sense of being in a house of worship. The rituals, the chants, the ecstatic moments, the shared experience, even the reciprocal relationships established through friendship bracelets—it all underscored a sense of awe and transcendence alongside intimacy."

Her article isn't necessarily disparaging of the concert, however, noting that "People are notably kind to one another at a Taylor Swift show. At Gillette Stadium, even the security guards were smiling widely and dancing in the aisles. Because our oldest daughter has Down syndrome, we were able to stand throughout the show in a section specifically set aside for people with disabilities. It felt holy to stand among other disabled people, watching sign language interpreters and dancing alongside a woman in a wheelchair."

I'm not a great fan of Swift, recently named Time magazine’s Person of the Year, and remain concerned about all the worth-ship associated with our society’s obsession with celebrities. But sometimes we can learn from other religions, and take more seriously our need to deepen our commitment and pledge our allegiance to the life-saving and life-giving message of the One God we claim to worship.

As Becker notes in the conclusion of her article,  "Maybe Swift is just one more step on a road away from sanctuaries of grace. Or maybe she is a sign that points to our need for them." 

VMRC Celebration of Lights

 

A wall of names of those being honored
and remembered is on display along
VMRC's indoor Main Street.

This is a somber candlelight celebration in memory of loved ones who have passed on, and an opportunity to contribute to Virginia Retirement Community's Good Samaritan Fund. This fund helps provide ongoing care for residents who have depleted their resources for their end of life care.

     The public is invited to attend and to contribute in someone's memory, in the spirit of the Bible's fifth commandment: 

     “Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord your God commanded you, that your days may be long, and that it may go well with you in the land that the Lord your God is giving you."    

Guest Post: An Open Letter To DOC Director Chadwick Dotson

Chadwick Dotson, a respected judge who was appointed
by Governor Youngkin as chair of the Parole Board, has
recently been named director of the Virginia Department
of Corrections to replace former head Harold Clarke.

October 23, 2023

Dear Director Dotson,

I write to highlight the systematic chaos within the Virginia Department of Corrections (DOC), such as having an escapee from Greensville, increased overdose deaths in multiple institutions, and most recently the massive amounts of contraband seized from a Sussex State Prison employee.

I've been a ward of the VA DOC for the past 14 years and have experienced unspeakable acts due to the negligence and actions of department staff. Examples range from indifferent medical care surrounding my battle with sickle cell anemia to my being severely assaulted by a staff member at Wallens Ridge State Prison.

We have a grievance system that is abused by the staff, plus there is the illegal contraband problem, with inmates having access, depending on the institution, to illegal drugs, cell phones; and even black market Narcan to reverse the effects of overdoses without the intervention of DOC staff.

Unfortunately for many years this department has manufactured the narrative that all the drugs and illegal contraband introduced into Virginia institutions come through the visitation room. I will concede that there have been instances over the years of visitors being apprehended with illegal contraband, but in the same breath I will say when you compare such instances to the volume of visitors this department has it's a miniscule percentage.

I can attest to the fact that in my 14 years as a ward of the DOC the overwhelming majority of drugs and illegal contraband have been brought in by staff, yet in recent years little to nothing has been done to mitigate this growing problem. While some institutions have implemented body scanners for staff and visitors, but they are circumvented by staff on a regular basis.

Since the onset of the pandemic three years ago visits were suspended for two of those years, during which time drugs and overdoses exploded. For the majority of those two years visitation was completely suspended while I was housed at Sussex 1 State Prison. With drugs still pouring in you would think there would have been more monitoring and drug screening. Unfortunately I can unequivocally attest that during this period drug testing was purposely not being performed at a rate comparable to the time prior to the suspension of visitation. This is a fact I'm sure the Sussex staff will deny but I know what I and others have observed, and I'm sure this can be authenticated by reviewing statistics of drug screenings prior to and after the suspension of visitation. 

Sadly when an officer is suspected of trafficking contraband they are often allowed to quietly resign rather than being prosecuted when caught. Meanwhile we must refute the narrative of family members being the sole traffickers. Since visits were reinstated following the pandemic, the new scheduling system has become more confusing and complicated, resulting in visitation volume being at an all time low. 

