We spent 2022 celebrating 35 years of prison ministry and are almost ready for year 36…but not yet! Our squadron of crack researchers at the Mind of Gibby compiled a list of things to look back on from this past year before we flip the calendar to 2023. Please join us as we celebrate our 35th anniversary one last time!
We added the West Virginia Team and at the Same Time Finally Solved the Puzzle of Making Regular Visits to Ohio!
I am a firm believer that nothing happens by chance, but after 35 years, you would think that we would have at least accidentally started a team in Ohio by now! Ohio has been an incredibly open mission field for our ministry for decades, but it isn’t always easy to get there. Fortunately, we have a team in West Virginia now, and they are close enough that they can visit several of the Ohio prisons that the rest of us can’t get to on a regular basis. They have done a fantastic job in their rookie season, and it is hard to make fun of them. Most of them are Cincinnati Reds fans, though… that’s comedy gold on its own!
We Still Didn’t Recruit Tim Tebow
I have mentioned this in a previous article, but I still have people walk up to me and remind me, “You guys need to get Tim Tebow to go with you to prison!” I usually roll my eyes and make it a point to forever avoid the person who suggested this, but for crying out loud, they’re not wrong.
Tebow used to have a legit excuse for not joining our ministry; he was an NFL quarterback. After that, he was still too busy for us because he was playing minor league baseball. At this point, all he is probably doing every day is sitting on the couch and eating bags of chips. I’m also fairly sure he reads all of our stuff, so he clearly knows how to get a hold of us. The ball’s in your court, Tebow!
The Next Generation Showed Up
This was a fun year for several families in our ministry. The Smiths, DiBenedettos, Cochrans, Browns, and yes, even the Gibsons enjoyed father-son time on the mission field. There is something about being on a field with your kid and seeing them share a moment on the field with you and even more special to see them want to serve the Lord. The best part is our teams are now stacked in the event that we play Mario Kart, Minecraft, or Fortnite instead of actual sports!
Dave Cogliano ran a Crusade… and we lived to tell about it!
When our initial instructions included “devotions start at 1600 hours”, we knew we were in trouble…
“The Mind of Gibby” hasn’t been Canceled Yet
I know, right? I’m as shocked as anyone. Believe me, after years of insulting teammates, complaining about broken buses, and missing publishing deadlines, I thought that I should have been canned a long time ago, but here we are!
Well, here is to a great 2022 season and an even more exciting 2023! Of course, the excitement level will vary a little depending on whether or not we finally kidnap Tim Tebow!
