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
ISBN 1-4120-3936-3
Price $10 | Buy Now
REPENTANCE
Excerpt from Chapter 7, Restoring Peace
The Restoring Peace book answers questions such as “What is repentance?” and “How about forgiveness without repentance?”
“Repenting, like confession, admits you to the imperfect, fallible human race. Confession and repentance are acknowledgments of your own humanity and your need to change. Acknowledging one’s humanity and fallibility enlarges one’s capacity to love and provides a special understanding that makes forgiveness and reconciliation possible. Reasonable people can disagree about which comes first – confession or repentance. It probably doesn’t matter. Confession involves acknowledging to yourself and others your need to change, and repenting is changing, whether or not the change is specifically communicated to others. Both free you from guilt and shame, foster personal happiness and emotional growth, and propel you forward on the journey toward becoming more Christ-like. Honest, sincere repentance enables other people to have confidence that you are a different person who will behave differently in the future.”
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.”