More Ways to Share Your Faith when Writing Inmates

Whether you've exchanged a few letters or are just getting to send your first letter, be aware there are several different ways of sharing your faith when writing to inmates. Some common examples include sharing scripture that you physically hand copy out of the bible and hen show the inmate how it may relate to their situation, photocopying short devotional clippings and printing things of the Internet.

Photocopy
Inmates are not necessarily allowed to receive certain items, especially if did not come directly from a publisher. Photocopying is one of the best ways to share articles, pieces of devotionals, parts of bible commentaries and more with an inmate. It will save you the time of having to write everything by hand. You can photocopy something the inmate may find inspiring or encouraging and send it as part of your letter. Your handwritten portion of the content can refer to the item you sent. For example, "Since I last wrote you, I found this article on the topic we've been talking about it." Let them know what you think of it and ask for their thoughts on the matter.

Internet
The same concepts apply for finding that same information on the Internet. You can copy and paste content you find inspiring and applicable to a word document or other similar application and print it out to include in your letters. This is especially helpful for deep bible studies or when you are looking at Greek and Hebrew words and meanings. Several old books can be found on the Internet by typing in an author's name and then ".pdf" after the authors name. For example, type "EM Bounds .pdf" into a search engine request box and you'll see several of the works EM Bounds wrote on prayer in PDF format, free and available for the public for personal use. You can print these out and send a few pages at a time with each letter. This concept works well for any other book, article, sermon, etc.... you might find.

Tracts
Bible tracts and brochures could also be sent (minus the staples in case some facilities do not allow them) that may offer your inmate pen pal comfort, inspiration or encouragement.

No matter how you choose to share your faith when writing to inmates, remember it is your sincerity, genuineness and honesty that comes across and has the most impact. There is no need to act pompous or somehow as if you are grander in God's eyes then they are. We all have sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God and it is only the blood of Christ that can make us stand clean and ready to meet our maker, in this author's personal opinion. If you aren't christian but still want to share your chosen faith with inmates as you write letters, the above ideas can be adapted to best suit your needs.