Occasionally, God grants us serendipitous encounters the synchronicity of which cannot be denied. Such was the case when Lindsey Barnett stopped to speak to me after an incredibly traumatic experience for us both, the execution of Scott Eizember. You see, I was on one side of the glass and she was on the other. My job was to comfort Eizember in his final moments. Her job was to witness the execution of the man who killed her grandparents, A.J.... Read more
On a particularly powerful day, I was sitting in a dead church, and I started to become deeply troubled in my spirit. I couldn’t figure out why. After some moments of prayer, I heard the voice of God, “I am not there; come outside. I have risen.” Light from the heavens touched my soul. Slowly, I was pulled outside. The deadness of the church faded away. The streets came into focus. God was on every corner. Light exploded from... Read more
The Storm…or The Day My Little Rock Blew Away Who would ever think that their entire world would be completely interrupted by a tornado? Jeff, Phillip, Quinley, Madeleine & Lucas. There is no doubt that our kids saved us. For years I’d said it, now it was truer than ever. After numerous warnings about inclement weather, I picked them up early. We were making our way home when it hit. Trees crashing all around... Read more
3/26/23 Over the years, I have received hundreds of death threats (from all over the world actually). Truthfully, it’s part of the job. Rarely, have I put the perpetrator on blast. Unfortunately for Angellos Ioannis Malefakis, today is not one of those days. Those who work to stop executions should not be threatened with execution themselves. These two comments were in response to me filing a lawsuit against the Oklahoma Department of Corrections alleging defamation. Of course, it’s... Read more
*Letter to Editor that appeared in various Alabama media outlets today. Chickenhawk is a political term used to describe someone who is for war but lacks the fortitude to participate in it, usually asking others to participate instead. While such language has most often been used in war, I think it’s also appropriate to describe Alabama Governor Kay Ivey’s position on executions. Think about it, Governor Ivey consistently calls for greater use of the death penalty with no... Read more
The Eschatology of the Execution Chamber: A Primer Before the execution, employees of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice kept asking me the same question, “Is Arthur saved?” Far more than being concerned about the eternal consequences of their own participation in the execution, they were concerned about his eternal destination. Repeatedly, I gave the same answer, “Saved from what? Y‘all are the ones who are going to kill him.” Evil can be so blinding. Pressed against the... Read more
*A short OpEd that ran in multiple Florida newspapers in recent days. Chickenhawk is a political term used to describe someone who is for war buts lack the fortitude to participate in war, usually asking others to participate instead. While such language has most often been used to describe war, I think it’s also appropriate to describe Governor Ron Desantis’ position on executions. Think about it, Governor Desantis consistently calls for greater use of the death penalty with... Read more
*This is my account of the final conversation I had with Arthur Brown, Jr. (as his spiritual advisor) immediately before he was executed by the State of Texas on March 9, 2023. Danger always seems to lurk in spaces where we don’t know what’s next. I guess that’s the nature of danger…the unknown. Door after door opened and shut. I didn’t know where I was going. I just knew that I had to walk by faith and... Read more
“Let anyone who is without sin…” : On Serving as Arthur Brown Jr.’s Spiritual Advisor During his Execution I used to think that God was everywhere…but God don’t live in spaces like this. I’d seen it all in pictures before. The dim lights. The harsh colors. The small windows. I don’t think it would’ve mattered how many times I’d studied those pictures before. Nothing could have prepared me for standing in the midst of it... Read more
Revolution Now! : A Spiritual Advisor’s Cry After Witnessing the Execution of Arthur Brown Jr. on March 9, 2023 *Delivered outside of the Huntsville Unit In the end, Arthur Brown was full of hope. There is no doubt in my mind that this was a brother who lived his life full of hope. Even in the execution chamber behind me…the most hopeless of hopeless places…Arthur brought the hope. Within that dark place, Arthur cried out,... Read more
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In