“Wiggle your toes,” I said. Ahmeze laughed nervously. “Come on, try it,” I implored. He took a deep breath, then proceeded. The assignment was simple – write a poem, one page or less, and incorporate at least one of the plants we’ve learned this semester. You see, every week when I teach horticulture, I bring a USB with me that has a PowerPoint slide that contains our “Plant of the Week.” The students look at pre-loaded images of a plant – its flowers, leaf shape, and habi

Paul Simon sings, “You’ve got to learn how to fall before you learn how to fly.” Well, there I was, learning how to fall, although at this particular moment, I certainly didn’t want to be falling. I was helpless, quickly plummeting to the ground while attached to an utterly useless 9.8 mm rope. It was Sunday, I had arranged to pick up Tom early in the morning and then take him to lunch afterwards. We’d then visit the rock climbing gym and go climbing. What could go wrong? T

There’s a peace lily on my porch. It’s a sad little creature, confined to a wicker basket that’s starting to rot. I have a small collection of houseplants, all of which are in varying states of health and wellness. Yes, I was a horticulture major in college and hold a Master of Science from UGA, but never took the “Indoor Plants” class. I don’t know anything about our indoor plant friends, which is quite ironic because when people hear about my educational and career backgr

I count many incarcerated people among my friends. I see these friends every week; we exchange thoughts on life, incarceration, religion, goodness, evil, and plants. We discuss the books we are reading, debate the merits of “plant-based pizza,” and write down our hopes and dreams for the future. One of my friends has spent over two decades in prison. This past week, he shared a message with a group of 40-or-so “free people” and 48 “incarcerated people” at Walker State Prison

“Dear Old Me,” H. said. I was confused, the assignment was supposed to be a poem. It appeared that this student, H., had mixed up the assignment with an old one where the class wrote letters of wisdom to their younger selves. I wanted to stop him; he was supposed to be reading a poem he wrote to the class, but I let him continue. I think God was telling me to shut up and listen. “Dear Old Me,” he began. Afterwards, I asked for a copy of his speech, which is below. I know you

Each Little Readers packet costs $15.10, which includes materials, labor, and shipping expenses. If you would like to sponsor a Little Readers packet for a family, you can do so at https://givebutter.com/HBMLittleReaders . Here’s a short story about Ash and how HeartBound’s Little Readers is changing lives. “Ash” is the mother of two young boys; she is currently pregnant with her first girl. Ash is currently incarcerated at Helms Facility in South Atlanta, the only correct

“We are not statistics. We are humans that have made mistakes, that deserve the same shot at life given to everyone else.” I am consistently amazed and humbled while teaching inside prison. I am a college-educated, mid-20-something who’s never known want or hunger. I graduated in the top ten percent of my high school and colleges, received accolades in school, and worked as a teaching assistant in grad school. I’ve read hundreds of books, subscribe to the print edition of the

When HeartBound hosts our Returning Hearts Celebrations, I like to work the check-in table for families. Why? For many of the children, this will be their first visit to prison. They’re staring up at imposing guard towers and menacing chain-link fences adorned with row after row of concertina wire. Their caregiver is usually apprehensive too – “I’m dropping off my child with these strangers for what?” Our job at check-in is to quell these fears, to put on a smiling face and

We're often asked, what causes crime? As you might have noticed, politicians on the campaign trail have “crime” on their minds. Republicans and Democrats alike tell voters that they have the solution, that they alone can make our streets safe again. Crime rates are falling nationwide but according to polling, Americans still believe crime is on the rise . Perceptions matter and the reality is clear – people don’t feel safe. Part of HeartBound’s mission is to break generatio

In January, I asked each of the horticulture students at Burruss Correctional Training Center to write down their hopes and dreams. One of the students finally turned in his list last week. His paper contained the usual items: release, early parole, re-sentencing to adjust for time served. As I approached the bottom of his list, I nearly came to tears. “I dream that I will get to go swimming this year.” ​​ The student that wrote this is 18, but if you looked at him you’d prob

