Free on the Inside: Finding God Behind Bars - Paperback

by Greta Ronningen (Author)

Free On the Inside is a spiritual classic. Written from a deep Christian faith and a passionate love for Jesus, it offers hope and concrete guidance for how to survive a season of incarceration with your soul not only preserved but transformed. This book describes how a prison cell can become a monastic cell, how imprisonment can be a time of spiritual rehabilitation, and how those who are incarcerated have a sacred lineage with prisoners in the Bible who found God within their captivity. Sr. Greta Ronningen offers a spiritual path for those imprisoned. She shows how the traumatic roots of destructive behavior can be healed; how wrongs can be forgiven; how broken relationships can be restored; and how prayer and spiritual practice can transform a prison sentence into an encounter with God. With Sr. Greta's compassionate heart and skillful guidance, one can discover how even jails are holy ground.

Author Biography

Sister Greta Ronningen is a monk and founding member of Community of Divine Love, an Episcopal monastery in the Benedictine tradition. Originally from Kalamazoo, Michigan, she spent much of her youth in Albuquerque, New Mexico. She holds a master's degree in Spiritual Formation from Claremont School of Theology. Sr. Greta is a chaplain in the Los Angeles County Jails and Juvenile Halls as well as Senior Episcopal Chaplain at CRDF, the adult women's jail facility. She is also the co-director of PRISM Restorative Justice, a ministry outreach of the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles. A yoga teacher with over 35 years' experience, she co-founded Yoga Works in 1986. Sr. Greta is a spiritual director, writer, public speaker and retreat leader.