Participants: Shelley Quinn (Host), Wyatt Allen, Brian Hamilton
Series Code: IAA
Program Code: IAA000479A
|
00:01 On our last two programs we've been talking about
00:03 prison ministry 00:04 and how churches can share 00:07 the unsearchable riches of Christ with prisoners. 00:11 Today, what we'd like to do is talk about 00:14 what do you do when a prisoner shows up 00:16 at your church doors? 00:18 Join us on Issues and Answers. 00:51 Hello, I'm Shelley Quinn, 00:52 and we welcome you once again to Issues & Answers. 00:55 We've been so blessed over the past couple of weeks 00:57 as we have spoken with Wyatt Allen, who, 01:00 the Lord had an amazing thing in this young man's life, 01:04 took him from crime to Christ 01:06 and He's using him in a mighty way. 01:09 So we've been talking about prison ministries 01:12 but we have another special guest joining us today, 01:14 Wyatt's back but we've got someone else, 01:17 we wanna talk to you about 01:19 "What do you do when a prisoner shows up 01:22 on your church door steps?" 01:24 So let me introduce our special guest 01:26 and Brian Hamilton, 01:28 you are not a stranger to anyone 01:30 who watches 3ABN with frequency. 01:33 Yeah. 01:34 Let's say you are the Chief Financial Officer for 3ABN 01:38 and you're also the Director of our prison ministries. 01:41 Give us just a short synopsis 01:43 of what 3ABN's prison ministry is about. 01:46 Okay. 01:48 Here locally, we have a team of people 01:52 from our local area churches 01:55 that minister in three different prisons, 01:57 we have one federal one in Marion that we minister to 02:01 and two Illinois state prisons, 02:05 then 3ABN also has a department, 02:08 they correspond with inmates 02:11 and we share Christian literature with them 02:15 as well as Bibles 02:18 and just letters of encouragement. 02:21 Oftentimes, an inmate will learn about us 02:24 because they see our programming on television 02:27 in their facility. 02:28 Yeah, we are in a lot of facilities, 02:31 most recently we found out, even Guantanamo Bay. 02:34 Yes, I know, 02:35 that was exciting to learn that. 02:37 Yeah, that was. 02:38 We were some place we never knew we were at. 02:39 Yes, amen. 02:41 And just recently, 02:42 we just started airing in prison in Las Cruces, 02:46 New Mexico. 02:48 And I had the privilege of going with Dan Peek, 02:50 one of our engineers to that facility and help, 02:53 you know, set it up and that was fun. 02:55 That was a neat experience to see. 02:58 Yeah, that is exciting. 02:59 Well, and our other guest returning, 03:01 now for the third week in a row is Wyatt Allen. 03:04 Wyatt is an evangelist for Amazing Facts and, Wyatt, 03:10 it's your story we've been talking about, 03:12 'From Crime to Christ.' 03:13 He's also the author of an incredible book, 03:16 one that I highly recommend for reading of anyone 03:20 but what a special blessing 03:22 it would be to make certain every prisoner 03:25 you're ministering to, 03:26 gets a copy of this book called 03:28 "Least of The Least, From Crime to Christ." 03:32 It is all about Wyatt's story and how he, in prison, 03:36 the Lord helped him redeem his time 03:39 and this book is... 03:41 It's interesting how you wrote it, Wyatt, 03:43 because we have 03:45 all of the 28 fundamentals intertwined in this 03:48 but it was as your discovery... 03:51 Right. 03:53 You know, as you discovered these various things 03:54 from time to time and what they meant to you. 03:56 Beautiful work. 03:58 Well, gentlemen, 03:59 we're just really excited to have you both here 04:01 'cause we've got a lot to talk about but, Brian, 04:04 we've heard Ryan's testimony. 04:07 Tell us how you who pastored for so many years 04:11 and then you were a Conference treasurer, 04:13 you became the Chief Financial Officer for 3ABN, 04:18 you hadn't done prison ministry during any of those times. 04:21 How did you get interested in prison ministry? 04:26 Okay, about six and half years ago, 04:28 we received a phone call one evening after work 04:32 and that phone call was sort of, 04:35 defining moment in our life, in our family's life 04:38 and the life of our elder son 04:41 and that phone call was to tell us 04:44 that he was arrested 04:47 and was being charged for murder. 