From Prison to Peace:: The Prodigal Daughter

By Mary A. Faher

I was sentenced to twenty-three months to ten years in Michigan’s only state prison for women, and I would not change a thing about my time behind the barbed wires. I am blessed that God, my Father, loved me enough to sit me down, correct me, and lead me to the foot of the cross. Being born-again and having been adopted into God’s family, I have a new direction and purpose for my life. It has changed me and my life forever. Above all and most importantly, I now know that our Lord Jesus Christ has always been with me and loves me unconditionally. I now live in the peace that only can come from Jesus Christ.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Sep 19, 2019
• ISBN: 9781973664505

Mary A. Faher

Mary A. Faher (1957—present) FROM PRISON TO PEACE: The Prodigal Daughter is an account of the author’s journey of survival in prison to being born-again and living with the peace that only Jesus Christ can give. The first half of the book was written while she was in prison, with the second half being written after her release. Ms. Faher currently resides on the east coast of Florida with her dog Buddha and cat Tia, enjoying her life of freedom and living in truth, light, joy, love and peace.

Book preview

FROM

PRISON

TO

PEACE:

THE PRODIGAL DAUGHTER

MARY A. FAHER

41317.png

Copyright © 2019 Mary A. Faher.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This book is a work of non-fiction. Unless otherwise noted, the author and the publisher make no explicit guarantees as to the accuracy of the information contained in this book and in some cases, names of people and places have been altered to protect their privacy.

WestBow Press

A Division of Thomas Nelson & Zondervan

1663 Liberty Drive

Bloomington, IN 47403

www.westbowpress.com

1 [phone]

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Unless otherwise noted, all scripture quotations taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-1-9736-6451-2 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-9736-6450-5 (e)

WestBow Press rev. date: 11/06/2019

Contents

Introduction

Chapter 1 BEYOND THE BLINDING BARBED WIRE

Chapter 2 MA’AM, YES MA’AM MA’AM NO MA’AM

Chapter 3 YOU DON’T MATTER

Chapter 4 OVERLOAD

Chapter 5 HOT, HOT, HOT

Chapter 6 BONA-Fied

Chapter 7 The Crown Prince Speaks

Chapter 8 The Wailing

Chapter 9 Moving On Up To The East Side

Chapter 10 Finding My J.O.B.

Chapter 11 I WANT TO LIVE!

Chapter 12 GOD WANTED YOU TO HAVE IT

Chapter 13 Justice Is Blind

Chapter 14 The Big Move

Chapter 15 The Life Of A P.O.A.

Chapter 16 OH HEAR ME

Chapter 17 LIVING IN THE LIGHT

Chapter 18 The Power Of Three

Chapter 19 There Is Only LOVE

Chapter 20 CONVICTED

Chapter 21 Forgiven, Saved And Born Again

Chapter 22 CALLED

Chapter 23 REJOICE!

Chapter 24 The Prodigal Daughter

Chapter 25 PEACE

God cannot give us a Happiness

and Peace apart from Himself,

because it is not there.

- C.S. Lewis

Thanksgiving to the LORD for His Great Works of Deliverance!

Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever. Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, Whom He has redeemed from the hand of the enemy, And gathered out of the lands, From the east and from the west, From the north and from the south. They wandered in the wilderness in a desolate way; They found no city to dwell in. Hungry and thirsty, Their soul fainted in them. Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, And He delivered them out of their distresses.

And He led them forth by the right way, That they might go to a city for a dwelling place. Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness, And for His wonderful works to the children of men.

For He satisfies the longing soul, And fills the hungry soul with goodness. Those who sat in darkness and in the shadow of death, Bound in affliction and irons—Because they rebelled against the words of God, And despised the counsel of the Most High, Therefore He brought down their heart with labor; They fell down, and there was none to help.

Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, And He saved them out of their distresses. He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, And broke their chains in pieces. Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness, And for His wonderful works to the children of men! For He has broken the gates of bronze, And cut the bars of iron in two.

Fools, because of their transgression, And because of their iniquities, were afflicted. Their soul abhorred all manner of food, And they drew near to the gates of death.

Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, And He saved them out of their distresses. He sent His word and healed them, And delivered them from their destructions. Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness, And for His wonderful works to the children of men! Let them sacrifice the sacrifices of thanksgiving, And declare His works with rejoicing.

Those who go down to the sea in ships, Who do business on great waters, They see the works of the LORD, And His wonders in the deep. For He commands and raises the stormy wind, Which lifts up the waves of the sea. They mount up to the heavens, They go down again to the depths; Their soul melts because of trouble.

They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, And are at their wits’ end. Then they cry out to the LORD in their trouble, And He brings them out of their distresses. He calms the storm, So that its waves are still.

Then they are glad because they are quiet; So He guides them to their desired haven. Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness, And for His wonderful works to the children of men! Let them exalt Him also in the assembly of the people, And praise Him in the company of the elders.

