Stories of Calvary Book Release

For the past 18 months, by friend, co-worker and About.com freelance writer Mary Fairchild, has been working on publishing the book titled "Stories of Calvary."

Stories of Calvary (this is a link to the promotional video) is a compilation of 20 testimonies told by real people who testify to God's incredible power to transform lives. Readers will follow the journeys of ordinary men and women who were changed at the cross of Calvary when they met an extraordinary Savior, Jesus Christ. An alcoholic, a drug dealer, an unwed mother, a convicted felon, and a woman tormented by pain—each will share how their life was changed in a miraculous way. Our prayer is that readers will be lifted by the hope and assurance they discover within the pages of the book and become compelled to pass it on.

To learn more about Stories of Calvary visit Winepressbooks.com. (This title is also available at Christianbook.com and Amazon.com.) .

Our testimony is the last one in the book and is not the only one that deals with the topic of a loved on in prison.

My First Blog

So I am new to blogging but am excited about the opportunity to share my thoughts with others about having a "Loved One in Prison." My hope is that this blog will be a place for people to come and not only receive hope and support but be encouraged through what was in my life, the toughest time.

I'm sure I will get into more details in future blogs, but let me give you a little bit of my story. As I am writing this, my husband is sitting on the couch next to me watching a movie. Praise God! He was released from prison just two years ago. I now have a burden for those that are in the midst of dealing with a loved one in prison.

My husband served 4.5 years in Florida state prisons for violating his probation. He was sentenced in January of 2002 and released in February 2006. My daughter was 18 months old at the time of his arrest. There are lots of little details leading up to this point, but I will save those for future posts.

I spent those 4.5 years living out of food pantries, working two jobs and living with roommates that were complete strangers. Those years were the toughest years of my life, but I can honestly say that God had a plan. Jeremiah 29:11 says, "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." God used this time in our lives to bring us to a place of complete repentance and dependency on HIM.

My husband and our now eight year-old daughter are living a life submitted to the Lord, committed to serving HIM and helping others. We both work full-time at our church Calvary Chapel St. Petersburg (http://www.ccstpete.com/) and my husband is the director of a ministry called The Most Excellent way (http://www.mew.ccstpete.com/) that ministers to those strugglig with life dominating sin. God is working in our lives!

Those years were abundant with trials and hardship. I spent many hours driving the state of Florida every weekend in order to make it to visitation. I was determined to keep my relationship with my husband alive, as well as my daughter's daddy a part of her life. I dealt with disgruntled guards, unjust punishments, ridiculous canteen prices, outrageous phone bills and an overwhelming loneliness. God saw us through and is continuing to show us his plan for our lives.

If you are reading this now, and have a loved one in prison, know that you are not alone. Please share you story with me and the others that need to know that they are not alone.

As we share our stories with one another, we find strength to carry on.