Welcome to The New Journey, a
program about real life people,
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with real life
testimonies, doing real life
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ministry for Jesus Christ.
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I'm your host,
Pastor Marquis Johns.
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Join us on The New Journey.
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In this day and age most
business owners do their best
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to stay away from jail.
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But on today's show we
have someone who's going
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into the prison system.
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Ken Beach, tell us a little
bit about where you're from.
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I was born in South East
London, but my family is from
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Trinidad and Tobago in
the Southern Caribbean.
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And I came to the United
States to gain an education,
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secondary education, and
I've been here for in excess of
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twenty-five years
trying to follow that dream,
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and build a family, and
establish a life for myself.
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Now, when you say you're here
trying to establish a life for
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yourself, and following a dream,
tell us what is that dream,
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or what was that dream, and
how has that dream manifested
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itself in what
you're doing currently?
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We'll get into where
you're at, but how did that
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dream manifest itself?
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What are you currently doing?
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Who are you, and
where do you work?
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I'm one of a few owners
of an engineering consulting
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business in Indianapolis.
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And trying to build a business,
we started with five people.
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We're now in excess
of forty people. Uh huh.
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God has blessed us over
the course of a ten year
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tenure of this business.
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And that appears to be
the current business direction
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that I am heading.
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Okay, okay. I think God
may have other plans for me
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above and beyond just the
business, and He continues to
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open my eyes to more and more
as each passing year goes on.
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Okay, so here's this
kid, he comes from London,
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I mean Trinidad
by way of London,
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or London by way of Trinidad,
and you get to the states,
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and at an early age you have
this desire, because you wanted
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to further your education, you
said, and so as you're pursuing
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your education, where did the
desire for what you're currently
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doing? and we're going to get to
that, but where does that desire
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come from? what
you're currently doing?
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Not the business, but the
other thing that we'll talk
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about in a few moments?
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My salvation, and recognizing
the sacrifice was made for me,
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and then through my own personal
growth in Christ, recognizing
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that He expects
things of me. Right.
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I can't sit and suckle the
teat all the days of my life.
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I need to eat meat.
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I need to start doing as He's
commanded me, which is to go
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and make His Word known, beyond
just my own miniscule life.
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Okay, so most 17, 18, 19 year
old kids, they're not concerned
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about their salvation.
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They're out there;
they're having a good time.
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They're living life, and they're
saying, Hey, I've got time!
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I'll get back
to salvation later.
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What caused you, at an
early age, to be concerned with,
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and even take an active role in
pursuing this relationship with
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Christ, so that you could
make sure that you were saved?
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I would have to believe it's
that seed that's planted way
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down in the inside of
each and every one of us. Okay.
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I came up in a household
that wasn't particularly...
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That's what we're talking about.
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...pop practitioners
we sometimes called CME:
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Christians, Christian
Mother's Day, and Easter.
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But not even that much.
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It was weddings, and
funerals for the most part.
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And somehow, however, when I
was about eighteen years old,
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a still quiet voice was
calling to me telling me
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something was missing. Okay.
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And that's when I began my
search, and my quest for it.
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Okay, so tell us about the
steps that you began to take.
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Eighteen years old,
you hear the voice of God.
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What are the steps that you
began to take to close the gap
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between you and Him?
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What are those steps?
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Fortunately there were
people of faith in and around my
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community, and I was invited
to attend and to go to church,
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and to hear God's Word.
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And that, obviously,
the more you hear it,
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it can't come back
void, so it continues to grow,
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and to grow, and to
nurture, and to grow within you.
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And it took probably five
or six years until after I had
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moved to the United States of
America before I was converted,
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before I finally submitted
myself and accepted Christ
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as my Lord and Savior.
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Amen, amen. So now,
again, and I'm a person,
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I like to paint a picture.
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And I say that a
lot on this show,
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because we're on a journey.
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And I want to paint the picture,
and keep bringing the listeners,
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and the audience up to speed.
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So here's this kid; he
gets serious about Jesus,
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or somewhat serious about Jesus
around the age of eighteen.
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He starts and
embarks upon a journey
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that lasts about five years.
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Five years from then
where are you at that time?
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Where are you five years
from the day that you said,
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Okay, I hear You, Lord,
but I'm not really ready.
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Where are you five years later
when you finally decide, like,
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what has taken place between
eighteen, in that five years
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later period of time?
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I can't remember anything
specific that was consistent
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over the five year period.
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I just know that I had a
particular life of circumstance
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when I was in college that,
someone said, he said to me,
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Ken you need to
kneel in prayer on that.
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That's all they said to me,
and for some reason I knelt down
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and I prayed, and I got
up, having all faith that it
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was taken care of. Okay.
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And that, it's the work
that's through our faith that
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effectively brings
things into being. Right.
