June 30, 2025 • 37 mins
What happens when a man who's spent most of his adult life cycling through addiction and prison cells finds himself hiding in a briar bush on his 40th birthday? This raw, powerful testimony reveals an extraordinary journey from darkness to light.
Growing up without God and convinced that believers were fools, our guest's choices led him to try drugs at 16, receive his first felony charge at 18, and enter a devastating cycle of incarceration, addiction, and broken relationships. After multiple prison sentences and years lost to methamphetamine addiction, everything changed the night he fled from police and hid in a thicket of briars after stealing a little girl's bicycle.
The transformation that followed wasn't immediate or easy. Despite initial resistance to faith-based solutions, a series of seemingly coincidental events – a chance encounter at a church trunk-or-treat, prayer cards spanning eight years with his name on them, and the discovery that his daughter had been the first person to donate to the very church that would later lead him to faith – revealed a divine orchestration that left him undeniable evidence of God's pursuit.
Today, this former inmate serves as a pastor, prison programs director, addiction counselor, and trains law enforcement officers in crisis intervention. His testimony resonates deeply with incarcerated individuals because he's walked in their shoes, giving him unique credibility when sharing how faith transformed his life.
"There's a difference between being saved and being rescued," he explains. "Some people are saved before walking off a cliff, while others like me fell long ago and were yelling for help from the ravine. When that rope finally comes down and you make it out of a place you never thought you would – it's different."
This powerful story reminds us that no one is beyond redemption, that our most painful experiences often become our greatest qualifications for helping others, and that purpose can emerge from our deepest pain.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Marc Calvert (00:00):
So, you know, I was a man that grew up without
God.
Never believing in Goddetermined anybody that did to
be a fool.
Those decisions, or lackthereof, led me down a road
where I began to try drugs forthe very first time at age 16.
And then, through the course ofthose choices, began with my
(00:20):
first felony charge at age 18and started was incarcerated for
the very first time at age 18.
The very first time that I wasarrested I was sentenced to a
year, and not a long time in thescope of a lifetime, but
certainly a long time for thevery first time being
incarcerated.
It settled into that and onewould think that it might wake
you up.
But at that young age it waseverybody's fault but mine.
(00:43):
I tended to blame everyone else.
Dl Moody, great evangelist,said that I never met a man that
gave me more problems thanmyself and I certainly can agree
with that, that repetition ofreoffending due to probation and
(01:04):
requirements to meetobligations due to byproducts of
my behavior that I couldn'tmeet because my behavior refused
to be modified.
And I spent most of my adultlife in and out incarcerated.
You know drugs were always apart of my life in some way, but
if you would have asked me atthe time.
you know, throughout the courseof those years of my life, I
(01:27):
would have never, admitted thatand would have always said it
was, you know, recreational useor, you know, just a part of
what we do to have fun and youknow, always was able to
maintain a job up and into thepoint where, you know I was
arrested for either failing drugtests or not reporting and
things of that nature.
And of course, along the wayI've caught additional charges
(01:47):
and never had healthyrelationships.
But of course, as men that livewithout God, we serve only
ourselves.
Very self-centered man, veryegotistical, very prideful and I
believe, when we look back atit and I've committed my life to
helping people now in a waythat I needed it desperately
time look back at it and I'vecommitted my life to helping
people now in a way that Ineeded it desperately time.
But when we look at men,they're full of pride and ego
(02:08):
and anger.
It's a lack of self-confidenceand it's a sensational need to
be accepted.
You know we look back and youknow my parents divorced at age
seven.
You know I did not grow up withmy father.
You know, firmly in place inthe time that I did have with
him certainly wasn't anythingthat was grounded in God and so
(02:30):
over time I just looked to, youknow, other guys, typically
older than me, and then you know, did what I could as the
youngest in the group to standout, you know, to garnish their
attention and admiration andvalidate myself in the most
unhealthy ways, garnet's theirattention and admiration and
validate myself in the mostunhealthy ways.
But in my 30s I met someonethat I fell in love with and
didn't realize thatmethamphetamine was a part of
(02:52):
her life, and then learned thatand then slowly made a decision
to do that with her, to continuethis relationship with her not
being fully aware of what I wasgetting into.
And then, thereafter that, mylife slowly began to truly
become out of control.
Incarceration occurred more andmore and more, in violence as
(03:13):
well, and just very horribledomestic situations would ensue.
And God got a hold of me, ron,almost seven years ago, and I
was the year that I encounteredChrist.
You know and understand that Iwas someone that did not believe
in God and would talk anybodyout of it if I felt like you did
, but I was.
(03:34):
I had been to prison four timesin that year In the state of
Alabama where I lived.
It was if you violated yourparole by not reporting or
failing a drug test or notreporting address changes.
They would send you back toprison for 45 days.
You would have to sit in countya few months before you were
taken to that intake facility todo those 45 days in prison, not
(03:56):
jail, and I had done that fourtimes in one year and things
were just.
Every time I would come homethey were getting worse and
worse.
The last time I came home fromthat prison I learned some
things that I wasn't able tohandle.
I saw some things that I wish Iwouldn't have and I didn't
respond well at all.
And law enforcement was calledout to the property.
They had been several timesthat week and I ran from them.
(04:19):
And then running from them, Iwas cutting through a trailer
park.
There was a little girl'sbicycle leaned up against a
porch and in an attempt to getaway from them faster, I stole
this little girl's bike and Iwas pedaling it as hard as I
could.
It was certainly too big to beon it and the handlebar snapped.
I went sliding into a bush andit was briars.
(04:41):
I was covered in cuts.
I was wearing clothes thatdidn't fit.
I was coming from somewherethat was no good for me and I
had nowhere to go and I washiding in that bush and I was
covered in cuts and the policewere going back and forth and
they were looking for me andinside of that bush, ron, my
watch beeped.
Man, I'm going to tell you thatwas the loudest beep.
(05:03):
And you know, looking back atit with hindsight and common
sense and a clear mind, therewas probably no way that they
would have ever heard that beepbecause they were in their cars
and their radios were probablygoing.
But I'm telling you right now,brother, in that bush, on that
beep, my watch beeped.
You couldn't tell me that Iwouldn't head back to prison
again and I covered that watchwith my hand because I didn't
(05:23):
want the light to be on andanybody to see it.
I slowly peeled my hand backoff that watch and made sure the
light was off and I looked downand I realized that it beeped
because it was midnight and itwas my birthday and I was 40
years old and I just man forthose of us that have lived that
life, it's just man.
Sometimes you can blink and 10years go by and I just was like
(05:46):
man.
We're in my 30s, you know, Ijust man.
I broke, brother.
I broke in that bush, like youwouldn't believe, and I just was
determined in that moment tonot live like that anymore.
I didn't really realize orunderstand.
You know why and how I gotthere.
You know we read in the Bibleand Paul says in Romans I know
(06:07):
what I'm supposed to do and Idon't do it.
I know what I'm not supposed todo and I keep doing it.
What is wrong with me?
Where is it?
Center I am, and of course Ididn't understand that verse and
nor knew anything about it atthe time.
But certainly, knowing it now,I can absolutely relate.
You know, in that bush, ron, Ijust made a deal with myself to
do everything that I could to bedifferent, and for me at that
(06:29):
time, you know, was just simplymoving from one problem to
another problem.
You know, I was, I was, I knewthat I had some problems to face
given my circumstances andsituations that I was in at that
moment, and so I was okay withit.
I just wanted to move from aproblem to a problem.
I didn't want to be stuck in aproblem, and so I was okay with
that.
I just wanted to move from aproblem to a problem.
I didn't want to be stuck in aproblem, and so I waited there
in that bush until six in themorning, until shift change.
(06:52):
And when I knew that thoseofficers that were mad because
they didn't find me were gettingoff shift, I climbed out of
that bush and made my way overto a guy's house that I'd done
some time with and knocked onhis door and just began to make
phone call after phone call.
I finally got somebody overthere with a vehicle and a very,
very, very long story not solong on the wings of angels that
(07:12):
I did not believe in at thetime made it over to Mississippi
in a stolen truck.
I didn't steal it, the personthat picked me up had, and they
didn't belong to them.
