90 Days on the Inside Book Excerpt

Listen Stuff that used to define us no longer has mastery over us. When you’ve relived those memories in episodic moments of healing through Jesus, it just doesn’t hold the same power over you. You don’t forget but you re-interpret. The healing journey is a series of discoveries. Discoveries of the lies that we believed about ourselves AND God. They make their way into our psyche through very traumatic moments. Research has shown that traumatic events,…

Unfortunately, we have an enemy who hates us, and he’ll use every resource at his disposal to intersect and derail our healing journeys. Including guilt. Guilt is an emotional response to wrongdoing. We should feel the Lord’s conviction when we disobey His commandments or even when we break civil laws that do not contradict God’s laws. In my case, it was criminal. Guilty as charged. But there’s another kind of guilt that is not from the Lord but from.…

Saturday, December 2, 1995 - Awaken to the sounds of prison life—chains on belts with keys rattling. Doors slamming—slots opened and closed—doors being kicked for the CO (corrections officer) to come—inmates hollering—chains rattling. The sunrise over the compound and breakfast. We ate—I don't remember what. Eggs and cereal, I think—it was OK. Passed through the slot in trays and back again. That was the routine all weekend and Monday&mdash…

Life is like a short-term mission trip. What does it feel like to know that we only get a limited time on this earth and that making the most of it is paramount? Satan has no intention of allowing us to be a difference maker for God’s Kingdom here on Earth. If he can influence us into bad behavior, otherwise known as sin, and get us sidetracked, he wins. In his world, we just become one more neutralized Christian. I found myself in a futile attempt to manage my sin…

It was the mid to late 1980s, and there were plenty of opportunities to make tons of money in real estate and a whole lot of other things. Real estate just happened to be my drug of choice—the thing that looked pretty, seductive and pleasurable but ended up being my ultimate demise. It was about my need for significance played out in a very public way. After all, who doesn’t admire a wealthy young man with a lot of flashy toys, including big waterfront homes and…

Did you know that there are at least 10 beautiful flowers that only bloom at night? One of those is the Red Flare tropical water lily. I continue to be amazed and enamored by God’s creation. We can learn so much through nature. I was particularly struck by the oddity of flowers blooming at night. My innate instinct was to believe the Sun and daylight produce the most vibrant of colors, in most every living thing. Ah, but therein lies the dichotomy. Is it possible that…

Baseball was my favorite sport. Like most kids Little League was a place that offered an early opportunity to see if you liked to play and whether you were good at it. Dad was the coach for many of those years. I usually played Shortstop or Third Base. I also pitched and jumped in at First Base when necessary. I hit third or fourth in the lineup, a spot reserved for the best hitters. I was a decent player. Problem was - I had a bad temper. If I struck out or got pulled from…

I can still remember walking into the gym during a Freshman dance, where the college newbies met for an icebreaker the second day of the first semester. I had this cocky attitude trolling for the best-looking girl in the room. Me and a couple buddies of mine. Not that I knew what the plan was. But I sure knew I wanted to get noticed. It was kinda like John Travolta strolling onto the dance floor in his white suit ready to impress in Saturday Night Fever. I think Stayin&;…