Reflective Thoughts by Chandra Adams

I lay still on my bed, my consciousness still hanging in that place between wakefulness and dreaming.  I was both an observer and participant in the surreal moment of this dream state. The feeling, ethereal. My thoughts and memory, clear.  In my dream, I looked back over the year and asked the Lord, “What is this?” A year of so much and so little. So much has happened and yet nothing has happened. He responded, “ It is as it was in the days of Noah, ” and I woke.  While not disturbed, neither was I at peace. I knew the matter warranted reflection. I grabbed a pen and pad and began to consider the words and parallels.  I began by copying Matthew 24:37-38, “But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day…”   My pen continued across the paper. “We have seen and experienced a nationwide shut down. A global interruption of li...

A FISHING TALE OF ANOTHER KIND  And the Lord said, “Go up, for tomorrow I will deliver them into your hand.”  It had been some time since I had heard a direct word from God in my spirit. After all the prison doors had been shut for months, no sermons or teachings were required, and I found myself overly comfortable with my quiet time nuggets.  But this morning was different. Something was stirring. A curiosity of His thoughts towards His girls behind bars. So I asked. A rare occasion for me. Now don’t get twisted, it is simply my asking that is rare, not our fellowship. Years of singleness has made room for a level of intimacy not unlike an old married couple who finishes each other’s sentences.   My question, “What do you call them?” No doubt that may sound odd, but not to my tribe who recognize it as a constant before each outreach event. I want to know who is in the room. I want to know what themes are present. What pain will be confronted? I want to see them...

The other day I met a gentleman at the gym, for anonymity sake we'll call him "Robert". I had noticed him the day before when he shuffled across the floor of the pool area and entered the hot tub. His physic was lean but showed signs of age. His shoulders were drooped forward, his swim shorts belted high, and his gait slow.  It wasn't my norm, but on this particular Wednesday I had chosen to take advantage of the hot tub after my water aerobics class. In walked Robert. Slowly he descended, holding tightly to the rail. We sat in silence for just a moment or two before he began to ask me questions. At first they were general, non intrusive questions about the water aerobics class he had observed earlier in the week. He liked the music. But then he began to reveal details about himself, unsolicited. I learned he was 79 years old, just about to turn 80, lived alone, and had been coming to this gym for over 14 years. I would have guessed much older, considering the 80 ...

It was 1992 when I walked into my first women’s prison, a requirement of my ministerial studies. I had no idea what to expect and certainly didn’t think I had much to offer these women, many my “senior” who clearly had experienced more “life” than I. Later that evening as the worship service came to a close the women were invited to seek a volunteer out for prayer.  One by one, each woman came asking for prayer not for herself, but for her children. I was undone. Until that very moment, I hadn’t seen the women in white for who they were, mothers, daughters, and sisters. But now I could see them. Their beauty and their wounds. “Blessed are they that see the beautiful things in humble places where other people see nothing.” by Pissarro. Prison ministry is not sexy! Well that’s what we say about something that is not easy to sell or promote. It’s not a product everyone wants, or thinks they need, and it doesn’t pull on the heart strings like child trafficking, making funding, and ...

A few years ago I was witness to what could easily be compared to Jesus speaking to his disciples... wisdom was being imparted, disputes being settled, and wrong thinking being confronted, all in the name of ministry leadership.  Where was I?  In the education room, a makeshift chapel, along with 50 women who are serving in ministry under the Chaplain of a mega church behind prison bars. This motley group of 50 are serving on the setup & sound team, intercessory prayer team, and/or the choir. Each week they meet for practice and as time permits, avail themselves to the spiritual influence of Chaplain (name withheld for privacy and security reasons). Why was I there? I have been volunteering at this Unit, on and off, for over 20 years, but a few years ago the Lord invited me to return for a deeper work. When I met Chaplain it was much like what I imagine it was for Elizabeth when she greeted Mary, and the baby leapt. Chaplain kindly referred to me as Es...

Last Thursday I was invited to bring the message for Sunday morning's worship services at a Central Texas Women's Prison. It was short notice, but an invitation I gave no hesitation too. It was an answer to prayer. While I frequent prisons to deliver intense advances, based on the book Captivating  by Stasi & John Eldredge, I had just shared with my team my desire to get in front of women who might not, otherwise commit to attending our 2-3 day events. With a road trip home the next day in front of me, it left only one day to put together a message before getting back on the road to return, I had my work cut out for me, or so I thought. The theme proved easy enough. Freedom! After all, I would be speaking on July 1st. A quick google search (don't hate, it's just technology's improvement to the concordance) of the word Freedom immediately turned up Isaiah 61:1 The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news t...

Cheese and books, a delightful pair! Some of you, like Sniff and Scurry, have raced ahead, scanning content in pursuit of clues to where this blog is headed. Others, having long forgotten the story of two mice and their wee little friends, have furrowed brows, a crooked smile, and are questioning whether to continue on or not. No worries, and no changes required here today. Merely a window of opportunity, a peak inside my maze. Never was there a more apropos word to describe my life, or the season that I'm in, than the word "maze." My life seems to be a series of mishaps, adventures, and findings along an ever changing landscape. But one little thing that never changes is my love for books! I like them by my bed.  I like them near my chair. I like them in my suitcase. I like them everywhere! There's just something about holding the ideas and thoughts of another in my hands. After all, as creative as I was designed to be, there is just so much more available...