A Mature Man of God

Darrin has done everything that has been asked of him by corrections officials, and more.

During the eighteen years that he’s been incarcerated he’s never had a disciplinary report. He leads a program to help youthful offenders transition to the adult prison system when they turn eighteen.

He was one of Metanoia’s first mentees nine years ago. He’s the chaplain’s aide-liaison for the Metanoia mentoring program at his prison. He keeps track of 100 pairs of mentor partners.

He earned a bachelor’s degree while in prison and is currently enrolled in the Master of Arts program with MINTS Seminary-in-Prison. He hopes that when he is released from prison to start a program to help at-risk youth so that don’t end up in prison.

There really isn’t anything else that Darrin can do to show that he’s learned the error of his ways and that he is, and has been for many years now, on the right track. He has become a mature, godly man and I’d be happy to have Darrin as my next-door neighbor.

I learned just how mature and godly Darrin is a few weeks ago.

Darrin was up for parole and everyone—chaplains, counselors—were sure that the parole board would look favorably on him. There really isn’t anything else that he could do. He really is the kind of candidate for parole that the board looks for.

But when the word from the parole board came it was no. Darrin had been set off for three years.

I was in Darrin’s prison to teach a class for the Seminary-in-Prison the day after he got the word. He had a big smile on his face, so I was sure he’d gotten good news.

I went up to him, shook his hand, and asked, “When are you going home?”

“Naw, I’m not going home. I got set off.”

“Then why the big smile? I’d be crying if it were me.”

“Because now I know that God’s still got work for me to do. This wasn’t an accident. The parole board can’t do anything except what God lets them do.” Then he went happily to his seat and got ready for the class.

That, I thought, is a man of God.

Much love, Barry