Ken Miller - http://millercase.org/

Christian ethics and theology with an Anabaptist perspective
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mike
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Re: Ken Miller - http://millercase.org/

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This week, Timo Miller pled guilty in Buffalo, NT court to a charge of conspiracy in international kidnapping. All other charges were dropped. He remains incarcerated until his sentencing in March of 2017.

http://buffalonews.com/2016/11/30/menno ... ping-case/
http://christiannews.net/2016/12/01/ame ... -daughter/
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Remember the prisoners, as though you were in prison with them, and the mistreated, as though you yourselves were suffering bodily. -Heb. 13:3
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Josh
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Re: Ken Miller - http://millercase.org/

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And my liberal Mennonite friends rejoice, whilst demanding us Christians stand in "solidarity" with Muslims in America who are not facing the slightest whiff of persecution.
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temporal1
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Re: Ken Miller - http://millercase.org/

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Josh wrote:And my liberal Mennonite friends rejoice, whilst demanding us Christians stand in "solidarity" with Muslims in America who are not facing the slightest whiff of persecution.
while reading mike's latest links, i was thinking of U.S. Sanctuary Cities. so many inconsistencies in human law; peoples' lives seriously damaged.

found in comments, Christian News:
David van Heerden:
The crime here is that people are being convicted of kidnapping when there most certainly was no kidnapping.

For protecting a child from evil, men are being taken from their family by the wicked princes of the realm and being held against their will.
reader comments reflect differences in opinion.
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Most or all of this drama, humiliation, wasted taxpayer money could be spared -
with even modest attempt at presenting balanced facts from the start.


”We’re all just walking each other home.”
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temporal1
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Re: Ken Miller - http://millercase.org/

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in all this, not one word that Ms Jenkins has any fear of harm to the child.
in my view, in strained family situations, ideally, a parent would do "whatever it takes" personally to support the child in those circumstances, for the child's best interests, regardless of personal pain.

parents often suffer deeply in effort to put "children first," before themselves.

Lisa Miller does fear physical and psychological harm, her sacrifice cannot be to support the situation in which she believes the child is in harm's way.

Aside from this case, courts DO submit children to harmful parents, some end up physically dead because of it. many more suffer emotionally, this is ignored, not measured.
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Most or all of this drama, humiliation, wasted taxpayer money could be spared -
with even modest attempt at presenting balanced facts from the start.


”We’re all just walking each other home.”
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RZehr
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Re: Ken Miller - http://millercase.org/

Post by RZehr »

From a comment on one of the articles:
We are about to commemorate Harriet Tubman on our $20 bill, for doing what was then known as kidnapping in the eyes of the federal government, while these heroes today are put behind bars for similar actions. - A. Gingerich.
It is appalling how depraved this society has become, especially on this issue.
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mike
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Re: Ken Miller - http://millercase.org/

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New blog post by Ken at millercase.org.
Ken Miller wrote:Prison Update #11

Published on Sunday, 04 December 2016 07:12
From: KENNETH L MILLER (08464082)

DEC 3, 2015

Peace and blessings to each of you from Jesus Christ our Lord. It feels like a long time since I've seen most of you. It's been over eight months now. I miss you all today more than usual for some reason. But strangely, I'm content to be here. This is where God has me for now and I'm learning to be OK with it.

God has been exceptionally good to me the last while. That very difficult trip to Buffalo is fading into the past. My dear mother is with the Lord. I'm sad whenever I think about going back to the house and not seeing her there, but I have to say heaven is more attractive now, and that's good.

So many letters and cards keep coming in the mail, it's almost overwhelming to think about answering even some of them. The other day was a record; I think there were 24 pieces of mail. (Not quite all letters) I'm sorry that I haven't answered more of your letters recently. I hope to pick up letter writing in earnest again this week.