But again, problem, but adifferent problem, and we had
forward momentum and so coastedin my mother's driveway in South
Mississippi at about 2 am.
I hadn't been home in quitesome time and there, in that
(07:33):
moment when I arrived, that'skind of where recovery started
for me and, of course, did notbelieve in God.
Still, my dad and my mother youknow, my mother and I were born
in Alabama and my stepfather andher lived there most of their
lives, but there was a time,about 10 years before that,
where they had bought someproperty in Mississippi and
(07:53):
moved over here.
Now, while my stepdad and mymom were in Mississippi.
God got a hold of my stepdad.
He got ordained.
He felt the call to ministry,to pastoral ministry.
He went to seminary in NewOrleans Baptist Theological
Seminary and he had beenpastoring a church and by the
time that I arrived over therehe was no longer the pastor of a
church but he was a supplypastor and of course he knows.
(08:16):
When I arrived, you know momwas glad I was there.
My stepdad had somerequirements of me and you know
of course he began inviting meto church and I declined him
every time.
But I did make good on the dealthat I made myself to do
anything I could to be different.
And what that looked like forme at the time was seeing a
psychiatrist, a psychologist,you know, beginning to work out
(08:38):
and eat good and go to NAmeetings and AA meetings, and
just if it was a resource that Ibelieved would benefit me in
some way, I was all for it andwas very diligent in my effort
to try and change.
And along the way, my fatherwell, he's not my real dad, but
he's my dad now.
I mean, this is quite a whileago, so he's I'm going to call
(09:00):
him my dad, but he's my stepdad,but he's my dad.
And I'm going to call him mydad, but he's my stepdad, but
he's my dad.
And so he began, you know, henever relented inviting me to
church and I never relented indeclining him.
And I remember very clearly onenight he come home and he said
man, there's a dinner that we'rehaving tonight at this church
and they're having a men's steaknight and there's going to be a
(09:23):
guest speaker and we'd reallylike you to come.
And you got to understand.
So, to put this kind of storyin context, so when my dad went
to seminary.
Him and some other guys wouldcarpool over to New Orleans to
take classes, and one of theguys that my dad rode with was a
guy named Brian and while Brianwas in seminary he ended up
(09:43):
buying some buildings to begin ayouth ministry in a very
drug-indated trailer park overin the Wave 1 Mississippi area.
And my dad had told me that hebought those buildings for a
dollar.
And I remember my dad tellingme the story that when Brian
said he was going to that Godhad laid it on his heart to go
and make this attempt and hesaid oh, I got the dollar, but I
(10:09):
want to go try and do it.
You know the guys laughed him upbut Brian did get those you
know buildings for a dollar andhe set it up in this trailer
park and so I knew who Brian was, just from my dad talking to me
about him and passing, and sothat was where my dad was going
for this steak night.
He said I'm going to Brian'schurch.
You know, they've beenministering to kids.
They were trying to get thedads out, so they were going to
cook steak and have a guestspeaker and I said, yeah, I
appreciate it, man, but I'm notgoing.
(10:31):
So that night my dad come homeand he had a steak and he was
like man, I got to tell you whathappened tonight and I said
what's up?
And he said, man, he'd been ondrugs like you, he'd been to
jail like you, he had tattooslike you and he wants to meet
you.
He said I was telling him aboutyou and he's got a 20-step
(10:52):
faith-based outpatient programcalled Escape Addiction and he
said he'd be willing to meet you.
And I said, oh, that soundsgood, man, I appreciate it, I'm
not going and at the time I justdidn't want to have anything to
do with anything like that.
I mean I was seeing apsychiatrist, psychologist, all
these things.
But my dad gave me the card,his card, and on the strength of
(11:20):
my dad's just perseverance andpatience and kindness and all of
those things that we now knowto be the fruits of the Spirit,
I took that card, I put it in mywallet to appease him and never
thought anything of it.
And a few months later, youknow, I'm doing what I deem to
be good work.
My daughter calls and you know,I had a daughter when I was 19,
you know, and along the way hermother, you know, perceived me
to be the enemy rightfully soand began to build high walls
(11:40):
around her.
And over time I lost touch withher and she was my firstborn.
It was something that hadbothered me greatly.
You know, I'm, I'm, I'm over inMississippi now I'm, I'm doing
good, I'm, I'm clean and sober,I'm, you know, trying to figure
out this thing called life.
And I get a phone call from herand, man Ron, I'm gonna tell
(12:01):
you I was so happy no-transcript, and she hung up and I didn't
(12:34):
know how to take that you know,sometimes, you know, in early
recovery and in life, and evenfor people that are early in
faith and young in faith.
you know, sometimes we keepthose very real moments that we
go through in this life, as welive in a fallen world, to
ourself and fail to share thosethings because we don't want to
lose the support of peoplearound us that are beginning to
(12:54):
believe in us again or beginningto see something new in us
again, when you know in realitywe need good people in our life
that we can confess our sins to.
That, will you know, help,guide us spiritually and, you
know, with wisdom and advice.
But so often, man, we keepthose things to ourselves and I
didn't know how to handle that.
I didn't, certainly didn't wantto share it with anybody.
And I left my house.
(13:14):
I was driving down the road andI saw a guy walking down the
road.
I picked him up and he wantedto go get high and at the time I
wanted to go get high.
I didn't know how to deal withthose emotions.
You know, I didn't.
You know drugs are band-aidsthat people put on themselves to
deal with things that theytruly need surgery for.
I mean, when you see somebodyin addiction.
(13:34):
In my opinion, all it is issomebody's very unhealthy
attempt at surviving some sortof trauma that they've dealt
with in their life, and theaddiction is just simply the
byproduct of something fardeeper.
It's the fruit of issues intheir life that they haven't
addressed the root of.
And I tell people all the timenow, as a mental health
(13:55):
professional, as a pastor, assomeone that works in the
prisons listen, man, if you'rejust trying to get clean, it's
never going to work.
You've got to deal with thesalvation in your life and the
sin in your life, and if you canaddress salvation and sin, then
addiction and sobriety andsubstances will all work itself
(14:16):
out as a byproduct of that.
But I did not have Christ in mylife at the time.
And here I got this guy in mycar and we're pulling up to some
you know trap house it's.
You know he's going to go inthere and get something.
And he got out of my car andI'm sitting in his driveway and
I'm just like man, what am Idoing?
I can't, I can't do this.
And so I leave the guy there.
(14:37):
I go to a parking lot inWiggins and I'm just crying man.
I mean I'm girl crying and Idon't have anyone to share this
with.
I mean I'm almost relapsed hereand no one knows it.
Everybody thinks I'm doing goodand uh, you know, I don't want
to tell my parents.
I mean, they're proud of me,you know, and so I'm just like
man, like what happened, and allI remember is he's got tattoos
(15:03):
like you, he's been to jail likeyou and he was on drugs like
you.
And I reached back in my walletand I had that dude's card that
my dad gave me and I reachedout to him and, man, we clicked
right away.
He invited me over.
I went to see him the next day.
You know he's a Christian, buthe had lived experience and he
had been through what I had beenthrough and so, just you know,
for those reasons, I agreed tosee him and from the time I met
(15:25):
him, man, he was, you know,talking to me about Jesus.
And I said man, look, dude, youknow, quit talking to me about
this guy in that book.
I want to change.
So I just need you.
You've obviously changed, sotell me how you did it and I'll
do it because I want to do it.
So let's quit talking aboutthis dude in the book and tell
me how to get right.
And he asked me when I first gotthere, like you know, if this
(15:46):
thing would work out the way Iwanted it?
What would that look like toyou?
And I said I just want to bedifferent in every way.
And along the way he eventuallykind of just busted me right in
the head and he said look, man,you said you wanted to be
different.
You said you wanted to change.
He said I'm offering you thegreatest gift in the world.
He said it's free, but it's notcheap.
It's God's gift for you and toyou, and you won't accept it.
(16:09):
But yet you want to do anythingyou can to fix your life, but
you won't take that gift.
He said well, are you like aliar?
And I was like what?
No.
And so you know, jared at thetime is his name, he.
