Indulge me. This post has nothing to do with aviation and everything to do with how the human spirit can soar.

The worship service at my church this Sunday was led by former inmates from Sing Sing, the New York State penitentiary in Ossining. What do men who have served lengthy sentences for serious crimes have to teach generally law-abiding suburban Presbyterians?

While incarcerated, they participated in a special masters degree program with New York Theological Seminary. And now they are out, “released” from the safety of the prison community. Here, in the cold, hard world of freedom, their faith is put to the test.

Listening to their testimonies, it was clear that folks who have spent years behind bars, have a rich perspective on the core concepts of Christianity: atonement, forgiveness, rebirth.
This was an unusual service for a number of reasons and in summary I can only say, you should have been there to hear them preach, pray and praise God.

But I can share with you the poetry of one man, Jafar Abbas, who led the prayer of confession, and added a poem he wrote to demonstrate his own hands-on relationship with forgiveness. I found it inspiring. I hope you do, too.

I Ain’t Blamin’ You by Jafar Abbas
Oh!
I’m sorryI hope I wasn’tWriting tooLoud.
I hadAbsolutelyNo ideal that a penCould so easily break throughThis forced internal silenceAnd set free so manyExternally loudNoises.
I was afraid to talk about itEven to myselfI was afraidBut I neededTo confront it right?if I was everGoing to move forwardWith my life.
To deal with itSo I could deal With myself.
I think I Can tell youAbout it now thatI had it locked up insideMe for so long
I was mad at you!
I bet you didn’tKnow that.
You knowWe got the same bloodWell really not the sameHalf of mine’s belongs to MommyBut you already knew that
Did you knowYour half still fightsWith Mommy’s half andI’m still stuck in the middleSiding with MommyNeeding my fatherWanting my own blood.
Did you knowI didn’t always like this bloodThe way it ran through my veins screaming”I should kill you!”
I didn’t always like this bloodThis red stuffThat made the worldLook at me and see you”He looks just like his father.”
I didn’t always like this bloodThis blue stuffThis you in meI thoughtIt would make usApart of each otherHow far a —- partFrom each otherWe have Grown.
MaybeThat’s the part of youThat abandonedMeOrThe part of me that abandonedYou?
INeverTold youThat I wasScared.
I never told youThat I swore”When I get big!””You wait, when I get big!”
I never told youThat I cried all by myselfThat day you said”Good-bye.”
That dayMy small worldBroke into a millionConfusingly tinyPieces.
I should haveTold youThat I loved youAnd things mayHave beenAll right.
ButI ain’t blaming youand its neverToo late.
ILove youDaddy!