Participants: Pr. Marquis Johns (Host), Ken Beache
Series Code: TNJ
Program Code: TNJ000016
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00:08 Welcome to The New Journey, a program about real life people,
00:12 with real life testimonies, doing real life 00:15 ministry for Jesus Christ. 00:17 I'm your host, Pastor Marquis Johns. 00:19 Join us on The New Journey. 00:54 In this day and age most business owners do their best 00:57 to stay away from jail. 00:58 But on today's show we have someone who's going 01:01 into the prison system. 01:03 Ken Beach, tell us a little bit about where you're from. 01:06 I was born in South East London, but my family is from 01:10 Trinidad and Tobago in the Southern Caribbean. 01:11 And I came to the United States to gain an education, 01:16 secondary education, and I've been here for in excess of 01:20 twenty-five years trying to follow that dream, 01:23 and build a family, and establish a life for myself. 01:26 Now, when you say you're here trying to establish a life for 01:29 yourself, and following a dream, tell us what is that dream, 01:33 or what was that dream, and how has that dream manifested 01:35 itself in what you're doing currently? 01:37 We'll get into where you're at, but how did that 01:39 dream manifest itself? 01:40 What are you currently doing? 01:41 Who are you, and where do you work? 01:43 I'm one of a few owners of an engineering consulting 01:46 business in Indianapolis. 01:48 And trying to build a business, we started with five people. 01:52 We're now in excess of forty people. Uh huh. 01:54 God has blessed us over the course of a ten year 01:56 tenure of this business. 01:57 And that appears to be the current business direction 02:01 that I am heading. 02:03 Okay, okay. I think God may have other plans for me 02:05 above and beyond just the business, and He continues to 02:08 open my eyes to more and more as each passing year goes on. 02:12 Okay, so here's this kid, he comes from London, 02:15 I mean Trinidad by way of London, 02:18 or London by way of Trinidad, and you get to the states, 02:21 and at an early age you have this desire, because you wanted 02:25 to further your education, you said, and so as you're pursuing 02:27 your education, where did the desire for what you're currently 02:34 doing? and we're going to get to that, but where does that desire 02:36 come from? what you're currently doing? 02:37 Not the business, but the other thing that we'll talk 02:39 about in a few moments? 02:41 My salvation, and recognizing the sacrifice was made for me, 02:47 and then through my own personal growth in Christ, recognizing 02:52 that He expects things of me. Right. 02:54 I can't sit and suckle the teat all the days of my life. 02:57 I need to eat meat. 02:58 I need to start doing as He's commanded me, which is to go 03:01 and make His Word known, beyond just my own miniscule life. 03:08 Okay, so most 17, 18, 19 year old kids, they're not concerned 03:13 about their salvation. 03:14 They're out there; they're having a good time. 03:16 They're living life, and they're saying, Hey, I've got time! 03:18 I'll get back to salvation later. 03:20 What caused you, at an early age, to be concerned with, 03:23 and even take an active role in pursuing this relationship with 03:26 Christ, so that you could make sure that you were saved? 03:29 I would have to believe it's that seed that's planted way 03:33 down in the inside of each and every one of us. Okay. 03:36 I came up in a household that wasn't particularly... 03:39 That's what we're talking about. 03:41 ...pop practitioners we sometimes called CME: 03:44 Christians, Christian Mother's Day, and Easter. 03:46 But not even that much. 03:47 It was weddings, and funerals for the most part. 03:49 And somehow, however, when I was about eighteen years old, 03:51 a still quiet voice was calling to me telling me 03:55 something was missing. Okay. 03:56 And that's when I began my search, and my quest for it. 04:00 Okay, so tell us about the steps that you began to take. 04:03 Eighteen years old, you hear the voice of God. 04:05 What are the steps that you began to take to close the gap 04:08 between you and Him? 04:09 What are those steps? 