Participants: Lemuel Vega (Host), C.A. Murray (Host), Sargeant Vivian Malone, Clifford McGee
Series Code: FIN
Program Code: FIN000025
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00:01 I was once an inmate in this maximum security prison,
00:04 just on the other side of this wall. 00:07 And I called out to God one day, 00:09 it wasn't through technology 00:11 I got down on my knees and I prayed 00:14 and now today I'm free indeed. 00:16 We are going inside 00:18 for another episode of Free Indeed. 00:21 Their testimonies, their songs, 00:23 about how they too called out to God. 00:26 Stay tuned for another episode of Free Indeed. 00:42 I'm free indeed. 00:47 Tell me your first contact with Christmas Behind Bars? 00:52 My first contact with Christmas Behind Bars 00:56 was approximately eight years ago 01:00 may be nine 01:02 and the sheriff at that time 01:05 Mr. Vega contacted the department 01:09 and the next thing I know, I am sitting in office 01:11 with the jail commander and a sheriff 01:13 and they are like what do you think about this program? 01:16 And I looked at and I thought 01:18 well, it can't harm, let's try it. 01:22 Well, that me and my big mouth 01:24 and always saying try 01:26 because the next thing I know he says 01:28 well then you take care of it. 01:33 And I say, okay. So that's what we did. 01:38 He told me what the layout of his program was 01:41 and I said okay then this is what we are gong to do 01:44 and we are tried it and it was just fantastic. 01:48 It was during the holiday time 01:51 that's when people in jails and prisons get most depressed 01:55 because they don't have the time with their families. 01:58 And when I saw the impact that it had with the inmates 02:03 it was like, okay we are going to continue to do this 02:06 just as long as He calls every year 02:08 and they want to do this program 02:11 that is what we are going to do. 02:13 Then when he told me about that I want to come in 02:16 and see how this stuff was going. 02:19 Well there I go again, yes may 02:23 and I'm now packing all these bags 02:25 and all these thousands and thousands of bags. 02:29 But it felt good 02:30 and all the people that were there in the warehouse that day 02:33 we sang, we talk, we-- 02:37 I mean it's just a total fellowship all day long 02:40 and it's for a good reason. 02:43 And I don't comeback here to tell everybody 02:47 I want-- did this for you 02:49 it's just a good feeling for me. 02:51 I don't need to comeback 02:52 and say that but now Mr. Vega 02:55 makes it's a point, to tell everybody 02:58 that I go and do this every year all my time 03:01 but it's just not me. 03:02 Now, the department and administration 03:06 and other officers are buying into this also. 03:09 So it's just a good thing all way around 03:12 and the inmates really do appreciate it 03:15 and I do see that 03:17 and that's what makes this work wow. 03:19 And that's why I'm in this with Christmas Behind Bars 03:23 and as long as Christmas Behind Bars is coming, 03:26 want to come I will support it. 03:29 All right, now you support it 03:31 not only by allowing them to come in 03:32 but I was, I was with you and some friends 03:36 that you brought couple of February's ago. 03:38 It was a cold warehouse there wasn't any heat in there, 03:41 except the heat you brought with you. 03:43 And you were in there most of the day packing 03:45 and packing and packing and packing. 03:46 You actually felt that that was a blessing to you. 03:49 That was positive for you. Yes, I do. 03:52 I feel it was positive to me, 03:53 because I'm able to-- each one of those bags 03:58 that you pack everything that you put 04:01 and to those bags is more than a candy bar, 04:06 a granola bar or a bag of chips, its life. 04:11 It's care, its part of you that's going in that bag. 04:16 Not the stuff but its you that's going in there. 04:22 And that's what the inmates receive 04:25 is the care that goes into it. 04:26 Okay, I gonna ask you one of those high concept 04:29 ontological questions that they are sometimes. 