For over two years, I’ve served as Emmanuel Littlejohn’s spiritual advisor. To say that I’ve come to love him would probably be an understatement. Far from the bloody caricatures most make of those on death row, I’ve found in Emmanuel an older man with a big heart. From time to time, humanity can still surprise us. Then again, it’s important to remember that such surprises can only find us when we open our hearts to their possibility. Many... Read more
Officer Sean Grayson Deserves Death, Grace Will Be More Painful. Fucked up. Disgusting. Evil. There are only so many words available to describe the catastrophic intentional murderous actions of Officer Sean Grayson. Indeed, in this situation words will always fall short. Grayson deserves a swift sentence of death. However, I suspect that grace will be much more painful. On July 6, Sonya Massey heard noises around her home. Suffering from paranoid schizophrenia, it’s anyone’s guess if such... Read more
*Earlier today, I released all of my writings on the June 11, 2024 execution of my friend David Hosier in Missouri. Below is the chapter that I wrote about Hosier’s execution. The entire book “THE DAVID HOSIER STORY: Writings from a Campaign” is available for purchase here. The Execution of David Hosier: The Final Full Account David Hosier gave me a tremendous gift. Over the final few months of David’s life, he let me in. While... Read more
*Earlier today, I released all of my writings on the April 4, 2024 execution of my friend Michael Smith in Oklahoma. Below is the chapter that I wrote about Smith’s execution. The entire book “Underrepresented: Michael Smith, Oklahoma & the Death Penalty” is available for purchase here. Amidst horror, descriptions fail. Towering walls on all sides holding back countless tons of dirt. Each stone whispering secrets of imprisoned souls. Glass doors that lead underground. Though you can see through,... Read more
THE DEATH ROW SPIRITUAL ADVISOR: A PRIMER Beginnings are important. We speak to someone where we find them. We cannot begin beyond where we are. Perhaps one can go back, but the beginning is always the beginning. We do not begin in endings. The spiritual advisor must meet all that they meet where they are, not where they were. Spirituality is complicated. No two people are the same. We are all trying to find the God that is... Read more
Spirituality is complicated. For almost two decades, I’ve ministered to all sorts of people. One of the things that I’ve come to realize is that no two people are the same. We are all trying to find the God that is beyond God. That is the entity that is beyond all comprehension that gives life meaning. Those who claim to know the totality of the divine are fools who should never be trusted. God is indescribable and that is... Read more
Spirituality is complicated. For almost two decades, I’ve ministered to all sorts of people. One of the things that I’ve come to realize is that no two people are the same. We are all trying to find the God that is beyond God. That is the entity that is beyond all comprehension that gives life meaning. Those who claim to know the totality of the divine are fools who should never be trusted. God is indescribable and that is... Read more
Spirituality is complicated. For almost two decades, I’ve ministered to all sorts of people. One of the things that I’ve come to realize is that no two people are the same. We are all trying to find the God that is beyond God. That is the entity that is beyond all comprehension that gives life meaning. Those who claim to know the totality of the divine are fools who should never be trusted. God is indescribable and that is... Read more
18 years ago, I was ordained a minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ at The Rock Baptist Church in Rex, Georgia. *Yes. Since then… I’ve had to get glasses. I’ve shaved my head. I’ve grown a beard. 2 years ago, I was incardinated into the priesthood of the Catholic Church by Bishop James St. George at St. Miriam Parish in Flourtown, Pennsylvania. “Do you believe in a literal hell?” I’ll never forget that question. For one of the... Read more
The Final Visit: Minutes with David Hosier Prisons are all the same. You hurry up to wait. Nothing happens when they tell you it’s going to. You are forced to just sit. The process of my final visit with David Hosier was anything but smooth. You don’t dare complain. They could very easily kick you out. Through it all, you are just left alone with your thoughts. Though I’d had such final visits before, this one was... Read more
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