Posts by Ric Shields
107 Countries and Growing
On June 30, we released our 200th podcast episode—the final installment in a thirteen-part series called Ancient Voices: The Minor Prophets Speak. Our guests helped us see these prophetic messages in a fresh light. We were reminded that God works in ways often unseen by us, where both judgment and mercy serve His purposes and…
Read MoreAltered Destinies
September 2024 Spending time at a state prison is a learning experience. Newly arriving inmates go to the chapel to request an “A & R Bag” (Assessment and Reception) bag and fellow inmates working at the chapel provide instruction of the services provided and offer to pray with the newcomers. That is how many inmates…
Read MoreI Want to Work it Out With You
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…
Read MoreThe Day We Will Know
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…
Read MoreI Can’t Forgive Myself
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…
Read MoreI Couldn’t Have Been More Wrong
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…
Read MoreYou Won’t Believe What Happened – Nov 2023
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,…
Read MoreHave I Mentioned This?
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,…
Read MoreSignificant or Not?
Significant or Not? A big announcement to me may seem like a small one to you. We have so many things happening at the same time, I hope at least one will seem significant and encouraging to you. Sheila and I celebrated our 48th Wedding Anniversary. It doesn’t seem possible we’ve been married that long.…
Read MoreWhere Did it Go?
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…
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