He did a really good jobministering to me and he walked
me down the Romans road and, um,you know, pointed things out in
scripture and and and look, ron, if you would have asked me,
you know, like back then, likewhat I believe in my cookie
(16:32):
cutter, like kind of crap,answer at the time would always
be like I believe in something,but I don't know what that
something is, and you ain'tnever died before, so you don't
know either.
But you know that that answerleft the door open for this
Jesus thing to be possible,because I mean, if I don't know,
then it could be.
And this guy that I was meetingwith every week over there,
(16:54):
jared, and there was somethingdifferent about him, like you
know, he just had a light, likehe, like you couldn't shake him
but you couldn't make him mad.
You know, I would ask himquestions that there was no good
answer to and he would be likeyou know, I don't know.
That's a really good question.
Let me study some more, comeback next week, we'll talk about
it.
And I was like, well, he's good, I got to come back, you know.
But more and more, you know, wegot closer to the cross.
(17:19):
And so I agreed there in thatmoment and I said well, can I
make a deal with him?
And he said what kind of dealdo you want to make with God?
And I said I don't know.
I said man, if I said I want, Iwant it to be real, you know, I
said it would be, it would benice.
But I said I just don't know.
And I said if I, if I'm like,look man, I said I'm genuine, I
(17:40):
do want to change, and I said ifthis will, if this will help me
, then I'm all for it.
I said, but I've been unsure allmy life.
I said if I give myself to himand I'll do it genuinely and
I'll do it for real, you know,so that I can see it, and then I
can know.
And you know, like creationwasn't enough.
And Jared said he goes, I don'tcare what gets you there, man,
(18:00):
just get there.
And so, you know, I prayed withhim and he prayed with me.
And you know, you know, as apastor now, you know I look back
and I wasn't saved there, youknow, because I was.
I was needing God to performfor me, you know, like he's done
enough right, like what he'sdone is sufficient, it's enough,
(18:22):
you know, and he don't need todo any more.
And I didn't believe becauseyou know not, not not sincerely
in that moment, because I waslooking for something to
convince me to believe.
But what I was, though,honestly, is I was genuine in a
desire to want to know, and I dobelieve that I was genuinely on
(18:48):
a journey to figure out andconsider something that I had
never considered before.
So that was a lot of progressfor me in that moment, and I
remember kind of leaving thatoffice that day with my head on
a swivel, like I was back inprison, like I'm looking around,
like I don't want to miss thisthing, like if there's some
revelation I don't want to missit, you know, and whatever that
(19:10):
would look like.
And so I leave, I don't tellanybody about this, I don't
share this with anyone and thatnight, my daughter, my youngest
daughter I had a youngerdaughter and she was eight at
the time and she was with me.
And she comes up to me and shesays, hey, when are we leaving?
And I said leaving to go where?
(19:30):
And she said trick or treating.
And I said, oh my gosh, Ididn't even realize it was
Halloween.
And for me now, short of usdoing something at church, I
don't celebrate it.
But back then that was a bigdeal in our family's life and in
my daughter's life, and so Ihad forgotten it was Halloween.
And I'm just like man, I can'tfigure out this thing called
life.
I just keep failing.
(19:51):
So don't have a costume, don'thave any money, grab an old ice
cream bucket out from underneaththe sink, put her in the car
and just decide to take hertrick-or-treating.
But now I'm in South Mississippi, in the DeSoto National Forest,
I know no one here, I don'tknow where to take my daughter
trick-or-treating, and so westopped at a gas station and I
seen some boys out at thefilling station.
(20:14):
They was dressed in camo.
They probably just got backfrom the woods and I pulled up
and I said, hey, young man.
I said, do you know anywhere Ican take my daughter
trick-or-treating?
And them boys leaned down in mycar window and they were like
oh yes, sir, you know you wantto go down here, go to the red
light, make a right, go to thestop sign, make a left, you'll
see all the cars.
You'll see all the cars.
That's where you're going towant to be.
I said, all right, man,appreciate it.
(20:35):
And you know pretty clearinstructions.
You know me and my daughterleave.
I think we're going to somerich neighborhood.
We follow the instructions,pull up ton of cars to church
and Faithview, baptist andSocial.
So they're doing trunk or treat.
I didn't even know churches didthings on Halloween at that
(20:57):
time in my life.
It was all outside.
You know we, we walk in and mydaughter she's mad, she doesn't
know, she doesn't want to dothat.
Um, she wants to.
You know, traditionally goknock on doors and you know I'm
in an area.
You know you might knock on adoor.
You're going to get shot.
That probably wasn't the bestidea.
So I'm going to go to this, youknow I mean there's a ton of
cars there.
So we walk in and there was atable and there was nobody at
(21:18):
the table.
But we walk in and you know theway that we all know what
trucker treats.
Like you got to participate inan event and you get some candy.
Well, my daughter wouldn't havenone of that.
She's stomping her feet,pitching a fit.
You know she wants to leave.
I feel like a failure and soI'm finally, you know,
ultimately relent to her wantingto leave.
And we're leaving and we'rewalking out of this event.
(21:40):
And now we walk past that sametable, but this time there's a
lady in it sitting at the tableand she said she looked at my
daughter who's carrying this icecream bucket with nothing in it
, and she said baby, you didn'tget no candy.
And I said no, ma'am, you knowwe're new in town.
And I no, ma'am, you know we'renew in town.
I didn't know this was a church, I'm sorry and she's
uncomfortable.
And I said we're just going togo.
And she said well, baby, youcan't leave without no candy.
(22:03):
She said let me see that bucket.
And my daughter handed her thatbucket.
Ron and brother, when I tellyou she filled it up, she filled
it up.
Ron Meyers (22:12):
She filled that bucket.
Marc Calvert (22:13):
You know, I was so grateful.
I was picking the candy up offthe floor and, man, listen, you
know, when I asked God, you know, to forgive me of my sins and
all those things that Jared toldme to say in his office that
day before, you know, nothinghappened to me I certainly
didn't feel any different.
You know, like I said, I justwas, you know, a little
heightened sense of awareness.
But, brother, on that Halloweennight, in that church, outside,
(22:38):
as I was kneeling down pickingthat candy up, it was the most
clear, concise, crisp thoughtthat popped in my head.
I'm bending down, I'm pickingthat candy up and I just heard
like son, you don't have to goto anybody's house and ask for
anything.
If you just come to my house,I'll give you everything and ask
for anything.
If you just come to my house,I'll give you everything and you
(22:59):
won't even have to ask.
I'm just like man, what, wheredid that come from?
And I'm just stuck on theground, man, like having an
awakening or something.
And my daughter notices andshe's like are you okay?
I just looked up and I was likeGrace, I think we came to the
right house, wow, and rightabout that time, like this guy's
come out the back of thischurch and they're playing
guitars and they start singingAmazing Grace.
(23:21):
And that's my daughter's nameis Grace, and you know I've
always liked that song.
My granny, she used to sing itwhile she washed dishes in the
kitchen before she passed, andyou know, of course I had my
daughter's name in it, but Inever, I never, liked it for the
right reasons.
And that night, and I heardthat song for the first time
(23:42):
once I was blind and now I seefrom the hour I first believed I
was just like, okay, this mightbe real, you know.
And I was like man, okay.
So that happened and mydaughter ended up staying and we
hung out at the church.
And you know pretty good nightfor what it started out as, and
(24:02):
I think that was like on aThursday.
Well, the next that comingSunday, my dad comes up to me
and he says hey, mark, listen,you're going to go to church.
I don't want to hear no arguing.
He said Brian hurt his back andwe've got to move some tables.
He said Brian hurt his back andwe've got to move some tables.
He said I don't care if youcome in.
(24:22):
Uh, you can sit out in thetruck.
Uh, I don't care, but you'recoming.
You know, and you got tounderstand, man, like I've been
turning my dad down for a longtime coming to church.
But he comes to me like look,you're going, bro.
You know no choice in thisthing.
You know I've got to move.
And when he said, I said isthat the church that you met
Jared?
Cause, that's where thisjourney that I'm on, like nobody
knew about what happened atFaithful Baptist, nobody knew
what had happened there fortheir church, and with me I was
(24:43):
like keeping all this to myself.
