“Prison Saved My Life.” | Greg’s Story | Sunday Stories

My dad was a preacher. I was sexually molested, barred me for life, and I became an alcoholic around about 14 years old. It wasn't until I committed my crime, I reached out to God. I committed a second, first degree murder, capital murder, and it was, they wanted to kill me. It was a death penalty. That was my moment that I cried out to God. I was like, Lord, I can't. I can't do this, death penalty. If you are who you say you are, I ask you to get me off the death penalty. For you, I live, and for you, I die, and I will serve you for the rest of my life. So I didn't understand, why you create me? Why you allow me to go through all of that? What was the purpose, you know, of letting me get hurt and get damaged, you know? Prison saved my life, it saved my life. I used to be a Muslim. I used to be a Moor. I was all of these other different things in religion, but when I accepted Jesus in my life, a change came over me, something happened. When God poured his spirit on me and filled me with his spirit, I've never had the joy, the peace, that I've had since accepting Jesus into my life. I've never had so much peace and so much joy

in my entire life. He can do it for me, he can do it for you. My childhood was like, my mom died when I was one years old, so I never knew my mom. So I went to my, the three youngest, we right behind each other, one year behind each other, and I went to my big mother's house, my grandmama, and that's where the love I was seeing shone at, up until the age of six. At the age of six, my dad came and got me. I'm the baby boy of 10 boys and three sisters, and he came and got me for kindergarten and brought me out to the house where my other brothers were, who I didn't know at all, pretty much, you know, because I got taken away from them at one years old. And when I got there, it was like, my dad came and snatched me from the only love that I've ever known, because when I got there, there was no love. I got introduced to things that no kid should have ever got introduced to, drugs, alcohol, sex, at six years old, you know, and that started early for me, you know, and I felt abandoned and rejected because I left and tried to run away and tried to get back to my big mother because this house was strange to me. I didn't want to be there, but I was forced to stay there anyway, you know.

So anyway, I learned so much from them. My brothers were full of, they was using drugs, selling drugs, you know, running women and things and whatnot. And that's where my life took off from that point. I was just a kid, so I didn't know anything about those things, you know. So that's where influence came in at, you know. So from the age of six up until the rest of my life, man, you know, it just was crazy. You know, when I got to my dad's house, I had a stepmother. She hated me, you know, and that's where my verbal abuse came from, physical abuse, you know, I used to get beat, I used to get put in a dark basement, you know, but she really hated me because I was the baby boy. I was sexually molested, you know, by a man and a woman. All of that trauma and everything had a lot to play with me growing up and making it here today. My escape from all of that was, I was a very good baseball and basketball player and a football player, and that was my escape. In high school, man, my dad came to one of my basketball games. I was a sophomore at the time and the greatest game I ever had,

28 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists. Got home, my dad didn't say, good game, I love you, or anything. He came to one of my baseball games. I was the first one to pitch a no-hitter at Normandy High School, and I was a sophomore. Didn't say, I love you, good game, or anything. So I felt like, what's the point, you know? So I followed up behind my brothers, running and selling dope and everything, and I lost all of that. That scarred me for life because I wanted to satisfy my dad. I wanted him to see how good I was and how I could've helped the family get out and how this was something that I enjoyed doing. And for him not to pay attention to me, for my brother not to pay attention to that, that was like a rejection. That was like abandonment. That was like no love at all, you know what I mean? So it was like, what's the point of doing this? Why should I do this? So I fell up behind the seduction and the influence of the things that they were doing, which led me down the wrong path for years to come. Actually, it led me down the path for like 36 years. When I started using at the age of 18,

you know, I started using, first was marijuana at an early age. I started using marijuana around 12, and started drinking, and drinking really took a hold of me, you know? It was my joy of choice. I became an alcoholic around about 14 years old, but I pushed through all of that because the love of the game kept me, you know, that's what kept me going and going and going. But once I stopped playing ball and stuff and everything, that's when I fell into that trap of using more and more and more, you know? But I always wanted to do better. It was always in me. to do better, but there was nothing there to push me to do better, you know, so, and my brothers was my Achilles heel, you know, they was the one always having me out in the streets doing this and doing that, and it was just terrible for me, you know, I couldn't think, I couldn't control my own destiny whatsoever, I didn't know how, you know, because all I ever known was what I knew from the age of six and the influence that I was under, and that's what I lived by. I was 22, I got locked up for possession, I stayed down for like 18 months, got a two-year probation, I didn't walk that down, went to a drug treatment, and on 120, that didn't do anything, got right back out, started using and selling and running in the streets again up until the age of 36, and that's when I came to prison in 98, and been in there ever since. Well, when I came to prison, you know, my dad was a preacher, I didn't mention that, he was a preacher, I was a PK kid, and I didn't want church, I didn't want God because he stayed in church and stuff, and I'm like, well, if he's, God keep him away, he's going to keep me away, so that's why I never chased after God. It wasn't until I committed my crime that I reached out to God. I was, I committed a second, first degree murder, capital murder, and it was, they wanted to kill me, it was a death penalty, and I was like,