04:49 In fact, first degree murder, that was shocking to us. 04:54 Never had a ticket, never been in a game, 04:56 never used drugs or alcohol 04:59 and I can't explain why it happened, 05:04 I just know he was involved in a very tragic situation... 05:07 Yes. 05:08 And so through that journey with him, 05:13 in that experience and what he had to go through, 05:16 it opened ourselves to a whole new world 05:20 dealing with law enforcement and judicial systems 05:24 and all of these type of things, 05:26 it's not a user-friendly world. 05:27 Yes. 05:28 But in the process of being introduced 05:30 to that whole new world, 05:33 we also had our eyes opened 05:35 to a whole new possibility of ministry. 05:38 Amen. 05:39 Because as I look into the eyes of inmates now, 05:42 I do every week, as I look into their faces 05:45 and look into their eyes, I see my son. 05:48 Amen. Amen. 05:49 Okay? And I know how I love my son. 05:51 Yes. 05:53 And so then I translate that same care, 05:56 that same love for those young men 05:59 that we meet every week. 06:01 Amen, and I have to say 06:03 and I'm not saying this to lift you up 06:04 but to lift up Jesus, is that, 06:09 you and your precious wife, Diane... 06:11 Yeah. 06:12 Demonstrated the grace of God, you were so inspiring 06:15 as you went through this 06:17 because we know it was for no better, 06:20 for lack of any other way to express that 06:22 it was a kick in the gut to you. 06:24 Yeah. 06:25 But you went through the whole experience 06:29 with transparency, 06:31 you were holding on to the Lord, 06:34 you never lost faith in the Lord. 06:36 As a matter of fact, you drew closer to one another 06:39 and closer to God and it was just 06:41 so inspiring to watch you go through this 06:44 and then to see how now you look at your son, 06:48 he has since turned his life totally over to the Lord... 06:51 Yes. 06:52 And you look upon him as though he were a missionary, 06:56 he got in a mission field... 06:58 Right. 06:59 And it's just very inspiring so... 07:01 Amen. 07:02 But now let me ask you, gentlemen, you know, 07:04 just whoever wants to kick this thing off. 07:07 We've been talking about prison ministry, 07:11 what do you do, 07:14 how does the church prepare or how does an inmate prepare, 07:17 maybe, for release? 07:18 How do we prepare for the day 07:21 that someone shows up on our door step, 07:23 they've just been released? 07:25 How do we treat the newly released prisoner? 07:30 Well, I think the preparation should begin long before 07:33 the inmate ever gets out and, you know, for me, 07:38 the moment I realized that one day 07:39 I'm gonna have a parole hearing 07:41 and I may possibly can get out of prison, 07:43 then I'm thinking, "Wow! 07:44 What am I gonna do when I get out?" 07:46 And so I think the preparation first has to start 07:49 with the proactive decisions of an inmate 07:52 who knows they'll be released. 07:54 Now there are some that won't be 07:55 getting out of prison 07:57 and they still have a ministry inside for them. 08:00 But I just wanna say, prison ministry, 08:03 it's a very broad but one of the least focused 08:07 and parts of prison ministry is that 08:08 the helping of the inmate to get out, 08:11 to help them get established into the society 08:14 and to be a productive citizen, to be a good neighbor 08:17 and obviously, a good Christian. 08:20 But there's a lot of dynamics that go into that 08:22 and getting involved in that local church, 08:24 that can be sticky 08:25 depending on the kind of crime the inmate was involved with. 08:29 But I guess, I can speak from my experience 08:31 on the preparation side of an inmate 08:35 and, you know, there it's a big world 08:39 and I got locked up at 15, 08:41 so I never had my driving license 08:42 until I got out. 08:43 But that's not the story for most 08:45 and so the preparation of getting out, 08:47 you just have to decide 08:50 that I'm no longer gonna be the person I was before, 08:54 you need to understand the importance of connecting 08:56 with that local church, 08:57 connecting with the spiritual leadership 08:59 at that church. 