Finishing a Project

A couple of years ago, I started writing another book. Due to how busy my schedule has been and other pressing projects, it got placed on the back burner for a later date. Well… now is that later date. I thought I’d share the introduction to give you an overview of what the book is going to be about, and why I believe it will be of great value to those in prison who want to succeed in life once they are released. 

The Little Work Book

Introduction

     This month, March of 2018, marks the twenty-fifth year since I was released from prison. Even though I’d only had to serve roughly a year and a half, at the time, I was certain I had ruined my life for good. Because of my foolish actions, I had created devastating debt, deceived my family, my friends, and even myself. I had no idea what was next, where I was going, or if it even mattered. Even though I had been freed, in many ways I still felt locked up, stuck in the deep hole I had dug for myself, and it was difficult to see how I was ever going to get out. 

     Now, as I reflect on where I was then and where I am today, I can’t help but feel a sense of overwhelming gratitude toward God for all He has changed in me. It is because of those changes and the process of those changes that I feel compelled to write this book on the idea of transformation through work. At first glance, you might be wondering why I think work is such an important factor in transformation. This belief is based on my own experiences and the observation of many other people’s lives over the past twenty-five years. It was one of the main ways God brought me out of the hole I was in. And I’ve seen Him use it to do the same for many others. The Lord loves work. 

     Since 2006, I have been actively involved in prison ministry. This includes not only those who are incarcerated but their families as well. I have witnessed first-hand the heartbreak these people experience over and over again as the son or daughter or dad or mom or brother or sister get stuck in the cycle of what many refer to as the “revolving door” of prison. Most of these offenders are not hardened criminals. Most of them do not relish breaking the law. But unless there is some radical change in how they make decisions and the actions that result, they will continue to repeat their mistakes. And one of the biggest mistakes they continue to make is to not work. 

     I’ve thought about the subject of work for many years. I was raised in a family where a good work ethic was never discussed because it was assumed. If you wanted or needed something, work was the beginning point to having it. This concept of working for things rather than having them given out was not just the way of our family, but the way of most of the families I grew up around. But when I went to prison, I was introduced to a group of people that had an entirely different perspective. As a whole, they looked to have things given to them. They often had a victim mentality. They talked and behaved as if the world owed them something because they had been born in poverty and/or a broken family situation. They viewed laziness and taking advantage of other people’s kindnesses as being clever. Some had previously been homeless and laughed about “those fools who work for a living.” I felt like I was on a different planet. How could they live this way? I thought. How could they think like this?

     Some time ago I heard someone on the radio say something like “Imagine what it would be like to turn eighteen, never having had a job of any kind, and never seeing your dad, or mom, or uncles, or aunts, or friends, or anyone in your neighborhood go to work. How do you think that would shape your outlook on making it in life?”

     This is one of the reasons I became inspired to write a book on work. My goal here is not to criticize or shame anyone but to encourage them. After years of working day in and day out with those who are incarcerated, I have seen first-hand the two factors that have had the most positive effect on recidivism: a healthy community of friends and a good work ethic. And if I had to choose only one of these it would be a good work ethic, because working hard and well is a pathway to finding a healthy community of friends. 

     Some would argue that becoming a Christian would be the key to reducing recidivism, and I believed that myself at one time. Unfortunately, there are many good-hearted, well-meaning Christians who will spend the rest of their lives in and out of prison simply because they do not embrace this wonderful God-given gift of work. In many cases it is not because they are refusing it but because they don’t understand it. It is foreign to them. They were never taught. 

     One of the saddest conversations I’ll have is when I talk to someone who is in their mid-to-late forties and I find out they have little or no work experience. Some of them have never held a steady job before. The good news is that God is not confused or confounded by their circumstance, and if change is what they sincerely desire, He will help them. 

Romans 8:31 (NLT)

... If God is for us, who can ever be against us?

Romans 8:37 (NLT)

... overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.

Philippians 4:13 (NLT)

... I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.

     These are not pithy little sayings, they are truth. If any person will take seriously their dependency upon God and apply a good work ethic, they will experience success.