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And it was a fact that I got up
in faith, at age twenty-three,
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and all these things
were added unto me... Wow!
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...pressed down, shaken together
and overflowing; all of it.
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And it's a very long story, but
there's so many blessings that
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all that's catapulted.
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And the most important part of
the whole deal is when I called
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home to tell my family about
this sequence of things that had
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transpired to commit me
to God's purpose in my life,
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my mother informed me, my father
accepted Christ two days ago.
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Oh mercy, praise the Lord!
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And, yeah, it was just
more than I could possibly deny.
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I see it all over you right now.
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Yeah. I see you just
went right back to that place.
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And praise the Lord for
those moments, those aha moments
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to where you know that
God has been leading you,
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and you see Him validate
His leading in your life by the
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decisions others are making.
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Now, so you're twenty-three
years old, graduating college,
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I assume. Were
did you graduate from?
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Howard University.
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And you embark upon an
engineering career immediately?
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Actually, I started
off in architecture. Okay.
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I thought I wanted
to be an architect.
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My father was an
engineer, and you know,
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you don't want to
follow your father's footsteps.
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So I start off in architecture,
and I did a five year degree in
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architecture, and I
came out to practice.
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And over the course of
three years of practice,
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I determined I was actually
an engineer. Right, right.
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I went back to graduate
school here in the U.S.,
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at Perdue University,
in West Lafayette, Indiana,
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and have been pursuing
engineering practice since then.
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And sometime there afterwards
had an opportunity to come into
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part ownership of this
new business that I'm in.
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And the rest, they say, is the
business half of my life. Right.
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I become married along
the way. Right, right, right.
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Beautiful wife, also
from Trinidad. Right.
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We didn't meet until I came
to the United States of America.
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It's all part of that story I'm
telling you about God's grace,
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and how a young
eleven year old, and...
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Now the reason why I'm
keying in on these things Ken,
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let me give you a view as
to why I'm keying in on these
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things, because in this day
and age the reality is a person
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like yourself, well
educated: Howard University,
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Perdue
University, a business owner.
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We don't find a lot of those
people saying, I want to go into
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the prison system, okay?
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Typically, and most
notably, most people,
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specifically who are in
business, are trying their best
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to stay out of jail, okay?
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And so here we have a unique,
a unique opportunity for us to
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delve into the mindset of
a very well educated business
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owner who's now saying, Listen,
I want to go and give back.
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And of all
people to the prisons?
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Tell us about that.
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Again, God puts people in our
lives at times and places when
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we are ready to receive them,
just as He put Eve for Adam,
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when Adam was
ready to receive her.
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He put a very influential man
in my life, Pastor David Page,
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who had a passion for the
prisons, and invited me to
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participate in prison
ministry in 1993 or '94.
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And I went in the door, and
there were several within the
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group who originally started
going, who promptly realized
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it really wasn't for them.
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But it has always been in
my blood, and I recognized that
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that must be the intent that
God had for me, by virtue of the
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fact that I've always been
comfortable within the bars,
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behind bars, and
it has stuck with me.
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And I've stayed with it, and
I've been blessed immeasurably
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by doing so. Okay, okay.
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So now tell us, the first
time you walked into the prison,
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you gave us a little tidbit
there about the first time you
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went in you saw a number of
the people who accompanied you
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turn, realizing that
this was not for them.
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Tell us the emotions
that were going through you,
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and that you were dealing with
as you walked into the prisons
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for the first time; again taking
into consideration most people
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try to stay away from that side.
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I mean, you just
said to us that you were
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comfortable behind bars.
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I understand what you mean,
but I'm sure that comfort level,
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or matter of fact, was
that comfort level immediate,
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or did you grow into that
after maybe the second time?
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Key us into what was
going through your mind,
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and what were the emotions you
were feeling, and dealing with,
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and what were the emotions you
were feeling in dealing with the
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first time you went
into the prison system?
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There was definitely
apprehension... Uh huh.
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...maybe some
trepidation. Uh huh, uh huh.
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But I was there to serve
my Lord, and Savior. Right.
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And so whatever I was going
through was negligible compared
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to what He'd
suffered for me. Uh huh.
00:10:00.70\00:10:02.33
And so I went in
not necessarily knowing,
00:10:02.36\00:10:05.13
and not knowing what to expect.
00:10:05.17\00:10:06.80
And, well yes, with time I
came to realize they are people,
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just as I'm a person, indelibly
created by their Heavenly Father
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with a spiritual gift,
whatever it might possibly be,
00:10:15.64\00:10:18.88
and I have to let
my light so shine.
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That's what He told me to do.
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And in so doing, I realized
that they were brighter,
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many of the men within the walls
were brighter lights than I was.
00:10:25.45\00:10:29.09
Explain that to me,
because I've gone to school
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to study theology.
