How To Truly Come Alive

-

New Prison Course For Texas Inmates

Photo credit: TDCJ-French Robertson Unit
It's one thing to watch prison movies and TV shows in the free world but it's a completely different ballgame to watch them while sitting in a prison day room. "The Green Mile," starring a younger Tom Hanks takes place on death row of a prison. "Dead man walking," is repeatedly announced when an inmate is transported from his cell to a different location. As I look around my prison day room I cannot help but notice that although some were given a life-sentence, none were sentenced to death, and yet the attitude and spirit of many around me was that of a "dead man walking." In early 2023 I felt that all too familiar nudge to create a program that would challenge and encourage my incarcerated peers to stop waiting to be free from the razor wire before they started to live again. We do not get these days, weeks, or decades back in our lives... this IS part of our life! Watching men in the prime of their life be reduced to a prison number was hurting my soul. ComeAlive believes that all people desire personal growth and want to plan for the future but simply lack the tools to do so. They may attend religious services, have a prison job, but still lack the practical steps to create authentic change in their lives today. ComeAlive is divided into three parts (inside, transitional, and outside):

Inside

Starting with close self examination of the four major areas of personal growth and development (spiritual, social/emotional, mental, and physical) a person can realize where they have been lacking and where they are seeing growth. This allows each person to then identify their unique strengths and gifts, and discover a purpose even while incarcerated. Finally, each participant learns to accept personal responsibility for their growth and development.

Transitional

The transitional portion of the course focuses on tools that are critical for growth and development regardless of an individuals purpose and uniqueness. Leadership development, healthy interpersonal communication skills, creating a personal vision, maintaining focus, and setting goals that will help us move toward our vision, are all necessary for anyone striving to see authentic change in life. Simply put, we don't know what we don't know.

Outside

The final part of ComeAlive focuses on the necessity of giving back. We are to lose ourselves in service to others. I've learned that one secret to peace, happiness, and fulfillment in this life (whether in prison or in the free world) is to invest into others growth. ComeAlive uses material from John C. Maxwell, Steven Covey, and Dr. Gary Chapman to support the vision of ComeAlive. I am thrilled to facilitate this course in the Mind, Body, Soul (MBS) Program on my unit. The MBS is a program for G5 custody level residents to hit the reset button and start again. The program is relatively new and ComeAlive is one of many classes being taught by peer mentors such as Field Ministers and Life Coaches. The culture change is not limited to classes and curriculum, we are working to overhaul the living environment as well. Stainless steel tables and concrete floors are not humanizing those working hard toward personal growth and rehabilitation. We are self-funding the installation of couches, area rugs, larger TVs, radio transmitters, and the like in order to call the human heart back out of the inmate mentality. If you're interested in learning more about ComeAlive, MBS, and how YOU can help, please add me to your Securus Account and let's link arms to declare, "I Choose Hope," and reduce the number of dead men walking and help them ComeAlive!

Like Trent's blog? Subscribe to his monthly newsletter at ichoosehope.substack.com.

Contact Trent directly by creating a Securus e-messaging account at SecurusTech.net or on the Securus App. You'll need his full name, State, and facility (Trenton Blythe, Texas, Texas Department of Criminal Justice). He'd love to hear from you!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

He's 21 With Nowhere to Go After Prison

-
Image
  One Way TDCJ Is Failing I'm certainly not a constant critic of the "system." Admittedly, I am not a fan of the prison system as a whole but I was ignorant at best, apathetic at worst, when I walked the streets of the outside world as to how it functions and how it fails. The system is working to improve itself, and I wish it would seek counsel for improvements from those of us who reside within its walls, but the system is so expansive and diverse, their is not a "one-size-fits-all" solution to the issues within. One of the opportunities afforded to me while I live in the razor wire is to serve in the Christian Church community. Every Saturday a group of men load up and offer a Christian service for those who are confined to Administrative Segregation, or more currently known as "Restrictive Housing." The inmate led ministry team spends over six hours moving equipment to each wing in order to ensure there is an opportunity for those men to have ...
Read more

Yup, They REALLY Said That!

-
Image
  Just A Few Of My Favorite Quotes At The Moment "You can be a victim, or you can be a leader you just don't get to do both." -Robin Sharma I'll admit it, I used to play the victim role and I was pretty good at it if I do say so myself. These days I meet many guys in prison who are masters at shifting the blame to their circumstances, to other people, or to the judicial system for their incarceration. Unfortunately this is kind of the norm around here. Taking full responsibility for our poor choices in life can be difficult. Sharma explains that people who see themselves as victims are not leaders. Leaders step up to the plate when it's time to swing, they face the fire when things get hot, and they do the things that others don't want to do in order to find success. Until we decide to stop allowing our lives to be determined by "victim" stance we will never lead our lives, our families, or our communities in the most effective way. I want to be a...
Read more

How Mike Barber Ministries Is Transforming Lives

-
Image
Revival In Texas Prisons Photo Credit: TDCJ-French Robertson Unit Some balk at the idea that a group of men in a maximum security prison in Texas would "find Jesus" and turn their lives around, but not Mike Barber Ministries. For four decades the retired Houston Oiler tight end has gone into prisons and jails around the world sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ with thousands of incarcerated people. In April 2025 I experienced this first hand. Even after a recent knee surgery, Mr. Barber walked throughout the entire prison complex his humble, approachable demeanor and hugged every willing individual reminding each one that God loves them and wants a relationship with them. A week before Mike Barber Ministries arrived to the unit a handpicked team of inmate ministers were sent from other units to get to know the people assigned here. Their job was to meet as many people living here as possible and make sure they knew what was coming. A weeklong revival consisting of two serv...
Read more