I preached on the Good Samaritan at the jail last night, remember, the victim was stripped, beaten and left half dead. That's the part I focused on. I talked about how many of us are like the victim:  stripped:  stripped of self-worth, our dignity, confidence and value as a person. 

Then of course beaten, abused, sexually assaulted and abandoned, and lastly, left half dead; which of course abuse does; it robs our joy: and life without joy is but half life; it steals our hope and crushes our peace. 

 It was well received and after the service a fella about 35 came up to me and confided that his mother sexually assaulted and brutalized him when he was a young child. She is still in prison, and has been for 31 years. 

He was adopted at five and now he has a Masters in clinical psychology, and has been a therapist for years. It was strange to talk to a therapist who had not found healing for himself. 

He said the kindest things to me, it was obvious the Lord touched his heart in a real way and he, in a formal kind of way, gushed affection towards me and repeated a number of times how he, just had to let me know he was moved, and then he said, "I wish I had someone like you in my life." That really got to me. 

 This man, sitting as a boy in need, touched my heart and I sensed a warm flood of affection for him as his eyes welled up with past pain. It was a "moment." Moments I live for.