00:10:32.43\00:10:33.76
I am a practicing pastor.
00:10:33.80\00:10:35.13
How are you wanting me to
believe that there's someone
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in the prison systems that
has a brighter light than I do?
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And I'm being a little facetious
here, but give our viewers,
00:10:40.80\00:10:45.41
and our audience an
understanding on what you've
00:10:45.44\00:10:47.11
encountered that would cause
you to say, Wait, there's some
00:10:47.14\00:10:49.58
people in there who
are shining brighter than
00:10:49.61\00:10:52.15
those of us outside.
00:10:52.18\00:10:54.18
Tell us more about that.
00:10:54.22\00:10:55.55
Their dedication to the
Word, to understanding it,
00:10:55.58\00:11:01.22
the whole concept of
iron sharpening iron.
00:11:01.26\00:11:03.63
I feel and hear the
men talking to each other,
00:11:03.66\00:11:05.96
and holding each
other accountable.
00:11:05.99\00:11:07.40
The fact that within the walls
there are men who are willing
00:11:07.43\00:11:09.96
to step up and be part of
the worship, or the leader team,
00:11:10.00\00:11:14.07
to put themselves in the
light that they must be held
00:11:14.10\00:11:18.81
accountable, because they have
put themselves in the light.
00:11:18.84\00:11:20.84
The fact that they
don't have anywhere to run.
00:11:20.88\00:11:22.58
They've got to show it
twenty-four hours a day.
00:11:22.61\00:11:24.95
There's no backdoors,
anywhere else they go.
00:11:24.98\00:11:27.25
The way that they bless my
spirit, on occasions I haven't
00:11:27.28\00:11:31.85
always gone into the prisons
where I've been on my best days.
00:11:31.89\00:11:35.42
But I recognize full heartedly
that I am blessed beyond measure
00:11:35.46\00:11:39.19
when I do go in, either on
the drive to or the drive from,
00:11:39.23\00:11:42.46
and while I'm there
the men continue to lift
00:11:42.50\00:11:45.00
me up on occasions.
00:11:45.03\00:11:46.37
So what you're saying
to me, Ken, in essence is,
00:11:46.40\00:11:48.64
you're realizing that you
are blessed before you go,
00:11:48.67\00:11:51.51
and after you leave.
00:11:51.54\00:11:52.91
But are these blessings the kind
of blessings we're like, Wow,
00:11:52.94\00:11:55.41
thank God I'm not in prison!
00:11:55.44\00:11:58.61
Not by a long shot.
00:11:58.65\00:12:00.35
What I've recognized is, I
think it teaches me that maybe
00:12:00.38\00:12:06.72
my faith may be somewhat
superficial on the outside.
00:12:06.76\00:12:11.49
Can you say
that? I can say that.
00:12:11.53\00:12:13.40
I can hold myself
accountable... Okay!
00:12:13.43\00:12:16.67
...and that sometimes I
have to be more true to myself,
00:12:16.70\00:12:21.50
and true to what God
intends for me in the way that I
00:12:21.54\00:12:25.74
demonstrate my faith.
00:12:25.77\00:12:27.11
The results of that
has been that it now
00:12:27.14\00:12:29.24
comes back out with me.
00:12:29.28\00:12:30.61
I leave there with the wheels
turning, and questioning my
00:12:30.65\00:12:35.88
business practices, and the way
I deal with people outside here.
00:12:35.92\00:12:39.05
If I who, quote unquote, am
free, why do, in some respects,
00:12:39.09\00:12:43.83
we act as if we are
bound here on the outside?
00:12:43.86\00:12:47.16
So what you just said to me is
that you leave there realizing
00:12:47.20\00:12:50.33
and questioning if some of your
business practices are ethical,
00:12:50.37\00:12:53.97
and is that what I'm picking up?
00:12:54.00\00:12:56.57
No, not so much that, but
my interpersonal relationships,
00:12:56.60\00:13:00.28
and the ways that I
otherwise might interact with my
00:13:00.31\00:13:04.51
employees, or the members
of our staff of our company,
00:13:04.55\00:13:06.75
or even my
business acquaintances.
00:13:06.78\00:13:08.88
It's the manner in which I deal
with the stresses of the day,
00:13:08.92\00:13:11.99
and whether I really and truly
allow them to burden me. Uh huh.
00:13:12.02\00:13:15.56
When I think of the burdens that
others bear, and they continue
00:13:15.59\00:13:19.69
to shed light, and
to provide light to me,
00:13:19.73\00:13:21.66
yeah, it bears pause.
00:13:21.70\00:13:24.93
Okay, and so here we are.
00:13:24.97\00:13:27.07
So we have, again painting the
picture, this guy comes to the
00:13:27.10\00:13:31.61
States, gets an
education, very good education:
00:13:31.64\00:13:34.34
Howard
University, Perdue University.
