Steve Gordon thanked Judge Fred Mosley for inspiring the creation of the Center for Jail Transformation (C4JT).
"I just want to go all the way back to 2013, when you handed me a book called 'The Introduction to the Laws of Life.' It was probably the most impacting devotional I've ever been through in my years of walking with the Lord. The book and you are my inspiration for creating C4JT," Gordon told Mosely during the May 24 episode of the latter's "Laws of Life" program on Brighteon.TV.
C4JT celebrated its first founding anniversary last month.
"So we're just a little over a year old and we were created out of a deep need for jail system reform. The center has been empowering local jails to transform their culture and their atmosphere so that individuals can start changing their lives," he said.
According to Gordon, C4JT targets county jails, especially those with 200 beds or less. These jails have a lot of needs – underfunded, understaffed and overwhelmed because of drug addiction and other social ills. There are limited activities in jail, so the center provides free programs, curriculum, advice, training, resources and a roadmap to jail transformation.
"One of the main distinctives that we have is that we don't just talk about ministering to the inmates in the prison, the men and women that are incarcerated there. We're talking about the transformation of the whole facility, which includes the staff and the leadership," Gordon said.
He further thanked Mosely because the "Laws of Life" helped educate everybody involved in the criminal justice system at all levels. "The same laws that apply to people who've committed a crime are also applied to the people who are supposed to be watching over them," Gordon said.
The co-founder and board chairman of C4JT also shared that they had a hard time coordinating with authorities during the pandemic because some jails were closed. "They really weren't having volunteers come in and programs were paused," he said. "So we pivoted to the local church. We want them to see their local jail as the mission field next door."
The reception was good and pastors and church members started working with the center.
"We offered a free training called the 'Church Training Course' via Zoom as often as needed, even to people overseas like those in Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania. "Total transformation can come about in their lives and the jails switch over from being the worst place in the county to work, so to speak, to be an amazing place of miracles and transformation," Gordon stressed.
C4JT building an online school called Laws of Life Institute
Elsewhere in the show, Gordon announced that the organization is currently building an online school called the Laws of Life Institute that would offer digital content on resources like the 50 laws of life.
The learning website is inspired by the book and series of the same title where Mosely combines his legal experience, study of the scriptures and the guidance of Holy Spirit in providing decisions in certain situations. (Related: Laws of Life: God heals the people who go through brokenness and tragedies – Brighteon.TV.)
"We're under the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus. This would be the law, not the concept, not the precept, not the principle, but the law of notice and warning," Mosely emphasized.
According to him, believers miss the notices and warnings. "We find ourselves and peculiar situations that perhaps we could have avoided if we were aware of the fact that God has committed himself to give us warnings of danger and great bodily harm," he said.
Gordon agreed and added: "We are blessed to have this opportunity to speak about practical applications of these teachings. We are given a chance to bring the message in a practical way, whether to guards out of jail or people living in a homeless shelter."
Watch the full May 24 episode of "Laws of Life" below. Catch new episodes of the program every Tuesday at 11-11:30 a.m. on Brighteon.TV.
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