04:11 Fortunately there were people of faith in and around my 04:13 community, and I was invited to attend and to go to church, 04:16 and to hear God's Word. 04:18 And that, obviously, the more you hear it, 04:20 it can't come back void, so it continues to grow, 04:23 and to grow, and to nurture, and to grow within you. 04:25 And it took probably five or six years until after I had 04:30 moved to the United States of America before I was converted, 04:34 before I finally submitted myself and accepted Christ 04:37 as my Lord and Savior. 04:38 Amen, amen. So now, again, and I'm a person, 04:40 I like to paint a picture. 04:42 And I say that a lot on this show, 04:43 because we're on a journey. 04:45 And I want to paint the picture, and keep bringing the listeners, 04:46 and the audience up to speed. 04:48 So here's this kid; he gets serious about Jesus, 04:51 or somewhat serious about Jesus around the age of eighteen. 04:53 He starts and embarks upon a journey 04:55 that lasts about five years. 04:57 Five years from then where are you at that time? 04:59 Where are you five years from the day that you said, 05:01 Okay, I hear You, Lord, but I'm not really ready. 05:05 Where are you five years later when you finally decide, like, 05:07 what has taken place between eighteen, in that five years 05:11 later period of time? 05:12 I can't remember anything specific that was consistent 05:16 over the five year period. 05:17 I just know that I had a particular life of circumstance 05:22 when I was in college that, someone said, he said to me, 05:26 Ken you need to kneel in prayer on that. 05:28 That's all they said to me, and for some reason I knelt down 05:32 and I prayed, and I got up, having all faith that it 05:36 was taken care of. Okay. 05:37 And that, it's the work that's through our faith that 05:40 effectively brings things into being. Right. 05:42 And it was a fact that I got up in faith, at age twenty-three, 05:46 and all these things were added unto me... Wow! 05:48 ...pressed down, shaken together and overflowing; all of it. 05:51 And it's a very long story, but there's so many blessings that 05:56 all that's catapulted. 05:57 And the most important part of the whole deal is when I called 05:59 home to tell my family about this sequence of things that had 06:03 transpired to commit me to God's purpose in my life, 06:08 my mother informed me, my father accepted Christ two days ago. 06:12 Oh mercy, praise the Lord! 06:13 And, yeah, it was just more than I could possibly deny. 06:20 I see it all over you right now. 06:21 Yeah. I see you just went right back to that place. 06:24 And praise the Lord for those moments, those aha moments 06:27 to where you know that God has been leading you, 06:29 and you see Him validate His leading in your life by the 06:32 decisions others are making. 06:33 Now, so you're twenty-three years old, graduating college, 06:37 I assume. Were did you graduate from? 06:39 Howard University. 06:40 And you embark upon an engineering career immediately? 06:43 Actually, I started off in architecture. Okay. 06:48 I thought I wanted to be an architect. 06:49 My father was an engineer, and you know, 06:51 you don't want to follow your father's footsteps. 06:52 So I start off in architecture, and I did a five year degree in 06:54 architecture, and I came out to practice. 06:56 And over the course of three years of practice, 06:59 I determined I was actually an engineer. Right, right. 07:02 I went back to graduate school here in the U.S., 07:04 at Perdue University, in West Lafayette, Indiana, 07:07 and have been pursuing engineering practice since then. 07:10 And sometime there afterwards had an opportunity to come into 07:14 part ownership of this new business that I'm in. 07:17 And the rest, they say, is the business half of my life. Right. 07:21 I become married along the way. Right, right, right. 07:23 Beautiful wife, also from Trinidad. Right. 07:25 We didn't meet until I came to the United States of America. 07:26 It's all part of that story I'm telling you about God's grace, 07:30 and how a young eleven year old, and... 07:33 Now the reason why I'm keying in on these things Ken, 07:36 let me give you a view as to why I'm keying in on these 07:39 things, because in this day and age the reality is a person 07:42 like yourself, well educated: Howard University, 07:45 Perdue University, a business owner. 07:48 We don't find a lot of those people saying, I want to go into 07:53 the prison system, okay? 07:55 Typically, and most notably, most people, 07:58 specifically who are in business, are trying their best 08:00 to stay out of jail, okay? 08:03 And so here we have a unique, a unique opportunity for us to 08:06 delve into the mindset of a very well educated business 08:09 owner who's now saying, Listen, I want to go and give back. 08:14 And of all people to the prisons? 