And then the next Sunday my dad, you know, basically mandated
that I go to to Brian's church,and so I was like that's where
you met Jared, right, and he'slike yeah.
I was like yeah, man, let's go.
You know, I wanted to see that.
I wanted to know what thatlooked like.
This is where my dad met thisguy.
You know, my dad looked realsurprised when I was willing to
go.
(25:03):
And so, anyway, we get toBrian's and Brian comes out and
I introduce myself to him andhe's like man.
He said, bro, we've beenpraying for you for a long time.
And I was like cool man, thankyou.
And he's like come here, I wantto show you something.
And so I'm like all right, sowe go into this little church.
Now it's not a church like youand I maybe think, or the
listeners are thinking of achurch.
This is like a FEMA building.
You know what I mean.
(25:23):
This is like small buildingsthat he put together, that he
had like aluminum, pulled upchairs, but it was a church.
You know what I'm saying.
And so he calls me up in thereand he's got this very small
office and you know we go in andon his wall he's got two frames
and he's got a dollar and aframe and he's got a quarter and
(25:43):
a frame and he goes man, I wantto show you this.
He said do you know what thoseare?
And I said well, I know whatthat dollar is.
I think I said you know.
My dad told me and he boughtthis for like a dollar right.
And he's like, yeah, I did.
I said that's cool.
He said do you know what thatquarter is?
I said no.
He said that quarter was thevery first tithe that we ever
had, the very first offeringwhen we started this church.
(26:05):
And he said do you know whogave us that quarter?
I said no.
He said your daughter.
Wow, your daughter.
10 years ago, while you were inprison, your dad brought your
daughter here.
She put that quarter in theoffering plate.
Now, ron, you run the numbers.
My daughter was the firstperson to sow in to this church
that, a decade later, would be abuilding that my dad would meet
(26:26):
a man to let me to the Lord andI was just like he goes, are
you going to stay for service?
And I said yeah, yeah, bro, Ithink I will.
And he said do you have a Bible?
I said no, I'll have a.
Bible.
I never opened a Bible in mylife.
And he rummaged through hisdrawers he found an old black
King James Bible back in theback.
I mean, he literally, I kid younot, he had to dust it off and
(26:50):
he hands it to me and he goesback outside to talk to my dad
and I sit down in this oldaluminum chair in this church by
myself and I just open up thisBible.
And when I did, all thesepieces of paper fell out onto
the floor and I didn't know whatthey were.
I leaned over and was pickingthem all up.
They'd just been shoved in thisBible.
And when I started picking themup I realized they were prayer
(27:12):
request cards and they were allin different handwriting.
The dates went back eight yearsand my name was on every single
one of them.
Wow.
So God had a plan.
I surrendered and I'd beenwrong my whole life.
Man.
Ron Meyers (27:28):
Wow.
And today, what are you?
Marc Calvert (27:30):
doing so since then.
I now pastor a church full-time.
I'm the lead pastor of theChurch of Turning Points, which
is a Southern Baptist churchhere in Wiggins, Mississippi.
I work full-time here at StoneCounty Regional Correctional
Facility as a programs directorand alcohol and drug instructor.
(27:52):
We have court programs that weoffer in our community for CPS,
family reunification.
We work with Drug Court, DrugIntervention Court.
I'm certified through theAmerican Association of
Christian Counseling and I workwith CIT, the Crisis
Intervention Team, Training andactually train law enforcement
officers now to deal with mentalhealth issues and substance
(28:15):
abuse so that they cande-escalate and resolve
situations when dealing withpeople like that.
I'm a presenter for theAmerican Foundation of Suicide
Prevention and now, by the graceof God, I'm on a full
scholarship to the Kasky ChurchExcellence Center for New
Orleans Baptist TheologicalSeminary to get my master's
degree.
Ron Meyers (28:33):
Wow, so Jesus really radically changed your life.
Now you're giving back to thecommunity and working within the
prison system.
Your story is relatable topeople that are right there in
the correction facility, isn'tit?
Marc Calvert (28:47):
Yes, sir, there is a great awakening happening
right here in our facility.
We do a lot here with these men.
It is a great harvest.
These men are free fromdistraction, they're free from
obligations, they're free fromrequirements and the vast
majority of them are seekingGod's face in a way that our
truly wish that we had in ourlocal churches.
Ron Meyers (29:04):
Now, if somebody, one of the prisoners, asked you
I don't believe in Jesus, so youtell me who is Jesus to you?
And they were asking you that,what would you tell them?
Marc Calvert (29:16):
Oh, I tell my story as often as I possibly can
.
Ron Meyers (29:21):
Yep, we all have a story.
I can simply say me too.
We all have a story, and thatstory wow resonates with someone
that's done everything exactlyalmost like you did.
Wow, how powerful story,powerful story.
So are you happy today?
Marc Calvert (29:39):
Oh yeah, I mean, as much as we're doing, we're
not doing enough.
I think that there's alwaysroom to do more.
I think there's a greatrequirement on our
responsibilities as Christians.
You know, when we raise ourhand and profess to be believers
.
In my opinion, that shouldrequire mission mindedness in a
way that calls our comfort intoquestion what about you
(29:59):
personally?
Ron Meyers (30:00):
How do you feel different now?
What's the typical when you getup in the morning in a day?
What's your mindset as you goout into this world, now that
you know you're not aloneanymore.
Marc Calvert (30:10):
You have Jesus with you, oh, I mean, I think,
the gratefulness, I think youknow I would joke all the time
and we say, man, there's adifference between when you're,
when you're saved and whenyou're rescued.
You know, I mean there's a lotof good, god fearing, powerful
men of God that were saved, youknow, and they, they came to
Christ at an early age and,again, god bless them never
lived the life that some of ushave and I think that's
(30:33):
wonderful.
And you know, I think for methat's being saved.
I think I look at that like,hey, you know, somebody was
fixing to walk off a cliff.
Somebody put their hand out andsaid, hey, don't walk off that
cliff.
And there's some of us thatwalked off that cliff a long
time ago.
We'd be standing in the ravineyelling help, somebody, help.
(30:55):
And when that rope finallycomes down and you make it out
of a place, you never thoughtyou would listen, man, it's
different.
And uh, you know when, when youlive a life where you you had
years without light switches andceiling fans and refrigerators
and you know unlock doors, Imean there's.
So you know, like Paul said, uh, you know, apostle Paul said,
you know, apostle Paul said,I've lived the secret of life
and, for example, I know how tolive on everything or nothing,
with plenty or with little, withon a full stomach or an empty.
(31:16):
And you know I look at whatGod's doing in these facilities
and with people coming out ofaddictions and you know,
honestly, you know people likeus have been trained for mission
work like no other.
We've been conditioned.
We know how to live withnothing or with something.
And when you can live on nothingand you have before, you are
humble and you are grateful forthe smallest things in this life
(31:39):
that most often most peopletake for granted.
And you know you can't shake us.
You know I'm grateful every daythat I get to wake up in a bed
with a pillow let alone a bedwith a pillow where God's in my
life and the fact that he choseto use anyone like me to do
anything for him, you know,keeps my heart broken and
contrite and humble.
(32:00):
And you know every problem wehave is just an opportunity to
seek God.
You know, and if we're in aconstant state of problems and
we're in a constant need of Godand Ron, that's a really good
place to be.
Ron Meyers (32:10):
Before we go, I would like you to pray for my
listeners.
There's people out there rightnow that can relate to your
story, but now they want someencouragement, and if you could
encourage them and then pray forthem, I would really appreciate
that.
Marc Calvert (32:25):
Yes, absolutely, let's do it.
Father, we just come to you,lord, on bending knee humble
hearts, and we stand.
Lord in awe of your ways, in ourlife, lord, despite the
opposition that we face inourselves.
And so, father, for those thatare listening, that have yet to
seek you, god, I just pray thathere, through this message,
through this hour, in thismoment, god, that they have just
come to the end of themselvesand just ask God for you to
(32:47):
reveal yourself.
Lord, the Bible says that if weseek, we will find, if we ask,
you will answer.
And if we knock, lord, the doorwill be open.
