New Journey, The

Bridge the Gap

Three Angels Broadcasting Network

Program transcript

Participants: Aaron Chancy (Host), Michael & Tanja Richards

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Series Code: TNJ

Program Code: TNJ000049


00:01 The following program discusses sensitive issues.
00:03 Parents are cautioned that some material
00:05 may be too candid for younger children.
00:09 Today, we'll meet a couple actively engaged
00:12 with the burden for prison ministries.
00:14 Please be sure to tune in for today's New Journey.
00:47 Welcome back to The New Journey.
00:48 On today's program, we have with us Mr. and Mrs. Richards.
00:52 Mr. and Mrs. Richards, we thank you
00:53 for being on the broadcast today.
00:55 Delighted to be here. Alright, alright.
00:57 What I want to start with it
00:58 is a little bit of your background,
01:00 each of your backgrounds.
01:01 Where are you from? Where you grew up at?
01:03 And how each of you met?
01:05 Give us a little brief background
01:06 starting with you, Mr. Richards.
01:08 Well, I served in Air Force for 25 years.
01:12 Okay. From Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
01:14 Alright.
01:15 And after getting out of the services,
01:16 I had to get into law enforcement.
01:18 Therefore, working in the prison and jails
01:21 and seeing a lot of Western Negro
01:24 what's going on with the population there.
01:26 Okay, and we'll get deeper into you being a Corrections Officer
01:30 in the prisons in a little bit.
01:31 Mrs. Richards, a little bit of your background.
01:33 I'm Tanja Richards form Tuscaloosa, Alabama.
01:36 Okay.
01:37 I'm a school teacher bachelorette.
01:39 And now I'm doing ministry work for the Lord.
01:42 Okay. Praise the Lord.
01:44 Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord.
01:45 Mr. Richards, we want to start with you.
01:47 As a Corrections Officer, what are some of the things
01:51 that you've seen working in the prison
01:54 as a corrections officer?
01:55 Some of the things that you see that are needed,
01:57 some of the things that go on in the prisons.
02:01 Talk a little bit about that.
02:04 Well, prisons of course, you know, we know,
02:06 they are all overpopulated.
02:07 The prison that I've worked in was designed for 800 people.
02:10 Okay.
02:11 And when I left it, we had 1,700 and...
02:14 Wow.
02:15 Most of the guys there wanted somebody to talk to there.
02:17 Okay.
02:19 And another thing I noticed that in having one-on-one
02:21 with a lot of individuals when I had the opportunity to,
02:24 no one wants to be responsible for their actions.
02:26 Yeah.
02:27 So I think that's something we should be looking at is,
02:29 kind of make people aware of, as, you and me also,
02:32 we got to be responsible for our actions.
02:34 Okay.
02:36 And, you know, they got a need in us, you know,
02:38 hunger for spirituality in them.
02:40 Yeah.
02:41 Spiritual growth when they are in prison,
02:43 we just got to tap into that when they are released.
02:46 Okay, okay.
02:47 You know, myself as a ex-inmate some years ago, I, you know,
02:53 very familiar with corrections officers and,
02:56 you know, some of the things that I noticed about.
02:57 Some is, you know,
02:59 there are people like you and I.
03:01 But sometimes, they would kind of look down on us
03:04 because we are incarcerated.
03:07 And, you know, they are not breaking the law or whatever,
03:09 they have a job.
03:11 Have you seen this type of thing happen?
03:13 Or how is it for you as a corrections officer?
03:16 And also how long did you work as a correction officer
03:19 in the prisons?
03:21 Four years or often only and I got activated
03:23 into the Air Force to go to the desert.
03:25 Prisoners there used to go into desert
03:27 to do a little time over there which was fun.
03:29 Okay.
03:30 You know, since that you said that
03:32 because I noticed that
03:33 some of the officers the way that they acted and behaved
03:37 towards the prisoners.
03:38 And I think a lot of it had to do with
03:40 where they were brought up and how they were treated...
03:41 Okay.