09:01 Meanwhile, stay humble enough and teachable enough 09:04 to let them help you 09:06 and but on the practical side of things, 09:09 learning all about finances, how to balance a check book 09:12 and get your education if you don't have your GED 09:15 because getting a job, 09:16 you know, that's gonna be so necessary. 09:19 Getting any practical skills, what I did was, 09:22 I studied at the library a lot 09:25 and I kept up to date with the magazines 09:27 and scriptures they had. 09:28 So I knew about new technology, 09:31 I didn't know how to use a cell phone 09:32 but I knew that cell phones were out there 09:35 and that pretty much without one, 09:38 you're gonna be behind times. 09:40 And so I tried to stay up to date on the new technology 09:43 and I think just the little things like that, 09:45 better prepared me for just the reality of life. 09:48 Did you know what church you would be coming, 09:50 what you would be attending, 09:52 I mean, was there something 09:53 that you had talked with the pastor 09:54 before you got out? 09:56 Well, sort of, here's the thing. 09:59 The church that assisted me, 10:01 they have a very strong established prison ministries, 10:03 by that I mean, there's about four, five people 10:05 in that church, they'd love it. 10:07 And that's about it. 10:08 But what happens is 10:10 they really liked, they go in and visit 10:13 but they also wanna help people get established 10:15 when they come out, 10:16 but before me, several people got out 10:19 and they ended up either going back to drugs 10:21 or stealing car for the person that they were helping out 10:23 or just, they even kind of got burned a few times. 10:27 And so whenever, it was my turn to get out, 10:29 the church was like, you know what? 10:31 We've helped some people out 10:32 and it hasn't turned out too good 10:33 and so they were really reluctant. 10:35 But the advantage that I had was that brother Doug Graybill 10:39 and I'm gonna put his name out there, 10:40 he's a saint, let me tell you. 10:41 He went on the line for me, he says, 10:45 "Look, I've been coming into this prison system for like, 10:47 more than 10 years helping this guy out 10:49 and I've got to know him pretty good. 10:51 I think we can work with him." 10:52 And I'm so thankful he did that 10:54 because when I got out of prison, 10:55 the church, it kind of adopted me 10:58 and this is the church, I never walked into 11:00 a Seventh-day Adventist church before, 11:02 I became an Adventist when I locked up. 11:03 Right, you went from being a Satanist... 11:05 You got it right away. To a Christian. 11:07 So Brian, when the release has come, 11:13 how important is it 11:15 that the church knows what the crime was 11:19 and is there a difference in the way for example, 11:23 if someone was in for armed robbery 11:26 or if someone was in for, maybe they are petafile 11:29 or have done some kind of a, committed a sexual crime, 11:32 in my mind, there would certainly be a difference 11:35 in the way the church received him 11:37 or may be not received is the wrong word, 11:40 you should receive him 11:41 but how you process them... Process them... 11:43 And manage that, yeah? And manage them, yes. 11:49 If a church hasn't been involved in prison ministry 11:52 and all of a sudden someone shows up on their door, 11:55 that's been recent released and the news gets out. 11:58 The first thing you have to deal with is fear 12:02 because people are afraid of anyone 12:05 who has been an inmate and committed a felony. 12:08 Doesn't matter what kind of felony, 12:11 and there are certain ones, of course, 12:12 are worse than others in our minds, 12:15 so that's where I think a pastor can help, 12:19 church members even before an inmate would show up 12:23 by preaching a few sermons about the subject 12:27 and how you would deal with someone 12:30 and it would be a nice advantage 12:32 if the church knew ahead of time 12:33 that so and so is gonna be released 12:35 and they'd like to come to church here 12:37 and they've asked to come to church here. 12:39 The pastor can prepare 12:41 the church members ahead of time 12:44 with how to relate to someone who has committed a crime 12:49 and now has served their time 12:51 and wants to come and be a part of the family. 