When I came back from Buffalo, I went to what is called "The Big Parking Lot." This is a dorm style room with 36 bunks. It stays mostly full. So there's a lot of movement and a lot of noise, including various nocturnal noises, and not much privacy. I was there about a month. Just this past week I was invited downstairs to one of the nicer rooms in the whole building. It's a six man cell, spacious (for in here) with lots of natural light as the room has two large windows facing south. (The ladies would despair about the hazy windows, but you get used to it.) The room faces the road and the visitor parking lot. So I can sit on my top bunk, look out the window, watch the traffic passing by on the road and see visitors come. It's not quite like sitting on the front porch, but it's a bit closer.

My bunkie is a good friend who's a former marine drill sergeant. He would fit the bill. Straightforward, to the point, and fearless. But I have to say I keep my bed made a lot better than he does his. I'll have to bring that point up sometime...Another one of my other cellies is a Cuban, appropriately named Fidel. (No relation to THE Fidel, as far as I know)

Since my bunkie and I are friends, we share food. Yesterday he shared some pizza that had been cooked over at the shop where I work. A piece of cardboard for the pizza pan, tortilla wraps overlapped for the crust, some sauce (ahem) taken from the kitchen (I don't do that) maybe some onion and peppers if you're lucky, three kinds of cheese and two kinds of meat bought from the commissary--and the whole thing is cooked to perfection with a HEAT GUN; The Petersburg Deluxe Pizza.

We have an old fashioned cast iron radiator in our room. When the heat is on, you can cook rice, make wraps and all kinds of other food on that radiator.

The man in the bunk next to me in the Big Parking Lot (where I had slept for a month) has a remarkable story. I'll call him Rick. He got a life sentence off "a drug deal gone bad." In that same drug deal he was shot in the head. The bullet went down beside his nose, down through his mouth and tongue, through his jaw and lodged in his throat. Doctors were trying to save his life and were just about to slice open his neck to try to find the bullet, when he suddenly sat up and coughed out the bullet! It took years of rehab before he could swallow well enough to eat regular food. Even so, the left side of his mouth is somewhat paralyzed, his swallowing is affected and he speaks with a severe rasp because half of his vocal cords are paralyzed. He's been behind bars for 14-15 years in the federal penitentiary, and has seen horrible things happen to people.

Rick got the shock of his life on Aug. 30 when he got a call from the White House counsel saying he'd gotten clemency from President Obama. He almost fainted and kept asking, "Is this real, is this real?" But it was real. He showed me the original letter signed by the President of the United States. He's being released on Dec. 28. Imagine! Going from a life sentence to four months overnight.

He has just a few more weeks left and I can't help but celebrate with him.

But isn't being release from the sentence of sin and death even much more cause for celebration?!!

Rick is going back to his hometown with no family support or anything. A friend has offered to put him up for thirty days in a room somewhere. After that, he's on his own. If you have any more questions about his situation, talk to Linda. Please pray for my good friend Rick, that God would keep him in His hand. I am very blessed to have met him.

Praise the Lord too, that I have my job back on the landscape crew. We've been moving topsoil with wheelbarrows a long distance, so I've gotten some good workouts. Right now the camaraderie there is quite good. I want to speak to more of my crewmates about the Savior--please pray for opportunities and open hearts.

Today we're having a birthday celebration for the birthdays of my two boys, Joshua and Johnny. I decided that while I can't be at home for their birthdays, they can't stop me from celebrating with my friends here. So we're cooking up food for about 10 fellows, deluxe tortilla wraps along with chips and sodas. And we are going to wish Joshua and Johnny very happy birthdays. And I am getting hungry since it's about 5:00 pm, and I didn't eat lunch.

Something to pray about: I feel led to propose a discipleship / mentoring ministry here for young believers similar to what we've done at Pilgrim in the Brotherhood Discipleship Groups, where fellow inmates disciple each other through the Word, prayer and confession. I know I've personally benefited immensely from this discipline it over the years. I think it's time to propose something like it here.

May God bless each of you all real good and may Christ's presence be very near as you gather on His day tomorrow.