03:42 In school and they don't have any authority
03:45 and may be they're not having any type of
03:47 being bullied or whatever.
03:49 Okay.
03:51 Wherever they, you know, where they was in school day,
03:52 I thought somehow I'm kind of took their authority
03:55 and went over to hate because they hate the power to,
03:57 well, you don't get power.
03:58 Oh, yeah! Very much understandable.
04:01 Now working in the prisons as a corrections officer,
04:05 did you ever have a opportunity to pray with any in-mates,
04:08 talk to them about Jesus or anything along those lines?
04:11 I've sort of worked my way into.
04:14 We had groups coming in
04:15 to constitute to the Christian Neighborhood.
04:17 And they would really look forward to the time
04:20 when the people of whatever group was coming.
04:21 Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah.
04:23 So I was very fortunate, blessed by the Lord to assist,
04:24 be able to assist before I left the prison
04:26 to make sure everything went smooth.
04:28 I actually began going to the Chapel.
04:30 I escorted them to the Chapel and, you know,
04:33 saying my words and encourage them
04:34 and just, you know,
04:35 being a part of the service with them
04:37 and they were very attentive and appreciative
04:38 anytime someone will come in.
04:40 Okay, now after, after working has a corrections Officer,
04:43 you got in to another area of law enforcement.
04:46 What are you involved in now with law enforcement?
04:49 Actually, I'm a Police officer at facility for
04:53 frenzy type patients with the state of Alabama.
04:57 Okay.
04:58 Well, what's that life working with the frenzy group?
05:02 Astounding.
05:04 Most of the guys are some type of murder.
05:07 He didn't just murder maybe to kill someone
05:10 but maybe do something to the body afterwards.
05:12 And, you know. Okay.
05:14 So you have to be very professional about it
05:16 and to put that behind when you read up
05:18 and see why a person is in there?
05:19 It's just so challenging, interesting
05:22 as long as they stay on the medication.
05:24 Okay, okay.
05:25 Now what, what led you to want to become a corrections officer
05:29 or a police officer?
05:32 What kind of led you prompted you
05:34 or motivated you to get involved in that field?
05:36 Yes, I thought I was in the military
05:38 and air force for Deputy Sam.
05:40 When I got out of Air Force,
05:42 I was looking for some type of employment
05:45 that where I can make a difference in.
05:47 And going to law enforcement, and then I got into Air Force.
05:51 Okay. Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord.
05:53 Mrs. Richards, I want to speak with you for a little bit.
05:57 You have both started a ministry.
05:59 I want you to tell me a little bit
06:01 about the ministry, the name of it?
06:03 And how it got started?
06:04 Okay. Absolutely.
06:07 The name of the ministry is called
06:08 "The Matthew 25 Connection."
06:10 And my goal is to feed people,
06:16 to shelter people,
06:18 to visit with them while they are in prison.
06:20 Okay.
06:21 And seek and to house them so, of course,
06:25 that's what Matthew 25:35 speaks about.
06:28 Okay.
06:30 And so I would, I'm just wanting to share
06:31 my give I think that the Lord has
06:34 unwanted and blessed me with
06:37 as it relates to help in those people in need
06:40 in the community.
06:41 And as it relates to prison ministry,
06:45 there has been something that has been
06:47 burning desire for a while with me.
06:50 I know probably since the early 2000s.
06:54 Of course, we all go into some things there, you know,
06:59 we aspire to get done.
07:01 But never finish them.
07:02 So over the past couple of years,
07:06 the Lord has really placed a burning desire on my heart
07:10 to get back into the need for a prison ministry,
07:14 the need to get into the prisons
07:17 and help those who are really struggling
07:20 and battling with different situations.
07:23 Now, the name "Matthew 25 Connection."
07:25 How did that name come about for the ministry?
07:28 The passion and a desire to help people
07:31 again who are may...
07:35 The need to help those
07:39 who are homeless to feed those who,
07:43 you know, are
07:45 don't get the proper nutrition that they need.