And so, father, I just praythat that invitation is offered
to you, lord, here right now,lord, from those that are
listening, and God, tounderstand that there is so much
purpose in our pain.
There are so many times that somany of us go through things
(33:08):
that we have no idea why thesethings would ever happen, not
understanding that there ispurpose in the misery, lord,
that those are the things thatbreaks us, and brokenness, lord,
is what you use to bring usback into yourself.
Father, we thank you for thatbloodshed on that cross, lord,
that reconciled us with you.
We thank you, lord, for theprivilege to pray in this way
(33:29):
through your efforts to lay downyour life for sinners like us.
But, god, I just ask that thesepeople that are listening now
understand that the worst partsof them are the qualifications,
lord, to reach the unreachable,and that they just simply
surrender that life, pick uptheir cross no turning back and
turn to you.
In Jesus' name, we pray Amen.
So, you know, I was a man that grew up without
God.
Never believing in Goddetermined anybody that did to
be a fool.
Those decisions, or lackthereof, led me down a road
where I began to try drugs forthe very first time at age 16.
And then, through the course ofthose choices, began with my
(00:20):
first felony charge at age 18and started was incarcerated for
the very first time at age 18.
The very first time that I wasarrested I was sentenced to a
year, and not a long time in thescope of a lifetime, but
certainly a long time for thevery first time being
incarcerated.
It settled into that and onewould think that it might wake
you up.
But at that young age it waseverybody's fault but mine.
(00:43):
I tended to blame everyone else.
Dl Moody, great evangelist,said that I never met a man that
gave me more problems thanmyself and I certainly can agree
with that, that repetition ofreoffending due to probation and
(01:04):
requirements to meetobligations due to byproducts of
my behavior that I couldn'tmeet because my behavior refused
to be modified.
And I spent most of my adultlife in and out incarcerated.
You know drugs were always apart of my life in some way, but
if you would have asked me atthe time.
you know, throughout the courseof those years of my life, I
(01:27):
would have never, admitted thatand would have always said it
was, you know, recreational useor, you know, just a part of
what we do to have fun and youknow, always was able to
maintain a job up and into thepoint where, you know I was
arrested for either failing drugtests or not reporting and
things of that nature.
And of course, along the wayI've caught additional charges
(01:47):
and never had healthyrelationships.
But of course, as men that livewithout God, we serve only
ourselves.
Very self-centered man, veryegotistical, very prideful and I
believe, when we look back atit and I've committed my life to
helping people now in a waythat I needed it desperately
time look back at it and I'vecommitted my life to helping
people now in a way that Ineeded it desperately time.
But when we look at men,they're full of pride and ego
(02:08):
and anger.
It's a lack of self-confidenceand it's a sensational need to
be accepted.
You know we look back and youknow my parents divorced at age
seven.
You know I did not grow up withmy father.
You know, firmly in place inthe time that I did have with
him certainly wasn't anythingthat was grounded in God and so
(02:30):
over time I just looked to, youknow, other guys, typically
older than me, and then you know, did what I could as the
youngest in the group to standout, you know, to garnish their
attention and admiration andvalidate myself in the most
unhealthy ways, garnet's theirattention and admiration and
validate myself in the mostunhealthy ways.
But in my 30s I met someonethat I fell in love with and
didn't realize thatmethamphetamine was a part of
(02:52):
her life, and then learned thatand then slowly made a decision
to do that with her, to continuethis relationship with her not
being fully aware of what I wasgetting into.
And then, thereafter that, mylife slowly began to truly
become out of control.
Incarceration occurred more andmore and more, in violence as
(03:13):
well, and just very horribledomestic situations would ensue.
And God got a hold of me, ron,almost seven years ago, and I
was the year that I encounteredChrist.
You know and understand that Iwas someone that did not believe
in God and would talk anybodyout of it if I felt like you did
, but I was.
(03:34):
I had been to prison four timesin that year In the state of
Alabama where I lived.
It was if you violated yourparole by not reporting or
failing a drug test or notreporting address changes.
They would send you back toprison for 45 days.
You would have to sit in countya few months before you were
taken to that intake facility todo those 45 days in prison, not
(03:56):
jail, and I had done that fourtimes in one year and things
were just.
Every time I would come homethey were getting worse and
worse.
The last time I came home fromthat prison I learned some
things that I wasn't able tohandle.
I saw some things that I wish Iwouldn't have and I didn't
respond well at all.
And law enforcement was calledout to the property.
They had been several timesthat week and I ran from them.
(04:19):
And then running from them, Iwas cutting through a trailer
park.
There was a little girl'sbicycle leaned up against a
porch and in an attempt to getaway from them faster, I stole
this little girl's bike and Iwas pedaling it as hard as I
could.
It was certainly too big to beon it and the handlebar snapped.
I went sliding into a bush andit was briars.
(04:41):
I was covered in cuts.
I was wearing clothes thatdidn't fit.
I was coming from somewherethat was no good for me and I
had nowhere to go and I washiding in that bush and I was
covered in cuts and the policewere going back and forth and
they were looking for me andinside of that bush, ron, my
watch beeped.
Man, I'm going to tell you thatwas the loudest beep.
(05:03):
And you know, looking back atit with hindsight and common
sense and a clear mind, therewas probably no way that they
would have ever heard that beepbecause they were in their cars
and their radios were probablygoing.
But I'm telling you right now,brother, in that bush, on that
beep, my watch beeped.
You couldn't tell me that Iwouldn't head back to prison
again and I covered that watchwith my hand because I didn't
(05:23):
want the light to be on andanybody to see it.
I slowly peeled my hand backoff that watch and made sure the
light was off and I looked downand I realized that it beeped
because it was midnight and itwas my birthday and I was 40
years old and I just man forthose of us that have lived that
life, it's just man.
Sometimes you can blink and 10years go by and I just was like
(05:46):
man.
We're in my 30s, you know, Ijust man.
I broke, brother.
I broke in that bush, like youwouldn't believe, and I just was
determined in that moment tonot live like that anymore.
I didn't really realize orunderstand.
You know why and how I gotthere.
You know we read in the Bibleand Paul says in Romans I know
(06:07):
what I'm supposed to do and Idon't do it.
I know what I'm not supposed todo and I keep doing it.
What is wrong with me?
Where is it?
Center I am, and of course Ididn't understand that verse and
nor knew anything about it atthe time.
But certainly, knowing it now,I can absolutely relate.
You know, in that bush, ron, Ijust made a deal with myself to
do everything that I could to bedifferent, and for me at that
(06:29):
time, you know, was just simplymoving from one problem to
another problem.
You know, I was, I was, I knewthat I had some problems to face
given my circumstances andsituations that I was in at that
moment, and so I was okay withit.
I just wanted to move from aproblem to a problem.
I didn't want to be stuck in aproblem, and so I was okay with
that.
I just wanted to move from aproblem to a problem.
I didn't want to be stuck in aproblem, and so I waited there
in that bush until six in themorning, until shift change.
(06:52):
And when I knew that thoseofficers that were mad because
they didn't find me were gettingoff shift, I climbed out of
that bush and made my way overto a guy's house that I'd done
some time with and knocked onhis door and just began to make
phone call after phone call.
I finally got somebody overthere with a vehicle and a very,
very, very long story not solong on the wings of angels that
(07:12):
I did not believe in at thetime made it over to Mississippi
in a stolen truck.
I didn't steal it, the personthat picked me up had, and they
didn't belong to them.
But again, problem, but adifferent problem, and we had
forward momentum and so coastedin my mother's driveway in South
Mississippi at about 2 am.
I hadn't been home in quitesome time and there, in that
(07:33):
moment when I arrived, that'skind of where recovery started
for me and, of course, did notbelieve in God.
Still, my dad and my mother youknow, my mother and I were born
in Alabama and my stepfather andher lived there most of their
lives, but there was a time,about 10 years before that,
where they had bought someproperty in Mississippi and
(07:53):
moved over here.
Now, while my stepdad and mymom were in Mississippi.
God got a hold of my stepdad.
He got ordained.
He felt the call to ministry,to pastoral ministry.
He went to seminary in NewOrleans Baptist Theological
Seminary and he had beenpastoring a church and by the
time that I arrived over therehe was no longer the pastor of a
church but he was a supplypastor and of course he knows.