Love and prayers,

ken
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Remember the prisoners, as though you were in prison with them, and the mistreated, as though you yourselves were suffering bodily. -Heb. 13:3
appleman2006
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Re: Ken Miller - http://millercase.org/

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I have no idea what God all has in mind for Ken but something tells me he has a pretty special work for him yet. I am praying to that end. I am so impressed with his attitude.
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Re: Ken Miller - http://millercase.org/

Post by Judas Maccabeus »

RZehr wrote:From a comment on one of the articles:
We are about to commemorate Harriet Tubman on our $20 bill, for doing what was then known as kidnapping in the eyes of the federal government, while these heroes today are put behind bars for similar actions. - A. Gingerich.
It is appalling how depraved this society has become, especially on this issue.
And how incredibly fast!

J.M.
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:hug:
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mike
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Re: Ken Miller - http://millercase.org/

Post by mike »

Update #12
Prison Update #12

| Print |
Published on Friday, 23 December 2016 09:13
Dear Friends,

"Oh come let us adore Him, Christ the Lord!"

About a year ago I made it through Tolstoy's "War and Peace." One scene in particular was unforgettable.

The main character, Pierre, is in the Russian army, at the battlefront. The Czar, emperor of Russia, has come to rally his soldiers for battle. Pierre is simply overcome with devotion for his emperor. He spurs his horse directly past the Czar's reviewing stand with such fine form that the emperor notices, singles him out, and calls out a commendation after him. At that moment Pierre's heart nearly bursts with emotion. Right then he was ready to hurl himself at the enemy. No sacrifice was too great. Pierre was ready to give his life for his Czar.

The other day, while listening to Handel's setting of Isaiah 9:6, the thought occurred to me that Pierre's emotion is the kind of devotion we should feel toward our great King:

"For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given; and the government shall be upon His shoulder. And His name shall be called WONDERFUL, COUNSELOR, THE MIGHTY GOD, THE EVERLASTING FATHER, THE PRINCE OF PEACE."

This is the Conquering King Jesus Who "Abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the Gospel." (1Tim 1:10)

Our King got up in the synagogue at Nazareth and proclaimed "Good news to the poor, liberty to the captives, recovery of sight to the blind, liberty for the oppressed and a year of Jubilee;” and then made it clear He was the One called by God to carry out this deliverance. Folks in His hometown was so incensed they tried to throw Him over the cliff. (Luke 4)

I believe Jesus' Kingdom is the stone uncut by human hands in Daniel 2 that smashes all earthly kingdoms to dust and becomes a great mountain that fills the earth.

This is not just a future reality. I think it's already happened and is happening right now. Jesus has already broken the tyranny of Satan's rule. His Kingdom already stands over all earthly Kingdoms. Millions and millions of people have already found their Messiah King, have surrendered to Him and entered His Kingdom as citizens of another world and their highest allegiance is to that world.

Because of His victory, millions of people already "Are more than conquerors through Him Who loved us," and already enjoy the "glorious liberty of the children of God," to a degree at least. They have been made free by the Son of God and are "free Indeed."

Jesus' Kingdom is not only "counter-culture," it's "other culture," entirely of a different nature than this world. This means His followers should not put a lot of stock in political movements even if those movements momentarily seem to favor righteous causes.

What does Jesus victory mean in practical reality for us today?

First, we can have great hope in a world of brokenness and despair. Through His victory over Satan, sin and death, our King made reconciliation with God possible. Through a spiritual rebirth of the human personality, a person can now become a child of God, and a citizen in His Kingdom.

"To all who did receive Him, (Jesus) who believe in His name, He gave the right to become children of God, who were born not of (human descent) but of God. Truly I say unto you, unless one is born again, he cannot see or enter the Kingdom of God." (John 1:12-13, 3:3,5)

The idea of a spiritual rebirth for people shouldn't be considered any more fantastic or impossible than the natural conception and birth of a human baby.

I believe I'm speaking for the countless people who've experienced this: One can perceive this spiritual rebirth just as surely as one can be aware of his physical existence as a human being.

