Did You Know?
Sixteen men have been executed in the United States during 2013.
Bible Passage For Meditation, Prayer, and Reflection for Week of June 16-22, 2013: Proverbs 23:22
The Bible passage chosen for this week, the week of June 16 – June 22, 2013, is Proverbs 23:22. The Forgiveness Foundation encourages you to read your Bible daily and study God’s Word. The verse selected for this week reminds us of one of the Ten Commandments, to honor our parents.
Listen to your father who gave you life, and do not despise your mother when she is old. (Proverbs 23:22, ESV)
This Sunday, June 16, 2013, is Father’s Day. It is a time to remember and celebrate all that our fathers have done for us. Also remember to celebrate your heavenly Father. Listen to both fathers in your life. Both can offer wisdom and guidance.
Daily Bible Reading for June 19, 2013, With Overview: Psalms 72-74
Daily Bible Reading for June 19, 2013, With Overview: Psalms 72-74. Give the King Your Justice, God Is My Strength and Portion Forever, Arise, O God, Defend Your Cause,
Oklahoma Executes James Lewis DeRosa
June 18, 2013
Shortly after 6 pm CDT, 36-year-old James Lewis DeRosa was executed at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary in McAlester, Oklahoma on June 18, 2013. James was executed for the murder of 73-year-old Curtis Plummer and his wife, 70-year-old Gloria Plummer. Curtis and Gloria were killed in their Poteau, Oklahoma house on the evening of Monday, October 2, 2000. James spent the last 13 years of his life on death row.
James DeRosa and John Eric Castleberry, who was 21 at the time, were dropped off by then 18-year-old high school senior, Scotty White. The three men had planned to rob the Plummer’s home because DeRosa, who had previously worked for them, said that they “always carried a bunch of money on ‘em.” Castleberry and DeRosa wanted the money so that they could move to Corpus Christi, Texas to find work. Scotty did not want to participate in the robbery but agreed to drop them off at the house and meet them later.
Paula Cooper of Gary, Indiana Released From Indiana Women's Prison: Needs Your Prayers
June 17, 2013
On July 11, 1986, at the age of 16, Paula Cooper of Gary, Indiana, was the youngest female to be placed on death row in the United States. Her sentence caused international outrage, including a public condemnation by Pope John Paul II. Paula spent three years on death row at the Indiana Women’s Prison in Indianapolis, Indiana, before he sentence was commuted to 60 years in prison. On Monday, June 17, 2013, Paula was released from prison.
On May 14, 1985, a group of girls, including Paula, aged between 14 and 16, skipped school to drink alcohol and smoke marijuana before visiting the home of 78-year-old Ruth Pelke a Bible studies teacher and Paula’s neighbor. Ruth invited the girls in after they expressed interest in some Bible verses. Ruth was struck with a vase to the head by one of the girls before Paula, using a butcher knife, stabbed Ruth 33 times in the chest and stomach. The girls ransacked her house before stealing her car and leaving. All the girls received sentences between 25 and 60 years, except Paula. Paula, who confessed to the stabbing, was considered to be the ringleader of the group. Paula received the death penalty.
International Death Penalty News (I-19): China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Palestine, Syria, United States of America
June 15, 2013
Issue 19
China: A 25-year-old man has been sentenced to death for setting a fire to a building that killed eight people. The state media reported that the fire was part of a revenge attack against a man whom he believed was having an affair with his girlfriend. The man’s case, as with all death penalty cases, will be automatically reviewed by the Supreme People’s Court.
Indonesia: Indonesia has announced that it will delay carrying executions for six prisoners until August or September. The reason for the postponement was not stated.
Malaysia: Two Indonesian brothers were sentenced to death last year in Malaysia for killing a burglar who broke into their home. The brothers have appealed their sentence claiming it was self defense. The appeal was rejected by the court of appeals and the brothers have since appealed to the state’s high court. Indonesian legislators are calling on the Indonesian government to assist the brothers in their case.
Palestine: At least one senior court official is campaigning to bring back public executions in Gaza. The official believes that public executions would deter serious crime in the region. Executions are not uncommon in Gaza, with several executions having been performed this year.
Syria: A 14-year-old boy was killed by radical Islamists on Sunday, June 9, 2013, in the square of Aleppo, a city in northern Syria. The boy, Muhammad Al-Qatta was killed for allegedly insulting the Prophet Muhammad while working at his coffee stand to support his family. Read more details here.
Think Like Jesus Chapter 2
Think Like Jesus 2013: Chapter 1
Think Like Jesus 2013
Temptation The Path to Sin
Chapter 2
If you are a parent, you probably remember Christmas Eve. Do you recall just how hard it is to get excited children to bed? Can you remember the pressure building knowing that a bicycle, a bicycle in a box, a bicycle in a box is waiting for you to put it together, to put it together quietly, quietly before morning, and placing it under the Christmas tree? Remember deciding to leave the assembly instructions in the bicycle’s box. Do you remember taking the bicycle apart and retrieving the instructions from the box before you put the bicycle together correctly. Are you like Adam? He actually read the instructions and decided to ignore them.
“The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, ‘You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.’” (Genesis 2:15-17, ESV)
Ministry by Mail - The Forgiveness Foundation
You know the feeling, the feeling you have when you go to your mailbox or check your email and find a letter or message from someone who cares about your dearly. Since March 8, 2005, The Forgiveness Foundation Christian Ministries has been giving that feeling to many of the 3,351, men and women on death row in the United States. Our letters carry more than the love of every member of The Forgiveness Foundation team; our letters carry the love of Jesus Christ! Out letters share that Jesus Christ paid their sin debt, including the debt for the murder for which they were convicted. Our letters share that eternity awaits them in heaven or hell. Our letters share that Jesus has already paid for their sin; they are forgiven. The only thing they need do is to accept Jesus Christ’s forgiveness by making Him Lord of their lives. The Forgiveness Foundation Christian Ministries works toward honoring the “Great Commission,” with our mail ministry to the men and women on death row.
Prayer Life: The Lords Prayer
Prayer Life
Review of the Lord’s Prayer
During 2013, The Forgiveness Foundation Christian Ministries is introducing a new learning tool on our website. The new tool is entitled “Prayer Life” and is intended to help you communicate with the Lord. God wants a personal relationship with you through His Son, Jesus Christ. Prayer is how we communicate with God and the following is the how Jesus taught His disciples to pray. The following scripture is found in the Book of Matthew chapter 6, verses 9-13.
Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. (Matthew 6:9-13, ESV)
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Daily Reading
Only through a relationship with Jesus Christ can anyone hope to separate themselves from the power of sin in this world. Through Him, all things are made new. For a complete listing of readings, please download our Bible Study.