08:16 Tell us about that. 08:18 Again, God puts people in our lives at times and places when 08:24 we are ready to receive them, just as He put Eve for Adam, 08:27 when Adam was ready to receive her. 08:28 He put a very influential man in my life, Pastor David Page, 08:32 who had a passion for the prisons, and invited me to 08:35 participate in prison ministry in 1993 or '94. 08:39 And I went in the door, and there were several within the 08:43 group who originally started going, who promptly realized 08:47 it really wasn't for them. 08:48 But it has always been in my blood, and I recognized that 08:52 that must be the intent that God had for me, by virtue of the 08:56 fact that I've always been comfortable within the bars, 09:00 behind bars, and it has stuck with me. 09:03 And I've stayed with it, and I've been blessed immeasurably 09:05 by doing so. Okay, okay. 09:07 So now tell us, the first time you walked into the prison, 09:09 you gave us a little tidbit there about the first time you 09:12 went in you saw a number of the people who accompanied you 09:15 turn, realizing that this was not for them. 09:17 Tell us the emotions that were going through you, 09:20 and that you were dealing with as you walked into the prisons 09:22 for the first time; again taking into consideration most people 09:26 try to stay away from that side. 09:27 I mean, you just said to us that you were 09:29 comfortable behind bars. 09:30 I understand what you mean, but I'm sure that comfort level, 09:34 or matter of fact, was that comfort level immediate, 09:37 or did you grow into that after maybe the second time? 09:40 Key us into what was going through your mind, 09:43 and what were the emotions you were feeling, and dealing with, 09:45 and what were the emotions you were feeling in dealing with the 09:46 first time you went into the prison system? 09:48 There was definitely apprehension... Uh huh. 09:50 ...maybe some trepidation. Uh huh, uh huh. 09:53 But I was there to serve my Lord, and Savior. Right. 09:56 And so whatever I was going through was negligible compared 10:00 to what He'd suffered for me. Uh huh. 10:02 And so I went in not necessarily knowing, 10:05 and not knowing what to expect. 10:06 And, well yes, with time I came to realize they are people, 10:11 just as I'm a person, indelibly created by their Heavenly Father 10:15 with a spiritual gift, whatever it might possibly be, 10:18 and I have to let my light so shine. 10:21 That's what He told me to do. 10:22 And in so doing, I realized that they were brighter, 10:25 many of the men within the walls were brighter lights than I was. 10:29 Explain that to me, because I've gone to school 10:32 to study theology. 10:33 I am a practicing pastor. 10:35 How are you wanting me to believe that there's someone 10:38 in the prison systems that has a brighter light than I do? 10:40 And I'm being a little facetious here, but give our viewers, 10:45 and our audience an understanding on what you've 10:47 encountered that would cause you to say, Wait, there's some 10:49 people in there who are shining brighter than 10:52 those of us outside. 10:54 Tell us more about that. 10:55 Their dedication to the Word, to understanding it, 11:01 the whole concept of iron sharpening iron. 11:03 I feel and hear the men talking to each other, 11:05 and holding each other accountable. 11:07 The fact that within the walls there are men who are willing 11:10 to step up and be part of the worship, or the leader team, 11:14 to put themselves in the light that they must be held 11:18 accountable, because they have put themselves in the light. 11:20 The fact that they don't have anywhere to run. 11:22 They've got to show it twenty-four hours a day. 11:24 There's no backdoors, anywhere else they go. 11:27 The way that they bless my spirit, on occasions I haven't 11:31 always gone into the prisons where I've been on my best days. 11:35 But I recognize full heartedly that I am blessed beyond measure 11:39 when I do go in, either on the drive to or the drive from, 11:42 and while I'm there the men continue to lift 11:45 me up on occasions. 11:46 So what you're saying to me, Ken, in essence is, 11:48 you're realizing that you are blessed before you go, 11:51 and after you leave. 