A whole new realm of spiritual awareness and a connectedness to God becomes a reality, bringing inexpressible joy and peace to one's interior life. Jesus called this eternal life.

I encourage anyone reading this who hasn't experienced the rebirth Jesus taught---seek it!

Secondly, Jesus' victory means that all who experience the rebirth of God's Spirit now have His power available to overcome the sinful behavior that brings so much disorientation, despair and emptiness. Jesus's life is transferred to us, and by staying connected to Him, we can live by His power and overcome Satan, sin and ultimately death, just as He did. A person with this kind of freedom and joy will find his heart bursting--once in a while at least--with exalted devotion for his Emperor just as did Pierre!

This is the message I'd like to give to you, my dear friends in Christ and prayer-mates. I know this message is 2,000 years old, but it still works! May it become new and exciting for us this Christmas season!

And now for the more mundane...

My cellie makes great tortilla wraps. I share his recipe: Kookin' Karl's Terrifica Tortillas. (Makes 4-5)

Lay out tortilla wraps on (hopefully) clean table. Spread liberally with chili con queso cheese spread. Cut up 1/2 honey pepper turkey log. (Vacuum sealed turkey sausage) Mix cut up chunks of turkey log in with 1 pack ramen noodle soup mix in bowl. Add very small amount of hot water, stir and mix. Put soup and turkey log mix down the middle of tortilla. Lay slices of mozzarella and cheddar cheese on top of soup and meat mix. (You can grate the cheese if you can find a decent sink drain screen to use as a grater) Squeeze a nice bead of mayonnaise right down the middle. Place 4 pieces of specially prepared dill pickle* on top of everything; fold tortilla, wrap in paper towel and place on hot water radiator for twenty minutes while mouth waters like crazy. Thank God and enjoy!! (A Pepsi adds to the joy.) These wraps really are good!

*Dill pickle preparation: take one very large dill pickle out of package, cut up and put in empty peanut butter jar along with the pickle juice. Add 1/3 jar honey and two tablespoons of Louisiana Hot Sauce. Close lid tightly and shake like mad. Put jar inside locker for several days amongst the socks. Open and enjoy very flavorful pickle! Great on Kookin' Karls Terrifica Tortillas.

Love and prayers, from a fellow pilgrim,

Ken Miller 08464-082

Federal Correctional Complex

P.O. Box 1000

Petersburg, VA 23804
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Remember the prisoners, as though you were in prison with them, and the mistreated, as though you yourselves were suffering bodily. -Heb. 13:3
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mike
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Re: Ken Miller - http://millercase.org/

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Ken writes of celebrating his son's wedding in prison:
FIVE PRECIOUS MINUTES

Hello All,

I think it's safe to say that the five minutes from 2:37 to 2:42 pm on Feb 4th, 2017, were among the most precious five minutes I've experienced as a father.

I listened intently. I was on the phone, downstairs in Richmond Hall. At the other end, Lamar Hochstetler presented the covenant vows to the couple standing in front of him--my first-born son, David, and his bride, Grace (Shank) from Aroda, VA. And then I heard my son say, "I will." When it was time for Grace to make her promise, a voice roared something across the prison PA system behind me, and I couldn't hear her response.

But I know her commitment to my son is as strong as life itself.

And then I heard Lamar pray with them.

Finally, I heard him say, "I now present to you Mr. and Mrs. David Miller!" and I imagined them sweeping down the aisle, all happy and radiant.

Then the group of singers came in with a glorious rendition of "You Shall Go Out with Joy." And about five seconds after the recessional song was over, my time expired and the phone call was over. (Here at Petersburg Low, you have to wait 45 minutes before you can place another call.)

I was so happy that the timing worked out perfectly.

Duane finished the message just at the right time.

And now I was so happy I was overcome with emotion.

To sort of get a hold of myself, I went back to the "cell house," an unused section of the prison where we have telephones and showers.

