Sometimes God puts the right people directly in your path. Or in my case the big blue and white Ford Expedition SUV with the Fishmouse.com logo pasted on its body.

Earlier this week, while sitting at the Hope Cafe in Raleigh, NC, I looked up and saw the truck. No, the heavens did not open up nor did a dove descend, but my interest was piqued nonetheless.

Social Media

Immediately, I headed over to Fishmouse.com website to see what it was all about. I also kept my eye on the truck to see who its driver was and located his Twitter account (getFishmouse) to send a tweet and join up.

Within the hour I met Glenn Steers, the “brains” behind Fishmouse and asked him about his website. I learned that Fishmouse is being touted as a way for Christian small groups to stay connected. Perfect! My Monday morning men’s group could use it to keep track of our studies, share prayer requests and other related matters.

Special Invitation

Soon, I received an invite from Glenn and began to check out the site which is in alpha testing at the moment. In August 2010 Fishmouse will be open for public beta and will likely remain in that mode throughout 2011. New features will be added over time, current features tweaked, but you’ll be able to use Fishmouse just as you would Facebook.

FYI, Fishmouse isn’t trying to be the Christian version of Facebook — thank God! Your privacy will be protected and your small group will be limited to 30 members. In addition, you can only join five groups, thus the emphasis is on small group connectivity.

Interview Forthcoming

I’ve barely touched on all of the details because I’m just beginning to use the site myself. Glenn has promised to give WordJourney an interview, therefore I’ll save the meaty matters for that time.

In the meantime, enjoy the video supplied by Fishmouse and get ready to join what could be a blessing for the church universal.

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A recent U.S. Supreme Court decision involving the imprisonment of juvenile offenders is being hailed by Prison Fellowship. The Christian outreach program to the incarcerated, ex-inmates and their families, praised a court ruling forbidding states from passing life sentences without the possibility of parole for juveniles convicted of non-homicide offenses.

Historic Decision

“The high court’s historic decision is consistent with a long tradition of American jurisprudence that says young teenage offenders who have not committed homicide should be treated differently than adults,” said Mark Earley, Prison Fellowship president and former Virginia attorney general. “These are serious crimes that require incarceration, but these offenders are so young that there is a good chance they can turn their lives around, and we don’t want to rob them of hope of a better life.”

Justice Anthony Kennedy, writing for the court said, “Life without parole is the second most severe penalty permitted by law and is especially harsh for a juvenile offender, who will on average serve more years and a greater percentage of his life in prison than an adult offender.”

Amicus Brief

Prison Fellowship was one of several organizations who filed a friend of the court brief involving Terrance Graham, a then 16-year-old, convicted of committing armed burglary and other crimes. Five years ago, at the age of 17, Graham was sentenced by a Florida court to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. The Supreme Court ruled that the Graham case and others like it are unconstitutional when the crime does not involve murder.

Earley remarked that everyone has the capacity to be changed adding that the, “…Supreme Court decision gives young teenage offenders at least a chance to be rehabilitated and go on to live productive lives, rather than be locked up forever.”

Young Offenders

Kennedy noted that the 6-3 court decision does not guarantee eventual release for inmates incarcerated as juveniles, but opens up the possibility that they may be released at some point. According to the Nashua Telegraph, 2225 juvenile inmates have received life in prison without the possibility of parole, with most of those sentenced by the state of Florida court system.

At least 70 of the affected prisoners committed serious crimes when they were as young as 13 or 14, falling under the “cruel and unusual punishment” guarantee found in the Eight Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

Prison Fellowship was started by Chuck Colson and is known for a number of programs including Angel Tree, its year-round outreach to 1.7 million children whose fathers or mothers are behind bars.

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