07:49 So it came about like I said basically from the scripture
07:54 as Matthew 25:35 says.
07:57 Okay, okay.
07:58 What are some of the various aspects
08:01 of Matthew 25 Connection?
08:03 I want you to mention the feeding, the housing,
08:06 things like that.
08:08 What are you all trying to do with each of these?
08:11 Each of them being in the impoverished area
08:15 they were in,
08:17 we're hoping to gain a population of individuals
08:22 who want to first of all
08:24 develop a relationship required.
08:26 So we are trying inspire in spirituality
08:32 into the program,
08:34 we're trying to engage in there
08:38 within the program first and foremost.
08:41 And then also we would like
08:43 some type of educational program,
08:45 some type of work force initiative program
08:47 to also be involved in our ministry as well.
08:50 Okay, Mr. Richards,
08:52 as a former corrections officer,
08:54 police officer,
08:56 what have you seen has is some of the major causes
08:59 of why people are
09:01 who are called repeat offenders?
09:04 I think it is break down in the family life,
09:06 early childhood,
09:07 development which we need to really focus on.
09:10 And being, want to be in a group,
09:13 want to be with someone, want to be a part of something.
09:16 Unfortunately most of all people getting involved
09:19 in wrong things to be with some good people,
09:23 you know, we can change that.
09:24 Okay.
09:25 You can be with good positive people,
09:27 I think we could solve the problem.
09:28 Okay, okay.
09:30 Mrs. Richards, you told me before
09:32 that you all encourage families
09:35 to get involved with the ex-convict
09:39 that you may be working with.
09:41 What are you seeking to do by this?
09:43 Bridge the gap,
09:45 have a supportive mechanism with the image
09:50 who are getting now, you want that support system
09:55 within the community, within the family.
09:58 In order for those individuals to continue to have hope,
10:04 you want them to have hope,
10:05 you want them to know that someone cares for them
10:08 and someone is trying to help them
10:10 regain a positive outlook on life.
10:13 Okay, so do you think that if the family,
10:16 the entire family got involved with particular inmate
10:20 about to get out or even while they are incarcerated?
10:23 You think that have helped maybe prevent them
10:26 from going back in or something like that?
10:28 It has to be a will and desire
10:30 and burning desire within that individual.
10:33 And I think that the family life being involved
10:38 will greatly help the individual
10:41 try and stay on the right track and on the right path
10:45 like you have to inject a positiveness
10:47 within the person so,
10:50 instilling positiveness within them,
10:52 I think will greatly help and it will take a village
10:56 and a family, a community involvement
11:01 to keep those persons on the right track.
11:04 Okay.
11:05 Mr. Richards, getting involved in prison ministries,
11:08 has this been something that you wanted to do
11:11 since you were younger
11:12 or is this kind of recent new desire?
11:15 How did all this come about for you, Mr. Richards?
11:17 Well, this all started when I was working in
11:20 at the county jail
11:21 when starting off in law enforcement.
11:22 Okay.
11:24 Thought I will look my way toward helping
11:26 and getting the Bible workers
11:27 and people that will come to the jail
11:29 scrutinizing.
11:30 And there's a need for, you know,
11:32 just doing anything to try to reach out
11:35 and touch and that's sort of
11:37 where I got started at the jail
11:39 and we've been talking about it
11:41 and you know with the Matthew 25 Connection.
11:44 And we want to really get to whole community, the mayor,
11:46 we need to get everybody involved.
11:48 Okay, okay, now do either of you have
11:51 any background in terms of
11:53 being incarcerated in jail, in prison,
11:56 or anything along those lines?
11:57 I do not.
11:59 I just have the desire to help people,
12:02 that passion to help, you know,
12:04 those less fortunate like I say those who maybe hopeless,
12:08 those who are in bad situation
12:11 who feel like that there is no hope or no way out
12:14 that are in prison or incarcerated.
12:16 To let them know that there is hope
12:18 and there are other chances
12:22 and their life can bring about change
12:25 if they are willing to change.