04:35 Talk to me about the reciprocity 04:39 the reciprocalness of helping others 04:42 that helps you that serving others kind of serves you. 04:45 You follow when going? Yes, I do. 04:47 Yeah, give me your-- your take on that. 04:50 What I think about serving other is that-- 04:55 you get something out.. Some people in life think that 04:58 everything that you do has a monitory value. 05:03 Give, take or just take and take. 05:07 If you give something of yourself 05:10 a promise that in the end you will receive something back. 05:17 If you give just a little bit of yourself, 05:20 if you give a little bit on knowledge 05:23 a little bit of care 05:25 I guarantee that you will 05:27 get it back at some point in time. 05:30 I went through cancer eight years ago 05:34 and people always ask me, 05:36 why that project was so dear to me? 05:39 For 15 years prior to having cancer 05:41 I did that program relay for life 05:44 year after year not knowing that one 05:48 July seven years ago I would get sick in August. 05:53 I was diagnosed with it. 05:55 They told me 25 percent 05:57 but I gave so much to relay for life 06:01 and for cancer never knowing that it was me and I got back. 06:06 Now eight years later I have my life. Amen. 06:11 Giving into this program is the same exact thing 06:16 whether the inmates care for me or like me or not. 06:21 I do have knowledge 06:23 and things that I say do have a meaning 06:26 and at some point of time in life 06:29 somebody is gonna look back and say, 06:32 she gave this to me by something that she see it. 06:37 That's all that matters. Amen, thank you so much. 06:46 Hallelujah, salvation and glory 06:53 Honor and power unto the Lord our God 07:00 For the Lord our God is mighty 07:04 Yes, the Lord our God is omnipotent 07:08 The Lord our God 07:11 He is wonderful 07:17 Halleluja, salvation and glory, 07:23 Honor and power unto the Lord our God 07:30 For the Lord our God is mighty 07:34 Yes, the Lord our God is omnipotent 07:38 The Lord our God He is wonderful 07:44 All praises be to the King of Kings 07:52 And the Lord our God 07:55 He is wonderful 07:59 All praises be to the King of Kings 08:06 and the Lord our God 08:10 He is wonderful 08:15 Halleluja, Halleluja, 08:19 Halleluja, Halleluja, 08:21 Halleluja Halle-lu-ja, 08:25 He is wonderful 08:29 Halleluja, Halleluja, 08:34 Halleluja, Halleluja, 08:36 Halleluja Halle-lu-ja, 08:39 he is wonderful 08:45 Halleluja salvation and glory 08:51 And the Lord our God, 08:54 He is wonderful 09:00 Halleluja salvation and glory 09:05 And the Lord our God, 09:09 He is wonderful 09:12 All praises be to the King of Kings 09:20 And the Lord our God, 09:23 He is wonderful 09:27 All praises be to the King of Kings 09:34 And the Lord our God, 09:38 He is wonderful 09:41 All praises be to the King of Kings 09:49 And the Lord our God, 09:52 He is wonderful 10:16 Christmas Behind Bars, never dreamed 10:19 when we partnered with 3ABN of the beauty 10:22 and value of a new program called Free Indeed. 10:27 These men and woman are behind bars perhaps, 10:30 most of them forgotten by society 10:32 but not one has been forgotten by God. 10:35 The new program Free Indeed, that you are viewing 10:38 has been a partnership 10:40 and we thank you for being willing 10:42 to sponsor 3ABN and Christmas Behind Bars 10:46 to bring this together 10:48 for the honor and glory of God 10:50 and for the furtherance of the kingdom of heaven. 10:52 We would like you to be involved on a personal level. 10:55 Please contact us at Christmas Behind Bars, 10:58 we need new Bibles, used Bibles, 11:01 we need devotional books. 11:02 There is a lot of different aspects 11:04 that you and your church 11:05 can bring this program to your area. 11:08 Because many more people to reach 11:10 and we look forward 11:11 to the kingdom of heaven being full. 11:13 Blessings to you until we meet again. 