Filed under: Prison Ministry | Tags: honor, humility, judge richard watson, richard o. watson judicial complex, st. augustine florida, st. johns county courthouse
I had the chance to catch the dedication of the St. Johns county Courthouse to a friend of mine, retired Judge Richard Watson. I met Judge Watson at a dinner recently when we sat together at the Reef Restaurant in Villano Beach for a dinner to honor the judges of St. Johns County. He said in his speech that we wouldnt’ remember what he said, but I sure remember what he did….
In this speech, which was pretty brief, he took the time to stop and recognize that one of his longtime friends- another judge from the area- was in attendance and had just celebrated his 91st birthday yesterday. He also quickly noted 3 other judges in attendance who had not been previously recognized by the emcee, Judge Alexander.
What an honorable man. To remember your friends, and their birthdays, even on the day when your name goes into the history books. I learned a lot today. Thank you honorable Judge Watson.
Friday, March 21, 2008
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fridays with kelco
I taught high school for about 7 years. I learned so much in that time, and met so many hundreds of people. I can’t always remember names, but I usually get faces. I counted once…I’ve taught math to over 1000 people. which is insane cause that’s way too many people that had to put up with my stuff. One of those is Nick Kelco. I taught him back in my first year at BTHS. It was a special year, with special people that I taught that just plain mean so much to me. It was the year I met and married my wife Rachel. And these 150 or so people I taught that year were there for it all. Many even attended my wedding. Nick was in my 04 Liberal Arts Math class. We talked some, and got along pretty well. I’d hear his name in the years to come. I started hearing it a lot more in the fall of 2007. He got in a lot of fights. And he got arrested for them. His brother Mark got out of jail in the fall, and died in a tragic car wreck only a few short weeks later. Nick told me that was the low point of his life- up to that point.
Krug…smeared in the news, covered with God’s love
April 15, 2008, 3:07 pm
Filed under: Prison Ministry | Tags: arrest, christian, church, college ministry, friends, jail, marijuana, Prison Ministry, Youth Ministry March 21, 2008 Krug- smeared all over the news, but covered by God’s love.
Note: All that I’m sharing here, JKrug said was fine to share, as we shared a cup of tea today for an hour in St. Augustine. Below is the account of that conversation, and comments to follow will continue a story of redemption. I started a fast over the Easter weekend. It’s been a crazy week, with the news , coming down early this week about a friend, JKrug, I worked with who was arrested for growing cannibus in his home. It turns out, he’s also a teacher and coach, so lots of people immediately assumed he’s been dealing to students. It was painful to hear all of the news. I spend one day a week at the St. Johns jail, leading a bible study for teenage guys at 10, then meeting with adult inmates one on one in the afternoons. Meanwhile, their stories are intersecting with mine, and it’s a beautiful thing. I’ve been praying ever since the news on how I could intersect with him. I called his mom at her work, leaving a message. She works with young mothers and the adoption process. She saves so many lives. Today, as I got ready to drive to St. Aug to do the bible study, I asked my wife if she wanted to drop me off and run some errands. We were running a little late, and she dropped me off. Then, she went to the St. Aug post office. He walked in the door just ahead of her. She said his name, and he turned around. After telling him we’d been trying to get in touch w/ him, she gave him my number. I walked out of jail with that on a text message. IT BLEW MY MIND. I called him, and we met up to talk within 15 minutes.
court date thoughts…
April 15, 2008, 3:05 pm
Filed under: Prison Ministry | Tags: inmate outreach, jail, prison, Prison Ministry, rehab, spirituality, Youth Ministry Friday, January 11, 2008
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content
awake
bummed