11:52 But are these blessings the kind of blessings we're like, Wow, 11:55 thank God I'm not in prison! 11:58 Not by a long shot. 12:00 What I've recognized is, I think it teaches me that maybe 12:06 my faith may be somewhat superficial on the outside. 12:11 Can you say that? I can say that. 12:13 I can hold myself accountable... Okay! 12:16 ...and that sometimes I have to be more true to myself, 12:21 and true to what God intends for me in the way that I 12:25 demonstrate my faith. 12:27 The results of that has been that it now 12:29 comes back out with me. 12:30 I leave there with the wheels turning, and questioning my 12:35 business practices, and the way I deal with people outside here. 12:39 If I who, quote unquote, am free, why do, in some respects, 12:43 we act as if we are bound here on the outside? 12:47 So what you just said to me is that you leave there realizing 12:50 and questioning if some of your business practices are ethical, 12:54 and is that what I'm picking up? 12:56 No, not so much that, but my interpersonal relationships, 13:00 and the ways that I otherwise might interact with my 13:04 employees, or the members of our staff of our company, 13:06 or even my business acquaintances. 13:08 It's the manner in which I deal with the stresses of the day, 13:12 and whether I really and truly allow them to burden me. Uh huh. 13:15 When I think of the burdens that others bear, and they continue 13:19 to shed light, and to provide light to me, 13:21 yeah, it bears pause. 13:24 Okay, and so here we are. 13:27 So we have, again painting the picture, this guy comes to the 13:31 States, gets an education, very good education: 13:34 Howard University, Perdue University. 13:35 He comes out, he's practicing as an architect, 13:38 and realizes he's an engineer. 13:39 Now that's not a realization everyone comes to. 13:41 You know, from architecture to engineer. 13:43 I try to stay away from numbers, and math, and those things. 13:46 So, highly intelligent individual. 13:48 You start a family. 13:49 You have a son? daughter, I'm sorry. 13:52 You have a daughter, and now you're going 13:54 into the prison system. 13:56 And the realization you're coming to when you leave there 13:59 is that there are some things that you need to hold yourself 14:02 accountable to as a result of interfacing, if you will, 14:06 with prisoners. Yes. 14:08 Now that's an exceptional vantage point that most of us 14:14 we malign them, or we look at them in such a light that we 14:18 want to stay away from them. 14:19 Where what you're saying to us is that if we were to interact 14:21 with them more often, if you will, that we could realize some 14:28 things about ourselves that would straighten up our walk. 14:31 Absolutely. Now here's a question I want to ask, 14:33 Have you had an interaction with a particular inmate that has 14:39 deeply impacted you in such a way... 14:45 Have you had this type of interaction with an inmate 14:48 that has impacted you? I have. 14:50 Very recently in fact, I've had some consideration to how can I 14:54 additionally change the ministry that I priorly, 14:58 currently bring within the walls? 14:59 And one of the things we struggle with in the United 15:01 States right now is we have a severe unemployment problem. 15:03 Well, if we have an unemployment problem, how much more so do 15:06 those coming out of the prisons have? 15:09 And I am asking myself, Are there mechanisms that I possibly 15:12 can pull resources outside to invite training, or education 15:15 in specific technical skill areas that men who have 15:19 dedicated themselves, for example, gathering their GED's, 15:23 might be able to do, and become more able to support themselves, 15:27 and avoid this cartwheel of recidivism that we face. 15:31 And one of the men recently, I mentioned it over the Christmas 15:35 period that I was looking into, and one of them 15:38 recently called me on it. 15:40 He said, Brother Beach, you said that ABC you were looking into 15:44 this, and I'm wondering how that was going? Hum! 15:47 He was sitting there looking forward to the opportunity 15:50 to be able to participate in this, but more importantly, 15:53 he held me somewhat accountable, that I can't say any, 15:56 and everything that I want. 15:57 I've got to be a man of my word. 15:58 And so the ministry, as a result, will probably grow 16:00 as a result of that. 16:02 Okay, so let me ask, let me follow up this question. 