Hear it from the heart. Every week or so, we publish a story about the life of our ministry. All names are fictionalized to protect the identity of those inside. Thanks for reading!
“Like Elizabeth Taylor said to her fifth husband, ‘I’m not going to keep you long.’” I laughed and settled into my chair. This was going to be a treat. It was a Sunday afternoon in Atlanta. I sat in a prison’s visitation room, listening to the words of a wise man. One of the inmates had asked us to contact John Eldridge, a pastor who had once been the chaplain at Walker State Prison. The inmate hadn’t seen Chaplain Eldridge in some time and was wondering if he’d be kind e
“I’m going to preach to you today directly from the word of God,” Ryan said. “If it wrinkles your collar, don’t be mad at me, be mad at God.” He continued, drawing a deep breath. “Count 1: Malice murder. Count 2: Malice murder. Count 3: Possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.” Ryan continued all the way to Count 13, reciting each of his convictions by heart. My jaw hit the floor. This man standing before me, a man I call a friend, had committed each of these