In closing, I have four years left to serve on my sentence. I can only hope your being appointed as Director will bring positive change to this department. It's rumored you want to implement sweeping changes to visitation policy. I pray this will be done in a constructive and non punitive way. At this point the rumored changes will only cause the kind of backlash that will make institutions less safe for inmates and staff. And I hope you will take a harder stance regarding staff who are the main culprits in many of the problems this department faces. Due to low hiring standards this department is currently even employing gang members and Neo-Nazi's, particularly in some of the western prisons where there seems to be less oversight. In due time and with a little investigation you will see find these claims to be true. 

I thank you for the time it has taken you to read this correspondence, and look forward to your corrective actions.

Respectfully,

Chey M. Barrington

Lunenberg Correctional Center

Our Young Are Being Sacrificed To Molech

Moloch sacrifices were performed at Jerusalem's
Valley of Hinnom according to 2 Kings 23:10.

Historians disagree on details, but it is generally believed that the sacrifice of babies and children was a key feature of the worship of the ancient Canaanite god Molech. 

While we may consider the idea of human sacrifice appalling, it has existed in many ancient (and current?) cultures. After all, what could be more effective in appeasing the gods and gaining divine favor than worshippers offering their most loved and precious gifts, their very own flesh and blood?

Regrettably, idolatry is not dead, and extreme devotion to such gods as the following is very much alive and well: Mammon (money and possessions), Aphrodite (love, sex and beauty), Dionysus (wine and pleasure) and Mars, or Ares (war and battles). And reverence for each of them is known to result in human sacrifice, even today:

Examples:

• Abortions in the U.S., while in significant decline, are estimated to exceed 600,000 a year. No one knows how many amazing human-lives-in-formation are sacrificed as a means of birth control rather than for reasons of rape, incest or to protect the health and life of the mother. See https://harvyoder.blogspot.com/2019/02/yes-i-am-pro-life-and-oppose-abortion.html

• The U.S. firearm death rate for children to age 17 is far higher than in any comparable nation in the world, and is now the leading cause of deaths in that age group, surpassing for the first time those due to auto accidents and cancer. Over 2,500 children are sacrificed each year due to our devotion to guns. See https://harvyoder.blogspot.com/2012/12/what-weapon-would-jesus-use.html

• Individuals are increasingly willing to sacrifice their very lives in pursuit of ecstatic pleasures offered by addictive drugs, alcohol and unprotected sex.

• Civilians of all ages are sacrificed in horrific wars waged in the name of "national defense," including an untold number of babies and innocent children who are indiscriminately bombed, dismembered, incinerated and buried under the rubble of their homes, schools and hospitals, all in a growing devotion to, and trust in, the bloodthirsty gods of war.

• Young men and increasing numbers of young women in their prime are promised glory and fame for heroically sacrificing life and limb for their country, typically at the behest of national leaders who want their enemies destroyed while themselves remaining out of harms way. 

The idolatrous sacrifice of human life will end only when we attribute greater value to preserving the lives of human beings than we do to the lines of human boundaries.

Premature babies in Gaza are considered worth sacrificing if necessary in order to retaliate against, and destroy, a nation's enemies.

Teens Share Positive Feelings About Old People

I still have difficulty thinking of myself as old, but we've been a part of Virginia Mennonite Retirement Community's Park Village since the fall of 2011. VMRC began as an "old people's home," and all of us residents are "senior citizens." We are privileged to live in this unit sandwiched between wonderful next door neighbors who, like all members of the human race, are getting older every day.

Thanks to a teacher friend at Eastern Mennonite School, I recently got some interesting feedback from a younger generation about how they view 80-year-olds like myself. At my request she had 45 teens in her classes write responses to the following:

1. What four words come to your mind when you think of someone in their 80's? 

The word that came up most often (32 times) was simply old, a largely neutral term, but the next three words were positive: wise  (17), grandparents (12) and retired 9. Slow (5) was next, followed by experienced (4), kind (2), loving (2), free (2), and sweet (2). There were numerous other positive words cited, like caring, nice, peaceful, story teller, and stable. Single mentions of negative terms included fragile, cranky, frail, grumpy, wrinkly, gray, fat, and worried.

Overall, I found the results more positive than expected. 

2. When would you likely no longer look forward to having another year added to your numerical age?

The youngest age chosen was 16, with a reference to his or her finally being able to drive. The next was age 21, followed by 25, 29, 30 (4 respondents), 40 (6), 49,  50 (6)  60 (3), 70 (3), 75, 80 (2), 85 (3) 90,  100 (4) 101, Never (3). 

I was impressed by the number of teens saying they would keep looking forward to each next birthday with anticipation rather than with dread. 