12:27 So I think that this will be a positive program
12:29 for those incarcerated again
12:31 like I say with their support system of the family,
12:34 and the community, and the Matthew 25 Connection
12:38 going out into the community reaching and changing lives.
12:41 Okay, Mr. Richards, asides from working in the prisons,
12:46 have you had any background of being incarcerated
12:48 or anything along those lines?
12:50 Well, once when you asked,
12:51 I would just like to say it did.
12:52 I grew up in the projects,
12:54 earlier projects in some of the years
12:55 and I've did a lot of other things
12:57 that I just didn't get called.
12:58 You just didn't get called for.
13:00 And, you know, when I was young
13:01 Everywhere I worked up, friends,
13:02 old friends, you know, I went for my mother
13:05 always instilling in me what was right,
13:08 you know, I was working without a way.
13:10 There was four boys and one girl
13:12 and I think that carried on into me
13:15 'cause I could have been on in there
13:16 with some of the stuff that I did,
13:18 I could have been on the same side of the fence.
13:20 I mean it just a matter of me not getting a bad break
13:25 on something where I could have been
13:27 easily on the other side of the fence.
13:28 Instead of working in the prison,
13:30 I could have been sitting up in the prison myself.
13:31 Okay, okay.
13:32 So you had a strong mother.
13:35 Now why do you think some of your other friends
13:38 that may have gotten incarcerated,
13:40 why do you think maybe they had a mother, father
13:43 at home whatever it was,
13:45 why do you think they got incarcerated and you didn't?
13:49 Well, getting back to my mother again,
13:51 I think that her strong religious background
13:56 and she was really faithful and you know coming up,
13:59 you know, maybe I always thought maybe
14:00 it will be too faithful 'cause, you know,
14:02 I didn't want to go along with the program.
14:03 And she insisted, you know,
14:04 where you're camp meeting with me.
14:06 It wasn't an option, you know,
14:08 and I just think that some of the guys
14:11 that I used to hang out with
14:12 that might have been in the reason that.
14:14 And grace of the Lord for, giving me mercy
14:17 and saving me from going down those road
14:20 that I was trying my best to get down
14:22 was the difference I think.
14:23 Okay, okay, praise the Lord.
14:25 Mrs. Richards, you said something a second ago about,
14:28 you know, families getting involved with the in-mates,
14:31 the ex-inmate.
14:33 What if that person
14:34 doesn't have that support system?
14:36 I remember for myself when I was incarcerated.
14:38 I remember one time, you know, anything can happen, any day,
14:42 any minute, any hour as you know, Mr. Richards.
14:45 And I remember, at one of the prisons I was at,
14:48 it was a 24 men dorm area.
14:50 And so you got 24 different personalities,
14:52 24 different backgrounds.
14:54 And I had a mother and a father that, you know,
14:57 and a brother and cousins that would write me, you know,
15:00 put money on my commissary, things like that.
15:03 And there were some that did not have
15:06 that support system at all.
15:08 They didn't have a mother, they didn't have a father,
15:10 they didn't really anybody that care.
15:11 And when a home boy, they got some home boys,
15:14 but know you get locked up.
15:15 You know no clue at how it was until you get back out.
15:19 So for a person that doesn't have
15:21 that support system,
15:22 what can they do, because like I said,
15:24 I have seen many times where I could get mail
15:27 or birthday card or something like that.
15:29 They don't get it, they are mad at me
15:30 now they want to fight.
15:32 I didn't do anything to you, I can't help it
15:34 that I have some people that love me and you may not.
15:38 What should that person do or could that person do
15:42 being that they may not have their support system?
15:45 Again that's gonna take a rally of the community
15:49 to get involved with those individuals with the system,
15:54 so that something like that could happen for them.
15:59 You know they are human, they need the support
16:02 just like everyone else
16:04 and it probably would help steer them
16:07 in a different direction if they failed
16:09 and knew that someone care for them
16:13 and support them in their efforts,
16:15 and you know probably that their hearts will change,
16:20 and their minds will be made up, you know,
16:23 when they get out to do the right thing.