11:19 I'm from St. Louis which is pretty wild city 11:23 and in I have been in correctness service since 1986 11:26 and now I now I am in Missouri 11:28 and I have always made all kind of excuses while-- 11:30 you know why not to go to church. 11:32 How come I'm not gonna-- you know may be I should. 11:34 Well, I'm not gonna go because girls go to church 11:37 and once they get out 11:38 they don't even put a bible in their hands. 11:39 So I made all types of excuses, you know, 11:42 why I'm not gonna go to church 11:43 but I guess I got to point 11:45 where I be myself of so much 11:47 you know, I was like, man, 11:48 there is got to be more life in the way I'm living. 11:51 I got to try something difference 11:52 because, you know, how we get out there out of prison 11:55 and we think, well I'm gonna try some of little bit different 11:58 and may be you have to work in a desert 11:59 because we don't want to submit ourselves. 12:00 We are going to rationalize sin. 12:02 Right, okay to make a long story short 12:04 I was in county jail 12:05 and I looked at the Book of Proverbs 12:07 and it says, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, 12:10 and do not lean on your own understanding." Praise God. 12:13 And when I-- when I looked at it 12:14 that it was like it was just speaking to Him. 12:16 You know, I was like wow, may be God talking to me 12:19 because all this time in life 12:21 I have been leaning towards my own understanding. 12:24 Amen. And is never worked. 12:26 So I could say, since that--since 1986 12:30 untill now I am doing a bit here Indiana. 12:32 Our father said you know what 12:34 I'm gonna give God a chance. 12:35 I'm going to give God a trail and it helped me 12:37 because I have been able to serve myself 12:40 with people little better, 12:42 I have and thank to God 12:43 I haven't had a conduct violation or confrontations 12:46 since I have been here. Amen. 12:48 And he is trying to change my character 12:50 and my believe system period 12:52 because I tired I beat myself now 12:54 so much now, I believe God 12:55 put me in that position to where 12:57 He says okay, Cliff, 12:58 you got to make some serious changes 13:00 because I have so many opportunities, 13:01 you know, turn my life around 13:03 and I did this to me 13:06 and I'm just asking God to help me, 13:07 you know change, change my life. 13:09 Change me on the inside, you know. 13:11 So brother, may that scripture remain with you 13:13 now until Jesus comes 13:15 to not lean on to our own understanding 13:17 but as we search the scripture 13:19 and we say Lord, "Thy will be done, not mine." 13:22 Amen. Amen. 13:23 God bless you, thank you so much. 13:29 Isaiah 29:13 Bible says, "therefore the Lord said" 13:34 so this came from God. 13:36 "Inasmuch as these people draw near with their mouth 13:40 and honor Me with their lips, 13:43 but have removed their hearts far from Me. 13:47 And their fear towards Me is taught 13:50 by the commandments of men." 13:51 So God complained here in Isaiah is that 13:56 they talk a good game, 13:58 that anomy with their mouth 14:01 but their hearts their lives 14:04 don't reflect their talk, you follow? 14:07 They talk the talk 14:08 but they aren't walking the walk. 14:11 That's Old Testament. 14:13 In the New Testament 14:14 Jesus in Matthew 15:8 14:22 says this, "These people draw near to Me with their mouth. 14:28 And honor Me with their lips, 14:30 But their heart is far from Me." 14:33 That same text in a New Testament. 14:36 This time it's the words of Christ. 14:39 One of things that most people say 14:41 that they dislike about politicians 14:44 on political reassess is the nasty way 14:47 that politicians talk to each other 14:49 and treat each other. 14:50 You heard on TV there will slice each other up 14:54 and talk about each other just to get elected. 14:58 Now there are several articles that have come out recently 15:01 and they have conducted studies that say, 15:03 most people think politicians will say anything, 15:09 promise anything just to get elected 15:13 and then once elected do almost nothing. 