16:04 How is that process coming along? 16:06 Tell us some of the things that you are doing in your particular 16:09 business that you are hoping to help them not do the repeat 16:16 offender dance that they've probably been 16:18 doing up to this point? 16:19 Tell us about some of the things that you've put into place. 16:22 Well, one of the most important things that I'm currently 16:24 working on is trying to find a pool of resources of other 16:27 engineers, such as myself, who are willing to dedicate some of 16:29 their time to help train men who are recently out, 16:34 in areas of construction inspection. 16:37 To be able to observe construction both in high rise, 16:41 or in infrastructure, or in road way for transportation projects. 16:45 There are certain specifications and details that one must know, 16:49 there's also certification that one can receive. 16:52 And so if I can get individuals who can, from my pool of 16:55 resources outside of the walls, dedicate some of their time 16:58 to help do training classes, these men may have the 17:02 opportunity to capture a skill. 17:04 They've gone to daily exam. 17:05 They've got to study it, they've got to learn the material, 17:07 they've got to take the tech exam, and get the certification 17:10 but it gives them the technical skills that could possibly 17:14 achieve financial stability for them, that they may have the 17:17 mechanisms to support themselves, and not have to 17:20 possibly go back to some of the other ways of supporting 17:22 themselves that originally might have gotten 17:24 them where they were. 17:26 Absolutely, now how easy or difficult has it been to get 17:29 engineers like yourself to buy into an idea like this? 17:34 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. 17:37 Um, I haven't yet fostered the pool of the individuals, 17:41 but just as there have been individuals in my life 17:44 who have helped me make the transition from one position 17:47 to the next, I believe that God will place the resources there 17:51 for me to do His work. 17:53 As a result, I have no fear, or lack of faith that I will find 17:58 the individuals necessary to do this. 18:00 So, and I want to key in on that because it's very important. 18:04 You know, I have a background of my own, and I also have a 18:07 brother who is currently incarcerated. 18:09 And I remember one of the times he got out. 18:11 He had done five years in prison, and he got out, 18:14 and he began looking for work. 18:16 And there was a moral dilemma, an ethical dilemma, as he was 18:21 filling out job applications, whether he would tell the truth, 18:24 or that he would lie about his being an offender. 18:27 And on one occasion he actually went so far, he told the truth, 18:31 yes, I am an offender. 18:33 And he found that he wasn't able to get jobs where he, 18:39 you know, cash register jobs, and things like this. 18:42 These were not jobs that he could get. 18:45 And he found that the places that he was able to work were 18:49 at high risk to his own health. 18:51 He was working cleaning out pipes from oil, and there was 18:57 the intake of the inhalation of this toxin, if you will. 19:03 And he didn't want to be there, but it was all he could do. 19:07 And so he found himself in this crossroads, if you will, 19:10 where, I have a job, but it's killing me. 19:13 But it's the only job I can get, so do I stay here, 19:16 and potentially take years off of my life expectancy, 19:20 or do I go back to, unfortunately, what is easier? 19:24 And I've learned to navigate this lifestyle that can take 19:27 years off of my life expectancy, because of the alliances that I 19:31 have with gang members, and so forth. 19:33 And he eventually went back to his old lifestyle, 19:37 because he was getting sick. 19:38 So as you are planning this project, if you will, 19:45 to help offenders come out and get stable jobs, and technical 19:50 skills that will help them maintain and live a socially 19:55 acceptable lifestyle, are you guys taking into consideration 19:58 that there's a possibility that what you're asking them to do 20:02 might somehow, it might be dangerous? 20:06 And so I'm thinking about when you say the infrastructure, 20:08 and carpentry, and these things. 20:10 And those are great trades, those are great skills 20:13 to do with your hands. 