00:13:34.38\00:13:35.94
He comes out, he's
practicing as an architect,
00:13:35.98\00:13:38.01
and realizes he's an engineer.
00:13:38.05\00:13:39.38
Now that's not a
realization everyone comes to.
00:13:39.41\00:13:41.22
You know, from
architecture to engineer.
00:13:41.25\00:13:43.12
I try to stay away from numbers,
and math, and those things.
00:13:43.15\00:13:46.35
So, highly
intelligent individual.
00:13:46.39\00:13:48.36
You start a family.
00:13:48.39\00:13:49.72
You have a son?
daughter, I'm sorry.
00:13:49.76\00:13:52.76
You have a
daughter, and now you're going
00:13:52.79\00:13:54.86
into the prison system.
00:13:54.90\00:13:56.23
And the realization you're
coming to when you leave there
00:13:56.26\00:13:59.30
is that there are some things
that you need to hold yourself
00:13:59.33\00:14:02.34
accountable to as a result
of interfacing, if you will,
00:14:02.37\00:14:06.21
with prisoners. Yes.
00:14:06.24\00:14:08.51
Now that's an exceptional
vantage point that most of us
00:14:08.54\00:14:14.72
we malign them, or we look
at them in such a light that we
00:14:14.75\00:14:18.15
want to stay away from them.
00:14:18.19\00:14:19.52
Where what you're saying to us
is that if we were to interact
00:14:19.55\00:14:21.72
with them more often, if you
will, that we could realize some
00:14:21.76\00:14:28.06
things about ourselves that
would straighten up our walk.
00:14:28.10\00:14:31.00
Absolutely. Now here's
a question I want to ask,
00:14:31.03\00:14:32.97
Have you had an interaction with
a particular inmate that has
00:14:33.00\00:14:39.14
deeply impacted
you in such a way...
00:14:39.17\00:14:42.48
Have you had this type of
interaction with an inmate
00:14:45.15\00:14:48.32
that has impacted you? I have.
00:14:48.35\00:14:50.29
Very recently in fact, I've had
some consideration to how can I
00:14:50.32\00:14:54.82
additionally change the
ministry that I priorly,
00:14:54.86\00:14:58.46
currently bring
within the walls?
00:14:58.49\00:14:59.83
And one of the things we
struggle with in the United
00:14:59.86\00:15:01.36
States right now is we have
a severe unemployment problem.
00:15:01.40\00:15:03.87
Well, if we have an unemployment
problem, how much more so do
00:15:03.90\00:15:06.74
those coming out
of the prisons have?
00:15:06.77\00:15:09.00
And I am asking myself, Are
there mechanisms that I possibly
00:15:09.04\00:15:11.97
can pull resources outside
to invite training, or education
00:15:12.01\00:15:15.88
in specific technical
skill areas that men who have
00:15:15.91\00:15:19.95
dedicated themselves, for
example, gathering their GED's,
00:15:19.98\00:15:23.72
might be able to do, and become
more able to support themselves,
00:15:23.75\00:15:27.69
and avoid this cartwheel
of recidivism that we face.
00:15:27.72\00:15:31.63
And one of the men recently, I
mentioned it over the Christmas
00:15:31.66\00:15:35.23
period that I was
looking into, and one of them
00:15:35.26\00:15:38.37
recently called me on it.
00:15:38.40\00:15:40.47
He said, Brother Beach, you said
that ABC you were looking into
00:15:40.50\00:15:44.11
this, and I'm wondering
how that was going? Hum!
00:15:44.14\00:15:47.21
He was sitting there looking
forward to the opportunity
00:15:47.24\00:15:50.05
to be able to participate
in this, but more importantly,
00:15:50.08\00:15:53.15
he held me somewhat accountable,
that I can't say any,
00:15:53.18\00:15:56.08
and everything that I want.
00:15:56.12\00:15:57.45
I've got to be a man of my word.
00:15:57.49\00:15:58.82
And so the ministry, as a
result, will probably grow
00:15:58.85\00:16:00.89
as a result of that.
00:16:00.92\00:16:02.26
Okay, so let me ask, let
me follow up this question.
00:16:02.29\00:16:04.83
How is that
process coming along?
00:16:04.86\00:16:06.49
Tell us some of the things that
you are doing in your particular
00:16:06.53\00:16:09.73
business that you are hoping
to help them not do the repeat
00:16:09.76\00:16:16.34
offender dance that
they've probably been
00:16:16.37\00:16:18.51
doing up to this point?
00:16:18.54\00:16:19.87
Tell us about some of the things
that you've put into place.