16:27 You know, to not go back down the road
16:29 that they have previously gone down
16:32 in order to that landed them in that situation.
16:35 So I think again the community, environment,
16:38 church environment plays a big role in their effort.
16:42 Now I know some churches
16:45 get involved in prison ministry, some don't.
16:48 Why do you thing that some churches, you know,
16:51 and they may have prisons in their area
16:53 don't get involved in prison ministries?
16:56 I think that a lot of churches don't have time.
17:01 That is not an issue, or be the focus of every church
17:05 to be involved in prison ministry
17:08 because the people are desperately searching
17:13 and seeking, and hungering,
17:15 and thrusting for some type of spiritual growth.
17:18 Yes.
17:19 And just that word along spiritual growth,
17:22 they should orchestrate and originate from a church.
17:25 Okay. Okay.
17:26 Yes, indeed, yes, indeed.
17:28 Mr. Richards, being a former corrections officer,
17:32 how easy or difficult have you seen it is for,
17:36 if a church wanted to come in to the prison
17:39 and do some programs?
17:41 How easy or difficult is it to get into the prison system
17:44 to do those things?
17:47 It is a challenge, there has to persistency
17:49 and getting with the warrant, you know,
17:51 to start a warrant to see what's available.
17:54 And to, it's really nice, I mean wants to be figure out
17:58 what the schedule, wants to warrant
17:59 and let you what to schedule they have an opening.
18:01 Just to be persistent and start with the warrant,
18:04 and let them know what you have available for them
18:07 and I think you'd be successful.
18:09 Okay, okay.
18:10 How does, Mr. Richards, how does,
18:13 and you can answer this as well, Mrs. Richards,
18:15 for a person that is incarcerated now,
18:18 what do they need to do to get a ministry like yours?
18:22 And they may not be in your state, your city,
18:24 Tuscaloosa Alabama.
18:25 They may be somewhere else.
18:27 But what steps do they need to take
18:29 in order to try to get to a Christian ministry
18:33 where they can be, you know,
18:35 a half way house something like that.
18:36 What do they need to do while they are incarcerated?
18:39 Go on, you can answer.
18:41 While incarcerating, you know,
18:42 most people would be doing about studied
18:43 so for they get out and adjust there,
18:46 I will suggest that
18:48 they would look for a good church,
18:50 and don't be discouraged
18:51 because all the churches in there
18:52 are going to be receptive to...
18:54 Yeah, and that is very true.
18:56 And we got a negative,
18:57 we have a negative attitude about ex-inmates.
19:00 But there are some good churches out there.
19:01 There are some good Bible workers out there who,
19:04 you know, looking for a challenge,
19:05 not gonna frown you
19:06 because you made a mistake in life
19:08 'cause you have been incarcerated.
19:09 And I'd just tell them just be persistent,
19:11 don't get discouraged and use, you know,
19:13 what you've been to and you don't want to go back
19:15 just used as motivation
19:17 to find out where the right church is there,
19:18 the right person out there, just keep looking for them
19:20 and the Lord will get you.
19:22 Okay, okay, praise the Lord.
19:23 Mrs. Richards, with the Matthew 25 Connection,
19:27 and you know in Matthew 25, it talks about, you know,
19:30 you visited me in prison, you fed the hungry,
19:32 you clothed the naked, things like that.
19:35 Okay, some people may use it as a check list,
19:37 "Okay, I feed the hungry, I clothed the naked,
19:42 but the prison isn't for me."
19:43 Wow.
19:45 But then it says, you've done it unto least of these,
19:47 you've done it unto me, you know it still Jesus' child.
19:50 Jesus still died for this individual.
19:52 So how do you encourage a person?
19:55 Look, even though you haven't been to prison
19:56 as in your instance,
19:58 Mr. Richards you worked as corrections officer,
20:00 but neither of you were actually inmates.
20:02 So how do you encourage a person
20:04 that has no background in any type of...
