Name Dropping and a New Prison! Saints visit FCI Thomson Tomorrow!

My good friend, John MacArthur, once told me that it is not cool to name-drop people.  

No, I never met the late John MacArthur, but I have benefited from some of his teaching material over the years.  

One of the things I appreciated about the ministry of John MacArthur is his reading plan.  

You can find a link to the plan here.  

I am currently going through the middle section of the book of Matthew.  There is one verse in chapter 15 that I have been convicted by as I have read through it.  

Jesus is talking to the Pharisees and quotes Isaiah in verse 8:

Matthew 15:8-  “This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.”

This verse was intended for the hard-hearted Pharisees who loved their rules.  It did strike my heart as I pondered the verse.  I felt convicted about the times I talk a good game but my heart for the Lord is checked out and focused on something else.  

This month as I have listened to the passage, I have tried my best to pray that my heart will honor Him and that He will protect my heart from wanting to serve anything but Him!

This Saturday our Saints Prison Ministry Illinois softball team is heading to FCI Thomson.  This will be the first time a Saints team has ever visited Thomson.  

We are planning on having two different speaking times and planning on playing 3-4 softball games and hopefully seeing a couple hundred guys out in the yard.  

During the first session of the day, Josh Thompson will be sharing his testimony and Kris Mettelmann will be sharing the Gospel.  

During the afternoon session, Ray Koonce will be sharing his testimony and I will be sharing the Gospel.  

This will be another really early morning, but the weather is looking fantastic for a day filled with softball.  

Thank you to everyone who has been praying this year.  It has been a blessing to continue to share the Gospel in Prison with the Saints Prison Ministry!

IN OTHER NEWS....

My plan next month was to be on the Louisiana State Prison trip.  Unfortunately, Kelly has a medical procedure scheduled and I won’t be able to make that trip.  Please pray for the men who are serving on that trip and that the Gospel is proclaimed boldly.  

PRAISES

• Earlier this month we visited FCI Greenville and we handed out 347 Gospels and saw 28 men make professions of faith during our time there.
• My son and Missionary Athlete, Joe Gibson had successful triple jaw surgery.  He is recovering well and is counting down the days until he can move on from his liquid-only diet!
• We often bring up the prayer request that God works in the hearts of the men that we will see.  God has answered that prayer request all year but it was cool how many good conversations we had with men who were eager to hear about the Gospel.  
• We had a prison back out for our 9/12 visit but we had the date filled by another prison the next day.  
• We have had the opportunity to meet with some men who are interested in the ministry and who will be joining us later this year- this is an answer to prayer!

PRAYER REQUESTS

• Pray that God continues to keep the doors open for our remaining Illinois visits. 
• Pray for all of the other teams going out this coming week.
• Pray for the hearts of the inmates we will see the rest of this summer. Pray that God draws their hearts to Himself.
• Pray that God provides more missionary athletes across the country for all of the opportunities to go in and share the Gospel!
• Pray for the hearts of our own missionary athletes and pray that we are bold in our prayer lives and bold sharing the Gospel this summer.
• Pray for the upcoming Angola, Louisiana trip coming up in September.
• Continue to pray for Joe’s recovery
• Pray for Kelly’s procedure and her recovery next month

The Ohio Anniversary and a Return to Greenville- 8/8/26 FCI Greenville Follow Up

Today (8/11) marks 15 years since I played my first softball game with the Saints in Toledo Correctional Institution.  That trip changed my life in so many ways and God has been so faithful since that fateful trip.  I'm thankful for the men on that trip who modeled what it meant to take the Gospel to prison.  They also modeled having fun playing softball and enjoying team meals!

Since then, I have made 229 visits to prisons across the country.  Out of those 229 visits, there are so many that are memorable and special but one of the most special if not the most special is FCI Greenville.  

2011 Ohio Crusade Team

Greenville was the first place that our Illinois team went in 2012.  Those of us who made that first visit remember everything about the day.  We remember the sound of the gate being pulled shut behind us as we walked into the yard and we remember just how good the Greenville team was and just how far we were in over our heads!