00:16:19.91\00:16:22.21
Well, one of the most important
things that I'm currently
00:16:22.24\00:16:24.31
working on is trying to find
a pool of resources of other
00:16:24.35\00:16:26.98
engineers, such as myself, who
are willing to dedicate some of
00:16:27.02\00:16:29.55
their time to help train
men who are recently out,
00:16:29.58\00:16:34.06
in areas of
construction inspection.
00:16:34.09\00:16:37.49
To be able to observe
construction both in high rise,
00:16:37.53\00:16:41.06
or in infrastructure, or in road
way for transportation projects.
00:16:41.10\00:16:45.40
There are certain specifications
and details that one must know,
00:16:45.43\00:16:49.07
there's also certification
that one can receive.
00:16:49.10\00:16:52.11
And so if I can get individuals
who can, from my pool of
00:16:52.14\00:16:55.34
resources outside of the walls,
dedicate some of their time
00:16:55.38\00:16:58.38
to help do training
classes, these men may have the
00:16:58.41\00:17:02.35
opportunity to capture a skill.
00:17:02.38\00:17:04.39
They've gone to daily exam.
00:17:04.42\00:17:05.82
They've got to study it, they've
got to learn the material,
00:17:05.85\00:17:07.56
they've got to take the tech
exam, and get the certification
00:17:07.59\00:17:10.09
but it gives them the technical
skills that could possibly
00:17:10.13\00:17:14.26
achieve financial stability
for them, that they may have the
00:17:14.30\00:17:17.67
mechanisms to support
themselves, and not have to
00:17:17.70\00:17:20.14
possibly go back to some of
the other ways of supporting
00:17:20.17\00:17:22.24
themselves that
originally might have gotten
00:17:22.27\00:17:24.64
them where they were.
00:17:24.67\00:17:26.01
Absolutely, now how easy or
difficult has it been to get
00:17:26.04\00:17:29.44
engineers like yourself to
buy into an idea like this?
00:17:29.48\00:17:34.32
I can do all things through
Christ who strengthens me.
00:17:34.35\00:17:37.42
Um, I haven't yet fostered
the pool of the individuals,
00:17:37.45\00:17:41.59
but just as there have
been individuals in my life
00:17:41.62\00:17:44.56
who have helped me make the
transition from one position
00:17:44.59\00:17:47.50
to the next, I believe that God
will place the resources there
00:17:47.53\00:17:51.77
for me to do His work.
00:17:51.80\00:17:53.17
As a result, I have no fear, or
lack of faith that I will find
00:17:53.20\00:17:58.44
the individuals
necessary to do this.
00:17:58.47\00:17:59.97
So, and I want to key in on that
because it's very important.
00:18:00.01\00:18:04.65
You know, I have a background
of my own, and I also have a
00:18:04.68\00:18:07.32
brother who is
currently incarcerated.
00:18:07.35\00:18:08.98
And I remember one
of the times he got out.
00:18:09.02\00:18:11.65
He had done five years
in prison, and he got out,
00:18:11.69\00:18:14.86
and he began looking for work.
00:18:14.89\00:18:16.32
And there was a moral dilemma,
an ethical dilemma, as he was
00:18:16.36\00:18:21.40
filling out job applications,
whether he would tell the truth,
00:18:21.43\00:18:24.57
or that he would lie
about his being an offender.
00:18:24.60\00:18:27.34
And on one occasion he actually
went so far, he told the truth,
00:18:27.37\00:18:31.94
yes, I am an offender.
00:18:31.97\00:18:33.34
And he found that he wasn't
able to get jobs where he,
00:18:33.38\00:18:39.61
you know, cash register
jobs, and things like this.
00:18:39.65\00:18:42.02
These were not
jobs that he could get.
00:18:42.05\00:18:45.49
And he found that the places
that he was able to work were
00:18:45.52\00:18:49.49
at high risk to his own health.
00:18:49.52\00:18:51.39
He was working cleaning out
pipes from oil, and there was
00:18:51.43\00:18:56.97
the intake of the inhalation
of this toxin, if you will.
00:18:57.00\00:19:03.10
And he didn't want to be there,
but it was all he could do.
00:19:03.14\00:19:07.31
And so he found himself in
this crossroads, if you will,
00:19:07.34\00:19:10.81
where, I have a
job, but it's killing me.
00:19:10.85\00:19:13.82
But it's the only job I
can get, so do I stay here,
00:19:13.85\00:19:16.69
and potentially take
years off of my life expectancy,
00:19:16.72\00:19:20.02
or do I go back to,
unfortunately, what is easier?
00:19:20.06\00:19:24.29
And I've learned to navigate
this lifestyle that can take
00:19:24.33\00:19:27.80
years off of my life expectancy,
because of the alliances that I
00:19:27.83\00:19:31.17
have with gang
members, and so forth.