12:53 So I think that's, dealing with fear is the first, 12:56 you know, important thing, then the nature of the crime. 13:02 I remember, as a secretary at one of our conferences, 13:06 I had to go and help a church through a situation 13:10 where a sex offender had come 13:13 and started attending their local church 13:16 and because of the nature of the crime, 13:20 it happened to be one committed against young people, 13:24 they were quite concerned about his attending in their midst 13:30 because they have children in church 13:31 and they don't wanna see any children hurt 13:33 but at the same time, 13:34 they did want to minister to the inmate 13:37 and they want to welcome him. 13:38 So how did you relate to that? 13:40 Yeah. 13:41 What we did is 13:44 we met with the board and the elders 13:49 and discussed, what kind of accountability did we feel 13:53 that we should have in place for this inmate 13:57 for the church's protection as well as his protection? 14:01 Because, you know, you could be wrongly accused 14:04 by someone who's afraid of you, 14:06 you could be wrongly accused and be right back in again... 14:09 That's excellent point. 14:10 You know, and so it's a protection for both parties. 14:13 That's right. 14:15 We determined in that particular case that 14:18 that young man should not be involved 14:21 in any kind of youth activities. 14:23 No path finders, no Sabbath school, you know, 14:27 departments running at that time. 14:28 If he wanted to be a part of ministry in the church 14:31 and needed to be in the area where there was adults. 14:34 That's right. Okay. 14:35 We also felt that it was important 14:37 that we had someone as, sort of, his buddy 14:42 that when he came to church, that person would be with him. 14:46 And when he went to the bathroom or places, 14:49 they just were his friend and were with him 14:53 and that way, that would be accountability. 14:57 Now sadly in this particular case, 15:00 the young man didn't wanna agree to that, 15:02 he didn't feel forgiven unless we opened all doors to him 15:06 and that was sad. 15:08 And that's what you talked 15:09 about an inmate needs to be prepared 15:11 before he comes to church as to what his role. 15:14 Well, I have seen both sides of that coin. 15:17 I have seen that like you said, they just have all, 15:19 "Fine, if that's the way the church is gonna treat me, 15:20 I don't want to be a part of it." 15:21 I know another brother, also a sex offender 15:23 says you know what? 15:25 "I committed the crime." 15:26 I realize this is the responsible thing 15:28 for a church to do and like you said, 15:30 it's also a protection for them from any false accusations 15:34 and so there's a level of humility 15:36 is gonna come with that and for a sex crime, 15:37 there's an extra level of humility 15:39 but listen, this is where God wants you to grow 15:42 and following those restrictions, 15:45 it's common sense, it's correct 15:48 and it's good for the parents all around, 15:50 it's a good decision for a church to make. 15:52 Yes, and I know... 15:53 And a church should by the way make the, 15:54 have this plan in effect already, 15:56 they should be already discussing that. 15:57 Absolutely. 15:59 This should be part of understanding 16:02 the rules and regulations that are laid out. 16:05 I know a man who, when he was released for a sex offence, 16:10 he talked with a pastor and he said, 16:12 "I won't even join the church till you let me 16:14 share my testimony from the front, 16:16 'cause I want to know everybody, 16:18 I want everybody to know I'm not trying to hide anything." 16:21 And he specifically asked for a partner 16:24 for his own protection. 16:26 He said, "I don't want to go off to the bathroom 16:28 and then somebody has accused me wrongly." 