Posts by Ric Shields

July 9, 2024 “I have a praise report!” Inmates don’t typically have praise reports. Usually, I hear a complaint or a story of what happened to another inmate who was injured or got into trouble. The prison where I teach weekly has over 800 inmates divided into four housing units. Two of the units are…

June 24, 2024 On my first day teaching at a men’s prison, an inmate made the statement that he had a hard time forgiving himself. Not knowing what to expect, I asked if others in the group felt the same way. I wasn’t asking them to claim their guilt or innocence. Surprisingly, two-thirds of the…

June 17, 2024 Apparently, I am not excused from Matthew 25:35-46. In the story of “the least of these,” Jesus speaks of the hungry, the poorly clothed, the sick, and the prisoners. He taught, “Whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.” The first three…

January 2, 2024 I honestly believed our work in ministry would slow down as we aged, but I could not have been more wrong. This has been one of the busiest and most productive years of our lives. It’s always helpful to look back and see the building blocks we have placed for the days…

I could not be prouder of Sheila and the ministry she leads. For more than a decade, Simply Sisters® has been a beacon of hope, providing love and support to women facing life-altering challenges. They offer a helping hand to those striving to rebuild their homes and families, extend a lifeline to crisis pregnancy groups,…

Rob Benson is an executive and corporate coach. He says, “Communicate your core values. If they are really core, they are really important.” Rob and his wife, Melissa, have been our friends since before DoorWays® started. Why did I wait until interviewing him for a recent podcast to hear this advice? After the recording ended,…

Financial accountability of ministries is important. That’s why I am taking the next few sentences to report on the funds we received for Ukrainian relief efforts. We hoped to raise $5,000 and DoorWays® committed to match that amount. To our surprise, we received much more than the amount we requested. So far we have distributed…

Simply Sisters® is not just about Sheila Shields. There’s Rachel (who recently had her first baby – a girl named Lydia Anne), Cheryl, Penny, Nancy, Dana, and Sue. These ladies form the small group of seven who meet most weeks for prayer, bible study, conversation, and lunch. But there are nearly 75 others who volunteer…