He turns rivers into a wilderness, And the watersprings into dry ground; A fruitful land into barrenness, For the wickedness of those who dwell in it.

He turns a wilderness into pools of water, And dry land into watersprings. There He makes the hungry dwell, That they may establish a city for a dwelling place, And sow fields and plant vineyards, That they may yield a fruitful harvest.

He also blesses them, and they multiply greatly; And He does not let their cattle decrease. When they are diminished and brought low Through oppression, affliction, and sorrow, He pours contempt on princes, And causes them to wander in the wilderness where there is no way; Yet He sets the poor on high, far from affliction, And makes their families like a flock.

The righteous see it and rejoice, And all iniquity stops it’s mouth. Whoever is wise will observe these things, And they will understand the lovingkindness of the LORD.

- Psalm 107

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

40515.png

I am humbled and grateful for all that I have gone through and how God has chosen me for the awesome task of spreading the good news. Jesus Lives, Jesus Saves, Jesus is the Way! I have learned to live in the moment, day by day and if anxiety or fear find their way to my door, all I need to say is: God, I love You and I need you, come into my heart please.

I have learned step by step how to live my life God focused, from God Himself, through His word, the Bible and that I am loved, me, Mary A. Faher, felon along with a whole list of sins. I have to admit that my biggest sin was pride. I thought that I was smart enough and capable of leading my own life…thank you very much. I admit to being strong willed and while I loved God, I didn’t think I needed Jesus to be the go between for my prayers to God. I had learned in Sunday school that Jesus was love, but somewhere along the journey I became self-centered, not Christ-centered.

I realize now that God had been trying to get my attention for a long time and I was too busy doing ME that I didn’t hear Him or maybe on some level I didn’t want to hear Him. I have been blessed beyond, God has shown me His Mercy and Grace. I want to thank each of you for your patience, prayers, and your faith in me, not to give up, there was a purpose for going to prison, I am so grateful for each and every one of you:

To my Son and his wife, Ian and Elizabeth for being patient with me when I couldn’t understand something, for always being available when I needed them. And of course, the huge task of liquidating everything I owned.

My step-father, James Stephens who never gave up on me and continued to visit me and feed me candy and pop. I began to call him, my sugar daddy. God blessed us in that we were able to find each other and love each other.

My best friend, Jan Johnson, that always encouraged me, loved me and accepted me just the way I am. My life would not be complete without her.

My friend, Jennifer Glazer that never stopped sending me uplifting pictures and cards. Keeping me focused on when I would be free.

My friend, Ingrid Doerksen, who sent me the entire series, The Outlander, which made the days go by faster, but most importantly I began to see that men could be gentlemen and trustworthy, at least in fiction. In addition to all that, the magazine Happiness was enjoyed by not only me, but other inmates as well.

My animal lover, Kathryn Bury for taking in my dog Buddha. I am so grateful to her for opening up her home to him and loving him like he was her own.

My Grateful Dead buddy, Bruce Blaha who took of my cats, Tia and Lil Bob, literally saving them from the pound.

My prayer friend, Brenda Davis for her amusing letters and the prayer group she was in, praying for me.

It really has taken a village to keep me focused and taking each day one by one. The light of my family and friends, helped to keep the darkness at bay. I am so blessed…

To Moms in Prayer for giving me the Henry Morris Study Bible that was the key to opening the door for the intimate relationship I now have with God living in peace and joy.

And all of the members of my support group, THE CEMENT BENCH, on Facebook, for keeping it going in my absence with membership up to over 11,000 when I finally was released. And to all others who have prayed and sent blessings.

And to:

Those that follow Jesus’ LIGHT and those that don’t, afraid to either start or begin anew. Those that have lost Hope.

All of those who are seeking an intimate relationship with God, who desire to know what it is to be truly alive, living in peace and joy.

DEDICATION

40518.png

I dedicate this book to Mrs. Dorothy Knowlton, my early Sunday School teacher, who taught me that I might be the only Bible someone would ever read, whose kindness and compassion will be with me forever.

Living Before the World

Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul, having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation.

- 1 Peter 2:11-12 NKJV

You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.

- 2 Corinthians 3:1-11 NKJV

For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

- Galatians 3:26-27

This true story is important, it’s the journey of a prisoner, a slave to sin, coming to God and accepting His Son, Jesus Christ as her Lord, Redeemer and Savior. He was the sinless lamb sacrificed for us so that our sins would be washed away by His blood.

It is a story that other believers can understand, live for and be strengthened. This book is about sharing His amazing love with others. I, as the author, am not important. Before my redemption, I would have never been able to make that statement. Pride would have blinded me from the truth and arrogance would have poisoned this entire book, and it is that arrogance that poisons our futures. In John 3:30, John the Baptist said, He must become greater; we must become lesser.

