In February 1999, I committed a crime while serving as a chaplain with a Christian health care corporation; the state of Washington charged me with a felony. Initially I denied the charge and asked my church and others to pray that I would be vindicated, but later I confessed and pleaded guilty to a plea bargained charge of Fourth Degree Assault.
I confessed my sin to God, the victim, my wife and family, the corporation board who hired me, my church, and a few others I had confided in, asking for their forgiveness. This they graciously did and offered to help in any way. I stepped down immediately from all church leadership positions and speaking responsibilities, believing any public ministry would be wrong until my debt to God and society had been paid.
As a result of my crime, I lost a well-paying job with valuable benefits, a ministry that I very much enjoyed and–to some people, I’m sure–my good name and reputation.
In April 2000, a judge sentenced me to 45 days in jail, followed by 45 days of Home Detention, followed by one year of probation. The time in jail was an unbelievable experience of life-changing proportion and Christ-serving opportunities. After being strip-searched, fingerprinted, mug-shot and given prison garb, I was put in the classification cell to await transfer to a permanent unit. The language of the other twenty-three prisoners here was unspeakably vile, the food practically inedible, and privacy non-existent. If the purpose was to dehumanize and remind us we were criminals, it succeeded.
The two days I expected to be there stretched out to four, but God had His purposes. On the last day, a prisoner who had tried to commit suicide while on drugs, seeing me reading the Bible, asked if I knew how he could find God. I diagrammed the gospel, after which he confessed his sin and trusted Christ and His death on the cross. I then gave him my Bible with suggested passages he should read.
I had previously applied for the “God pod” and about midnight I was again strip searched, given fresh clothing, and led to this cell which is unique in the Washington State Penal System. A Christian prisoner friend, Abe, who knew I was coming, met me with presents of a new tee shirt, sweat shirt, boxer shorts, a bag of candy and a pillow. I wept at such love. For the next few weeks we enjoyed great fellowship.
The difference between the “God pod” and the other cells in the jail is the difference of day and night. Prisoners have to apply and be accepted to get in. Many are expelled for not obeying the rules.
The “God pod” was started by a prison guard who realized there was little or no rehabilitation going on, just a hostile “us and them” mentality between prison officials and the inmates. He resigned as a guard and asked to start a new program called “The Biblical Life Principles” course in one of the cells. Quickly dubbed the “God pod,” it held 64 prisoners.
We rose at 6:00 am for a breakfast of relatively wholesome food. 7:00-8:00 am was Quiet Hour when everyone sat at tables and either read, wrote, or prayed in silence. At 8:30, the chaplain arrived and had a two-and-a-half hour session with short breaks, teaching the Scriptures. Lunch was at 11:30, followed by another two-hour session with the chaplain. He emphasized the need to trust Christ and to become a new creation in Him; also the truth of death to self, aliveness to the Lord, and dependence on the Holy Spirit as the only way to true rehabilitation. Many, who came in mainly for the peace and quietness, came to faith in Christ.
In the evenings, we led our own sing time followed by separate Spanish Bible studies. At 11:00 there was silence as the lights went out for the night. We could hear the yelling and screaming going on in the other pods, with the guards trying to keep some sort of order. I felt perfectly safe bunking next to a bank robber and murderer, both sweet, gentle, growing Christians who had trusted in the Lord while there.
Sensing that I knew a little about the Bible, my cellmates felt free to ask questions and get into Bible discussions all day. The greatest privilege was to lead five guys to the Lord. Then they experienced a “jail baptism”–sticking their heads under the faucet as we prayed over them. We emphasized that they fellowship with a Bible-teaching church immediately on leaving jail and get baptized by immersion.
The return to jail rate for those who pass their time in the “God pod” is minimal compared to the other pods. Other counties in Washington and other states across the nation are sending delegations to see what it’s about. An article in a Seattle newspaper highlighted the Yakima God pod in May, and a Seattle jail opened one.
All this has had a profound effect on me and I am looking into helping in chaplaincy work at the jail. Although officially retired, I believe going in once or twice a week would really help. I know God is able to take my sin and its consequences and turn it around for His glory. Satan wants to tell me I’m washed up as far as ministry for Christ is concerned. God, His Word, and my fellow-believers are encouraging me otherwise. So I am trusting God for a new season of fruitfulness. The “jail verses” I claimed were: “Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert” (Isa. 43:18-19).