2012 First Visit Team

One of the special things about Greenville is this has always been the model of a Saints day.  There is a big crowd that will stick around and watch the game.  There is competitive softball- this is a challenge and a thrill all at the same time.  And, there is a supportive administration that helps facilitate the day so we can share the Gospel with the men.  

This Saturday met and exceeded all of those expectations and made this visit one of my all time favorite visits our Illinois team has ever made.  

Saturday our team met up to prepare for the day at Greenville.  Because of the early yard time, we met at 4 AM to pack up and then pray for the day.  After we prayed, we drove for a while in the dark until we got to Greenville.  We stopped for a restroom break and then made it to the prison on time by 7 AM.  We went through the security process and made our way out to the field.  We got to meet several guys on the Greenville team once we got out to the softball diamond.  Our team got some warmup throws in before we huddled up as a team.  During our huddle we discuss the ground rules for the game, go over the lineup, discuss the ministry portion of the day, and pray as a team.  

The game was really close to begin with.  We had to break early for ministry time because several guys in the crowd were going back in before we could complete our game.  

We paused our game and Hunter Stewart shared his testimony about how he came to know the Lord.  After Hunter’s testimony, Kris Mettelmann shared the Gospel.  

After the testimony and Gospel message, we have some time with the men as they fill out response cards and prayer requests.  I had an opportunity to talk to a young man about where he stood with the Lord.  He marked on his response card that he decided to follow the Lord.  I wanted to make sure that he understood where he stood with God so I asked him, “If you were to die today and meet God at the front gates of heaven, and if He were to ask you, “Why should I let you in?” what would you say?”  This opened a door to walk through the Gospel and explain that our good works don’t save us.  It is only by putting our faith in what Jesus did on the cross.  

Several guys on our team also had some good one on one conversations as well during this time.  

We transitioned out of ministry mode and right back into game mode.  After the ministry time, we came out of the gate scoring runs and put the game out of reach.  

After the win, we circled up with the men in the yard.  During our closing circle time, we handed out some award books to the umpires and the team MVP.  After this we prayed with them and told them to consider the message that was preached to them and encouraged them to follow Jesus.  

While we were putting our equipment away in the recreation director’s office, we had an opportunity to talk to a guy who wanted to know how to know Jesus.  Bruce Buri and I walked him through the Gospel and that it is only by faith in what Jesus did on the cross that we can be saved.  I also told him that a call to believe is also a call to repent and make Jesus the King of your life.  We were able to pray with the man while we were leaving the yard.  

We left the field and made our way back through the front gates of the prison.  The Education Director and the Recreation Director took us to a local diner for a breakfast/lunch.  We enjoyed some time as a team eating diner food, making fun of each other, and sharing stories about the first half of the day.  

We got back to the prison and we had a little bit of time in an air conditioned workout room.  Some of our team rode an exercise bike to stay loose while some of us got to play some drums and guitar in an adjacent music room.  

Once the staff was ready, we made our way back to the field and prepared for game 2.  Unfortunately, our lunch was a little too good and as a result, we had trouble getting the bats going and we suffered our first defeat of the year.  

After the game, Jon Isbell shared his testimony of how he came to know the Lord and Kyle Krall shared the Gospel.  

After Kyle shared the Gospel, I had another opportunity to talk to a guy who was indicating that he was making a profession of faith and walk him through the Gospel.  

We started the third game and the game went back and forth for several innings.  We were the “home team” for the last game.  The score was tied in the last inning.  James Mast hit a deep fly ball and one of the Greenville outfielders raced back toward the outfield wall- which is also a perimeter prison fence covered in razor wire.  The outfielder jumped up and got hung up in the razor wire which delayed and eventually ended the game.  

The staff immediately provided medical attention to this man and helped him off the field.  

Please pray for “JD” the outfielder and his recovery.  

We then circled up with the men one last time to hand out some award books and pray with them one last time.  

Overall on the day we won 2 games and lost 1 game.  

We handed out 347 Gospels of John and saw 28 men make professions of faith.  

We huddled up one last time and shared praises about how God worked during the day in the conversations that we had with the men.  We then spent some time in prayer as a team, thanking God for the day that we had and for the way that He worked.  At the very end, we huddled up around one of our teammates who lost his job the night before and we prayed for him as a team.  