16:30 Yeah. But I think that's very smart. 16:33 I can also just speak very briefly, my sister's church, 16:38 it was a non denominational church 16:40 and the pastor had the idea 16:43 that if you treated someone as such 16:47 you were denigrating the power of Christ, 16:52 the grace of Christ to transform them, 16:55 so they will come to a sex offender 17:00 when he was released into their congregation, 17:02 he was there for two years and they actually assigned him, 17:06 he volunteered and they accepted 17:08 and assigned him to run the bus to pick up kids 17:14 for their Sunday school or their Vacation Bible school 17:21 and he molested a six-year-old girl. 17:25 And, you know, this is something that 17:27 I don't think that, 17:30 I think that it's dangerous to put someone, 17:34 if you're an alcoholic, you know, 17:36 it's not the best idea for you to go to work at a bar. 17:38 That's right. Right. Yeah. 17:40 You know, you're putting yourself in a place that, 17:43 our natures, you know, 17:45 we've got to surrender to Christ daily 17:48 and that old sin nature can rear its ugly head. 17:51 So if you know where your weakness is, 17:53 then you don't go and take part on in an area 17:55 where you know your weakness has been. 17:56 Exactly, exactly. 17:58 You know, that's just and it's important 18:00 that an inmate, before they come out, 18:03 understand that about themselves. 18:06 Yes, the Lord has forgiven. 18:07 He's gonna give you power to overcome that 18:10 but you don't put yourself, that's presumption 18:12 to put yourself back into a space 18:15 where you have been weak in the past, don't do that, 18:18 instead be like Joseph and Ryan. 18:20 Yes. You see, and so... 18:25 The church is not perfect. 18:27 You have people that are unconverted 18:28 in the church unfortunately. 18:30 And we can only take somebody at face value. 18:33 We don't know people's hearts, 18:35 the Bible says, we judge by appearance, 18:36 we don't know the heart 18:37 and because we don't know the heart 18:39 we've got to judge by the fruit. 18:40 Right. 18:42 And until you establish a trust relationship, you know, 18:45 you've got to do the best, if you're a pastor, 18:48 you have a huge responsibility to take care of that flock. 18:52 Jesus has some very strong words to say about those 18:54 who herd the little sheep, 18:55 and so it's prudent and it's wise 18:58 and I think it's Christian to put in those guidelines 19:02 and those protections. 19:03 Let's take a different example. 19:05 Let's take someone 19:06 who has either been alcoholic or heavily involved in drugs. 19:09 Right. 19:11 Okay, and now they're out, 19:12 they have been clean all this time 19:14 while they have been in prison 19:16 because it isn't available, 19:18 I'm not saying it's totally unavailable but in other words, 19:22 they've had a sheltered environment, 19:23 now they're back out and they've got their freedom 19:26 and how are they gonna handle themselves 19:29 in this new situation? 19:30 And they come to your church, seems like, 19:33 if you love that person 19:35 and you want them be a part of your family, 19:37 you'll say now, how can we support this 19:40 young man or this young woman 19:42 in this new second chance of life and freedom 19:47 and help support them 19:49 so that they won't fall back into it again? 19:51 No. 19:52 So can you start a support group 19:56 that they can come to 19:58 and be a part of 19:59 and they'd have a wonderful testimony 20:01 and they could actually lead or help lead out in it 20:04 because they've gone through this journey 20:07 that maybe some of us haven't, 20:08 you know, maybe someone needs to say, 20:13 "Hey, I want to take this person on as, sort of, 20:18 they're gonna be my special friend," 20:20 and when they have an urge or a temptation, 20:24 I want them to be able to call me, 20:26 it doesn't matter what time of day, call me... 20:29 Accountability. 