Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas! I pray for a happy and healthy holiday for all of my loved friends and family. This is my tenth Christmas to be incarcerated. When I think about this time in terms of Christmases missed as a free man, the time seems to have flown by. It does not seem all that long ago when I was setting in Tulsa County Jail and a huge package of "everything chocolate" was delivered to my cell courtesy of Lori Russell and the Park Plaza Church Melting Pot class. It has now been a week since my move to this new facility. We enjoyed an almost proper holiday meal today, something that has not happened in 4-5 years (turkey of some degree, giblet gravy, candied sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, a fresh baked yeast roll with a pad of real butter, coconut cream pie, no bake cookies, and an apple). While the television situation at Granite is less than ideal, our new Securus tablets offer a wide variety of free podcast. I encourage you to take an hour to yourself and listen to Steven Furtick's "Elevation Church Podcast" Christmas message titled "Kept in the Dark" today. I found it very reassuring and hopeful after listening and think that you will too. Steven's Christmas podcast message reminded me of my blog posting from 9-9-2018 that was inspired by the story of Louis Zamparrini. Louis was quoted as saying, "You must learn to live through the night, not battle with it." I also quote V. Raymond Demon who inspires us to "never forget in the light what you learned in the darkness". It is worth the listen. A big thank you to my best friends, my true siblings-in-Christ who purchased me a movie to watch today. It was such a treat to watch "Spiderman: Far from Home ". My cellie and I then split the cost of watching "Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings", for $8, which we then allowed other inmates to sub-rent for a couple of bucks to make our money back! My Christmas wish this year is for truth. That lies and liars are exposed and truth is revealed: that the Lord will orchestrate situations and people to come into the lives of those who continue to cling to their perjury and encourage them to step up and to tell the truth. I love and forgave those who lied a long time ago, but their continued illicit behavior keeps me locked behind these fences, and I want to be free! I truly believe that, as Martin Luther King Jr. said, "The arc of history bends toward justice" and I will add towards truth. There was a truth embedded in The Legend of the Ten Rings that I want to pass along to my prodigal Absalom/Kylo, and to anyone who is allowed Satan to divert them from God's plan for their life, as a Christmas wish: "You are the product of all who came before you, a legacy of your family, all of the good and the bad, it is all a part of who you are. Stop hiding it only prolongs the pain." More specifically my prayer for you today is, "You are the product of all who came before you, a legacy of your family (of me), all of the good and the bad, it is all a part of who you are. Stop hiding [behind your lies: be a man, step up and tell the truth, accepting the consequences of your perjured testimony and the coercion of ADA Sara McAmis and detective Dianna Baumann] it only prolongs [your] pain.  

I look forward to the 2022 holiday season and the very real possibility that I may be celebrating it in person with you next year!