The Crucifixion
Poet: Sabrina Campbell
Greenville County Detention Center

While we were in darkness, sin, and strife,
Our gracious God gave up His life.
He took the lowly position of a man
To fulfill the prophecy of His master plan.

He came in the form of Jesus Christ.
His only reason being the perfect sacrifice.
He walk this earth for thirty-three years.
Taming doubts with love, and casting out fears.

Not once did He turn even the worst away,
Doing the work of His father day after day.
Although He was the promised messiah,
He was rejected and hated and called a liar.

He was arrested and sentenced and beat with a whip.
He was mocked and shamed and completely stripped.
He was beaten until He was almost dead,
and a crown of thorns was placed on His head.

Through the blood and the sweat and the tears and the pain,
He carried the cross on which He would hang.
He was raised on the cross for all to see,
With stakes through His hands and through His feet.

The soldiers all scoffed and cast lots for His clothes,
The very ones that He healed, all watching the show.
With the scriptures fulfilled, He said, “It is finished.”
Then He bowed His head and released up His Spirit.

He was placed in a tomb and it was sealed up tight,
and the soldiers stood watch through the day and the night.
Still, three days later, His body was gone,
Proving He was who He claimed all along.

In light of the cross, how could we not care?
Knowing our sin is what held Him up there.
Through all of this, His motivation was love,
and He calls to us, from His kingdom above.

He wants us to live in His presence on day,
and He’ll stop at nothing-not even the grave!

Give Him all the Glory
Poet: Shannon Gregory
Leath Correctional Institution

 I used to live in darkness, but now I walk in light
I’ve done a lot of wrong that I’m trying to make right.
The things I done when I was blind I regret now that I can see.
But I accepted Jesus, and He has set me free.

 Ya see He died on the cross so that you and I can live.
We were washed clean, clean of all our sins.
So I’m opening up my eyes and opening up my heart.
I live with the Holy Spirit. I was loved from the start.

 I ask Him daily to renew my heart and mind.
My eyes are wide open.  I’m no longer blind.
To sense His presence, and to know He remains close.
He saved me from myself and defeated all my foes.

 Now I’m a child of God and walk in His trail.
Jesus is my personal Savior and cast the devil to hell.
So… no more addictions, sorrows, or shame.
He fulfilled my heart and removed all my blame.

 This is just the beginning of my amazing story.
I will praise God and give Him all the glory.

ALL I COULD DO
Poet: Gabby Priester
York County Detention Center

Here I sit again in this scary, cold, and lonely room
that has now become so familiar to me.
As the door slams shut all I could think about was
things I didn’t do while I was still free.

I feel like a worthless bum realizing that I’ve once again left my children
in care of someone else, yeah it’s been awhile but this time I leave two.

It’s gotta be the worst pain I ever felt,
with no way out, no way around it,
I had no choice but to see this through.

Alone in this room, I yearned for hope, and to whom I would turn,
I already knew.
When all I could do was fall on my knees, that’s exactly what I did.

God, I’m inside this jar, dying for air, unaware of my prints on the lid.
This place has become a revolving door for me; you would think I thought it was fun.
But it’s not dear Lord, and I need You now; to myself, just what have I done?

God, I can’t understand how time after time You remain so faithful.
When I need You, I need You, when I want You, I want You,
then back to my ways so playful.

This voice in my head keeps saying to me, “What makes this time any different?”
Get behind me Satan, for God can do anything, and of all His power I am in remembrance.

When all I could do was trust in You, I put my life in Your hands.
I give it to You, now take it from me, before I too ruin this chance.

I know there’s more to life than being in jail and standing before a judge.
A beautiful life, abundant and pure, so clean with not even a smudge.
I want much more than I have had and my kids deserve it too.
Only You can start my life anew, Dear Lord, I look to You.

I pray not for material things or for selfish reasons at all,
just hold me close, and guide me Lord, and catch me when I fall.

When all I could do was surrender to You; that’s exactly what I did.
You reached down from heaven,
Unscrewed the lid, then in the palm of Your hand I hid.

PERMISSION TO POST GRANTED BY
POET: PATRICIA LITTLEJOHN

TITLE: DO YOU KNOW JESUS?

Am I true to myself?

I have to live with myself and so..
I want to be fit for myself to know…

I want to be able as days go by always to look myself straight in the eye.

I don’t want to stand with the setting sun and hate myself for the things I’ve done.
I don’t want to keep on a closet shelf a lot of secrets about myself.
and fool myself as I come and go into thinking that nobody else will know
what kind of woman I really am. I don’t want to dress up myself in sham.

i want to go out with my head erect, I want to deserve all men’s respect.
But here in the struggle for fame and self, I want to be able to like myself.
I don’t want to look at myself and know that i’m bluster and bluff and empty show.

I can never hide myself from me.  I see what others may never see..
I know what others may never know.
I can never fool myself and so…

So whatever happens, I want to be,

SELF RESPECTING AND CONSCIOUS FREE.