20:30 Yeah, accountability partner, 20:33 and they can tell me what they're going through 20:35 and if it means I have to get up in the middle of night 20:38 and drive out and we go spend time together, 20:40 we will do that... 20:42 Amen. So that you won't fall back in. 20:44 So a church needs to look at each case individually and say, 20:48 "Okay, how can we best support this individual 20:53 so that they have a success in their second chance, 20:56 you know, of life?" 20:57 And, you know, that's so critical 20:59 because being clean and sober 21:01 no matter how long you've been clean and sober 21:04 means you have, as Cheri Peter says, 21:07 "It's one half of the first step." 21:10 You know, it's kind of like you've clipped the fruit 21:12 but it doesn't mean you've gotten to the root issues 21:14 so when someone comes out, there may still be the pain, 21:18 that they were trying to numb through drugs 21:21 and they're gonna face other pains 21:23 if they haven't learned the coping skills 21:25 they need to be taken through. 21:28 A good program would be, Cheri Peters has, 21:31 it's Celebrating Life in Recovery, 21:33 a program that we're actually running at our church 21:37 and giving it, 21:40 I don't know if, are we doing in that church at, 21:43 I think it is... 21:44 No, it's at the Maranatha Center, 21:46 it's town in West Frankfort. 21:47 Okay, okay, and it's open to the public, 21:48 so something like that would be an incredible thing. 21:51 What are you gonna say, Wyatt? 21:52 No, I was just agreeing with you that, you know, 21:55 the more that a church can do to prepare, 21:59 I mean, definitely, 22:02 there are tons of programs that the church can do to setup 22:06 to prepare for the inmates to come out, 22:08 that's why it's so important that the inmate get in touch 22:11 with those churches as early as possible, 22:12 so they know their needs, 22:14 so they know what kind of support group 22:15 they're gonna need, 22:16 that they can already develop relationships 22:18 and accountability partners the day they walk out. 22:20 Amen. 22:23 Also the attitude a church will take 22:26 as they receive these persons. 22:30 They are afraid that they're not gonna be accepted, 22:35 they are like the leper coming to Jesus 22:38 and the crowd, you know, 22:39 kicked them away and tried to keep him from coming 22:42 and Jesus was open to the leper coming. 22:46 Well, these are lepers as it were, 22:49 society is lepers 22:51 and so how are you going to treat this person. 22:54 Are they gonna feel welcome? 22:56 Are they gonna feel accepted? 22:58 What can you do to let them know 23:01 that you love them, 23:02 that you care about them, that, you know, 23:05 they're important in the life of the church, 23:08 they're like one of us now. 23:10 The attitude the church take towards that person 23:13 make all the difference in the world. 23:15 Absolutely, and let me just, 23:17 it brings me to my favorite scripture which is first, 23:21 I've always said I've got so many favorites 23:22 but I do believe this has become my favorite, 23:25 it's I Thessalonians 3:12, 13, 23:28 where Paul prays and says, 23:29 "May the Lord cause you 23:32 to abound and increase in love," 23:36 and then he says, "Why? 23:38 So that your hearts may be, 23:44 He may establish your hearts blameless, in holiness 23:47 before our God and Father 23:49 at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." 23:50 Amen. 23:52 So the more we grow in love, 23:53 the more we grow in holiness 23:55 and this is what God would have us to do, 23:57 we cannot shun the one out of fear, you know, 24:00 perfect love drives out fear. 24:02 So we need to reach out, 24:04 it is I think that's the most important thing 24:07 is how they're received, 24:09 if they're made to feel welcome, 24:10 if they're made to feel 24:12 that they're not being judged 24:15 because, you know, this is something you said 24:17 in prison ministry, so it's important that, well, 24:20 it touched your heart is when people came in and said, 24:23 "But for the grace of God, I could be in the same spot." 24:25 Yes. 24:27 But, you know, also whenever they get out, 24:28 I remember my first day 24:30 walking into an Adventist church, 24:32 I felt everybody in the church knew exactly 24:34 what I was in and they didn't, 24:36 but I felt they did know, 24:38 same thing I walk in the Walmart, 24:39 I felt the same thing like everybody knew my, 24:41 where I just spent 14 years. 