(08:16):
When I arrived, you know momwas glad I was there.
My stepdad had somerequirements of me and you know
of course he began inviting meto church and I declined him
every time.
But I did make good on the dealthat I made myself to do
anything I could to be different.
And what that looked like forme at the time was seeing a
psychiatrist, a psychologist,you know, beginning to work out
(08:38):
and eat good and go to NAmeetings and AA meetings, and
just if it was a resource that Ibelieved would benefit me in
some way, I was all for it andwas very diligent in my effort
to try and change.
And along the way, my fatherwell, he's not my real dad, but
he's my dad now.
I mean, this is quite a whileago, so he's I'm going to call
(09:00):
him my dad, but he's my stepdad,but he's my dad.
And I'm going to call him mydad, but he's my stepdad, but
he's my dad.
And so he began, you know, henever relented inviting me to
church and I never relented indeclining him.
And I remember very clearly onenight he come home and he said
man, there's a dinner that we'rehaving tonight at this church
and they're having a men's steaknight and there's going to be a
(09:23):
guest speaker and we'd reallylike you to come.
And you got to understand.
So, to put this kind of storyin context, so when my dad went
to seminary.
Him and some other guys wouldcarpool over to New Orleans to
take classes, and one of theguys that my dad rode with was a
guy named Brian and while Brianwas in seminary he ended up
(09:43):
buying some buildings to begin ayouth ministry in a very
drug-indated trailer park overin the Wave 1 Mississippi area.
And my dad had told me that hebought those buildings for a
dollar.
And I remember my dad tellingme the story that when Brian
said he was going to that Godhad laid it on his heart to go
and make this attempt and hesaid oh, I got the dollar, but I
(10:09):
want to go try and do it.
You know the guys laughed him upbut Brian did get those you
know buildings for a dollar andhe set it up in this trailer
park and so I knew who Brian was, just from my dad talking to me
about him and passing, and sothat was where my dad was going
for this steak night.
He said I'm going to Brian'schurch.
You know, they've beenministering to kids.
They were trying to get thedads out, so they were going to
cook steak and have a guestspeaker and I said, yeah, I
appreciate it, man, but I'm notgoing.
(10:31):
So that night my dad come homeand he had a steak and he was
like man, I got to tell you whathappened tonight and I said
what's up?
And he said, man, he'd been ondrugs like you, he'd been to
jail like you, he had tattooslike you and he wants to meet
you.
He said I was telling him aboutyou and he's got a 20-step
(10:52):
faith-based outpatient programcalled Escape Addiction and he
said he'd be willing to meet you.
And I said, oh, that soundsgood, man, I appreciate it, I'm
not going and at the time I justdidn't want to have anything to
do with anything like that.
I mean I was seeing apsychiatrist, psychologist, all
these things.
But my dad gave me the card,his card, and on the strength of
(11:20):
my dad's just perseverance andpatience and kindness and all of
those things that we now knowto be the fruits of the Spirit,
I took that card, I put it in mywallet to appease him and never
thought anything of it.
And a few months later, youknow, I'm doing what I deem to
be good work.
My daughter calls and you know,I had a daughter when I was 19,
you know, and along the way hermother, you know, perceived me
to be the enemy rightfully soand began to build high walls
(11:40):
around her.
And over time I lost touch withher and she was my firstborn.
It was something that hadbothered me greatly.
You know, I'm, I'm, I'm over inMississippi now I'm, I'm doing
good, I'm, I'm clean and sober,I'm, you know, trying to figure
out this thing called life.
And I get a phone call from herand, man Ron, I'm gonna tell
(12:01):
you I was so happy no-transcript, and she hung up and I didn't
(12:34):
know how to take that you know,sometimes, you know, in early
recovery and in life, and evenfor people that are early in
faith and young in faith.
you know, sometimes we keepthose very real moments that we
go through in this life, as welive in a fallen world, to
ourself and fail to share thosethings because we don't want to
lose the support of peoplearound us that are beginning to
(12:54):
believe in us again or beginningto see something new in us
again, when you know in realitywe need good people in our life
that we can confess our sins to.
That, will you know, help,guide us spiritually and, you
know, with wisdom and advice.
But so often, man, we keepthose things to ourselves and I
didn't know how to handle that.
I didn't, certainly didn't wantto share it with anybody.
And I left my house.
(13:14):
I was driving down the road andI saw a guy walking down the
road.
I picked him up and he wantedto go get high and at the time I
wanted to go get high.
I didn't know how to deal withthose emotions.
You know, I didn't.
You know drugs are band-aidsthat people put on themselves to
deal with things that theytruly need surgery for.
I mean, when you see somebodyin addiction.
(13:34):
In my opinion, all it is issomebody's very unhealthy
attempt at surviving some sortof trauma that they've dealt
with in their life, and theaddiction is just simply the
byproduct of something fardeeper.
It's the fruit of issues intheir life that they haven't
addressed the root of.
And I tell people all the timenow, as a mental health
(13:55):
professional, as a pastor, assomeone that works in the
prisons listen, man, if you'rejust trying to get clean, it's
never going to work.
You've got to deal with thesalvation in your life and the
sin in your life, and if you canaddress salvation and sin, then
addiction and sobriety andsubstances will all work itself
(14:16):
out as a byproduct of that.
But I did not have Christ in mylife at the time.
And here I got this guy in mycar and we're pulling up to some
you know trap house it's.
You know he's going to go inthere and get something.
And he got out of my car andI'm sitting in his driveway and
I'm just like man, what am Idoing?
I can't, I can't do this.
And so I leave the guy there.
(14:37):
I go to a parking lot inWiggins and I'm just crying man.
I mean I'm girl crying and Idon't have anyone to share this
with.
I mean I'm almost relapsed hereand no one knows it.
Everybody thinks I'm doing goodand uh, you know, I don't want
to tell my parents.
I mean, they're proud of me,you know, and so I'm just like
man, like what happened, and allI remember is he's got tattoos
(15:03):
like you, he's been to jail likeyou and he was on drugs like
you.
And I reached back in my walletand I had that dude's card that
my dad gave me and I reachedout to him and, man, we clicked
right away.
He invited me over.
I went to see him the next day.
You know he's a Christian, buthe had lived experience and he
had been through what I had beenthrough and so, just you know,
for those reasons, I agreed tosee him and from the time I met
(15:25):
him, man, he was, you know,talking to me about Jesus.
And I said man, look, dude, youknow, quit talking to me about
this guy in that book.
I want to change.
So I just need you.
You've obviously changed, sotell me how you did it and I'll
do it because I want to do it.
So let's quit talking aboutthis dude in the book and tell
me how to get right.
And he asked me when I first gotthere, like you know, if this
(15:46):
thing would work out the way Iwanted it?
What would that look like toyou?
And I said I just want to bedifferent in every way.
And along the way he eventuallykind of just busted me right in
the head and he said look, man,you said you wanted to be
different.
You said you wanted to change.
He said I'm offering you thegreatest gift in the world.
He said it's free, but it's notcheap.
It's God's gift for you and toyou, and you won't accept it.
(16:09):
But yet you want to do anythingyou can to fix your life, but
you won't take that gift.
He said well, are you like aliar?
And I was like what?
No.
And so you know, jared at thetime is his name, he.
He did a really good jobministering to me and he walked
me down the Romans road and, um,you know, pointed things out in
scripture and and and look, ron, if you would have asked me,
you know, like back then, likewhat I believe in my cookie
(16:32):
cutter, like kind of crap,answer at the time would always
be like I believe in something,but I don't know what that
something is, and you ain'tnever died before, so you don't
know either.
But you know that that answerleft the door open for this
Jesus thing to be possible,because I mean, if I don't know,
then it could be.
And this guy that I was meetingwith every week over there,
(16:54):
jared, and there was somethingdifferent about him, like you
know, he just had a light, likehe, like you couldn't shake him
but you couldn't make him mad.
You know, I would ask himquestions that there was no good
answer to and he would be likeyou know, I don't know.
That's a really good question.
Let me study some more, comeback next week, we'll talk about
it.