wow, that was my moment that I cried out to God, I was like, Lord, I can't, hold up, take your time. I can't, I can't do this, death penalty, but I cried out to God, and if you are who you say you are, I ask you to get me off the death penalty, for you I live, and for you I die, and I will serve you for the rest of my life, and I didn't know anything really, because I wasn't really a church guy or anything like that, I just knew that if you cried out to God, and you were sincere and honest about wanting to really serve him, that God would hear you, so I asked him to come into my life, and so he didn't do anything for three and a half years at all, but I read the Bible, and I couldn't understand it, so I asked him, if you who you say you are, open this thing up to me, I need to understand the dust, the dolls, and the deeds, and what is this, you open the sea, and all this thing, I want to know what you're doing, what is this all about, six months later, he started coming to me, I started getting an understanding of who God was, and what the purpose is, and why he created me, because I didn't understand, why you create me, why you allow me to go through all of that, what was the purpose, you know, of letting me get hurt, and get damaged, and to ruin my life, such as, and whatnot, why did you even let me take that life, you know, because you could have stopped me, you know, why didn't you, you know, and, but I trust that he heard me, and I said, if you get me out of this situation, I'm gonna serve you for the rest of my life, and I'll do whatever you want me to do, and this is the thing with all of that, is that I got to reading the Bible, studying the Bible, and I had guys in the county to come to the table, where I was studying at all the time, and they wanted an understanding, so I started getting the Bible studies going, it was amazing how God used me to do that, for three and a half years, he done that, and, and, and I thought for a minute, that I was all right, well, he's not going to hear me, but I told him, I was going to continue to serve him, no matter what, because I just couldn't understand, how he allowed me to take a life, you know, that really did something to me, you know, but that drove me to God, and I was doing Bible studies with the guys, and stuff, and whatnot, and God was revealing himself all the time along to me, then one day, one of my lawyers came to me, this one lawyer, she said, well, it's one of the lawyers, heard about your case, heard about what's going on, and she came out of retirement to take your case, what God did, was use them, and they came to me one day, and said, look, we got a deal for you, I said,

is he going to remove the death penalty, that's what I was worried about, I told God, you just remove the death penalty, and give me life without, and I'll serve you the rest of my life, as long as they don't have control, and take my life, I'll serve you here, and do whatever you want me to do, it came from a capital murder, the first degree, to a second degree, which is a parolable sentence, now, that's not heard of, and for God to do that for me, it was the greatest hope that I ever had in my life, and I've been serving God every. since. And from that point on, I've just been serving God for the last, wow, 10, 15 years. I mean, he's taken me from a Bible study. I am the Christian community facilitator of this institution. I'm a facilitator of the Big Brother Mentor Program here. You know, I'm doing that too. And man, you know, it's just been amazing the thing that God has done in my life and the heist that he has taken me. You know, who would ever thought someone like me, you know, would be able to be the community facilitator of the whole institution. Man, this is the best time I've ever had in my whole entire life. Being here and serving God and doing God's will and living for God. I've never had so much peace and so much joy in my entire life. It feels so good to be able to speak God's word and help another soul, you know, and that's what I want to do for the rest of my life. All the trauma that I've been through, man, the depression, the stress, I've used that in helping others and they've come out of so much. So many souls have been saved. Just last night, man, we had 40 people got baptized. 40. And these are from different religions, man, different religions. And I've impacted a lot of those lives. Well, God impacted a lot of those lives through me. You know, I'm just a kind dude. I'm just a servant. And I just thank God for using me, man. You know, I've overcome so many obstacles in my life. The trauma, the depression, all those things, the anger and the resentments and venomous that I had in my life is gone. All of it is gone. But I haven't forgotten because I used those as teaching tools to help others, you know, that if he can do it for me, he can do it for you. You know, prison has saved my life. It saved my life. I used to be a Muslim. I used to be a more. I was all of these other different things in religion. But when I accepted Jesus in my life, a change came over me. Something happened. When God poured his spirit on me and filled me with his spirit, I've never had the joy, the peace that I've had since accepting Jesus into my life. I believe that Jesus is the truth, the way, and the life. I believe that Jesus did die. He was rose on the third day. And God, he was God's son. He was God in the flesh.

I believe that Jesus loves each and every last one of us so much. And if you can accept Jesus in your life and receive Jesus in your life, this is somebody that I don't see. You know, I don't see him, but I know he's there. I feel him. He's right here. And if you don't know him, I ask you to get involved. I ask you to receive him, you know, and he'll make a difference in your life. All you have to do is to be open minded and willing to allow him. He said, I stand to do a knock. If any man comes and let me in, I'll come and sit with him. You can sit at the table with me and my father, and we're going to suffer together one day. And I believe that truly and wholeheartedly. I've been suffering with him ever since. I don't have to wait for it. It's already happened. It's already happened into my life, and I thank him for it every day. And I try to live it. You know, it says, let your life sign before a man that they may see your good works and glorify your father, which is in heaven. So, and that's what I do on a daily basis. Yeah.