On The Row...

A day on one of Alabama's death row blocks... Twenty Two men live their remaining days in a small block of 8 by 10 cells and wait for a day they hope will never come. The buiding is small and dark, with an interesting energy-- it is set apart, all by itself in this large maximum security prison. This place is unique; the warden allows these men 6-8 hours of free time together where they play cards, watch tv, or just hang out. This is rare, as most death row inmates live out their lives in solitary confinement. These guys are like a family-- white, black, and hispanic-- all in the same boat... I don't feel the usual prison tension as much in there as I do the general population; they're not as much on edge, and there is definitely not the typical threat of violence. I felt just about every emotion over the hours with them: hope and despair; joy and pain; anger and laughter; faith and fear-- no, that's not true, I felt no fear. These men are becoming my friends; they were overjoyed to see me-- and I was thrilled to see them (I missed them). One day it will be very hard to say goodbye... Hatred is hard to accomplish up close, and love is definitely an inside job... Until we meet again.

Vision

Today four things are going to shape your reality as you interpret the world while you move through it: thoughts, desires, memories and experiences. You and I will gather information and process/interpret it all with lightning speed as we quickly determine how we will SEE the world. It really has very little to do with traffic, the weather, the news, the economy, politics, or your spouse-- but rather how you have programmed your brain to interpret billions of bits of data as it constantly flows into your awareness (you are not a victim, but rather a creative participant)... So, will you have a good day? That all depends on your perspective, and that depends on PRACTICE-- you have been working on how you see the world your entire life. Observe your thoughts today; watch your desires; pay attention to memories as they surface; and experience life in the present moment. If you just "ride" the roller coaster on autopilot like the masses, then you ARE at the mercy of all those external circumstances. But simply get into the driver's seat, and today can be anything that you wish for it to be. Your choice.

The Ride

It's about to get crazy with The Power of Peace Project... Coming up on my meeting with men on Death Row in Alabama; then 15 prisons in 5 days in Illinois; then off to LA to speak to youth offenders at Los Angeles County Jail; then Angola Prison in Louisiana for a weekend event, where we sleep in old Death Row cells and work within one of Warden Cain's faith programs called TURN... Here we go.

Whew!

What an AMAZING week of opportunities and learning experiences: Monday I spoke for a great Keller Williams corp event in Gainesville/Athens; Tuesday went and looked at potential property for The Power of Peace Project in downtown ATL; Wednesday morning taught for the Dalton Drug court in the morning, spoke for the Gordon Board of Realtors at lunchtime, and then preached to the mighty men of the Atlanta Mission that night; this morning spoke at the National Alternative Education Association conference, and then tonight we filmed our next installment of Unshackled LIVE on the Catalyst Network. Still half the week left, and I can't wait to see what happens tomorrow... I am blown away and humbled by the doors that are opening and how smoothly and quickly things are flowing. (He is most definitely up to something, and I'm thrilled to be on "the ride")