And I was like, well, he's good, I got to come back, you know.
But more and more, you know, wegot closer to the cross.
(17:19):
And so I agreed there in thatmoment and I said well, can I
make a deal with him?
And he said what kind of dealdo you want to make with God?
And I said I don't know.
I said man, if I said I want, Iwant it to be real, you know, I
said it would be, it would benice.
But I said I just don't know.
And I said if I, if I'm like,look man, I said I'm genuine, I
(17:40):
do want to change, and I said ifthis will, if this will help me
, then I'm all for it.
I said, but I've been unsure allmy life.
I said if I give myself to himand I'll do it genuinely and
I'll do it for real, you know,so that I can see it, and then I
can know.
And you know, like creationwasn't enough.
And Jared said he goes, I don'tcare what gets you there, man,
(18:00):
just get there.
And so, you know, I prayed withhim and he prayed with me.
And you know, you know, as apastor now, you know I look back
and I wasn't saved there, youknow, because I was.
I was needing God to performfor me, you know, like he's done
enough right, like what he'sdone is sufficient, it's enough,
(18:22):
you know, and he don't need todo any more.
And I didn't believe becauseyou know not, not not sincerely
in that moment, because I waslooking for something to
convince me to believe.
But what I was, though,honestly, is I was genuine in a
desire to want to know, and I dobelieve that I was genuinely on
(18:48):
a journey to figure out andconsider something that I had
never considered before.
So that was a lot of progressfor me in that moment, and I
remember kind of leaving thatoffice that day with my head on
a swivel, like I was back inprison, like I'm looking around,
like I don't want to miss thisthing, like if there's some
revelation I don't want to missit, you know, and whatever that
(19:10):
would look like.
And so I leave, I don't tellanybody about this, I don't
share this with anyone and thatnight, my daughter, my youngest
daughter I had a youngerdaughter and she was eight at
the time and she was with me.
And she comes up to me and shesays, hey, when are we leaving?
And I said leaving to go where?
(19:30):
And she said trick or treating.
And I said, oh my gosh, Ididn't even realize it was
Halloween.
And for me now, short of usdoing something at church, I
don't celebrate it.
But back then that was a bigdeal in our family's life and in
my daughter's life, and so Ihad forgotten it was Halloween.
And I'm just like man, I can'tfigure out this thing called
life.
I just keep failing.
(19:51):
So don't have a costume, don'thave any money, grab an old ice
cream bucket out from underneaththe sink, put her in the car
and just decide to take hertrick-or-treating.
But now I'm in South Mississippi, in the DeSoto National Forest,
I know no one here, I don'tknow where to take my daughter
trick-or-treating, and so westopped at a gas station and I
seen some boys out at thefilling station.
(20:14):
They was dressed in camo.
They probably just got backfrom the woods and I pulled up
and I said, hey, young man.
I said, do you know anywhere Ican take my daughter
trick-or-treating?
And them boys leaned down in mycar window and they were like
oh yes, sir, you know you wantto go down here, go to the red
light, make a right, go to thestop sign, make a left, you'll
see all the cars.
You'll see all the cars.
That's where you're going towant to be.
I said, all right, man,appreciate it.
(20:35):
And you know pretty clearinstructions.
You know me and my daughterleave.
I think we're going to somerich neighborhood.
We follow the instructions,pull up ton of cars to church
and Faithview, baptist andSocial.
So they're doing trunk or treat.
I didn't even know churches didthings on Halloween at that
(20:57):
time in my life.
It was all outside.
You know we, we walk in and mydaughter she's mad, she doesn't
know, she doesn't want to dothat.
Um, she wants to.
You know, traditionally goknock on doors and you know I'm
in an area.
You know you might knock on adoor.
You're going to get shot.
That probably wasn't the bestidea.
So I'm going to go to this, youknow I mean there's a ton of
cars there.
So we walk in and there was atable and there was nobody at
(21:18):
the table.
But we walk in and you know theway that we all know what
trucker treats.
Like you got to participate inan event and you get some candy.
Well, my daughter wouldn't havenone of that.
She's stomping her feet,pitching a fit.
You know she wants to leave.
I feel like a failure and soI'm finally, you know,
ultimately relent to her wantingto leave.
And we're leaving and we'rewalking out of this event.
(21:40):
And now we walk past that sametable, but this time there's a
lady in it sitting at the tableand she said she looked at my
daughter who's carrying this icecream bucket with nothing in it
, and she said baby, you didn'tget no candy.
And I said no, ma'am, you knowwe're new in town.
And I no, ma'am, you know we'renew in town.
I didn't know this was a church, I'm sorry and she's
uncomfortable.
And I said we're just going togo.
And she said well, baby, youcan't leave without no candy.
(22:03):
She said let me see that bucket.
And my daughter handed her thatbucket.
Ron and brother, when I tellyou she filled it up, she filled
it up.
Ron Meyers (22:12):
She filled that bucket.
Marc Calvert (22:13):
You know, I was so grateful.
I was picking the candy up offthe floor and, man, listen, you
know, when I asked God, you know, to forgive me of my sins and
all those things that Jared toldme to say in his office that
day before, you know, nothinghappened to me I certainly
didn't feel any different.
You know, like I said, I justwas, you know, a little
heightened sense of awareness.
But, brother, on that Halloweennight, in that church, outside,
(22:38):
as I was kneeling down pickingthat candy up, it was the most
clear, concise, crisp thoughtthat popped in my head.
I'm bending down, I'm pickingthat candy up and I just heard
like son, you don't have to goto anybody's house and ask for
anything.
If you just come to my house,I'll give you everything and ask
for anything.
If you just come to my house,I'll give you everything and you
(22:59):
won't even have to ask.
I'm just like man, what, wheredid that come from?
And I'm just stuck on theground, man, like having an
awakening or something.
And my daughter notices andshe's like are you okay?
I just looked up and I was likeGrace, I think we came to the
right house, wow, and rightabout that time, like this guy's
come out the back of thischurch and they're playing
guitars and they start singingAmazing Grace.
(23:21):
And that's my daughter's nameis Grace, and you know I've
always liked that song.
My granny, she used to sing itwhile she washed dishes in the
kitchen before she passed, andyou know, of course I had my
daughter's name in it, but Inever, I never, liked it for the
right reasons.
And that night, and I heardthat song for the first time
(23:42):
once I was blind and now I seefrom the hour I first believed I
was just like, okay, this mightbe real, you know.
And I was like man, okay.
So that happened and mydaughter ended up staying and we
hung out at the church.
And you know pretty good nightfor what it started out as, and
(24:02):
I think that was like on aThursday.
Well, the next that comingSunday, my dad comes up to me
and he says hey, mark, listen,you're going to go to church.
I don't want to hear no arguing.
He said Brian hurt his back andwe've got to move some tables.
He said Brian hurt his back andwe've got to move some tables.
He said I don't care if youcome in.
(24:22):
Uh, you can sit out in thetruck.
Uh, I don't care, but you'recoming.
You know, and you got tounderstand, man, like I've been
turning my dad down for a longtime coming to church.
But he comes to me like look,you're going, bro.
You know no choice in thisthing.
You know I've got to move.
And when he said, I said isthat the church that you met
Jared?
Cause, that's where thisjourney that I'm on, like nobody
knew about what happened atFaithful Baptist, nobody knew
what had happened there fortheir church, and with me I was
(24:43):
like keeping all this to myself.
And then the next Sunday my dad, you know, basically mandated
that I go to to Brian's church,and so I was like that's where
you met Jared, right, and he'slike yeah.
I was like yeah, man, let's go.
You know, I wanted to see that.
I wanted to know what thatlooked like.
This is where my dad met thisguy.
You know, my dad looked realsurprised when I was willing to
go.
(25:03):
And so, anyway, we get toBrian's and Brian comes out and
I introduce myself to him andhe's like man.
He said, bro, we've beenpraying for you for a long time.
And I was like cool man, thankyou.
And he's like come here, I wantto show you something.
And so I'm like all right, sowe go into this little church.
Now it's not a church like youand I maybe think, or the
listeners are thinking of achurch.
This is like a FEMA building.
You know what I mean.
