A Good Heart
Remaining focused.
One of the men in white* I mentored in Torres** was brave enough to ask himself how he ended up in prison, especially since he grew up in a Christian home with love. He discovered that he saw himself as a “gangsta”, an animal. He also discovered that he considered himself smarter than most. Not surprisingly, he ended up in prison.
His discovery of how he ended up in prison disclosed itself as he shared his life and his insights with fellow men in white who shared their lives and insights. Their discussions about life, meaning, purpose mostly took place in the common room of their prison dormitory, where the discussions attracted other men in white to join the discussions.
The man in white I’m writing about is named James Enoch Banks (name used with permission). Enoch wrote and taught a course named The Men’s Workshop. The course is presently being taught in three Texas prisons with the goal of being taught in prisons throughout the United States.
I will be writing more in this blog about Enoch and The Men’s Workshop. But, for now, I’m writing about remaining focused.
When Enoch approached the time of being eligible for parole, I explored possible jobs for him that would allow his wisdom and experience to be utilized. I sent an email to the executive director of a fine ministry about the possibility of that ministry employing Enoch when he was released.
I interpreted the executive director’s email response to me to say that the executive director was complimentary of those of “us” who minister to the prison population and demeaning of men and women who got themselves into prison. I immediately fired back an email setting the record straight. Elizabeth says there should be a minimum waiting period installed on my computer before I am allowed to respond to emails.
The next time I met with Enoch, I shared with him how I had stood up for him. He said, “Drew, that man sounds like he has a good heart. We can work with anyone who has a good heart.”
* In Texas prisons, all inmates wear white.
** The Torres Unit is a Texas state prison located near Hondo, Texas.