MennoLink Books and Music

For prisoners, the Victims' Voice program has given them the change in the healing process for victims' families.

From victimization to compassion...a story of hope. Discussion questions included.

"The death penalty is an act of rage. It is an act of revenge. But we have to remember truly what the death penalty is. The death penalty is...a staged political event."

"If you do forgive it doesn't make you weak. It doesn't make you have any less respect for your loved one that was killed. If anything, it respects their lives more."

Wether you believe the death penalty is the ultimate punishment for murder or taking another's life is always wrong, Bud's story moves the debate over capital punishment from a philosophical discussion to a real-life level. Bud experienced terrible loss, yet opposes the loss of additional lives through the death penalty.

Discussions questions included.

Wangerin describes Elijah, a much-loved and very soft-hearted African American school principal, and his wife Mary, a strong and independent third-grade school teacher. We meet Elijah in his role as a school principal telling a student that he can't give her what she wants, but "I can give her the getting."

When Elijah undergoes surgery, he is told he has cancer and only a short time to live. As he wastes with surprising speed, he tells Pastor Walt, "You and I know what (my wife) needs. I can't give her what she needs, but I can give her the getting'. Pray with me." So Walt prays the Lord's Prayer, one step which leads toward the beginning stages of acceptance, forgiveness, and resolution.

A real life story that will grab your heart. Discussion questions included.