“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

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

Teaching can be scary. You stand in front of a room, everyone looking at you, waiting for you to speak. They expect you to be knowledgeable, to not say “umm” too many times, and to make their time worthwhile. Further adding to the difficulty, teachers often spend more time actually preparing for the lesson than they do teaching the lesson, thus consuming a massive amount of personal time. You spend hours and hours prepping for a lesson, hoping and praying that your students w

Ana Ivey, our creative writing instructor at Coastal State Prison, shares a beautiful message for us.***The Enemy’s Lies or God’s Truths “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” 1 Corinthians 5:15 ***He held the pages of his story and said, “I am a total screw up.” ​ I was teaching my creative writing class at Coastal State Prison. We were discussing the concept of “false beliefs” in literature. False belief

Small Joys Behind Big Gates “You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” Psalm 16:11 ESV I used to think that joy had to be found in the big moments of life. I expected to only find joy in achieving my long-term goals, checking a box on my bucket list, or even hitting a major life milestone such as graduating college or signing a lease on my first apartment. Recently, the Lord has been reveal

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...

There’s an old-time country artist I really like called Stonewall Jackson. I heard this song called “Waterloo” and was instantly hooked....

When HeartBound hosts our Returning Hearts Celebrations, I like to work the check-in table for families. Why? For many of the children,...

We all have to begin somewhere. We had just wrapped our Returning Hearts Celebration at Burruss Correctional Training Center. The day was...

In January, I asked each of the horticulture students at Burruss Correctional Training Center to write down their hopes and dreams. One...

I am consistently amazed and humbled while teaching inside prison. I am a college-educated, mid-20-something who’s never known want or...