I Choose Hope

7 Things You CAN Control That Will Make A Difference In Your Life Any control I think I have is a myth. I do have choices, but the longer I live the more I realize that I'm never really in control. This used to produce fear and anxiety in me because if I am not in control, who or what is? I am convinced that God is in control and ultimately His good, pleasing, and perfect will for my life will come to pass (Romans 12v2), but my choices have taken me on major detours from time to time. An inspirational group called "Fearless Soul" shared these 7 things we can control (or choices we DO have) regardless of our circumstances or situations. Let's make choices that lead us into the best place God has for us! 1.) Your Thoughts And Beliefs Everything begins in our minds. If I believe that every struggle I ever face is an attack from the enemy then I'm giving the "enemy" way too much credit. Resistance training (i.e. lifting weights) produces muscle growth and ...

Each week I have the privilege of walking through every wing of Administrative Segregation housing on the maximum security prison facility I am assigned to. A faithful team of incredible men spend every Saturday providing a church service for those who are unable to leave their cells because of their custody level. There are six wings, so we provide six, back to back services every week. This can be physically demanding and emotionally exhausting, but we press on because we have a goal: to show Christ's love to those in Seg. Our goal is to make sure that at least once a week every person on our unit knows they are loved. We are followers of Jesus, and we pray that those we encounter come to know Jesus too, but our simple objective is to consistently show the love of Christ to those assigned to Seg. "Seggers" have minimal contact with people who just want to love them, so naturally there is some skepticism at first. Our goal is not to fix anyone, our goal is to simply sho...

Simple Ways To Help Your LO Overcome Fear The single most repeated command in the Bible is not, "Feed the hungry," though that is a great thing to do...it is not "Forgive one another," but we benefit from doing so. The single most commonly declared command in the Word of God is "Fear Not." "Do Not Fear," is repeated over and over throughout both the Old and New Testaments by angels, prophets, and even Jesus Himself. God knew we would experience worry, anxiety, and fear. He created you and knew your vulnerabilities long before you were even born, that is why He repeated "Don't be afraid," so many times, He knew we would battle with fear. People who are incarcerated seem to have an extra dose of fear heaped into our lives. It's likely due to the many things that are stripped from our control, but regardless of the reason there are some common fears inmates experience and you can help your loved one overcome their fear. 1. Fear ...

Come Alive In 2025 I recently heard a story about basketball G.O.A.T. Kobe Bryant. Kobe allowed a renowned coach and trainer to witness one of his personal workouts and the coach was astonished by the simplicity of the drills Mr. Bryant went through. The same drills Kobe repeated throughout his workout were taught to almost every middle school basketball player around the country: dribbling, passing, and footwork. After the workout the invited coach asked Kobe Bryant why he, the greatest player in the game, did these simple and fundamental drills, Kobe simply replied, "Never get bored with the basics." In a world that always searches for a quick fix or a life-hack we can easily forget that the best way to grow is to return to the basics. When I neglect the foundational things I have a tendency to start to wobble. In order to truly Come Alive in 2025, here are 5 things to do every day: 1. Treat others how I want to be treated. The Golden Rule starts with me. When I feel pow...

Turning Obstacles Into Opportunities In July 2023 I was transferred across the State of Texas to a new prison facility because I had signed up to take a college program. When I left my unit I was miserable and for several months I tried everything I knew to return to my unit of assignment. Each of my attempts failed miserably. Once the calendar flipped over to 2024 I made the conscious decision to try and make the most of my new location. The environment was uncomfortable, opportunities were minimal, and I deeply missed the relationships I had developed at my original unit, but I dug in anyway. Here are my 3 biggest takeaways from 2024: 1. Physical Health Is Vital Through intermittent fasting, a commitment to burpies, and a reduction in carb intake I lost 57-pounds in 2024. Not only do I look better, my energy level went up, my attitude is much more optimistic, and my self confidence has increased. Physical health is a vital puzzle piece for all other areas of my life. 2. Writing Fo...

5 Ways I Handle Anxiety Note: Before diving in I want to remind you I am NOT a doctor. If you're experiencing prolonged or severe stress/anxiety, schedule an appointment with a mental health professional. Life can be full of stress, worry, and anxiety. Prison certainly pumps these out on a daily basis with countless unknowns, lack of privacy, reminders that we are not in control, and uncertainty about the future. I've seen some of my closest prison friends lose hair, lose weight without trying, gain excessive amounts of weight, and even fall back into drug addiction as a direct result of anxiety. I've had my fair share of anxiety battles so I want to unpack anxiety and share some ways I respond to it. What Is Anxiety? My favorite definition of anxiety is simply when we mentally create possible scenarios. It's worrying about future potential outcomes, and then ruminating over them. I recognize when I'm heading down this path because I notice my thoughts repeat...

If You're Still Around After This, You're My New BFF! If I am going to be effective here, I want to remove the baggage that could hinder our future together. This blog as a relationship and it's important for me to be authentic and raw from the start. Maybe that seems dramatic and some might say it's not a good decision, but I believe you should know some of the good and some of the ugly about me. I have my issues, I'm a work in progress, and I don't ever want to pretend that I have it all together. So, if you get through this post and still choose to engage, you're definitely my kind of person! If not, no worries, and I wish you the best anyway. Either way, here we go. 1. I tend to over think things. One of my worst habits is fixating on the future instead of being in the present. I can get so wrapped up in the "what ifs" and I worry about things that will probably never happen anyway. I'm working to live in the present and not over think t...