00:19:31.20\00:19:33.90
And he eventually went
back to his old lifestyle,
00:19:33.94\00:19:37.41
because he was getting sick.
00:19:37.44\00:19:38.91
So as you are planning
this project, if you will,
00:19:38.94\00:19:45.01
to help offenders come out and
get stable jobs, and technical
00:19:45.05\00:19:50.29
skills that will help them
maintain and live a socially
00:19:50.32\00:19:55.12
acceptable lifestyle, are you
guys taking into consideration
00:19:55.16\00:19:58.26
that there's a possibility that
what you're asking them to do
00:19:58.29\00:20:02.26
might somehow, it
might be dangerous?
00:20:02.30\00:20:06.47
And so I'm thinking about
when you say the infrastructure,
00:20:06.50\00:20:08.67
and carpentry, and these things.
00:20:08.70\00:20:10.64
And those are great
trades, those are great skills
00:20:10.67\00:20:13.31
to do with your hands.
00:20:13.34\00:20:14.68
But do the people who hire,
and I guess this is what I'm
00:20:14.71\00:20:16.54
asking, Do the people who say,
Well, I'm going to hire ex-cons,
00:20:16.58\00:20:20.28
kind of say to themselves,
and they have to take this job,
00:20:20.32\00:20:22.82
because there's nothing
else out there for them.
00:20:22.85\00:20:24.32
Have you run into that?
00:20:24.35\00:20:25.69
Are you addressing
that potential issue?
00:20:25.72\00:20:28.26
I mean because, again, from
my background, these are the
00:20:28.29\00:20:30.93
questions that maybe my brother,
or some of the guys in jail
00:20:30.96\00:20:35.46
with him might ask, some
of the inmates might ask.
00:20:35.50\00:20:37.07
Actually one of the things
that is prevalent in the United
00:20:37.10\00:20:40.34
States at this time is even
though unemployment is as high
00:20:40.37\00:20:43.61
as it is, there is a significant
shortage for individuals
00:20:43.64\00:20:48.04
with technical skills
in the United States. Okay.
00:20:48.11\00:20:50.81
What I'm hoping to do is provide
an opportunity for these men
00:20:50.85\00:20:54.55
and women to acquire technical
skills for which there is
00:20:54.58\00:20:59.12
a demand for
their best skills. Okay.
00:20:59.15\00:21:01.42
And they are, the
process of becoming certified,
00:21:01.46\00:21:05.56
and gaining these certifications
requires application of your
00:21:05.59\00:21:08.96
mental capacity, not your
brute force of your hands. Okay.
00:21:09.00\00:21:12.33
As a result, their
responsibilities will be the
00:21:12.37\00:21:14.60
oversight, and the observation,
and documentation of work,
00:21:14.64\00:21:20.31
as opposed to the
hands on physical labor
00:21:20.34\00:21:22.64
associated with work.
00:21:22.68\00:21:24.01
Fantastic! And that question
wasn't designed to anyway
00:21:24.05\00:21:26.98
throw you under the
bus, but I figured you'd have
00:21:27.02\00:21:29.95
something like that to say.
00:21:29.98\00:21:31.32
And so here's what I'd like
to do, because taking that into
00:21:31.35\00:21:34.82
consideration, what I'd like
you to do is take a couple of
00:21:34.86\00:21:36.89
moments, look at this camera
over my shoulder, over my left
00:21:36.93\00:21:39.53
shoulder here, and
there's a particular segment,
00:21:39.56\00:21:42.36
or population that
I'd like you to speak to.
00:21:42.40\00:21:45.13
I'd like you to speak to people
like yourself who may not have
00:21:45.17\00:21:49.77
felt the call that you have
felt to go into the prisons,
00:21:49.80\00:21:53.17
because like the disciples,
there are prison guards,
00:21:53.21\00:21:56.54
there are prisoners who will,
as a result of interacting with
00:21:56.58\00:21:59.51
you, come to a saving
knowledge of Jesus Christ.
00:21:59.58\00:22:01.85
But there are some
people out there, like again,
00:22:01.88\00:22:04.09
who are staying away from
that segment, that population.
00:22:04.12\00:22:06.99
And I'd like you now to speak
to them, and share your heart
00:22:07.02\00:22:10.43
as to 1. What God has done
for you as a result of your
00:22:10.46\00:22:13.66
interacting with the
prisons, and the inmates.
00:22:13.70\00:22:15.43
And also, appeal
to them, if you would,
00:22:15.46\00:22:19.17
that this is something
that God requires of us.
00:22:19.20\00:22:22.37
I frequently say on this
show that in Matthew 25:31,
00:22:22.40\00:22:25.64
God is actually going to
hold people accountable for not
00:22:25.67\00:22:28.91
visiting the prisons. Yes.
