That is exactly the challenge I was faced with in doing prison ministry for 30 years. In Kairos, we had a very structured program whose early talks were as follows. Choices. Are we acting intentionally or by instinct? When we act by instinct we get the natural result of that impulse. When we act intentionally, we have control over the outcome. You Are Not Alone. This second talk says that you are not alone and never have been. God has always been with you. Friendship With God. God wants to be your friend. He is not a punitive demanding father but someone who wants companionship with you. No matter what you have done, He wants you back. The Church. People who have found friendship with God gather together to share their experience and support one another. We called them the church. It is not a building, it is a people of love. Interspersed are verses of encouragement such as Isaiah 49: 15-16. (I will never forget you. I have carved your name in the palm of my hand.) This simple logical progression of acceptance, forgiveness and affirmation softens even the hardest heart in my experience. Many in prison came from horrible family relationships that were in many ways the primary cause of why they ended up where they did. The right message in the right order begins to reverse what they misunderstood and suffered their whole lives. God is not punitive. He is about love and relationship and value and respect for all. Everyone is to be treasured.