Freed from the Prison Bars

by Alex Reece and Bink Spencer
(Angola, IN)

-----This poem was written about a Christian youth camp, Camp Indogan, where a friend of mine, Bink, and I attended and were inspired to write this poem.-----

Of common mind, of common place,
Of common life, or common grace,
Of common God who reigns above,
Of common endless Christian love,

Of common struggles and temptations,
Of common Christian confrontations,
Of common guilt and common blame,
Of common pureness just the same.


A place where smiles, laughs and kindness
Are shared with friends of common rightness.
A place where battling sisters and brothers
Can lay down their swords and lean on each other.

A week of peace, no outward exposure,
Just strengthened hearts of Christian soldiers.
A week of calloused hands and minds
Just lovingly sheltered in the hands most divine

Chirping birds and whipping winds seem to be my lullaby,
As voices lift in harmony under that clear-blue sky.
Freed from a world where sinful temptations seem to be my prison bars.
To bow at the feet of my loving savior with His humble, wrist-bound scars.

An army marching side by side with a self-sacrificial leader,
Forges on with undeniable pride in a camp of swaying cedars.
This humble place of simplicity has suddenly become my home,
Smiling beside my brothers and sisters, I know I'm never alone.

As we gather hand in hand our stories intertwine,
A circle of young believers, now part of each others' lives,
Because the truth is you and I aren't all that different.
Lost in the same direction as every other Christian.

Don't let your sins and struggles get you down.
Jesus knew you were worth dying for before you were around.
But every time you're feeling weak, just fall back to your knees.
Remember the campfire songs, and God will hand you the key.

Open up those prison bars and let Him in again,
Live every day of your life like you're at Camp Indogan.
Be a blessing to everyone you can and never judge a stranger.
Let your heart be led by the Voice of the Savior!

A smiling face, some loving grace, and a bond that says the word "always."
Some new found friends, even though we've sinned, in the place where we are all freed.
Freed from our fears, freed from our tears, freed from our constant sorrow,
To find a world of our Father, behind the glistening water, with a common zeal for tomorrow.

A place with smiles, a place with miles of joy, and fun and laughter,
A place of family, where they will stand by me, happily ever after.
Where we finally belong, in heavenly song, next to each sister and brother,
In this camp alone, this camp we call home, we find the love of "Each Other."