It’s been almost 25 years since I was incarcerated. A ton of stuff has happened in the interim, including a lot of introspection. For that reason, it’s always a pleasant surprise when I come across a new understanding of myself.

I served 8 months on a one year sentence, but it turns out that I actually got the death penalty. Yup. Here’s how I figure that: the guy that went into the jail never came out. That guy died on Boxing Day of 2001 when I final came clean about my secrets and my hidden life. We dumped the body, didn’t have a wake, and never looked back!

Nobody misses the other guy. He was a phony and a liar. The new me has some warts as well, we all do until they start throwing dirt on a box. But I’m pretty pleased with the way things have turned out. My family has been restored. My ministry was born out of the ashes of the old life. It’s not all good (that’s a rumor and a lie), but there’s enough good going on to make me…

–Rise Up!!