Testimony of David A. Carter
The GDC has a Theological Seminary that allows offenders to obtain a theological degree. One of the men who completed the program was recently sent to CTC as he is preparing for
release through the transitional program. Following is the personal testimony of David A. Carter: “On December 7, 1997, I found myself sitting in a county jail’s church service. Five days prior, I had received a fifty-year prison sentence for various crimes that resulted in the
loss of a man’s life. As I sat in the pew with no one near me, I reflected upon the events that led to my incarceration. The life I led was a selfish one. Even though I had a wife and two sons, a three-bedroom ranch on an acre and a half, three cars, and a job I enjoyed, I was nev-
er satisfied. Throughout our marriage I cheated on my wife.
One day I bragged of my sexual exploits to one who took it upon himself to black mail me. Being a non-confrontational coward, I allowed this to continue until I could no longer stand it. When I finally did take a stand, my nemesis threated the lives of my family. We got into a
fist-fight and he died as a result. Three nights later I tried to destroy the evidence of our fight, but only succeeded in drawing attention to my crimes. Eventually, I confessed, and was later sentenced to half a century of incarceration.
I had always prided myself on being a self-made man. However, if I held true to that philoso- phy, then I had no one to blame but myself. If I had been home taking care of my family and
being a man of honor as I had vowed on the day of my marriage, then the life of misery I created for so many would have been avoided. My selfish choices cost my children their fa- ther, my wife her husband, and a man his life. For the first time in my life I shed tears for the
pain I had caused others. In the solitude of my heart, I cried out, “Jesus! If you’re real, and want what’s left of my sorry excuse for a life, you can have it, ‘cause I don’t want it!” Instant- ly, I felt a presence being reluctantly drug from my body, and out through the top of my head. As soon as it had left, I felt another presence enter in from the top of my head and rush
through my body. I can only describe it as liquid light. I had no idea what had just happened. All I knew was that those flowing tears of sorrow had inexplicably turned into tears of joy! I became a new creation on the day that Jesus filled me with His Holy Spirit. Over the follow- ing year I quit a twenty-four-year cigarette habit, stopped looking at pornography, cleaned
up my language, and discovered a since of peace I had never before experienced. Evidence of my conversion is found in my progressive transformation.”
David has a ministry called The Phoenix Prison Project, upon his release, he and his wife desire to go into the county jails evangelizing the men who have been sentenced to serve various terms of imprisonment. The envision a church where it members willingly seek to evangelize and prepare men to use their time of exile as a means for growth in Christ and emerge from their incarceration as men of Passion, Promise, and Purpose.
ART IN Resident Gerald Moore, from Clayton Transitional Center, is quite the artist. He taught himself to make these amazingly detailed ships out of cardboard! Yes, I said cardboard.
They look and feel like wood, but are cardboard, glue, and ???. The cardboard is stained with coffee to get the wood grain look.
Just recently he made his first Lighthouse Church. It is absolutely beautiful, it really lights up and is sitting on a platform that is painted to look like rock. Others helped with painting, but the crafting and artistry is all Moore’s. Besides being such a talented artist, he works a full-time job and assists the chaplain in day to day activities all while doing his art. These ships are in high demand around the center, and I am sure these lighthouses will be soon as well.
CTC Band
CTC has some very talented men. The men continue to practice and worship God with their many talents. Several of them can play multiple instruments and sing. They have written several songs together, and Anthony Epperson has written several of his own. We have taken them to Chief Cornerstone Ministry to perform a few times. The people there are the best; they love and welcome each of these guys with open arms. Anthony Epperson, Dylan Bryan, Raleigh Brown, Jerome Burnett and Cody Parrot.
Who Sew Ever
Barbara Gillis is a friend of this ministry. She makes and donates “Cross in My Pocket” gifts to
give the guys at CTC. Last year she made enough that we put one in each of the men’s Christmas
bags. These little crosses are made with so much love and mean so much to us we wanted to share Barbara’s testimony. “I’ve always loved arts and crafts and known that they are my calling…from painting to sewing to decorating bulletin boards. My Mom was the first to introduce me to the “Cross in My Pocket”. She made them for the Sunshine Club at our church. More than thirty years later, I am making them as a part of my “Who Sew Ever” ministry. God is good and I am
so thankful and blessed to be able to do what I do for him and to be able to share it with others.
Welcome to the Team
We want to welcome Gary West to our ministry team! He is helping Chaplain Sue at her monthly services and has a real heart to serve others and share Jesus. We are blessed to have him with us. He has been serving the Lord for many years, and has a powerful testimony of being freed from a life of addiction. I am sure you will be hearing more about him soon.
Galatians 5:13 “For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.”
Family Day 2017
is one of our largest events and our greatest opportunities at CTC. We have the chance to love on and serve the men and their families. This day is full of fun and food. We plan to do the carnival type atmosphere again this year with funnel cake, popcorn, ices, cotton candy, bounce house, gift bags for the children and hamburgers and hot dogs. We are expecting to feed about 500, so we need volunteers to serve at different stations throughout the day and donations for the needed resources. Please keep this event in your prayers, let us know how you can help, and donations can be sent to Father and Daughter time !
BeginFragmentHands In Service– HIS EndFragment
Tawana Ross is another friend of the ministry that we want to extend some special thanks. Tawana has a ministry call HIS (Hands in Service). That so fits her beautiful soul. She a part of a food ministry, and uses the food and other items she receives to not only help her family, but others. She has supplied Mercy Outreach with boxes and boxes of crackers, chips, soup, and candy to name a few. We minister to a few of the guys that have some health issues and really need additional food to supplement their diets, because of Tawana we have been able to keep extra food around to give to the residents. Additionally, her chips donations have helped us to save some money on our large
Shine Bright
Philippians 2:15 (AMP) says, “so that you may prove yourselves to be blameless and and guileless, innocent, and uncontaminated, children of God without blemish in the midst of a [morally] crooked and [spiritually] perverted generation, among whom you are seen as bright lights [beacons shining out clearly] in the world [of darkness].
Sometimes the Amplified version of scripture gives such clarity. In this particular verse, it is very clear that we are to be beacons. I ask you sincerely are you a beacon? Do you
shine the light and love of Jesus into the lives of those walking in darkness? Are you seen as a safe place?
The Greek word for lights in this instance means illuminate. I find it interesting that the word illuminate in English can mean to light or brighten, but it also means to clarify or enlighten. As believers, we should stand out for the right reasons. Take Facebook for instance. Have any of y’all read hateful, rude, hurtful and just down right mean comments that people who identify themselves as Christians post? If you have read any political post on either side of the aisle in the last year, I am sure you are as saddened as I am about the state of our illumination in both senses of the word. I challenge you be the lighthouse you were created to be. Be light, shine bright, have unmistakable purpose, warn of the danger ahead, direct people to the safe harbor of
Jesus, and be hope to the lost.
Chaplain Tricia
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