Volunteer Opportunity!
Bridges To Life needs volunteers to help make a difference in the lives of both prison inmates and victims of crime. You can help! Find out more about how you can join the Bridges to Life volunteer team.
News Articles
Numerous articles have been published about the unique work of Bridges to Life in both local and national publications.
2008 Awards
Jim Buffington and Brandon Willard receive 2008 Governor’s Criminal Justice Volunteer Service Awards
John Sage is recipient of HYLA Liberty Bell Award and was inducted into the St. Thomas Hall of Honor.
John and Frances Sage to receive the Samaritan Spirit Award on October 23.
Restoring Peace Book
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ISBN 1-4120-3936-3
Price $10 | Buy Now
FORGIVENESS
Excerpt from Chapter 8, Restoring Peace
The Restoring Peace book answers the question of how to forgive…
“Forgiveness is granting free pardon or giving up resentment for a hurt or debt against us. It involves looking back at what happened but not for the purpose of analyzing, blaming, or condemning. Forgiveness looks back for the purpose of leaving the offense behind and moving on to a better future. Doing so does not change the past or the bad things that have happened, but it does change the present and can change the future.
“Forgiveness cuts both ways and is a choice, because it is a decision and an internal change of heart, not an action or behavior. Sometimes you need to ask for forgiveness, and sometimes you need to grant it. However, you and I do not have to forgive anyone who has offended us, and people we have offended do not have to forgive us. No one can force you to change your mind and heart, no one can force you to forgive or ask for forgiveness or accept forgiveness, and no one can prevent you from forgiving. You have to decide what you will do, and others have to decide what they will do.”
The sections that follow will help you decide when you should ask for forgiveness or forgive another and give you some ideas as to how to go about it. The first section focuses on God’s forgiveness, the second on forgiving yourself, and the third on forgiving one another.
Read more about Restoring Peace, Bridges to Life’s new book.
Excerpts from the book include:
- Seeing confession as the first step toward restitution.
- A discussion of the importance of repentance.
- A discussion of the importance of forgiveness.
- Seeing how reconciliation precedes restitution.
Bridges to Life Book
Restoring Peace – Using Lessons From Prison to Mend Broken Relationships details the principles used in the Bridges To Life program, combined with actual stories from victim and inmate participants. The book is intended for repairing or improving relationships with others.
Inmate Comments
“The best part about this program is the small group setting which allows both victim and inmate to be open and honest with one another and the trust, confidence that is built through these groups.”