(25:23):
This is like small buildingsthat he put together, that he
had like aluminum, pulled upchairs, but it was a church.
You know what I'm saying.
And so he calls me up in thereand he's got this very small
office and you know we go in andon his wall he's got two frames
and he's got a dollar and aframe and he's got a quarter and
(25:43):
a frame and he goes man, I wantto show you this.
He said do you know what thoseare?
And I said well, I know whatthat dollar is.
I think I said you know.
My dad told me and he boughtthis for like a dollar right.
And he's like, yeah, I did.
I said that's cool.
He said do you know what thatquarter is?
I said no.
He said that quarter was thevery first tithe that we ever
had, the very first offeringwhen we started this church.
(26:05):
And he said do you know whogave us that quarter?
I said no.
He said your daughter.
Wow, your daughter.
10 years ago, while you were inprison, your dad brought your
daughter here.
She put that quarter in theoffering plate.
Now, ron, you run the numbers.
My daughter was the firstperson to sow in to this church
that, a decade later, would be abuilding that my dad would meet
(26:26):
a man to let me to the Lord andI was just like he goes, are
you going to stay for service?
And I said yeah, yeah, bro, Ithink I will.
And he said do you have a Bible?
I said no, I'll have a.
Bible.
I never opened a Bible in mylife.
And he rummaged through hisdrawers he found an old black
King James Bible back in theback.
I mean, he literally, I kid younot, he had to dust it off and
(26:50):
he hands it to me and he goesback outside to talk to my dad
and I sit down in this oldaluminum chair in this church by
myself and I just open up thisBible.
And when I did, all thesepieces of paper fell out onto
the floor and I didn't know whatthey were.
I leaned over and was pickingthem all up.
They'd just been shoved in thisBible.
And when I started picking themup I realized they were prayer
(27:12):
request cards and they were allin different handwriting.
The dates went back eight yearsand my name was on every single
one of them.
Wow.
So God had a plan.
I surrendered and I'd beenwrong my whole life.
Man.
Ron Meyers (27:28):
Wow.
And today, what are you?
Marc Calvert (27:30):
doing so since then.
I now pastor a church full-time.
I'm the lead pastor of theChurch of Turning Points, which
is a Southern Baptist churchhere in Wiggins, Mississippi.
I work full-time here at StoneCounty Regional Correctional
Facility as a programs directorand alcohol and drug instructor.
(27:52):
We have court programs that weoffer in our community for CPS,
family reunification.
We work with Drug Court, DrugIntervention Court.
I'm certified through theAmerican Association of
Christian Counseling and I workwith CIT, the Crisis
Intervention Team, Training andactually train law enforcement
officers now to deal with mentalhealth issues and substance
(28:15):
abuse so that they cande-escalate and resolve
situations when dealing withpeople like that.
I'm a presenter for theAmerican Foundation of Suicide
Prevention and now, by the graceof God, I'm on a full
scholarship to the Kasky ChurchExcellence Center for New
Orleans Baptist TheologicalSeminary to get my master's
degree.
Ron Meyers (28:33):
Wow, so Jesus really radically changed your life.
Now you're giving back to thecommunity and working within the
prison system.
Your story is relatable topeople that are right there in
the correction facility, isn'tit?
Marc Calvert (28:47):
Yes, sir, there is a great awakening happening
right here in our facility.
We do a lot here with these men.
It is a great harvest.
These men are free fromdistraction, they're free from
obligations, they're free fromrequirements and the vast
majority of them are seekingGod's face in a way that our
truly wish that we had in ourlocal churches.
Ron Meyers (29:04):
Now, if somebody, one of the prisoners, asked you
I don't believe in Jesus, so youtell me who is Jesus to you?
And they were asking you that,what would you tell them?
Marc Calvert (29:16):
Oh, I tell my story as often as I possibly can
.
Ron Meyers (29:21):
Yep, we all have a story.
I can simply say me too.
We all have a story, and thatstory wow resonates with someone
that's done everything exactlyalmost like you did.
Wow, how powerful story,powerful story.
So are you happy today?
Marc Calvert (29:39):
Oh yeah, I mean, as much as we're doing, we're
not doing enough.
I think that there's alwaysroom to do more.
I think there's a greatrequirement on our
responsibilities as Christians.
You know, when we raise ourhand and profess to be believers
.
In my opinion, that shouldrequire mission mindedness in a
way that calls our comfort intoquestion what about you
(29:59):
personally?
Ron Meyers (30:00):
How do you feel different now?
What's the typical when you getup in the morning in a day?
What's your mindset as you goout into this world, now that
you know you're not aloneanymore.
Marc Calvert (30:10):
You have Jesus with you, oh, I mean, I think,
the gratefulness, I think youknow I would joke all the time
and we say, man, there's adifference between when you're,
when you're saved and whenyou're rescued.
You know, I mean there's a lotof good, god fearing, powerful
men of God that were saved, youknow, and they, they came to
Christ at an early age and,again, god bless them never
lived the life that some of ushave and I think that's
(30:33):
wonderful.
And you know, I think for methat's being saved.
I think I look at that like,hey, you know, somebody was
fixing to walk off a cliff.
Somebody put their hand out andsaid, hey, don't walk off that
cliff.
And there's some of us thatwalked off that cliff a long
time ago.
We'd be standing in the ravineyelling help, somebody, help.
(30:55):
And when that rope finallycomes down and you make it out
of a place, you never thoughtyou would listen, man, it's
different.
And uh, you know when, when youlive a life where you you had
years without light switches andceiling fans and refrigerators
and you know unlock doors, Imean there's.
So you know, like Paul said, uh, you know, apostle Paul said,
you know, apostle Paul said,I've lived the secret of life
and, for example, I know how tolive on everything or nothing,
with plenty or with little, withon a full stomach or an empty.
(31:16):
And you know I look at whatGod's doing in these facilities
and with people coming out ofaddictions and you know,
honestly, you know people likeus have been trained for mission
work like no other.
We've been conditioned.
We know how to live withnothing or with something.
And when you can live on nothingand you have before, you are
humble and you are grateful forthe smallest things in this life
(31:39):
that most often most peopletake for granted.
And you know you can't shake us.
You know I'm grateful every daythat I get to wake up in a bed
with a pillow let alone a bedwith a pillow where God's in my
life and the fact that he choseto use anyone like me to do
anything for him, you know,keeps my heart broken and
contrite and humble.
(32:00):
And you know every problem wehave is just an opportunity to
seek God.
You know, and if we're in aconstant state of problems and
we're in a constant need of Godand Ron, that's a really good
place to be.
Ron Meyers (32:10):
Before we go, I would like you to pray for my
listeners.
There's people out there rightnow that can relate to your
story, but now they want someencouragement, and if you could
encourage them and then pray forthem, I would really appreciate
that.
Marc Calvert (32:25):
Yes, absolutely, let's do it.
Father, we just come to you,lord, on bending knee humble
hearts, and we stand.
Lord in awe of your ways, in ourlife, lord, despite the
opposition that we face inourselves.
And so, father, for those thatare listening, that have yet to
seek you, god, I just pray thathere, through this message,
through this hour, in thismoment, god, that they have just
come to the end of themselvesand just ask God for you to
(32:47):
reveal yourself.
Lord, the Bible says that if weseek, we will find, if we ask,
you will answer.
And if we knock, lord, the doorwill be open.
And so, father, I just praythat that invitation is offered
to you, lord, here right now,lord, from those that are
listening, and God, tounderstand that there is so much
purpose in our pain.
There are so many times that somany of us go through things
(33:08):
that we have no idea why thesethings would ever happen, not
understanding that there ispurpose in the misery, lord,
that those are the things thatbreaks us, and brokenness, lord,
is what you use to bring usback into yourself.
Father, we thank you for thatbloodshed on that cross, lord,
that reconciled us with you.
We thank you, lord, for theprivilege to pray in this way
(33:29):
through your efforts to lay downyour life for sinners like us.
But, god, I just ask that thesepeople that are listening now
understand that the worst partsof them are the qualifications,
lord, to reach the unreachable,and that they just simply
surrender that life, pick uptheir cross no turning back and
turn to you.
In Jesus' name, we pray Amen.
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