3. What four words come to your mind when you think of someone in their 20's? 

I was really interested in seeing how their feelings about 20-year-olds compared with their perceptions of those in their 80's, and whether the words chosen for my age group would be mostly positive or negative. 

The words youthful or young came up most often (25 times), followed by college (13,) adult or young adult (10),  parties (6), adventuresome (4), learning (4), energetic (4), broke or poor (4), free (3), busy (3), and cool (2) and there were single mentions of  responsible,  beginning, love, discovery, strong, energetic, passionate, happy, along with negative terms like inexperienced, dumb, stupid, naive, alcohol, confused, immature, crazy and irresponsible. 

This was by no means a scientifically done research, but I was pleased by how mature and how positive the results were, given the common perception that teens have mostly negative attitudes toward old people.

Can We Get Rid Of Evil Doers By Evil Means?

Note the headline in the September 17, 2001, issue of the Harrisonburg Daily News-Record I found stored in our basement recently.

AP September 2001: “Bush: Rid World Of Evil Doers” was the bold headline that appeared in the Daily News-Record just days after the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center. 

Here is the opening sentence of the article:
WASHINGTON--Vowing not to be cowed, President Bush pledged a crusade against terrorists Sunday as top administration officials zeroed in on Saudi Osama bin Laden and Afghanistan's Taliban militia for possible retribution for last week's terrorist attacks.
   

Two other front page headlines in the same 9/17/2001 issue were “Military Action Supported” and “Pakistan: Give Up Suspect—Nation Warning Afghanistan to Produce Bin Laden.”
   

On page 13 another article in that issue reported that "Israeli tanks rolled into the West Bank towns of Jenin and Jericho yesterday, shelling buildings and leaving four Palestinians dead." Israel's Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is cited as saying "If absolute quiet lasts 48 continuous hours, our foreign minister will meet with  Arafat in order to advance the ceasefire." To which the Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat replied, "We are ready for political dialogue any time, any place," but insisted the violence was caused by Israel's incursion into Palestinian territory. 
   

Years later, these familiar arguments on both sides have repeatedly stalled negotiations and have eventually led to the kind of dangerous escalation we see in the Middle East today.
   

So how well have retaliatory strikes on the part of great nations like Israel and the U.S. actually worked out?
  

The U.S spent over $2 trillion of mostly borrowed money in an Afghan war and occupation spanning nearly 20 years, the longest war in the nation's history. Nearly 50,000 Afghan civilians lost their lives, with an unknown number suffering debilitating injuries. Over 5000 U.S. service members, contractors and aid workers were killed, along with over 1000 NATO troops and some 44,000 Afghans who joined the fight. The Taliban lost over 51,000 fighters but was never defeated, and the U.S. finally withdrew from Afghanistan in disgrace, reminiscent of the nation’s equally chaotic and humiliating pullout from Vietnam in 1973. 
   

One wonders what would have happened if after the 911 attack, when the U.S. experienced an outpouring of sympathy and support from virtually all nations around the world (including Muslim ones), we would have responded differently? Or what if Israel would have avoided disproportionate and indiscriminate attacks on the two million citizens of Gaza after the brutal October 7 terrorist attacks? Many of them are refugees and over half of them are innocent children, all packed together in an area a fraction of the size of Rockingham County, 

   

While there are no easy answers, one thing seems clear. Using violent and evil means to rid the world of violence and evil—and evildoers—appears to have only perpetuated more evil, and has proven to be not only a costly failure, but has created fanatical martyrs and contributed to the rise of Isis, Hezbollah, Hamas and other terrorist groups.
   

In the 19th century Red Cloud was among the native chiefs who chose to resist the westward expansion of the U.S. (justified by the church’s “Doctrine of Discovery”) using every means possible to preserve the land and way of life of native peoples. Under his leadership tribal warriors resorted to mercilessly scalping and butchering white occupiers, men, women and children, in horrific ways, and US forces retaliated in an equal and ultimately overwhelming way.
     

All people, especially the children of godly nomads like Abraham and Sarah, should know that lasting peace can be achieved only through creating more justice and equity in the world, though eliminating extreme poverty and through having legitimate human needs met for adequate land, food, shelter and healthcare for all.
     

In the words of an ancient Hebrew prophet, 
“I hate, I despise your feasts,
    and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies…
But let justice roll down like waters,
    and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream." 

Amos 5:21-24 (ESV)