00:22:28.94\00:22:30.45
And so here we have a well
educated man, put together very
00:22:30.48\00:22:34.25
nicely, I mean, business owner
who was going into the prisons
00:22:34.28\00:22:38.25
and is actually impacting the
life of inmates, but is allowing
00:22:38.29\00:22:42.26
the inmates to impact his life.
00:22:42.29\00:22:44.39
Speak to people like
yourself who haven't yet heard,
00:22:44.43\00:22:48.70
or answered that call.
00:22:48.73\00:22:50.30
To those in the audience today
who had apprehension regarding
00:22:52.93\00:22:57.41
your ability to make a
difference, I've mentioned
00:22:57.44\00:23:01.34
several times today that it
was only for people along my way
00:23:01.41\00:23:05.58
who were there at the time that
I needed them that I've been
00:23:05.61\00:23:09.78
able to accomplish
what I've accomplished.
00:23:09.82\00:23:11.69
To God be the
glory for all of it.
00:23:11.72\00:23:13.59
I recognize I'm nothing more
than a turtle on a fence post.
00:23:13.62\00:23:16.22
I'm only there
because He placed me there.
00:23:16.26\00:23:17.69
And I say, in so many different
ways, You can make a difference.
00:23:17.73\00:23:22.16
It may not necessarily
be going within the walls,
00:23:22.20\00:23:25.17
and behind the bars, but
there are men who will come out
00:23:25.20\00:23:28.10
who have the aptitude,
and the desire to do good,
00:23:28.14\00:23:30.77
and they simply need the
opportunity, and they need
00:23:30.81\00:23:33.94
someone to be there to
grant them that opportunity.
00:23:33.98\00:23:37.05
I believe that each and every
one of us has an opportunity
00:23:37.08\00:23:40.12
to help and to afford someone
else a chance, a single chance.
00:23:40.15\00:23:45.79
I ask that each
of you consider that.
00:23:45.85\00:23:48.52
In your own small way,
recognizing that we are
00:23:48.56\00:23:50.89
obligated, through
our acceptance of Christ,
00:23:50.93\00:23:53.19
who paid the ultimate sacrifice,
to be willing to sacrifice some
00:23:53.23\00:23:58.27
to help the less fortunate.
00:23:58.33\00:24:00.04
It's possible, and great things
can be accomplished by it.
00:24:00.10\00:24:03.51
If we seek as first the kingdom
of heaven, all these other
00:24:03.54\00:24:06.91
things will be added on, too.
00:24:06.94\00:24:08.28
When I started doing this,
I was not a business owner.
00:24:08.31\00:24:10.58
Since then, myself
and others, have got into
00:24:10.61\00:24:12.78
business ownership.
00:24:12.81\00:24:14.15
There were five of
us when we started.
00:24:14.18\00:24:15.52
God has blessed us to more than
forty individuals in the area of
00:24:15.55\00:24:18.92
engineering, and
technical services.
00:24:18.95\00:24:20.96
I didn't do this by myself.
00:24:21.62\00:24:23.26
I can only claim that God had
a hand in it, and He's done it
00:24:23.29\00:24:26.39
so that we can do more.
00:24:26.43\00:24:28.23
If He... It's not just grace
to me, but grace through me.
00:24:28.26\00:24:31.43
And He's given grace to each
and every one of us, and you,
00:24:31.50\00:24:34.64
that you can make a difference.
00:24:34.67\00:24:36.00
So I ask, If you have any
doubts, 2 Chronicles, I think,
00:24:36.04\00:24:41.34
speaks to, You must
believe without doubt.
00:24:41.38\00:24:44.31
And He can do
anything with you but fail.
00:24:44.35\00:24:47.25
You know, while you were
speaking, and that was very
00:24:47.28\00:24:51.09
touching, while you
were speaking I wondered,
00:24:51.12\00:24:53.92
have you had an opportunity?...
00:24:53.96\00:24:55.72
Now how long have you
been doing the prison ministry?
00:24:55.76\00:24:57.63
Ah, since 1994, or
thereabouts, since 20 years.
00:24:57.66\00:25:03.83
So in those twenty years,
can you remember? can you bring
00:25:03.87\00:25:07.37
to mind right now, someone
who maybe, or even if it wasn't
00:25:07.40\00:25:10.04
someone you interacted
with while you were behind bars,
00:25:10.07\00:25:12.67
while you were
dealing with the inmates,
00:25:12.71\00:25:14.21
but someone that you know that
had a checkered, or sordid past,
00:25:14.24\00:25:19.41
that has now come out,
and you've helped them,
00:25:19.45\00:25:22.22
or you've worked with them?
00:25:22.25\00:25:23.59
Is there such? You're smiling.
00:25:23.62\00:25:24.95
Is there such a
story, Ken? There is.