24:43 Like you had a big F, a felon on your forehead. 24:45 Oh, I felt that it was heavy upon me 24:47 and it wasn't until I just felt that overwhelming love 24:50 that that church hugging you if you will, 24:53 that I was actually able to really get on with life 24:56 and start making it a success. 24:58 But now you may, go ahead, I'm sorry. 24:59 You had a point? 25:00 Shelley, this program will air in prisons. 25:04 Yes. Okay. 25:05 And so I would be speaking to an inmate right now, 25:10 say you do get out 25:11 and you start attending a church 25:13 and you don't feel welcome at that church. 25:18 Not every church is prepared to receive you, 25:21 I want you to understand that, 25:22 just because we're all humans 25:24 and some because of their fear or whatever aren't prepared 25:27 but there will be a church that will receive you... 25:30 Amen. 25:32 And I've counseled with more than one inmate 25:34 where they went to one church and they were loved 25:37 but then they moved to another state 25:39 and went to another church 25:41 and it was a totally different experience, 25:43 it was a sad experience. 25:45 But I tried to help that inmate understand 25:47 that this church is just not ready for you. 25:49 They're God's people, you know, 25:51 but they're just not ready. 25:53 So let's look for a different one 25:56 and God will have a church that is ready for you. 25:58 Amen, and, you know... So understand that. 26:00 I think that that could even be said 26:02 even if you weren't an inmate, 26:04 you may have walked into one church 26:08 and felt a loving atmosphere 26:10 and walked into another church 26:12 and felt like people weren't connecting, 26:14 so it speaks to the health and the condition 26:19 and the maturity of the church body itself. 26:22 So sometimes, that's probably a church that 26:25 has that kind of reception for someone who's been a felon, 26:30 the sad truth is they probably receive others 26:33 like that as well. 26:34 Yeah, Diane and I moved a lot in our life 26:37 and we've been to a lot of different churches 26:39 and we've had the same experience 26:41 and so we decided, okay, 26:43 if this church is cold toward us, hey, 26:47 we're gonna take it by storm... 26:48 Amen. 26:49 We're gonna love this church 26:51 and we're gonna love these people 26:52 and pretty soon guess what? 26:53 They found out that it wasn't bad being friendly 26:55 with the Hamiltons. 26:58 Amen. 26:59 So, Wyatt, did you have a final comment? 27:01 We've just got a minute left. 27:02 You know, I think finding a church 27:05 that is loving is everybody's goal 27:08 but sometimes you have to be that loving person yourself. 27:11 Like I said, a love of humility 27:13 but as they step into that and even work with a church, 27:17 you may be more spiritually mature 27:18 than some people in the church, 27:19 you know, grow where the Lord plants you 27:22 and God has a prison ministry for anybody in some perspect. 27:26 And, Brian, a closing thought. 27:28 Well, I hope that any church family 27:32 that has an opportunity to minister to inmate, 27:36 this is one of the most wonderful experiences 27:37 that you could have. 27:39 Amen. 27:40 And really grow out to church. 27:41 And we have seen that at our own home church 27:43 and it's been quite a joy. 27:45 Thank you, Brian, for joining us today. 27:47 We want you gentlemen to come back 27:48 and give us another... 27:52 To expand on this or expound on this a little bit more. 27:56 Thank you, Wyatt, for being here. 27:57 For those of you at home, 27:59 I know we've been giving you a lot. 28:01 Tune on and that's good. 28:03 I mean, 'cause that's where growth comes in. 28:05 For those of you who are watching us 28:07 from the prison systems, 28:10 we just want you to know we do look upon you 28:12 as our brothers and sisters in Christ. 28:14 We do pray for you on a daily basis 28:17 and we know God has a plan for your life. |
Revised 2017-01-12