PRISON LETTER | After gratitude comes love (charity)

The true hallmark of a Christian in-the-making is gratitude. In fact, when expressed sincerely, and in full appreciation of that for which one is grateful, it is worship of God. Gratitude abounded in the first letter I received from Timothy Ross [see Second Prison Letter Response: Prayers borne of true faith never go unanswered], who is incarcerated at Pelican Bay State Prison, and I say so in this, my second letter to him [see also The Prison Letters of a Demoniac]:

Second Letter to Timothy Ross by James Alan Bush

By pointing out the distinction between the grateful and the otherwise, I hope to steer him away from the very forces of darkness that devoured nearly everyone I know (and knew, for that matter). I hope to put even greater distance between him and the pitfall by showing him how to find, express and otherwise come to know love on the deepest levels possible. If I succeed, he's saved; if I don't, the world will swallow him alive in just two short years from now (he will be released in 2018).

PRISON LETTER | Why bad things happen to good people, answered definitively

A demoniac's take on why bad things happen to good people—an interesting read, as it comes from someone who has often been asked, Are bad things happening to you because you are a bad person?

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Although, to some, it may sound a little childish and, perhaps, naive to ask, the most important question you could ever answer for yourself is this very one: Why do bad things happen to good people?

That answer was given us at the expense of the life of the only good man who ever lived, His Father having promised to not only provide that answer through His Son, but also to pave the Way for us to benefit eternally from having obtained it.

If you can't answer that question definitively, and in a way that compels you to act and think differently than you do, read the following letter. It is my understanding of what God intended for us to learn by having exposed good people to bad ones as conveyed in my second letter to Jose Jorge Andrade, who, as first stated in Second Prison Letter Response: Prayers borne of true faith never go unanswered [see also Prison Letter Response: The why and how of loving God as a murderer], is presently serving a life-term in Pelican Bay State Prison in California:

Second Letter to Jose Jorge Andrade by James Alan Bush

As I also stated in my prayer posted just yesterday, these much-needed, yet over-delayed responses (i.e., letters) to the concerns of those seeking God are difficult for me to write; however, even under the circumstances presented herein on this site (and, as they are known to others, although not mentioned here), I believe this letter still represents a solid introduction to the Way of the Christ. If you concur or beg to differ or otherwise want to chime in, please do so at theoknock at gmail.com.