20:14 But do the people who hire, and I guess this is what I'm 20:16 asking, Do the people who say, Well, I'm going to hire ex-cons, 20:20 kind of say to themselves, and they have to take this job, 20:22 because there's nothing else out there for them. 20:24 Have you run into that? 20:25 Are you addressing that potential issue? 20:28 I mean because, again, from my background, these are the 20:30 questions that maybe my brother, or some of the guys in jail 20:35 with him might ask, some of the inmates might ask. 20:37 Actually one of the things that is prevalent in the United 20:40 States at this time is even though unemployment is as high 20:43 as it is, there is a significant shortage for individuals 20:48 with technical skills in the United States. Okay. 20:50 What I'm hoping to do is provide an opportunity for these men 20:54 and women to acquire technical skills for which there is 20:59 a demand for their best skills. Okay. 21:01 And they are, the process of becoming certified, 21:05 and gaining these certifications requires application of your 21:09 mental capacity, not your brute force of your hands. Okay. 21:12 As a result, their responsibilities will be the 21:14 oversight, and the observation, and documentation of work, 21:20 as opposed to the hands on physical labor 21:22 associated with work. 21:24 Fantastic! And that question wasn't designed to anyway 21:27 throw you under the bus, but I figured you'd have 21:29 something like that to say. 21:31 And so here's what I'd like to do, because taking that into 21:34 consideration, what I'd like you to do is take a couple of 21:36 moments, look at this camera over my shoulder, over my left 21:39 shoulder here, and there's a particular segment, 21:42 or population that I'd like you to speak to. 21:45 I'd like you to speak to people like yourself who may not have 21:49 felt the call that you have felt to go into the prisons, 21:53 because like the disciples, there are prison guards, 21:56 there are prisoners who will, as a result of interacting with 21:59 you, come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. 22:01 But there are some people out there, like again, 22:04 who are staying away from that segment, that population. 22:07 And I'd like you now to speak to them, and share your heart 22:10 as to 1. What God has done for you as a result of your 22:13 interacting with the prisons, and the inmates. 22:15 And also, appeal to them, if you would, 22:19 that this is something that God requires of us. 22:22 I frequently say on this show that in Matthew 25:31, 22:25 God is actually going to hold people accountable for not 22:28 visiting the prisons. Yes. 22:30 And so here we have a well educated man, put together very 22:34 nicely, I mean, business owner who was going into the prisons 22:38 and is actually impacting the life of inmates, but is allowing 22:42 the inmates to impact his life. 22:44 Speak to people like yourself who haven't yet heard, 22:48 or answered that call. 22:52 To those in the audience today who had apprehension regarding 22:57 your ability to make a difference, I've mentioned 23:01 several times today that it was only for people along my way 23:05 who were there at the time that I needed them that I've been 23:09 able to accomplish what I've accomplished. 23:11 To God be the glory for all of it. 23:13 I recognize I'm nothing more than a turtle on a fence post. 23:16 I'm only there because He placed me there. 23:17 And I say, in so many different ways, You can make a difference. 23:22 It may not necessarily be going within the walls, 23:25 and behind the bars, but there are men who will come out 23:28 who have the aptitude, and the desire to do good, 23:30 and they simply need the opportunity, and they need 23:33 someone to be there to grant them that opportunity. 23:37 I believe that each and every one of us has an opportunity 23:40 to help and to afford someone else a chance, a single chance. 23:45 I ask that each of you consider that. 23:48 In your own small way, recognizing that we are 23:50 obligated, through our acceptance of Christ, 23:53 who paid the ultimate sacrifice, to be willing to sacrifice some 23:58 to help the less fortunate. 24:00 It's possible, and great things can be accomplished by it. 24:03 If we seek as first the kingdom of heaven, all these other 24:06 things will be added on, too. 24:08 When I started doing this, I was not a business owner. 24:10 Since then, myself and others, have got into 24:12 business ownership. 24:14 There were five of us when we started. 