March

Last Sunday at Highland Oaks Larry James, President and CEO of Central Dallas Ministries, was our guest Speaker. During his sermon he mentioned the work that his organization does. While they have numerous programs, one stood out to me, a support group of 22 men who have been wrongly convicted of crimes and spent time in prison only later to be exonerated. I can’t imagine having to spend a week in jail for something I didn’t do, much less 27 years!

I first became aware of the Innocence Project a few years ago because of the work of Dallas District Attorney, Craig Watkins. You can
Google him to see all the work he’s done getting wrongly convicted people released.

I’ve heard it is difficult for someone that has been in prison for a length of time to adjust to being back in the “real world”. I can’t pretend to imagine how difficult or frightening this would be. Imagine how much has changed in the last twenty years. And what do you do after 10, 15, or 20 years without any job history? How hard must it make it to get a job?

One reason this is an issue for me is because I have had the chance to meet and speak with a handful of these men. My heart goes out to them. I cannot fathom the trials they have been through. Yet, what amazes me the most, is that not a one of them I have met seemed angry or bitter. In fact, they have been wonderful to talk to, once they get going. There is often a shyness that seems strange to me. I met a man the other day who must be 6′ 5″ tall and looked like a former NFL defensive lineman, but he was so quiet, soft spoken, and reserved that it took him awhile to begin to talk with me.

In a way, it saddened me because these gentlemen can seem as if they have a broken spirit. Perhaps some of them do. I am sure there is fear of how they will be perceived, or what someone may want from them. At the same time, many have wonderful spirits and the desire to take action and prevent this same injustice from happening again. The gentleman I met this week will be in Austin on Monday and Tuesday to testify before our state representatives about a witness identification bill to standardize witness identification procedures. Many others are public speakers and authors.

I have had the opportunity to meet these gentlemen through my work. The optometrist I work for is providing free comprehensive eye exams and diagnostic testing to these exonerees. We were put in contact with Dr. Page at UTA by one of our patients. This same patient has agreed to pay for the cost of materials for these exonerees to get new glasses. I can tell you that the people receiving these services have been VERY appreciative, and I am blessed to be a part of the process.

One thing this also reminds me of is the importance of not judging others. Often, this type of behavior is a central reason why so many people have been wrongly sent to prison. The person you see may not be the person you are looking at. It’s easy to make judgments about someone because of the color of their skin, the place they live, who their friends are, how many tattoos they have, or where they go to church. I have met great people in the worst parts of town, just as I have met dishonest, angry people that are respected members of their community. When you look at each person as a child of God, no better or worse than yourself, you can see amazing people and opportunity. Don’t close doors on people based upon what you don’t know about them.

Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Mt 7:1-2

… but it did make me giggle. FYI: I do some of the laundry around here and I have no problem doing it!

I stole this from Chris over at The Preacher’s Pen who stole it from someone else.

I would love to see this with Jon, Chad, and Christopher

In an effort to pay off our vehicles, student loans, and few small debts, the wife and I have developed a budget and have stuck to it for the last month. One way we have reduced our expenses is to limit the number of times we go out to eat each month.

My problem was buying breakfast and lunch every work day. Now, I grab something at home for breakfast and take my lunch to work. The problem is I WILL NOT make my own lunch. I don’t know why this is, but I have some mental block that prevents me from doing it.

Anyone that has been married any length of time will tell you that it’s the small things that really show how much your spouse loves you. For example, no matter how tired she is, my wife makes my lunch every day so that I don’t have too.

Now here’s is the problem. Because I am new to taking lunch, I run out of the house occasionally and get to work only to realize my lunch is still at home. Then I have to go buy lunch. Ugh. Well, I did this again last week so I decided to put a sticky not in my truck to remind myself. However, those things don’t stick anywhere in my truck. I even tried tape, no help.

This morning, I walked out to my truck to find the note pictured below. Yes, my wife is an elementary school teacher. Yes, I need this level of handholding on some things. Anyway, this is another example of why I love my wife and how I know she loves me.

What little things does your spouse do that show you how much they love you? (And Trey, keep it clean!)