(Crossroads student artist: John C., Texas) This Friday, as we near the end of Holy week and ponder the familiar story of Jesus’ road to His crucifixion and resurrection, I find myself pausing to reflect again on one of the many people Jesus crossed paths with on the...
On any given day in America, over 555,000 people sit in pretrial detention. They are housed in local jails because they can’t afford to pay the bail that has been set for their release. The median bail for felonies is $10,000, which is the equivalent of eight months...
Some people point to a direct encounter with God, a meaningful event or a rock-bottom low as the beginning of their spiritual journey. Jason’s began when he found a small piece of paper on the floor of his jail cell. Jason had grown up in a nonreligious family. “I...
Bryan lived most of his life trying to be the “good Christian” but living another life in the shadows. Until 2009, when Bryan was arrested and his life was exposed for what it was – flimsy and fragile. “My house of cards fell down,” Bryan said. “The...
On Bill’s first day in prison, he felt completely disoriented. “I was so lost and confused,” he remembered. “I couldn’t believe where I was—I was locked in a cell with another man, using the restroom with him in there. All the politics, rules, me with a number, no...
On Labor Day of 2019, Scott was working on his deck. “I hadn’t been feeling well but was pushing through to try to get the project done,” he said. His wife encouraged him to seek medical advice. By the end of the day, he was in an ICU bed with end stage heart failure...