15:17 And that's why people get started disgusted 15:19 with the political system 15:21 because a lot promises are made 15:25 but they are never kept. 15:27 And what people are saying is-- what people are looking for 15:31 they want their leaders to be real that's all--just be real. 15:35 Don't tell me what you think I want to hear. 15:39 Don't tell me what you think will please me. 15:43 Tell me the truth and then do 15:47 what you say you are gonna do, make sense? 15:51 They call it the truth vacuum or the trust gap. 15:58 Mean what you say, 16:00 don't butter me up, don't wax me, 16:03 don't blow smoke upon nose, 16:05 just say what you mean 16:07 and mean what you say. Be honest. 16:12 Now the reason this text is so important that God said it, 16:17 Jesus said it in the New Testament is that, 16:22 God is saying if you are going to do something, 16:25 do it and be real. 16:28 If you gonna talk the talk, walk the walk 16:32 because for many people 16:33 the only Jesus they will see is the Jesus is in you. 16:38 And the truth is many times 16:40 Christians are guilty of false advertising. 16:42 We carry the name Jesus 16:44 but we are not gonna live the life of Jesus. 16:47 And Christ is saying if you gonna 16:49 talk the talk then walk the walk, amen. 16:54 Be honest, be real. 16:56 There's a story about this great General Alexander the great 17:01 and he had a guy in his army 17:03 who had the same name, Alexander, 17:06 but the guy was a goof-off. 17:08 Never showed up on time, shoes dirty, armor not polished. 17:11 He was just a flicker-- just like goof-off 17:15 and he had the same name. 17:17 And so Alexander the general went to him 17:19 and said listen man he is your choice 17:22 you ought to either change your ways 17:24 or change your name. That's the choice. 17:28 Change your ways or change your name? 17:30 Well, it's the same way with Jesus. 17:32 If you will take the name Jesus 17:34 you got to live like Jesus. Amen. Amen. 17:37 And you don't take the name Jesus 17:39 then you got to trust Jesus. And here is the thing, 17:42 the most miserable people in the world are people 17:46 who try to fake Christianity. 17:48 Trying to be a fake Christian is the pain in the neck, 17:53 because Christians are suppose to forgive. 17:56 So, some one that comes along 17:57 and slaps you and you are a fake Christian. 18:05 See it's hard to forgive when you are faking it. 18:08 And the devil will put you in a situation 18:10 to revile yet true stuff, he will--he will out you. 18:14 He will have something, you know, 18:15 you may have one nerve, 18:19 the one last never and the devil will see to it 18:23 that somebody is going to pull 18:25 that one last nerve come on well, that one last nerve. 18:29 So you see, see if you are faking it you will be exposed 18:33 but if it's really in your heart 18:36 when somebody does you wrong you forgive from your heart. 18:42 You see, vengeance hate the people 18:46 is like taking poison hoping the other guy is gonna die. 18:55 The person that destroys is you, Amen. 18:58 Say, a true story down with them. 18:59 When I was in college I had a roommate 19:00 from Liberia, West Africa. 19:03 Nice guy but he had this habit of chewing with his mouth open. 19:12 And he really enjoyed his food 19:16 and he like to eat nuts and grapes, 19:19 which I actually till this day I eat nuts 19:21 and grapes I got that from him. 19:22 But he would chew it. 19:29 And I said, you know what, 19:31 this guy is doing this to get on my nerves. 19:34 You know, when you are in a college 19:35 you are in a dorm it's a little tiny room, 19:37 you know, you're share in the same space, 19:39 breathing the same air, you can't get away form him. 19:45 I see, I am gonna put up. 19:47 You know, he is my roommate 19:48 but I see he is doing this to get on my nerve. 19:51 Now the truth is he didn't know he was getting on last nerves. 