“I have received no immediate assurance that anything we can do will eradicate suffering. I think the best results are obtained by people who work quietly away at limited objectives, such as the abolition of the slave trade, or prison reform, or factory acts, or tuberculosis, not by those who think they can achieve universal justice, or health, or peace. I think the art of life consists in tackling each immediate evil as well as we can.” - The Weight of Glory, C.S. Lewis A fe

Prisons do not exist in a vacuum. Forty-five percent of Americans have had a family member spend time in jail or prison. Ninety-five percent of the men, women, and children that we send to prison are coming home one day. They will be our neighbors. They will sit next to us at traffic lights. Their kids will play next to ours at the park, they’ll shop alongside us at the grocery, and they’ll sit in the pews next to us on Sundays. What happens to our future neighbors while the

While leading a Project A.R.T. class at Rockdale RYDC, I met a boy called “Lee.” He was very reserved and quiet, keeping to himself as the other guys in my program engaged with each other easily. He seemed very alone, so I decided to sit with him to share markers and continue drawing. I asked about his project; he kept replying with one word answers and gestures. As I checked in with the other boys’ progress, I kept returning to Lee, trying to make conversation, but still no

I believe that man’s highest calling is to be a great father. You might find it funny that I should say such a thing, given that I have no children of my own. Given that I lack the experience that comes from being a father, you might be wondering how I arrived at such a conclusion. Two things: I have a great father. Every time I visit a prison or a youth detention center, I see just how much a poor father, or a lack of one altogether, affects human beings, both male and fem

I am someone who has to speak and write a lot for work. Words come naturally to me. Seldom do I struggle to find the right words to say or write. This is an exception. I don’t know how to properly describe to you what happened Saturday at Burruss Correctional Training Center.I think it was the most perfect day I’ve ever seen. I think I saw God move in a way I’ve never seen Him move before. I think I felt his presence and His guiding hand in a way I’ve never felt before. I

One thing I’ve learned about prison ministry is that you’re going to meet a whole cast of characters. One of those characters is a man I’ve known since I was little - Burl Cain. His name perfectly encapsulates his stature and character. Burl is to no surprise - a burly man, white-haired and jovial with a Southern accent thick as molasses. He possesses the sort of wisdom they don’t teach in school, the kind only bestowed on those who grew up listening to their elders talk on t

Three peculiar things happened this Wednesday. 1. HeartBound was able to bring 4 former inmates back to Burruss Correctional Training Center to serve a Thanksgiving feast to 56 incarcerated men and boys. 2. A Muslim student asked me if he could work with HeartBound when he is released. 3. Zachary, one of the volunteers that went to Burruss today, wasn’t recognized by the staff - despite having been incarcerated at Burruss for nearly three years. ​ Reflecting on t

Have you ever asked someone to pray for you? I met with one of our Malachi Dads instructors, Dan Lane, recently. He had just completed a 12-week Malachi Dads course at Spalding County Correctional Institute. I wanted to meet to get feedback and say thanks. Dan was beaming, “Spencer, you’ll never believe what happened during last night’s class.” I sat up straight in my chair. “The men asked me to teach them how to pray.” For years, Dan’s been reading the same prayer every mo

There’s a good article in a 2016 issue of The Atlantic titled, “How Kids Learn Resilience,” by Paul Tough (the irony!). Mr. Tough discusses the effects of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) on adolescent development. Not surprisingly, children who experience numerous ACEs tend to perform poorly in school, suffer from a myriad of health issues, and are more likely to be incarcerated later in life. The entire article takes about 25 minutes to read, but here’s the main poin

God uses the smallest of things to help us reach incarcerated youth. Here’s a story from Chaplain John about how a promise of cake and lemonade helped bring young men to baptism at Rockdale RYDC. 12 were baptized in Rockdale RYDC recently - what a blessing to be a part of that! That made 20 baptisms in the last 60 days (and in a facility that holds 52 max). 40%. Can you say revival? God is saying something. Those baptized ranged in age from 14 to 16. Some had been baptized