20:08 Haven't been a corrections officer,
20:10 haven't been a police officer,
20:12 haven't been an inmate or anything like that,
20:14 how do you encourage them to go into prison?
20:17 And before you answer that question, let me say this,
20:19 I understand that it is scary going inside of the prisons.
20:23 As a former inmate, you know, I have seen some things
20:26 and I have seen some people that look very scary,
20:30 but how do you overcome that based on Matthew 25
20:34 to encourage people to get in to the prisons
20:37 or for a church to actively engage in prison ministries,
20:41 because at the end of the day,
20:42 these are still children of God?
20:44 How do you do that? Amen.
20:45 And it's not for everybody.
20:47 Everybody has their different gifts.
20:49 That's true. So it may not be for...
20:52 Going in there may not be for you, the individual.
20:57 You have to let the Lord lead you
20:59 and the Holy Spirit lead you
21:01 into what it is that He have for you to do.
21:04 Again, with me, as far as my burning desire,
21:07 I am hungry and thirsty to get in there
21:09 and to help see lives change.
21:12 So it's the willingness of the person,
21:15 the determination,
21:17 the persistency of the individual
21:19 and your work requires
21:22 whatever it is that you desire to do.
21:24 I feel like that your work requires
21:27 will lead you into the plan that He has for you.
21:30 And my plan, and my goal is prison ministry,
21:33 to get in there, and to help individuals come out
21:37 and be a success story in the society.
21:41 Praise the Lord.
21:42 Mr. Richards, in working in the prisons
21:44 and going to the chapel services in prisons
21:47 and all, how do you, not necessarily get in,
21:51 but how do you if a chaplain or a pastor,
21:55 or a church family wants to come into that prison,
21:57 how do you deal with
21:59 having so many different religious backgrounds?
22:02 I remember in looking into...
22:04 Before I felt called to the ministry to become a pastor,
22:08 I was looking into the chaplaincy program.
22:11 And, you know, I had some issues with, of course,
22:13 you know, you're working with different types of backgrounds,
22:16 ministering to ones that are involved in,
22:18 we call, witchcraft, involved in as Muslims, Jews,
22:24 various different religious backgrounds.
22:27 How do you or what have you seen
22:31 ministries do to minister to the various,
22:34 various different backgrounds?
22:36 That's a good questions, it's a difficult situation
22:39 because today, the spiritual war is on.
22:43 Oh, yeah. These different religions.
22:45 Christianity is been sort out, you know,
22:49 so I just think the safest thing to do is
22:52 to be Bible based.
22:53 Okay.
22:54 And you know, some people may not accept the Bible,
22:57 but just sort of keep it in the area, just Bible based,
23:00 and you know, God, Jesus is our example,
23:03 just stay in Bible.
23:04 That's the safest route to go.
23:06 You're gonna have some people that, you know,
23:08 they don't want anything to do with Christianity,
23:10 but you just got to stay neutral,
23:12 stay in the Bible,
23:14 base everything that you're saying
23:15 and doing from the Bible.
23:17 Okay, okay.
23:18 As a corrections officer,
23:20 have you had to deal with any threats
23:23 from inmates or anything like that?
23:25 I know, inmates fight all the time occasionally.
23:29 But as a corrections officer,
23:31 I've never been on that side of the fence,
23:33 have you had to deal with any threats and things
23:36 along those lines?
23:38 I was fortunately, seriously blessed because at times,
23:41 it would be like two of us with 300 of them.
23:44 Yeah, and that's how it often is.
23:45 I mean, it's vastly outnumbered.
23:47 Wow. And people will be saying, "Are you scared?"
23:51 If you're scared, you ain't going in
23:52 'cause they can take over any time they want to.
23:54 The thing about inmates is,
23:55 they can read fear on your face,
23:57 they can read fear in your persona,
24:00 how you carry yourself, so how was it for you?
24:02 Absolutely.
24:04 Like I said, the difference in what I had was, I was bad boy.
24:09 Okay.
24:11 You know, I've lived a life I shouldn't have lived.
24:14 My mom did everything she could have, right?