19:55 He didn't, he didn't know. 19:57 He is just doing what he always does. 19:59 I found that his whole family chewed that way. 20:02 I went to his house on Christmas vacation 20:04 we sat at the dinner table and I couldn't believe it. 20:09 Everybody, you got, you got, 20:11 you got a dozen people on the table and everybody. 20:17 You know I couldn't believe it. 20:20 So he didn't know because he grew up that way. 20:22 That's the way that they chewed food 20:24 in his house in Liberia, West Africa. 20:26 Guys have free and don't know how to do, bless his heart. 20:29 And I just--I was just I he was driving me crazy. 20:34 And I said he is doing it on purpose. 20:35 He never knew. 20:38 And then one day he and his girlfriend 20:40 in his little green Volkswagen 20:42 went up to this kind of lovers lane place 20:44 where the college students use to go to have Bible studies. 20:51 And coming down the hill he flipped his Volkswagen 20:54 and she got hurt and he got hurt. 20:56 So I came back from church that Sabbath, 20:59 Saturday evening he was in a bed arm broken 21:02 and you know mourning and groaning and I felt so bad. 21:04 I said--I said his name was Francis Jockey. 21:07 I said Francis, now what happened. 21:09 My God, brought in for you, 21:10 you want some nuts and grapes. 21:11 You know anything you want to do, 21:12 I'll get you anything you want, you want anything-- 21:14 you know can I help you in any kind of way? 21:16 I was so glad that he didn't go, you know. 21:20 And that's way, that's the way we were. 21:24 So, you got forgive and be in the real 21:26 if you gonna walk the walk 21:28 you know, talk the talk, you better walk the walk. 21:31 And the blessing come 21:34 when, when Jesus leaves your lips 21:38 and moves into your heart. 21:39 That's when the blessing come, that's when the strength come, 21:43 that's when the forgiveness comes when-- 21:45 when it's not just in your mouth its in your soul. 21:48 That's when the strength come, that's when the power come. 21:51 Forgiving lets you out of jail. Amen. 21:57 Holding a grudge puts you in jail. 21:59 Tell you the last, and this one leave in my notes 22:00 and I am done last story I think. 22:05 I was at motor vehicle in New York, 22:06 I have all my ministries are in New York City. 22:09 And I was, I was re-getting insurance for my car 22:14 and there was a fellow in front of me, 22:17 nice looking tall 6' 3'' blond 22:19 just cursing on news. He was just mad. 22:22 He said that, I am gonna rip of her arm 22:25 and shove it down her throat and I am gonna, 22:27 I'm gonna-- he was just having a fit 22:30 and the Lord said you need to talk to him. 22:33 I said, no I don't. 22:37 And you, you know, when trying to fight God, 22:39 and God is just nagging. 22:40 He said, because he was just oh, my God, oh God. 22:45 He was just going on and God said talk to him. 22:48 And I said no, Lord, not me not today, not no time, 22:53 nor I'm going to do it no way. 22:56 And the Lord just nagged me, so I said to him. 23:01 Once I got to nerve if I say hey man, 23:05 how long you are gonna stay in prison? 23:10 He said, say what? 23:15 I said, how long you are gonna stay in prison? 23:19 He said, what are you my warden? 23:23 I said, actually said to him you are my sub warden. 23:28 Then I said no man I'm just trying to get you out of jail. 23:32 So he, he I saw his shoulders, 23:34 you know, you can see his shoulders 23:35 kind of drop down a little bit and I said what's up? 23:41 Evidently his, his wife had left him for another guy 23:47 and had--the guy that she left him for was an attorney 23:52 and they had gotten his house and his car and his son. 23:57 And he was left with this old raggedy Chevy 24:01 that he is trying to get insurance on it. 24:03 They got everything 24:04 and he was just full of hate and revenge. 