00:25:24.99\00:25:26.69
Tell us, come on, tell us
that story, because that was a
00:25:26.72\00:25:29.26
heart wrenching appeal. Yes.
00:25:29.29\00:25:30.63
But now follow that appeal
up with some hard core data.
00:25:30.66\00:25:33.23
Um, there's a young man that
I have known for probably close
00:25:33.29\00:25:37.73
to fifteen years now,
who had a checkered past.
00:25:37.77\00:25:40.27
And I don't know the
specifics of his background,
00:25:40.30\00:25:42.74
but he did inform me that he had
previously been incarcerated.
00:25:42.77\00:25:45.87
But since he'd come out, because
of the fact that he had the
00:25:47.78\00:25:50.81
mark, and it was difficult
to find work, oftentimes they're
00:25:50.85\00:25:53.75
challenged to be more
industrious, and start their own
00:25:53.78\00:25:57.29
businesses, and so on.
00:25:57.32\00:25:58.65
And over the course of
many years, he had acquired,
00:25:58.69\00:26:00.72
and moved, and sold
a lot of real estate,
00:26:00.76\00:26:02.76
and property, and so on.
00:26:02.79\00:26:04.13
And over the course of the year,
I've seen him, and I recognized
00:26:04.16\00:26:06.29
within him this
penchant for business;
00:26:06.36\00:26:09.06
a really good business,
but what he had was that mark,
00:26:09.10\00:26:13.20
that continued to show up.
00:26:13.23\00:26:14.77
And so over the course of the
last fifteen years that I have
00:26:14.80\00:26:17.84
known him, I've had
to, on countless occasions,
00:26:17.87\00:26:20.04
to move projects forward that
he's trying to do the right way;
00:26:20.08\00:26:24.58
to live it the way that
society would have him live,
00:26:24.61\00:26:27.05
as opposed to
resorting to the old way.
00:26:27.12\00:26:29.82
And I saw him no
more than two days ago.
00:26:29.85\00:26:32.55
He has a new project.
00:26:32.59\00:26:33.92
He's going forward.
00:26:33.96\00:26:35.29
I brought a draftsman that
I knew who could help him to
00:26:35.32\00:26:36.79
get his designs
done for negligible.
00:26:36.83\00:26:38.79
I've donated my time, because I
desire so much that he prosper,
00:26:38.83\00:26:43.23
because he's trying to do
it the way God ordained it.
00:26:43.26\00:26:45.83
And if a person's trying to
do it that way, you need to take
00:26:45.87\00:26:49.47
the opportunity to help them.
00:26:49.50\00:26:51.07
So this is not just theory.
00:26:51.11\00:26:52.57
You're not just saying,
Oh, if you go in and help,
00:26:52.61\00:26:54.94
it could
possibly, maybe one day. No.
00:26:54.98\00:26:58.01
You're not, you're not
sitting here espousing theory,
00:26:58.05\00:27:00.45
you've seen this actually happen
in the life of this young man,
00:27:00.48\00:27:04.62
and quite possibly in
the life of countless others.
00:27:04.65\00:27:06.72
And so that practical
application, mixed with the
00:27:06.76\00:27:11.19
theory, if you will,
shows people, and our listeners,
00:27:11.23\00:27:14.30
and our audience, that
it is actually something
00:27:14.33\00:27:17.10
that is realistic.
00:27:17.13\00:27:18.47
It's not just pie in the sky.
00:27:18.50\00:27:20.57
Oh, we can help them!
00:27:20.64\00:27:22.07
And they come out and be
productive members of society?
00:27:22.10\00:27:24.74
No, no, no, no, no.
00:27:24.77\00:27:26.11
You're saying, Ken, you're
saying, I've seen them come out,
00:27:26.14\00:27:29.74
and become productive members
of society, because you were
00:27:29.78\00:27:33.82
there, and others like
you were there, to help them
00:27:33.85\00:27:36.25
in that transition.
00:27:36.28\00:27:37.89
Absolutely. It is an
essential piece of the puzzle.
00:27:37.92\00:27:41.82
There must be some mechanism.
00:27:41.86\00:27:44.16
My original training was
through prison fellowship.
00:27:44.19\00:27:47.03
And they recognized that
the after care is a critical
00:27:47.06\00:27:49.86
piece of the puzzle.
00:27:49.93\00:27:51.27
And so what you've
given them is the ability,
00:27:51.30\00:27:55.40
and the desire to dare to dream.
00:27:55.44\00:27:59.41
Brothers and Sisters, we have
seen today that this is not just
00:27:59.44\00:28:02.84
practical; I mean this is
not just theory, it's practical.
00:28:02.88\00:28:05.58
Dare to dream, and start
your new journey. God bless you.
00:28:05.61\00:28:08.85