24:15 God has blessed us to more than forty individuals in the area of 24:18 engineering, and technical services. 24:21 I didn't do this by myself. 24:23 I can only claim that God had a hand in it, and He's done it 24:26 so that we can do more. 24:28 If He... It's not just grace to me, but grace through me. 24:31 And He's given grace to each and every one of us, and you, 24:34 that you can make a difference. 24:36 So I ask, If you have any doubts, 2 Chronicles, I think, 24:41 speaks to, You must believe without doubt. 24:44 And He can do anything with you but fail. 24:47 You know, while you were speaking, and that was very 24:51 touching, while you were speaking I wondered, 24:53 have you had an opportunity?... 24:55 Now how long have you been doing the prison ministry? 24:57 Ah, since 1994, or thereabouts, since 20 years. 25:03 So in those twenty years, can you remember? can you bring 25:07 to mind right now, someone who maybe, or even if it wasn't 25:10 someone you interacted with while you were behind bars, 25:12 while you were dealing with the inmates, 25:14 but someone that you know that had a checkered, or sordid past, 25:19 that has now come out, and you've helped them, 25:22 or you've worked with them? 25:23 Is there such? You're smiling. 25:24 Is there such a story, Ken? There is. 25:26 Tell us, come on, tell us that story, because that was a 25:29 heart wrenching appeal. Yes. 25:30 But now follow that appeal up with some hard core data. 25:33 Um, there's a young man that I have known for probably close 25:37 to fifteen years now, who had a checkered past. 25:40 And I don't know the specifics of his background, 25:42 but he did inform me that he had previously been incarcerated. 25:47 But since he'd come out, because of the fact that he had the 25:50 mark, and it was difficult to find work, oftentimes they're 25:53 challenged to be more industrious, and start their own 25:57 businesses, and so on. 25:58 And over the course of many years, he had acquired, 26:00 and moved, and sold a lot of real estate, 26:02 and property, and so on. 26:04 And over the course of the year, I've seen him, and I recognized 26:06 within him this penchant for business; 26:09 a really good business, but what he had was that mark, 26:13 that continued to show up. 26:14 And so over the course of the last fifteen years that I have 26:17 known him, I've had to, on countless occasions, 26:20 to move projects forward that he's trying to do the right way; 26:24 to live it the way that society would have him live, 26:27 as opposed to resorting to the old way. 26:29 And I saw him no more than two days ago. 26:32 He has a new project. 26:33 He's going forward. 26:35 I brought a draftsman that I knew who could help him to 26:36 get his designs done for negligible. 26:38 I've donated my time, because I desire so much that he prosper, 26:43 because he's trying to do it the way God ordained it. 26:45 And if a person's trying to do it that way, you need to take 26:49 the opportunity to help them. 26:51 So this is not just theory. 26:52 You're not just saying, Oh, if you go in and help, 26:54 it could possibly, maybe one day. No. 26:58 You're not, you're not sitting here espousing theory, 27:00 you've seen this actually happen in the life of this young man, 27:04 and quite possibly in the life of countless others. 27:06 And so that practical application, mixed with the 27:11 theory, if you will, shows people, and our listeners, 27:14 and our audience, that it is actually something 27:17 that is realistic. 27:18 It's not just pie in the sky. 27:20 Oh, we can help them! 27:22 And they come out and be productive members of society? 27:24 No, no, no, no, no. 27:26 You're saying, Ken, you're saying, I've seen them come out, 27:29 and become productive members of society, because you were 27:33 there, and others like you were there, to help them 27:36 in that transition. 27:37 Absolutely. It is an essential piece of the puzzle. 27:41 There must be some mechanism. 27:44 My original training was through prison fellowship. 27:47 And they recognized that the after care is a critical 27:49 piece of the puzzle. 27:51 And so what you've given them is the ability, 27:55 and the desire to dare to dream. 27:59 Brothers and Sisters, we have seen today that this is not just 28:02 practical; I mean this is not just theory, it's practical. 28:05 Dare to dream, and start your new journey. God bless you. |
Revised 2016-06-30