24:07 And I said to him that, 24:12 your wife is off with her new lawyer boyfriend 24:15 in your house, driving your car 24:17 and the best you can do is push yourself in jail. 24:21 I said, you got to get free. 24:24 She is not thinking about you, 24:26 so you-- you need to start giving her 24:28 the power to destroy you. You got to get free. 24:31 You got a son, 24:33 if you do all the stuff that you want to do to her, 24:36 who is gonna take care of your boy? 24:39 Who is gonna take care of your child? 24:40 You got get free. 24:42 You are drinking poison hoping your wife is gonna die. 24:47 Get free man. 24:50 And so we talked about that for a long time 24:53 and when we are done, we prayed together 24:57 and I said just free yourself, free yourself. 25:01 That's what the Bible says, "If the Son makes you free, 25:07 you really will be free." 25:09 That's where true freedom comes. 25:11 Let me close with a text. 25:15 I love this one, Hebrew 13:5, 6. 25:20 I'm, I'm the kind of guy 25:22 who read the Bible several times. 25:24 Lot of people has favorite texts 25:25 that they kind of just lock down on 25:27 kind of give them strength. I don't have favorite text. 25:29 I have favorite anything. 25:30 My wife kind of get up, aggregate in me 25:32 because she says, what do you want to eat today? 25:34 I don't know. 25:35 I don't have favorite color, 25:36 favorite food, favorite clothes, favorite text, 25:38 I don't have favorite anything. 25:39 What I have is text in the Bible that means 25:42 some to me for that point of time. 25:44 Then I move on to another text and that gets me through. 25:47 When I got my cancer diagnosis a couple of years ago 25:50 I had, Joshua 1: 9 "Have I not commanded you? 25:54 Be strong and courageous. 25:55 Do not be afraid you to be that is made 25:57 for the Lord that God is with thee whithersoever thou goest." 25:59 That was not for a while, then I moved on to, 26:01 Micah 6:8, 26:02 "He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good, 26:03 and what doth the Lord require of thee, 26:05 but to do justly, and to love mercy, 26:06 and to walk humbly with thy God?" 26:07 You know, I get him and I loose him 26:09 and I get him I get another one. 26:11 Well, this is the hot one now. 26:14 Hebrews 13, I think its 5 and 6. 26:17 Let me just find it real fast and I'm done. 26:20 Hebrews-- 26:25 see it's so knew I haven't quite 26:27 committed to memory yet. 26:29 That is coming, Hebrews 13:5, 6. 26:31 "Let your conduct be without covetousness," 26:33 that means don't envy anybody anything, 26:35 just live your own life don't be a tourist in your life 26:37 live yours, let them live theirs. 26:40 So, "Let your conduct be without covetousness, 26:42 be content with such things as you have." 26:45 Whatever you got that's what God wants for you. 26:47 So don't look in over at hers look at yours. 26:51 Amen. Amen. I said Amen. Amen. 26:55 All right, so, "Be content with such things as you have, 27:00 for He Himself has said," this is God. 27:03 "I will never leave you nor forsake you." Amen. Amen. 27:08 There is no hole you can crawl into or fall into. 27:10 God can crawl down there and find you. Amen. 27:13 So when you get in a hole don't say Lord, help me out, 27:16 say Lord how are you gonna get us out of this mess 27:20 because He is the hole with you, amen. 27:22 You are not down there by yourself, okay. 27:24 So, this is a parallel, "We can boldly say, 27:28 'The lord is my helper.'" 27:30 Amen. God is my helper. 27:33 "I will not fear, what can man do to me?" 27:38 Cannot hurt you when you are in Jesus, 27:40 even if they take your life they haven't hurt you 27:44 because the Bible says you live in Jesus 27:46 and die in Jesus, you will live for ever. 27:49 So once you get God you get forever. Amen. 27:55 What can man do to me? 27:56 That's Hebrews 13:5, 6, 28:01 it's a powerful, powerful text. 28:03 And it will study you in time. 28:05 So walk the walk, talk the talk, live the life 28:10 and Jesus will be your Savior and your friend. 28:13 Thank you so much, God bless you. |
Revised 2014-12-17