Keynote artist, blue sky nine, just returned from an outreach tour of prisons in Florida.
Performing in prisons can be grueling because of all the security but the long-lasting reward is great! In most prisons, we are able to share openly about the gospel and invite the inmates to consider a relationship with Jesus.
Sometimes, the inmates share a piece of their stories on the comment cards and others will talk personally with the band members after the concert. One comment on this recent tour really stood out to Scott, the guitar player for the band:
“Whenever I would bring a bible home, my father would burn it…”
The inmate was sharing about how much he appreciated the fact that the band came into the prison to be with them. As a kid, when he brought a bible home, his father would burn it. So the fact that blue sky nine came into a prison to bring him the truth represented a HUGE way for God to reach out to him.
That’s a common theme in the comments we receive, by the way – the inmates frequently express how grateful they are that we came to them – that they weren’t forgotten.
Here’s a sampling of the comments from this recent tour:
“Thank you for taking time out of your schedule to have a spiritual talk with us. It’s good to know someone on the outside cares about us.”
“I liked how you said “you never know how much longer you’ll be living. And the things that hurt the most may be the best thing for you in the long run” – as a prisoner I strongly agree.”
“Your show showed me there is more than what meets the eye when it comes to spirituality.”
“God bless you all for letting us know you haven’t forgotten about us.”
“I really don’t know what I want in life, I’m so weak heartbreaking depressed inside that I don’t know what to do I’m scared to be what God wants me to be.”
“Seeing and hearing you today reminded me that even though I may not see the BIG picture and still have hurt inside- God is there for me and has plans for my life. Yet the choice is mine. I will be giving more of my time to developing a more personal relationship with God and learning his word.”
“You gave me a whole new outlook on life.” – started relationship with God
“You guys were great, you got me out of prison just for a little while- made me think about fixing my life and changing.” – wanted to talk about spiritual things
Watch the video below for more comments from Scott and Ethan.
Thanks for partnering with us to reach inmates with the gospel of Jesus Christ!
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