Before I formed thee in the belly, and before you came out of your mother's
womb, I set you apart and ordained you as a prophet to the nations.
Jeremiah 1:5
One thing I have learned since receiving Jesus as my Lord and Savior...
womb, I set you apart and ordained you as a prophet to the nations.
Jeremiah 1:5
One thing I have learned since receiving Jesus as my Lord and Savior...
...is that His ways of doing things are not like that of man's. And His choices, are not like our ways of making them. I will use myself as an example of this truth.
Back in 2012, when I was housed at New York State's Sullivan Correctional Facility, a strange thing happened. One morning in late March, I was approached by one of the facility's chaplains. Thinking that I might be getting bad news, I braced myself for what was to come. After all, it was only several weeks earlier when I learned that my father passed away at the age of 101.
To my surprise, however, the chaplain began to read a memo that was sent from the Commissioner's office to the office of the prison's Deputy Superintendent of Programs at Sullivan, that was addressed to me. It was an invitation to be the keynote speaker at the City of Suffolk, Virginia's "28th Annual Leadership Prayer Breakfast" that was scheduled to be held in the City's downtown Armory on the 3rd day of May 2012.
I was incredulous. If it wasn't for the chaplain reading the letter to me with a serious look on his face, I would've thought it was a joke. "Me, do what?" and "I'm supposed to go where?" I asked. With a straight face, he replied, "To Virginia to be the Keynote speaker during America's National Day of Prayer." I didn't hesitate to say yes (see video).
It was true. A woman by the name of Kit Webb, who was the Chairperson of the Suffolk Leadership's Prayer Breakfast Committee at the time, said the Committee voted to have me as that year's main speaker. And even stranger was the fact that I didn't know any of these individuals. It's not as if they were friends of mine; they weren't. Yet of all people, they chose me.
To quote the lengthy memo, which I've held on to all these years later, it says:
"Dear David,
After hearing about your life and your extraordinary transformation, and
after watching you give your testimony, and then reading about you, we felt,
because your life shows so visibly the difference a personal relationship with
the living God through Jesus Christ can make, that we would like to have you
do a live interview for the 28th Annual Suffolk Leadership Prayer Breakfast on
May 3rd at 8 am.
"This is an audience of about 400 leaders, most of whom do not have that
personal relationship with Jesus Christ. It is like a Mayor's Prayer Breakfast,
though it includes State and local leaders in politics (Delegates, Senators,
Mayor, Councilmen, School Board members, etc.), business leaders, leadership
from the Joint Forces Military Command, leaders from the medical community
and student leaders from all of the local high schools... I believe your testimony
would be highly impactful for that audience, and we pray it will be life changing
for some.
"Lord willing, you will agree, and you will be willing to do this interview. If you do,
please let the prison's administrative staff know, who will in turn let us know it
has been approved. I will tell you now, the State's Administration is open to the
possibility and have agreed to try to work with us to make it happen.
"David, there are many from all walks of life who need the hope that your life
shows is available through Jesus Christ. Your testimony can give just the
encouragement needed to someone who needs that personal relationship with
Him. Your life shows the very real difference the Living God can make in a person's
life... Looking forward to working together to spread the Good News of Jesus
Christ and the freedom that He gives, no matter what your circumstances."
Kit Webb, Chairperson
Suffolk Leadership's Prayer Breakfast
Committee
D.B.
Back in 2012, when I was housed at New York State's Sullivan Correctional Facility, a strange thing happened. One morning in late March, I was approached by one of the facility's chaplains. Thinking that I might be getting bad news, I braced myself for what was to come. After all, it was only several weeks earlier when I learned that my father passed away at the age of 101.
To my surprise, however, the chaplain began to read a memo that was sent from the Commissioner's office to the office of the prison's Deputy Superintendent of Programs at Sullivan, that was addressed to me. It was an invitation to be the keynote speaker at the City of Suffolk, Virginia's "28th Annual Leadership Prayer Breakfast" that was scheduled to be held in the City's downtown Armory on the 3rd day of May 2012.
I was incredulous. If it wasn't for the chaplain reading the letter to me with a serious look on his face, I would've thought it was a joke. "Me, do what?" and "I'm supposed to go where?" I asked. With a straight face, he replied, "To Virginia to be the Keynote speaker during America's National Day of Prayer." I didn't hesitate to say yes (see video).
It was true. A woman by the name of Kit Webb, who was the Chairperson of the Suffolk Leadership's Prayer Breakfast Committee at the time, said the Committee voted to have me as that year's main speaker. And even stranger was the fact that I didn't know any of these individuals. It's not as if they were friends of mine; they weren't. Yet of all people, they chose me.
To quote the lengthy memo, which I've held on to all these years later, it says:
"Dear David,
After hearing about your life and your extraordinary transformation, and
after watching you give your testimony, and then reading about you, we felt,
because your life shows so visibly the difference a personal relationship with
the living God through Jesus Christ can make, that we would like to have you
do a live interview for the 28th Annual Suffolk Leadership Prayer Breakfast on
May 3rd at 8 am.
"This is an audience of about 400 leaders, most of whom do not have that
personal relationship with Jesus Christ. It is like a Mayor's Prayer Breakfast,
though it includes State and local leaders in politics (Delegates, Senators,
Mayor, Councilmen, School Board members, etc.), business leaders, leadership
from the Joint Forces Military Command, leaders from the medical community
and student leaders from all of the local high schools... I believe your testimony
would be highly impactful for that audience, and we pray it will be life changing
for some.
"Lord willing, you will agree, and you will be willing to do this interview. If you do,
please let the prison's administrative staff know, who will in turn let us know it
has been approved. I will tell you now, the State's Administration is open to the
possibility and have agreed to try to work with us to make it happen.
"David, there are many from all walks of life who need the hope that your life
shows is available through Jesus Christ. Your testimony can give just the
encouragement needed to someone who needs that personal relationship with
Him. Your life shows the very real difference the Living God can make in a person's
life... Looking forward to working together to spread the Good News of Jesus
Christ and the freedom that He gives, no matter what your circumstances."
Kit Webb, Chairperson
Suffolk Leadership's Prayer Breakfast
Committee
D.B.
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