24:16 But I chose to do something
24:18 that I shouldn't have been doing.
24:19 So it was I saw friends in prison, friends in the jail.
24:23 So I could relate to that in saying,
24:25 what we talked earlier about some people who took advantage
24:28 of having a chance to be over people and mistreat them.
24:33 That's one of the reasons that I didn't get attacked.
24:35 I saw people that got attacked, officers getting attacked
24:39 'cause I dealt with you as a person.
24:42 We had to understand, you know, I'm not gonna come in
24:44 and try to mistreat you,
24:46 I'm gonna respect you and you're gonna respect me.
24:49 When you use that then possibly, you'll be okay.
24:51 Okay, okay. Praise the Lord.
24:53 Also, Mr. Richards, what do you think,
24:56 for a young viewer that's watching the program,
25:00 what could they do, even though they may be growing up
25:04 in a bad environment like where you're from
25:07 in the projects in Tuscaloosa,
25:09 what can they do to try their best
25:13 to stay out of the drama, the trouble?
25:16 As you know for most young African Americans,
25:19 as for myself, there is really three ways out.
25:24 And that three ways out of the bad environment
25:27 is basketball, football, or either hip-hop music.
25:30 One of those avenues basically.
25:32 But what if they don't have basketball talent,
25:34 what if they don't have the football talent,
25:37 what if they can't rap, they can't rhyme,
25:40 anything like that.
25:42 What can they do to, you know, steer,
25:44 steer clear off all of the drama
25:46 that goes on every day in the projects.
25:49 I think the first thing to do, most probably,
25:51 young brothers in a community are very smart.
25:56 Oh, yeah. I agree.
25:58 These young kids are terribly smart.
26:00 Just you know we know who is right and wrong
26:02 and try to hang out, try to be with somebody
26:04 who is not trying to go get in trouble.
26:06 Yeah, that's possible.
26:07 If that's not something you want to do, you know,
26:09 don't do it.
26:10 Get with somebody who is trying to do,
26:12 do right and you know that way, you have a better chance.
26:14 When you just go along with crowd, don't make a stand,
26:17 then that's where you'll fall.
26:19 Okay, okay, for the last few seconds,
26:21 I want each of you to look into the camera, one at a time.
26:24 I will start with you Mrs. Richards.
26:26 And I want you to speak to the viewers
26:28 of what they can do
26:30 to get involved in prison ministries
26:31 or encourage them to get involved
26:33 in prison ministries.
26:34 Okay.
26:36 To get involved in prison ministry,
26:38 you have to have a burning desire,
26:41 you need to have burning desire,
26:43 you need to have a willingness
26:45 and a heart to be involved in it.
26:47 There is a need, a great need for those who are incarcerated,
26:53 to have someone to support them.
26:56 Community, church please gets involved.
27:00 Help those who are in need
27:02 so that they can alleviate the struggle.
27:05 We have people who have a burning desire
27:08 that want the gospel, that want the Word of God,
27:11 that are hungering and thirsting after the Word.
27:15 We asking and we're begging those
27:17 in the community and churches to please get involve
27:20 and help in prison ministry and any effort that you can do.
27:25 Praise the Lord, praise the Lord.
27:26 Mr. Richards, and in 10 to 15 seconds,
27:29 encourage somebody right now.
27:30 I can't do that.
27:31 We have been teasing each other
27:33 about the plank in each other eyes,
27:34 I'll just encourage everyone
27:36 who all have the big planks in our eyes.
27:37 So don't look at inmates as what they did.
27:40 And we all know just like I could have been on
27:42 or assassinated.
27:43 Just watch the plank in your eyes
27:45 and then you'll help people.
27:46 Praise the Lord, praise the Lord.
27:47 We want to thank you Mr. and Mrs. Richards
27:49 for being on the program.
27:51 Viewers, thank you for tuning in so much
27:53 to this episode of The New Journey.
27:56 We encourage you tune in next time
27:58 for another exciting episode.
27:59 God bless.


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Revised 2016-05-26