Make no mistake, all Glory is to be given to God the Father who is waiting…waiting for all of us to be united.

Dear Heavenly Father, help me to become Your humble servant so that I might see You and understand you more fully. Lord help me to live with You as my top priority in my life. Lord I ask, let it be about you and not about me. In Jesus’ name … Amen

No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

- Hebrews 12:11

INTRODUCTION

40520.png

Life is not about the destination, it is about the journey. We have all heard this, but what does it mean? Each journey is as different as there are people on the planet. I like to think that mine is unique, however, I have been humbled enough to understand that each of us are born and we die and there are many similarities in between that we share. In writing this book, I wanted to share my experience so that someone who can relate can understand that nothing in life can happen to you that you can’t still go on to live the best part of your life. In my case, after the darkness, I am now living the best of my life, living my greatest desire which is to have an intimate and loving relationship with our Father, our Lord Jesus Christ.

From the beginning of my journey, in incarceration, I felt God’s presence and a hunger to know His word and find peace and joy that only He could give me. I had no idea of the many blessings that I would receive, it was beyond any expectations that I could have had.

I started writing this book shortly after my arrival at the Huron Valley Correctional Facility, Ypsilanti, Michigan. I was broken, anxious, angry, at times disoriented and on the verge of giving up all hope and death seeming to be the answer for ridding myself of the pain. I have always thought of myself as a strong woman and this woman was shattered.

I hope that you can see and feel the transition and redemption that I went through, resulting with this strong woman, even stronger, peaceful, more focused, and so grateful to have gone through this chapter of my life. Yes, I am grateful that I went to prison. It was a gift from our loving Father, God to get my attention and in doing so, gave me the desire of my heart, a life of intimacy with my first love, Jesus. I live a life of complete joy, peace, truth, light and love. God has blessed me, indeed.

CHAPTER 1

BEYOND THE BLINDING BARBED WIRE

40522.png

For I have heard the slander of many: fear was on every side: while they took counsel together against me, they devised to take away my life.

But I trusted in thee, O Lord: I said, Thou art my God. My times are in thy hand: deliver me from the hand of mine enemies, and from them that persecute me. Make thy face to shine upon thy servant: save me for thy mercies sake.

– Psalm 31:13-14

O Lord my God, in you I put my trust; save me from all those who persecute me; and deliver me lest they tear me like a lion, rending me in pieces, while there is none to deliver.

O Lord my God, if I have done this: if there is iniquity in my hands, if I have repaid evil to him who was at peace with me, or have plundered my enemy without cause, let the enemy pursue me and overtake me; yes, let him trample my life to the earth, and lay my honor in the dust.

- Psalm 7:1-5 NKJV

Sitting in the back of a Berrien County Sheriff’s Department SUV, with my eyes closed trying to block out what was happening to me. I was aware of the sun shining in between the clouds, just like in the movies, the sky is fast forwarding, bringing me closer to my destination, my home for the next 23 months to 10 years, all depending on my good behavior.

I was riding out with a woman from a community close to mine. She told me this wasn’t her first rodeo, that she was a (PV) parole violator, having caught a new case while she was still on parole. My mind was reeling trying to grasp the prison lingo. She was going on about what I should expect once we got there. I was trying to pay attention, but my racing mind wouldn’t focus. My brain had been shutting down ever since I was sentenced and housed in the County jail until MDOC (Michigan Department of Corrections) was ready for me. After a while it just became noise and I tuned it out. I knew that she had meant well, but I hadn’t asked for it and all I really wanted was silence. The two officers in the front seat, in front of the iron grid were quiet, speaking sporadicly and I could hear the murmur of the radio. There wasn’t anything that anyone could have said to me that would have prepared me for what I was going to encounter.

As the ride brought me closer to my destination, my hands were becoming numb because the manacles were too tight. They were attached to a waist chain causing further restriction of movement, resulting in pain and stiffness. I just closed my eyes trying to block out the fear and the anger I felt, because of betrayal. Betrayed by the men, that I had worked for and believed and by the judicial system.

I felt the slowing down of the vehicle and heard the clicking of the turn signal, announcing that our arrival was coming sooner than I thought. It appeared that we were in a residential area with the houses sparsely spaced and then, there it was…the sign welcoming us to Women’s Huron Valley Correctional Facility in Ypsilanti, MI. I had never been to Ypsilanti and God willing, would never be again after serving my sentence.

As we turned into the drive, the sun was shining brightly in the cloudless sky. I found myself squinting and the barbed wire and fence were shining like diamonds, like snow on a cold bright winter’s morning. The fence was on both sides of the driveway and enveloped the entire compound. I felt sick to my stomach, like I needed to vomit. It wasn’t the height or the length of the fence, it was the coiled barbed wire that was on top of the fence and also the coils at ground level lining the fence. It felt surreal to me as if I were part of a prison movie.