Many years ago, I used to speak in Dakota County to DWI offenders with a minimum of 3 convictions; some had many more than that. I was a Board Member of Safe Streets First (and a speaker.)
Some of the people in SSF had a dozen DWIs; no one thought they would ever change. Well, a few cockeyed optimists did believe change was possible. God saved me from me, and I’ve seen hopeless cases come back from the grave before.
OK, I know you're probably thinking I'm going to tell a really cool story about how someone turned their life around. I can't give you such a report. I can't prove that I could see and feel people's hearts open on numerous occasions through the years. I just trust it made a difference, as prayer precedes each speech.
One time, I gave a speech to parents and their children at this location in Dakota County. After the speech, the youth exited to attend a small group with their caseworkers and mental health professionals to help them process what they heard and how it impacted them. The adult members of the audience stayed with me after the speech. One of the audience members was a police officer with alcoholism in his home life. His son had an Underage Drinking infraction (his child was ‘acting up’). I think the father thought he was the one without a problem, but I suspect he might have been part of the problem at home. Who knows the true backstory of any given family situation? We address what we know and move forward with that.
Anyway, after I was done speaking…the man said with unwavering conviction that I should have been put in the electric chair for what I did. God had healed me from having really difficult reactions to such comments, so I was OK. I already had many staredowns with the abyss, so I also had confidence (without conceit) that my actions and punishments were no longer in human hands. My response to him was that ‘the legislature had not contemplated a death sentence for the crime of manslaughter.’ I pointed out that if he thought the consequence for my crime should be changed, his beef is with the legislature and lawmakers, not with me. I explained that I served the time assigned for my crime, and now I'm spending the rest of my life doing something to help other people NOT to do what I did. His response was that he ‘hadn't thought of that.’ He seemed to calm down a bit.
I remember another occasion of speaking to just the offenders who had multiple DWIs. This was my favorite place to speak at the time because they were the most so-called hopeless cases that could be found.
As a speaker, I don't go to where the large audiences are but rather speak to the ones that are LEAST likely to be reached. I kind of think that's what Jesus did, too.
I also know that anytime I've ever received applause from an audience, the applause is actually a tribute to God, not me. I feel that if people remember 'me' over the Message of God's miracles, then I've done a great disservice as the speaker to listeners.
If you want to help support this ministry, ASK how you can do so.
In one of the groups I spoke to there, there was an elderly gentleman who had a dozen DWIs. I sensed in my spirit that he was either gonna kill himself or someone else if he didn't stop. This wasn't a logical supposition of some type or other. It was discernment. I could see he had a heart of kindness and had no desire to hurt others. I wouldn’t categorize or judge him as evil or wicked.
However, whether he was good or bad at some point doesn’t make the world easier to live in if the person doesn’t recover. I think it was maybe a year or 2 later that he drove near a park and hit 2 children on their bicycles. One of them died. I was looking for a scripture about raising a flag to warn others, but couldn’t recall where it was. I found this: But if you on your part warn a wicked man to turn from his way and he does not turn from his way, he will die in his iniquity, but you have delivered your life. Well, someone else died. He was lovingly warned. I feel love is what motivates people to change, but change is an inside job. I eventually contemplated that perhaps I should be a Motivational Healer, turn it all over to God, and see what happens.
Keep this ministry in prayer, please. Ye have not because ye ASK not.
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Mailing Address:
Pathways To Peace
c/o Tezikiah (Tez) Gabriel, Executive Director
122 Demont Ave E, #173
St. Paul, MN 55117
If you want me to speak at your group, organization, school, religious organization, prison, jail, etc., please email me at: cameroncommunicationz@gmail.com