‘Out of my distress, I called on the Lord;
the Lord answered me and set me free’.
Psalm 118:5
I want to personally thank you for taking the time to read this.
It’s likely that you have found yourself on this page because you have a heart for prison ministry and wholeheartedly believe in the power of the gospel to transform any life.
In March 2002, I began a four year prison sentence for drug related crimes. I was an addict and a lot of people who knew me had written me off. I thank God that my family, who are Christians, didn’t. They didn’t give up praying and believing that one day things would change. That day of change began in the June of that year following an encounter with Jesus Christ in my prison cell. Just like the Psalmist says, ‘Out of my distress, I called on the Lord; the Lord answered me and set me free’.
Part of my journey to Jesus was reading testimony books such as ‘The Cross and the Switchblade’ and ‘Run Baby Run’. I couldn’t believe the turnaround in the people I was reading about who were once caught up in the gang culture of violence and addiction but now living clean lives sold out for Jesus. It gave me hope to believe that change was possible for me. It pointed me to the hope giver Jesus Christ.
There are over 90,000 people serving prison sentences in the UK. That’s 90,000 opportunities for the message of the gospel to become real to a prisoner’s life. Nothing encourages me more than when I get a letter or message from a prisoner saying how my book had impacted their life and caused them to consider God. It really does bless me heart and spurs me on in my mission to make a small difference in this world, while I can.
In my opinion testimony books are one of the most effective way to sow seeds of ‘truth’ into a person’s heart. Since my book The Real Deal was published in 2014 we have been able to send 7,000+ copies into prisons, thanks to the generous giving of many friends and family. The demand from prison Chaplains is huge because they see the value and impact such books are having.
Shawn Verhey, Chaplain of HM Prison, Thorn Cross, Warrington shares about the impact ‘The Real Deal’ has had there:
If you are in a position to help me get more books into prisons please get in touch or you can make a donation here. Your financial support does make a difference and enables me to personally visit prisons and share the gospel with inmates. Please would you also pray that God would open more doors, provide more resources and that we will see countless more precious souls come to Christ in prisons across the UK.
Thank you so much for doing what you can do. Together we can make a difference.
God Bless
Rod