Chaos theory is a branch of mathematics focusing on the study of chaos- dynamical systems whose apparently random states of disorder and irregularities are actually governed by underlying patterns and deterministic laws that are highly sensitive to initial conditions.
I’m sure that definition means something to somebody out there, but the coolest thing about chaos theory is that it plays a role in one of my favorite movies of all time, Jurassic Park! Dr. Ian Malcolm, played by Jeff Goldblum, predicts the downfall of the dinosaur park because of chaos theory. While Malcolm and most of his cohorts escape the island, the dinosaurs end up dining on several engineers, a few park workers, and at least one lawyer!
There are four elements of potential chaos that must be considered anytime we have a Saints Prison Ministry trip.
Going Inside an Actual Prison
Sharing the Gospel
Competitive Softball
Cross Country Travel
Those are four tough plates to keep spinning at the same time. Unfortunately, sometimes one or two of the plates fall and crash during a Saturday visit or during a Crusade.
Sometimes we show up at a prison and get turned away because of an incident outside of our control. There is no waiting it out. When a prison says no, there is nothing we can really do. It is a prison and not a park district recreation team!
Maybe we go to share the Gospel and we find that the prison yard is indifferent to the message that Jesus Christ died for our sins and that by believing and repenting, we may have eternal life. Maybe they just aren’t interested or maybe they are just caught up in the handball game that is more entertaining.
Then there is softball. Maybe we show up and we can’t just can’t play well and we are losing the attention and respect of the yard.
Last but not certainly not least in terms of annoyance, is cross country travel. Well, that is the plate that hit the ground during our travel day. The Georgia guys made it to our hotel without issue. The West Virginia guys arrived on time. For crying out loud, even the travel-plagued Illinois guys made it without issue. However, the poor guys from New Jersey and Pennsylvania spent the entire day in the Philadelphia airport. Instead of a direct flight arriving at 4:30 pm in Tampa, they arrived at Miami and took an unplanned rental car to the hotel we were staying at just south of Orlando! They arrived around 1 am and then had to turn around and be out the door by 7 am for our first prison on our trip. We always preach that the key to prison ministry is flexibility, but man that was a tough travel day for the Northeast guys!
Our first prison on the trip was Sumter CI. We won our first game. Tim Travis shared his testimony about how he came to believe in Jesus and what He has done in his life. Our Director of Team Operations and longtime teammate, Jimmy Cochran, did a good job sharing the Gospel. Jimmy preached out of John 3 and parked on John 3:16. Jimmy talked about how Jesus died for our sins and there wasn’t anything that God could not forgive. He used the illustration of DeWayne “The Rock” Johnson saying, “It doesn’t matter what you think!” when referring to someone wondering if he could be forgiven. It was a nice touch to a good message and I think that it hit home with the audience. Just like the April trip, it was good to hear our guys share their life stories and preach the Gospel again after missing an entire year due to COVID in 2020. We handed out around 30 Gospels of John and had a good time to have one on one conversations and pray with the inmates.
We had a nice team lunch at a local Arby’s. This isn’t newsworthy, but Arby’s is one of my favorite fast food places. The Central Illinois Arby’s aren’t open for indoor dining yet, so it was just fun to eat at an Arby’s with the team!
We returned and had a good 2nd half of the day at Sumter CI. We won both games and both games were fun prison softball games filled with some good softball and some good laughs!
Butch Smith shared his story of how he came to meet the Lord and of the hard life he lived up to that point. This is a cool story and has always related to the inmates well. As I listened, I found my eyes watering as I was thankful for the home I grew up in, the strong male leadership I’ve had around me, and that but for the grace of God, I could have had a story like that, too.
We had a time to pray with guys individually. I talked and prayed with a guy who wanted me to pray for his family. He has three kids but won’t get out until 2028. As a dad of three boys, that was rough to hear as I know how hard it would be on me and my family if I was locked up for 8 years. I prayed for him and his kids. I also discussed about where he stood personally with the Lord. He told me that he was a Christian and we discussed what that meant. I think he is a believer but be in prayer for this man.
After we left the prison, we had our team dinner at Cracker Barrel and had a nice team devotion (Bible study) time. Wayne Hinkson is leading devotions and chose the topic, “What is a Missionary Athlete?” We are walking through the book of Acts and looking at what missionaries are and what it looks like to be “called”.
After the first day, our team had the opportunity to remember what it is like to be tired, sore, and mentally exhausted. However, it had been something that we had been looking forward to for a long time!