After a bit one of the officers came through the door on his rounds. He looked at me, "Miller, you ok?" I struggled to control my voice. "Yeah, I'm all right."

It was tough, missing the wedding of my dear son. (It was real tough also, to miss the wedding of our oldest daughter last June.)

But I decided since circumstances won't allow me to be at my son's wedding, we'll overcome the circumstances. So we had our own wedding reception down here at Petersburg Low in honor of David and Grace. It turned out to be a great celebration, a very uplifting time for all of us.

I admit, our guest list here was quite a bit smaller than at the wedding itself. There were only seven of us; about 450 guests came to the wedding.

We met over at the gym around 5:00. Steve, a good friend who's 6'8," strode over there from his unit ahead of everyone else and reserved two tables.

Karl and I cooked four pizzas on our steam radiators for over four hours in plastic bags. They turned out real well. We made a bean and cheese dip to serve with nacho chips. Ice cold Pepsi for drinks. For the wedding cake, Jay made an incredible double layered cheese cake in honor of this special occasion. He'd been extolling it for weeks. It didn't disappoint me. I brought along a big chocolate bar to send home with each my guests as part of the celebration.

The seven of us gathered around the table with me at the head. I propped up two pictures of David and Grace at the other end against the wall where I could look at them.

At the beginning, we had a little ceremony. This is what we did:

First, I read the from the teachings of Jesus on marriage. (Matthew 19:4-6)**

Then we declared our Creator's praise.

I said: (Rather loudly so others in the gym could also hear) "In an age where the Creator's UNALTERABLE design for marriage is being dishonored and scorned, we followers of Yeshua Messiah at FCC Petersburg Low, on this day, Feb 4th 2017, proclaim our Creator's goodness! We honor and celebrate marriage as Yahweh instituted it--ONE MAN AND ONE WOMAN in a life-long covenant relationship."

(Since many of my friends around the table were of the Messianic Group, I used the Hebrew names for God.)

And then we did two toasts. (I hope this wasn't irreverent.)

We popped the tabs on the Pepsis!

I said, "Here's to Yahweh's design for marriage!"

And we clanked the Pepsi cans together and said "Halelu YAH!" And each took a sip of Pepsi.

I said, "Here's to David and Grace!"

And we clanked the Pepsi cans together and said "Halelu YAH!" And each took a sip of Pepsi.

And then dear Steve led the prayer. He's very thorough, great mind, great student of the Scriptures. And he prayed a very expansive prayer on Yahweh's design for marriage, for marriage around the world, and for David and Grace and their marriage. It was a good prayer, very comprehensive.

All the while, to be honest, I was worried about the pizza getting cold.

Finally, he came around to praying for the food and the end was in sight.

After the "Hallelujah," (the Messianic way of ending prayer) we dug in. As we ate I told my friends about my community's customs for courtship and marriage. They were rather amazed that at ages 24 and 25, David and Grace had kept themselves for each other.

I then read to them a meditation I had prepared for the wedding service.

After the meal we all went outside. Four of us paired off for horseshoes and we had a great competitive game.

Overall, I think the evening was the best experience in comradeship I've had since I've been in prison. Everyone enjoyed it immensely. And all my friends felt privileged to be allowed in on David and Grace's celebration.

In fact, Jay enjoyed it so much he asked me if another one of my sons or daughters is getting married soon. I had to tell him that (alas) nothing is on the horizon.

So, once again CONGRATULATIONS David and Grace. Thank you for giving us a picture of our Heavenly Father's design for courtship and marriage. You all truly are a blessing to all of us. I wish you a wonderful time together this next week.

Love and prayers,

Daddy

**In this passage, Jesus dramatically confronts the social re-engineering of modern western society by giving an authoritative definition of marriage using three gender specific pairings: male/female, man/wife, father/mother. And then He adds a declaration that stands for all time: "What God has joined together, let not man put asunder."
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Remember the prisoners, as though you were in prison with them, and the mistreated, as though you yourselves were suffering bodily. -Heb. 13:3
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