Life after lockup

This past Sunday, Esther and I had to attend the 9:00 service at The Ransom because of work and other commitments. The service was wonderful as always, but one thing stood out to me. Seated to the left of us was a man both Esther and I recognized as a former inmate at the state penitentiary. For some reason, his face stood out from the hundreds of inmates that we saw in our two performances at the penitentiary's church services with the USF Concert Chorale. We didn't approach him after the service, but we both commented on how awesome it is that a man who was incarcerated in a state penitentiary ,for whatever reason, was convicted somehow to continue a walk with Christ. Now, I know I don't know his story or why he was in the pen or what his life was like before his incarceration, but the fact that we saw him at a church service made me so thankful that we have a God that reaches to the places (sometimes the very last places) that people often forget about. No matter where you are in your life, I can almost guarantee it's a better position than being in a state penitentiary. And God even reaches people there! It's beautiful to know that even in the darkest places of our lives, the Holy Spirit can be and is alive and well.