We made the trip back home while making a stop at Darcy’s Pint in Springfield to get the best horseshoe sandwich on the planet!-  Springfield is known as the legendary home of the horseshoe sandwich!

Eventually we made our way back home.  This was one of the best prison visits in my 15 years with the ministry and it was an answer to prayer in so many ways.  Thank you for praying as God answered prayer about the Gospel going out to the prison and He answered prayer about having good Gospel conversations with the men we saw in the yard!

Our next time out is August 29th as we make our first ever visit to FCI Thomson.  

Thank you again for praying and supporting our team this summer!  

The Trading Deadline and a Return to Where it All Started- Saints go to FCI Greenville on Saturday!

This past week my beloved Chicago Cubs made some trades to try and get better for a hopeful upcoming playoff push.  

Some of the moves were exciting…and, some of the moves were head scratchers...but, at the end of the day, the Cubs made roster moves that should help them finish strong. 

This past Sunday our church went through Acts 23 during our worship service.  The first point of the message was about finishing well. 

Acts 23:1 says:

Acts 23:1-  And Paul, earnestly beholding the council, said, Men and brethren, I have lived in all good conscience before God until this day. 

My goal, and the goal of every missionary athlete across the country should be to say the same thing once we get to the end of the season.  We should all want to finish strong.  We should have a clear conscience that we gave everything we had.  

I have some prayer requests for our team at the end of this email but please pray for me, my teammates, and the other Saints teams across the country that we finish well this year.  Please pray for me that I am faithfully in God’s Word, faithfully praying, and faithfully sharing the Gospel in prison during the remaining month and a half of the season.  

This Saturday we are going to FCI Greenville for the first time in 11 years.  FCI Greenville is the very first visit for our Illinois team way back in 2012.  It is exciting to finally get a chance to go back and revisit where it all started!

There will be some time to be nostalgic but there will be softball to be played and some time to minister to the men we see as well!

We are planning on having two speaking times and will hopefully see a few hundred guys.  

During our morning session, we will play two games and share the Gospel in between.  Hunter Stewart will share his testimony and Kris Mettelmann will share the Gospel.  During the afternoon session, we will play another two games.  Jon Isbell will share his testimony, and Kyle Krall will share the Gospel.  

This will be another really early morning and it will be a little hot toward the end of the day so please pray that we can stay strong throughout the day.  

Thank you to everyone who has been praying this year.  It has been a blessing to continue to share the Gospel in Prison with the Saints Prison Ministry!

IN OTHER NEWS....

My plan next week was to head to New Hampshire for a four day trip to visit four different prisons.  Unfortunately, the scheduling with the prisons fell apart and the trip was cancelled.  This is a bummer and a tough pill to swallow as several Missionary Athletes from across the country were looking forward to traveling and sharing the Gospel.  However, this is in God's perfect timing.  

PRAISES

• During our last outing at Southwestern IL CC, we handed out 43 Gospels and saw 6 men make professions of faith during our time there.
• Earlier this month we had a Crusade to Southern IL.  We visited three prisons, handed out approximately 330 Gospels of John, and had 42 men indicate that they made a profession of faith.  
• Things are coming together for our upcoming trips to New Hampshire, and Angola, LA.  
• God has been good to us and allowed our Illinois team to minister without any cancellations so far this year.  
• We have had the opportunity to meet with some men who are interested in the ministry and who will be joining us later this year- this is an answer to prayer!

PRAYER REQUESTS

• Pray that God continues to keep the doors open for our remaining three Illinois visits. 
• Pray for all of the other teams going out this coming week.
• Pray for the hearts of the inmates we will see the rest of this summer. Pray that God draws their hearts to Himself.
• Pray that God provides more missionary athletes across the country for all of the opportunities to go in and share the Gospel!
• Pray for the hearts of our own missionary athletes and pray that we are bold in our prayer lives and bold sharing the Gospel this summer.
• Pray for the upcoming Angola, Louisiana trip coming up in September.
• My son, and Saints teammate, Joe, is having jaw surgery in less than two weeks. Please pray for the surgery and his recovery.