Over the last couple of weeks, the jail ministry has really begun to take off. Naturally, I’m doing everything in my power to still proceed with caution and there are some men that I just walk away from, but for the most part, we have a lot to celebrate. Last month, we were walking out of the jail and one of the prison guards really caught my attention. I drove home and couldn’t get him out of my mind, so I knew I needed to talk with him the next day. I told my company about him and how I felt like the guards were left out most of the time. Here we are preaching and reaching out to the inmates all the time and leaving them with nothing. If we could reach them, then we would not only touch another life, but would have more brothers to help us out.
I approached the man the next day and asked him his name and he replied, “Pit Bull”. I asked him his real name and he just let me know that Pit Bull was all that I should call him. This confirmed all of my suspicions that the guards needed some outreach just as much as the prisoners. Unfortunately, I walked away from him because I had a lot of appointments for that day already and he wasn’t the warmest character, so I walked away.
A little over a month later, once Jodi returned, she told me she had the same burden. She approached Pit Bull that day and just laid out the Gospel for him and why we do what we do. He was so shocked to hear the story and just kept asking Jodi what she got out of it. Jodi reminded him over and over that it wasn’t about what we got, but it is all about what we can give. After-all, God gave us MORE than enough, so who are we to withhold?
She kept on telling him about the love of God and how we are used to just show His love and it’s not really about us. The conversation kept going and ended up with Pit Bull asking for a Bible and Jodi leaving him with a few questions to ponder. Honestly, at times I see the guards with a much tougher exterior than the prisoners. They are often much harder to reach than the prisoners, because at least the prisoners are experiencing brokenness while the guards still get to sit up on their pedestals. There hasn’t been some huge conversion experience with Pit Bull yet, but it’s coming. God is sparking something inside those walls and no one can hide from the light…
